Author Archive: Ben Sumner

Squirrels 10, Fish 0

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The Roller Screaming Squirrels forced their second forfeit in a row Tuesday in the most lopsided victory in their four-year roller history. Coming off of a respectable 5-4 loss Wednesday to the undefeated 5-Holes, the Fish went down 2-0 in the first 50 seconds of the game, and 8-0 at the half. The Squirrels scored the final two goals with 7:13 remaining, making it the shortest game they have ever played.

Goaltender Brian Byrne had a 9-save shutout, his second of the season. The Squirrels skated with a full roster. The next game is Tuesday, June 7, at 8:30 p.m. against Mors ab Alto.

Squirrels 12, Chupacabras 2

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This has happened to the Squirrels before, so they didn’t feel guilty when they skunked the Chupacabras on Thursday, 12-2. The Chupacabras had no goaltender, and several of their players were missing.

The Roller Squirrels led 6-2 at the break, and knocked in the 12th goal with less than a minute remaining to go ahead by ten, which automatically ends the game. The Squirrels skated without captain Ed Bager, Rob Myers, and Desmond Richelsen, who was serving a one-game suspension for an incident in the last roller game. Richelsen and Jon Magi were in the stands, cheering on the Squirrels. Juan Canchasto played his first roller game of the season in place of Bager. The next game is Tuesday, May 31, at 10:30 p.m. against the Fish.

Baby Pham Born

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Longtime Squirrel/Devil Chi Pham, and his wife, Sandra, welcomed into the world son Dylan on May 17 at 1:40 a.m.”We were able to bring him home that Thursday where he is just being spoiled by his grandparents and his aunt and uncle,” Pham says. Pham plans to give Dylan, who weighed 8 pounds and measured 20 inches at birth, a pair of skates and work him into the Squirrels farm system.

Pham is on the part-time Squirrels roster this summer to make time for his family, and he plans to be back with the team soon. Dylan is the first Squirrel baby of 2005. Oriana Senatore is due later in the year.

Dead Kings 8, Squirrels 2

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The score didn’t come anywhere near a skunk this time, but the Dead Kings still ran away with an 8-2 victory over the Screaming Squirrels on Sunday. Playing with three forward lines and five defensemen – the most players the Squirrels used all season – the Squirrels still couldn’t stop the long passes and quick centering passes that the Dead Kings used extensively in the first meeting three weeks ago.

The game started promising enough for the Squirrels, as Don Marks, playing center, scored on a breakaway during the first shift of the game. The Dead Kings scored the next two, and then Matt Borlik tied the game on the power play with a 5-hole shot.

Then the Dead Kings ran away with the game in the second period, scoring a short-handed goal and then scoring on three consecutive line changes.

Jeff “Hockey Stop Guy” Newton played his first game as a Squirrel on defense. Goaltender Drew Thiemann played out on defense for the first time since his freshman year of college. The Squirrels used substitute goaltender “Steve the Goalie.”

The next game is Sunday, June 5, at 7:40 against the Volcanoes in Resor.

Squirrels 5, Panic 4

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Skating only two lines and withstanding a lopsided shot count, the Screaming Squirrels won their most gutsy game in months Sunday, 5-4, against the Panic in Logsdon Pavilion.

Down 2-0 after the first period, the Squirrels battled back midway through the second with goals by Phil Van der Vossen and Juan Canchasto, both from Joe Berrett’s stick. But the period didn’t end well, as the Squirrels gave up two late goals, including one shorthanded, to go down 4-2.

Then the third period came. Already sucking wind, the Squirrels put up three goals early on. Berrett scored shorthanded, Cancasto tied the game, and Berrett put in the game winner with a series of moves around the defensemen.

Goaltender Drew Thiemann stopped two breakaways in the final four minutes to preserve the victory while making 28 of 32 saves overall. The Squirrels only put up 18 shots.

There was a brief scare in the first period when Ben Sumner fell hard on his knee and had to skate off with assistance. Had he not returned, the Squirrels wouldn’t have had enough players for a complete line change.

For the first time, the Squirrels faced off against former roller teammates Dave Manfredi and Mike Morris, both of whom started playing for the Panic a few years ago before the Squirrels had starting playing ice themselves.

Don Marks, Wade Marks, Adam Hughes, Sergio Balatan, and Greg Wenograd missed the game for the Squirrels, who are now 2-1 in the league. The next game is Sunday, May 22, 9 p.m. in Resor.