Joshua Kee scored his second goal of the season in the Hawks’ winning effort over the Richmond Sockeyes on Tuesday night.
In the third matchup of the 2021-22 Tunnel Cup, the Delta Ice Hawks took the 2-1 lead in the season series on Tuesday night, defeating their rivals the Richmond Sockeyes 6-5 in Ladner.
The Ice Hawks got off to a good start, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, their first coming on the power play. Dalton MacGillivray cycled the puck around to Carson Hemenway up top, who moved it on to Carson Merriman on the right wing. Merriman made a move into the middle and fired it top corner past some bodies, causing goalie Jovan Khelen’s water bottle to go flying.
Hemenway got a goal of his own just a couple minutes later. The Hawks fired the puck deep and were able to keep Kheleh’s clearing attempt in. Hemenway pinched in and beat a Sockeye to the loose puck and after a quick back-and-forth with Kyle Kalamaras behind the net, Hemenway shot it on net nearly even with the goal line and put Delta up 2-0.
Goal number three was a result of the Hawks taking advantage of a Sockeyes giveaway in their own zone. Alex Lucchesi won the puck and passed to Caden Stephenson beside the net. He played it on net, saved by Kheleh, but Joshua Kee was right there for the rebound.
Delta added to their lead quickly in the second period; Kalamaras won a faceoff in Richmond’s end and Carson Bigras ripped a slapshot from the high circle, beating Kheleh and causing a goalie change for the Sockeyes.
In the seventh minute, Richmond added two goals of their own, just 45 seconds apart. Gavin Bains tipped a Vincent Thrum point shot past Braedy Euerby while Richmond was on the power play, then Tanner Milne won a foot race for the puck in Delta’s end and after a few passes, he scored Richmond’s second of the night.
Dominic Passalacqua-Main would give the Hawks a bit more of a cushion before the end of the middle frame, ending up on the winning end of a scramble near the crease after picking up the rebound of a MacGillivray shot.
The third period was all Sockeyes in the first 10 minutes, with three goals to tie the game up at 5-5.
Easton Elmer got the first in the frame with just 42 seconds burned off the clock, grabbing the loose puck after Garrett Wicks won the faceoff in Delta’s end and firing it past Euerby.
About seven minutes later, Bains carried the puck up from Richmond’s end and found Thorpe, who brought the Sockeyes within one. Rocco La Cara quickly tied the game at five after that, taking a pass from Ben Ruthven from behind the net.
In the end, though, Delta was victorious on Passalacqua-Main’s second goal of the night. MacGillivray settled the puck in the neutral zone and got it to Carson Merriman. Merriman entered the Sockeyes’ zone with Passalacqua-Main and passed over to him late, giving Marcus Cumberworth no chance on the winning goal of the game.
