MISSION, B.C. – The Delta Ice Hawks played their first game of the post-Trade Deadline schedule on Saturday, putting on a clinic and dispatching the Mission City Outlaws in the process.
The Ice Hawks were quick to the draw, landing on the scoresheet merely 30 seconds into the contest as Tye Hemenway scored a similar goal to the one that opened their last home game versus White Rock. Mateo Sjoberg wins an attacking zone faceoff, quickly dishing the puck to Danylo Bereza who sends it back to Hemenway, taking his time before finding the ideal shot and kicking off a first period onslaught. Mission took the first penalty of the game, sending Hudson Peever to the sin bin on a tripping call. On the ensuing power play, the Outlaws attempted to clear the zone but instead found Hemenway who kept the puck in and sent it to Grady Lenton for his 21st goal of the season. Mission landed themselves in the penalty box twice more, with Ashton Holbech called for delay of game and Kael Kozicki for tripping. Delta’s next goal, however, would come at even strength as Brandon Petrie caught the puck along the wall, sending it back to Ryden Mathieson whose shot from the blue line zoomed through traffic and past Outlaws netminder Jake Poblete. Though not credited with an assist, the goal that would eventually stand as the game-winner was possible thanks to newest Ice Hawk Evan Fedele, acquired in a deadline deal with the Port Moody Panthers, who set a perfect screen and kept Poblete busy while Mathieson unleashed his shot from the edge of the zone. As the dust settled on the first period, the Ice Hawks had mounted a strategic shelling, unloading 25 shots on goal to Mission’s seven against Merik Erickson.
The second period was a quiet affair, on paper, as Delta continued applying pressure to Poblete with 16 more shots, and Mission testing Erickson further with nine of their own, to no avail for either side. The teams skated off at the end of the middle frame the same way they exited the first: Delta up by three.
With the three goal lead having become status quo for much of the game, one might expect a touch of complacency from the Ice Hawks. Those concerns were dashed nearer to the midpoint of the third period, as Sjoberg skated up the middle, fanning on a shot attempt that landed cleanly with Declan Warburton, who found Bereza on the opposite wing with a clean pass across to stun Poblete and the Mission faithful. A few minutes later, the Outlaws offence finally came online, as Colton Collard and Cooper Crowe both put pucks past Erickson in quick succession, their goals coming just 29 seconds apart to brighten the Outlaws’ hopes. Poblete would find himself pulled for an extra attacker on two separate occasions in the dying minutes, though neither team could capitalize on scoring any further goals. The Hawks flew from the Mission Leisure Centre on Saturday night, victorious in a 4-2 final.
The Ice Hawks make their return to the Ladner Leisure Centre this coming Tuesday, January 14th as they face the Grandview Steelers for the first time since a 1-0 overtime win at the Burnaby Winter Club back on September 22nd.
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NOTABLE NOTES
• Junior hockey veteran Evan Fedele made his Ice Hawks debut, wearing number 77. In his final game with his previous team in Port Moody, Fedele scored a goal against the Grandview Steelers, who happen to be Delta’s next opponent.
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THREE STARS
• Mission City Outlaws goaltender Jake Poblete turned aside 43 of Delta’s 47 shots on goal, earning third star honours.
• Delta Ice Hawks defender and captain Tye Hemenway opened the scoring and assisted on Lenton’s first period goal to secure his 11th multi-point game of the season as well as the game’s second star.
• Delta Ice Hawks forward Danylo Bereza had himself a beastly game, giving and receiving perfect passes that crystallized the Ice Hawks’ victory and locked in his first star status.
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