After a weather-induced 2 week break from hockey, the Bishop Ireton Ice Hockey team returned to the ice last Friday night. The 7:00 pm tilt at the Mount Vernon Rec Center saw the Saints from St. Stephens/St. Agnes (SSSA) come calling, along with a large, vocal contingent of fans. However, the Bishop Ireton faithful were not to be outdone as they also turned out in full force as well to support the Cardinals in their bid to end the season undefeated. Ireton’s run of good luck came to an end, with SSSA prevailing in a thriller, 3-1, ending the Ireton winning streak at 11. In what was celebrated as Senior Night for both schools, Ireton honored Tom Casey, the team captain, as well as 6 graduating seniors from SSSA before the game. Following the ceremony, the intensity picked up immediately after the opening faceoff and didn’t let up until the final buzzer sounded. SSSA drew first blood, scoring late in the frame on a screened shot, taking a 1-0 lead into the intermission. Ireton came out firing in the 2nd period and finally broke through on a goal by Reid Yager, with assists going to Dan Tangora and Tom Cyrnak. The tie was short-lived however, as SSSA restored their 1 goal advantage on a breakaway as time was winding down in the period. Nursing a 2-1 lead in the 3rd, SSSA found themselves in repeated penalty trouble, but the Cardinals high-powered offense could not take advantage of their power-play opportunities on this night, including a full 2-minute 5 on 3 advantage. In the end, SSSA scored into an empty net with 6 seconds left to send Ireton to its’ first loss of the season. The Cardinals outshot the Saints, 35-34, and Robert Chastain stopped 32 of 34 shots in taking his first and only loss of the season in net, but the Saints Megan Maloney was better on this evening for the cross town rivals. The loss dropped the Ireton team to 11-1 overall, but still undefeated in league play at 8-0.
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