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.

5 Holes 5, Squirrels 2

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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.

Squirrels 3, Hurricanes 3

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It was another game to remember for the Screaming Squirrels and the Hurricanes, and it was the shortest one yet. With the hour running out and the referees intent on keeping the following games on schedule, they removed three minutes off of the clock in the final period, with the Squirrels down 3-1. The Squirrels fought back and forced a 3-3 tie despite the loss of time, and remain undefeated this season.

Down 1-0 only 30 seconds into the game, the Squirrels put on pressure but couldn’t get anything into the net until Matt Borlik and Chris Long connected for Borlik’s goal midway through the first period. Don Marks scored early in the second period on the power play, and Kit Watson tied it at three with a perfectly-placed shot to the far upper right-hand corner of the goal. A late flurry around the net with six seconds remaining nearly got the Squirrels the victory. Watson assisted on the first two goals. Goaltender Brian Byrne made 27 saves as the Squirrels countered with 26 shots.

The next game is Tuesday, May 10, at 7:30 p.m. against the 5 Holes.