February 2 – Hawks Stopped by Steelers

BURNABY, B.C. – A blanketing of snow across the Lower Mainland on Sunday set the tone for the penultimate weekend of regular season action in the Pacific Junior Hockey League, with the conditions on the roads echoing the circumstances of the teams jockeying for position in the standings. Indeed, one false move could spell disaster, and maintaining control becomes that much more challenging. Such was the case as the conference-leading Delta Ice Hawks made their way to the Burnaby Winter Club to take on the Grandview Steelers, a squad whose playoff hopes still hang in the balance as they attempt to supplant the Port Coquitlam Trailblazers for the final spot in the post-season.

The Ice Hawks were able to secure a swift goal just 31 seconds into the contest as Nick Goyer intercepted the Steelers’ clearing attempt, worked his way in to the zone and put a quick shot on Ronin Geraghty in the Grandview net. Geraghty handled Goyer’s initial shot but couldn’t gather the rebound, as the puck found its way to Danylo Bereza who found the opening that he and his club needed to draw first blood. Next up, Brandon Petrie sent a stretch pass up to Bereza who carried the puck deep into the Grandview zone before facing some stiff Steelers opposition in the corner. Grady Lenton helped get the puck out of the jam, finding a perfectly-positioned Mateo Sjoberg at the faceoff circle ready to double up the Hawks’ burgeoning lead. Up by two goals to none, Delta seemed to have things under control, pressing with more chances in the Steelers’ end whilst keeping their opponents from generating anything of significance. Ritchie Riumin’s backhand shot, saved by Merik Erickson at 6:06 into the first period marked Grandview’s first shot on goal. The Steelers found their footing, as Tyson Osachoff put his team’s second shot on net past Erickson and cut their deficit to one. Next up to bat was Grandview forward Jack MacFarlane, who snagged the puck from Brogan Kennedy and took his time finding the shot to beat Erickson, returning the game to a dead heat. Power play opportunities were few and far between throughout the match, with only one penalty in the first period to Steelers forward Kassius Kler, though the Hawks were unable to generate any further offence from the man advantage. The teams exited the ice after 20 minutes of play, tied at 2.

The Steelers mounted their comeback slowly and methodically over the course of the next two periods of play, finally breaking the deadlock in the fading moments of the second period via Osachoff’s second goal of the night. The teams traded chances throughout the middle frame, as Delta and Grandview each mustered ten shots on net apiece. The Steelers rode their tentative momentum into the second intermission, up by a goal in a 3-2 contest.

Early in the third, Delta found themselves in penalty trouble. First, a too-many-players-on-the-ice call sidelined Lenton, then a case of cross-checking against Hawks captain Tye Hemenway provided the Steelers with a 5-on-3 chance, as MacFarlane snagged his second tally of the game. Further insurance for the home team came later in the period, with Aangid Manhas finding the back of the net to extend the Grandview score to 5-3. Delta, with their backs to the wall, called their timeout as Steelers defender Landen Mailhot skated to the box for tripping. One further, final chance on the power play came and went as Noah Gibbons was caught for cross-checking, but the Delta Ice Hawks could not get themselves back into the contest, falling 5-3 to the Grandview Steelers.

Delta prepares for their final home game of the regular season, coming up on Tuesday, February 4th at 7:35 as they welcome the Port Moody Panthers to the Ladner Leisure Centre. Delta’s regular season’s finale comes on the road, with a Saturday, February 8th date with the White Rock Whalers at Centennial Arena.

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NOTABLE NOTES

• The playoff race remains unchanged, as (1) Delta holds onto the top spot in the Tom Shaw Conference with a three-point lead over the (2) Richmond Sockeyes. If Delta produces a win in either of their final two contests, they will officially clinch the first seed and will await the winner of the Survivor Series, currently forecast as the (4) North Vancouver Wolf Pack versus the (5) Port Coquitlam Trailblazers. Meanwhile, Richmond remains poised to face the (3) White Rock Whalers in first round action.

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THREE STARS

• Grandview swept the stars, recognizing goaltender Ronin Geraghty as third star with a 32-save victory, Aangid Manhas with a multi-point night as second star, and Jack MacFarlane factoring into all five of his team’s goals as first star.

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