The Richmond Sockeyes racked up two shutout wins and collected teddy bears to raise money for the Richmond firefighters' charity.
The strong start to last week’s games started against the Port Moody Panthers in a contest that wasn’t really a contest at all.
The game started with another impressive start after Daniel Zhou got them on the board at 3:08 with Teo Lin and Jonathan Soares setting up the early stage for a massive 9-0 win.
The Panthers pressed but were unable to penetrate the strong “D” that held the line, preventing shots on Oliver Read.
The Sockeyes' Justin Grant added a pair of goals with the first at 10:33 and the second at 19:29. The period saw the Richmond team outshoot the Panthers 28-4.
They continued with another three-goal performance in the second period with goals from William Huo 43 seconds in while on the power play, the second from Teo Lin at 6:49 and the third at 10:17 on the power play from Gavin Bains, giving them a 6-0 lead after 40 minutes.
They continued to get shots at Panthers starting “tender” Lucas Poratto sending another 18 on target while Read faced only three with a two period total of 46-7.
The Sockeyes played solid in all areas, managing to get another three goals in the third period. Gavin Sangara scored at 10:16, Zach Zapanta got the second at 11:34 while Bains got his second of the game at 12:17.
That alone was a record as they managed to get three goals in a span of 2:01 in a period that saw both teams trade four penalties.
The third period saw the Panthers manage eight shots, ending with 15 while the Sockeyes sent 10 wrapping up the contest with 56 through sixty minutes, grabbing all three stars.
Second shutout in a week
The Sockeyes' next game was a mid-week contest against the Langley Trappers that saw the Sockeyes continue their winning ways managing a 6-0 win with Callum Lind starting the contest off at 8:17.
The Trappers had several chances only to have Justin Grant give them a 2-0 lead at 13:08.
Whatever was said in the dressing room worked as they came out with a jump in the second period with William Huo getting them on the board at 2:43 followed by his second at 7:40.
The second period saw them outshoot the Trappers by a 18-7 margin and 26-15 after 40 minutes with both clubs playing an exceptionally fast-paced style.
Try as they might, the only goal of the third period came with Zach Zapata giving them their sixth of the contest at 15:40 that saw the Trappers assessed four penalties while the Sockeyes were dealt only two.
The visiting Sockeyes skated away with all three game stars.
Sockeyes' fans on edge for first goal of the game
The Sockeyes returned to home ice Thursday night for their annual Teddy Bear Toss game against the visiting Port Coquitlam Trailblazers.
With the fans coming through the turnstiles bringing various shapes and sizes of bear, the players were talking about scoring the first goal to send the bears flying onto the ice.
The teddy bears are given to Richmond firefighters who then distribute them to kids.
There was no question the pressure was on the players to deliver, with some mentioning “they were nervous going into the game” not wanting to disappoint the fans, the kids or the charities.
Aside from the Teddy Bear Toss, this game marked the return of Justin McKnight who has been playing with the Iroquois Falls Storm.
The Trailblazers' Milin Aujla opened the scoring at 11:22, bringing a silence over the crowd only to have him assessed an interference minor at 11:46, putting the Sockeyes on the power play.
That goal seemed to ignite the Sockeyes as Bains sent a bullet from the right point to ignite the fans, sending the teddy bears soaring onto the ice.
With the pressure off, they could now settle down and play Sockeyes hockey, which continues to see them fill the “Fish Bowl” at Minoru Arenas.
They continued by adding a short-handed marker from Daniel Zhou that gave them a 2-1 lead at 14:02 all the while playing shorthanded.
The next two goals were 53 seconds apart with Nicholas Noren getting their third at 17:38 followed by their fourth of the period at 18:31 with Kai McComb setting the stage for yet another impressive win.
They ended the period out-shooting the Trailblazers by a commanding 24-3 margin while keeping any shots directed at Oliver Read blocked.
The second period saw a reverse with both clubs trading one. Jonathan Soares gave them a 5-1 lead only to have Cadance Stanley get one at 10:08 making it 5-2 at the end of the period.
Leading by three, one would think this would be comfortable but the third started with Ajula getting his second of the game at 9:02 on the power play.
Bains stole the show getting his second of the contest 11 second later, regaining the three-goal lead.
Penalties continue to prove costly for the Sockeyes which allowed PoCo’s Stanley to get his second goal of the game.
Jonathan Soares wrapped up the scoring on the power play at 15:06, giving the Sockeyes a solid 7-4 win, outshooting the visitors from across the bridge by a 54-28 tally.
Sockeyes' Oliver Read stopped 24 of the 28 shots he faced while Trailblazers Nick Mayne stopped 47 of 54 faced at the opposite end.
The Game Stars were listed as Jonathan Soares, Gavin Bains and Milin Aujla.
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