Back to back games for any team can be a concern for players, coaches and fans alike, but when they occur, it’s about staying focused on the game at hand.
Following the series tying game in Ladner on the previous night (Friday) with the 4-3 victory for Delta it’s about keeping your “foot on the pedal” and not losing focus.
Entering the game see’s Delta continues to stay with Naylor, while the Wolfpack stick with Forster and while both play solid, it’s about consistency from start to finish.
While the first two games have been relatively disciplined with signs of heavy hitting in various ends of the ice, it was only a matter of time where tempers began to flair.
Delta were focused on pulling off a win and leaving with a series lead and it was clear that they had come to play.
Some might question the play of various players regardless of the team, but Delta’s size is one area of the game that the Wolfpack were unable to control.
Delta’s Trotman got the goal of the game at 6:20 with Cuthbert and Stein getting assists on the play and it would remain a 1-0 game until the 18:55 when Lin put them up by a 2-0 lead.
A short 36 seconds later Delta’s Deyrmenjian gave Delta a 3-0 lead which allowed them to take a 3-0 lead to the dressing room while being outshot 7-6 by the Wolfpack heading to the dressing room.
Anyone that has watched the Wolfpack play knows that the second would be a different style of game in all areas of the ice.
Delta managed to jump out to a 4-0 lead with an unassisted marker at 4:10 from Gary Dhaliwal who seemed to give the much needed motivation for the team.
North Van found themselves in penalty trouble which allowed Delta to jump out to a 6-0 lead by the 12:55 mark of the period grabbing two power plays goals while controlling the game from all areas of the ice.
North Van lost the play of Dupuis at 6:10 of the period with a minor for CFB plus the Automatic Game Misconduct, which hinders the Coaches line combinations.
The second saw Delta play a disciplined game taking only two minors which saw North Van assessed 6 infractions and probably the most costly was the one at the end of the period for slashing to Creamore, which would carry over to the third.
North Van managed to get one on the board at the 16:00 minute mark with Ledyard breaking the shutout for Naylor, but saw Delta take a 6-1 lead to the dressing room after two.
The start of the third seemed more tentative for both clubs but it was Ledyard who got his second on the night at the 7:21 making it a 6-2 contest, which would only lead to more rough play and foolish penalties taken by both teams.
Delta would manage to pull off an impressive 6-2 win taking control of the series on only 23 shots, while the Wolfpack hammered Delta’s net with 41 shots through three.
Delta went 2-6 in the PP department, while North Van’s was non-existent through 60 minutes sending Russell to take over from Forster after 24:10 minutes of play.
Delta grabbed three stars through 60 minutes with sights set on game four of the series and quite possibly more shots at either Russell or Forster, whichever Coach Koen sends in to face a hot Ice Hawks club.
Game Stars:
1st Jordan Naylor
2nd Jordan Deyrmenjian
3rd Mark Trotman
Delta’s next home game is Friday February 24th at the Ladner Leisure Centre at 7:30 pm and will be shown live on Delta TV.
