Ball hockey in Cayman is getting a
substantial break in its season. However locals will have plenty to talk about
over the coming weeks.
The Cayman Islands Ball Hockey
Association saw a quartet of matches last week. The Logic arena of Kings Sports
Centre produced interesting results that will be a factor on 2 December when
matches resume.
In the first contest, the Lonestar
Barracudas and the Sharks were two teams tied for third place with identical
2-2 records. The game seemed to favour the Sharks as the Barracudas had
displayed defensive problems. Their whopping 4.75 goals against average
certainly played on the mind of the Barracudas sometimes dependable goalie,
Ryan Vanderwal.
Yet the match was very tight
throughout. Scott Gossen scored two pretty goals to lead the way for the Sharks
who took a 3-2 lead into the late stages of the game. However a blistering shot
late in the game from Mark ‘Cheating Dog’ Thompson tied it up and forced the
game into overtime. Although the Sharks dominated the play during the five
minute overtime period, they were unable to beat Vanderwal and both sides
settled for a 2-2 draw.
After the game a despondent Sharks
goalie Shawn Lunt said: “That’s a game we really should have won. I can’t believe
I let in goals by Thompson, Dan Allard and Rob Seward. Those guys really should
not be scoring on us.”
On the surface it would appear that
the BDO Pirates and the CIBC Islanders match-up would be a lopsided affair. The
Islanders had yet to win a game in this new season and the Pirates were tied at
the top of the standings.
As it turned out the Islanders were
a real handful and came out in search of their first win. Both sides had
chances early on but it was the Pirates that got on the board first with a seeing-eye
shot from the point by Ian Bridges. The Pirates seemed to get stronger as a
result of that goal but Islanders goalie Nigel Windsor made some great saves to
keep the score at 1-0 at the half.
The second period started just like
the first one ended, with the Pirates pressure building. Nathan Dueck scored to
put the Pirates up 2-0. The Islanders broke through with some pressure of their
own when sniper Mark Missal narrowed the score to 2-1.
A great break out play by Darren
Pott enabled Darren Gallant to speed down the right wing and fire a snapshot in
the top corner to put the Pirates back up by two goals.
Some tenacious work by player of
the game Ted Wegner in front of the Islanders net gave him his first goal of
the season and put the Pirates out in front 4-1. However, the Pirates’ joy was
short-lived.
In the next five minutes, Mark
Missal seemingly took the game into his own hands and scored a pair of goals in
succession for a hat trick, reducing the deficit to just a goal.
The Pirates, reeling a bit from the
Islander pressure, were able to respond not long after with Ted Wegner’s solo
second effort and a 5-3 lead with four minutes left in the game.
The Islanders drew within one goal
again with a Patrick Cover snapshot that beat Pirate goalie Randy Cannon with
one minute left in the game. However it would not be enough as the Pirates won
5-4.
Both squads were in action last
night at Kings. The Pirates faced the Deloitte Devil Rays while the winless
Islanders battled the Sharks. The next matches on the schedule are in two weeks
time.
League matches continue up to 16
December, after which is a two-week bye for the Christmas holidays. Games take
place in the New Year on 6 January.
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