DELTA, B.C. – The Tunnel Series. The Tom Shaw Conference Finals. Two events to which the Delta Ice Hawks reliably bring their A-game. Bring the two together, you have a recipe for damn good hockey.
So far, the Hawks have been able to keep their perennial rivals the Richmond Sockeyes in check, rising to a 2-0 series advantage as the schedule’s pendulum swings from one home rink to the other. Delta netminder Thomas Popa was exemplary against his former team in Thursday’s 8-4 victory, where Popa made 39 saves. At the other end, Richmond goalie Mathias Hasselmann was chased after allowing four goals on ten shots, bringing Max Fowle on in relief. With the series back in Delta for the usual Tuesday night ice, both teams will be expected to ramp up the pressure in a make-or-break situation.
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First Period
The Delta Ice Hawks switched back to the goaltending services of veteran netminder Merik Erickson, while the Richmond Sockeyes tapped their own post-season workhorse Max Fowle to man the crease. Heavy hits and high-danger chances were the name of the game early on, as the Ice Hawks sporting their white uniforms and the Sockeyes clad in their red alternates traded blows with tenacity.
Delta forward Mateo Sjoberg and Richmond defenceman Michael McIntyre were the first to be dispatched to the penalty box, both for roughing with Sjoberg catching an additional slashing call to be served by linemate Danylo Bereza.
McIntyre made a return to the box, this time by his lonesome on a holding call to prompt the Hawks’ first man-advantage of the game. Working swiftly, Grady Lenton jumped up into the zone with a clear mission and a head full of steam, besting Fowle to break open the scoring. Lenton’s opening tally marked his 11th goal of the playoffs, getting help from blue-liner and alternate captain Nick Goyer.
Lenton, tasting blood, put in a stellar individual effort as the match returned to even strength, storming back into the zone and beating Fowle on the blocker side and expanding the home side’s lead to two.
The Sockeyes, generating plenty of energy from both their bench and their cheering section, were voracious yet unable to convert as Erickson made saves aplenty. The two teams convened to the dressing room tunnel at the expiry of the first frame, Delta leading 2-0 on the scoreboard and 12-9 in the shots category.
Second Period
The Sockeyes were dogged in their mission to impact the scoresheet, yet though they controlled a decent amount of play in the neutral and attacking zones, it took nearly eight minutes to record their first official shot of the period, an easy glove save for Erickson.
Ice Hawks forward Colin Jang caught a call for tripping, sending him to the sin bin and the Sockeyes to the power play for the second time in the game. Delta’s penalty kill came up clutch once again, with Richmond held in check and Jang back on the ice in an expedient manner.
Delta posted up in the attacking zone for a spell, but couldn’t keep the Sockeyes from scattershot opportunities throughout the middle frame. Richmond affiliates Jeremy Kraft and Cole Brown were both stonewalled in the slot, and full-time forward Nicholas Noren was only able to locate Erickson’s glove.
Richmond defender Ryan Kump took an extended sit in the box, assessed a double-minor for tripping. The Hawks buzzed around the ice during the first three minutes of the power play, but a slashing call against Lenton would bring the game back to even-strength.
Flashes of life for the Sockeyes became an emphatic lifeline as defenceman Nathan Gray punched through the bedlam and placed his team on the scoreboard. Both Kump and Lenton skated back into the game, their respective penalties expired.
The restoration effort for the visitors bore more fruit, as Gray struck again with 39.6 seconds remaining on the clock. The game, now tied, went to another intermission with the score deadlocked 2-all.
Third Period
In a game infused with new life, both teams dialed up the pressure knob as high as it would go. Richmond got early chances from Mattias Uyeda and from Noren, while Delta forward Lucas Jakubec carried the puck into the zone to set up camp. Erickson had to stay sharp at his end, and Fowle faced down the barrel of a potent Ice Hawks offence.
Delta defender Brandon Petrie and Richmond forward Max Shin got tangled up in a heated exchange just past the halfway point of the third period, but neither would see any penalty from it. The two sides played on at 5-on-5 with the tension building inside the Ladner Leisure Centre.
Richmond forward Dawson Sucké was given a roughing call, while the recipient of his infraction, Delta’s Bereza, caught a holding-the-stick penalty to set up some late 4-on-4 activity.
Former Sockeye Rajun Parmar had a dazzling chance to put his team up late in the final frame of regulation, though Fowle saw him through all the way. Goyer wired a shot of his own through traffic in the fading seconds of regulation time, but it would be no dice as the teams remained tied after 60 minutes.
1st Overtime (10 min)
The Ice Hawks and Sockeyes traded chances and glances at will, with back-and-forth play dominating the abbreviated first overtime. Erickson would be the busier of the two goalies, making seven stops to Fowle’s lone save. Richmond gained the edge on the shot clock, with 28 shots through 70 minutes just eclipsing Delta’s 27.
2nd Overtime (20 min)
The Sockeyes were incredibly lucky, as they dodged a Too Many Players on the Ice call during the second overtime.
Getting into the attacking zone with numbers, the Ice Hawks were poised to go nuclear, with Hawk after Hawk storming in on net. Jakubec and Sjoberg linked up, with the latter scoring an incredible goal past a sprawling Fowle to call game. The Delta Ice Hawks overcome the surging Sockeyes by a final score of 3-2, and take a stranglehold on the series 3-0.
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NOTABLE NOTES
• At 75:09 in total length, tonight’s match became the second-longest game of the 2025 Stonehouse Cup Playoffs. The run time overtakes Game 3 of the Harold Brittain Survivor Series between the Surrey Knights and Langley Trappers (73:48). The record for longest match in this postseason remains with Game 2 of the Harold Brittain Conference Finals between the Chilliwack Jets and Ridge Meadows Flames, clocking in at 84:08.
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THREE STARS
• Richmond Sockeyes defenceman Nathan Gray had both of his team’s goals, spurring an incredible comeback effort late in the second period and snagging third-star accolades.
• Delta Ice Hawks goaltender Merik Erickson was utterly superlative, saving 30 of the shots he faced and standing strong in extra innings. Erickson’s steely demeanour and steady presence pair nicely as the game’s second star.
• Delta Ice Hawks forward Grady Lenton put the team on his back, scoring two crucial goals to set the advantage for his club. Though he was erroneously credited with Sjoberg’s game-winner in overtime, he was still phenomenal up-and-down throughout the win and locks in as first star.
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STONEHOUSE CUP PLAYOFF SERIES SCHEDULE
Tom Shaw Conference Finals
(1) Delta Ice Hawks vs. (2) Richmond Sockeyes (a.k.a. Tunnel Series 2025)
• Game 1 @ Delta: 5-4 W, DEL leads series 1-0
• Game 2 @ Richmond: 8-4 W, DEL leads series 2-0
• Game 3 @ Delta: 3-2 OTW, DEL leads series 3-0
• Game 4 @ Richmond: Thursday, March 13th, 7:00 PM, Minoru Arena
• Game 5 @ Delta: Saturday, March 15th, 8:00 PM, Sungod Arena *
• Game 6 @ Richmond: Sunday, March 16th, 5:45 PM, Minoru Arena *
• Game 7 @ Delta: Tuesday, March 18th, 7:35 PM, Ladner Leisure Centre
* = if necessary
Tom Shaw Conference Semifinals
(1) Delta Ice Hawks vs. (5) Port Coquitlam Trailblazers
• 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: 4-2 L, PC leads 2-1
• Game 4 @ Delta: 9-1 W, series tied 2-2
• Game 5 @ Delta: 5-1 W, DEL leads 3-2
• Game 6 @ Port Coquitlam: 7-1 W, DEL wins 4-2
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