Goaltender Peter Aragon continues to shine in the Ironmen nets.

Devils Win Shoot-Out To Force Game Three
April 15, 2006

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By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen took on the Surrey Devils on Saturday evening in Game #2 of the best of three playoff series. The Ironmen took Game #1 and a victory in this game would have them moving on to the next round. This was a must win game for the Devils if they hoped to extend the series and their season.

The Ironmen were forced to go with only eleven skaters in this game, while the Devils had a full bench and dressed fifteen skaters. Despite the short bench the Ironmen did not sit back and for the second consecutive game they made a great effort of getting pucks to the Devils net right out of the gate. Both goaltenders looked strong in the early going each turning away some quality scoring chances. The Ironmen were given the first power play of the game when the Devils were called for tripping. The Ironmen never really got much going with their man advantage, they wasted precious time forcing the puck up ice with long bomb passes as opposed to breaking out as a unit. The Ironmen may have had their best scoring opportunity late in the period when Brent Kelly sent in Rick Makarowski in with just one man to beat. Neil McEachern was right there with Makarowski and in an attempt to buy his line-mate some space and time, McEachern was called for interference after he set a pick. The infraction was called with two seconds left on the clock, so the Ironmen began the second period shorthanded. The Ironmen out shot the Devils 11-8 in the opening period.

The Ironmen extinguished the McEachern penalty thanks to some excellent penalty killing. Ironmen goaltender Peter Aragon was the best penalty killer of all making some clutch saves. The Ironmen power play was sent back to work at the 8:22 mark when the Devils picked up a tripping penalty. For the second time with the man advantage the Ironmen made things easy on the Devils, the Ironmen continued to make long passes with the man advantage that the Devils easily to pick-off and fired back into the Ironmen zone. The Devils out shot the Ironmen 11-8 in the middle frame.

The teams continued to battle for the first goal of the game in the third period but were turned aside by stellar goaltending and solid defensive hockey. This game was classic playoff hockey with both teams generating good scoring chances while providing solid defensive play and excellent goaltending. The Ironmen had the only power play of the third period when a Devil player nailed Brent Kelly with a dangerous hit from behind. You know that it is a dangerous hit when the Devils players themselves were chastising their own player for the cheap shot. The Ironmen did manage to get some good chances during this power play and spent the majority of this man advantage in the right zone, but were not able to beat the Devils goaltender. Regulation time ended in a 0-0 deadlock which meant overtime once again. The Devils out shot the Ironmen 12-8 in the third period.

The overtime format consisted of five minutes of four-on-four hockey. For the second consecutive game the officials proved that they were not afraid to call penalties in sudden death overtime. This time the Ironmen would be sent to the box with a rather questionable delay of game penalty. The officials said the Ironmen had purposely knocked the net off and sent Trevor Williams to the box. Peter Aragon continued to be solid in the Ironmen net as he turned aside all four shots he faced in the extra frame. Meanwhile the Ironmen managed just one shot on the Devils goal during overtime.

After such a great game it was a shame that this game was going to be decided by a shoot-out, but that was how it was going to be. The shoot-out consisted of each team selecting three players for the initial shoot-out. The officials determined that the visiting team was to shoot first. The Ironmen decided to go with the same shooters they were so successful with in their Game #1 victory. The Ironmen selected: Brent Kelly, Rick Makarowski and Todd Fraser as their first three shooters.

• First Devils Shooter: (goal)
• First Ironmen Shooter: Brent Kelly #10 (save)
• Second Devils Shooter: (goal)
• Second Ironmen Shooter: Rick Makarowski #19 (save)
• Third Devils Shooter: (did not shoot)
• Third Ironmen Shooter: Todd Fraser #6 (did not shoot)

Although disappointed by the outcome the Ironmen should feel really good about the way they played and the effort they put in throughout this game. There were plenty of bright spots for the Ironmen in terms of players stepping up, however none were brighter then Peter Aragon who continues to shine in the Ironmen nets.

The third and deciding game of the series takes place on Wednesday, April 19th at 6:45 pm on the American rink.

Neil McEachern scored the game winning goal in the shoot-out.

Ironmen Stage Amazing Comeback To Take Game One
April 11, 2006

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By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen faced the Surrey Devils on Tuesday evening in Game #1 of the best of three series. These teams were very evenly matched throughout the regular season and despite the Ironmen winning the season series going 2-1-1 in four games; it was the Devils that entered the playoffs as the hottest team in the division. The Devils compiled a very impressive 6-1-1 record over their final eight regular season games.

The Ironmen came out of the gate firing with some quality chances in the early going, their game plan of getting plenty of pucks to the net paid off 3:17 into the game. Paul Savage unloaded a great wrist shot past the Devils goalie to give the Ironmen an early 1-0 lead. Jerry Franko and Todd Fraser picked up the assists. The Devils scored the tying goal 6:09 later. The Ironmen had the only two power plays of the opening period but were unable to score with the man advantage. The Ironmen out shot the Devils 13-8 in the first period.

After getting two first period power plays the Ironmen had to expect the tables would be turned in the second period, as the officials searched for their chance to send the Devils on the power play. It didn’t take long for that to happen as Craig Ahlstrom was sent off for boarding 44 seconds into the period. The Ironmen surrender the go-ahead goal while shorthanded when a couple of Ironmen penalty killers failed to play positional and were caught running around. The Ironmen penalty killers were given a chance to redeem themselves just over five minutes later, when Brent Kelly was assessed the first of his two seconds period penalties. Kelly picked up a slashing penalty at the 12:52 mark followed by a body-checking penalty late in the period. The Ironmen penalty killers did an excellent job of killing off both of Kelly’s penalties. The Ironmen held the edge in shots on goal in the middle frame, but it was the Devils that took a 2-1 lead into the third period.

The penalty problems continued to mount for the Ironmen in the third period. Todd Fraser was called for hooking 4:55 into the period. Technically the Ironmen managed to kill off this penalty, but as Fraser stepped on the ice the Devils scored to make it a 3-1 game. For all intensive purposed this was a shorthanded goal as Fraser was not able to get back into the play. Brent Kelly continued to make things difficult on his teammates as he was assessed a phantom elbow penalty with 6:02 left in the game. Kelly and his teammates would soon catch a break as the Devils were called for interference 1:03 into the Kelly penalty. The teams played four-on-four hockey and it was during that time that Trevor Williams picked off the puck and went in alone on the Devils goaltender, Williams made a nice move a scored to make it a 3-2 game. The Devils responded to that goal 3:32 later to take a 4-2 lead with just 2:02 left on the clock. For the Devils this game looked like it was in the bag, however the men of metal were not about to be counted out just yet. The Ironmen battled hard and it was that ironclad effort that resulted in a late power play for the Ironmen, as the Devils were called for holding with just 33 seconds left in the game. The Ironmen pulled goaltender Peter Aragon for the extra attacker which gave them a two man advantage. After a face off win deep in the Devil zone the puck was sent back to the point where a blast was unleashed with plenty of Ironmen traffic in front. Dan Riley made a great play to tip the shot past the screened Devils goaltender to make it a 4-3 game. Craig Ahlstrom and Rick Makarowski assisted on the goal. The Ironmen lined up at centre and looked to win the draw and get the puck deep for one last crack at tying things up. That is just what happened as off the face-off the Ironmen got possession of the puck and quickly got it deep into the Devils zone. The Ironmen swarmed the Devils and took possession of the puck, Rick Makarowski and Neil McEachern did a great job of winning the battles to get the puck back to Trevor Williams who fired a blast through traffic to tie up the game at 4-4 with just five second left on the clock. Trevor Williams second goal of the game sent the game to overtime. The teams each had ten shots on goal in the third period.

The overtime format consisted of five minutes of four-on-four hockey. During the extra frame the Devils looked like they had the edge in play, while the Ironmen were looking to just hang on until the shoot-out. The Ironmen were given a power play for the last 1:38 of overtime, when a Devils player was called for goaltender interference for running over Peter Aragon. The Ironmen got all of their best scoring chances with the man advantage, however they never really produced a legitimate scoring threat. Both teams had three shots on goal during overtime.

The shoot-out consisted of each team selecting three players for the initial shoot-out. The Ironmen selected: Brent Kelly, Rick Makarowski and Todd Fraser. The Devils were the home team and decided that they wanted the Ironmen to shoot first.

• First Ironmen Shooter: Brent Kelly #10 (goal)
• First Devils Shooter: (goal)
• Second Ironmen Shooter: Rick Makarowski #19 (save)
• Second Devils Shooter: (save Aragon)
• Third Ironmen Shooter: Todd Fraser #6 (goal)
• Third Devils Shooter: (goal)
• Fourth Ironmen Shooter: Dan Riley #9 (save)
• Fourth Devils Shooter: (save Aragon)
• Fifth Ironmen Shooter: Neil McEachern #22 (goal)
• Fifth Devils Shooter: (save Aragon)

Neil McEachern was the fifth Ironmen shooter and with both teams having scored twice in four attempts, McEachern scored the third Ironmen goal of the shoot-out. Goaltender Peter Aragon made a brilliant save to stop the fifth Devils shooter and give the Ironmen a 5-4 shoot-out victory.

This has to go down as the greatest come back in Ironmen history. The Ironmen players showed amazing character; they refused to quit as they continued to battle until the bitter end. The players showed a lot of heart, they displayed a lot of faith and dedication to one another in this game and their never quit attitude is what Ironmen hockey is all about. If the Ironmen can bottle that type of heart, determination and dedication to one another and bring it to Game #2 on Saturday night, there is no question they will get the desired result.

The Ironmen lead the best of three series with the Surrey Devils 1-0. Game #2 will take place on Saturday, April 15th at 8:30 pm on the American rink.

Rick Makarowski captured his second consecutive Art Ross Award.

Costly Penalties And Third Period Collapse Taint Game
April 8, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen faced the Blades in the final regular season game on Saturday afternoon in a game that had no playoff implications. The Blades will open the playoffs against the 4th place Guzzlers having finished in 5th place in the division. Meanwhile the Ironmen locked up the 6th place spot and will take on the 3rd place Surrey Devils.

In the early stages of the game the officials set the tone calling penalties early and often. Perhaps the zebras wanted to give the teams an opportunity to work on their special teams one more time before heading into the playoffs. The Ironmen were assessed the first penalty of the game when Paul Savage was sent off for roughing 2:32 into the game. The Ironmen killed off that infraction but just a few shifts later Henry Fowlds took an offensive zone penalty that put the Blades back on the power play. The Ironmen received their first power play at the 5:12 mark when the Blades were called for crosschecking. The Ironmen capitalized on their first man advantage when Rick Makarowski made a beautiful pass to Neil McEachern who was skating hard to the net. McEachern wired a shot high glove side past the Blades netminder for his 7th goal of the season. Dan Riley picked up the second assist. The Ironmen continued to get into penalty trouble, this time Craig Ahlstrom was called for body checking with 1:31 remaining on the clock. To make matters worse Henry Fowlds was yapping on the same play and was assessed an unsportsman like conduct penalty thus putting the Ironmen down two men. The Blades didn’t waste this opportunity and cashed in on the two-man advantage scoring the tying goal with 43 seconds left in the period. The Ironmen edged the Blades 13-12 in shots on goal in the opening period.

The parade to the penalty box continued in the second period. Craig Ahlstrom was called for holding at the 13:07 mark and the Blades picked up a slashing penalty 1:06 later. Neither team were able to convert on either of those power plays, however they would get plenty other chances with the man advantage. The Blades went back on the power play at the 8:51 mark when Brent Kelly was called for charging in front of his own net. Things continued to get worse for the Ironmen 26 seconds later when Steve Meadows was called for holding. That set up another two-man advantage for the Blades and again they would cash in on it scoring the go-ahead goal at the 6:54 mark. Steve Meadows and his teammates invoked a little revenge on those questionable calls when Todd Fraser spotted Meadows coming out of the box and sent him in alone. Meadows made a nice move with two checkers closing in on him to bury his 4th goal of the season and pull the Ironmen back even at two. The Ironmen got the next power play when the Blades were issued a slashing penalty with 3:17 remaining in the period. The Ironmen made the Blades pay scoring the go-ahead goal 1:25 into the man advantage. After a clean face-off win deep in the Blades zone, Steve Meadows fired a point blast that produced a rebound. Brent Kelly picked up the loose puck but was also stopped, Kelly then managed to kick his rebound to Jeff Meadows who buried his 11th goal of the season, to give the Ironmen a 3-2 lead. The Ironmen out shot the Blades 12-10 in the second period.

The momentum was swinging in favour of the metal men and they built on that scoring their fourth goal of the game 1:33 into the third period. Dan Riley wired a shot from the high slot for his 9th goal of the season. Jeff Meadows collected the lone assist. The Ironmen were still high-fiving each other and patting themselves on the back when the Blades answered right back scoring just 16 seconds later. That goal not only brought the Blades back within a goal but it sparked them as they ripped the momentum away from the Ironmen. The Blades tied the game up 2:17 later and the Ironmen collapse was officially on. Just eleven seconds later the Blades made it a 5-4 game. The Ironmen called a time-out in an attempt to stop the bleeding, and it worked for about two minutes before the Ironmen surrendered goal number six. The Ironmen gave up four goals in a span of 4:31. The Ironmen were unable to get back into a game despite having plenty of time left on the clock. One reason for that was that an accidental high-stick left the Ironmen shorthanded for the balance of the game, throw in another Ironmen cross-check at the 3:27 mark and the Blades were content to sit back with their two-man advantage and protect the lead. The Blades edged the Ironmen 13-12 in shots on goal in the final period.

It is unfortunate that a very solid effort (with the exception of the third period collapse that lasted four and a half minutes) from the Ironmen was tainted by costly and sometimes very foolish penalties on the part of the Ironmen. The Ironmen did a lot of good things in this game, but the third period collapse and the selfish and lazy offensive zone penalties cost the Ironmen this game. The Ironmen must rectify this problem immediately or it will be a very short post season.

The Ironmen open round one of the playoffs with a best of three series against the Surrey Devils on Tuesday, April 11th at 7:00 pm on the Canadian rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Steve Meadows

La Deuxième Etoile - Neil McEachern

La Troisième Etoile - Dan Riley

Jeff Meadows was in on all three Ironmen goals in the 3-3 tie with the Whitehawks.

Ironmen Tie Up Whitehawks
April 6, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen took on the Whitehawks on Thursday evening in a preview of potential first round opponents. Going into this game the Whitehawks held the second place position in the standings while the Ironmen were in seventh place. If the two teams remain in those spots after the final regular season game on Saturday, they would face each other in the playoffs on Tuesday.

The Whitehawks drew first blood in this game opening the scoring at the 15:02 mark. Then 58 seconds later the Hawks power play got their first opportunity with the man advantage, when the Ironmen were assessed a tripping penalty. The Ironmen penalty killers did an excellent job of shutting down the Hawks and successfully killed off the penalty. The Ironmen were given their first power play at the 8:53 mark but could not get the puck past a Hawks goaltender that seemed to juggle every shot he faced. The Whitehawks out shot the Ironmen 12-11 in the opening period.

It didn’t take long for the Ironmen power play to be sent back to work, as they were dispatched again after the Whitehawks were called for high sticking 1:22 into the second period. It only took the Ironmen 21 seconds to convert with the man advantage as Henry Fowlds tied up the game at the 18:17 mark. Jeff Meadowss and goaltender Peter Aragon collected the assists. Meadows has started to shoot the puck more and dangle less and is being rewarded as he has four goals over his last three games. The Whitehawks regained the lead at the 13:41 mark making it a 2-1 game. The Ironmen replied 3:38 later when Rick Makarowski took a nice feed from Jeff Meadows to tie up the game 2-2. Craig Ahlstrom (making a rare appearance playing up front) collected the second assist. The seesaw battle continued when the Hawks scored their third goal of the game at the 3:21 mark. The Ironmen refused to let the Hawks enjoy their lead and quickly countered 1:20 later when Jerry Franko scored his 3rd goal of the season to make it a 3-3 game. Trevor Williams and Jeff Meadows picked up the assists. The shots on goal in the second period were 12-12.

The third period found the Ironmen shorthanded twice, however their penalty killers were up to the task and snuffed out the Hawks power play, as they had done all game long. The Ironmen penalty killers completely shut down the Whitehawks power play in this game. The Hawks went 0-5 in five opportunities with the man advantage. The Ironmen held the edge in shots on goal 13-11 in the final frame.

The Ironmen were not able to get the go ahead goal at anytime throughout this game, however when they did fall behind by a goal they were very motivated to pull back and even the score. Jeff Meadows lead the way for the Ironmen being in on all three Ironmen goals. At the other end of the ice goaltender Peter Aragon was stellar and battled hard to earn his team a point.

The Ironmen conclude their regular season on Saturday, April 8th versus the Blades at 3:15 pm on the Legends rink; in the final ‘tune up’ before the playoffs start on Tuesday.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Jeff Meadows

La Deuxième Etoile - Peter Aragon

La Troisième Etoile - Rick Makarowski

Henry Fowlds saved a goal and collected an assist in the loss to the Stingers.

Ironmen Swept By Stingers In Season Series
April 3, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen were back in action on Monday against the first place Stingers. The Ironmen looked to build on the positive effort they had on Friday night when they defeated the Guzzlers 5-3. For the Stingers this was the last game on their regular season schedule and they looked to add to their impressive 20-8-3 record.

The Ironmen had an excellent start to this game and were clearly the better team out of the gate. However it was the Stingers that drew first blood to open the scoring at the 9:43 mark. The Ironmen had good tempo to their game early but were not able to convert on any of their opportunities. The Ironmen made few mistakes in the opening period, but when they did the Stingers were there to pounce on the opportunity. The Stingers scored their second goal of the game with 2:59 remaining in the period. Goaltender David Toyoda stopped the first shot but was not able to stop the trailer, who was left untouched by an Ironmen checker to collect the rebound. Things could have got worse for the Ironmen when they were assessed two penalties late in the period. The first one came when Todd Fraser was called for hooking at the 2:10 mark. Then 47 seconds later while killing off the Fraser infraction Dan Riley was nailed with a hooking penalty of his own. The Ironmen penalty killers managed to kill off the Fraser penalty and the first minute of the Riley penalty to close the period.

The Ironmen shutdown the one-minute power play the Stingers had to open the period, but the metal men continued to take penalties. Steve Meadows was called for tripping at the 17:18 mark. The Ironmen penalty kill was solid in this game and extinguished the Meadows’ penalty. The Ironmen had their first power play of the game wiped out before it had even begun, when Jim Defer retaliated after the referee was about the give the Ironmen the man advantage. The Stingers scored their third goal of the game with 1:48 remaining in the period to take a 3-0 lead into the final frame.

The Ironmen finally got on the power play 19 seconds into the period after Steve Meadows was wiped out with a body check. The Ironmen were very fortunate that they didn’t lose that one either, as Meadows was jawing with the Stinger player that offended him while he was sitting in the penalty box. Luckily the officials gave both players unsportsman like conduct penalties as opposed to taking the Ironmen off the power play. The Ironmen power play wasted no time scoring just ten seconds into the man advantage. Jeff Meadows got the Ironmen on the board with Henry Fowlds and Craig Ahlstrom providing the assists. That goal seemed to spark the Ironmen as they made it a 3-2 game when Paul Savage mopped up a rebound for his second goal in as many games. Robert Burrows and Jim Defer picked up the assists. The Ironmen battled hard for the equalizer and came very close in the late stages of the game but were not able to convert.

The Ironmen should feel good about their game after this one, they played the Stingers hard and they did plenty of good things throughout the contest. This game was definitely a positive step forward with the playoffs on the horizon.

Next up for the Ironmen is the Whitehawks on Thursday, April 6th at 7:00 pm on the American rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Henry Fowlds

La Deuxième Etoile - Robert Burrows

La Troisième Etoile - Paul Savage

Peter Aragon was solid backstopping the Ironmen to victory.

Solid Ironmen Attack Chokes Wide Open Guzzlers
March 31, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ Desperate for a victory the Ironmen faced a wide open run and gun Guzzler squad on Friday evening. The Men Of Metal had not put one in the win column since February 18th. The Ironmen entered this game winless in seven games, which included three consecutive losses. The Ironmen have not lost more then three games in a row all season long.

The Ironmen went into this game much the same way they have for many of their recent games, with a very short bench. However it would get even shorter, as Craig Granter one of ten skaters the Ironmen dressed for this game was unable to fight through a nagging back injury. While Granter packed it in after only a couple of shifts the rest of the ironclad crew would soldier on. From the opening face-off the Ironmen looked like a team on a mission. They were making smart line changes, working hard and doing an excellent job of getting pucks deep. The Ironmen established a hard fore-check and won most of the battles in the Guzzler zone. The hard work and established pressure resulted in the Ironmen scoring the first goal of the game at the 11:20 mark. Dan Riley converted a beautiful pass from Rick Makarowski to give the Ironmen a 1-0 lead. Brent Kelly also assisted on the goal. Jeff Meadows gave the Ironmen a 2-0 lead 1:24 later with Paul Savage and Henry Fowlds picking up the assists. The Guzzlers netted their first goal at the 7:36 mark, after Brent Kelly was plastered with a hit that lead to a turnover in the Ironmen zone. Many officials may have called a penalty against the Guzzler player on the play, however after that hit the referees sent a message that they were going to let the teams play a physical brand of old time hockey. Before the Guzzlers had a chance to build any momentum with their goal the Ironmen responded 1:05 later to take a 3-1 lead. Jeff Meadows wired a shot for his second goal of the night and his 8th of the season. Craig Ahlstrom and Paul Savage assisted on the goal.

The Ironmen continued to play a solid game in the second period, although they did hit a rough patch in the middle frame and struggled through a few shifts before quickly getting back on track. The Ironmen were given the first power play of the game when the Guzzlers were called for roughing. The Ironmen power play (which has come alive lately) needed only 30 seconds to capitalize on the man advantage. Paul Savage (shooting from his favorite spot) gave the Ironmen a commanding 4-1 lead. Dan Riley and Jeff Meadows collected the assists. Savage (sources tell me) continues to pile up career numbers with the Ironmen.

The hardworking Ironmen continued to out work and out smart the Guzzlers in the final period. The Ironmen were sent back on the power play 51 seconds into the third period when the Guzzlers were called for holding. The Ironmen cashed in on the man advantage to make it a 5-1 game when Dan Riley bagged his second goal on the night mopping up after good chances from both his line-mates. Brent Kelly and Rick Makarowski assisted on Riley’s 8th goal of the season. The Ironmen had figured out the Guzzlers game plan, however the Guzzlers did manage to take advantage of their three forward high system on one occasion, slipping past the Ironmen defenders to make it 5-2 with 12:10 remaining in the game. The Ironmen played solid defensively for the balance of the game completely taking away the neutral zone that is the bread and butter for the Guzzlers. The Guzzlers did manage to add a late goal with their goaltender out for the extra attacker at the 2:03 mark when the Ironmen defensive coverage in the slot broke down. After that the Men Of Metal dug in hard for the final two minutes and after two disappointing late game collapses the Ironmen skated to 5-3 victory.

This was a good win and a solid effort for the Ironmen who have three games next week to close out the regular season. The Ironmen will face a tough opponent on Monday evening when they take on the first place Stingers at 6:45 pm on the American rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Dan Riley

La Deuxième Etoile - Jeff Meadows

La Troisième Etoile - Paul Savage

Paul Savage collected two assists in the loss to the Clippers.

Ironmen Meltdown Leads To Loss In Power Play Battle
March 28, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ Just when it looked as though the Ironmen had hit rock bottom the ground below them opened up. On Friday evening against the Blades the Ironmen blew a 3-1 lead in the last 4:28 of the third period, giving up three goals in a span of 3:21 on route to a 4-3 loss. On Tuesday night the Ironmen took on the Kennedy’s Clippers in a battle of two struggling teams. In this game the Ironmen managed to top their late game futility of one game ago, this time blowing a 3-2 lead in the final 32 seconds of the game. The Ironmen surrendered two straight goals at the 0:32 and 0:07 marks respectively. For the second straight game the Ironmen completely self-destructed. They again failed to steer home the victory and mop up the win in the very late stages of a game despite having the lead.

The Ironmen were very sluggish in the opening 20 minutes and played down to the level of the Clippers. Although the Ironmen did not get many quality scoring chances and were seldom a threat throughout the period, they did manage to capitalize on both of their best scoring chances. Rick Makarowski got his stick on a pass from Neil McEachern while driving hard to the net to give the Ironmen a 1-0 lead with 4:20 left on the clock. The Ironmen took a 2-0 lead 1:49 later when Jerry Franko scored his second goal of the season. Brent Kelly and Paul Savage collected the assists. Considering their play after 20 minutes, the Ironmen were fortunate to take a 2-0 lead into the second period. Both of the Ironmen goals were scored with the man advantage.

The tables were turned in the second period when the Clippers took advantage of their power play opportunities. The Clippers pulled within one goal at the 10:15 mark with Jim Defer off for a hooking infraction. The Ironmen found themselves down a man again in the late stages of the period. The Clippers made the Ironmen pay and scored the tying goal at the 2:00 mark.

The teams remained deadlocked before the Ironmen were given a golden opportunity to take back the lead with 6:41 left on the clock. That is when the Ironmen were awarded a power play after Brent Kelly was on the receiving end of a vicious two-handed slash to the side of his face. After wasting the first half of the man advantage the Ironmen finally showed a little hustle, which resulted in the go ahead goal. After some good pressure in the Clipper zone, Rick Makarowski got the puck to defensemen Paul Savage who fired a shot to the net where Brent Kelly was supplying the screen. Kelly managed to redirect the puck with his stick to give the Ironmen a 3-2 lead with 4:14 left on the clock. The Clippers were given a chance to get back into this game with some serious power play time of their own. Just 1:33 after the Ironmen scored the go ahead goal Rick Makarowski caught a Clipper player with a high crosscheck that resulted in a five minute major. The Ironmen penalty killers were managing to hold off the Clipper attack, but with 1:15 left in the game Craig Ahlstrom was called for high-sticking. That put the Ironmen down by two men. The Ironmen penalty killers could not hold off the two-man advantage and they surrendered the tying goal with just 32 seconds left on the clock. The Ironmen remained shorthanded for the balance of the game and with just seven seconds remaining in the game they relinquished the game-winning goal.

Perhaps the Makarowski infraction was in fact worthy of a five-minute major, however it was no worse then the stick that Kelly took to his face that only produced a double minor. One could argue that the Ironmen had a horrible effort in this game and they did, however they were no more horrible or chippy then the Clippers and one has to ask why were both the Makarowski infraction and the hit against Kelly not given the same penalty. If one of these penalties did in fact deserve a five-minute major it was definitely the two-handed slash Kelly took to his face. If that penalty were a five-minute major as opposed to a double minor the Ironmen would have remained on the power play after scoring their third goal.

Although the Ironmen had a horrendous effort in this game and they did get into penalty trouble, accompanied by the needless yapping from the bench, this has been the exception as opposed to the rule over many of the last few games for the Ironmen. Before this forgettable game the Ironmen had done an excellent job of staying out of the penalty box and any chatter that has come from the Ironmen bench (whether it has been directed at one another or the officials) has been mostly positive. Let’s hope that this game was just a bleep on the screen and that the Ironmen get back to playing hockey. The Ironmen need to continue to build on the positive work habits they have improved on since the season began. They must play a complete game from the opening face-off until the final buzzer as a team and work together over their final four regular season games in order to prepare for a successful playoff run.

The Ironmen take on the high-flying Guzzlers on Friday, March 31st at 7:00 pm on the International rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles - Courtesy of S. Meadows

La Première Etoile - Brent Kelly

La Deuxième Etoile - Paul Savage

La Troisième Etoile - Henry Fowlds

Neil McEachern returned to the line-up and scored a goal despite seeing limited action.

Late Collapse Costs Ironmen
March 24, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen faced the Blades on Friday night searching for their first win in over a month. The Ironmen last tasted victory back on February 18th. The Ironmen have played some very good hockey over that time, but a combination of bad bounces and lack of offense have been the primary reason the Men Of Metal can’t crack the win column.

The Ironmen had an excellent start to this game and they came out with guns firing. The Ironmen had some great scoring chances throughout the period and they hit the score sheet first, netting the first goal of the game at the 8:14 mark. After an excellent Steve Meadows scoring opportunity, Jerry Franko picked up the loose puck behind the Blades net and (in Gretzky like fashion) dished a pretty pass to Brent Kelly who was waiting in the slot. Kelly wasted no time wiring shot past the goaltender giving the Ironmen a 1-0 lead.

The Ironmen did not make many mistakes in the first part of this game, however they did make one at the 17:51 mark of the second period that allowed the Blades to tie up the game. The Ironmen responded at the 10:21 mark when after a face-off deep in the Blades zone, the puck got back to Neil McEachern who threw a harmless shot through traffic that made it’s way to the back of the net. Steve Meadows picked up the lone assist. McEachern who is still nursing a bad hamstring injury did not take a shift in the first period and in his second shift of the game he gave the Ironmen a 2-1 lead. The Ironmen built on their lead late in the period when Robert Burrows fired a blast from the point for his second goal of the season. Rob Scott collected the only assist on the goal. The Ironmen took a 3-1 lead into the final period.

The Ironmen began to sit back in the third period and failed to take advantage of the Blades short bench. Instead of playing a smart game by getting pucks deep into the opposition zone and wearing down the Blades, the Ironmen played the majority of the third period as a group of individuals. Gone was the team that was making good passes, offering each other puck support and winning battles, replaced with a group of individuals trying to do it by themselves and playing cute hockey. The Ironmen got way with it for the majority of the period until the 4:28 mark when the bubble finally burst. The Blades pulled within one goal when the Ironmen centre failed to cover the slot leading to a goal that gave the Blades life. Less then a minute later the Ironmen surrendered the tying goal. The Ironmen continued to fold like a cheap suit giving up the game-winning goal with just 1:07 left in the game. The Ironmen gave up three goals in three minutes and 21 seconds.

Hopefully the Ironmen will still have the sour taste of this game when they return to action on Tuesday, March 28th versus the Kennedy’s Clippers at 8:15 pm on the Legends rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles - Courtesy of R. Makarowski

La Première Etoile - Jerry Franko

La Deuxième Etoile - Brent Kelly

La Troisième Etoile - Robert Burrows

Dan Riley played a solid two-way game in the loss to the Whitehawks.

Ironmen Offense Grounded By Whitehawks
March 18, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen were in action on Saturday night looking to bump a mini slump and topple the Whitehawks for the first time this season. The Men Of Metal have played some very good hockey over their last two outings, this despite having one third of the team missing from the line-up. Both of the previous games between the two teams were close games. On November 27th the Whitehawks edged the Ironmen 4-2 and on February 26th the game concluded in a 4-4 deadlock.

The Ironmen assembled a solid effort through the opening 20 minutes, out shooting the Whitehawks 10-7. The Ironmen were awarded the only power play during the first period, but they were unable to put one past the Hawks netminder.

The Ironmen must have ran out of gas after a solid first period, as the team struggled through most of the middle frame. The Whitehawks scored the only goal of the period after a face-off loss outside the Ironmen zone with 3:48 left on the clock. That led to a shot from the just inside the blue line that somehow managed to get to the back of the Ironmen net. The Ironmen doubled the Whitehawks 10-5 in shots on goal during the second period.

The Ironmen continued to get some quality shots on the Whitehawks net, but the Hawks goaltender did an excellent job of shutting down the Ironmen. He stopped the first shots and offered very little in the way of rebounds for the Ironmen. The Hawks made it a 2-0 game at the 11:28 mark when they sent a pass to an open man in the high slot who was untouched and allowed to tap in the easy one-timer. The Whitehawks poured some salt in the wound when ex-Ironmen Steve Van Os somehow managed to squeak the puck between David Toyoda’s pad and the goal post to make it 3-0 with 1:23 left in the game. Both teams recorded six shots on goal in the final period.

In recent games the Ironmen have done a very good job playing as a team and they have tightened up their defensive game significantly. Unfortunately their offensive game has dried up, having only been able to register three goals in their last four games. In two of those games they were shutout. The Ironmen have allowed just seven goals over their last three games, a defensive statistic that more often then not would allow any team an excellent chance to win their games.

The Ironmen did get their chances offensively and showed signs of coming out of their goal scoring slumber. However against the Whitehawks they ran into solid goaltending that proved to be the difference in this game. Dan Riley and Robert Burrows both played a solid defensive game and made good line changes. Rick Makarowski and Brent Kelly both got some quality shots off and were passing the puck well. Steve Meadows and Craig Ahlstrom showed signs of returning to the solid tandem they had developed into after a few tough games as a tandem.

The Ironmen begin a busy homestretch drive as they play their final six games over the next 16 days. Next up for the Ironmen are the Blades on Friday, March 24th at 8:15 pm on the Canadian rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Dan Riley

La Deuxième Etoile - Rick Makarowski

La Troisième Etoile - Robert Burrows

Robert Burrows' first goal of the season got the offensive ball rolling for the Ironmen.

Ironmen Rally Back To Earn Single Point
March 11, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen faced the Selects on Saturday afternoon for the second game of the year between the two teams. The Selects topped the Ironmen by a score of 8-6 on February 1st. The Ironmen have been inconsistent over their last few games, but did manage to put together a very respectable game in their last outing. The Men Of Metal have shown kinks in their armor as they have besieged by injuries recently and have not won since February 18th.

The Ironmen were given the first power play of the game 5:05 in, as the Selects were called for holding. The Ironmen did generate some chances during the power play but were unable to score. Later in the period the Selects were given a gift of a power play when Brent Kelly was called for a phantom high-stick. Kelly may have accidentally made contact with his adversary, however that was after he took an elbow to the jaw and was sent crashing to the ice, all courtesy of a suicide pass in the neutral zone. The Ironmen penalty killers went to work and did a great job killing off the penalty. Moments afterward the Ironmen had a great scoring chance when Jeff Meadows made a pretty pass to send Kelly in on a breakaway. Kelly did manage to get the shot off but was unable to score; he did however draw a penalty. Rick Makarowski did a good job of trying to sell the idea of a penalty shot, however the officials were not buying. The Ironmen power play was shutdown again going 0-2 in the opening frame. The Ironmen surrendered the first goal of the game in the late stages of the period, with just 0:37 seconds left on the clock. The Ironmen held the edge in shots on goal out shooting the Selects by a 10-8 margin.

The Ironmen worked hard throughout the game and were the better team at this point. However the Selects managed to build up a 2-0 lead, scoring their second goal of the game 5:29 into the second period. The Ironmen were undaunted and continued to play their game, 5:15 later their hard work was rewarded. Defensemen Trevor Williams carried the puck deep into the Selects zone beating several players and winning battles, before the puck got back to the point where Robert Burrows (who was covering up for Williams) unleashed a blast for his first goal of the season. Henry Fowlds also assisted on the goal. Trevor Williams was instrumental on the game-tying goal just 1:13 later. Williams picked up the puck from Brent Kelly in the neutral zone and with Kelly setting a basketball like pick, Williams easily gained the blue line throwing a harmless shot at the Selects net. The puck banked off the goaltender’s skate and through his legs making it a 2-2 game. There were no penalties called in the middle frame and both teams managed 11 shots on goal during the second period.

After a penalty free second period there were three penalties called in the third period. The Ironmen were given an early power play 1:25 into the final frame when Rick Makarowski was cross-checked hard to the ice. Is it just me or does Rocket Rick seem like he has a target on his back some games? Well one thing is for sure and that is that he definitely causes his opponents to take a lot of penalties. To his credit he never retaliates in those situations. The Ironmen could not convert on their third man advantage of the game. Soon after the Ironmen penalties killers were dispatched to kill off back-to-back penalties within a six-minute span. Being shorthanded for that length of time significantly cut into the Ironmen being able to generate offense in an effort to get the go ahead goal. During the final period the Ironmen out shot the Selects 9-8.

The Ironmen hope having a week off will see some of their injured bodies return to the line-up for their next game. The Ironmen are back in action on Saturday, March 18th versus the Whitehawks at 10:00 pm on the Legends rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Trevor Williams

La Deuxième Etoile - Todd Fraser

La Troisième Etoile - Jeff Meadows

Brent Kelly scored the lone Ironmen goal ending five periods of scoreless hockey for his team.

200-Foot Wrist Shot Beats Ironmen
March 7, 2006

By Steve Meadows & Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen looked to bounce back on Tuesday evening, after a tough outing on Saturday night. The schedule maker must have known the Ironmen might need to get back on track and no better way for the ironclad crew to do so than a game against the Surrey Devils. The Ironmen had not lost in their three previous meetings with the Devils.

The Devils were rewarded with the first power play of the game early in the period. They cashed in on the man advantage 5:52 into the game to jump out to an early 1-0 lead. The Ironmen played the first 20 minutes running around with no real sense of purpose, but did manage to out shoot the Devils 10-5.

The Ironmen polished their game up in the second period; they started to set-up the break-out and dump pucks deep. Their forecheck although inconsistent, was much better in the middle frame and the Ironmen did get some good chances that they were not able to convert on. I suppose Ironmen goaltender Peter Aragon could be faulted for being so out of position on the Devils second goal. He was at the bench watching helplessly as the eventual winning goal sailed into his net from the other end of the ice. In one of those ‘it seemed like a good idea at the time moments’ the Ironmen hedged their bets with less than six seconds left in the middle frame. The Devils were up 1-0 and shorthanded with the face off deep in their own zone, Aragon was summoned from the net in favour of an extra attacker. What followed was pure Murphy's Law as far as the Ironmen were concerned. The face-off was lost cleanly and a Devils’ defender was given a free path to calmly wrist the puck the length of the ice into the unguarded goal. Overall the Ironmen were the more dominate team in the second period of hockey, however they were unable to score. The Ironmen out shot the Devils 9-5 in the second period.

The Ironmen shook off the empty net goal and re-grouped for the third period. They continued to get some chances but were unable to finish. The Ironmen did finally get the goal they had been so desperate for with 7:54 remaining in the game. Neil McEachern made a great pass to send in Brent Kelly alone on the Devils’ goaltender; Kelly made a nice move faking out the goalie before depositing a backhander for his 5th goal of the season. Rick Makarowski also assisted on the goal. The Ironmen were given a great chance to get back into this game 2:01 after the Kelly goal, when the Devils were assessed a double minor. Although the Ironmen had a power play for the next four minutes the Devils’ infraction did come at a price for the Ironmen. Neil McEachern was injured on the play. McEachern did attempt to make a go of it, however after one shift he was unable to continue. The Ironmen power play was ineffective and was never really a threat for the Devils. The Ironmen once again out shot the Devils 10-8 in the final period.

It should be noted that the empty net goal was not the reason the Ironmen lost the game on Tuesday night. Allowing only one true goal against should give a team an excellent chance to win any game. For some reason the Ironmen offensive cannon is firing blanks of late. Including their previous 7-0 debacle the Ironmen had gone five periods without scoring a goal before Brent Kelly's goal in the third period in this game. The Ironmen did have some quality scoring chances including Neil McEachern being foiled on a breakaway, Rick Makarowski ringing one off the post and the snake bitten Rob Scott was robbed on the Devils’ doorstep. Both of the Ironmen lines generated some good pressure down low throughout the game, but as is often the case the Ironmen were guilty at times of not taking the shot when they had it. They were also unfortunate not to take advantage of several rebounds when they did get shots to the net.

This game was costly for the Ironmen in terms of injuries; Brent Kelly was hit in the cheekbone with a puck in the first period and blocked a shot that hit him in the back in the late stages of the game. Rick Makarowski took a high-stick to the bridge of his nose and was nicked. Neil McEachern left the game with a hamstring injury. Kelly and Makarowski are expected to play on Saturday while it is possible that McEachern could be out as long as two weeks. The injury bug has really bitten the Ironmen who already have Edward Kouwenhoven out with a knee injury and Craig Granter with a bad back.

The Ironmen return to the ice later in the week when they face the Selects for an afternoon game on Saturday, March 11th at 2:45 pm on the Canadian rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Brent Kelly

La Deuxième Etoile - Peter Aragon

La Troisième Etoile - Neil McEachern

Jerry Franko had his best overall game of the year.

Ironmen Suffer Fatal Sting
March 4, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ Over their last ten games the Ironmen have compiled a very respectable record of five wins, two losses and three ties. The Ironmen put that record on the line on Saturday evening facing the first place Stingers to open the March portion of the schedule.

The Stingers came out hard looking like a team that wanted to win and thanks to an Ironmen turnover 4:01 into the game, they were on the scoreboard. The Stingers wasted little time building on their lead scoring their second goal of the game just 14 seconds later. Just over five minutes into the game the Ironmen were out shooting the Stingers by a 5-3 margin, however they trailed by a score of 2-0. The Ironmen temporally plugged the leaks and closed out the period with no further damage being done.

The dam burst wide open in the second period; the Stingers scored four more goals at the 16:07, 14:16, 11:35 (a power play goal) and 5:22 marks respectively. Ironically this was a period in which the Ironmen out shot the Stingers by an 11-9 margin.

The Stingers collected the only goal of the final period netting goal number seven with 7:01 left on the clock.

Although the Ironmen were hammered on the score sheet and were clearly not the best team on this night, this game was closer then the 7-0 score would indicate. Goaltender Don Lobo by his own admission had a very poor outing and probably should have stopped at least three of the seven shots that beat him. However, Lobo cannot be expected to supply the offence and the Ironmen failed to get their struggling goalie any goals.

There were a few Ironmen players that did some positive things despite the lopsided score. Jerry Franko had his best overall game of the year; he did a good job of properly playing his position when defending in his own zone. Franko’s positional play killing penalties was excellent and his line changes were much improved over his previous games. Rob Scott was another player that stood out; Scott had jump in his game and played a good game without the puck. Scott had an excellent scoring chance in the third period and beat the Stringers goaltender, however he was not able to beat the goal post. Paul Savage continues to play a very responsible game. Savage and his line mates continue to keep pucks deep in the opposition zone and when their opponents do manage to gain their own blue line they are often clogged up in the neutral zone. I was also impressed with the way Jeff Meadows worked along the half boards with the Ironmen forwards when they were cycling the puck in the offensive zone.

The Ironmen do not have to wait long to erase this game. The men of metal are back in action on Tuesday, March 7th against the Surrey Devils at 8:15 pm on the American rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Jerry Franko

La Deuxième Etoile - Rob Scott

La Troisième Etoile - Paul Savage

Ed Kouwenhoven scored two goals early in the game before a knee injury ended his night.

Whitehawks Snatch Point From Ironmen
February 26, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen returned to action on Sunday evening to face off against the fifth place Whitehawks. The only other meeting between the two teams occurred on November 27th when the Whitehawks dropped the Ironmen by a score of 4-2.

The Ironmen took the early lead 5:33 into the game when Edward Kouwenhoven collected his first goal of the season. Paul Savage picked up the only assist. The Ironmen went up 2-0 three minutes and 50 seconds later when Todd Fraser’s blast from the point produced a rebound that Edward Kouwenhoven quickly pounced on for his second goal of the night. The Ironmen took a commanding 3-0 lead at the 4:14 mark when Craig Granter scored his team 13th goal of the season. Dan Riley and Jerry Franko collected the assists. The Whitehawks hit the score sheet exactly one minute later serving notice that they were not going to just roll over in this game. The first period concluded with the Ironmen leading 3-1 and out shooting the Whitehawks 7-5.

The play was fairly even throughout the middle frame with no scoring until the 6:31 mark when Jeff Meadows made it a 4-1 game in favour of the Ironmen. Rick Makarowski and Dan Riley assisted on the goal. The Ironmen then got into penalty trouble that allowed the Whitehawks the opportunity to get back in the game. Brent Kelly was called for interference at the 4:37 mark, then 37 seconds later Jim Defer was nailed for tripping to put the Ironmen down two men. It only took the Whitehawks 19 seconds to capitalize on the two-man advantage making it a 4-2 game. The Whitehawks held the edge the in shots on goal in the second period out shooting the Ironmen 7-6.

The Whitehawks made it a 4-3 game 2:19 into the final period. The Ironmen were then forced to kill off a Steve Meadows slashing penalty 41 seconds later. The Ironmen seemed to just be going through the motions at this point playing down to the level of a weaker opponent. The Ironmen were playing as a bunch of individuals and seemed to completely abandon the team game that they have had much of their success with this season. The Ironmen could have buried the Whitehawks, but instead let them of the hook and allowed them back into the game. The Whitehawks scored the tying goal with 4:37 left on the clock. The Whitehawks out shot the Ironmen 9-3 in the third period.

Although this game was not a loss it sure felt like one for the Ironmen. It’s one thing to claw your way back fighting and battling to earn a single point, but when you give away what should have been a win. It really sucks!

Edward Kouwenhoven was having a very good game until a knee injury in the second period prematurely ended his night. Kouwenhoven is currently listed as day to day and is questionable for the next game.

As mentioned the Ironmen did not play anything that resembled a team game against the Whitehawks. I don’t think I saw the Ironmen properly set-up the breakout once all night. In addition, the Ironmen failed to advance the puck to the open man when the opportunity presented itself. Ironmen players were often spotted struggling to stay on side while the puck carrier was playing razzle-dazzle. The puck carrier must hit these players with the pass earlier or at the very least dump the puck in.

The Ironmen face a tough challenge in their next outing against the division leading Stingers on Saturday, March 4th. Game time is at 8:45 pm on the Canadian rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Edward Kouwenhoven

La Deuxième Etoile - David Toyoda

La Troisième Etoile - Dan Riley

Todd Fraser had a four point night and his point shots were key.

Ironmen Pound Clippers
February 18, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen played host to the Kennedy’s Clippers on Saturday evening for the third meeting of the season between the two teams. If the previous two games were an indication of what the final score was going to be, this game was destined to conclude in another 3-3 tie.

The Ironmen opened the scoring 3:54 into the game. Jerry Franko took a pass in front of the Clipper’s net and made a nice move throwing a backhanded shot past the Clipper goaltender. The goal was Franko’s first goal in an Ironmen uniform in more then six years. Dan Riley and Jeff Meadows recorded the assists. Jeff Meadows collected his 100th career point with the Ironmen with his assist. The Ironmen took a 2-0 lead with 2:41 left in the opening period when Brent Kelly tipped a Todd Fraser blast from the point. Rick Makarowski also assisted on the goal. The Ironmen led 2-0 and out shot the Clippers 8-5 after the opening period.

The Ironmen did not get the start they wanted in the second period. The officials blew the play dead snuffing out an Ironmen three on one opportunity at the Clipper blue line. The Ironmen were assessed a penalty for too many men on the ice. This was a blown call by the officials, however overall they officiated a very good game. The Ironmen penalty killers fell short of extinguishing the penalty, when the Clippers converted on the power play with just nine seconds left with the man advantage. The Clippers got into penalty trouble late in the period courtesy of their version of the Hanson Brothers. These penalties proved to be a huge turning point in the game. The first of the brother’s grim Al Fauteux #21 was called for body-checking with 34 seconds left in the period. Then twenty seconds later brother Dave Fauteux #13 was given a body-checking penalty of his own. However he was looking to one up his brother and proceeded to have his first meltdown of the evening. He was given an additional two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct. The second period came to a close with the Ironmen leading 2-1. The Clippers out shot the Ironmen 7-5 during the middle frame.

The Ironmen were in good shape going into the final period with a two-man advantage. The Ironmen power play went to work and converted 1:01 into the period. Todd Fraser again unleashed a cannon point shot that was redirected by Rick Makarowski to give the Ironmen a 3-1 lead. The Ironmen started to get greedy and that came back to bite them when they failed to make a smart line change. That lapse in judgment resulted in an odd man rush leading to a Clipper shorthanded goal with 12:30 left on the clock. It looked as if the Clippers may have weathered their penalty storm when they pulled even at the 9:00 mark to make it a 3-3 game. One had to wonder if this was going to be history repeating itself yet again? It would not take very long for that question to be answered; just 12 seconds after tying the game the Clippers were penalized when Dave Fauteux again put his team down a man. The Ironmen power play was looking good in this game and they connected for the second time scoring 1:34 into the man advantage. Neil McEachern wired a shot off the shaft of the goaltender’s stick to give the Ironmen a 4-3 lead. Rick Makarowski and Brent Kelly assisted on the goal. The Ironmen took a two-goal lead when Todd Fraser took a wild swing at a bouncing puck that looked as if it could get by him on the blue line. Fortunately for Fraser and the Ironmen the shot made it to the back of the Clippers’ net. Perhaps Fraser figured his teammates had tipped enough of his point blasts for one night and that the ‘knuckle puck’ shot was a good way to guarantee him a goal? Jeff Meadows and Craig Granter picked up the assists on Fraser’s 8th goal of the season. The Clippers chippy play continued to escalate at this point and a pair of slashing penalties one second apart gave the Ironmen another two-man advantage. The second slashing penalty with 4:13 left on the clock spelled the end of the night for Dave Fauteux who had picked up his fourth minor of the evening. The Ironmen converted on the power play for the third time 36 seconds later when Paul Savage had an easy tip in thanks to a great pass through the slot from Edward Kouwenhoven. Just seven seconds later the third member of the Fauteux trio decided that he did not want to be left off the game sheet. Ken Fauteux #12 was called for slashing and like many Kennedy fans he was claiming that it was all a conspiracy theory. His outbursts were rewarded with a game ejection of his own. The Ironmen did an excellent job at not buying into the nonsense and stayed focused on the task at hand. The Ironmen power play went back to work; Dan Riley buried a Jerry Franko feed with 3:11 left on the clock to make it a 7-3 game. The Ironmen still had the man advantage when Craig Granter scored the fifth Ironmen power play goal of the game 31 seconds later. Todd Fraser collected the assist. The Ironmen closed the scoring 46 seconds later when Brent Kelly kicked the puck to Neil McEachern who spotted Rick Makarowski. Makarowski wasted no time putting the puck top shelf for his second goal of the game and his team leading 17th goal of the season to make it a 9-3 game. The Ironmen out shot the Clippers 11-5 during the final period.

Although the score did not reflect it, this was a very close game until the Clippers started to take bad penalties and then began to come unglued. I am sure that many of the veterans on the Ironmen squad must have thought that the Clippers behavior in this game resembled that of the Ironmen from years gone by.

There were many standout performances in this game for the Ironmen. The Ironmen defense was excellent in getting their point shots through to the net, while the forwards created traffic in front and did a good job of tipping shots and screening the Clippers’ goaltender.

The Ironmen are back in action on Sunday, February 26th at 7:30 pm versus the Whitehawks on the Canadian rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Todd Fraser

La Deuxième Etoile - Rick Makarowski

La Troisième Etoile - Neil McEachern

Craig Granter led the way for the Ironmen scoring four goals including the game winner.

Granter Slices Apart Blades
February 12, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ It was fitting that the Ironmen returned to action with the Olympic Winter Games well underway. The Ironmen had their very own version of an Olympic break having sat idle for the last ten days; the Ironmen last saw action on February 1st losing to the Selects.

The Ironmen looked to turn things around on Sunday afternoon against a Blades squad that appeared to be ripe for the picking. However, that was before the Blades upset the first place Stingers on Monday night. The Blades have just that win in their last six games going into this match-up. The Ironmen have struggled lately, with a record of 0-2-1 in their last three outings. Prior to that the Ironmen were unbeaten for a month, from December 12th thru January 13th compiling an impressive 3-0-2 record in five contests.

The Blades opened the scoring at the 12:37 mark taking advantage of some sloppy play in the Ironmen zone. Defensemen Craig Ahlstrom attempted on two separate occasions to set-up the breakout behind his own net. However, Ahlstrom did not get the support that he needed and the puck ended up in the back of the Ironmen net. The Ironmen evened the score 2:24 later when Craig Granter buried his first goal of the game with Jerry Franko picking up the lone assist. Franko, who had spent the last five plus years in the hockey forlorn, collected his first Ironmen point almost six years. Franko’s last Ironmen point was an assist he recorded on February 13, 2000. Wow that is some drought! The first period concluded with the teams in a 1-1 deadlock.

The second period remained scoreless until the last 6:13 of the period when the teams opened things up. The Ironmen took their first lead of the game at the 6:13 mark when Craig Granter scored a shorthanded goal. Robert Burrows collected the assist on the second Granter goal of the game. The Blades finally got their power play going and scored the tying goal with 4:57 left on the clock. Just over two minutes later the Ironmen took back the lead, Craig Granter collected the hat trick goal at the 2:54 mark with his patented wrap around. The Ironmen padded their lead scoring their fourth goal of the game with just 23 seconds left on the clock. On a set play, Neil McEachern won a face-off deep in the Blades zone back to Rick Makarowski. Makarowski fired a blast though traffic and past the Blades goaltender to give the Ironmen a 4-2 lead going into the final period.

The Ironmen may have thought having a two-goal lead would allow them to just phone in the third period. At least that is how things looked, as the Blades pulled back within one goal just 33 seconds into the final frame. Things went from bad to worse for the men of metal 22 seconds later, when Jerry Franko accidentally clipped a Blade player with a high-stick. That resulted in a five-minute major and a game ejection. I wonder if it will be another six years before we see Mr. Franko again? The Ironmen penalty killers put up a good fight attempting to kill off the five minute major, however they were victimized at the 12:38 mark surrendering the tying goal. Undaunted by this, the stage was set for an Ironmen hero to emerge. Who better to do so in this game then Craig Granter? Granter was having his best offensive outing of the year and at the 10:44 mark he converted a Rick Makarowski offering for his fourth goal of the game and what stood up to be the game-winning goal for the Ironmen.

Craig Granter put on a goal-scoring clinic against the Blades. He continued to build on the strong outing he had in his previous game. Granter scored four of the five Ironmen goals and did so without sacrificing responsible defensive play. Granter made good line changes and his solid positional play led to many of his offensive opportunities in this game.

Two of the three Ironmen forward lines did an excellent job of keeping the puck deep in the opposition zone. The one line that seemed to have trouble with this was the ‘King Pin’ line of Kelly-McEachern-Makarowski.

Peter Aragon was again rock solid in goal for the Ironmen. His best save of the game may have been off of his own player with the game still on the line. Aragon finally picked up that elusive victory that he was very deserving of, he has not lost in his last four games in the Ironmen nets.

Next up for the Ironmen is the Kennedy’s Clippers on Saturday, February 18th at 5:00 pm on the International rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Craig Granter

La Deuxième Etoile - Peter Aragon

La Troisième Etoile - Edward Kouwenhoven

Craig Granter had by far his best overall effort of the season.

Ironmen Put In A Selective Effort
February 1, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen didn’t have much time for the rust to settle in, as the men of metal faced the Selects on Wednesday night for the first time this season. The Ironmen were fresh off a 2-2 tie on Sunday evening against the Surrey Devils. The Selects also played on Sunday beating the Whitehawks 3-0.

The Ironmen did not get the start they wanted surrendering the first goal of the game just 1:47 into the contest. Less then two minutes later the Ironmen found themselves trailing 2-0. The Ironmen hit the score sheet at the 13:31 mark when Jim Defer potted his 11th goal of the season. Neil McEachern and Edward Kouwenhoven collected the assists. The Selects countered quickly restoring their two-goal lead just 16 seconds later. The Selects got themselves into some penalty trouble late in the period and the Ironmen capitalized scoring two power play goals to close the opening period. Todd Fraser who took a fed from Rick Makarowski and fired a shot from just inside the blue line (that somehow squeezed by the goaltender) scored the first Ironmen power play marker. The tying goal came courtesy of some hard work in front of the Selects net, Henry Fowlds scored his 4th goal of the season with Jim Defer and Dan Riley assisting with just seven seconds left on the clock.

The Ironmen took their newfound momentum and ran with it, taking the lead for the first time in the game just one minute into the second period. Brent Kelly picked off a clearing attempt just outside the Selects zone while Rick Makarowski was still trapped at the time. Makarowski made a great second effort to leave the zone just as Kelly entered. Kelly then dropped a pass to Neil McEachern who took a shot that just trickled through the Select goalie to give the Ironmen a 4-3 lead. The Ironmen added to their lead thanks to a Todd Fraser solo effort 3:35 later. The Selects were not about to let this game slip away as they pulled back within a goal at the 12:36 mark. The Ironmen responded to that netting their sixth goal of the game less then a minute later. Craig Granter showed that he still a dangerous shooter when he buried a Paul Savage offering for his 7th goal of the season. Robert Burrows collected the second assist. The Ironmen took a 6-4 lead into the final period, but the cliché that a two-goal led is the most dangerous lead to have in a hockey game would be proven to be accurate on this night.

The Selects scored less then five minutes into the final period to make it a one-goal game but they wouldn’t stop there. Less then two minutes later they scored the tying goal. If things were not bad enough for the Ironmen, they were about to get worse 51 seconds later. Jim Defer took an undisciplined five-minute major for high-sticking, which all but wiped out any hopes of an Ironmen comeback. Defer and his counterpart were both escorted from the game with Defer picking up the major while the Selects’ player was given a two-minute minor for roughing. Although the Ironmen were not shorthanded for the first two-minutes of the Defer major they surrendered the go-head goal 23 seconds later. The final blow came just 31 seconds after that as the Selects scored their 8th and final goal of the game.

There are far two many things that could be criticized about the way the Ironmen played this game. However it has all been said over and over, therefore what should be understood need not be discussed. I will describe this poor effort with just one word…individualism!

On a positive note, I wish to point out Craig Granter’s performance as one of the few bright spots for the Ironmen in this game. Granter showed that he does indeed know how to play at both ends of the ice and had by far his best overall effort of the season. His hard work back checking took away a sure goal for the Selects.

The Ironmen will have plenty of time to try and digest this game, as they will have ten days before they return to action. The Ironmen will face-off against the Blades on Sunday, February 12th at 3:45 pm on the International rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Craig Granter

La Deuxième Etoile - Henry Fowlds

La Troisième Etoile - Dan Riley

Peter Aragon recorded his third straight tie on Sunday evening.

Ironmen Keep Aragon Tied-Up
January 29, 2006

By Rick Makarowski
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ On Sunday night, the Ironmen looked to build on their solid play in 2006 facing off against the Surrey Devils. The Devils may have been concerned facing an Ironmen team who have lost only once in their last six games.

The Ironmen jumped out of the gate, controlling the early part of the game with some low-down fore-checking. The Devils were fortunate to evade the first goal against, when the Ironmen failed to convert on some loose rebounds. The first penalty called, seem to indicate the teams might be in for a difficult evening. Rick Makarowski was called for yet another phantom call this season, when a Devil player fell and clipped Makarowski with a high-stick. Moments later, a Devil's player was called for what he thought was a questionable call. The zero deadlock was finally broken by the Devils midway through the first period, capitalizing on a poor Ironmen line change. As well as the Ironmen have been playing of late, this is the one area the Ironmen need to address, should they expect to continue their success. The opening period ended with the Ironmen narrowly out shooting the Devils 10-9.

The Ironmen leveled the game early in the second with some tenacious work ethic by the Defer-Fowlds-Kouwenhoven line. Defer pitchforked a loose puck for his 10th goal of the season. Henry & Ed (Isn't that the name of a pizza joint?) were credited with the assists. The Ironmen took the lead late in the period, with some more deep fore-checking. Makarowski peeled from the corner, putting a harmless shot on goal, leading to Neil McEachern licking his chops with this juicy rebound. In Jarkko Ruutu-ian style, McEachern netted his 3rd goal of the season. Makarowski and Brent Kelly picked up the assists. With another balanced period, the teams both generated 11 shots on goal; however, the Devil's shots were better quality with Ironmen netminder, Peter Aragon, shutting the door with quick-reflex saves.

The Ironmen did not hold the lead for very long, being burned in the first minute of the third period - Perhaps there was miscommunication on strategy during the second period intermission. The rest of the game was fairly uneventful until the late stages, where Peter Aragon was once again called upon to save the Ironmen, stoning the Devil player with a huge glove save. When are the Ironmen going to win one for Peter, who has registered ties in his last three starts? The game finished with both teams registering 33 shots on goal.

The Ironmen let one slip away here. The Devils were shaky in their own zone (like most teams in this division) when forced, but the Ironmen fore check was far too infrequent. When the opportunity was there to dump the puck in, the Ironmen continued to force their way over the blue-line, often losing the puck, leading to opposition odd-man chances. On the bright side, the Ironmen stayed out of the penalty box, while adding some physical play. While fearing for his life, Craig Ahlstrom drove a Devil player into their player's box – Perhaps Ahlstrom should do that to some of the Ironmen, to initiate better line changes. In addition his defense partner, Steve Meadows drilled a Devil player from the Ironmen crease, in Ahlstrom-ian style.

The Ironmen look for a win in their next contest against the 'Russian' Selects, on Wednesday, February 1st at 10:00 pm on the Canadian rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Peter Aragon

La Deuxième Etoile - Neil McEachern

La Troisième Etoile - Steve Meadows

Rob Burrows had another strong outing and collected two assists in this game.

Loss Stings Ironmen
January 20, 2006

By Luc LaRouche
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen put their five game unbeaten streak on the line Friday night against the first place Stingers. The Stingers have compiled an impressive 6-1 record over their last seven games.

Before the game had even begun the Ironmen put themselves behind the eight ball. The Ironmen were assessed a penalty for entering the ice surface before the five minute mark of the warm-up. Although this is a ridicules rule that is seldom called, it is nevertheless a rule and credit must be given to the Stingers who capitalized on it.

The Ironmen sucked it up and started the game shorthanded. Things soon got worse for the ironclad crew less then two minutes later, when they were called for having too many men on the ice. The Stingers cashed in on their two-man advantage just as Edward Kouwenhoven left the penalty box at the 16:57 mark. Kouwenhoven who was serving the bench minor had just stepped back on the ice, but the goal was scored before he could come to the aid of his teammates. Seeing as the power play goal was scored with just one Ironmen player still left in the penalty box, the Stinger man advantage was over. The Stingers took a 2-0 lead midway through the period. The Ironmen got on the scoreboard with just 16 seconds left in the opening period when Dan Riley potted his 5th goal of the season.

The first nineteen minutes of the second period was all Stingers, as they scored three consecutive goals at the 16:56, 6:35 and 1:06 marks respectively to build up a commanding 5-1 lead. The Ironmen refused to pack it in and closed the period when Brent Kelly scored with just 36 seconds left in the period giving his team some life. Robert Burrows and Jeff Meadows made some nice passes that lead to the Kelly goal.

The Ironmen took the momentum of their late second period goal into the final period, scoring their third goal of the game just 49 seconds into period three. Craig Granter’s 6th goal of the season put the Ironmen back in the game. Steve Meadows and Dan Riley picked up the assists. The Ironmen made it a one-goal game less then five minutes later courtesy of a Jeff Meadows shot that was set-up by Robert Burrows. The Ironmen looked as though they had the Stingers on the ropes, but the Stingers wisely called a time-out to stop the bleeding. It seemed to help as the time-out allowed them to re-group and regain control of the game. The Ironmen put up a good fight, however were unable to recover from a disastrous second period.

This game was a bit of a set back for the Ironmen after some very positive results in their recent outings. The Ironmen will look to get back on track when they face the Surrey Devils on Sunday, January 29th at 8:00 pm on the Legends rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Robert Burrows

La Deuxième Etoile - Brent Kelly

La Troisième Etoile - Dan Riley

David Toyoda picked up his third straight win in the 4-2 victory over the Guzzlers.

Guzzlers Muzzled
January 13, 2006

By Luc LaRouche
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ You would think that with seven regulars out of the line-up for the Ironmen, improving on their modest little unbeaten streak would be a tall order. Even more so against a Guzzler team that had previously handed them a 10-5 spanking earlier in the season. Au contraire. The Men of Metal are now the proud owners of a five game unbeaten streak thanks to a hard-working 4-2 win Friday night over the Guzzlers.

As mentioned, with seven regulars missing the Ironmen were forced to shorten their bench and play a smart, disciplined game and for the most part they passed the test with flying colours. David Toyoda looked in mid-season form (wait a minute. It is mid-season) providing solid goaltending for the guys in front of him.

Steve Meadows opened the scoring at the 12:01 mark of the first period getting the Ironmen that all-important first goal of the game. Rick Makarowski carried the puck over the blue line and slid the puck back to a wide-open Meadows, who wristed an off speed pitch high into the net. Neil McEachern picked up the second assist. Less then two minutes later the Ironmen went ahead 2-0 on the first of Todd Fraser's two goals at the 10:37 mark. Fraser carried the puck to the Guzzler blue line and just threw the puck at the Guzzler net handcuffing the goaltender with a high shot. Fraser would go on to pick-up what I like to call a Todd Bertuzzi hat trick on this evening...scoring two goals for his own team and assisting on one for the opposition, more on that later. The Guzzlers got back in the game with their first goal on an outnumbered rush; some nifty moves courtesy of one of the few Guzzler players that was a legitimate scoring threat made it a 2-1 game with 5:27 remaining in the period. The Ironmen out shot the Guzzlers 15-10 in the opening period.

There was no scoring in the second period, but there was plenty of activity in terms of penalties being called. Especially against a frustrated Guzzler team that started taking liberties and cheap shots against the Ironmen. To their credit the Ironmen didn’t buy into the nonsense and stuck to their game plan of playing a hardworking team game. The Ironmen again out shot the Guzzlers 15-10 during the second period.

It took the Ironmen just 53 seconds to restore their two-goal lead, thanks to a Todd Fraser laser beam wrist shot from just inside the blue line that found the top of the net. Robert Burrows collected the only assist. The Guzzlers when not whining to the officials saved their best hockey for the third period. They were rewarded when Fraser made a weak backhanded flip pass during an Ironmen power play. This pass was promptly intercepted near the Guzzlers blue line leading to a clean Guzzler breakaway. David Toyoda, who had stuffed the Guzzlers on earlier pointblank opportunities (including a second period breakaway), had no chance on this one. The Ironmen managed to cling to their 3-2 lead with some solid defensive play and hard work in the late stages of the game. The Guzzlers called a timeout with a face-off in the Ironmen zone with just over a minute left on the clock. They decided to pull their goaltender at that point for the an extra attacker, but Rick Makarowski made a great play to strip the puck off a Guzzler player and put the insurance goal into the empty net. Both teams recorded 11 shots on goal in the final period.

It was very encouraging that the guys hung tough and continued a disciplined fore check while not giving up much in the way of scoring chances, except for a couple of scary moments in their own end. Hey, by now we all know that nothing comes easy to this team! However it is clear that when the Ironmen combine hard work and unselfish team play they continue to end up with a positive result.

The Ironmen take their five game unbeaten streak into their next game on Friday, January 20th against the Stingers at 8:15 pm on the Canadian rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Robert Burrows

La Deuxième Etoile - Rob Scott

La Troisième Etoile - Paul Savage

Peter Aragon had a excellent game in the Ironmen nets to earn his team the tie.

Ironmen And Clippers Tie On Another One
January 8, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen were back in action on Sunday evening taking on Kennedy’s Clippers. The Ironmen faced the Clippers in the first game of the pre-season back on September 8th where the teams skated to a 3-3 tie.

The Ironmen entered this game posting consecutive victories in their last two outings and are now unbeaten in their last three games.

The Ironmen looked flat in the early going falling behind in shots on goal and scoring opportunities. Goaltender Peter Aragon made some great saves to keep the Ironmen in the game. The Ironmen opened the scoring at the 13:59 mark when Jeff Meadows threw a harmless dump in shot at the Clippers net, which somehow eluded the goalie. Todd Fraser picked up the lone assist. The Ironmen had a chance to build on their lead when the Clippers were assessed the only penalty of the period at the 7:38 mark, but were unable to connect on the man advantage. The Clippers pulled even at the 4:28 mark as a result of a poor Ironmen line change. The period concluded with the teams deadlocked in a 1-1 tie. The Clippers out shot the Ironmen 11-4 in the opening fame.

The Clippers took their first lead of the game 2:28 into the second period. The Clippers again took advantage of a very poor Ironmen line change, which once again rendered the Ironmen shorthanded on the play. The Ironmen tied up the game seven minutes later when an unlikely tandem teamed up for the second Ironmen goal. Robert Burrows won a face-off deep in the Clippers zone to Paul Savage who one-timed a shot past the Clippers goalie. Neil McEachern was overheard asking Savage if he wanted the puck, no word if the puck made it to Savage’s mantel. The Ironmen regained their lead at the 3:47 mark; Steve Meadows unleashed a point shot with Brent Kelly and Rick Makarowski in front of the Clipper net. Kelly supplied the screen and Makarowski jumped on the rebound for his 13th goal of the season. The Clippers held a 7-6 edge in shots on goal in the second period, but it was the Ironmen who took a 3-2 lead into the final period.

There was no real drama in the early stages of the third period, the teams exchanged some scoring chances and some bumps and the officials just let the teams play until the 10:11 mark of the period. It was at that point that Steve Meadows accidentally caught a Clipper player with a high stick. That led to a scrum around the Ironmen net. When the dust had settled Meadows was given a five minute major an automatic game ejection. Craig Ahlstrom and his dance partner were also sat down for two minutes for roughing infractions. The Ironmen penalty killers did an excellent job killing off the five minute major, however with just nine seconds left in the penalty the Clippers scored to make it a 3-3 game. The Ironmen seemed content with the tie and if it were not for the goaltending heroics of Peter Aragon in the Ironmen nets, the Ironmen may not have escaped with the single point. The Clippers out shot the Ironmen in the third period 8-6.

The Ironmen are back in action on Friday, January 13th when they put their four game unbeaten streak on the line against a highflying Guzzlers squad at 10:00 pm on the American rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Peter Aragon

La Deuxième Etoile - Jim Defer

La Troisième Etoile - Robert Burrows

Craig Ahlstrom was shooting the puck well and collected two assists.

Ironmen Slice Blades To Win First Game Of New Year
January 4, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen returned to action on Wednesday evening against the Blades after a long 17-day lay off due to the Christmas break. Both teams had been idle for more then two weeks, if you don’t count all of the holiday food and beverage that was consumed, so this game was certainly not being billed as a classic.

The Ironmen entered this contest undefeated in their last two games, including a big win to close out 2005. The men of metal hoped to kick off the New Year with a victory over a Blades squad they had yet to defeat in their previous two meetings.

The Ironmen got the start they wanted with some solid fore-checking and hard work in the offensive zone on the first shift of the game. Craig Ahlstrom unloaded a cannon of a blast that created a juicy rebound for Brent Kelly who had just walked out from behind the net to find a late Christmas gift. Kelly had an open net to deposit his 2nd goal of the season with the game just one minute and 41 seconds old. Neil McEachern picked up the second assist. The Blades responded with two quick goals at the 12:51 and 11:44 marks to jump out in front. The only two penalties of the period were assessed to the Ironmen but both infractions were successfully killed off. The Ironmen held the edge in offensive opportunities and shots on goal in the opening period out shooting the Blades 12-8, however the Blades took a 2-1 lead into the second period.

The second period provided no scoring; the Ironmen out shot the Blades 10-9 during period two. The Blades had the best chance to get the go-ahead goal when they had a two-man advantage for a minute, but the Ironmen penalty killers shut them down. The Blades were called for a tripping infraction in the final minute of the period. The Ironmen could not cash in on the man advantage to close the period, however the power play would carry over into period three.

The Ironmen started the third period with the man advantage and waited until the last seconds of the power play to convert. Rick Makarowski scored his team leading 11th goal of the season to make it a 2-2 game. Neil McEachern and Brent Kelly assisted on the goal. The Ironmen cashed in on another power play opportunity less then three minutes later, to take a 3-2 lead. Steve Meadows carried the puck up ice and into the Blades zone, starting a nice passing sequence that finished with Rick Makarowski collecting his 2nd goal of the night. Neil McEachern and Craig Ahlstrom picked up the assists. From that point on the Ironmen finally started to use their bench to their advantage. The Ironmen were pumping the lines through, getting pucks deep and fore-checking hard, wearing down the Blades. The Ironmen did have the hockey gods shining on them as well. A late Ironmen brain cramp led to the Blades walking in alone on goaltender David Toyoda in the dying seconds of the game, the Blade player ended up with a wide open net but fortunately for the Ironmen the Blades player missed a beautiful pass that would have tied the game. The Ironmen out shot the Blades in the final period 12-8.

The Ironmen return to action on Sunday, January 8th at 7:30 pm on the Canadian rink against Kennedy’s Clippers.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Rick Makarowski

La Deuxième Etoile - Neil McEachern

La Troisième Etoile - Brent Kelly

Neil McEachern had another solid game for the Ironmen.

Devils Egged
December 17, 2005

By Luc LaRouche
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ O.k. so maybe the Ironmen didn't exactly "egg" the Devils Saturday afternoon but that headline was just dying to be written so just humor me, alright? The Ironmen said adios to 2005 in style by posting a 4-3 victory against the Surrey Devils. It was their second win in as many tries versus the satanic ones and one has to wonder why the schedule maker couldn't offer the Ironmen a Christmas present by scheduling all 36 games against the Devils. They certainly seem to match up well with them. Perhaps it was the challenge of facing former teammate Charlie Kaila, who dipsy-doodled and dilly-dallied but didn't factor in a Devils tally.

The opening period saw the Devils hit the scoreboard first as a wicked point blast beat a screened David Toyoda at 16:04. I hope that Santa was watching the Ironmen after the goal because there was no pouting or crying to be heard. They put their foot to the gas and quickly answered back not once but twice in the next couple of minutes. At 15:05 Craig Granter buried his 5th goal of the season from Jim Defer to draw even. The next shift picked up where the last left off and quickly gave the Ironmen a 2-1 lead. Neil McEachern scored his 2nd of the year from Todd Fraser and Brent Kelly. The Ironmen closed out the first period with a last minute goal from Rick ‘Merlin’ Makarowski. Or was it Malinowski? Anyways, Makarowski took a Todd Fraser pass and gained the Devil blue line. Brent Kelly charged hard to the net to supply the screen and Makarowski didn’t hesitate to blast the puck past the blinded Devil goalie. The goal was Makarowski’s team leading 10th goal of the season.

The second period saw the Ironmen take a 4 -1 lead at 10:10 when Jim ‘Bam-Bam’ Defer unleashed his patented ‘smack’ shot from the top of the goal crease that left the goalie saying "who the hell shoots from there???" Dan Riley and Craig Granter picked up the assists on the goal. The second period also featured the ever-popular Ironmen penalty parade, as they were assessed five minor penalties. Thankfully, there were no towel infractions. There were some great moments of penalty killing however, especially during a five on three that seemed to go on forever. The three Ironmen defenders put on a PK clinic, allowing very few quality shots to get to David Toyoda. Toyoda himself was solid as a rock in turning aside what did come his way and smothering any loose pucks he could pounce on to get face-offs. The Devils finally did get to Toyoda scoring their second goal of the game with two minutes remaining in the second frame. The Ironmen took a 4-2 lead going into the third period.

The final period saw the Ironmen mostly try and hang on and nurse their lead that was cut to 4-3 by a Devils goal at 9:11. The Ironmen were able to ride a combination of solid goaltending, improved defensive play and better positional play from the forwards to the finish line and get out of Dodge with the 4-3 victory. The final seconds saw the Devils pull the goalie for a 6th attacker but Neil McEachern wouldn't give them possession of the puck as he won at least two key defensive zone face-offs to help ice the win.

There were flashes of brilliance in the last Ironmen game of 2005 and for a change; it wasn't from their opponent. The forward lines are starting to gel, especially Makarowski, McEachern and Kelly. They have, over the last few games, begun to apply a very effective fore-check and finally seem to be getting used to each other's style out there. It's also great to see that Craig Granter is starting to get that big shot of his away again. The Ironmen all-time leading scorer seems to have the fire going inside after a sluggish start and that bodes well for his teammates going into the second half of the season. How about big Jim Defer!!!! Second in team scoring and with the way he's been shooting the puck, the sky's the limit. The ever-changing defensive pairings have improved as well, with Craig Ahlstrom and Steve Meadows playing their best hockey as a pairing over the last several games. Jeff Meadows (when not hampered by playing three baseball games and a golf tournament before coming out to hockey) provides a back end offensive threat as does Todd Fraser, who may have a defenseman in him waiting to bust out judging by his recent stint back there. I'd also like to tip my hat to the newer Ironmen. Gary Hayre is doing a fine job as a new centre. In the few games that he has played there, he has shown some sound positioning around the Ironmen slot and that has helped round out the team's centre ice position. Dan Riley is another versatile forward who gives you a solid effort combined with a combination of skill and hockey sense that adds great depth to the Ironmen forward lines. Neil McEachern has been quite a find for the club. The speedy forward may not be the biggest guy out there but he has got big time skills and a work ethic that is second to none. All of this leads me to believe that there is no reason why the Ironmen, with all of the ingredients for success in their midst, should expect anything less than a winning record in the New Year. From my cramped office in the dank bowels of Ironmen Central (Brent, we really have to talk about working conditions around here for next year!) I'd like to wish the Ironmen and their families all the best of the season and a bright and prosperous 2006, both on and off the ice.

The Ironmen return to action on Wednesday, January 4th at 9:45 pm versus the Blades on the American rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Neil McEachern

La Deuxième Etoile - Rick Makarowski

La Troisième Etoile - David Toyoda

Craig Granter scored twice and added an assist.

Ironmen Dominate Third Period To Earn Point
December 12, 2005

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ After being embarrassed by the Guzzlers in a game that was captured on video November 14th, the Ironmen defiantly had something to prove on Monday evening. The Ironmen were also trying to avoid a season high fourth consecutive loss. Lack of manpower was not going to be an excuse for either squad on this night, as both teams dressed 16 players.

The Guzzlers jumped out to an early lead two minutes and 36 seconds into the game; they had a 1-0 lead while the Ironmen had yet to register a shot on goal. A couple of minutes later the Ironmen were handed the first penalty of the game. Rick Makarowski was sent off for a slash that was actually committed by Craig Ahlstrom. The Guzzlers capitalized on the man advantage 1:16 into the penalty to take a 2-0 lead. The Ironmen had a crack on the power play midway through the period, but it only lasted 44 seconds as Rob Scott was nailed for holding. Is this the new NHL? The Ironmen did get another crack with the extra man at the 7:51 mark but were unable to cash in on it. They did however hit the scoreboard with just under three minutes remaining in the period. Craig Granter lifted that giant gorilla off his back and scored his 3rd goal of the season. Jeff Meadows picked up the lone assist. The Guzzlers out shot the Ironmen 9-5 in the first 20 minutes and took a 2-1 lead into the second period.

For the second game in a row a barrage of questionable penalties again interrupted the flow of the hockey game during the second period. Ironmen defensemen Henry Fowlds was sent off for roughing at the 19:07 mark. The Guzzler power play clicked for the second time on the evening to make it a 3-1 Guzzler lead. The Ironmen were not able to generate any kind of offensive attack for the majority of the period, as they had their hands full killing off penalties. The Ironmen penalty killers successfully killed of a Robert Burrows interference penalty (another one of those new NHL calls). However the Guzzlers took a commanding 4-1 lead at the 6:20 mark. The Ironmen penalty anguish continued as Craig Ahlstrom was called for body checking with 4:19 left on the clock. The Ironmen penalty killers not only killed off the Ahlstrom penalty, but they scored a short-handed goal in the process. Jim Defer took advantage of a horrendous Guzzler line change. Defer had a clear lane and he bulled his way up the right wing boards, unleashing a blast inside the Guzzler zone that left a huge rebound. Todd Fraser was charging hard from the back end and deposited the rebound to make it a 4-2 game. The Guzzlers out shot the Ironmen 9-5 in the middle frame.

The Ironmen came out hard in the third period showing lots of jump. At the 12:34 mark that energy produced the third Ironmen goal and cut into the Guzzlers lead making it a 4-3 game. Jim Defer netted his 8th of the season with Craig Granter picking up the only assist. The Ironmen continued to press, however it was the Guzzlers that scored the next goal with 7:11 left in the game. If the Guzzlers thought they had some breathing room with a two-goal lead, they were mistaken. The Ironmen continued to grind away and outworked the cocky Guzzlers. The Ironmen made it a one-goal game at the 5:26 mark with the face-off deep in the Guzzler zone. Dan Riley won the face-off cleanly back to Craig Granter who wired the puck past the shocked Guzzler goalie. The Ironmen had the momentum and continued to be all over the Guzzlers in their zone. The Ironmen were fore checking hard, winning battles and pumping the lines through. The Ironclad effort led to Rick Makarowski walking around a Guzzler defender and throwing a shot top shelf over the Guzzler goaltender, to make it a 5-5 game. Henry Fowlds and Todd Fraser picked up the assists. The Ironmen were not willing to settle for the tie and continued to battle hard, unfortunately a missed call late in the game had the Ironmen bench up in arms. The Ironmen went overboard with their bitching and were given a bench minor, which I am sorry to say they deserved. The Ironmen were left having to kill off the final 1:19 to preserve the single point. The Ironmen dominated the third period and out shot the Guzzlers 12-6 in the final frame.

The Ironmen showed a lot of character in this game out working a skilled, but classless opponent. The Ironmen continue to take positive steps forward to improve as a group. Craig Granter played easily his best game of the season and that is beyond the three-point night he had. Granter had jump in his game, he kept his feet moving and thankfully he has started to shoot the puck again. In addition, he made excellent line changes and his positional play without the puck was sound. Jim Defer rebounded nicely after a rough go in his last outing; he too had lots of jump in his game. Another player that caught my eye in this game was Gary Hayre. Hayre playing in just his second game at centre made his presence known by supporting his defensemen in his zone and doing a good job covering the Ironmen slot.

The final Ironmen game of 2005 will be on Saturday, December 17th versus the Surrey Devils. Game time is at 2:45 pm on the Canadian rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Craig Granter

La Deuxième Etoile - Jim Defer

La Troisième Etoile - Gary Hayre

Robert Burrows showed emotion and battled for the Ironmen.

Blades Win As Penalties Cut Into Flow
December 8, 2005

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ For the first time this season the Ironmen were not facing a new opponent, as they were up against the Blades on Friday night. In the first meeting between the two teams the Blades took the two points, defeating the Ironmen by a score of 5-2. That game was also marred by perhaps the worst officiating the Ironmen have seen at GPF.

The officials made their mark early in this contest, sending Craig Ahlstrom and his Blades adversary to the penalty box for roughing just fifty-seven seconds into the game. For only the second time this season the Ironmen scored the first goal of the game. Ironically the only other time the Ironmen drew first blood this season was against the Blades. The Ironmen scored at the 13:52 mark, when Rick Makarowski gained the Blades zone and dropped a pass to Neil McEachern who fired the puck past the Blades goalie. This goal was a designed play that the two drew up in the Ironmen dressing room prior to the game. The goal was McEachern’s first of the season. McEachern can be a reluctant shooter who is a self described set-up man, however he might even be more of a reluctant shooter these days, as he is playing with torn ligaments in his shoulder. That sure sounds like an Ironman to me! The Blades evened the score less then two minutes later to make it a 1-1 game. The officials then stepped in calling a total of six penalties in the final seven minutes and four seconds of the period, killing any flow the game may have threatened to have. The Ironmen surrendered a killer goal with just six seconds left in the period when nobody picked up the trailer. The Ironmen out shot the Blades 11-9 in the period but it was the Blades that took a 2-1 lead into the second period.

The Blades didn’t waste much time adding to their lead scoring their third goal of the game just 1:57 into the second period. After that it was penaltypalooza as nine penalties were called during the middle frame. The whistle happy officiating seemed to benefit the Blades who were allowed to rest their short bench, while the calls all but killed any type of flow and energy the Ironmen had attempted to generate. Shots on goal in the second period were the Ironmen 12 and the Blades 10.

The Ironmen had a better period in the third and managed to stay out of the penalty box, apparently the officials had made their quota on the evening. The line of Makarowski-Kelly-McEachern had a few good chances and did a nice job of applying pressure in the offensive zone. The Blades goaltender was solid making the first save and his teammates were excellent in tying up Ironmen players in front of him. The Blades scored the only goal of the period at the 6:39 mark. The Ironmen out shot the Blades 11-9 in the period and 34-28 in the game. However, it was the Blades that were on the right end of the score in a 4-1 game.

Keeping a positive don’t hit the panic button theme, the reunited pairing of Jeff Meadows and Robert Burrows on defense looked good after spending a few games upfront. Last year these two were first put together late in the season and both were strong for the Ironmen in the stretch drive and in the playoffs. In this game Meadows skated well and did a good job of forcing the forwards to come back into their own zone. Meadows made several good short passes to teammates that were properly positioned and moving their feet, that led to many successfully Ironmen breakouts. Burrows showed emotion in his game and the couple of times that he did get beat, he continued to battle and fight, he refused to let his opponent off the hook and did not quit.

In the last four games the Ironmen have allowed 15 goals against, for a goals against average of 3.75. Compare that the previous six games where the team allowed 38 goals against, for a goals against average of 6.33.

Believe it or not, it took until December 12th of last year before the Ironmen registered their second win of the 2004-2005 season. Hopefully this December 12th will produce the third Ironmen win this season, as the men of metal take on the Guzzlers at 8:30 pm on the American rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Jeff Meadows

La Deuxième Etoile - Robert Burrows

La Troisième Etoile - Rick Makarowski

Henry Fowlds scored his third goal of the season.

Ironmen Stung Again
December 2, 2005

By Luc LaRouche
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ Little by little the sad sack Ironmen are taking baby steps toward playing a complete game. As the losses continue to pile on top of each other however, there's little consolation to be had unless they start getting some positive results on the scoreboard. Our red and white heroes were involved in a tight contest Friday night but came out on the wrong end of a 4-3 score at the hands of the Stingers.

The early stages of the game were a feeling out process with both teams exchanging a few scoring chances and power play opportunities. It was a Stinger power play that produced the first goal of the game with newcomer Paul Savage in the box for the Ironmen serving a tripping infraction. Penalties aside the Stingers held the edge in play and if it were not for some solid goaltending from Peter Aragon the Ironmen may have trailed by more then just one goal after the opening period. The shots on goal in the first period were the Stingers 6 the Ironmen 3.

The Ironmen quickly found themselves down by two goals as the Stingers caught the Ironmen napping to start the second period. The Stingers took a 2-0 lead with period two just 41 seconds old. The Ironmen then got into a little penalty trouble; they successfully killed off a Brent Kelly body-checking penalty, but were unable to do so for Robert Burrows who was serving time for tripping. The Ironmen came to life and hit the scoreboard with just under three minutes remaining in the second period. Brent Kelly out-battled a Stinger player in the corner and came away with the puck; Kelly wasted no time sending a great pass to Rick Makarowski in the slot. Makarowski also didn’t waste anytime and fired his team leading 8th goal of the season past the Stinger goalie. The Stingers attempted to take away any momentum that goal may have produced for the men of metal, they netted their fourth goal of the game with just 40 seconds left on the clock. The Ironmen quickly countered back, letting the Stingers know that they would not go into that good night without a battle. Jeff Meadows made it a 4-2 game with 26 seconds left in the period, Rick Makarowski and Todd Fraser picked up the assists. The Ironmen trailed on the scoreboard and in shots on goal having been out shot 15 to 7 in the second period.

The Ironmen cannot say they were not given an equal opportunity in power play time in this game. The third period fashioned three Stingers penalties including a two-man advantage at the 9:46 mark. It was the two-man advantage that produced the third Ironmen goal with a very unlikely power play unit. Neil McEachern (someone that you do expect to see on the power play) was unaware that he had a wide open net and elected to put on a bit of a skating exhibition, he wheeled around the Stringer zone before walking out from behind the Stinger net to find a wide open Henry Fowlds who one-timed a shot past the a beleaguered Stinger goaltender to make it a 4-3 game. Edward Kouwenhoven picked up the second assist. The momentum for the Ironmen was temporarily stalled just under a minute later when the Ironmen penalty killers were dispatched to kill off a Craig Ahlstrom body-check penalty at the 7:56 mark. The Ironmen did all the could to get the equalizer and were given an excellent chance with just 18 seconds left in the game when the Stingers were penalized for body-checking. What is with these refs and the body checking calls? The Stingers further helped the Ironmen cause calling a time-out. The Ironmen had already used their only time-out earlier in the game and the Stingers time-out allowed the Ironmen to get the players they wanted out on the ice rested. Unfortunately for the Ironmen it just wasn’t meant to be as the Stingers held on to win the game 4-3.

A loss is a loss but let's start with the positives. The Ironmen weren't scored on early as has happened many times this season. In fact it was well into the game before the Stingers finally got on the board first. The Ironmen showed no signs of falling apart while trailing and maintained a better presence in the defensive zone throughout the game in spite of the usual few mistakes that led to goals against. Now the negatives. For much of this season so far, the Ironmen have been the slower of the two teams on the ice. Slower to make the outlet pass, slower to get to loose pucks, slower to provide puck support in all areas. All in all, the Ironmen are just 'thinking' the game way too slow to be effective. When you see any level of competitive hockey, what you see are players who are constantly fighting and skating toward open ice to receive a pass that will most certainly be delivered to them when they get there. It's this skating and energy and desire to move the puck forward that gives hockey it's great flow when played properly. What you get in the beer leagues and more specifically, the Ironmen are some players who are content to let others do the grunt work while they stand out near centre ice waiting for the home run pass. Even if one-fifth of a line is dogging it, the other four-fifths are dragged down somewhat no matter what they do. It's a terribly tired cliché, but each player really does have to look in the mirror and ask himself…"Am I skating my hardest to get to that open spot for a pass?"…"Am I trying my hardest to get to that puck along the boards?"…"Am I trying my hardest to get to my opponent to check him?" If the answer is no, then you are a detriment to your line-mates and your team and should just go sit in the bar and watch the game. Friday's game against the Stingers probably isn't the best example to use because there actually weren't a lot of passengers out there. Still, there needs to be many more Ironmen in the driver's seat as far as their effort and passion is concerned.

The next Ironmen game is on Thursday, December 8th at 8:30 pm on the American rink versus the Blades.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Henry Fowlds

La Deuxième Etoile - Edward Kouwenhoven

La Troisième Etoile - Peter Aragon

Steve Meadows and the rest of his crew on defense played well in this game.

Whitehawks Drop Ironmen
November 27, 2005

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen went into their Sunday evening game against the Whitehawks fresh off an impressive victory a week ago over the first place Surrey Devils. A win over the Whitehawks would get the Ironmen to the .500 mark in the division for the first time this season.

The Whitehawks drew first blood at the 12:50 mark to take a 1-0 lead. The Ironmen responded six minutes later with two quick goals at the 6:56 and 5:25 marks respectively to take a 2-1 lead. The first Ironmen goal was scored by Dan Riley and assisted by Steve Meadows and Craig Granter. The second Ironmen goal was a lucky goal scored by Jim Defer. Craig Ahlstrom made a nice play on the blue line to keep the puck in and get it to Defer. Defer then made a wild backhanded swipe at the puck that somehow managed to find it’s way to the back of the Whitehawk net. The Ironmen then surrendered a late first period goal with 37 seconds on the clock making it a 2-2 game going into the second period. The Whitehawks held an 8-7 edge in shots on goal during the opening period.

The Whitehawks brought the momentum they had gained from the late first period goal with them into the second period. They scored the go ahead goal just 48 seconds into the middle frame. What made this goal worse for the Ironmen was it was scored by ex-Ironmen Steve Van Os. Less then five minutes later the Whitehawks padded their lead making it a 4-2 game. The remaining 15 plus minutes of the period saw no scoring as the teams exchanged penalties. The Ironmen had a golden opportunity to get back into the game when they were about to be awarded a four-minute power play. Rick Makarowski was crosschecked to the ice and roughed up and the referees saw it all and were making the call. However Jim Defer foolishly butt-ended the offending Whitehawk player resulting in a five-minute major and his ejection from the game. Perhaps Defer was coming to the aid of a fallen teammate? However what made Defer’s actions seem so brutal was that significant time had lapsed between the hit on Makarowski and Defer’s butt-end. Not cool at all! So instead of a four-minute power play the teams played even up for four minutes before the Ironmen had to kill off the last minute of the Defer major. The teams each had nine shots on goal in the second period, but it was the Whitehawks that took a 4-2 lead into the final period.

There was nothing significant to report in the final period, the teams exchanged penalties and shots on goal. Both of the teams were penalized three times during the third period and each team registered eight shots on goal. The Ironmen did manage their trademark late game charge when trailing, however nothing came of that.

I think it is safe to say the Ironmen took a small step backward after taking a huge step forward in their previous outing. The Ironmen effort was inconsistent throughout this game. The four Ironmen defensemen all played well in this game and were a positive, however they received little or no help from their forwards. In fact three of the four Whitehawk goals came because of an unchecked man in the Ironmen slot. The fourth Whitehawk goal came with the Ironmen centre being the last man to come back into his own zone. Newcomer Mike Snow played well for the Ironmen as a last minute replacement in the Ironmen nets.

A big thumbs up to all of the Ironmen players that did make it out to this game on Grey Cup Sunday, putting our team first.

The Ironmen are back in action on Friday night at 8:30 pm on the American rink when they face the Stingers.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Craig Ahlstrom

La Deuxième Etoile - Steve Meadows

La Troisième Etoile - Rick Makarowski

Jim Defer set the pace for the Ironmen scoring three goals and adding an assist.

Shake-Up 'Suits' Ironmen
November 20, 2005

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ After I witnessed the last Ironmen game from the press box and then reviewed the game again on videotape with Steve Meadows and Rick Makarowski, one thing was very evident. We are a team that desperately needed a shake-up! Shaking things up is exactly what we did on Sunday evening against the first place Surrey Devils. From our game line-up to the dressing room seating assignments, this was a completely different look to the Ironmen. Even yours truly donned a suit for the occasion before taking my place behind the Ironmen bench. Some suggested that I looked like a modern day Roger Neilson complete with the goofy tie, however I made sure that I stayed clear of the white towels this time.

This game started out well for the Ironmen as they did not surrender an early goal or fall behind significantly and that was something very positive to build on. The Ironmen did give up the first goal of the game later in the period with 2:31 remaining on the clock. Although the Ironmen looked panicked and their play was a little scrambled during the first period, the overall team effort was a noticeable improvement over the last number of games. The Devils took a 1-0 lead into the middle frame and the Ironmen held the edge in shots on goal by a 9-5 margin.

The Ironmen fell behind by two goals 1:31 into the second period, but instead of hitting the panic button they responded with a goal of their own. Jim Defer took a Steve Meadows pass at the end of a shift and with his teammates on the bench calling for big #44 to dump the puck in and get a change, that is just what Defer did. However to the delight of his teammates Defer’s dump-in blast produced the first Ironmen goal of the game. As big as Defer’s goal was in terms of getting the Ironmen back in this game, it was even more significant in another way. For the first time in ages you saw some emotion from the Ironmen. Defer was pumped after his goal and his enthusiasm quickly spread to his teammates. Soon after the Ironmen got themselves in penalty trouble due to a combination of bad offensive zone penalties and one weak call. The Devils managed to cash in on one of their three power plays, taking advantage of the very fatigued group of Ironmen penalty killers. The Ironmen showed their character and chipped away at the Devils and with 2:19 left in the period Steve Meadows released a quick shot to make it a 3-2 game. Craig Granter and Todd Fraser assisted on the goal. The Ironmen drew even with the Devils for the period and trailed by just one goal on the scoreboard going into the final frame. The Ironmen out shot the Devils 9-6 in the second period.

The Ironmen made it a new hockey game 2:46 into the final period pulling even to make it a 3-3 game. Jim Defer collected his second goal of the night with Henry Fowlds and Jeff Meadows picking up the assists. Less then four minutes later the Ironmen took the lead for the first time when Rick Makarowski scored his team leading seventh goal of the season. Jeff Meadows picked up his second assist of the game on the goal. The Devils put up a good fight and battled hard, but the Ironmen battled harder! Jim Defer gave his team some breathing room and in the process turned the hat-trick scoring his third goal of the game with 5:40 left on the clock, giving the Ironmen a 5-3 lead. Steve Meadows assisted on Defer’s hat-trick goal. The Ironmen were not to be denied in this game and kept grinding away until the very end. Their hard work in the late stages of the game was rewarded when ‘The Grind Line’ produced the sixth Ironmen goal with just 35 seconds left in the game. This time it was Henry Fowlds collecting his second goal of the season from Jim Defer. The line of Defer-Fowlds-Kouwenhoven (aka: ‘The Grind Line’) produced four of the six Ironmen goals in this game and had a total of six points on the night. The Ironmen out shot the Devils 10-7 in the third period and 28-18 in the game, but more importantly won the game 6-3.

This was a completely different Ironmen team in this game. What a difference it makes when everyone chips in and puts in an honest effort. I am going to apologize in advance if I leave anyone out, because there were many Ironmen players that could have been singled out as having a strong game. Jim Defer’s four-point night (that included a hat-trick) is a no brainer. Steve Meadows looked very solid and poised on defense and the added sandpaper to his game was a major factor. I know that pairing up two of our more gifted offensive players (Rick Makarowski and Neil McEachern) on defense had some people scratching their heads, but this tandem was solid and they demonstrated excellent puck movement at both ends of the ice. Makarowski and McEachern’s passing created seams and opened up passing and shooting lanes. In addition, they forced the Ironmen forwards back in their own zone refusing to make the long bomb passes or reward forwards that would not come back in our zone to break-out. Makarowski was also very effective in tying up the man in front of the Ironmen net and did so without taking a penalty. Dan Riley was very efficient in his own end and was often spotted in the slot offering support to his defensemen like a good centre should.

The Ironmen get to savoir this game until Sunday, November 27th when they face another ex-Ironmen player, when they take on Steve Van Os and his Whitehawks at 6:30 pm on the Legends rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Jim Defer

La Deuxième Etoile - Steve Meadows

La Troisième Etoile - Neil McEachern