Alex Lucchesi scored his first goal of the season on Tuesday night, helping Delta on their way to a 9-1 win over the Grandview Steelers. Photo by Tav Morrison
In the latter half of a home-and-home series with the Grandview Steelers Tuesday night, the Ice Hawks got their revenge, taking home a 9-1 win at the Ladner Leisure Centre, following a tough 6-1 loss in Burnaby on Sunday night.
Returning Ice Hawks Henry Smith and Merik Erickson made an immediate impact, with Smith putting two assists up on the scoresheet and Erickson stopping 23 of 24 shots in net. Dylan Garland also made his Delta debut, signing with the squad recently.
The Hawks jumped out to a quick start, netting one just 18 seconds into the game. Logan Joslin chipped it up to Conner Merriman, who broke out with Smith, back in his first game this season with the Hawks. Conner passed to Smith, who brought it up the left wing and found Conner back in the slot for a quick tap-in.
Both Merriman twins scored in the first period; Carson added his own goal at the 8-minute mark. The Hawks were circling and Shayan Kermany denied the first Delta rush, but keeping possession of the puck, Scouras tapped it to Carson, who deked Kermany and lifted it over his glove.
The newest Ice Hawk Garland announced his presence on the team in the second period, scoring his first of the season by picking up a rebound from a Yuji Akimoto wrist shot, making it 3-0 Delta halfway through the game.
Garland added his first Hawks assist minutes later, after fighting to keep the puck down below the goal line. He found Alex Lucchesi tearing in, fresh off the bench, and Lucchesi fired it home.
Before the end of the second, Hawks captain Alec Scouras got his first of the night. He and Payton Hu entered the zone, with Hu taking the puck in deep before shovelling over to Scouras for a quick shot that trickled through (new into the game) Steelers goalie Nicholas Muc for a 5-0 lead.
Delta continued to add on in the third period, starting with Brayden Sinclair. The puck in Grandview’s end, Ryan Bal kept just inside the blue line and sent it down to Hu on the edge of the slot. He clipped the post and the rebound went right to Sinclair, who finished it off.
Hu got another assist a few minutes later, with the Hawks on the power play. He was down behind the net and found Scouras open on the right side. The captain walked in and fired low-blocker side and found mesh for his second with seconds left in the man-advantage.
Grandview would get one on the board, with Luke Cox intercepting the puck at the Hawks’ blue line. He passed over to Carter Demelo and he took a shot, saved by Erickson, but Vincent Timperio followed up on the rebound and got his team’s only goal of the game.
Two more late goals from Delta put the game even more out of reach, with Scouras charging into the Grandview zone and putting a shot on net, stopped by Muc, but Sinclair was again there to finish off a rebound. His second goal of the night made it 8-0 Ice Hawks.
In the dying seconds, Conner Merriman was able to get his second of the game, joining Scouras and Sinclair. Muc looked to have gotten a pad on it, but not enough to stop the ninth goal of the game for the home team.
