Playing on the road can and is not the easiest task for any team but primarily playing in some specific rinks with one being the Sardis Twin Rinks which many teams will tell you while they managed to grab all three stars.
Following the impressive 5-2 win over the Steelers they were hard pressed against the Jets who play as if they have an additional player in the line-up which is their fan base who continue to get support from the area.
Road trips are normally great for any team especially if they are able to leave with the win and two points but it’s not as easy as it sounds.
Utilizing both tenders switching “tenders” not only shows confidence from the coaching staff but is passed on to the players as well and this game saw Haiden Heide get the nod between the pipes.
Richmond jumped out to the fast start getting a pair of goals in the first with Zhang stating the scoring off as he collected his fourth of the season at 3:42 while they added their second at 18:04 with Yarygin hammering home his first of the season.
The first saw the Jets outshoot the visiting Sockeyes 14-10 only to give up a pair of goals after twenty minutes that set the tempo for the Sockeyes to add their third of the game with Rowan Duke bulging the twine at 5:25.
The explosive play of the Jets saw Delleman get one behind Heide in the second at 7:48 while on the PP while the visiting Sockeyes added a pair taking a commanding 5-1lead after forty minutes.
It’s fair to say that everyone is aware of the pressure the Jets can dish out that saw them grab a pair in the third with their second goal of the game at 2:24 followed by their third at the 10:00 minute mark making it a 5-3 game.
Penalties can prove costly in any game while the Sockeyes went 0-2 on the PP while the Jets were 1-4 working at 25% through sixty minutes.
Sockeye’s Jonathan Zhang (1G/2A) was named first star with Haiden Heide finishing with 25 shots on 38 shots while Jet’s Linden Delleman (1G/1A) was named third star.
The trip home is more successful when you pull out a win that would set up a match against the Langley Trappers three nights later that was a contest that they would like to soon forget.
Not only being out scored they were outshoot in each of the three periods that saw the Trappers dominate finish outshooting the visiting Sockeyes 35-28 which is the way the rest of the game would finish.
Following the impressive win they were focused on advancing in the standings after a couple of solid practice days focused on a game against the Trappers at the George Preston Arena formerly known as the Langley Civic Centre in the late 70ties.
While the focus going into the game was what the coaches set up it quickly turned sideways in a contest that saw the Trappers jump out to an early lead at 1:49 with the Sockeyes killing off their first of ten penalties with the home squad finishing with eight.
Discipline plays a key role for any team in a period that saw the Trappers add three additional goals with each coming on the PP after twenty minutes while they were outshot 14-7 in the first.
The conversation between periods was “discipline” in addition to forcing the Trappers to shoot from the perimeter and not allow any rebounds for a second chance.
The plan seemed solid but the Trappers had other ideas which was to beat the Sockeyes to the puck as well as getting on any and all rebounds which worked in their favour.
The Trappers managed to add three additional goals in the second with two on the PP that saw the Sockeyes again outshot in the second 18-12 before Ronan Coopman get his second of the year finishing the second trailing 6-1.
One could sense a sense of urgency heading into the third knowing that this was not the Sockeyes brand of hockey we were used to seeing that saw them reverse the shots outshooting the Trappers 9-6 after forty minutes.
Neither team were able to “bulge the twine” in the third in a contest that saw the Sockeyes use both Hayden Heide in 31:28 minutes utilizing the services of Alan Peregrym for the remainder of 28:32.
Well some might mention that this is a game that is soon forgotten, it’s also about growth moving forward getting back to playing Sockeye hockey returning back to “the Fish Tank” less than twenty four hours later hosting the Tsumani.
Returning home the players knew they needed a fast start and that is exactly what they got, scoring their first of seven with Ermolai Yarygin getting the Sockeyes on the board at 1:32 in a period that saw them notch another three while the visitors finished with one.
The teams traded PP goals in the first while the Sockeyes doubled up in the shots outshooting the visiting Tsunami 14-7 with four minors to the visitors and three dealt to the Sockeyes.
The first was heated but the second saw the Sockeyes grab three while the visitors managed two with the home squad pulling out an impressive 7-3 with the Sockeyes outshooting the visitors 37-25.
Jonathan Zhang (2G,1A) was named the game’s first star, with Quinn Orr (1G/1A) and Keelan Wyke finished with 1 Goal and 1 Assist while the visitors utilized both “tenders” and the Sockeyes went with Alan Pelegrym stopped 22 of 25 shots he faced.
The Sockeyes pass on Congratulations to Richmond Mayor Rob Howard on his recent win and thank Malcolm Brodie for his dedication over the years to both the City and the Richmond Sockeyes!
