Dec 24, 2015 | GeoffRead | 368 views
Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus: Hawks Win!
Christmas came early for the Hawks this year, as they exploded offensively for a 10-6 win over the second-place Bandits D4 squad on Saturday the 19th. The Hawks were short-handed, missing defensive stalwart Josh McCarvell, scrappy forwards Trevor Commanda, solid power forward and assistant captain Jacob Bamford, and the Brendan Gallagher-esque Zach Read; yet, the remaining Hawks came together for a great team win in a hard-fought, and at times bizarre, game.
Two players had especially strong games on the afternoon. Theo Enns exploded for a career-best 6 goals, some of the spectacular variety, and Noah Weber, the player of the game, played an excellent two-way game on defense, picking up an assist, breaking up several scoring chances for the Bandits, and contributing a strong third period on left wing, narrowly missing on a couple of chances to score.
Matt Di Cicco also had his first three point game - picking up a goal and two assists - and Callum Knapp, Owen Verberne, and Owen Worby all had two point games and were credited by assistant coach Liam Walsh with strong efforts in the face of some rough physical play by the Bandits. Verberne in particular sacrificed his body for the team to get the puck out of the Hawks' zone on several occasions.
The Bandits' physical style resulted in four power plays for the Hawks, which in turn led to one of the game's more bizarre features and the only negative for the Hawks, as they allowed the Bandits to score four short-handed goals, while pocketing two power play markers. The Hawks' defensive play was so weak with the man advantage that assistant coach Tim Enns pleaded with the referees to stop calling penalties on the Bandits.
Brendan Walsh, facing several breakaways, gave up six goals but had a strong game in net nonetheless. Walsh - ever the competitor - was upset by the six goals but was reassured by his coaches and teammates alike that he'd played well and that the team defense was not at its usual best. The coaches expressed pride in the supportive reactions of Walsh's teammates: good teams stick together in the face of adversity.
At any rate, observers agreed that the result confirmed the existence of Santa Claus, as Christmas came 6 days early for the Hawks and left them in a good mood heading into the holiday break. Perhaps their mood was too good: early reports suggest the Hawks were a rambunctious bunch for assistant coaches Enns and Gary Michiels at Monday's practice.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to the Hawks and all their supporters!