A win would’ve put them in first, but instead the Squirrels tied and settled for finishing the regular season in second place, despite having the same number of points as the Piranhas, who finished in first with one extra victory. It was also the fourth tie in a row to end the season.

The Squirrels play this coming Saturday at 3 p.m. in the first round of the playoffs.

New Jersey Night Ruined, But Squirrels Still Win

It’s not often the Squirrels get new jerseys, and it’s even more rare that they don’t get to use them on the night that they get them. Unfortunately for the Squirrels, they were playing the Brewins, a team that also has black jerseys with yellow trim.

Many of the Squirrels, however, did wear their new custom-designed socks.

Weird moment in the game: Tom Fischer had a shorthanded breakaway in the second period. The Brewins goalie didn’t move. He was in his stance, but he stood there like a statue. Fischer was confused, even as he shot the puck and scored. The goalie still didn’t move. Was there a whistle he didn’t hear? Maybe a penalty? Were they still playing? The goal counted, and even as he skated away, the goaltender stayed in his stance. Eventually, he snapped out of it, but it was indeed the weirdest thing the Squirrels have ever seen in a game.

Tony Richelsen had three goals, Fischer had two, with the others being scored by Brent Machado and Mark Tessar.

The Squirrels got back to their winning ways with a solid, if unspectacular 4-2 win against a Brewins squad that came into the game with only a 4-12-0 record but winners of 2 straight.

The Brewins opened the game’s scoring when Chris Olson managed to bank a lose puck from behind the net, off the back of Coulson’s leg before he could recover to hug the post, and into the net. However, the Squirrels would answer only a minute later when Bob Valdes scored an unassisted goal on a beautiful rush into the zone and with a pinpoint wrist shot to beat Brewins goalie McNeil blocker side. The period ended with a 2-1 Squirrels lead thanks to a beautifully ugly goal by the team’s leading goal scorer, Brent Machado. Ben Sumner won a faceoff just outside of the offensive zone, gathered his win and threw a good wrist shot at McNeil. The rebound kicked out to a charging Machado and he gathered the loose puck, waited a split second for McNeil to commit, then buried the puck. Ugly goals are a thing of beauty!!

The Brewins would tie the score at 2 with a quick goal only :50 seconds into the 2nd period. Two Brewins were left alone down low. A shot from high in the zone was deflected off the post by a lone Brewin standing to Coulson’s left. The puck caromed off the post and rolled along the goal line to come to rest on the other post. Coulson, being down and out as a result of the initial shot and deflection, was unable to scramble across to swipe at or cover the loose puck and it was eventually tapped in by Kali Wood. The Squirrels would break the tie 11 minutes later when Mark Tessar scored his 3rd of the year on a great pass from behind the net from Mike Ricci. It would be all the Squirrels would need.

The only scoring in the 3rd period was an insurance marker from the Squirrels’ Bob Valdes with his 2nd of the game. The Brewins never really threatened in the 3rd and time eventually ran out for them. Despite the Brewins pulling their goalie to try to mount a comeback, a couple of attempts from the Squirrels to pot an empty netter were not successful.