Monday October 21
Persistence pays off for Ice Breakers
There was no doubt the Ice Breakers applied a total team effort in both their wins over the Degenerates. Led by H.Jerjian in the first encounter, the forward was the catalyst behind the victory proving two goals and an assist. The Degenerates weren't too happy with the way things ended and tuned up their game in the next match. And although they started off better jumping to a 2-1 lead, one shift was all it took for the Ice Breakers to respond and regain control. G.Miville and A.Keuhnelian tallied less than a minute apart to tilt the match in their favour. A.Tachejian had a major impact as well by getting the games first and last goal that stood for the winner.
(2)Degenerates vs Ice Breakers (5)
(4)Ice Breakers vs Degenerates (3)
Venom's fuel tank hits empty by final frame
Considering the circumstances, Venom gave the Armadillos a good fight on Monday night. They managed to go the distance dropping a 4-3 shootout decision in the first game and held up for most of the first period in the ensuing match down only 2-1. But eventually fatigue did take a toll, especially when rotating only one body-from your own bench. The Armadillos knew this and made it a point to keep pressuring their opponent. The contest was ultimately decided in less than a minute with the Armadillos surging on three quick goals. Both wins came with scoring efforts-from many different players. J.Kontitsis provided the lone shootout tally in the first contest while D.Tzimopoulos was credited the winner in the second match.
(3)Venom vs Armadillos (4) S.O
(6)Armadillos vs Venom (1)
Excalibur and Chic Choc clash in tight battles
Both teams had to deal with the fact that they couldn't really take over and get much of an edge for how evenly matched both games played out. It wasn't surprising that the first game ended in a shootout with S.Ruggiero deciding matters with the lone marker. Much of the second game resembled the previous one, but this time the Chic Choc found a way to get the slight edge. The Excalibur overcame a 3-1 deficit to pull within one when S.Ruggiero buried his second with still enough time for an equaliser. However, that wasn't going to rattle the Chic Choc knowing that F.Peloquin was their last line of defence. The net minder stood tall and avoided the extra time by relying on his defence and ability to stop any ball his way.
(2)Chic Choc vs Excalibur (3) S.O
(2)Excalibur vs Chic Choc (3)
Punishers tighten up in second game to split with Orient
The Punishers weren't happy with much that went on in the opening contest versus the Orient. They were out matched and sloppy defensively allowing their opponent to pretty much get their way. M.Piche did them in rattling off three goals en route to a lopsided 5-2 victory. There was no question that the Punishers needed to show a better defensive performance than what they displayed. After addressing the issue, the second match was a complete turn of events. They committed to a game plan to slow down the Orient while patiently waiting for their opportunities. M.Arkalis and P.Arkalis provided much of the offense as the two brothers complemented each other on both goals. With that, the goaltending was also a factor and M.Melo did not disappoint allowing only one tally on 18 shots.
(2)Punishers vs Orient (5)
(1)Orient vs Punishers (2)
The SalumiVino player of the night goes to Andranik Zardarian of the Ice Breakers. During a few key moments versus the Degenerates, the net minder came up big with some timely stops that enabled his club to prevail and collect six clean points to the standings.
Follow Hockeyballe.com on these social networks