DELTA, B.C. – The road to the Stonehouse Cup wound its way back to the Ladner Leisure Centre for a crucial Sunday showdown. The Delta Ice Hawks, down 3-2 in the finals to the Ridge Meadows Flames, needed to make the most of the last available home-ice advantage if they hoped to force a Game 7 in Maple Ridge. Head Coach Steve Robinson had an unenviable assignment in deciding how to respond to the steepest adversity his team had faced in the postseason. With all the necessary preparations made, it was, as Lemmy from Mötörhead once famously said, “time to play the game”.
Starting Lineups
Ridge Meadows Flames
3 Jakob Loewen • 6 Lukas Ravenstein
21 Nolan Bowsher • 27 Joshua Bettesworth • 88 Zack Lagrange
Delta Ice Hawks
11 Danylo Bereza • 10 Mateo Sjoberg • 8 Grady Lenton
18 Jonathan Soares • 3 Tye Hemenway
30 Thomas Popa
First Period
Following the Hawks’ Game 5 loss on Friday, graduating goaltender Thomas Popa was called upon to start the critical Game 6 in lieu of his platoon-mate Merik Erickson. Popa had stood on his head in his relief appearance two nights prior, giving his team confidence in the difficult choice to shake up the status quo. 190 feet away stood his opponent, the bane of the Ice Hawks’ existence, Flames goalie Matthew Candusso.
The first action on the scoresheet saw Hawks defenceman Nick Goyer dispatched to the penalty box, taking a two-minute minor for head contact.
The Flames got to work straight away, eager to make the first statement of the game. As time ticked down and Goyer rejoined the play, Flames forward Samuel Allen scored a seismic goal, two seconds past the power play’s expiry.
Ridge Meadows took the next penalty just half a minute after Allen’s goal, as forward Cohen Muc sat for tripping. This granted Delta their first chance at the power play, timely for a team needing a response to Ridge’s opening volley.
However, the next goal would be in favour of the Flames as defenceman Tyler Blatz unleashed his shot past Popa to give his team a 2-0 cushion in the back half of the first period.
A late penalty to Flames defender Jakob Loewen for delay of game would come down with 15 seconds to play in the opening frame, leaving the remainder of the Ice Hawks’ power play opportunity to resume at the start of the second period.
Moments later, the first period ended, with the visiting Flames leading by two goals to none.
Second Period
Though nothing came of the Hawks’ second power play, they would be granted another kick at the can as forward Matteo Appezzato was sidelined for hooking.
Delta would remove themselves from the power play, however, as Goyer caught an interference call while trying to get back to his bench.
The battle of attrition dragged on through the middle frame, with the Flames effectively defending their lead and the Hawks preventing their enemies from increasing their advantage. In the blink of an eye, the second period was over, with the same result from the first twenty minutes: Ridge Meadows – 2, Delta – no score.
Third Period
No sooner had the puck dropped on the third period than the Ice Hawks had finally bested Candusso, however the goal was quickly pulled back after review by the officials. For his trouble, Hawks forward Rajun Parmar was given a ten-minute misconduct, followed by a game misconduct, after a brief and spirited debate with the referees.
Undeterred, Delta finally got their goal as forward Dawson Toledo beat Candusso, with assists from Grady Lenton and Mateo Sjoberg, to bring life and hope back to the Hawks’ faithful.
The Flames produced a swift rebuke, restoring their two-goal lead via Allen’s second of the game just over a minute later.
Goyer would return to the penalty box for charging, garnering a game misconduct along with it. Beckett Cross was tasked with serving the two minute penalty as Goyer exited the game.
The PJHL’s number-one power play clicked just seconds later as defenceman and captain Lukas Ravenstein tallied his ninth goal of the playoffs to lift his team up 4-1.
With frustrations beginning to boil over, Ice Hawks blueliner Jonathan Soares took a cross-checking penalty shortly after Ravenstein’s back-breaking goal. This time, the Flames’ special teams would come up short.
One final chance for the Delta power play came with just over five minutes left in the game clock. Flames center Joshua Bettesworth caught a cross-checking call of his own, which would eventually stand as the final penalty of the game.
Needing as much help (and luck) as they could muster, the Ice Hawks pulled Popa and sent out an extra attacker with three minutes left until the end of the road. Popa would rejoin the play roughly 40 seconds later with a faceoff in the Hawks’ end, but would make his way to the bench once more as his compatriots pressed for more goal support.
With Pierce Whyte battling for the puck in the corner, Hawks captain and defenceman Tye Hemenway moved in and made a stunning save, especially considering that he is not a goaltender by trade. Appezzato would land the puck on his stick, making no mistake as he put the puck into the (technically-)empty net with 54 seconds left to play.
The final buzzer sounded on the third period and on the Delta Ice Hawks’ bid for the Stonehouse Cup, as the Ridge Meadows Flames claimed victory in the 5-1 decision, dodging a third-consecutive Finals Game 7 in the process.
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NOTABLE NOTES
• Flames affiliate forward Colin Jamieson stepped into the lineup for the second consecutive game, wearing jersey number 20.
• Ice Hawks defenceman Miller Bruckshaw slotted into the lineup, playing his first game of the Stonehouse Cup Finals. Bruckshaw, the 2007-born defender from Delta, played in six postgame contests, three in the first round series against Port Coquitlam, and three against the Richmond Sockeyes
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THREE STARS
• Delta Ice Hawks forward Dawson Toledo scored a critical goal to give his club life, earning third-star honours.
• Ridge Meadows Flames forward Samuel Allen scored his third and fourth goals of the postseason, opening the scoring and answering Delta’s third period goal respectively, to lock in second-star platitudes.
• Ridge Meadows Flames goaltender Matthew Candusso was exemplary, stopping 30 of Delta’s 31 shots and securing his and his club’s second consecutive Stonehouse Cup. The 2005-born goalie from North Delta earned first-star accolades in addition to the major hardware.
Additionally, the Delta Ice Hawks wish to recognize and congratulate their graduating 2004-born players, whose junior hockey careers concluded with this game:
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STONEHOUSE CUP PLAYOFF SERIES SCHEDULE
Stonehouse Cup Finals (league seeding in parenthesis)
(1) Ridge Meadows Flames vs. (3) Delta Ice Hawks
• Game 1 @ Ridge Meadows: 4-3 OTL, RM leads 1-0
• Game 2 @ Ridge Meadows: 3-1 W, series tied 1-1
• Game 3 @ Delta: 5-2 W, DEL leads 2-1
• Game 4 @ Delta: 4-3 L, series tied 2-2
• Game 5 @ Ridge Meadows: 6-3 L, RM leads 3-2
• Game 6 @ Delta: 5-1 L, RM wins 4-2
Tom Shaw Conference Finals (conference seeding in parenthesis)
(1) Delta Ice Hawks vs. (2) Richmond Sockeyes (a.k.a. Tunnel Series 2025)
• Game 1 @ Delta: 5-4 W, DEL leads 1-0
• Game 2 @ Richmond: 8-4 W, DEL leads 2-0
• Game 3 @ Delta: 3-2 OTW, DEL leads 3-0
• Game 4 @ Richmond: 4-2 L, DEL leads 3-1
• Game 5 @ Delta: 7-3 W, DEL wins 4-1
Tom Shaw Conference Semifinals (conference seeding in parenthesis)
(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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