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| 2009 Season Opener |
| April 25, 2009 |
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With too much history to write down in just one article, I'll start this seasons (official) reporting by saying this- nothing beats the Island rivalry. In pre-season action the Timbermen managed to take a 10-9 win off the Shamrocks for the first time in Nanaimo Jr. A history, and whatever was leftover from that game at Juan De Fuca Arena, made for an exceptional season opener for the BCJALL.
Joel Henry wasted no time getting in the zone for the Shamrocks, scoring his first of six goals just forty seconds into the game, taking the buzz out of the 500+ crowd at the Nanaimo Ice Center. Paul Brebber would capitalize on the power play for the T-Men to even the score at one, but Victoria would round out the period with three unanswered goals to take a comfortable lead into the first break.
The second would have much of the same feel, with emotions running high as well as the score. In the middle frame it was Nanaimo who would score in under a minute from 17 year old Isaac Haack who showed great patience winding down the shot clock and managing to find the back of the net even when getting cross checked and having his helmet knocked off. Unfortunately the Shamrocks didn't let the T-Men gain any momentum from the goal and would throw in five goals for the period, with Kory Kowalyk scoring back to back goals halfway into the period.
After what seemed like countless penalties in the game so far, the final frame would be no different. Between penalty whistles there was still an offensive game going on, and while Nanaimo looked a lot more focused in the third it was too little too late with Victoria's goal scorers on the mark. Kowalyk would net his third of the night giving him a six point night (4 goals, 3 assists), and teammate Joel Henry would finish the game like he started it, with a goal and a six point night as well (5 goals, 1 assist).
Even with the explosive offense from the Shamrocks, a big reason the Timbermen were shut down on the score sheet was because of the Victoria defense; most importantly the last line of defense, new goalie Adam Hickey. "I was shaky at first," says Hickey, "but after I took a couple of shots it felt more solid. Our defense was great, PK was on it, I can't complain about anything that happened in front of me tonight, definitely a good game to get those butterflies out that's for sure." Hickey's hockey background makes him quick on the ball, he was very communicative with the players in front of him, and he had no problem leaving the net and handling the ball himself.
"This is not how we wanted to start the season," said T-Men head coach Tyson Leies, "we played a very uncharacteristic game tonight, we didn't go for loose balls, our offense didn't go to the net, we kept to the perimeter; we need to re coup, get these five road games out of the way and come back to the Ice Center with at least a .500 record and not be flat for our fans."
Nanaimo played uncharacteristic, and Victoria played very characteristic. The Shamrocks PK was exceptional tonight only allowing two PPG and managing a short handed goal from Kowalyk to boot. Shamrock goaltender Hickey was a big factor but the whole team played aggressive and focused. On the other end of the floor, the game took a bit of time to get going for the T-Men, who struggled with things like loose balls and crisp passing leaving the final score 12-6 for the visiting 'Rocks. Even with the result tonight, Nanaimo is not a team to be taken lightly this season. "They are a strong team," said Victoria head coach Danny Green at the end of the game; when asked what the 'X' factor was, he said "our goalie (Hickey) had an excellent game tonight, but we know the T-Men are going to be there at the end of the year for sure".
Jen Mutas
League Reporter/Media Communications
jenmutas@hotmail.com
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