Ten-year veteran Brent Kelly played in his 444th career game for the Ironmen.

Undermanned Ironmen Drop Another One
January 30, 2007

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen took to the ice on Tuesday evening against the Surrey Devils. The Ironmen have had problems filling their line-up this season and that continued as they went into this game very undermanned. The Ironmen had only eight skaters as they faced the Devils for the fourth time this season.

Things started off bad as the Ironmen surrendered the game-winning goal on their very first shift of the game. At the midway point of the period the Devils made it a 2-0 game. The Devils were given a power play with 6:11 remaining in the opening period and did not waste it scoring with the man advantage to close the first period with a healthy 3-0 lead.

The second period was a repeat of the first period with the Devils collecting another three goals. The first two goals were scored at even strength and the third goal was scored on the power play.

In the third period the Ironmen managed to keep the Devils to just one goal when they scored goal number seven with 6:02 remaining in the game. The Devils had five penalties in the third period while the Ironmen only had one.

It is true that the Ironmen were very undermanned in this game, however they played a very passive game and elected to sit back. The Ironmen offered each other very little in terms of puck support at either end of the ice, there was zero fore check and not nearly enough short give and go passes. The Ironmen went 0-8 on their power play and the Devils were 2-4.

Regrettably the Ironmen have to sit on this loss for more then a week, as they remain idle until their next game. The Ironmen face the first place Phantoms for the first time this season at 9:45 pm on the Canadian rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - No selection

La Deuxième Etoile - No selection

La Troisième Etoile - No selection

Paul Savage had a very strong game for the Ironmen in a losing cause.

Second Period Penalties Bite Ironmen
January 21, 2007

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ After a solid effort in their last outing defeating the Cyclones, the Ironmen returned to action on Sunday evening against the Cobras. The Ironmen are still in search of consecutive wins for the first time this season. So far the men of metal have been unsuccessful in their attempts to achieve back-to-back victories.

The opening period was pretty even in terms of play; the Ironmen took three penalties that they killed off successfully, while the Cobras took four without any damage being done. The Ironmen held a slight edge in shots on goal out shooting the Cobras 10-9.

The Ironmen got into penalty trouble early in the 2nd period and the Cobras converted on their power play to take a 1-0 lead. Just over two minutes later the Cobras added another goal at even strength. The Ironmen penalty problems continued which led to the demise of the Ironmen on this night. The Ironmen racked up a total of 12 minutes in penalties during the 2nd period. The most damaging was a rare double hooking infraction issued to Brent Kelly. Kelly made a great defensive play outside his blueline only to immediately follow that up with trying to get too cute. Kelly’s attempt at being fancy caused him to be stripped of the puck and forced him to into taking a penalty. While in the sin bin Kelly’s team was victimized twice. The Cobras out shot the Ironmen 14-7 in the second period and held a commanding 4-0 lead.

The Ironmen managed to stay out of the penalty box in the 3rd period, but were clearly fatigued from having to kill all the 2nd period penalties to mount any kind of a serious offensive attack. Neil McEachern (who has played some of his best hockey of the season over his last few games) scored the lone 3rd period marker on a nice wrap around to spoil the Cobra shutout. McEachern’s 7th goal of the season was unassisted.

The Ironmen will have to play a much more discipline game when the return to action on Tuesday, January 30th at 9:45 pm to face the Surrey Devils on the Legends rink.

Neil McEachern scored the game winning goal to give the Ironmen their first win of 2007.

Ironmen Out Battle Cyclones
January 14, 2007

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ After a disappointing finish on Thursday evening versus the Pirates, the Ironmen returned to action on Sunday looking to rebound against the Cyclones. The Ironmen have not seen the Cyclones since the 2004-2005 season. After playing the majority of their last few games undermanned the Ironmen had three forward lines and four defensemen in this contest.

The Ironmen did not get the start they wanted as the Cyclones jumped out to an early 1-0 lead, after a failed clearing attempt in the Ironmen zone. The Ironmen bounced back just over two minutes later when Todd Fraser scored to pull the metal men even. Neil McEachern and Chris Dawe picked up the assists. The period continued with both teams unable to convert on the two power play opportunities they each had during the first 20 minutes of play.

Early in the second period Steve Meadows made a great defensive play to foil an excellent Cyclone scoring threat. Meadows was assessed a body checking penalty on the play and with the man advantage the Cyclones regained the lead. The Ironmen answered right back 53 seconds later when Steve Coon ripped a shot past the Cyclone goalie, after some excellent fore-checking in the Cyclones zone. Paul Savage assisted on the goal.

The Ironmen took the lead for the first time in the game 42 seconds into the third period. Brent Kelly took a pass from Chris Dawe and skated down the left wing boards ending up in Wayne Gretzky’s office, where he spotted Neil McEachern in front of the Cyclone net. McEachern wired a shot past the Cyclone goalie to give the Ironmen a 3-2 lead. The Ironmen were content to grind it out the rest of the way and steer home their first victory of 2007. Dan Riley was credited with an empty net goal at the conclusion of the game. This was because a Cyclone player had knocked the net off before Riley could deposit the puck into the empty net.

This game was not a pretty game but more of a blue-collared variety. There seemed to be more mucking and grinding going on as opposed to freewheeling. The Ironmen forwards looked good pumping through all three lines efficiently, while playing a good two way game. The Ironmen defense was also solid, keeping their shifts short and high energy. David Toyoda looked steady in goal for the Ironmen making his first appearance in the Ironmen nets in a month. Toyoda made a few clutch saves throughout the game and shut the door in the third period.

Next up for the Ironmen is a game against the Cobras on Sunday, January 21st. The Cobras have snatched victory from the Ironmen in both of their previous two meetings. Game time is at 8:30 pm on the International rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles - Courtesy of Rick Makarowski

La Première Etoile - Brent Kelly

La Deuxième Etoile - David Toyoda

La Troisième Etoile - Jerry Franko

Rick Makarowski had a three point night for the Ironmen.

Ironmen Collapse Gives Pirates Victory
January 11, 2007

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen returned to action on Thursday evening against the second place Pirates. The Pirates have dominated the Ironmen this season winning all four of the previous meetings between the two clubs.

The Ironmen looked like they were going to continue their solid play in this game based on the early action and quick and smart Ironmen line changes. It was a good line change by Neil McEachern that lead to the Ironmen scoring the first goal of the game. McEachern raced from the opposition zone for a line change with Brent Kelly. Kelly charged into the Pirates zone going hard to the net, arriving just in time to backhand the rebound from a Robert Burrows’ shot to give the Ironmen an early 1-0 lead. The Ironmen were assessed the only penalty of the period when Rob Scott was issued a questionable tripping penalty. The Ironmen penalty killers were successful in killing off the Scott penalty and took a 1-0 lead into period two.

The Ironmen took a 2-0 lead at the 13:32 mark of the 2nd period when Rick Makarowski converted a Neil McEachern offering while in tight on the Pirate goaltender. Steve Meadows picked up the second assist. The Pirates got on the board 1:25 later to make it a 2-1 game. The Ironmen got their only power play of the game at the 8:04 mark and they made it count. Rick Makarowski scored his second goal of the game restoring the two-goal lead for the Ironmen with his team leading 14th goal of the season. Makarowski got his stick on a Steve Meadows’ shot from the point on the play, Trevor Williams also assisted on the goal. The Ironmen penalty killers were dispatched again at the 4:22 mark when Steve Meadows was sent off for holding. The Ironmen managed to kill off the penalty but surrender the second Pirate goal 32 seconds later to make it a 3-2 game. It was at this point that the very undermanned Ironmen looked as they had little left in the tank. They quickly gave-up the tying goal 59 seconds later with just 10 seconds left in the second period to make it a 3-3 game.

The Ironmen gathered themselves between periods and quickly regained their lead 1:09 into the 3rd period. Rick Makarowski sent Steve Coon home free on the seldom successful and often over used Hail-Mary pass. The Pirates responded just over four minutes later to make it a 4-4 game. It seemed as this game may be headed for overtime until the Pirates took their first lead of the game with 4:07 left on the clock. By now the Ironmen were looking very lethargic and for the first time in a long time, some of the Ironmen players appeared to have given up. Perhaps they just did not have anything left in the tank. The Ironmen pulled goaltender Peter Aragon on two occasions in the last minute of the game in an attempt to pull even. However, the Pirates converted both times the Ironmen net was empty and made a game that the Ironmen should of won look much worse then it was. The Pirates skated away with a 7-4 victory.

The Ironmen will not have much time to figure out what went wrong in this one. They return to action on Sunday, January 14th against the Cyclones at 7:30 pm on the Canadian rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Rick Makarowski

La Deuxième Etoile - Steve Meadows

La Troisième Etoile - Neil McEachern

Neil McEachern had a great game for the Ironmen.

Ironmen Ring In New Year With Another Solid Effort
January 3, 2007

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen kicked off the New Year on Wednesday night taking on the Eagles in the first game of 2007. The Ironmen have improved by committee over recent games and are starting to play true Ironmen hockey. The men of metal have employed a solid team game with an emphasis on strong defensive play, great goaltending and a blue-collar effort.

The Ironmen were forced to go with a short bench in this contest dressing only ten skaters, while the Eagles had all hands on deck. It didn’t take long for the Ironmen to prove what they were made of, thanks to five 1st period penalties that spanned from the 16:40 mark until the 1:34 mark of the opening period. The Ironmen penalty kill was outstanding as they snuffed out all the Eagles power plays. Thanks to some great penalty killing and some exceptional saves by goaltender Peter Aragon the Ironmen were very much in the scoreless game after the first 20 minutes of play.

Perhaps the ice on the Canadian rink was tilted? After taking five 1st period penalties, the 2nd period was all about Ironmen power plays. In the 2nd period the Ironmen had five power plays of their own. However, the first couple of Ironmen power plays were wasted with the Ironmen failing to slow down the play. They did not break out as a unit and the man advantage was render useless because of far too much separation between the defensemen and the forwards. This in turn clogged up the neutral ice with Eagle penalty killers and Ironmen forwards that were positioned too high. By the third Ironmen power play the ironclad crew started to figure things out. They broke out as a unit, began to work the give and go and started to execute short crisp passes. Paul Savage scored for the Ironmen at the 9:32 mark to give the Ironmen a 1-0 lead. Rick Makarowski and Dan McIntyre picked up the assists. Although the Ironmen had some quality chances on their final two power plays of the middle frame, they were not able to beat the Eagle goaltender for goal number two. The Ironmen held a 1-0 lead over the Eagles going into the 3rd period.

The undermanned Ironmen continued to outwork the Eagles in the 3rd period and held the edge in play. On the rare occasions when their defensive game broke down, Ironmen goaltender Peter Aragon was there to bail out his teammates. Argon was absolutely outstanding throughout the game, but he saved his best for the third period with a mind-boggling stop on the Eagles top gunner. This was a game the Ironmen had definitely earned a victory in. However, they were unable to kill off a late high-sticking penalty to Nathan Aragon and the Eagles scored the equalizer with 5:18 on the clock. There was still more drama in store for the Ironmen when they were nailed with a penalty for too-many men on the ice with 4:39 left on the clock. Undaunted by this the Ironmen penalty killers were not about to let this game slip away, as they shut down the Eagles final power play. At the end of regulation time the teams were deadlocked in a 1-1 tie.

The Ironmen out shot the Eagles 3-1 during the four-on-four, change on the fly overtime. However, the extra five minutes solved nothing and each team earned a point for the standings.

The Ironmen have played very well over their last few games with many players MIA due to injuries and absences. It is clear that the players that have been in the Ironmen line-up recently are definitely drinking the Kool-Aid and they are getting positive results because of it. Hopefully those that have not been around much will buy in when they return. If that happens, it could be a very prosperous New Year for the men of metal.

The Ironmen are back on the ice on Thursday, January 11th against a tough Pirate squad they have yet to beat this season. Game time is at 8:15 pm on the Canadian rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Peter Aragon

La Deuxième Etoile - Neil McEachern

La Troisième Etoile - Dan McIntyre

Peter Aragon continued his remarkable play in the Ironmen nets.

Ironmen Twice Bitten By Cobras In Overtime
December 23, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen faced the Cobras on Saturday evening for the last game of 2006. The teams split their first two meetings with the Ironmen winning 4-1 on October 17th and Cobras stealing an overtime victory on November 21st.

The Ironmen got off to a rocky start in this game, as they surrendered the first goal on the very first shift of the game. The Ironmen got themselves into penalty trouble in the late stages of period one and found themselves down two men. The Cobras took full advantage of this netting a power play marker with 1:06 left in the period. This goal was the result of an Ironmen player letting his man go. After first picking up the lone man in front of the Ironmen net with a good stick check, the Ironmen player then left the Cobra player all alone in the deep slot resulting in an easy tap in goal for the Cobras.

The Ironmen got back on track early in second period when Steve Coon potted his 11th goal of the season. Trevor Williams and Paul Savage collected the assists. At the other end of the ice Ironmen goaltender Peter Aragon continued in remarkable play stopping all the shots fired his way during the middle frame.

The Ironmen scored the tying goal of the game just over five minutes into the penalty filled third period. Neil McEachern collected his 5th of the season with Steve Coon drawing the lone assist. The two teams racked up a total of 36 penalty minutes and a gross misconduct in the third period. It must have been all the extra room on the ice that enabled the Ironmen to out shoot the Cobras 12-10 in period three. Regulation time concluded with the teams deadlocked in a 2-2 tie.

The Ironmen started overtime with the man advantage while the Cobras still had to kill off 31 seconds of a third period hooking penalty. Soon after they had returned to full strength, the Cobras took advantage of an Ironmen miscue. Rick Makarowski attempted a routine drop pass to Neil McEachern who was unable to handle the pass due to poor ice conditions. That led to a Cobras odd man rush, however McEachern busted his tail to get back into the play and may have very well caught the puck carrier if not for an illegal pick by a Cobra player. The Cobras scored their overtime winner 1:50 into overtime.

This was another good group effort from the men of metal. The Ironmen not only battled back from a two-goal deficit but they battled through some of the worst stick work at the hands of the Cobras and some very poor officiating.

The Ironmen will now kick back and enjoy the holiday season before returning to action of Wednesday, January 3rd at 8:30 pm versus the Eagles on the Canadian rink.

On behalf of all the players and management of the Ironmen Hockey Club we would like to wish all of our loyal fans, family and friends a very safe and happy holiday season.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Peter Aragon

La Deuxième Etoile - Steve Coon

La Troisième Etoile - Trevor Williams

After ten seasons Henry Fowlds played in his final Ironmen game versus the Surrey Devils.

Inspired Ironmen Throttle Surrey Devils
December 16, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen entered this game determined to send ten-year Ironmen veteran Henry Fowlds out in style. It would be a formidable challenge, as the Ironmen had to do so with their shortest bench of the year against a chippy Surrey Devils team. The Ironmen had eight regulars out of the line-up for this game and were forced to go with two forward lines and three defensemen.

The Ironmen looked good right out of the gate, they played a smart game in the early going keeping the Devils to the perimeter in their own end while getting pucks deep in the Devils zone winning the battles to the puck and on the wall. The Ironmen did not surrender many quality-scoring chances during the first period. However, the ones they did give-up were sure Devil goals, if not for the remarkable saves Ironmen goaltender Peter Aragon made to keep his team in the game. The boys it front of Aragon opened the scoring with 2:58 left in the first period to give the Ironmen a 1-0 lead. Steve Coon scored the goal with Paul Savage picking up the lone assist.

The Ironmen took their first penalty of the game two minutes into the middle frame when Steve Meadows was sent off for hooking. The men of metal successfully extinguished the penalty and 20 seconds later scored to take a 2-0 lead. This goal was the result of a hard fore-check and some great puck movement between Dan Riley and Rick Makarowski. Riley netted the goal while Makarowski and Todd Fraser collected the assists. Perhaps the rare occasion of having a two-goal lead gave the Ironmen a false sense of security. Soon after the second Ironmen goal the Devils really started to take control of the play. The Devils were playing the Ironmen very physical and started to win the battles. The Ironmen had a very difficult time getting the puck into the Devils zone, which made it difficult for the Ironmen to make line changes. This led to the shifts being far too long, and the Ironmen were getting fatigued. It was during this time that Peter Aragon held the fort for his teammates making some sensational saves, robbing the Devils of several quality scoring chances. Although the Devils managed to tie up the game up with two 2nd period goals, Aragon kept his team in the game during the middle frame.

After weathering the second period storm the Ironmen picked up their lunch pails and went to work. Rick Makarowski restored the Ironmen lead 1:15 into the period thanks to some great passing with line-mates Dan Riley and Robert Burrows, who collected the assists. Less than a minute later was a turning point to the game. After a delayed penalty to Brent Kelly for interference Kelly raced to the boards to touch the puck and get the whistle. Kelly was promptly boarded from behind and went into the boards awkwardly injuring his left wrist. On the play the Devils player received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for attempt to injure. Although banged up, Kelly would be okay but he made sure that he took a few moments to be sure and to give his team a much needed breather. The teams would play 4 on 4 hockey for the next two minutes and then the Ironmen would have a three-minute power play when Kelly’s penalty expired. Before that could happen the Devils took another penalty. The Ironmen took full advantage of their power play and the floodgates opened at the 10:28 mark. Brent Kelly made a great backhanded pass off the half boards to Steve Coon who called for the puck from the slot. Coon wired home his second of the night. Kelly and Paul Savage picked up the assists. Just 19 seconds later after a face-off win the Ironmen dumped the puck deep into the Devils zone. A hard Ironmen fore-check led the Devils defender to rush his clearing attempt, that was picked off by Steve Coon who walked in to bury his hat trick goal. The goal was officially unassisted, but it was a heads up team effort that made it happen. After watching the other Ironmen centre collect a hat trick, Rick Makarowski went to work on one for himself. One minute and 13 seconds after Coon made it a 5-2 game; Rick Makarowski showed some amazing patience beating the Devils goaltender with some Ovechkin type moves before netting his second of the game. Todd Fraser and Steve Meadows assisted on the goal. Two minutes an 52 seconds later Coon hooked up again with Brent Kelly to score his fourth goal of the game. Steve Meadows got the second assist, which was his 200th career Ironmen point. The very next shift Makarowski answered back with another beautiful goal to earn his hat trick and close the scoring to make it 8-2 for the ironclad crew. Todd Fraser got the lone assist.

Although they were very undermanned the Ironmen played an inspired game. Every member of the team had a great game and contributed in a big way. All of the players in the Ironmen line-up could have been easily named the first star of the game on this night. However, this night belonged to Henry Fowlds. Although he was left off the score sheet Fowlds had an outstanding game to conclude his Ironmen career. Fowlds had two 3rd period breakaways of his own and made an amazing defensive play to stop a Devils breakaway while the game was still on the line. Maybe if we all could play each game like it was our last one there would be more games like this one.

The Ironmen conclude the 2006 portion of their schedule on Saturday, December 23rd at 7:00 pm versus the Cobras on the Legends rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Henry Fowlds

La Deuxième Etoile - Rick Makarowski

La Troisième Etoile - Steve Coon

Rick Makarowski played in his 100th consecutive Ironmen game versus the Stingers.

Short Bench And Penalties Lead To Ironmen Demise
December 14, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen played host to the defending champion Stingers on Thursday evening. This was the second meeting of the season between the two teams; the Stingers defeated the Ironmen 2-1 on November 5th.

The Stingers opened the scoring just over five minutes into the game when a low shot on the ice eluded Ironmen goaltender David Toyoda. The Ironmen did not have to wait long to get an opportunity to pull even. This courtesy of two Stinger penalties before the midway point of the period. The Ironmen did get some opportunities to score with both of their man advantages. However they were unable to put the puck by the Stingers netminder, who looked very shaky juggling his rebounds in the early going. Soon after coming up empty on their power play Paul Savage was sent off for slashing. During the PK the Ironmen were rewarded with a strange goal after the Stinger goaltender misplayed a dump in. Henry Fowlds was given an early going away present and was rewarded with the unassisted goal. The Stingers regained the lead with 1:40 remaining in the period.

After eight minutes of back and forth scoreless hockey, the parade to the penalty box began for the Ironmen. The Ironmen took three straight penalties at the 11:58, 10:50 and 8:24 marks. The Ironmen did an admirable job of killing of the penalties but ended up running out of gas and surrendered the third Stinger goal with 6:26 left on the clock.

The penalties continued to pile up in the third period, however this time the Stingers were being sent off as well. The highlight for the Ironmen was a brilliant penalty kill while once again being two-men short. David Toyoda settled down in the third period and closed the door. Unfortunately the Ironmen were unable to get any pucks past the Stingers goaltender in a scoreless third period.

Ironmen history books were re-written yet again in this game. Forward Rick Makarowski appeared in his 100th consecutive Ironmen game. Makarowski is only the fourth Ironmen player to ever play in 100 consecutive games for the hockey club.

The Ironmen only have one day off before they are back in action when they face the Surrey Devils on Saturday, December 16th at 8:30 pm on the Legends rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Neil McEachern

La Deuxième Etoile - Dan Riley

La Troisième Etoile - Rob Scott

Steve Meadows collected his first goal of the season.

Ironmen On The Wrong Side Of Another One Goal Game
December 6, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen were back on the ice on Wednesday evening looking to pile up consecutive wins for the first time this season. The Ironmen had a good effort in their last outing defeating the Eagles 4-0. Tonight the opponent was the 2nd place Pirates who are climbing their way up the division standings.

The Ironmen got off to a rocky start on the first shift of the game, thanks to a considerable amount of rust that had compiled on a few Ironmen players. It was that rust that was a major factor that lead to the Pirates opening the scoring 2:10 into the contest. The Ironmen did settle into things and thanks to three first period power plays held a 10-4 edge in shots on goal through the first period.

Like the first period it took exactly two minutes and 10 seconds into the second frame for a goal to be scored. This time it was the Ironmen to pull even. Robert Burrows brandishing a new weapon buried an unassisted marker to make it a 1-1 game. After three first period power plays for the Ironmen, the officials decided that in the second period they would allow the Pirates an opportunity to work on their power play. The Ironmen were assessed four penalties in period two. Twice the penalties overlapped, forcing a 5-on-3 Pirate advantage. During the first 5-on-3 the Ironmen were eight seconds away from killing off the first penalty when the Pirates power play connected at the 12:38 mark. After that the Ironmen penalty killers shut the door. The Pirates took a 3-1 lead scoring an even strength goal with 4:19 left in the second period. Although the Pirates scored two goals the real story of the 2nd period was Ironmen goaltender Peter Aragon. Aragon was outstanding facing 17 shots in the 2nd period, many of which came while being two men short.

The Ironmen did a little line juggling to start the third period and it paid dividends immediately. On their first shift together in the game, Steve Coon and Rob Scott teamed up to score. Coon was the finisher potting his 5th of the season 1:21 into period three. The Ironmen pressed hard for the equalizer but ended up giving away a freebie courtesy of a give-away. The Pirates made it a 4-2 game with just less than five minutes left in the game. It was at that point the officials decided to take their whistles out of their pockets and actually call a few Pirate infractions. The Pirate penalties gave the Ironmen their first two-man advantage of the night and the men of metal capitalized with 2:08 left on the clock. Steve Meadows scored the power play marker for his first goal of the season. Dan McIntyre and Paul Savage collected the assists. The Ironmen didn’t quit and did all they could to get the equalizer, but that magic goal number four was not in the cards on this night.

The Ironmen are idle for another week before returning to action on Thursday, December 14th for a 6:45 pm game against the Stingers on the Canadian rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Peter Aragon

La Deuxième Etoile - Craig Ahlstrom

La Troisième Etoile - Robert Burrows

Don Lobo recorded his first career Ironmen shutout in the win over the Eagles.

Ironmen Force Eagles Into Extinction
November 26, 2006

By Luc LaRouche
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ It took only two lines against an even more undermanned Eagles team as the Ironmen coasted to a 4-0 victory Sunday night. Though the Ironmen didn't bring their 'A' game against the endangered birds, they still had to go out and earn it. The Eagles had but three spare players on the bench and were severely taxed as the men of metal blitzed them with 35 shots. Don Lobo was solid in net for the Ironmen earning his first career Ironmen shutout. Lobo turned aside all 12 shots he faced. The Ironmen defense was caught gambling on several occasions, however they were lucky to have Lobo foil several Eagle breakaway and 2-on-1 opportunities.

The first period would finish scoreless as both teams had trouble getting their offences going. The Ironmen killed off two first period penalties to noted goon Rick Makarowski, who's still looking for an explanation on the calls.

The opening and eventual game winning goal came at the 17:41 mark of the second frame off the stick of Rob Scott. Scott finished of a nice play with Brent Kelly and Todd Fraser garnering assists. The Ironmen kept firing away at the beleaguered Eagle goalie and eventually broke the game wide open with two more goals before the end of the period. Rick Makarowski added to his team leading 9th goal of the season with a power play marker at 12:29. Todd Fraser and Paul Savage collected the assists. Then with 4:13 left in the second, Dan Riley cashed in on some nice work by Rick Makarowski to make it 3-0. It was nice to see the defensively responsible Riley finally get rewarded.

In the third period with the Eagles too tired to mount an offensive threat, all that was left for the Ironmen was to play a sound, safe game and preserve the victory, not to mention Don Lobo's goose egg. Two minutes into the third period Todd Fraser capped off the scoring as Henry Fowlds covered Fraser's point spot, as usual (way to go Hank!!!). Fowlds moved the puck down to the slot where Fraser was able to bang home his 5th of the season and his third point of the night.

This victory could have been a lot more lop-sided had the Ironmen not looked a bit tired out there as well. It's not often you can call a team 'tired' when they outshoot an opponent 35-12 but I sensed that the Eagles were definitely there for the taking. They could have been buried a lot sooner if not for the Ironmen's lack of finish in combination with a solid effort from the Eagles' goalie.

The Ironmen get to relax and savor this win for a while before their next outing December 6th against the Pirates.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Todd Fraser

La Deuxième Etoile - Rick Makarowski

La Troisième Etoile - Robert Burrows

Todd Fraser's physical play and strong defensive game was a highlight for the Ironmen.

Ironmen Deserved A Better Fate
November 21, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen returned to action on Tuesday evening taking on the Cobras in the midst of back-to-back games against the meathead teams of the division. Last Thursday the Ironmen disposed of the Surrey Devils thanks to a solid defensive team game and being very disciplined against a Devils team that was coming apart at the seams. In this contest the Ironmen faced the first place Cobras who are another pack of cement heads that have somehow managed to secure first place in the division. In fact the only loss the Cobras have had this season was at the hands of the Ironmen. The Ironmen are an offensively challenged squad that must focus on defense and play a solid team game to have a chance to win. The Ironmen have a record of 3 wins and 0 losses when they score 4 goals in a game.

The play throughout the first period was fairly even as both teams exchanged chances with each team registering five shots on goal. The Ironmen penalty killers were dispatched in the last stages of the period when Rick Makarowski was sent off at 1:49 for body checking. The Cobras capitalized on their man advantage with just 37 seconds left in the period to take a 1-0 lead into the second period.

The Ironmen held the edge in play and in shots on goal in the second period thanks to three 2nd period power plays. Although they were unable to convert with the man advantage during the middle frame, the Ironmen are slowly starting to get some quality scoring chances on their power play. In the last couple of games the Ironmen have started to slow the play down, and are now making short passes while supplying each other with good puck support during the man advantage. The only downside for the Ironmen in the second period came with 26 seconds left on the clock. That is when Steve Coon took double minor for elbowing in an uncharacteristic move. While killing off Coon’s double minor Rick Makarowski forced the Cobras into taking a penalty of their own deep in the Ironmen zone with time expiring in the second period. The Ironmen out shot the Cobras 7-4 in a scoreless 2nd period.

While playing four-on four, it took under two minutes into the third period for Todd Fraser to get his team on the score sheet. Fraser did a good job of reading the play while his teammates hard fore check caused a turnover in the Cobras zone. Fraser pounced on the loose puck firing a laser past the Cobra goaltender to make it a 1-1 game. Moments after the Fraser’s goal the Ironmen pulled goaltender David Toyoda on a delayed Cobra penalty. The Ironmen did a good job maintaining possession of the puck however it was during the play that Ralph Steen went down with a leg injury. Steen was laid out on the ice for several minutes before being assisted off the ice. Steen suffered a broken tibia on the play and will be out of the Ironmen line-up for an indefinite period of time. The Ironmen shook off the loss of their fallen comrade and put together one of their best power play efforts of the year. Rick Makarowski netted his team leading 8th goal of the season after some excellent puck moment during the man advantage. Rob Scott and Todd Fraser assisted on the go ahead goal at the 10:03 mark. It was only 1:11 after the Ironmen took the lead that they ran into serious penalty trouble, thanks to a series of weak and phantom calls. It is very rare that a team that verbally abused the officials throughout the course of a game actually gets breaks from the officials, however that is what happened in this game. Perhaps the officials were intimidated by the Cobras and started to doubt their calls? In the late stages of the game the officials did every thing they could short of suiting up in a Cobra uniform to allow the Cobras back into this hockey game. While the Ironmen were being sent off for phantom calls, the Cobras were allowed to run wild. The Cobras were allowed to get away with cheap shots that included hits from behind blatant two-handed slashes to name a few. The Ironmen found themselves two-man short with less then a minute remaining in the game and unfortunately they were not able to hang on. The Cobras tied the game with just 29 seconds left on the clock to force overtime. If that was not bad enough to make matters worse the officials nailed Paul Savage with a slashing penalty with time expired in regulation time.

The Ironmen once again found themselves two men short in overtime and it only took a quick but very painful 43 seconds for the Cobras to net the overtime winner. The Ironmen deserved a better fate in this game, as they were the better team. However when you not only have to beat your opponent but also the officials the cards are stacked against you. In this game the Ironmen did beat the Cobras, however they could not get past the men in stripes.

The Ironmen are back in action on Sunday at 7:00 pm when they face the Eagles on the International rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Todd Fraser

La Deuxième Etoile - Dan Riley

La Troisième Etoile - Rob Scott

Rick Makarowski led the offence with two goals in 4-3 win over the Surrey Devils.

Devils' Penalty Fest Aids Ironmen Win
November 16, 2006

By Luc LaRouche
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ Watching the Ironmen defeat the Surrey Devils 4-3 Thursday night gave proof to the old adage that brains aren't everything. In fact, in the case of the Devils they are nothing. Among other things, we were able to discover just how many Devils it takes to fill a penalty box. Kudos to the Ironmen, who in past years would have been more than happy to join them in the sin bin. Not this time. Although the men of metal weren't able to cash in on lengthy 5-on-3 power plays early in the game, having to kill off so many penalties meant that the Devils were rarely able to muster any kind of prolonged attack in the Ironmen zone. I'm not sure how the DeviIs managed to get 3 pucks past Dave Toyoda on only 8 credited shots but luckily the Ironmen power play managed to cash in on a couple of chances and come away the victors. I don't know what was going through the minds of the Devils tonight but my guess is it was probably air, as one after another they would pile into the penalty box.

The Devils opened the scoring at 17:52 of the first period but shortly after that, the parade to the penalty box began and the Ironmen tied it up at 11:02. Craig Ahlstrom pushed the puck ahead and Brent Kelly did a good job of going to the net as Rob Scott threw the puck on goal from a sharp angle. The puck trickled under the goalie and the power play goal got the Ironmen going. Kelly and Ahlstrom drew the assists. The Devils took 6 penalties in the first period and were forced to kill off a lengthy 5-on-3 situation.

The Devils restored their lead early in the second period, but the Ironmen stormed back quickly pulling back even just 32 seconds later. Rick Makarowski collected his 6th goal of the season with Brent Kelly and Neil (Belland) McEachern assisting. The Ironmen killed off the only two penalties assessed in the 2nd frame as the Devils took a little break from the sin bin. Then the men of metal got a huge go-ahead goal. This goal was huge because it came with just 1:07 left in the 2nd period. Steve Coon put the good guys ahead 3-2 heading into the 3rd. Robert (don't call me Alex) Burrows picked up the assist.

The Devils were able to tie up the game at 3 two minutes into the period. It was just their 6th official shot on goal which means Ironmen goaltender David Toyoda had fallen asleep in the net between shots or the scorekeeper was too busy tracking penalties to put the shots up on the clock. Nevertheless the men in red showed their determination to win this game and responded quickly on the power play less than a minute later with the eventual game-winning goal. Trevor Williams fired a shot at the net where Rick Makarowski was able to redirect it on it’s way to the net to pot his 2nd goal of the game and team-leading 7th of the season.

With all the power plays blessed upon the Ironmen, it was unfortunate they couldn't make the Devils pay by opening up a huge lead bin this game. Most impressive, though, was watching the men of metal keep their composure and stick to hockey while the Surrey Devils goon show went about it's work. The only real lapse in discipline occurred when Ralph Steen took an unwise and untimely double minor for pasting the Devils head wing nut into the boards. The wing nut would later effectively take his team out of the game for good by trying to scale Mount Steen as he had his back turned, heading toward the bench on a change. This gutless turd had every opportunity to get in Steen's face during the shift but elected to wait until he was surrounded by his freak show team-mates and for Steen to have his back turned. Just a gutless, selfish player. But that's the way the Devils like to operate. If gutless, selfish morons could fly, their dressing room would be an airport. It was great to see the Ironmen finally take advantage and beat a team of cheap shot artists like the Devils. While they do have some talented players on their roster, the team as a whole really belongs in someone's driveway or cul-de-sac, where there's a chance of being run over by a car.

The Ironmen have four days to enjoy this win before they return to action against the first plave Cobras on Tuesday, November 21st at 9:45 pm on the Legends rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Rick Makarowski

La Deuxième Etoile - Steve Meadows

La Troisième Etoile - Craig Ahlstrom

Robert Burrows played very well in his first game of the season on defense.

Stingers Win Defensive Battle
November 5, 2006

By Luc LaRouche
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ It's gotta be frustrating to be an Ironman these days. After getting blown out 6-1 and 8-2 in their previous two outings the men of metal took great strides to improve Sunday night versus the Stingers. Unfortunately a much tighter and disciplined defensive game not bring the Ironmen two points as they were handed a 2-1 defeat by a Stingers team who looked a fair bit better than their 2-6 record would indicate.

There was little evidence that this game would turn into a goal fest, as both teams seemed content to chip pucks in and out of the zone most of the night. It seemed the teams were going to have to be ready to capitalize on any opportunity that presented itself to achieve any success. The officials called a total of six penalties in the first period three for each team. The last penalty of the period was a Steve Meadows roughing infraction with 43 seconds left on the clock.

It took the Stringers just over a minute into the second period to capitalize on the man advantage with Meadows still in the box. The Ironmen had been doing a great job of killing off the penalty and were just seconds short of being back at full strength when the Stingers made it a 1-0 game at 12:45 of the 2nd period.

The game continued with both teams trading few chances. Ironmen goalie Gerry McPeake was solid, as the Stingers seemed to have a slight edge in scoring chances. The Ironmen were finally able to tie the score at 12:45 of the 3rd period as their fore check made the difference. Following a dump in behind the Stingers net, Steve Meadows forced a rushed clearing attempt along the boards where Rob Scott battled for possession. The puck found it's way to Robert Burrows at the point and he let a wrister go that seemed to achieve zero gravity as it drifted towards the goal. The scoring play was Burrows from Scott but the entire five-man unit executed the play well on the tying goal. The teams continued their defensive struggle until finally the Ironmen cracked with just over 6 minutes left the game. That is when they allowed the Stingers to walk in on McPeake unmolested for the go-ahead go. The Ironmen had an excellent opportunity to tie the game up thanks to a couple of late power plays, however the Ironmen power play is just awful and they may have been better off declining the penalties. The Ironmen seem to play much better at even strength or shorthanded then they do with the extra-man.

The Ironmen have a long layoff before they face the Surrey Devils on Thursday, November 16th at 6:45 pm on the Canadian rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Gerry McPeake

La Deuxième Etoile - Robert Burrows

La Troisième Etoile - Dan Riley

Todd Fraser's physical play was one of the few bright spots in the 8-2 loss to the Pirates.

Pirates Capture Easy Two Points From Passive Ironmen
October 28, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen took on the Pirates on Saturday night for the third meeting of the season between the two teams. The Pirates have owned the Ironmen in the early going this season having defeated the men of metal on October 2nd by a score of 5-3 and on September 15th 5-2 in a pre-season match-up.

The Pirates took a 1-0 lead opening the scoring 8:23 into the game. For the Ironmen allowing the first goal of the game was not a good omen. The Ironmen have lost five of their eight games when they surrender the first goal of the game. Another factor that has been working against the Ironmen has been taking an excessive amount of penalties. That pattern continued late in the opening period as the Ironmen closed the first period with two players in the penalty box.

The Pirates scored twice with the two-man advantage having just used up 1:09 of the second period to build up a 3-0 lead. The Ironmen sat back most of the game with little or no fore check and the separation between their forwards and the defense was huge. The Ironmen did get some life when they got on the score sheet with 4:12 remaining in the period. Rick Makarowski pounced on a rebound after Ralph Steen’s blast from the point. Makarowski showed nice patience out waiting the sprawling goaltender before he roofed it while at a sharp angle. The goal seemed to wake up the slumbering Ironmen as less then two-minutes later they made it a 3-2 game. Brent Kelly covering up for a pinching defender fired a wrist shot at the Pirate net, with a crowd in front Steve Coon got his stick on it for his fourth goal of the season. As fast as the Ironmen got back into the game they took themselves right out of it. The last Ironmen defender was a little too cute with the puck, he attempted to carry it up the middle of the ice all alone when it was promptly stripped from him and deposited in the back of the Ironmen net. Just 1:09 after the Ironmen showed signs of life in this game they pulled their own plug. This goal really took the life out of the team as they surrendered goal number five a minute later.

The third period was all Pirates in terms of scoring as they added goals at the 12:14, 8:22 and 4:20 marks to make it an 8-2 game.

This was the most lopsided loss for the Ironmen this season. In the majority of the games they have been on the losing end for they have competed well and been in the game until the end. This was not the case in this game, as the Ironmen played maybe four minutes of good hockey the entire game. The Ironmen sat back in this game looking very passive and uninterested. They seldom pursued the puck and supplied very little pressure allowing the Pirates plenty of time and space to move the puck at will.

One of the few bright spots in this game was the play of Todd Fraser on defense. Fraser was physical on the boards and moved the puck well out of his zone. This was Fraser’s best game of the season on defense.

The Ironmen hope the November portion of the schedule has a more positive outcome. The Ironmen host the defending division champions, the Stingers on Sunday, November 5th at 7:00 pm on the International rink. The Stingers are off to a rocky start as well, like the Ironmen they have a record of 2 wins and 6 losses in their first eight games.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Steve Coon

La Deuxième Etoile - Todd Fraser

La Troisième Etoile - Rick Makarowski

Brent Kelly's shorthanded marker was the lone Ironmen goal.

Unbalanced Officiating Aids Eagles
October 23, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ Fresh off a solid 4-1 victory over the first place Cobras on Tuesday evening the Ironmen returned to action on Monday night to face the Eagles. The Eagles defeated the Ironmen 4-1 on September 24, 2006.

The Eagles got on the score sheet 6:09 into the game after a series of Ironmen mistakes. On the play at least three Ironmen skaters had the opportunity to make an easy play but with little effort and zero puck support the puck was sent deep into the Ironmen zone. The mistakes continued when goaltender David Toyoda raced out to clear the puck from a charging Eagle player. Instead of safely depositing the puck into the corner, Toyoda served it up leading to the goal. Soon after the Ironmen got into penalty trouble as they took three first period penalties. The Eagles made them pay scoring goals on 2 of the 3 first period power plays. The Eagles took a healthy 3-0 lead into the second period.

The Eagles took a 4-0 lead with an even strength goal 2:26 into period two. If the score wasn’t scary enough for the Ironmen it got a little scarier when Steve Coon was struck above the eye by a Neil McEachern backhand after a goalmouth scramble. Coon had a deep gash above his eye that took eight stitches to close. Coon did not return in this game and is listed as day to day. For his part McEachern leads the team in injuring teammates. On the bright side at least number #22 is shooting the puck now. The Ironmen’s penalty woes continued in the middle frame thanks to some very unbalanced officiating. The Ironmen may have deserved many of the penalties they received, however the frustrating part for any impartial observer had to be that the Eagles were getting away with the very same infractions the Ironmen were being sent off for. The Eagles went 2 for 5 on the power play in the second period and had a commanding 6-0 lead before the Ironmen finally broke the goose egg with 2:11 left in the period. While shorthanded Brent Kelly came off the bench and pounced on an Ironmen clearing attempt picking up the puck and going in alone on the Eagles goaltender. Kelly’s first shot was stopped but Kelly hammered away at the loose puck until it was in the back of the net. Rob Scott and Ralph Steen collected the assists. If not for the smart change by Robert Burrows to get a fresh player on the ice this goal does not happen.

The one-sided calls continued to go against the Ironmen in the third period, but by this time the Ironmen penalty killers had their job description down. The Ironmen killed off all four of their penalties in the third period including a double minor. As successful as the Ironmen were killing off third period penalties they were unable to generate much of an offensive threat, which is understandable consider they spent a great deal of the period and the game shorthanded.

It was a shame that this game was not a little better officiated. The Eagles do have a decent team, however they were taking on an opponent that faced an up hill battle from the opening face-off courtesy of unbalanced officiating. I look forward to seeing these two teams going head to head with some fair officiating.

The Ironmen return to action on Saturday, October 28th against the Pirates at 8:30 pm on the Legends rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Rob Scott

La Deuxième Etoile - Brent Kelly

La Troisième Etoile - Rick Makarowski

The excellent coverage by Henry Fowlds allowed the Ironmen defensemen to jump into the play.

Ironmen Win Kills Cobras Perfect Record
October 17, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen were in action on Tuesday evening against the first place Cobras. The Cobras were the champions of Division 5 last year. Going into this game the Cobras had compiled a perfect 5-0 record. Four of those wins came against other Division 4 teams. Meanwhile the Ironmen have dropped four straight games after winning the season opener. The Ironmen have yet to defeat a Division 4 opponent this season.

The officials were very busy in this contest and they wasted little time calling the first penalty of the game 1:43 into the game. Rick Makarowski was assessed his first penalty of the season when he was sent off for interference. Just over six minutes into the game the Ironmen got their first crack with the man advantage and they made it count. Todd Fraser jumped in from the point to unleash a blast to give the Ironmen a 1-0 lead. Steve Coon and Ralph Steen assisted on the goal. The Ironmen went up 2-0 when Neil McEachern fired a blast from just inside the Cobras blue line. Rick Makarowski and Brent Kelly picked up the assists. McEachern who has recently shifted to the right wing from centre has been red-hot scoring three goals in his last three games. The first period concluded with the Ironmen out shooting the Cobras 9-4 and leading by a score of 2-0. The teams combined for a total 20 penalty minutes in the opening period.

The penalties minutes continued to pile up in the second period thanks to a ton of stick-work from a frustrated Cobras team. Full marks to the Ironmen who did not buy into cement-head hockey and to the officials for making the guilty parties accountable for their stick infractions. Although the Ironmen had plenty of opportunity with the man-advantage their power play was dismal. In fact the only goal of the middle frame was an Ironmen shorthanded marker. Todd Fraser collected his second of the night with Steve Coon and Robert Burrows collecting the assists. The Ironmen out shot the Cobras 9-6 and led 3-0 after two periods. The teams eclipsed the first period penalty minute total in the second period racking up a total of 24 minutes, 18 of which were assessed to the Cobras.

The Ironmen began the third period shorthanded and they were victimized 1:25 in final frame. The Ironmen penalty killers collapsed and left the points wide open, which allowed the Cobras to fire a blast directly at David Toyoda. Toyoda stopped that shot but nobody mopped up and the Ironmen failed to pick-up a Cobra player left untouched as he was permitted to tap in the rebound. The teams continued to take turns allowing each other to work on their special teams but there was no scoring until the final 2:20 of the period. Neil McEachern spotted Rick Makarowski heading for daylight in the late stages of a Cobra power play. Makarowski wired a blast past the Cobra goalie just as he gained the Cobras zone to closeout the scoring. According to the statistics the Cobras out shot the Ironmen 9-6 in the third period, but the Ironmen led where it counted…on the scoreboard. The Ironmen snapped a four-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over the previously undefeated Cobras.

The Ironmen return to the ice on Monday, October 23rd versus the Eagles at 6:45 pm on the International rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Henry Fowlds

La Deuxième Etoile - David Toyoda

La Troisième Etoile - Todd Fraser

Peter Aragon played well in the Ironmen nets in his season debut.

Ironmen Can't Pull Even With Devils
October 12, 2006

By Luc LaRouche
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen losing skid has now reached four games following a tough 3-2 loss to the Surrey Devils Thursday night. This game came down to an Ironmen fore-check that was far less effective than previous efforts. This led to fewer quality scoring chances and in turn, more pressure in their defensive zone.

Early in the first period the Devils goaltender appeared to injure his glove side shoulder or arm while reaching for a high shot off the stick of Rick Makarowski. He continued after a lengthy delay but wasn't tested nearly enough after that. The Ironmen should have smelled blood and went for the kill but there just wasn't a lot happening for them in front of the Devils net tonight. The cloven-hoofed ones got on the board first, beating Peter Aragon, who was seeing his first action in the Ironmen net this season.

The Ironmen tied up the game with a bizarre goal in the 2nd period. While shorthanded Neil McEachern was sprung loose by a Rick Makarowski feed just as the Ironmen returned to full strength. McEachern let a shot fly that hit the crossbar and bounced high off the end boards behind the Devils goal. The puck then fluttered back toward the goal and bounced off the goalie's back and into the net. Not exactly rippling the twine, but these days the Ironmen will take them any way they can get them.

That was as close as the Ironmen would get in this game as the Devils potted a couple of goals after that, including a spectacular deke by Mr. Yellow Socks to make it 3-1 after a terrible giveaway at the Ironmen blue line.

Rob Scott brought the Ironmen to within one with his team leading 4th goal of the season in the third period, banging home a puck that the Devils goalie failed to cover up. Henry Fowlds picked up the lone assist. The Devils apparently took issue with Scott's tenacity in going to the net on the play because on the next Devils foray in the Ironmen zone they took a few late swipes at Peter Aragon. Craig Ahlstrom promptly got in the face of the offending player and the two began to tussle in front of the net, with the Devils player wrapping his legs around Ahlstrom's head as they fell to the ice both dropping their gloves and exchanging punches. Ahlstrom, being the stand-up guy that he is, wasn't ready for this kind of classless WWE approach but still got a few licks in. Both players were sent to the showers, each getting major and minor penalties. The Devil’s player presumably got an extra two-minutes for dry-humping Ahlstrom's head while Ahlstrom got an even-up 2 minute "aggressor" penalty - whatever that is. By this point the officials were just making things up as they went along. The officiating was hit and miss at best all game and as usually happens with substandard officiating, the instigating was allowed while the retaliating was whistled down. After the Ahlstrom scrap a hockey game broke out and the Devils continued to hold the edge in play the rest of the way. The Ironmen pulled goalie Aragon in favour of an extra attacker with time running out but no great scoring chance came of it. They were able to keep the puck in the offensive zone and create some pressure but a high point shot was tracked down by the Devils and sent down the ice to end the game.

It appears the Men of Metal still have a few kinks to iron out. Though they have not been blown out by anybody in their division, being close doesn't necessarily get you two points in the standings. They've got to take their work ethic to the next level and win a few more battles for loose pucks, cut down on turnovers - which were plentiful tonight, especially in their own end - and get a few more quality shots on goal. The effort so far this year has been better overall but as they say, there's always another gear.

The Ironmen don’t have to wait long to shake this game off as they are back in action on Tuesday, October 17th at 8:15 pm versus the Cobras.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Peter Aragon

La Deuxième Etoile - Rick Makarowski

La Troisième Etoile - Neil McEachern

Neil McEachern scored a goal and added an assist in the 5-2 loss to the Guzzlers.

Ironmen Run Out Of Gas In Third Period
October 8, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The Ironmen played host the highflying ‘Run and Gun’ Guzzlers on Sunday evening with a monumental task before them. Not only would the ironclad crew have to shake off a modest two game losing streak, but they would have to do so against the self proclaim kings of run and gun hockey the division leading Guzzlers. The task would be even more daunting for the Ironmen that were missing eight regulars from the line-up while the Guzzlers had a full squad.

The Ironmen were put to the test less then four minutes into the game when Ralph Steen was called for crosschecking. The Ironmen successfully killed off the penalty with goaltender Don Lobo (making his season debut, sporting his new Marc-Andre Fleury yellow goal pads) being the best Ironmen penalty killer. The Ironmen continued to apply an excellent fore-check and with many of the Guzzlers vacating their own zone early the Ironmen capitalized at the 9:01 mark. Neil McEachern intercepted a long bomb pass just inside the Guzzler blue line and converted a nice backhand to give the Ironmen a 1-0 lead. The Ironmen penalty killers were dispatched again at the 7:20 mark when Craig Ahlstrom was sent off for interference. The Ironmen penalty killers once again shut down the Guzzlers power play. The Guzzlers finally got on the scoreboard at the 3:30 mark to make it a 1-1 game. The Ironmen had one final offensive chance with just seconds remaining in the period. Rick Makarowski carried the puck into the Guzzler zone where he was assaulted with no penalty being called. Fortunately Makarowski had good puck support from his line-mates and the Guzzlers paid just the same. Neil McEachern scooped up the puck from his fallen comrade and promptly delivered a pass to Brent Kelly who was heading to the net. Kelly blasted a one-timer through the goaltender’s legs to give the Ironmen a 2-1 lead with just three seconds left in the opening period.

The teams exchanged chances throughout the second period but both goaltenders turned aside everything they faced. Things got a little hostile when at the 6:10 mark a Guzzler player delivered a combination knee-drag with an elbow to the head of Todd Fraser. Fraser to his credit went after the cowardly thug before the officials separated the two. The ‘classless’ Guzzler player was also assessed a five-minute match-penalty for “uttering threats”. This was a perfect opportunity for the Ironmen to build on their lead, however things just didn’t work out that way. Not only did the Guzzlers kill off the five-minute major, but they also scored a shorthanded goal in the process to tie the game with 1:45 left in the period. This was really the only thing that the Ironmen did that was truly disheartening in this game. Don Lobo made an excellent poke check save only to have nobody there to mop–up his rebound. That lack of support is never acceptable, however when it happens with the man-advantage…it is just inexcusable.

The Guzzlers took their first lead of the game when they scored 5:20 into the third period. The Ironmen did all they could to get the equalizer, but by this time they had no gas left in the tank to take them the rest of the way. The Guzzlers added two more goals at the 6:43 and 5:00 marks to make it a 5-2 game.

The Guzzlers may have won this contest but they were unsuccessful playing their type of game against an undermanned opponent. Team run and gun may have stolen the two points, however the moral victory went to the men of metal.

The Ironmen return to battle on Thursday, October 12th at 10:00 pm against a Surrey Devils team that ended their season last year.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Don Lobo

La Deuxième Etoile - Neil McEachern

La Troisième Etoile - Dan Riley

Trevor Williams collected two assists in the loss to the Pirates.

Penalties Derail Solid Game Plan
October 2, 2006

By Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ The new look Ironmen returned to the ice on Monday evening for a re-match against the Pirates. The two clubs played each other in the pre-season where the Pirates came away with a 5-2 win.

The Ironmen game plan was to attack the Pirates with hard fore-checking and to grind away the Pirates with high-energy short shifts. The Ironmen dressed nine forwards and six defensemen so there was plenty of manpower available for the men of metal. Things were going according to plan for the Ironmen in the early stages of the game. The Ironmen had an excellent fore-check going and the Pirates found it very difficult to get out of there own zone. The Ironmen had a few quality chances and seemed to be on the verge of breaking the game open when their momentum ground to a stop thanks to an Ironmen penalty. The Ironmen penalty killers stayed on the ice too long and were eventually victimized surrendering the only goal of the opening period.

Undaunted by this the Ironmen dusted themselves off and for a short period of time regained the momentum they had in the early stages of the game. However it was penalty trouble that again derailed the Ironmen game plan. The Pirates scored the only goal of the second period and took a 2-0 lead into the third period.

The Pirates had built up a 3-0 lead before the Ironmen finally solved the Pirates goaltender. Steve Coon fresh of the bench (thanks to an excellent line change) joined the rush as the trailing forward converting a Trevor Williams pass. Soon after the Ironmen pulled within a goal thanks to a nice solo rush from Ralph Steen. Robert Burrows assisted on Steen’s team leading 4th goal of the season. The Pirates restored their two-goal lead late in the period, but the Ironmen refused to quit and made it a 4-3 game. Rob Scott converted a Trevor Williams offering in the final minutes. The Ironmen pulled goaltender David Toyoda for the extra attacker, but were not able to get the tying goal and ended up losing possession of the puck in the Pirate zone thus giving the Pirate player a clear lane to the open net. This despite the efforts of Rick Makarowski who skated hard to get back and was draped all over the Pirate player as he shot at the empty net.

The Ironmen are a much-improved team from a year ago in terms of their overall talent, skill level and a much stronger defensive corp. The team will continue to improve each game and get the desired results once the new blood and the old guard become accustomed to one another.

The Ironmen return to action against the run and gun Guzzlers on Sunday, October 8th at 6:00 pm on the Canadian rink.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Trevor Williams

La Deuxième Etoile - Robert Burrows

La Troisième Etoile - Rob Scott

Robert Burrows scored the lone goal for the Ironmen in the 4-1 loss to the Eagles.

Ironmen Snore While Eagles Soar
September 24, 2006

By Luc LaRouche & Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ Perhaps the Ironmen figured their goaltender David Toyoda hadn't seen enough rubber in his previous two outings. Toyoda was kept busy Sunday night as his team had problems in front of him, dropping a 4-1 decision to the Eagles.

The Eagles scored 8:10 into the game to open the scoring. The Eagles were also awarded the first power play of the game when Todd Fraser was called for tripping with two minutes left in the period. The Ironmen penalty kill looked horrendous with the four Ironmen penalty killers running around like chickens with their heads cut off. It was the retched play of the Ironmen penalty killers that made easy work for the Eagles power play allowing them to convert on the man advantage with 37 seconds left on the clock. The Eagles took a 2-0 lead into the second period.

The Ironmen defensemen were so tired of seeing the Eagles #61 dance around them for a glorious scoring chance, that Craig Ahlstrom took a penalty by finally knocking him on his can. Ahlstrom was assessed a roughing penalty on the play. The Ironmen penalty killers were given an excellent chance to redeem themselves, when Brent Kelly was called for tripping the very same player (#61) just 18 seconds later. Kelly’s penalty was a foolish penalty to put his team down by two and although he deserved the call, the two-handed slash he received after his infraction was undetected by the officials. Neil McEachern, Steve Meadows and Todd Fraser did an excellent job of killing of the Eagles two-man advantage and restored credibility to the Ironmen penalty kill. The Eagles scored goals at the 8:20 and 6:40 marks respectively to take a commanding 4-0 lead. Both of these goals were the result of bad Ironmen line changes.

The Ironmen scored the only goal of the third period with a power play marker with 4:10 on the clock. Robert Burrows tipped a Craig Ahlstrom point shot after some nice puck movement between Ahlstrom and his defense partner Steve Meadows breaking the Eagles shutout.

This was a far better effort from the Eagles than the 8-1 drubbing they were handed by the men of metal in the pre-season. This time, the Eagles possessed more firepower and the Ironmen didn't show up with their 'A' game. When the Ironmen did get chances, it seemed the puck just wasn't bouncing their way, whether it was a goal post being hit or a nice pass that bounced at the last minute, nothing much went right for the guys in red this night. The Ironmen fore-check took the night off as the Eagles easily transitioned the play out of their own zone, usually with a one pass to a forward leaving the zone with speed. The Eagles were full value for a 4-0 lead after two periods as a flurry of odd-man rushes and in cold chances did the Ironmen in.

The Ironmen were able to muster a few good chances throughout the game but as mentioned, the bounces just weren't there for them. A more forceful fore-check may have helped. So too, would a little less running around in their own zone with the pressure on. Other than that, there just weren’t a lot of bright spots for the Ironmen to hold on to after this one. David Toyoda played a solid game in net, though he was visibly upset by a rebound goal he obviously wanted back. With plenty of kinks still to work out, the 1-1 Ironmen won't hit the ice again until Oct. 2nd against the Pirates.

Luc Trois Etoiles

Newcomer Ralph Steen had a four point night in the 4-0 win over Gang Green.

Greens Prove Env-Ironmen-Tally Friendly
September 19, 2006

By Luc LaRouche
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ Pardon me while I rant, but GREEN UNIFORMS? Nobody in hockey ever amounted to anything wearing green. Yuck. Hey, how many Stanley Cups did the California Golden Seals win? How'd those Hartford Whalers make out? The Minnesota Wild...there's a fearsome powerhouse for ya. There are some serious fashion issues going on here and the Gang Green are at the top of the list. There is only one thing to do to a team that looks like Martians and that's to shut them out 4-0, which the Ironmen did on Tuesday night. David Toyoda could have gone out for dinner AND drinks after the opening face-off and still got back in time to face his first shot on goal. It was that kind of night. Nothing much happened at the Ironmen end of the rink and when there was some action the defensive crew proved more than capable of taking care of business. Gang Green could only muster 9 shots on Toyoda in the game. The usually productive McEachern-Makarowski-Kelly line didn't get the bounces tonight as apparently the ice was in less than stellar condition. However, the line of Rob Scott, Steve Coon and Ralph Steen had no such issue as they combined for 8 points. Steen and Coon in particular had outstanding nights offensively with 7 points between them.

Rob Scott opened the scoring 2:24 in after converting a Todd Fraser shot from the point. Ralph Steen collected the second assist. A nasty collision in the Gang Green goal crease followed shortly after when Dan Riley collided with the goalie, who laid on the ice injured for several minutes but to his credit, was able to continue. Luckily, it was Riley and not big Ralph Steen crashing the net as the mini me goalie would have been sent through the end boards.

The Ironmen took a 1-goal lead into period two and Gang Green kept the game close in spite of their lack of offense. Finally with 2:33 left in the second period Steve Coon gave the Ironmen a 2-goal cushion courtesy of a nice set-up from Ralph Steen. Some heads-up hockey led to the third Ironmen goal that came as time expired in the 2nd period. Steve Meadows grabbed a loose puck deep in his zone and with time running down he head manned the puck up the boards to Steve Coon who wasted no time in throwing it over to an open Ralph Steen. Steen banged the puck in the net for the buzzer beater. Just a great play by all involved and it shows how much the team is improving.

The Ironmen showed no signs of losing the 3-goal lead as the 3rd period wore on and with just over 5 minute remaining, the dreaded Steen and Coon combination struck again with Steen banging in a puck from close range on a nice set up by Coon. Steen (2 g - 2 a) and Coon (1 g - 2 a) showed some nice chemistry together and on nights when the Neil, Rick and Brent line are also putting pucks in the net...watch out. Overall, the Ironmen played a sound defensive game and rarely got in trouble. The Gang Green, while not blessed with much offensive talent, also battled hard and if not for the offensive dominance of the Steen-Scott-Coon line this game could have had a much different result. Also of the note is the fact that the Ironmen continue to improve on the penalty front. A first period slash by Craig Ahlstrom was the only penalty taken by the team, who in the past were notorious for ill-timed and unnecessary penalties. Things are looking up as the Ironmen open the 2006-2007 season with a win and will look to add another as they take on The Eagles on Sept 24th at 7:00 pm.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Steve Coon

La Deuxième Etoile - Ralph Steen

La Troisième Etoile - Jerry Franko

Brent Kelly recorded his 300th career point. Kelly is the second Ironmen player to record 300 career points.

Ironmen Throw Game Overboard To Pirates
September 15, 2006

By Luc LaRouche & Brent Kelly
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ Our Metal friends hit a bit of a speed bump Friday Night against the Pirates after playing near perfect hockey in their previous outing. The Pirates skated to victory, breaking a 2-2 tie and dominating play in the 3rd period. The Ironmen seemed just a step behind the Pirates most of the game and couldn't seem to get the fore-check going the way it was the game before. There were also far too many odd man situations and opponents getting behind the defensemen for the easy chance on goal. Gerry McPeake, making his Ironmen debut in goal, faced a lot of quality shots and did a good job holding the Ironmen in the game for the first 2 periods. In the end, the Pirates proved too much to handle on this night.

The Pirates opened the scoring at the 6:33 mark using the old 'sneak behind the defense after coming out of the penalty box' ploy. The Pirate forward seemed to be caught deep in Ironmen territory by Steve Meadows but he turned the veteran D man inside out and cut to the net, out-waited McPeake and slammed the puck in the open side. The Pirates took a 1-0 lead into period two.

The Ironmen battled back to tie the score at the 12:35 mark on an awesome play by Rick Makarowski. Brent Kelly threw the puck across to Makarowski, who barely avoided an offside while pushing the puck past a defender at the blue line. He sped in on goal and buried his 3rd goal of the season. If I were Jim Hughson I'd have yelled out something like "stick a feather in his cap and call it Makarowski!!!"...or not. Brent Kelly recorded his 300th career point with the assist. Kelly is the second Ironmen player to record 300 career points. The Pirates regained the lead three minutes later to make it a 2-1 game. The Ironmen would get a chance to pull even before the period concluded when the Pirates were called for tripping with 1:23 remaining in the period. The Ironmen power play went to work and cashed in on the man advantage a minute later when Neil McEachern potted his first of the season. Rick Makarowski picked up the only assist.

The Pirates got a power play opportunity of their own early in the third period and wasted little time notching the go-ahead goal. It only took 13 seconds with the man advantage for the Pirates to restore their lead. The Ironmen were unable to get the equalizer and eventually surrendered two late third period goals to put the comeback out of reach.

The Ironmen are back in action on Tuesday, September 19th at 8:15 pm when they take on Gang Green to open the regular season.

Luc Trois Etoiles

La Première Etoile - Neil McEachern

La Deuxième Etoile - Rick Makarowski

La Troisième Etoile - Gerry McPeake

Rick Makarowski scored two goals and added an assist for the Ironmen in the 8-1 win over the Eagles.

Ironmen Come Out Pumping To Start Year 10
September 8 , 2006

By Luc LaRouche
DELTA, British Columbia (CP) ------ Statement games don't usually occur in a season-opening exhibition tilt but the Ironmen left no doubt that it's game on with a very impressive butt kicking on Friday night. Using the undermanned Eagles as their own punching bag, they rolled to an 8-1 victory. Bolstered by a few new additions (and subtractions, I might add) the Ironmen were able to roll three solid forward lines and two very solid defensive pairings. The line changes were crisp and disciplined and everyone looked fresh the whole game. Then again, it's hard not to be fresh when the game is being played at only one end of the ice.

It was one of the newest Ironmen that opened the season's scoring on a first period power play. Some nice puck movement by Rick Makarowski and Brent Kelly (fresh on the heels of successful back surgery) allowed newcomer Ralph Steen to move in from the point and wire a shot past the goalie for a 1-0 lead at 13:10. The Eagles tied the game soon after on a fluke goal thus capitalizing on the only time the Ironmen failed to make the appropriate line change all game long. That lapse in judgment resulted in some confusion around the Ironmen goal crease leading to a centering feed that tricked through a scrum and beat David Toyoda.

The game remained tied through much of the 2nd period before a gift giveaway by an Eagles defensemen allowed Rick Makarowski to motor in alone and show great patience in stuffing a forehand deke over the goalie. The unassisted goal with five minutes and change left in the 2nd frame signaled the opening of the floodgates. Just over two minutes later the Ironmen would take a 3-1 lead on nice passing play as Robert Burrows smartly spotted an open Craig Ahlstrom at the point. Ahlstrom then fed a great pass to Todd Fraser who, in spite of missing every Sunday Night Hockey session, made no mistake in banging it home. That goal was quickly followed by an unassisted goal by Paul Savage who took advantage of yet another Eagles giveaway and put the Ironmen up 4-1 going into the 3rd period.

The break between periods did nothing to slow down the red and white machine as they came out gunning once again. New recruit Steve Coon scored after yet another flurry in the Eagles end less than a minute into the 3rd. Paul Savage picked up the lone assist. Before I had a chance to stop raving about that goal in my notes, I looked up to see none other than Robert Burrows bury his first of the season. Seeing Burrows score has got to mean the stars are well aligned for the men of metal this season. Todd Fraser and Dan Riley assisted on the goal which made it 6-1. Were it not for the efforts of the Eagles goaltender, we could be talking about double digits for the Ironmen by now. Things settled down a bit for a few minutes as the Eagles actually managed to get over the Ironmen blue line a couple of times but still were no great threat to scratch up the nice clean ice in front of David Toyoda. The Ironmen struck for a 7th time with five minutes left in the 3rd as Neil McEachern fed Steve Meadows at the point. Meadows' low shot was stopped but Rick Makarowski was in perfect position to pop the rebound in the unguarded side of the net. The firing squad continued with chance after chance before Rob Scott (#93 has never looked so determined) finished off the assault, scoring the final goal of the night from Trevor Williams and Steve Coon. According to the shot clock the Ironmen out shot the Eagles 38-13. I think that count is being very kind to the Eagles, as I am certain that the men of metal topped 40 shots, while I would be surprised if David Toyoda faced 10 shots in the Ironmen nets.

It is with guarded optimism that I say the following: the Ironmen now look like a hockey team! I know, I know...I've said that before following a game only to have the entire team implode for a wide variety of reasons. I know by this time next week I could be wiping egg off my face, although I'd prefer to have it licked off slowly by one of the honeys in the bar upstairs.... grrrrrowl...but I digress. I can't say enough about the quick accurate puck movement and disciplined, efficient rolling of lines from the Ironmen tonight. It wasn't as if the Eagles didn't have any talent on their side. It was just that the Ironmen played a much better team game. The forecheck was persistent and purposeful, never just arbitrarily running around. The defense was less busy but they rarely let the Eagles attack amount to anything when they crossed the Ironmen blue line. And when was the last time you've heard this said after a game: every player dressed for the Ironmen (with the exception of the goaltender) registered at least 1 point. The answer is never, because that rarity has never occurred in the team's history. That is something to be proud of and bodes very well for the future as the 10th and most promising looking season of Ironmen hockey continues with another exhibition game Friday Sept. 15th at 7pm.