DELTA, B.C. – The Delta Ice Hawks hosted a rare Wednesday night home game against the visiting Coastal Tsunami. During the previous season, the first for the Tsunami franchise, the Ice Hawks held court, winning all four of their battles. This season, though still in the early goings, has already flipped the script: Coastal hosted the birds on Truth & Reconciliation Day, September 30th, defeating Delta 4-1, a game in which Declan Warburton had Delta’s only goal in the contest.
Both clubs are hoping their recent momentum can carry them forward, with Delta coming off a cathartic 4-2 win over the Richmond Sockeyes on Saturday, while Coastal stormed to a 6-3 victory at home against the Port Coquitlam Trailblazers on the same night. Delta’s win featured two goals apiece from Beckett Cross and Colin Jang, while four of Coastal’s goals in their win came from 2007-born rookie forward and North Vancouver product Luke Curtin.
The Hawks skate into this contest sporting a 3-7 record through ten games, returning to the win column and climbing out of the bottom spot of the Tom Shaw Conference. The Tsunami have arranged a 3-5-2 record through their ten games, buoyed into fourth by points from their two overtime losses.
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Starting Goaltenders
- The Delta Ice Hawks tapped Zach Shaughnessy for Wednesday’s game, returning to active duty after making 39 saves against the Richmond Sockeyes in Thursday night’s 4-2 loss.
- The Coastal Tsunami called upon Brayden Burrows to man the crease. The former North Vancouver Wolf Pack netminder returned to the PJHL this season after spending a “gap year” with the BCHL’s Langley Rivermen and beginning the year in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League with the Flin Flon Bombers. Burrows started his third consecutive game, making his debut last Friday, October 3rd, playing just over two periods against the Ridge Meadows Flames before being chased. The next night, October 4th at home against the Port Coquitlam Trailblazers, saw Burrows made 27 stops on the way to his first PJHL win since February 10th, 2024, coincidentally also against Port Coquitlam.
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1st Period
Ice Hawks forward Keeghan Dunn continued making a strong impression with his new club, scoring his first goal of the season in just his second game in blue and gold. Affiliate defender Sam Harvey earned an assist, as did the red-hot Colin Jang.
Coastal defender Moses Larribeau took the game’s first penalty call, a hooking minor, to prompt Delta’s first chance at the power play.
Burrows was tested early and often, having to stop a point-blank opportunity newly-acquired Delta forward Ryan Ashe, among others.
Jang worked even more magic, scoring his third goal in two consecutive games to hoist his club ahead by two goals.
The Delta Ice Hawks skated off at the end of the first period, holding a 2-0 advantage and a 13-8 edge for shots on goal.
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2nd Period
The second period unfolded as a veritable war of attrition, with Delta sustaining offensve-zone pressure both consistent and constant. However, Coastal got the boost they needed after six minutes and change as Kane Law put the puck past Shaughnessy, the team’s first shot-on-goal in the middle frame.
Delta caught their first penalty of the game as Keeghan Dunn skated off for goaltender interference. Getting into Burrows’ space did pay off in the short term, as Brogan Kennedy scooped up the puck in close to cash in his fourth goal of the year, returning his side to a two-goal lead with a short-handed, unassisted tally.
The jubilation was short-lived, however, as Tsunami forward Spencer Huth converted on the power play and made the game 3-2.
Keeghan Dunn, hungry for more, pinged the puck off the post, then later joined Grady Lenton for a passing play that would be denied by Burrows.
Coastal forward Reegan Kominko caught some heat, sitting in the box for slashing. This set the stage for Keeghan Dunn to notch his second of the game, with helpers from linemates Jang and Lenton, going up 4-2.
In the final minute, Tsunami defenceman Kael Jackson shot the puck in from the blue line, but instead found Kennedy’s skates, leading to a final breakout attempt for Delta.
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3rd Period
The Coastal Tsunami opened the third period with a renewed jump in their step, catching the Ice Hawks unaware with a surprise goal from Nolan Caruso.
Now trailing by one, the Tsunami were eager to press further. Their efforts were hampered by a tripping call on Kane Law, trotting out the Ice Hawks’ power play once more. Brandon Petrie levelled a bomb of a shot on Burrows, and Ryder Dunn pounced on the ensuing rebound, but Burrows flashed the glove to shut down the opportunity.
Delta caught themselves down 5-on-3 in the third period, first with an interference penalty to forward Jude Donnelly, followed by a clearing attempt by Ryder Dunn that went too high and became a delay of game penalty. A pair of off-setting roughing penalties against Coastal’s Ryan Heuser and Delta’s Keeghan Dunn led to a packed penalty box, occurring with five seconds left in Donnelly’s penalty.
Tsunami rookie phenom Luke Curtin scored his ninth goal of the campaign on the power play from Ryder Dunn’s penalty, bringing the contest back to a deadlocked tie for the first time since the first three minutes.
Hawks defenceman KJ Merriman and Tsunami forward Nolan Caruso tangled soon after Curtin’s goal, with both earning misconducts and Caruso collecting a roughing penalty. Delta’s power play snapped to attention, with Lenton scoring an emphatic go-ahead goal to reclaim the driver’s seat with just over five minutes left.
Delta’s work was cut out for them: batten down the hatches and haul out the sandbags – the metaphorical tsunami sirens were sounding.
Under three minutes left, Burrows got the hook in favour of the extra attacker. Coastal came on strong, but Beckett Cross sniped the empty net in timely fashion to go ahead by 6-2, a goal many expected to be the final nail in the doorframe to withstand the storm
With 41 seconds left on the clock and hope fading away, Coastal threw everything they had at Shaughnessy. Law appeared to have scored – a tally that would have been his second of the match to bring his team within one goal of survival – but the officials confirmed no goal on account of contact with Shaughnessy.
A stunning photo-finish resulted in the Delta Ice Hawks standing tall as the Tsunami’s waves receded – winners of back-to-back games
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3 Stars of the Game
- Coastal Tsunami forward Luke Curtin, while not as prolific as his previous outing, scored the game-tying goal and adding an assist on Spencer Huth’s earlier marker. Curtin understood the assignment, showing up for his team and facilitating the comeback effort to secure the third-star nod.
- Delta Ice Hawks forward Keeghan Dunn hit the ground running, putting in a high-impact performance in his second game with the team. His first-period goal set the tone, and his confident play propelled the Hawks to an important win. The 2007-born forward from Richmond earned second-star accolades, though admittedly on a first-star effort, but the first star was undoubtedly…
- Delta Ice Hawks forward Colin Jang could only be described with one word: omnipresent. The 2005-born veteran from Coquitlam was everywhere he needed to be, scoring a critical late-first-period goal and adding three assists, on goals for his wingers; Keeghan Dunn, and Grady Lenton. Jang was the conduit for his team’s success, locking in as first star of the game.
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Notable Notes
- Delta’s lineup featured two affiliates, both from Delta Hockey Academy. Forward Kesler Curtis, wearing number 20, and defenceman Samuel Harvey, clad in number 88, both saw decent amounts of ice time, with Harvey notching his first PJHL point in his third game of action.
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Next Game
- The Delta Ice Hawks hit the road for a Friday night tilt at the Cam Neely Arena in Maple Ridge to challenge the Ridge Meadows Flames, puck drop is 7:30 PM.
- The next Hawks home game at Sungod Arena shall also feature the Coastal Tsunami, rolling in for a Sunday afternoon showdown at 1:45 PM.
- Though the Hawks typically host their home games on Saturdays, it is important to note that there will NOT be home games in Delta for Saturday, October 11th or Saturday, October 18th.
All Ice Hawks games, home and away, are broadcast on FloHockey, available by subscription.
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