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.

Volcanoes 9, Squirrels 1

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It was almost déjà vu at least at the end of the game. For the second week in a row, the Volcanoes crushed the Ice Squirrels, this time 9-1 in Logsdon. Again, the Squirrels played the first shift without a goaltender, and didn’t yield a goal. And again, the Squirrels played with very few skaters û only three total subs.

The difference between this week and last week was the score in the first two periods. The Squirrels held the Volcanoes to only four goals in the first two periods, and scored one themselves, before fatigue set in during the third.

Juan Canchasto scored for the Squirrels in the first period on a beautiful pass from Phil Van der Vossen coming down the center.

The Squirrels played without Don Marks, Jared Genser, Greg Wenograd, Desmond Richelson, Chris Long, and didn’t have any substitutes.

The next game is Sunday, June 19, at 7:30 against the Dead Kings in Logsdon.

Squirrels 5, Mors ab Alto 1

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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.