Sockeyes stand strong in tough 2-1 win

                                       vs.                   


In what may be a future playoff series showdown in the Tom Shaw Conference, the two top PIJHL engaged in a surprisingly defensive battle. Richmond could only manage to get two goals into the net, but it was enough for a 2-1 victory and a four point PIJHL standings lead.


Coming into the game Richmond was on a bit of a snide after losing two of their last three games. This after losing only one game of their first twenty-one games. While the Ice Hawks came in red hot, winners of six straight and eight of their last nine games. Their only loss in that span was to Richmond back on November 22nd a 5-1 loss.


Normally these two offensively skilled teams engage in a scoring showdown, after all the Ice Hawks and Sockeyes are the two top scoring teams in the PIJHL as well. But this game was a battle of goaltenders. Former North Delta Devils goalie Alex Ahnert for the Ice Hawks and Jonah Imoo, the leagues top goalie for the Sockeyes.


Jonah Imoo, who went undefeated in his thirteen game, was in net for the two losses to the Devils. In this game he played unbelievable making 33 saves for the win. There were two absolutely huge opportunities for the Ice Hawks to take the lead, the first was a shorthanded penalty shot awarded to Aaron Merrick after he was hauled down. Merrick came in and fired a shot on net in close, but Imoo was there to stand tall and make the save to keep in scoreless. The best chance though was a 2 on 1 late in the game where Imoo made one of the biggest kick saves ever to keep the game deadlocked. This was undoubtedly a "save-of-the-year" candidate.


On the Ice Hawks side, back-up goalie Alex Ahnert was just as good in net for Delta, he made 40 saves. Ahnert kept the game close and made key stops on Sockeyes rushes to preserve the 0-0 score. It wasn't until 9:07 of the third period that he was finally able to be beaten. On an elbowing penalty to  Mark Whiteley, the Sockeyes went to their sixth power play, they didn't capitalize on their first five. This time though they wouldn't make that mistake. After a faceoff win and some movement inside the Ice Hawks zone. Ryan Copper made a huge play to step to the point after playing forward. Cooper held the line in defense of his defense and got the puck right to Kevan Kilistoff and he snuck inside the circle and ripped a shot past Ahnert for a 1-0 lead, second assist went to Mike Ball.


The game looked like it had been a case of whoever scored first would win, and as the time was winding down it appeared that way. But the Ice Hawks had other ideas as PIJHL leading scorer Spencer Traher tipped home an Anthony Brito shots that got past Imoo to tie the game with under four minutes left.


So once again we were heading to overtime...or so we thought. Just twenty-four seconds later. Sockeyes newest player and defenseman Dylan Smith got the puck at the point and slapped home his first PIJHL goal and it was the game winner. The puck came off his stick and got deflected past Ahnert with 3:25 left in the game. The Sockeyes would run out the clock and take a 2-1 win for a four point PIJHL lead, and have two games at hand on the Delta Ice Hawks.


In four games against the Ice Hawks, Richmond has won all four and outscored their Massey Tunnel rivals 15-7.


A big shoutout to Dylan Smith who comes from the North American Hockey Leagues Dawson Creek Rage. He had previously played in Sicamous, Lloydminster, and Salmon Arm. He is a North Delta Minor Hockey League player and we look forward to seeing what he brings to the Sockeyes backend.


Richmond will now play North Vancouver Wolf Pack on Saturday at the Harry Jerome Arena. Their next home game will be Thursday the 22nd against the Grandview Steelers, if you can't make it to the game you can catch it on the web on SockeyesTV pregame show at 7:15 www.richmondsockeyes.com 

Sockeyes pick up seventh shutout in 4-0 win

                                      VS              

The Sockeyes bounced back after their first loss of the season to defeat the Abbotsford Pilots by a 4-0 score. There were four different Jeremy Hamaguchi, Justin Rai, Rudi Thorsteinson and Keenan Webb all had a goal to lead their goalie Jonah Imoo to his sixth shutout of the season.

Richmond suffered a tough 2-1 loss to Aldergrove and head coach Judd Lambert said that his team just didn't come out to play on Wednesday night. But tonight the real Sockeyes showed their red, black and white colours. As Jeremy Hamaguchi was killing a penalty, he managed to steal the puck from a Pilots defender and came in all alone on former Sockeyes goaltender Aaron Oakley. Oakley made a huge pad save to prevent Hamaguchi from scoring, but he couldn't stop him twice as Hamaguchi potted the rebound into the open net. Oakley was traded to Abbotsford last week for Justin Lachance, a power forward.

In the second period Justin Rai would extend the Sockeyes lead to two goals as Kevan Kilistoff found in him the slot and Rai would wire home his 16th of the season over Oakleys glove.

The Sockeyes power play had proved ineffective up until the late stages of the second period. With a Pilots player in the box, Rudi Thorsteinson would bang home a shot in front s he slid the puck under Oakley for a 3-0 lead to head into the third period.

Abbotsford was unable to mount any kind of a comeback against the Sockeyes, especially after Keenan Webb sent a floater on net that got past the Pilots goalie. He would walk across the blueline and sent a wrist shot over Oakley's blocker to finish the scoring at 4-0 Sockeyes.

Justin Rai also had an assist in the game to tie him with Thomas Hardy for the league scoring lead. Jonah Imoo notched his 6th shutout of the season through just 10 games, his record now stands at 10-0-0.

Scott Wessa connected with a solid hit on Colten Cowden crushing him at the blue line. For some reason the ref handed him a checking to the head penalty and he will now miss the next game with a suspension. From our angle it was a perfectly clean hit.

Next up for the Sockeyes is a Sunday matchup against the Grandview Steelers at the Burnaby Winter Club at 4:00 PM.

Sockeyes thump North Van Wolf Pack 10-0

                         VS.              

Two straight games, two straight wins, two straight shutouts. The Richmond Sockeyes have gotten off to a flying start with two shutouts, this time they beat the newly relocated North Van Wolf Pack by a 10-0 score.

Richmond's goaltender Jonah Imoo is perfect so far his season, stopping all shots he has faced through two games. The Wolf Pack had a good chance to break that with a penalty shot early in the first period after Turner Popoff hauled down Brodyn Nielson. On the penalty shot Nielson was out-positioned by Imoo and shot wide.

That was the turning as the Sockeyes kicked it up a notch after that, scoring two goals in the period. Carter Popoff has a beautiful goal as he used Kilistoff to distract Wolf Pack goalie Jordan Liem and wired a shot top shelf and under the bar.

Richmond would score three more goals in the seond period to chase Jordan Liem out of the net. He was replaced by Johann Pederson but he didn't fair much better. The first shot on him went in, and then another just two shots later as the Sockeyes took a 7-0 lead into the third period.

In the final twenty minutes the Sockeyes scored three more to win by a 10-0 score including the final goal as Jeremy Hamaguchi scored with 2.7 seconds left in the game to add insult to injury.

This game also marked a couple milestones including Troy Kaczynski's first PIJHL and it was a beauty. Kaczynski walked across the blue line and ripped a shot past Jordan Liem. Patrick Hunter had the other milestone, scoring his 50th goal of his PIJHL career. 

Up next for Richmond is a game against the Ridge Meadow Flames at Planet Ice, followed by a  Sunday visit to Mission. Their next home game is next Thursday against the North Delta Devils. Tune in to SockeyesTV at www.richmondsockeyes.com gametime is 7:30, pregame at 7:15.

2011/2012 season gets underway with 6-0 shutout

                         VS.               

 

Photo Courtesy of www.pijhl.com

Welcome back to another season of Richmond Sockeyes Junior B hockey. This year the Richmond Sockeyes home opener had a certain presentation to kick this off. The PIJHL champions banner was raised to the rafters after they had fought 4-0 series win against the Abbotsford Pilots last year.

With the ceremonies finishing up and the players lining up for the opening faceoff the differences started to kick in. Eleven players are returning from last year’s team while there are eleven rookies. The likes of Sebastien Pare, Aaron Oakley, Eli Wiebe and many more are gone. Now we will look forward to Kevan Kilistoff, Troy Kaczynski, Justin Rai, Carter Popoff and Jonah Imoo among others.

Minoru Arena saw its first drop of the puck since Monday, March the 21st in game 3 against the Pilots. This night it was the Mission Icebreakers of the Harold Brittain conference visiting the ice at Richmond.

The rust was clearly evident on the player’s skates early on in this game. There were many sloppy plays around Mission's goalie net with lots of bouncing pucks. But it would be powerplays that finally allowed the game to settle down, Mission had the first powerplay but it proved to be ineffective. The Sockeyes would be the first to capitalize on the man-advantage.

With Kegan Hunter in the box for boarding, Connor Wilson positioned himself in front of the net. Jeremy Hamaguchi grabbed the puck and skated gingerly behind the net, threw the puck on net and Wilson deflected the puck past Simpson for a 1-0 lead. Wilson will go down in the history books as getting the Sockeyes opening goal of the 2011-2012 season.

Then came the second period, with the Sockeyes just crushing the Icebreakers in shots. Rudi Thorsteinson was open on the right side of the net and potted in a rebound on the powerplay for a 2-0 lead. Then came the cardiac kids.

Justin Rai, Carter Popoff and Kevan Kilistoff also known as the "cardiac kids" started to take flight at the midway point of the second period. You could already see the exciting plays that this team generated on countless opportunities throughout the opening two periods. Their first as a line came at the 14:59 mark, just over a minute after the last goal. Kevan Kilistoff sent a saucer pass over the stick of a Icebreakers defenceman right to Carter Popoff and he sent a fluttering shot into the net to end the scoring 3-0 after forty minutes of hockey.

There wasn't much time gone in the third period before that line would once again take control, but it was veteran presence on the line that scored the fourth goal. Jeremy Hamaguchi on a scrambling play put the puck underneath the goaltender to extend the lead even further. 

The goal of the night came off the stick of Justin Rai as he broke in on a breakaway and put a shot post-to-post and in the net. But the play would have never happened had Keenan Webb got the puck to Carter Popoff, who sent a gorgeous two line pass across the red line right to the tape of Justin Rai to spring him. 

Before the night was done Kevan Kilistoff would add another goal for the Sockeyes on a nice single man effort getting the puck down deep, taking it to the front of the net and scoring. That would be all the Sockeyes scoring as they open the season with a strong 6-0 win.

Three stars in the game were Carter Popoff first star with a goal and an assist, Justin Rai, with a goal and two assists. The final star went to Turner Popoff who had an assist and played solid on the backend, stifling the Icebreakers offence.

Richmond will now wait another week before its next game against the newly revamped and relocated North Van Wolf Pack. Richmond was a perfect 6-0 against the Squamish Wolf Pack last year. Gametime will be 7:30 as usual at Minoru arena. If you can't make the game be sure to tune into SockeyesTV at www.richmondsockeyes.com  

Sockeyes end season shutout in Bronze medal game

                                                          

All in all it was an unbelievable season for the Richmond Sockeyes despite this being a "rebuilding" year. Richmond won the Division, league regular season and PIJHL championship and were one win away from making the Provincial Title. Richmond will now look ahead to the 2011-2012 season in which they will look to have the same and even more success.

What essentially was a meaningless game to the Sockeyes at the Cyclone Taylor cup, the Sockeyes were shutout 3-0 by the Osoyoss Coyotes. They had thoughts of gold on their mind but could only see bronze after going 1-2-0 in the round robin and failed to qualify for the gold medal game.

Richmond flew home today to hang up their gear for the last time and close the Sockeyes dressing rooms. They compiled a spectacular 37-5-4 regular season record for 78 points, and first in the league. They had a series sweep of the North Delta Devils, a terrific game 7 showdown with Delta Ice Hawks and a quick 4 game sweep to win the PIJHL championship against the Abbotsford Pilots.

Aaron Oakley came in as the permanent no. 1 goalie around late october and played unbeleivable in net only losing three games all year. Captain Patrick Hunter who had played with four PIJHL franchises settled into a role as captain and led his team to glory in the PIJHL.

What looks promising for this well run organization is that there is only one player who cannot play next year due to age restrictions, Eli Wiebe. He is a 20 year old and cannot return but he left his mark on the team. Wiebe scored the PIJHL championship winning goal against Abbotsford in March and put and end to an illustrious time playing hockey, finishing third on team scoring in the regular season with 42 points. Wiebe collected his 50th goal in the final game of the regular season when he scored a hat-trick, a fitting end to his hockey.

Richmond Sockeyes are set up very well to make a significant push in the post-season next year, depending on who will and wont return. But without a doubt the Sockeyes will once again want to be right back in the mix to win that provincial title and head to the Keystone Cup.

We would like to thank the entire organization for everything they have done, all their hard work and dedication to make this season run so smoothly. From ownership to coaching staff, to the players, fans, volunteers and eveyone behind the scenes, we thank you for a wonderful 2010-2011 season that brought so much success.

See you next September for more exciting PIJHL hockey.

Cheers!

Sockeyes lose two in a row and don't make Gold medal game

                                                       

The Richmond Sockeyes incredible 2010-2011 season will come to an end tomorrow as they face the Osoyoos Coyotes for the Bronze Medal game at the Cyclone Taylor Cup. Richmond lost two in a row in the round robin, 6-2 to Peninsula and 1-0 to host Fernie Ghostriders and fall to third place in the Tournament.

After losing a tough game to the PIJHL champion Peninsula Panthers 6-4 on Friday, and a 1-0 loss tonight the Sockeyes will not be able to make the Gold medal game. Richmond battled extremely hard throughout the tournament but couldn't find a way to score against the Ghostriders in game three. Andrew Walton made 26 saves getting a shutout for his team to send the hometown Ghostriders into the Final versus the PIJHL champion Peninsula Panthers.

Richmond will play for the bronze medal tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. in Fernie against the Osoyoos Coyotes who they beat in the opening game of the tournament 4-3.

All in all this was an unbelievable season for Richmond, winning the Tom Shaw Division, league regular season championship and PIJHL title. But now they will simply look ahead to the Bronze medal game and then return home Monday.

Sockeyes win first Cyclone Taylor game 4-3 (Sockeyes 1-0-0)

                                        vs.                

What could have been the two top Junior B teams playing this afternoon saw the Richmond Sockeyes skate away with a 4-3 victory over the Osoyoos Coyotes. Rudi Thorsteinson who has been playing some unbelievable hockey over the last 2 months including the playoffs put on a show today. Thorsteinson scored two goals and added an assist to lead Richmond to an important first game win at the Provincial Championships the Cyclone Taylor Cup.

Osoyoos got on the board first, with Troy Quintal scoring the tournaments first goal 3:04 into the second period. Both teams traded goals before the period ended. Richmond scored two goals, both coming on the power play, as Jeremy Hamaguchi and Rudi Thorsteinson scored. Sam Nigg scored the second Osoyoos goal and after two periods the score was 2-2 and the Sockeyes were outshooting the Coyotes 29-22.

A big turning point of that period was when Turner Popoff checked a Coyote into the end board he received a five-minute major penalty. That cause a minute long 5 on 3 man-advantage for the Coyotes but nothing came out of it. They killed off both and prevented Osoyoos from getting a big lead.

Brayden Low game the Sockeyes their first lead of the game on a shorthanded goal just over a minute into the third period. The Coyotes tied the game when Josh Gray beat Aaron Oakley to tie the game at 3-3. It appeared like the game was heading towards overtime, but in stunning fashion the Sockeyes top line broke in on a 3 on 1. Rudi Thorsteinson held onto the puck and roofed it over Kyle Laslo with just 51.5 seconds left in the game. That would be the game winner as Richmond snuck out the win late in the game.

The specialty teams played a big role for Richmond as they scored two goals on five chances, while the Sockeyes penalty kill stopped four chances including a 5 on 3 and a five minute major penalty. Aaron Oakley was big in net stopping 33 of 36 shots on goal. Kyle Laslo stopped 31 of 35 for Osoyoss.

Jeremy Hamaguchi was named Sockeyes player of the game with a goal and two assists. Shane Hanna was Osoyoos's player of the game.

Richmond will now play the VIJHL champion Peninsula Panthers tomorrow at 2:00 pacific time.

2010-2011 PIJHL CHAMPIONS

                                                                   

The Richmond Sockeyes are your 2010-2011 PIJHL Champions after defeating the Abbotsford Pilots in four straight to advance to the Cyclone Taylor Cup. Richmond will be the PIJHL's contender at the Provincials Junior "B" championships. They will face three other teams, from the VIJHL the Peninsula Panthers, the host team the Fernie Ghostriders and we are still waiting for the KIJHL champions who will be either the Castlegar Rebels or the Osoyoos Coyotes. The tournament gets underway on Thursday the 31st in Fernie at the Fernie Memorial Arena.

Richmond celebrated it's second PIJHL championship in three years last night against the Abbotsford Pilots sweeping them in four games. Game four saw Eli Wiebe score two goals, Keenan Webb get the game winner and Patrick Hunter seal the deal with an empty net goal in the final minute for a 4-2 victory.

The Richmond Sockeyes will now move onto the Cyclone Taylor cup, the schedule is as follows:

Sockeyes vs. Osoyoos Coyotes(KIJHL)  - Thursday March 31st 3:00
Sockeyes vs. Peninsula Panthers(VIJHL)  - Friday April 1st 3:00\
Sockeyes vs. Fernie Ghostriders(Host)     - Saturday April 2nd 7:30

Bronze Medal Game
3rd vs. 4th  Sunday April 3rd 2:00

Gold Medal Game
1st vs. 2nd Sunday April 3rd 6:00

Sockeyes win game seven 3-2 (Sockeyes win series 4-3)

                                      vs                   
It took seven games, four overtimes, and a Ice Hawks comeback, but the Richmond Sockeyes are you Tom Shaw Finals Champions. They defeated the Delta Ice Hawks by a 3-2 score on Wednesday night to take game seven and win the series 4-3. Eli Wiebe would score the series winning goal in the third period to send the Sockeyes to the PIJHL championship.


The first period had lots of chances for both teams but no goals, it wasn`t until 4:59 of the second period that a puck crossed the red line. Keenan Webb who has been playing great all playoffs long just kept rolling, scoring the game first goal. Rudi Thorsteinson was able to spring Web just past the blue line, Webb came right through the slot and fired a quick shot. He managed to pick up his own rebound and send it past Nick Enegrens pad for a 1-0 lead. 


Eli Wiebe who only has one goal this series came up big right afterwards nearly giving Richmond a 2-0 lead, but just couldn`t sneak it underneath Enegren. The puck came back down into the Sockeyes end and Wiebe tripped up Cody Fidgett, Wiebe would receive two minutes for tripping. With the faceoff down in the Sockeyes end the puck was sent right to Konrad Sander who was playing defense on the power play. Snader fired a huge slap shot that was perfectly tipped by Kye Benjaminsen in the net, and past Aaron Oakley. The goal came just five seconds after the power play started and 34 seconds after Richmond took the lead. 


Once again though in the last three minutes of the second period Keenan Webb scored his second goal of the game, this time from Brayden Low. Webb cut right in front of the net and Low sent him a tape to tape pass and he fired it past Enegren to send the Sockeyes to the intermission with a 2-1 lead.


This was the third game in a row that Richmond had a one goal lead going into the last twenty minutes, but in game five and six the Ice Hawks tied it with under five minutes to go. Richmond didn`t make the mistake of sitting back on a lead this time though. Patrick Hunter made a nice play bring the puck in on the right boards and just sent a fluttering puck to the net. With the puck laying in the crease Eli Wiebe drove hard as he could and slammed the puck into the net and sent the Sockeyes faithful into frenzy. They finally had a two goal lead in the second period, the only other time they had that was in game four when Siemens scored an empty netter to make it 5-3. 


Yiou can never count out the Ice Hawks though, they kept persisting and once again as Kye Benjaminsen cut to the front of the net he tipped it past Oakley and it became a 3-2 game. 


With relentless action inside the Sockeyes zone it was time for Aaron Oakley to step his game up and thats just what he did. Oakley made some game and possibly series saving saves in the final couple minutes. None bigger than a huge stop on Konrad Sander firing a hard shot that Oakley got with his glove. Time would tick down and after the Sockeyes chipped the puck out of the blue line the buzzer went and they swarmed Oakley`s net. The Sockeyes won 3-2 and won the series 4-3 as they now head to the MSA Arena for the PIJHL against the Abbotsford Pilots. 


All in all this was a fantastic display of hockey from these two teams, just pure excitement from the first puck drop in game one until the last buzzer in game seven. This was showing just what Junior B hockey has to offer and hopefully we will see more of this next round. 


Abbotsford Pilots are next on the list for Richmond, because if they want to go to the Cyclone Taylor Cup, the provincial Championships they have to get past the number one team in the Harold Brittain Conference. You know that their spirits are high as well, especially after coming back from being down in their series 3-1 to the Port Moody Black Panthers. Gmae one will go Friday at the MSA Arena in Abbotsford at 7:30. 


If you can`t make it out to the game you can watch online at SockeyesTV www.richmondsockeyes.ca 


Schedule as follows:


Game 1: Friday       18th 7:30 in Abbotsford (MSA Arena)
Game 2: Saturday   19th 5:45 in Richmond (Minoru Arena)
Game 3: Monday    21st 7:30 in Richmond (Minoru Arena)
Game 4: Tuesday    22nd 7:00 in Abbotsford (Abbotsford Recreation Centre)
***
If Necessary
Game 5: Thursday  24th 7:30 in Richmond (Minoru Arena)
Game 6: Friday      25th 7:30 in Abbotsford (MSA Arena)
Game 7: Sunday     27th 5:45 in Richmond ( Minoru Arena)

Cody Smith and Ice Hawks force game 7 (Series Tied 3-3)

                                    AT                   


Well ladies and gentleman its finally here, game 7. This comes after Cody Smith sent the Ice Hawks into a frenzy when he scored at 6:23 of the first overtime for a 4-3 win. Game seven will now go tonight at the Minoru Arena, where one way or another this series will end.


The Ice Hawks jumped out to a 2-1 lead after the first period with goals from Fidgett and Harding who have played great against the Sockeyes all year. Hamaguchi had the lone Sockeyes goal which came on the power play. 


The second period turned in the Sockeyes favour, Rudi Thorsteinson tied the game on a nice goal set up by Hamaguchi. They weren't done there though, as captain Patrick Hunter came in on a break away after affiliate Dean Allison sprung him and Hunter wired a shot past Enegren. The score after the second period was Sockeyes 3 and Delta 2. 


This would be the second time Richmond held a lead in the third period with a chance to end the series. Game 5 saw Delta tie it in the final five minutes. This time Kye Benjaminsen deflected a shot underneath Oakley for the tie game. What was key from this period was that after Patrick Hunter was slashed by Ryan Cuthbert and the linesman gave him a five-minute major penalty as the referee didn't see the slash. Richmond could not capitalize on the entire time, in fact the Ice Hawks had most of the play down in the Sockeyes zone.


Like usual, this being the fourth overtime game, the score was deadlocked 3-3 and it went to extra time. Jeremy Hamaguchi had a chance to be the hero as he was fed a pass with the net open but couldn't corral the puck.


With just under four minutes left in overtime Liam Harding found Cody Smith as the trailer, and sent him a pass. Smith waited for a few players to screen Oakley and then he fired it in. Ice Hawks jumped over the boards as they would for the first time this series have a chance to end the series themselves in Richmond. 


Game seven goes tonight at 8:15 puck drop. Both teams have the chance to close out the series, Richmond has failed to do that on their last two opportunities, can they do it tonight?


You can also watch the game online at SockeyesTV www.richmondsockeyes.com

3-2 Overtime comeback by Delta forces game 6 (Sockeyes 3-2)

                                     vs                   



In an exciting second overtime finish in game 5 saw the Delta Ice Hawks put themselves right back into the series with a 3-2 overtime win. Liam Harding was the catalyst scoring two goals, the game winner and getting an assist as he lead the Hawks to a comeback from being down 2-0. 


Getting his first goal of the playoffs and starting the Sockeyes off on the right foot was Eli Wiebe. A Connor Wilson shot was not seen by Hawks goalie Nick Enegren, with the puck laying right beside him Wiebe doves in a last ditch effort to poke the puck in and it worked. The puck just barely slid into the net and past the goal line to give Richmond a lead. 


Richmond wasn't done there though, in picture perfect fashion the top line scored a beautiful goal to give the Sockeyes a two goal advantage. The whole line broke in on a three on one and the Ice Hawks defender couldn't handle all of them, Thorsteinson gpt the puck to Hamaguchi and he found Roder wide open on the side of the net. This was a sweet tic-tac-toe goal for a 2-0 lead. 


 With all kinds of chances to extend the lead Richmond threw everything they had at Nick Enegren but they couldn't extend that lead to three goals and it would eventually prove costly. Clayton Wright took a tripping call and Delta went to work on its deadly power play, it came in with a 40% power play. Liam Harding got the puck after a pass from Kye Benjaminsen and he scored with just twelve seconds left in the period. This goal would totally change the outlook of the game.


The second period was all Delta, relentless chances and scoring opportunities but luckily Aaron Oakley played great. holding them scoreless in the period. Richmond's penalty killing came up big, preventing Delta from scoring on two chances as affiliate Dean Allison and goalie Aaron Oakley took penalties. But after the second it was still 2-1 Sockeyes and they were outshooting Delta 20-19.


Richond was just twenty minutes away from making the PIJHL finals, twenty minutes away from facing Port Moody or Abbotsford, Delta had other thoughts. Non stop action inside the Sockeyes zone would eventually turn into a goal for Delta. With the opponents top line on the ice, the Sockeyes went into a defensive lapse allowing them way too much time and space. Harding got the puck to Cody Smith who spotted a wide open Spencer Traher. Traher has been deadly all series long, and with that much time and space he fired a hard shot past Oakley to tie the game in the final five minutes. This was an absolute back breaker as the Sockeyes were so close to winning. With the score tied 2-2 at the final buzzer the game headed to the first overtime.


What else could have been expected from these two fierce competitors? All the Sockeyes would need is that one opportunity to win this series and in the first overtime they had plenty of them. Hamaguchi and Thorsteinson both rang shots off the post. It was absolute relentless back and forth action  for both squads but no goals were scored. 


The second overtime came and it really appeared like this game could go forever. Thorsteinson had another glorious chance he was open in front with Enegren down on the ice, but he sent it over the net. Delta had its chance to, a tipped shot was squeaking to the goal line, but defenceman Turner Popoff dove into the net to stop the puck from crossing it. 


On a sudden Ice Hawks rush up the ice the game would see its final shot. Cody Fidgett spotted Spencer Traher. Traher took a hard shot the hit Oakley' pad, it was a nice save but the rebound spelt doom. Of all the people it went straight to captain Liam Harding and he easily buried the rebound for the 3-2 double overtime win. 


Richmond was not able to shut down that line with Harding and they ran over the Sockeyes. Aaron Oakley still played great stopping 36 shots, but it was a case that Enegren was that little bit better. After he allowed that second goal he simply shut the door and wouldn't allow anything past him, making 39 saves. Stopping countless Sockeyes scoring opportunities. 


This was not only a big win for the Ice Hawks because it forces a game 6, but because Richmond suffered injuries to Goundar and Chichak. This adds to the compounding injuries faced by Ryan Cooper and Drew Spencer as well.


Richmond now faces a surging Ice Hawks team at the Ladner Leisure Centre on Tuesday for game six at 7:30 p.m.  Richond will either close out the series or head back for game seven at the Minoru Arena on Wednesday at 8:15. You can catch Tuesdays game on http://www.deltaicehawks.com at UStream. If there is a game 7 you can watch it on SockeyesTV www.richmondsockeyes.com

Ice Hawks comeback but can't defeat Sockeyes (3-1 Sockeyes)

                                        vs                   

Richmond continued its success winning its second straight game this time they didn't have to go to overtime though as they won 5-3. Rudi Thorsteinson scored the game winner off a nice deflectection in the early second period. Richmond now has an absolute stranglehold on the series with a 3-1 series lead, with the possibility to close it out at home tonight.

It didn't take long for Richmond to get on the board, but it wasn't the top line that got things started, it was Kamesh Goundar. Brayden Low got the puck to Siemens beside the net and he passed it to the wide open Goundar who fired a low shot past Nick Enegren. A flurry of scoring chances came to the Sockeyes but they couldn't capitalize and it would prove costly when Liam Harding stepped on the ice. Harding grabbed the puck at the red line and skated in on a 2 on 1 with Cody Fidgett, he didn't pass though he just ripped a shot past Aaron Oakley's glove.

Under two minutes left in the first period and the Sockeyes got a scoring frenzy, Jeremy Hamguchi got the second goal with just 1:34 left in the 1st. Thorsteinson found him in the slot and he just dangled right around an Ice Hawks defender and scored. Not even a minute later, 51 seconds to be exact, Clayton Wright fired a hard shot that went in and out of Enegren's glove, the puck floated into the net and the Sockeyes lead 3-1.

Richmond started the second just like they ended the first period, scoring 2:19 into the frame. Rudi Thorsteinson who already had a couple assists, got on the scoreboard with a nice deflection goal. He was able to move the puck in a complete different direction and Enegren couldn't adjust to the deflection and it was 4-1 Richmond.

The Sockeyes game play changed quite a bit as they turned more to playing a defensive game, and Delta got more chances because of this. They were getting countless scoring opportunities but it got all turned around after the fourth goal. At 14:52 Spencer Traher sent a behind the back pass to Kye Benjaminsen who just sent a quick shot underneath Oakley. Less than four minutes later the Ice Hawks made a game out of it, Aaron Merrick caught the trailer, Cody Smith pinching in , got him the puck and he also quickly sent a shot behind Oakley. After two periods the Sockeyes lead 4-3 but were being outshot 32-19.

Richmond was now just twenty minutes from taking a big series lead, the Sockeyes put a lot more offensive pressure than they did in the end of the second period. There were many more scoring chances, a couple from Jake Roder including a shot right off the post. After Delta pulled the goalie Keenan Webb shot the puck towards the empty-net but hit the post and had the Minoru Arena gasping for breath. Delta came back down the ice with a couple shots on goal, but after Hunter lost the puck heading for the net, Siemens picked up the puck and put it in the empty-net.

The Sockeyes took a huge game that could have gone either way. Sockeyes only period that they had more shots were in the third, but altogether were outshot in the game 43-32. Aaron Oakley and Nick Enegren didn't have their best game in net, but still managed to stop a bucket of pucks sent at them. This was also Kyzen Loo's first game back since a December 30th 6-2 wn over North Delta Devils. He didn't get much playing time as he was just trying to get his feet back under him. Loo did have a good chance and showed some nice dangle moves like he did earlier in the year.

Tonight's game could send the Richmond Sockeyes to the PIJHL final should they beat the Delta Ice Hawks. With the 3-1 series lead they can close it out at 7:15 tonight at the Minoru Arena, you can also watch online at SockeyesTV http://www.richmondsockeyes.com/

Hamaguchi scores 4-3 OT winner (Sockeyes 2-1)

                                    AT                   


The Richmond Sockeyes won game two by a 4-3 overtime score, that was after they gave up a third period lead. Jeremy Hamaguchi was the hero though, scoring his fourth of the playoffs and sending the Sockeyes back to Minoru Arena win a 2-1 series lead.


Goals were exchanged pretty early on, at the 2:29 minute mark both teams exchanged goals, Brayden Low scored for Richmond. Young defenceman and Chilliwack Bruins prospect Turner Popoff took and interference penalty and the Ice Hawks offence went to work on the power play. Cody Fidgett would score his second goal of the period beating Aaron Oakley for a 2-1 lead after the opening period.


Things started to turn around for Richmond in the second period, as Jeremy Hamaguchi got on the board to tie the game 13:15 into the period. The Ice Hawks made a very sloppy change and Rudi Thorsteinson and Jake Roder took full advantage. They came in on a 2 on 0, Thorsteinson pulled goalie Nick Enegren to the far left side, waited for Roder to get open and sent the puck over with a nice saucer pass. As Roder got the puck he wasted no time and put it in the wide open net for Richmond's first lead of the game. There was a terrific chance to increase the lead when the Sockeyes got a breakaway in the final two seconds but they couldn't slip it past Enegren. 

A terrific show of hockey was put on by Patrick Hunter in the final couple minutes while on a penalty kill. Hunter who is known for being terrific on the penalty kill came up huge after Keenan Webb took a tripping call. The Sockeyes captain was playing with a skip in his step, and sent the puck down the ice, but that wasn't the extent of the penalty kill. While down behind Enegren, he was successfully jamming the puck against the boards, what made it so epic...the fact that four, count em' four Ice Hawks couldn't get the puck away from him. It was a mervelous display of both hockey skill, sense and athleticism. The Ladner Leisure Centre erupted at this show he put on down deep killing twenty-five penalty filled seconds.


It didn't take the Ice Hawks long to tie up the game in the third period, as they scored 1:28 in. Ryan Cuthbert was the goal scorer getting the puck behind Oakley for a 3-3 tie. Delta controlled most of the play from this point on getting chance after chance on the Sockeyes net. Luckily for Richmond the time wound down and they were heading to overtime.


Game 1 was a 4-3 overtime win for the Sockeyes after Rudi Thorsteinson scored the winner, and tonight his line went to work again. There were some scary chances for the Ice Hawks on Oakley but it was Jeremy Hamaguchi who became the hero for Richmond. Capitalizing on some offensive pressure being put on the Ice Hawks, he walked to an open afrea and wired a shot past Enegren for the win.


This was a huge win for Richmond especially after what happened on Sunday in the 6-1 shilacking. Now they are heading back to familiar territory, the Minoru Arena for games four and five., hoping home ice will be a huge advantage. Game four goes at 7:30 in Richmond, you can also watch online on SockeyesTV at www.richmondsockeyes.com 

Ice Hawks crush Sockeyes 6-1 (1-1 Series Tied)

                                         AT                   


After a terrific game at the Minoru Arena last night the Richmond Sockeyes got absolutely shell shocked in Delta against the Ice Hawks in game 2. After a Sockeyes disallowed goal would have made the score 2-1, The Ice Hawks score 5 straight including two shorthand and a power play goal to win by a 6-1 score.


Patrick Hunter got Richmond started off well with a goal from the left circle that beat Nick Enegren to open the scoring at 11:05. But their only lead of the game lasted for 50 seconds as Cody Fidgett tied the game shortly thereafter. 


What was a critical part of that period was missed opportunities, as Richmond hit four posts in the period alone, Thosteinson hit two of them. They could beat Enegren but not the posts, and it would make them pay.


In the second the Sockeyes scored, ironically off of the post...But after it was ruled a goal and the red light came on, the referees discussed it and disallowed it. This was the game folks, after that it became the Ice Hawks show. Spencer Traher then scored for Delta to get their first lead of the game. When Liam Harding got hit in front of the Sockeyes bench, he slashed Ryan Cooper while on the bench, this would have been the time for Richmond to capitalize but it went completely the other way. Spencer Traher scored two shorthanded goals on the one penalty to his team, getting the hat-trick and taking the Sockeyes off their game.


The final period was just as rough for the Sockeyes as the second, Delta score two more goals to finish the scoring at 6-1 Delta. This was the first time all year Aaron Oakley has allowed six goals against. 


A scary situation came late in the third as Ryan Cooper collided with an Ice Hawks forward and laid riving in pain on the ice. It appeared as if he badly injured his leg, meanwhile, Drew Spencer and Michael Ball all left the game as well.


All in all, the Sockeyes have to figure out a way to solve the Ice Hawks penalty killing, they are 1 for 28 all year against them, that's 3.5%. In two games the Ice Hawks have scored three shorthanded goals, proving deadly for the Sockeyes.


Game three goes Tuesday at the Ladner Leisure Centre in Delta, game time is 7:30, and the Sockeyes will look to regain the series lead as they are now deadlocked 1-1.

Sockeyes win overtime thriller 4-3 (Sockeyes 1-0)

                                         vs                   

In what was without a doubt one of the most exciting Junior B games ever played, the Richmond Sockeyes had a huge third period comeback to win by a 4-3 score in overtime. After three straight Ice Hawks goals to the a 3-1 lead, the Sockeyes tied the game in the third to send it to overtime. Where Rudi Thorsteinson once again scored a beautiful goal to give Richmond the 1-0 series lead.

This game was going to be a great one, this series was going to be a great one as the two top PIJHL teams were playing for the Tom Shaw final. 1st place versus 2nd place as these two teams faced off in Richmond at Minoru Arena.

The opening period was a showcase of why these two opponents are the best in the league, there was exciting action up and down the ice. The game got started off with a huge hit by Alex Martin on Kamesh Goundar that laid him out at the right wing boards. Brayden Low with Siemens and Goundar were playing a strong offensive game together, and in turn opened the series scoring. After Goundar pokked the puck to Low, he came in on a 2 on 1 with Siemens, pulled the defensive man over and waited for Siemens to get opened on the far side. Low threaded a beauty pass right to Siemens who potted his third post season goal. After one period of play the Ice Hawks were outshooting the Sockeyes 14-9 but were down 1-0.

The Ice Hawks intensity really started to pick up in the third, they had that desperation look to them. That would all be stopped though as the first penalty of the game went to Dominic Toigo. Or would it? Spencer Traher got out on a break away and shot the puck at Aaron Oakley, he thought the puck had squeaked behind him, and unfortunately it was just laying in the crease and the trailer, Cody Smith scored. He simply grabbed the puck in the crease and shot it past Oakley to tie the game after two periods of play.

All that was remaining between these two teams was twenty minutes of play, it had that appearance like the game could go to ovetime, but the Ice Hawks had other ideas. Delta scored two consecutive goals, Liam Harding finally scored his first playoff goal and Cody Fidgett extended the lead to two goals with under 13 minutes remaining in the game. Kye Benjaminsen was playing solid for Delta registering the only assists on both goals.

At this point with the score 3-1 and the wheels falling off the bus, head coach Judd Lambert pulled a beautiful move calling a timeout to settle down his troops. This proved to be the games turning point, as Richmond made it a one goal game just 1:04 after Fidgett's goal. Jake Roder got a rebound goal from Thorsteinson and Hamaguchi as th top line came through.

The tides had completely turned on Delta, all the offence was in Delta's zone at this point and Nick Enegren was the only thing keeping them in it. But with 5:49 to go in the game, Patrick Hunter tied the game while falling to the ice in Bobby Orr fashion. Just an absolutely huge and crazy goal that erupted the Richmond fans from their seats at the Minoru Arena. The captain had been playing a great game to this point but hadn't found the back of the net, but he solidified his place in the three stars with that goal. Despite frantic action at both ends of the ice the score would remain tied and it headed to overtime.

We could expect nothing less from these two foes, who were playing just absolute beautiful hockey to this point. The puck would drop for overtime and the first great chance went to Delta. Konrad Sander sprung himself for a breakaway but Oakley was there once again to make the stop.

Then came the top line, Thosteinson, Hamaguchi and Roder, cutting in and cycling the puck down deep in the Delta zone. Before you knew it, Jeremy Hamaguchi got the puck to Jake Roder who forced it to Thosteinson. Thorsteinson was able to make a gorgeous move around an Ice Hawks defender, took that little bit of extra time and patience, skated around Enegren and shot home his game winning goal. This was the second game winner in a row for the 18 year old Richmond native.

A story in this game was the superb goaltending by both Nick Enegren and Aaron Oakley. Enegren stopped 38 of 42 shots and make some huge saves especially on a couple two on one saves. While Oakley came out with the win, he made 30 saves, none bigger than a break away in overtime.

The referees were able to call a great game, only three penalties were assessed in the entire time. They only called what was necessary, the best hockey is played 5 on 5 nnd they let them play that way.

This was a fantastic end, to a fantastic game that was without doubt one of the most intense, action packed and entertaining games of all time for Junior B hockey. Just another reminder why if you have the chance to make it out to the Minoru Arena Thursday March 10th at 7:30 for game 4 of this series. You can also watch online at SoxckeyesTV www.richmondsockeyes.com

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Thorsteinson scores series winner with 1:11 left (Sockeyes 4-0)

                                 AT            


The Richmond Sockeyes are moving onto round two and the Tom Shaw Conference finals after defeating the North Delta Devils, sweeping them in four straight games. Rudi Thosteinson scored the game winner with just 1:11 remaining in the third period to send the Sockeyes to the next round.


It was a pure defensive struggle for most of the game as both teams had to battle with sloppy offensive zone pressure. Most of the first period was controlled by the Devils, especially since they outshot Richmond 12-5 in the opening frame. Luckily for the Sockeyes their first shot against Alex Wind was a good one, a Keenan Webb point shot found its way to Rudi Thorsteinson who sent the puck in on net. The rebound found its way to an open Jeremy Hamaguchi who scored his third goal of the playoffs. This was a huge goal as Aaron Oakley was playing solid in net and they had to give him some help.


North Delta just kept pressuring the Sockeyes in the second period, firing everything towards the net. They would finally be rewarded with a goal as Adam Nathwani scored his second of the post-season to tie the game at one. Manuveer Mahil was able to get the puck to Nathwani and he fired a shot past Oakley on the low corner. Devils were outshooting the Sockeyes 20 to 16 after two periods of play. The biggest part of the period though came earlier in the period, as Chris Manhas scored a open net goal as Aaron Oakley was down on the ice. But the referees discussed the play and deemed that Weslee Lee ran goaltender interference on the play.


Most of the last period saw both teams having a really hard time getting that pressure in each other's zone, with countless neutral zone play. During the final few minutes is when the offence really kicked into gear. Both teams had relentless pressure on both goaltenders. Aaron Oakley making some huge saves and Alex Wind stopping a Connor Wilson and Patrick Hunter breakaway. With just 1:11 left in the game, the Sockeyes would get on the board. With a great move by Jeremy Hamaguchi to move the puck behind the net, he waited for Thorsteinson to get open, and with a quick pass out front, Rudi was able to shoot the puck past the red line for the lead. The score was 2-1 and all the Devils could do is look on in horror as their season slipped away. 


Despite all the chances with the goaltender pulled they could not get the puck past Oakley and the Sockeyes would win the game 2-1 and the series 4-0. Both goaltenders got a star in the game and deservingly so, Oakley (Third) with 39 of 40 saves and Wind (Second) stopping 30 of 32 shots. Thorsteinson with his game winning goal and assist got the games first star and moved his point total to nine, just two behind Danny Brandys for the PIJHL lead. 


Next up for Richmond is either the Grandview Steelers or Delta Ice Hawks. That series is currently 2-1 in favour of Delta, either way game one of the Tom Shaw final will go Saturday, March 5th at 5:30 PM at the Minoru Arena. The game will be broadcast on SockeyesTV ww.richmondsockeyes.com

Sockeyes power play leads to 8-1 blowout (Sockeyes 3-0)

                                VS            




Richmond just pushed itself to within one game of making the Tom Shaw Conference finals as they defeated the North Delta Devils by a blowout score of 8-1. Thanks in large part to a fantastic power play that capitalized six times and a undisciplined North Delta team that had 11 penalties and over 50 minutes in penalties.

North Delta was playing great hockey to start the game, controlling most of the play in the opening period, but it would be the Sockeyes who came out on top. With Sebastien Pare getting a nice feed on the side of the net and ripping home a shot to give Richmond the 1-0 lead. This was the first game the Sockeyes opened the scoring in, as the Devils scored the first goal in both previous games.

Then came the second period. Connor Wilson added an insurance marker after a Scott Wessa shot from the point bounced of the back wall behind Alex Wind and he potted the rebound behind Wind. At this point the score was 2-0, but the game deteriorated after that goal. Julius Ho, the captain of the Devils was ejected after a vicious knee to Sebastien Pare. On the 5 minute major penalty the Sockeyes capitalized four time, with goals by Thorsteinson, Hunter, Hamaguchi and Ball. It was after the fourth goal the Alex Wind was pulled and relief duties were given to Alex Ahnert. The fifth goal was where the Devils became completely undisciplined, Marco Finucci hammering Rudi Thorsteinson in front of their net, he was being ejected and as he was heading out, he grabbed Jake Roder's stick and tried to throw it into the crowd. The fans responded with a shower of boo's. It was a totally unprofessional act by Mr. Finucci. 

The period would end 6-0, but the game was over long before that, Pare would not return, and the Sockeyes would score two more goals, this time by Siemens and Webb. Aaron Oakley played great in net, only allowing one goal against. He stopped 26 of the 27 Devils shots, while Alex Wind was 18 for 22 in the loss, and relief goaltender Alex Ahnert stopped 28 of 32. 

With the game ending 8-1, the feeling in the third period was just, lets get out of here without any more problems. We will have to wait to see if Pare will be back for game four of this series, as the Sockeyes now have the chance to close out the series in North Delta. Game time is 6:45, February 26th in North Delta, you can watch the broadcast live on SockeyesTV www.richmondsockeyes.com  

Sockeyes win squeaker at home (Sockeyes 2-0)

                                   VS            


Once again the North Delta Devils opened the scoring, but they couldn't hang on to defeat their division rival Sockeyes. Ryan Cooper would eventually score the game winner for the Sockeyes, to give them a strong 2-0 series lead.

The first period saw some stellar goaltending on both sides of the rink, Aaron Oakley for the Sockeyes and Alex Wind got the start for the Devils. Wind replaced Alex Ahnert in game one after he allowed six goals in the first 30 minutes of play. The Devils goaltender stopped ten shots against him while Oakley played huge stopping 12 shots on him.

Richmond was thanking its stars that they weren't down after the first, as many good chances went to the Devils. The found themselves on a 4 on 2 breaking up ice with Adam Nathwani controlling the puck. Normally on a chance like that you make a couple passes, but he blasted a shot over the shoulder of Oakley to open the scoring 1-0. The shot actually blew the lid off of the water bottle sitting on the top of the net.

But there wasn't any quit in the Sockeyes eyes, and Aaron Oakley turned his game on preventing any Devils scoring opportunities. While Richmond found themselves on a 5 on 3 power play they went to work. Michael Ball sent a pass to captain Patrick Hunter on the side pf the net, he waited for Sebastien Pare to get open and sent a cross crease feed tape to tape. Pare was able to send a blistering wrist shot past Wind to tie the game at the 7:05 mark of the second.

Coming into the third period with the score tied 1-1 neither team wanted to be the one to go down, or make that mistake. Oakley had to play huge, as the Devils had some great offensive zone pressure for most of the period. Richmond would be rewarded with the tie-breaking goal. Eli Wiebe danced around a defenceman from the Devils and sent the puck on net, it couldn't make it past Wind, but a pinching Ryan Cooper knocked the puck in for a 2-1 lead.

In the last 3 minutes the game was incredibly intense with great chances by both sides, Aaron Oakley was a rock in net stopping all ten shots he faced in the period. Richmond would would come away from game two at the Minoru Arena with a 2-1 win and a 2-0 series lead.

Game three will go tomorrow night at the Minoru Arena at a late 8:45 start time due to ice time conflict. Richmond would be able to take a huge stranglehold on the series if they win. You can always watch as well on SockeyesTV with Dustin Forbes and Aaron Mackay www.richmondsockeyes.com

Big comeback leads Sockeyes over Devils (Sockeyes 1-0)

                                AT           

This game certainly did not go the way it was expected to, as the Devils came out absolutely firing and caught the Sockeyes sleeping. The Devils scored three goals in the opening fourteen minutes to take a 3-0, but the Sockeyes weren't down and out. Richmond scored eight of the next nine goals to skate away with a 8-4 game one win.

In a pre-game interview with North Delta Devils head coach Grant Armstrong, he described how he wanted to play in the first period as fast, intense and with lots of pressure. That’s exactly what the Devils did; catching the nervous Sockeyes completely off guard. Three goals in a matter of five minutes and forty-six seconds by Chris Manhas, Julios Ho and former Sockeye Coltyn Hnasen, put Richmond on its heels. At that point there were two power play opportunities that the Sockeyes failed to capitalize on, while the opening two goals by the Devils came on the power play.

Aaron Oakley was in net for the Sockeyes and it appeared as though there were a bit of uneasy nerves filling the line-up. The Sockeyes needed a spark, they needed a goal to get them back in this game before it became a rout. They got what they were looking for as Brayden low tipped in a Jessie Siemens point shot to break Alex Ahnert. The flood gates would open as he let in two more goals, by Jeremy Hamaguchi and Kamesh Goundar to tie the game at three a piece. You could see that the Sockeyes were back in fine form, playing with that intensity that they saw all year.

The fact that the game was tied could have been called a huge success for the Sockeyes, but with just over two seconds left in the first period, Jake Roder gave Richmond the lead. Just 2.7 seconds remained and for the first time in the game Richmond had a lead. Hard to believe after the start to the game that they had.

The second period had the Devils come out strong scoring just 38 seconds into the frame. Christopher Manhas notched his second of the game to tie the score at 4-4. Brayden Low just under two minutes later came streaking towards the net, cut in extremely close to Ahnert and roofed it past him in a tiny opening. This goal proved vital as it quelled any of the Devils confidence. Before the period was done, another goal would be scored, this time by Rudi Thorsteinson on the powerplay, he made a few beautiful moves around the Devils defenders to keep the pressure inside the zone. That sixth goal against would spell the end of Alex Ahnert's night, he stopped 21 of 27 shots and was replaced by Alex Wind.

In the final twenty minutes Aaron Oakley really stepped up his game, making some critical saves, one notably off a tip in front to keep the Sockeyes in the lead. Jessie Siemens and Kamesh Goundar added a goal each to tally the final score to 8-4.

There were three players who just kept finding their way onto the scoreboard at the Sungod Arena. Jeremy Hamaguchi came out with a goal and two assists. Rudi Thorsteinson had a goal and three assists. The player of the game was Brayden Low though, he had two goals, three assists, five points and the game winning goal. 

Hopefully Richmond shook out all of its cobwebs after being down by three goals early on. They now wait until this Thursday where they will play at the home confines of the Minoru Arena. Game time is 7:30 PM for game two of this seven game series. You can also watch online on SockeyesTV, www.richmondsockeys.com 

Sockeyes end regular season in 1st

                                           

After 46 games, a goalie change and depth throughout the lineup. your Richmond Sockeyes are the 2010-2011 PIJHL Regular Season Champions. Finishing with the best record in the league, going 37-5-4.

This season has proved to be one of the best ever for the Richmond Sockeyes. Only 9 losses throughout the entire year, with just 5 of them coming in regulation, that means out of a possible 92 points the Sockeyes only missed out on 14 of those. The solidity of the lineup has made this a team to be reckoned with, especially since every player on the team had over 10 points. Showing that it doesn't matter, top to bottom, that these players can compete.

Throughout the year we have seen many changes including, Aaron Oakley taking over as startong goalie, and finishing with MVP statistics, winning 23 of 25 games played, two shutouts and a league best 2.06 Goals Against Average.

Shots, shots and more shots, in 46 games Richmond was only outshot three times(North Delta, Mission and Delta). The more impressive stat is that from the start of the season to the end was the ability for the Sockeyes to vastly outshoot it's opponents, most notably against the Aldergrove Kodiaks to the tune of 75 shots.

All in all this is a team that is poised to be able to make a long playoff push, and hopefully extend its reach to the Cyclone Taylor Cup(Provincial championship) and Keystone Cup(National championship). Lets not forget that just two years ago was when the Sockeyes last won the regular season championship and they went on to win the National title.

In order to accomplish that though they have to get past the tough North Delta Devils squad. With Richmond clinching home-ice throughout the playoffs they will play three games at Sungod Arena and four at the home rink Minoru Arena. Game one is set for Monday February 21st at Sungod Arena, game time is 8:00. The Devils were the only team this year to have a winning record against the Sockeyes so you know it will be a hard fought series.

If you can make it out to either the Minoru Arena or Sungod Arena game times are as follows. All games will be broadcast on SockeyesTV on www.richmondsockeyes.com

NORTH DELTA    VS   RICHMOND

  Feb. 21     Monday        8:00 pm      Sungod

  Feb. 24     Thursday      7:30 pm      Minoru

  Feb. 25     Friday           8:45 pm      Minoru

  Feb. 26     Saturday      6:45 pm      Sungod

  Feb. 28     Monday        7:30 pm      Minoru   *if needed

  March 2   Wednesday   7:30 pm     Sungod   *if needed

  March 3   Thursday       7:30 pm     Minoru    *if needed