Payton Hu had his second goal of the season since returning to the Hawks, which started Delta off on a string of four goals in the third period to ensure their first win of the year over the Whalers. // Tav Morrison photo
In the first matchup between the Delta Ice Hawks and White Rock Whalers at the Ladner Leisure Centre this season, the Ice Hawks took a big 6-1 win over their Boundary Bay rivals.
The win stayed on the trend of the home team winning each game so far this season, with the Whalers taking two wins at Centennial Arena earlier this month over the Hawks.
Delta’s defense kept the shots against low again, helping out goalie Zach Shaughnessy, who allowed just one goal on 23 shots in the Hawks’ eleventh victory of the season.
Carson Merriman had the lone goal of the first period, stealing the puck from White Rock at the Delta blue line and taking it up himself, scoring his twelfth on a wicked wrister in the high slot for a 1-0 lead.
White Rock evened the score early in the second period, taking advantage of an odd-man rush on the power play, with Nathan Bran finishing the play for the Whalers’ only goal of the night.
That didn’t last long though, as Carson Merriman struck again. Michele Romeo picked up a clearing attempt in the Whalers’ zone and sent it to the middle, looking for Conner Merriman. The puck up was instead knocked up to his brother Carson by a Whalers defender, and Carson again found the back of the net for a 2-1 Hawks lead.
Delta poured it on in the third period, adding three more goals. It started with Mateo Sjoberg picking up the puck low in the White Rock zone and passing out front to Payton Hu for a spin and a shot past Keegan Maddocks; his second of the year and a 3-1 score a minute and a half into the last frame.
The Hawks added two quick goals 19 seconds apart to pad the lead, first with Colin Jang absolutely undressing two White Rock defenders with dekes all alone, followed by a high-glove shot on Maddocks to complete the highlight-reel play.
Seconds later, Jang helped make it 5-1 by chipping up a pass to Jaren Ashbee, who was able to tip it short-side, when it looked like he was going to take it with him across the crease, for his first goal of the season.
The All-AP line of Jack Ferguson, Landon Jassmann, and Jordan Wales tacked on one more goal before the end of the game. Wales tapped the puck away from the Whalers to Jassmann, who looped around the net, drawing a defender away from Ferguson in the slot. A pass to him all alone out front for an open shot made it 6-1 for the first Hawks win over the Whalers this season.
