Category Archives: News

Panic 12, Squirrels 2

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The most noticeable thing about the Screaming Squirrels-Panic game Sunday night was the bench. There were only three players sitting on it at any given time, no where close to the recommended 10 subs per team. The Squirrels only had one sub, and the Panic had two. The Squirrels would like to think that made the difference in their 12-2 loss.

Matt Borlik scored the first goal of the game for the Squirrels, who held the lead up until two minutes remained in the first period. Then Panic started scoring. Three in the final minutes of the first period, four in the second, and five in the third. Goaltender Drew Thiemann faced 45 shots, saving 34 of them. Panic’s final goal was a short-handed empty netter as the Squirrels pulled the goaltender for one final flurry. The Squirrels only had eight shots in the first two periods, and 11 in the third. Ben Sumner scored the second goal for the Squirrels midway through the third period.

Besides Sumner, Borlik and Thiemann, Desi Richelson, Adam Hughes, Chris Long, and Greg Wenograd showed up for the Squirrels. The teams, both shorthanded, were supposed to play on the smaller Logsdon rink. Without warning, The Gardens Ice House moved the game to the much larger Resor rink, though Logsdon was not being used at the time.

The Squirrels now have a long layoff. They’ll return to the ice July 10, at 9 p.m. against the Dead Kings.

Hurricanes 5, Squirrels 0

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It started off as another typical Squirrels-Hurricanes game Thursday, with a low shot count and little scoring, and much intensity. In the first 25 minutes
of the game, little happened. Then, midway through the second period, the Squirrels took a hooking penalty and that’s when the game fell apart for them. The Hurricanes scored on the power play, then four more times in the next couple of minutes, and ran away with a 5-0 victory.

The Squirrels were only playing with two full lines. Don and Wade Marks missed the game because Don is getting married this weekend in Philadelphia. Jeff Ford and Rob Myers also missed the game for the Squirrels.

The Hurricanes also defeated the once-undefeated 5-Holes, 8-5 on Tuesday, and now take over first place in the league. The Squirrels remain in third place.

The next roller game is Tuesday, June 28, at 7:30 against the 5-Holes.

Honkey Kong 6, Squirrels 4

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Honkey Kong was due. They hadn’t beaten the Screaming Squirrels – in roller or ice – in the three years that the two teams have played each other. In fact, most of the games, even the one earlier this season, were virtual Squirrel blowouts.

This time, the Screaming Squirrels couldn’t put them away. The Squirrels were up 3-1 after the first period, but Honkey Kong came back and tied the game in the second, then went ahead 4-3 in the third. Adam Hughes tied the game for the Squirrels on the first half of a four-minute power play, and all the momentum was in the Squirrels’ favor. Honkey Kong took another penalty, giving the Squirrels a two-man advantage for 1:28. But Honkey Kong killed the first penalty as their skater came out of the box and scored, putting Honkey Kong up 5-4. They scored again on a controversial goal when the whistle was blown before the loose puck went into the net. The referee didn’t call the goal until more than a minute after play had stopped, and even Honkey Kong players were saying “That was close.” Tempers flared after that, the Squirrels took more penalties, and the game ended at 6-4.

It was the Squirrels’ fourth straight loss, and their schedule isn’t getting any easier. They will next play the Panic on Sunday at 10:30 in Logsdon, and defenseman Don Marks will be missing several weeks as he goes on his honeymoon.

Dead Kings 8, Squirrels 1

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Van der Vossen’s Goal Spoils Dead Kings’ Shutout Bid

One on one, he kicked it in the crease, to his stick, and slammed it between the goaltender’s pads in the far right corner. With less than a minute remaining in the game, Phil Van der Vossen finally put the Screaming Squirrels on the board, temporarily stopping a running clock and showing the Dead Kings that shutting out the Squirrels one thing they haven’t accomplished in their blowout victories.

After a promising start for the Squirrels, Sunday’s game ended 8-1, their fourth loss in a row in which they were outscored 36-6. The Squirrels only allowed one goal in the first period before the Dead Kings opened the floodgates with long passes up the middle to streaking forwards.

Don Marks and Jared Genser missed the game for the Squirrels, and Drew Thiemann played half of the game on defense before leaving for a playoff game in a different league. The Squirrels used a substitute goaltender.

The next game is Tuesday, at 9:15 p.m. against Honkey Kong in Resor.

Squirrels 4, Bullhawks 4

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At the end, the game felt more like a loss than a tie, because all the momentum was in the Squirrels’ favor until the closing second of the first period. In the offensive zone, the Squirrels turned the puck over, and the Bullhawks scored with .6 of a second remaining in the period. Then the Bullhawks scored two more in the second period to take the lead, and the Squirrels tied it late to settle for a 4-4 tie against a team they had easily beaten 7-2 back in April.

The game started off promising enough as Ed Bager scored less than a minute into the game. Phil Van der Vossen knocked in a shot in front of the net and Jeff Ford got a centering pass to put the Squirrels up by three.

The Squirrels came out flat in the third period, spent several minutes on the penalty kill and missed several scoring opportunities. During a late power play, Don Marks’s slapshot down the middle deflected off of Ben Sumner’s stick for the game-tying goal. The game ended with a last-second chance for the Squirrels to win it, but the pass to the streaking winger missed by inches. The Squirrels played without Kit Watson, Rob Myers, Chris Long, Matt Borlik, and goaltender Bryan Byrne. The Squirrels used a substitute goaltender whom they played against last week. Juan Canchasto suited up for the Squirrels.

The next game is Thursday, June 23, at 9:30 p.m. against the Hurricanes.