Franchise Hockey 7 Leigh 1
Matt King led the way with three goals and three assists, while Myles Rowland aided his teammate with two goals and three assists. Sheraj Ragoobeer and Cam Rowland added three assists a piece, while newly-re-signed Robby Merk added two third period goals.
Mikey Stanzler won his debut in a game which he saw minimal action. While King and Myles Rowland opened a 2-0 first period lead, dominating the Leigh slot, Stanzler appeared to grow bored from a lack of action.
Leigh finally managed some sustained pressure in the second period and its only goal, but the Franchise had the answer. King batted a Myles Rowland rebound into the back of the net for his second of the game. Moments later, King swooped around the net and wristed home his third of the game and second hat trick in three games.
Headed into the third with a 4-1 lead, the Franchise was determined to not have a repeat of the team's Winter League collapse against North Valley. Rowland opened the period with his second of the game, and Merk scored his first two goals of the year, including his first on a beautifully-executed two-on-one with his longtime linemate King.
Franchise Hockey, for the second straight season, was able to open the season in style with both offense and defense. The next game is to be announced.
Box Score:
1st Period:
King 1 (M. Rowland, Ragoobeer)
M. Rowland 1 (King, C. Rowland)
2nd Period:
King 2 (M. Rowland, Ragoobeer)
King 3 (Ragoobeer, C. Rowland)
3rd Period:
M. Rowland 2 (King)
Merk 1 (King, C. Rowland)
Merk 2 (M. Rowland)
Goaltending:
Stanzler 1-0 (1 GA)
Captain's Thoughts:
I'll admit- I was secretly dreading this game all week long. It seemed like a perennial disaster- an undermanned team suffering a looming loss to a mediocre Division 4C team that would demoralize the troops after our upset of Overfelt.
But it was not to be.
Myles and myself were able to jump on Leigh early and put them away before they knew what hit them. Meanwhile, our defensemen were stellar and were rewarded on the stat-sheet for their efforts. When your D-men can combine for six points, you know they're playing well. Not to be forgotten, Robby was our savior filling the lineup with two goals, while Mikey was solid when he needed to be.
However, let's not lose our heads. This is hardly the time to get complacent. After going 2-1 during Spring Break, the team's gotta be feeling good. But tougher games are coming in the future, and next week will probably feature a tougher opponent.
Be ready.-
Your Captain
#37