Squirrels 4, Bullhawks 4

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.

Squirrels 5, Mors ab Alto 1

The Roller Squirrels continued their dominance over Mors ab Alto on Tuesday, winning 5-1 for their third consecutive victory.

In the first period, Jeff Ford got the scoring started by deflecting in a Don Marks slapshot. Tony Richelsen scored from the high slot, Marks took the puck coast-to-coast for a goal and Wade Marks put the Squirrels up 4-0 at the half. Chris Wautel, who is sixth in the league in scoring, got the goal for Mors ab Alto, and Matt Borlik finished off the scoring for an even second period. The Squirrels, who skated with a full roster, outshot Mors ab Alto, shots 31-15.

The next game is Tuesday, June 14, at 9:30 against the Bullhawks.

Squirrels 10, Fish 0

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

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.

5 Holes 5, Squirrels 2

Sixteen to zero. That was the number of penalty minutes for the Squirrels versus what was called on the 5 Holes on Tuesday.

Skating just a minute short of half the game with a player in the penalty box, the Squirrels couldn’t come back from a 3-0 halftime deficit and lost their first game of the 2005 roller season, 5-2. The Squirrels did manage to kill off all of the penalties, including a two-man deficit for 20 seconds, but the 5 Holes struck at even strength. In the second half, despite playing 10 of 17 minutes shorthanded, the Squirrels had the shot advantage, 15-10, getting goals from Ed Bager and Don Marks. The 5 Holes outshot the Squirrels in the game, 24-22.

The 5 Holes became the final undefeated team in the C division. The Squirrels skated without Wade Marks. The next game is May 26 at 9:30 against the Chupacabras.