Any time the George Massey Tunnel is concerned, traffic is always a factor. It only takes one vehicle having an issue to lead to debilitating delays. Prior to tonight’s contest between the Delta Ice Hawks and the Richmond Sockeyes, the second instalment in the annual Tunnel Series, the arena Zamboni needed some attention during the ice clean prior to warmup. Thanks to the quick work of arena staff, the ice was resurfaced and the game only delayed by five minutes.
With Richmond’s Oliver Read in one crease and Delta’s Merik Erickson in the other, the game got off to a rollicking start. It only took 1:21 of game time for Ice Hawks alternate captain Mateo Sjoberg to notch his 18th of the season, reinforcing his hold on the league’s goal scoring race.
Richmond forward Nick Noren, only one spot behind Sjoberg in the points race, would tie the game just a few minutes later.
Richmond’s Jackson Jesson and Delta’s Grady Lenton would each be called for penalties in the first frame, neither resulting in a power play goal. Richmond forward Max Shin gave his club their first and only lead of the game, and Delta’s Lenton would go toe-to-toe with Sockeyes goalie Read on numerous occasions.
Delta’s Dany Bereza pulled the game back to even with his second goal of the season only mere moments after Shin. Being stonewalled on three previous chances, Lenton broke through at last in the final minute of the first period, gifted with a wide open cage and striking for his first goal in an Ice Hawks uniform.
In the early minutes of the second, Richmond captain Teo Lin was assessed a slashing minor, but Delta would not capitalize until after the power play expired. Lenton carried forth the momentum from his first goal into the second period for the 4-2 goal, which would eventually stand as the game winner.
More penalties would come as Delta’s Brandon Petrie skated off for tripping, and Richmond’s Charlie Swartz would catch a double-minor for high sticking.
The third period would reintroduce the tradition of Delta scoring quickly as Brogan Kennedy cleaned up on a perfect backdoor pass from Petrie to knock in the insurance goal.
Keeping things interesting, Swartz scored for Richmond near the mid-point of the final period to pull the Sockeyes back within two. Sustained pressure the rest of the way meant that Richmond could not pull Read for the extra attacker until the final two minutes of the game.
It might be hyperbole to say that the empty-net goal with ten seconds remaining to regain the three-goal lead was one of the most stunning, but indeed the most thrilling goal of the night was perhaps the long shot from Delta captain Tye Hemenway that would ping off the post and stop patiently on the doorstep for Lenton to complete the hat-trick.
Lenton would earn first star honours, alongside second star Sjoberg and third star Petrie. Notable as well were the stellar efforts of Erickson in the Delta net, Lucas Jakubec up front, and Hemenway on the back end.
Delta takes the contest by a final of 6-3, mirroring and flipping the score from the first Tunnel Series contest of the year back on September 12th at Minoru Arena and tying the in-season rivalry series at 1-all.
