The Devil Rays are aiming to set the pace on the rink.
Kings Sports Centre is bracing for round three of its 2014 Fall Ball Hockey League. On Thursday, the 1-1-0 Devil Rays face the 1-1 Sharks at 8 p.m. before the 0-2 Pirates battle the 1-1-0 Barracudas at 9 p.m.
The Rays and Barracudas are tied atop the standings with two points after their initial matches. Brian Lehnerer of the Rays has the early edge in the points race with a league-best four goals and team mates Matt Stone and Dylan Wiltermuth both have a competition-best two assists.
The Rays are coming off a 4-2 win over the Pirates last Thursday. Jagger Hope, Leo Kassam and Lehnerer led the Rays while Derek Bruce and Blaise Ting scored for the losing side. The Barracudas meanwhile had a 3-1 win over the Sharks as Andrew Bowden, Evan Ellbogen and Dennis Paschier paced the winning side while Ian Lambert had a goal for the Sharks.
In week one, the frontrunners played to a 6-6 draw. Bowden, Ellbogen and Kevin Myers scored for the Barracudas while Dan Allard, Hope, Lehnerer, Dave Stadnyk, Stone and David Fiebig found the back of the net for the Rays.
Coming into the 15-week season, much of the focus was on the Sharks, who were the regular season winners in 2013. Brad De Schiffert scored a league-high 32 goals, ahead of team mates Claude Plamondon (26 goals) and Jamie Nelson (19 scores). Plamondon had a MVP-caliber campaign with a competition-best 24 assists, ahead of De Schiffert (16 assists).
Ball hockey raised its profile earlier this year when Cayman claimed the 2014 Caribbean Cup on home soil at Kings. As a result, Cayman is rated as the region’s best under the International Street and Ball Hockey Federation.
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