Fjords near Portus Abonae, image credit to Royal Caribbean
One six-game losing streak comes to an end, one six-game winning streak, comes to an end, and Isca Town and Pons Aelius both win.
Portus Abonae Privateers 2, Eboracum Sharpshooters 1: It finally happened! Privateers fans have seen a succession of mostly close losses sink their team as low as a tie for tenth with woeful Mancunium. But they got off the schneid with a 2-1 win in front of the home fans, and against a team in Eboracum that fancies itself a playoff competitor as well. Jordon Upshaw scored within the first two minutes, and Cliff Holt added a goal late in the first to make it 2-0. "Rusty" Barbour was able to preserve the win from there, despite allowing a goal to Gavin Kirkwood midway through the third. Portus Abonae is still searching for that midseason form that pushed them into the playoffs last year, but this is a step forward. They just need to keep putting one foot in front of the other, something they have seriously struggled with this year. They'll be playing Mancunium next; the key is to play good defense, as they allowed nearly four goals per game during this losing streak. Eboracum is looking for some consistency themselves; they just took down DC and now they fall flat on their faces. They will host a dangerous Sept-Iles team next.
Londinium Royals 0, Labrador Caribou 1: On the other end of the spectrum, Londinium's six-game winning streak came to an end tonight. During the streak, the Royals ground out wins of 2-1 (twice), 3-2, 1-0, and twice in a shootout. They proved themselves remarkably capable of winning close games (or just incredibly lucky), but they had to lose a close game sometime, and this was it. Labrador's Johnny Ramsey beat Eli Boyd in the second period to give the Caribou the lead, and Dave Francis preserved it from there, making 29 saves. Londinium drops out of third place with this loss, and they will take on Newfield next, who are suddenly surging. Labrador inches closer to fourth place with the win, and they will travel to a Vinovium squad itching for revenge after their 5-1 demolition last time out.
Vinovium Lumberjacks 0, Pons Aelius Steelers 4: You knew the Steelers were waiting for this one. Three games ago, they got revenge on Newfield (4-1) for beating them last time, and tonight, they beat Vinovium to a pulp in front of the Lumberjacks' home fans for the crime of having defeated the Steelers in their last game. Aaron Black had two goals and Dirk Ziegler had three assists in the rout. With the win, Pons Aelius officially doesn't have the worst offense in the league, but they continue to have the best defense, being the only team that hasn't allowed double-digits in goals yet. For Vinovium, it was a dismal performance. Interim head coach Dean Collins said, "This wasn't pretty. We just have to learn from it and move on as quickly as we can so we can take on Labrador." Labrador routed Vinovium 5-1 last time around, resulting in the firing of head coach Robert Petrie, and the Lumberjacks will want to make a better showing. The Steelers, for their part, will match up against Isca Town in a battle for first place that should be epic.
Isca Town Captains 1, Aquae Sulis Bears 0: It wasn't the prettiest win, but it was a win. Two periods saw the Captains narrowly outshot and outpossessed, but Justin Smith's 19 saves were keeping them in the game, while Art Morrison for the Bears had stopped all 17 attempts on his net. But on a mad scramble in front of the net following a rebound, Shaun Webster jammed the puck into the net under Morrison's pads, and the Captains finally had a lead at 9:27 of the third. The Bears couldn't break down Smith in the time remaining, and the Captains claimed their 16th win of the year. They remain tied atop the standings, while the Bears hover in 10th place. Aquae Sulis gets DC next, in another tough matchup.
Newfield Rangers 2, Sept-Iles Whalers 0: This battle for seventh place came down to a Newfield defense that the Whalers' attack could not break down. After an early goal from Seth Sharp, the Rangers and Whalers played a balanced game with neither team scoring. Augustin Gauthier was in net for Newfield, and he made 30 saves, including twelve in a furious third period that saw the Whalers throw everything but the kitchen sink at Gauthier. But he proved up to the task, even with a sixth skater for Sept-Iles, and Earl Switzer had an empty-net goal to pad the final margin. Newfield has now won three in a row, while Sept-Iles had their three-game winning streak snapped. This is the ninth time Sept-Iles has failed to score a goal this season, and their fifth-ranked defense isn't enough to overcome their inconsistencies on offense.
DC Oilers 5, Mancunium Raiders 3: A balanced attack and just enough defense were the keys for DC in their home victory over Mancunium. Leading 2-1 after the first, they stretched their lead to 4-2 after two and weathered a furious counterattack from the Raiders in the third. Julian Stephens, Malcolm Hogg, Sammy Jensen, Owen Jones, and Reed Harrison each had a goal for the Oilers. Matt Harmon and Todd Hagan scored for Mancunium in the first two periods, and Quinn Baird had a goal that pulled the Raiders to within 4-3 at 8:12 of the third, but they couldn't find an equalizer and let in the fifth goal late. With the Royals' loss, DC is back alone in third, three points behind. Their league-leading offense continues to keep them in contention. As for Mancunium, their two-game winning streak was snapped; they remain in 11th place and will take on Portus Abonae next.
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