Raiders d-man Troy Buchanan (left) battles Bears forward Darin Drake (right) for the puck, image credit to News Break
The Bears emphatically snapped their losing streak, Isca Town keeps winning, and Labrador and Londinium bounce back.
Aquae Sulis Bears 4, Mancunium Raiders 1: One Newfoundland and Labrador-based club snapped their five-game losing streak last game, another team did it this game. Unfortunately for the Raiders, instead of building on momentum after ending their streak, they ended the dry spell for the Bears. And what a win! The Bears put three past Heath Lindsay in the first period, getting goals from Darin Drake, Cal Malone, and Nick May to essentially salt the game away. Kip Maddox added his second goal of the season in the second period as the Bears took a 4-0 lead. Art Morrison was robbed of a shutout when Quinn Baird snapped a wrister past him at 9:22 of the third, but he would make 27 saves besides in a good game for him. The Bears have now scored eight goals in their past two games after scoring four in their previous four; they will look to keep the hot streak going as they host a Newfield team looking to snap their own five-game losing streak. They'll hope what goes around doesn't come around for them. The Raiders will host Pons Aelius next; the Steelers will be out for revenge after a shock shootout loss last time.
Newfield Rangers 0, Isca Town Captains 2: Lucky 13 wins in a row for the Captains! This winning streak is starting to look unstoppable, as they have shut out their last seven opponents (not counting shootout goals). They have not allowed a goal since their seventh game against Eboracum, a stretch of 428:44 that boggles the mind. Of course, this shutout wasn't as difficult as the last few, as the Rangers have now stumbled to five consecutive losses, scoring just a single goal in that stretch. They only forced Justin Smith to make 23 saves. Isca Town's Jonathan Barnes and Robbie Reid had the only goals, in the second and third periods, respectively. Newfield head coach Teddy Clegg said he'd be shaking up the lines a little bit to try to inject some energy into the club. He will have to hope that his line changes or Aquae Sulis' leaky defense are the cure for their woes, or the Rangers will quickly find themselves out of contention. Isca Town will go to DC next; that game will either tie the two teams or allow the Captains to pull even further ahead.
Labrador Caribou 5, Sept-Iles Whalers 4: Labrador head coach Graham Ashton made the decision to give Dave Francis a blow after three straight losses and an overtime game the last time out. "We really felt that Dave's been doing a great job, but he's started 12 of our 13 games, and it's important to get him more rest." Backup Pete Henderson didn't do a great job in net, conceding four goals on 30 shots, but the offense picked him up and the Caribou snapped their three-game losing streak. The Whalers took a 2-1 lead after one period on goals from Denis Babin and Rene Kelly, but the Caribou struck back with goals in the second from Victor Hall, Johnny Ramsey, and Philippe Laurent. Gaston Fortin closed the deficit to 4-3 early in the third, but Wade Hamilton restored the two-goal lead and Michel Picard's goal in the waning moments was too little, too late. Labrador is back in a tie for fourth with Londinium, while Sept-Iles is tied for ninth with Newfield. The Whalers will host Londinium next.
Londinium Royals 2, Portus Abonae Privateers 1: One step forward, two steps back for the Privateers. Last season's fourth-place finisher and playoff team can't seem to get going with any sense of consistency. A game after gutting out a 3-2 OT win against playoff competitors Labrador, the Privateers fell 2-1 to the Royals, only scoring at 16:28 of the third period and failing to come back. Nico Nielsen opened the scoring for the Royals, and Ben Malone fired one home in the second period to put the home team up 2-0. The Royals earned their eighth win, snapped a two-game losing streak, and are back in a playoff position tie with Labrador. It is looking increasingly like a top three of Isca Town, DC, and Pons Aelius at the top, with most of the intrigue surrounding that last playoff spot, with Londinium, Labrador, and Eboracum all competing. We're only a fifth of the way through the season, so there's plenty of time for things to change, but it looks like lines are being drawn early.
Pons Aelius Steelers 1, Eboracum Sharpshooters 0: The last time these two teams met, Eboracum entered the game having scored six goals in their past two games. This time, the Sharpshooters had notched ten goals in their past two games. It didn't matter, because the result was the same both times: a 1-0 win for the Steelers. Eboracum can beat up on Aquae Sulis and Mancunium, but Pons Aelius is a different animal. The Sharpshooters made Brett McQueen make 32 saves, but he was up to the task and stopped them all. Meanwhile, Aaron Black scored the game's only goal at 13:56 of the first period; he was the open man as the Steelers whipped the puck around, looking for a hole. This is the fourth consecutive win for the Steelers as they try to keep pace with Isca Town and DC at the top. Eboracum needs to figure out a way to win against better teams; all eight of their wins have come against the teams currently ranked seventh through twelfth in the standings.
Vinovium Lumberjacks 3, DC Oilers 4: Lumberjacks interim head coach Dean Collins doesn't believe in moral victories. "We've got to score goals so we can win games, earn points, and rise up the standings. I told the guys I'm proud of them when they give their all, but wins are what matter in professional hockey." Collins might not be encouraged by the Lumberjacks' recent play, but Vinovium fans may see a glimmer of hope in a victory over Newfield and two one-goal losses to the two best teams in the league. If they can get more consistent play, especially from their defensemen, they are showing signs of competitiveness. The Oilers and Lumberjacks traded goals all night; the Lumberjacks never led, but they were feisty. Owen Jones, Reed Harrison, Malcolm Hogg, and Sammy Jensen were the goal-scorers for DC, who remain two points behind Isca Town, but have a golden opportunity to tie them when the Captains come to visit next. Parker Martindale, Max Getz, and Kevin Morgan had markers for Vinovium; they will host another inconsistent team, Portus Abonae, in their next game.
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