In a game that will be remembered more for its timekeeping than its outcome, the Screaming Squirrels fell to the Invaders on Sunday, 4-1. With only one referee and no scorekeeper, periods were counted with a 25-minute running clock, as opposed to the regular 15-minute periods with stoppages.
Despite controlling the offensive zone most of the first period, the Invaders, now 9-3 in the 4A Division, couldn’t crack the scoreboard until they sent in a floater from the point in the second period. The Squirrels answered on the power play, as Juan Canchasto tipped in a pass through the goaltender’s pads. The Invaders took the lead again only seconds later, then scored twice in the third on breakaways. The scoreboard, meanwhile, blanked out several times in the later half of the game, leaving the teams to wonder how much time was left.
The Squirrels skated without Don Marks, Jared Genser, Jon Magi, and Joe Wu. Defenseman Chi Pham injured himself late in the game and is out indefinitely. Adam Hughes also left the game early.
The next match is Tuesday, 10 p.m., at the Wheaton Indoor Rink against the Division 4B leaders the Panthers. The Squirrels previously lost to them, 4-1, in December.