Nevermind that the Chupacabras haven’t beaten the Squirrels in the last ten games they’ve played each other. The Chupacabras came ready for a fight Tuesday and put forth a solid effort, but the Squirrels found a way to win in a seesaw game, 6-5.

The Chupacabras got the scoring started at 3:58 of the first period before Chris Wautel’s slap-shot hit net and tied the game at 7:54. A Squirrels’ turnover led to another Chupacabras goal, and then the Chupes took a 3-1 lead at 12:47 of the first period.

Then the second period started, and the Squirrels woke up. Five minutes in, Wautel got his second goal of the game off of a rebound, then Chris Long tied the score only 10 seconds later. At 9:19, Ben Sumner’s face-off win went right to Jeff Ford’s stick, and Ford wristed in a shot to give the Squirrels the 5-4 lead. But the Chupacabras tied the game again about a minute later.

With the game tied 4-4, the Squirrels took a penalty. That hardly mattered, because Tony Richelsen skated around everyone and gave the Squirrels the lead. Less than 30 seconds later, the Chupacabras tied the game again, 5-5. At 15:37, Jon Magi darted behind the Chupes’ net and sent a pass out front to Ford, who sank in the game-winner.

The Squirrels played without Don Marks, Wade Marks, Phil Van der Vossen and Juan Canchasto.

The next game is Tuesday, June 26, at 8:30 against Washington Whale.

Anyone watching the Squirrels’ 4-2 win over the Chupacabras Wednesday would have wondered what exactly was on the back of goaltender Bob Sewell’s helmet. A rat? No, it was a stuffed squirrel, strapped on. And the Squirrels would like to think their furry mascot gave them the advantage as they beat the Chupacabras for the fifth time in a row.

The Chupacabras struck first, however, at 9:38 of the first period. Rob Myers tied it with a slap shot on the power play a few minutes later.

With time running down on a two-man advantage, Jeff Ford gave the Squirrels the lead early in the second period. Ford scored again shortly after on a perfect centering pass from Rob Myers. With about two minutes remaining, Chris Wautel got broke loose while killing a penalty and put the Squirrels up 4-1. The Chupacabras got a power play goal 13 seconds later, but the score stood.

The Squirrels played without Don Marks, Wade Marks, and Phil Van der Vossen. Sewell made 27 saves in net, as the Squirrels put up 35. The next game is Tuesday, May 8, at 8:30 p.m. against Washington Whale.

In a rematch of last season’s finalists, the Squirrels and Chupacabras were at each other’s throats Wednesday, battling to a 1-1 tie in the first period before the Squirrels scored five in the second period for a 6-2 victory.

The Chupacabras got the scoring started at 3:32 of the first period, while giving Squirrels goaltender Bob Sewell several more tough shots to deal with along the way. Then Kit Watson finally put the Squirrels on the board a minute and a half later with a burst of speed through the zone.

A minute into the second period, defenseman Chi Pham took a beautiful slap shot from the right point, which deflected off of Ed Bager and into the net to give the Squirrels the advantage. Another minute later, Tony Richelsen — playing his first game of the season after sitting out ten games with a hand injury — scored unassisted, and was careful not to high-five anyone afterward.

The Chupacabras cut the score to 3-2 a couple of minutes later, but then Pham took another slap shot from nearly the same spot at the point. This time, the puck went in without being deflected.

Jeff Ford scored his team-leading 16th goal middway through the second period, and Ben Sumner added his 10th of the season with three minutes to play.

In his fourth season as a Squirrel, Watson finally got called for a penalty, a holding infraction with two minutes to play in the game against one of the best players on the Chupacabras roster. Little was lost, however, as the other player also got a penalty — for roughing.

The shots on goal were dead even, as both teams took 12 in the first period and 9 in the second. The Squirrels played without Juan Canchasto. Phil Van der Vossen left the game early with an injury.

The next game is Wednesday, June 28, at 8:30 p.m. against The 5 Holes.

The Screaming Squirrels won the C Division championship Thursday with a 4-2 victory against the Chupacabras. It is the second title in roller hockey for the Squirrels in three years, the first being shared with the Hurricanes because the final game was never played.Continue reading→