In a short span of time the Sharks have emerged as an elite team in Cayman Islands ball hockey.
The Sharks are in their third straight championship match at Kings Sports Centre. On Thursday, 19 January, at 8pm the reigning champions of the Cayman Islands Ball Hockey League will look for a second consecutive title against the Barracudas.
Helping to propel the 7-5 Sharks is Brad Kirby, who had a hat-trick in the semi-final versus the 7-5 Coconut Joes. Kirby states his third-ranked side routinely steps up in the postseason.
“We’re at our best in the playoffs,” Kirby said. “We have shown up and won tough games, just like the one against the Joes.”
The Sharks would beat the second seed Joes by a 4-3 score. Kirby scored his three goals in the first half with team-mate Tim Courtis chipping in the other goal. Interestingly, the side earned the win with back-up goalie Randy Cannon, who is the starting net-minder for the top-ranked 7-5 Barracudas (starting goalie Shawn Lunt was off-island). Cannon also helped his Barracudas to an intense 2-1 win over the fourth seed Deloitte Devil Rays.
Kirby was quick to say Cannon was a big reason why the Sharks are in a position to repeat.
“The Joes came hard in the first, they have the best line-up and they always got talent year after year. We knew they would come back late and we had to hold them to two goals or less. They have the most talented team in terms of skill and they played well.
“Randy didn’t allow them to score and he helped us win. It was a defensive game to the end. With our defence, there was not much breakdown and we won the puck more though we were missing defenceman Tim Woolaver, who played well for us.”
Woolaver is not expected to return for Thursday’s final after he was hurt in the regular season finale while serving as referee. Woolaver stated in passing the puck hit him in the eye and he is under doctor’s order to rest. Lunt’s status is also not certain. Both men are part of a vaunted Sharks defensive unit that played in both league championship games in 2011 against the Pirates, losing the first time and winning on the second try.
Even without Woolaver and Lunt, the Sharks defence still features veteran leadership from Robert Mahadeo and Tim Courtis. Both will be tested against a Barracudas offence that sported scoring talents like Rob Seward, Darren Gallant and Warren Weiss.
Barracudas captain Darryl Hather had choice words heading into the finals.
“We were first place in the league all year,” Hather said. “Can we win a championship? I don’t see why not.”
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