Late Cardinal comeback nets 1st point in hockey campaign

The Ireton Varsity hockey team continued its NVSHL schedule last week with a pair of games. The Cardinal home opener took place Monday night and featured a visit from division foe Dominion High School. Missing 2 starters but buoyed by the home crowd at Mt. Vernon Rec Center, the Cardinals struck early with 3 goals in the first five minutes of the game. Duke Roach started the scoring, tipping in a nice cross-ice feed from Nick Tangora. Just over a minute later, Stephen Gerke chipped in his 2nd goal of the season, with assists from linemates Tangora and Ryan Scott. The Titans cut the lead to 2-1 before Ryan Scott restored the 2-goal lead with his first of the season, tucking in a backhand at the tail end of a 2 on 1 with Nick Tangora. Gerke would pick up his 3rd of the season unassisted just before the end of the period, but not before Dominion had reeled off 4 unanswered goals in between to storm to a 5-3 lead, a lead they would not relinquish.

The Ireton offense would manage just 2 more goals on this night, both in the second period. Dominion struck first in the middle frame, scoring 2 quick goals and extending their lead to 7-4. The Cardinals would close the gap briefly, getting to within a goal at 7-6 on tallies from Nick Tangora and Jimmy Smith. Tangora picked up his 3rd of the season on assists from Stephen Gerke and Ben Gerke, and Smith his 1st with an assist from Duke Roach. The rest of the game belonged to the Titans who reeled off 9 unanswered goals to cruise to a 16-6 victory. Nick Tangora led the Cardinal scoring with 4 points (1 G, 3 A), followed by Stephen Gerke with 3 points (2 G, 1 A), Duke Roach and Ryan Scott with 2 (1 G, 1 A), and Jimmy Smith and Ben Gerke each with 1.

Friday night saw the Cardinals travel to Skatequest Reston to face a combined squad from South Lakes/Parkview. The Ireton squad was back at full strength for this late game, and their play reflected that. The Cardinals and Seahawks traded chances for the first 10 minutes but neither squad was able to dent the twine. The deadlock was finally broken by the South Lakes squad when penalty trouble did in the Cardinals who found themselves on the wrong end of a 5 on 3 penalty ****. Before the period was over the Seahawks struck again, jumping out to a 2-0 lead.

The South Lakes crew would extend that lead to 3-0 early in the second period, thwarting several good Cardinal scoring chances along the way. The tide began to turn as the period wore on, however, with the Cardinal offense pressing. Finally, with just over 2 minutes remaining in the period, Ryan Scott notched his 2nd goal of the season, slamming in a rebound of a Nick Tangora shot and cutting the deficit to 3-1. The score would remain that way for almost a full period, but the Ireton squad was far from done.

The Cardinals continued to carry the play in the 3rd and had the Seahawks back on their heels. Despite the increased pressure, the score remained 3-1 late in the period. With just under 2 minutes left in the game, their persistence finally paid off. A shot by Duke Roach was stopped by the Seahawk goalie but the rebound popped out front to Phillip Thomas in the high slot. Thomas made no mistake, notching his 1st of the season and bringing the Cardinals within a goal. After a Seahawk timeout, and with a faceoff deep in the South Lakes zone, the Cardinals pulled goalie Jack Rodgers for an extra attacker. With traffic in front of the net, Will Chastain launched a shot from the point that found its’ way past the screened South Lakes goalie and ignited a celebration from the Cardinal faithful in the stands. Chastain’s goal, his 1st of the season, was the second tally in 14 seconds for the team and knotted the score at 3-3. The game would end that way and allow the Cardinals to claim their 1st standings point of the season. The scorers were led by Nick Tangora with 2 points, both assists, and 1 point each by Ryan Scott, Phillip Thomas, Duke Roach, Will Chastain, and Dillon Roach. Jack Rodgers was solid in net for the Cardinals, earning the tie.