It’s a playoff script all too familiar to the Richmond Sockeyes and a lack of production away from Minoru Arena was the biggest culprit this time.
The Sockeyes’ season came to an end on Sunday at the Burnaby Winter Club in a 3-2 game seven loss to the Grandview Steelers. It marks the third consecutive year Richmond has bowed out in the opening round of the Pacific Junior Hockey League playoffs and each time it was to its Tom Shaw Conference rival.
The Steelers put the visitors into an early 2-0 hole and they never could recover, despite dominating much of the contest as the final shot total (42-23) would suggest.
Over the course of the series, Sockeyes averaged five goals per game in their three wins on home ice. However, they never scored more than twice in the four road losses and head coach Judd Lambert doesn’t have to be reminded the difference it makes for his team’s fortunes.
“A third goal means we are 20 games over .500 this season. When we score two or less we are 15 games below. The split stats are quite astonishing when you look at them,” he said. “If we don’t have that third goal our chances of winning is a very small percentage and there is no margin for error too.
“We had some breakaways and open nets that we didn’t capitalize on tonight or it probably ends up being a different game.”
Lambert also wonders what the outcome would have been had his team got off to a better start.
Joseph Santalucia made it 1-0 just 1:57 into the game on Grandview’s first shot on goal. The hosts continued to dominate and Malcom Huemmert converted a pass from Adam Rota to double the lead.
With four minutes left in the period, the Sockeyes were trailing 2-0 and being outshot 10-2. Finally they showed signs of life with nine unanswered shots on goalie Matteo Paler-Chow before the intermission break.
They would solve him 51 seconds into the second period on Connor Alderson’s power play goal. However, a poor shift followed and Huemmert’s second of the game made it 3-1 just 73 seconds later.
“That was the difference in the game,” said Lambert of his team’s tough start. “We were flat and sluggish and I'm not really sure what the reason was. It’s disappointing. I hope our players learn from this, especially the ones that will be continuing to play competitive hockey. There has to be a full level of intensity for the entire 60 minutes.”
Brett Gelz gave his team some hope when he converted a rebound with a 1:02 remaining. Defenceman Jackson Munro had the best chance in the dying seconds but his shot went right into the chest of Paler-Chow who earned first star honours.
“We didn’t do a very good job on rebounds or deflections from the point and those are the way you score consistently,” added Lambert.
The Steelers move on to play the Delta Ice Hawks in the Tom Shaw Conference finals.
