TORONTO - Get me to the rink on time! That's the song veteran Lads defenceman Nick Hehn had running through his head Saturday afternoon shortly after exchanging vows with partner Carolyn Fell while several teammates bore witness to the handsome couple's nuptials. A few short hours later, Hehn and company swapped tuxedos for shoulder pads and took to the ice at Upper Canada College to face the Beau's Beer Hack.
Unfortunately for the groom, the honeymoon would have to wait as he landed in the penalty box a mere minute-and-a-half into the game to serve a slashing minor. Moments after being sprung the Hack potted their first goal of the game when David Laverdiere beat goaltender Luis Freitas unassisted. For the better part of the next two periods the Hack goals piled up like confetti on the chapel steps. Joseph McGinty combined with Luis Durand and Laverdiere to make it 2-0. Then Aaron Foster scored one, two, three consecutive goals, each one of them set up by Durand. Lad Ryan Kalinka got his side on the score sheet with help from Simon Evers, but another Laverdiere tally silenced the bells, albeit momentarily. Hehn himself would jump in from the blue line to double his squad's dowry, converting a pass from Mike Frolick to become the first player in UUHA history to score a goal on his wedding day. Blake McDonald added another for the Hack a mere 37 seconds later, but Fabian Ruzic enjoyed the last word on the night, joining Hehn and Kalinka in the Lads goal-scorer circle with just 3 seconds remaining on the clock. Goalie Freitas collected his first assist of the season on the tally, while Hack back-up tender Ben Foster posted his second victory of the campaign.
In other Saturday night action at UCC the Humiliation iced the Brockton Rockets 3-1 with veteran forward Luke Moretti potting his 3rd and 4th goals of the season. Jim Sioukas got the other goal for the victors while team scoring leader James Neilson tallied for the Rockets as the 7th-place team earned a half point for a penalty-free affair. And in exhibition play the Dufferin Groove edged the Parkdale Porcupines 1-0 with spare Dave Volten making good on a feed from Alex Lackovic to solve 'Pines goalie Andrew Stirk midway through the opening frame.
UUHA action continues next Saturday, Nov. 1 with the Humiliation taking on the Gas Station Islanders at 7:00 PM at UCC. The following hour sees the Wheatfield Souldiers and Jokers return to action for their first match-up of the season, while the 9:00 PM contest features a Parkdale derby between the Porcupines and Lads. Meanwhile, Maple Leaf Gardens will host a one-off game at 8:00 PM that night with the Rockets and Hack facing off under the iconic Carleton Street dome.
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