DELTA, B.C. – There’s little doubt that Delta Ice Hawks had this game circled on the calendar: a Stonehouse Cup Finals rematch against the defending champs, the Ridge Meadows Flames. Both clubs featured plenty of returnees from last season’s finals, leaving plenty of space to renew acquaintances.
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1st Period
At one end of the rink, Zach Shaughnessy positioned himself in the starter’s create. Across the way, a familiar foe in the form of Matthew Candusso manned his team’s blue paint.
A quiet first period saw no scoring, with the only impacts to the scoresheet coming by way of two Delta penalties: defender KJ Merriman sat for tripping, and fellow blueliner Brandon Petrie was assessed a delay of game penalty.
Despite having two chances on the power play, Ridge Meadows wasn’t able to convert, as the first period closed in a scoreless deadlock. The Flames held the advantage in shots, sending 16 pucks towards Shaughnessy, while the Ice Hawks peppered Candusso with nine.
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2nd Period
The game broke open early into the second period, with Flames forward Jonah Power Smith notching his fourth goal of the season.
Once the Flames had secured their first goal, they wasted no time in doubling their lead with captain Zack Lagrange putting away his fourth goal of the campaign.
A small smattering of penalties carried the second period onwards, with Delta forward Lucas Jakubec was assessed a high-sticking call, Ridge forward Cohen Muc was called for tripping, and Jude Donnelly of Delta took an interference penalty late into the second period, a penalty which would carry over into the next frame.
Ridge Meadows came on strong the rest of the way, constantly pestering and testing Shaughnessy and the Ice Hawks defence corps, adding 17 shots for a two-period total of 33, while Delta doubled up with nine more to make their total 18 through two periods.
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3rd Period
With the odds seemingly stacked against them going into the final frame of regulation, it was gut-check time for a Hawks squad still down by two.
With Donnelly back in the penalty box to begin the third, the Flames appeared to expand their margin of dominance with a power play goal from Power Smith. A conference amongst the referees confirmed what all in the arena could see plainly: the puck was knocked behind Shaughnessy by a high stick, and the contest remained at a 2-0 Ridge advantage.
However, the Flames pressed for their third goal shortly thereafter, with Brayden Yee securing the eventual game-winner.
The Hawks found the life they were so urgently needing, as captain Grady Lenton did captain things and found the answering goal just 27 seconds after Yee’s tally.
Quick to stall the building momentum from Delta, Ridge Meadows restored their three-goal lead via Matteo Appezzato’s first of the season, scored within a minute of Delta getting on the board, to make it 4-1.
A pair of slashing penalties to the Flames, first to Yee and next to Jonathan Ruus, set up a crucial opportunity with the man-advantage. Before either penalty could be announced, Jakubec combined with his linemates, Colin Jang and Lenton, to force the conversation and regain some semblance of agency in a contest quickly slipping away.
Delta made an earnest effort to build off the momentum from Lenton and Jakubec’s goals, but found themselves in some penalty trouble as Devun Olfert caught an interference penalty and ten-minute misconduct, effectively ending his night.
Further penalties were doled out as the period wound down, to Flames forward Sam Allen for slashing and to Hawks defenceman Petrie for tripping.
Flames forward Muc offered the final nail, sinking his shot into the empty net during the final minute to secure his side a 5-2 victory. Ridge Meadows closed out the contest putting up 42 shots, while Delta mustered 30 with a surge of 12 in the third.
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Three Stars
- Delta Ice Hawks goaltender Zach Shaughnessy made 37 saves in the loss, facing down a formidable returning cast from Ridge Meadows and keeping his team in the mix until the better end to secure third-star accolades.
- Ridge Meadows Flames forward James Eagle quietly propelled his team to victory, assisting on Jonah Power Smith’s opening salvo and Matteo Appezzato’s 4-1 back-breaker to lock in as second star.
- Ridge Meadows Flames forward and captain Zack Lagrange led by example, striking with a crucial goal to secure first-star plaudits.
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Notable Notes
- Delta Ice Hawks forward Neland Voshell suited up in his 100th PJHL game on Saturday night, his tenth game with the Delta Ice Hawks franchise spread out over two non-consecutive seasons. In the previous season, Voshell logged ten games post-trade deadline with the White Rock Whalers along with 80 career games with the Surrey Knights.
- Delta Ice Hawks affiliate defenceman Otto Puhakka made his regular season debut, wearing number 10. The 2009-born product of Helsinki, Finland enters his fourth season in the Delta Hockey Academy system after spending his youth with his hometown club of Jokerit.
- Jerome Levangie, of North Delta Minor Hockey, dressed as the emergency backup goaltender for the Ice Hawks. The local product was one of three recipients of NDMHA’s Reginald T. Atkinson Award for the top Sun Devils goalies in the 2024-25 season.
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A swift turnaround for the Ice Hawks sees them set course for “The Hangar,” officially known as the Sardis Sports Complex, as they gear up for a 5:30 tilt against the Chilliwack Jets on Sunday, September 21st.
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