The Screaming Squirrels have occasionally played well against Panic this season. Sunday, they didn’t have their best night – coming one short of a skunk – but it sadly wasn’t their worst, either, as they fell 11-2.

The game actually started well for the Squirrels, as Ben Sumner got a shot past the scrambling goaltender only 16 seconds into the game. Then Panic scored the next nine goals, often while circling around the zone as if they were on a power play. Sumner scored again with the help of the goaltender misplaying the puck, this time 24 seconds into the third period. Panic scored two more before the running clock ran out.

The Squirrels only had two substitutes. Sumner, Phil Van der Vossen, Matt Borlik, Chris Long, Juan Canchasto, Sergio Balatan, Chi Pham, and Drew Thiemann played.

The final regular season game of the season is Tuesday against Honkey Kong at 10 p.m. The Squirrels then have to play again Wednesday in the playoff qualifier against either Panic or Honkey Kong.

Playing with a full line of forwards for the first time in a couple of months, the Squirrels put forth a valiant effort Sunday but couldn’t capitalize on a last-minute chance, and fell to the Panic, 3-2.

The teams skated to a scoreless first period and traded goals in the second. Chris Long put in a rebound off of Matt Borlik’s shot for the first goal, then the Panic answered a minute and a half later. With 3:15 remaining in the period, Borlik fed Wade Marks, who sent in a wrister to the top shelf. Again, the Panic scored on the next shift. In the third period, the Panic scored the winning goal with 8:39 remaining, and held on for the victory. All three Panic goals came after poor breakouts by the Squirrels.

The Squirrels killed all five of their penalties, sometimes looking more in control than the Panic. Drew Theimann made 28 saves for the Squirrels in net.

Thiemann, Borlik, Long, Wade and Don Marks, Desi Richelson, Charles Wolstein, Juan Canchasto, Ben Sumner, and Greg Wenograd played for the Squirrels.

The next game is Sunday, August 7, at 10:30 against the Volcanoes in Logsdon. Five games remain in the season.

With only one substitute Sunday, the Squirrels didn’t have the endurance to match Panic. And Panic didn’t even have a goaltender. Playing five against six skaters and an empty net proved to be a disadvantage as the Squirrels had difficulty getting it past a third defenseman. The game ended near the end of the second period when Panic went up 11-1. At that point, the Squirrels had no substitutes because of excessive penalties.

The Squirrels only had one official shot on goal because shots are only counted when they go in if the opposing team doesn’t have a goaltender. The Squirrels used a substitute goaltender, who plays for the Dead Kings. Matt Borlik, Charles Wolstein, Sergio Balatan, Ben Sumner, Adam Hughes and Desmond Richelson played for the Squirrels.

The next game is Tuesday, at 10:45 against Honkey Kong.

The most noticeable thing about the Screaming Squirrels-Panic game Sunday night was the bench. There were only three players sitting on it at any given time, no where close to the recommended 10 subs per team. The Squirrels only had one sub, and the Panic had two. The Squirrels would like to think that made the difference in their 12-2 loss.

Matt Borlik scored the first goal of the game for the Squirrels, who held the lead up until two minutes remained in the first period. Then Panic started scoring. Three in the final minutes of the first period, four in the second, and five in the third. Goaltender Drew Thiemann faced 45 shots, saving 34 of them. Panic’s final goal was a short-handed empty netter as the Squirrels pulled the goaltender for one final flurry. The Squirrels only had eight shots in the first two periods, and 11 in the third. Ben Sumner scored the second goal for the Squirrels midway through the third period.

Besides Sumner, Borlik and Thiemann, Desi Richelson, Adam Hughes, Chris Long, and Greg Wenograd showed up for the Squirrels. The teams, both shorthanded, were supposed to play on the smaller Logsdon rink. Without warning, The Gardens Ice House moved the game to the much larger Resor rink, though Logsdon was not being used at the time.

The Squirrels now have a long layoff. They’ll return to the ice July 10, at 9 p.m. against the Dead Kings.

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.