PORT COQUITLAM, B.C. – The Delta Ice Hawks and the Port Coquitlam Trailblazers took their quarrel from Tuesday’s opening game at the Ladner Leisure Centre to Friday at the Jon Baillie Arena in Port Coquitlam as the Stonehouse Cup Playoffs soldiered onwards.
Each team turned to their game one starting goaltenders once again, with veteran netminder Merik Erickson in the Delta crease and Keiran Caughran between the Poco pipes. Delta drew first blood, with the game’s first goal coming off the tape of Brandon Petrie who ripped a clean shot over the blocker of Caughran. The Trailblazers got their first sniff at the power play with Ice Hawks forward Evan Fedele sidelined for a slashing minor, though their chance would be swiftly truncated by defender Charlie Gardiner taking a penalty for hooking just eight seconds later. A late-period slashing call against Port Coquitlam defenceman Tait Humphries would provide Delta with their first proper duration of special teams play, but nothing would come of it as the two teams exited to the dressing rooms at the conclusion of the first period, a 1-0 lead for the Delta Ice Hawks.
Much like they had in the game prior, the Trailblazers came online in the second period in a major way. Bailey Ewonus continued his scoring ways, putting his team on the board and putting the Ice Hawks on notice. Delta blueliner Miller Bruckshaw was dispatched to the box for tripping, and Port Coquitlam would need nearly the full two minutes of man-advantage to score, but score they did. Forward and captain Markus Jack scored his third of the playoffs with six seconds remaining in the power play. Suddenly staring down the barrel of another Poco hijacking, Lucas Jakubec gave his team a much-welcomed jolt within a minute of captain Jack’s dagger. Coming in with numbers, Jakubec carried the puck up the left wall, faked a shot on Caughran, and fooled the goalie for a stunning goal to tie the game. Quickening the pace, the Trailblazers answered Jakubec’s answer just 48 seconds later via Jack’s second of the night. Delta issued another rebuke thanks to Rajun Parmar, as the game took on a complexion more akin to speed chess than hockey. Tied three-all, the middle frame drew to a close and set the stage for a critical final period of regulation.
Delta had carried out a blitz-style attack all night long, putting up 16 shots in the first period and 21 in the second, outshooting the home team Trailblazers by a margin of 37-23 after forty minutes. Still, besting Caughran in the Port Coquitlam paint was no easy feat. A quick carousel of penalties unfolded, with Delta’s Dawson Toledo off for slashing, Port Coquitlam’s Ryan Caughlan for cross-checking, and Parmar for tripping during Caughlan’s infraction. The Trailblazers met the moment, with Jack scoring on the power play to complete the hat trick and retake the lead via a 4-3 score. Matthew Biros extended his side’s advantage with his sixth goal of post-season play, though Delta would not go quietly into the night. Colin Jang, with the help of Jakubec and Jonathan Soares, responded to Biros’ goal in 20 seconds. Down by a single score, the Ice Hawks called Erickson back to the bench in favour of an extra attacker, though the Trailblazers would spell off a pair of empty-net goals in the final 90 seconds of the game from Gardiner and Biros. Home cooking tastes the sweetest, as the Port Coquitlam Trailblazers tie the series 1-1 and the Delta Ice Hawks set their sights on Sunday’s showdown.
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NOTABLE NOTES
• Delta did not have any affiliates in the lineup, as forward Marcus Bromhead and defencemen Jonathan Soares and Miller Bruckshaw all made their post-season debuts.
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THREE STARS
• Port Coquitlam Trailblazers defender Braeden Wynne collected three primary assists and third-star recognition.
• Port Coquitlam Trailblazers netminder Keiran Caughran made 46 saves on 50 shots, stifling a voracious Ice Hawks attack and earning second-star honours.
• Port Coquitlam Trailblazers forward and captain Markus Jack led by example, with a hat-trick on home ice bolstered by two helpers for a five-point night and first-star accolades.
While left out of the Poco-swept three stars, Delta Ice Hawks forward Lucas Jakubec was his team’s top performer, racking up three points with a timely tying goal in the second period and assists on goals in the first and third.
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STONEHOUSE CUP PLAYOFF SERIES SCHEDULE
• Game 1 @ Delta: 7-3 W, DEL leads 1-0
• Game 2 @ Port Coquitlam: 7-4 L, series tied 1-1
• Game 3 @ Port Coquitlam: Sunday, February 23rd, 2:30 PM @ Jon Baillie Arena
• Game 4 @ Delta: Tuesday, February 25th, 7:35 PM @ Ladner Leisure Centre
• Game 5 @ Delta: TBD
• Game 6*: TBD
• Game 7*: TBD
*=If necessary
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