Wheatfield Souldiers Scott Montgomery, Derek Domingos and Mike Harkness take a breather during the 3rd period of this past Saturday's tight 4-2 victory (the final goal was an empty netter) over the Jokers Hockey Club.
TORONTO - Dufferin Groove spare Dave Volk opened the scoring just two minutes into this past Saturday's match with the Parkdale Hockey Lads, then added another late in the 3rd period as his side rolled to a 3-1 win over the 7th place Lads. Volk's second tally came out of a goal-front scramble that saw Lads goaltender Luis Freitas make three quick saves before the puck was ultimately buried by the opposition to break a 1-1 tie. Chris Dinsdale was credited with the assist on that tally. Earlier in the frame Lads forward Kyle Welton had capped off a nifty passing play with Mike Frolick and Jason Abrams to solve Groove goalie Mario Pistone and draw his side even. That would be the only Lads goal of the match, though, as the Groove registered an insurance marker with less than two minutes remaining on the clock. That goal was scored by Alex Lackovic and assisted by Volk.
The Wheatfield Souldiers were first on the board in their 8:00 PM contest with the Safety First Jokers Hockey Club as team points leader Keven Magura solved goaltender Marc Hickox with a power-play shot from the point. Magura's defence partner Joey Serlin picked up an assist on the goal. Jokers forward Steve Levine would draw his side even early in the 2nd frame, though, as he collected a pass from Charlie Rishor then got the puck up and over the stick side of Souldiers goaltender John Sutton. Burton's Boys would strike again before the period was over, this time with Mike Harkness combining with Serlin and Eric Toth for the go-ahead goal. Wes Gerbrant would put the Souldiers up by a pair midway through the 3rd by converting a passing play from Brad Sveistrup and Mike Wilk to bulge the twine. Late in the period, though, and with Hickox on the Jokers bench for the extra attacker, captain Ted Bisaillion would hook up with Levine to get things back within one and provide his side an opportunity to knot things up with 34 seconds to work with. But with a just dozen ticks remaining on the clock, Toth corralled the puck in the neutral zone and skated in the empty netter to seal the victory. With the win - the team's 6th in a row - the Souldiers improved to 9-2-1 on the season and locked up 1st place for at least another fortnight. The team will attempt to keep its streak alive next Saturday when they meet the Dufferin Groove.
Meanwhile, the Beau's Beer Hack and Gas Station Islanders skated to a rare scoreless tie in the evening's final game. The Hack out-shot GSI 21-15 (including a ten-shot barrage in the opening frame) but both Isles' tender Sean Markle and Hack backup goalie Ben Foster squeezed out golden goose eggs on the night to ensure a point each for their respective teams.
The Jokers (5-5-2) will attempt to get back above .500 next Saturday when they take on the Parkdale Lads. Both of those games, as well as the return to action of the Brockton Rockets and Humiliation (who are scheduled to take each other on at 8:00 PM) take place at Upper Canada College. Next Saturday will also see the Parkdale Porcupines and Gas Station Islanders meet for an 8:00 PM tilt at Maple Leaf Gardens.
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