January 14 – Hawks Drop Heartbreaker to Steelers

DELTA, B.C. – Coming off a strong showing at the PJHL’s All-Star Game in Port Coquitlam the night before, Mateo Sjoberg and his Delta Ice Hawks teammates seemed poised to carry their momentum into a clash with their conference-mates, the Grandview Steelers. However, a slow start and a voracious (and rested) Grandview offence nearly, and ultimately, cost Delta the game.

Steelers goaltender Ronin Geraghty had logged an impressive performance of his own from the All-Star Game, backstopping the Tom Shaw Conference roster in the first period. From the get-go in Ladner on Tuesday, no matter what the Ice Hawks threw towards the Steelers net, Geraghty had the answers. At the other end of the ice, Delta netminder Merik Erickson faced an early barrage from Grandview, ceding a goal to Steelers forward Jack MacFarlane prior to the media timeout, and another with less than eight seconds left in the first period to Aangid Manhas.

The second frame was commanded by the Steelers almost as thoroughly as their first period effort. Steven Konechny, who entered the game tied with Kori Belanger for the Steelers’ scoring title, regained sole possession with his 19th goal of the season past Erickson. Rowen Albert followed suit, strengthening Grandview’s grip on the contest with a 4-0 advantage past the midway mark. Though they spent the first half of the game thoroughly stymied by Geraghty, the tides began to shift in Delta’s favour, as Sjoberg revved the engines and led the wake-up call with his 36th goal of the campaign.

When the Delta Ice Hawks need goal support, they know exactly who to turn to. Finally seeing a path to get the puck past the stellar Geraghty, coach Steve Robinson tapped his best game-breaker in Grady Lenton, who teamed up with Brogan Kennedy and Sjoberg to cut the deficit to two and push the conversation. Lenton went beast mode once again in the third, bringing the Ice Hawks within one goal of a game that many thought had been lost back in the second period. Geraghty faced overwhelming pressure, as Delta dominated the zone time and maintained steady possession. Grandview’s defence had their work cut out for them, but held the line steadily from then on out. The final, frothy peak came in the final 70 seconds of time, with Erickson back to the Delta bench for the extra attacker, though the Steelers would give no quarter. Geraghty joined his Grandview teammates in jubilation, as Delta skated off in dismay, thus ending a 4-3 final in Ladner.

The Delta Ice Hawks turn their attention to the next game on the docket, and it is a monumental task: ride into Minoru Arena on Thursday, January 16th to continue the Tunnel Series versus the Richmond Sockeyes. Delta leads the perennial rivalry series three games to two this season.

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NOTABLE NOTES

• Sjoberg’s goal, his 36th of the year, helped him return to second in the PJHL’s goal-scoring chase. He now leads third-place Matteo Pero of North Vancouver by one, and trails Zack Lagrange of Ridge Meadows by three.

Evan Fedele collected an assist on Sjoberg’s second period goal, his second point in as many games with his new club following his acquisition from Port Moody at the trade deadline. He is now credited with a secondary assist on Ryden Mathieson’s goal in Sunday’s 4-2 win over Mission.

• The loss to Grandview positions Delta in the second spot of the Tom Shaw Conference standings with 59 points, two points behind the Richmond Sockeyes and a whopping 11 points clear of the White Rock Whalers in third. The Ice Hawks still claim the best win percentage (0.782) in the conference.

• If the playoffs began tomorrow: The (2) Delta Ice Hawks would be paired up with the (3) White Rock Whalers, while the (1) Richmond Sockeyes would await the winners of the Survivor Series between the (4) North Vancouver Wolf Pack and the (5) Port Coquitlam Trailblazers

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THREE STARS

• Delta Ice Hawks forward Grady Lenton did what he does best: take the game into his own hands. He did exactly that, scoring two massive goals in the third period to challenge Grandview’s dominion and becoming third star in the process.

• Grandview Steelers forward Jack MacFarlane led the charge, scoring the first goal and assisting on the second goal to secure the game’s second star.

• Grandview Steelers goaltender Ronin Geraghty was lights-out, faltering briefly in the home stretch but proving equally as effective in close quarters as in the open. He stopped 33 of 36 shots from Delta to lock in his 12th victory of the season and was the first star of the game.

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