A Knight's Tale - "Tonight... We Ride!"
The Knights certainly do have a secret to their success. A balanced roster? Organized team who knows who is away each game to keep a good sized sideline of substitutes? Maybe its chemistry? But whatever your guess, the Knights are on a roll.
Front runner for the VFLL's Goalie of the Year Will Chiasson of the Knights faced Dan Ormiston of the Plugs who started the game for their respective teams with Alex Pocetti sharing the duties with Ormiston. Both teams' "D" were impenetrable early in the game making it easy for goalies to stop shots. The Knights opened the scoring with a pretty passing play between Parker Johnson and Adam Golia with Golia finding twine to make it 1-0. Then off the very next faceoff, the Plugs Cody Short using his off-hand rips mesh on Chiasson to tie the game. Both teams would score two more each in the frame and end the quarter at 3 a piece.
The Knights would control the 2nd quarter with Nick Preston (fresh off the IR), burying the first of the quarter for the team in gold. Then systematically every few minutes the Knights would score again, firing a total of six straight rocks into the 6x6 of the Plugs. The Plugs answered back with a single marker with a few seconds before half to make the score 9-4. The Knights Golia led the attack in the 2nd half burying three while Brayden Zunti potted two and Cole Christiaens one. The Plugs tried to answer back with James Spence firing three of his own in the last half but it wasn't enough as the league leaders showed why they were in first, securing the win for the armoured combatants; 15-8.
HeadCase Sportz Players of the Game:
Knights: Adam Golia
Plugs: Alex Pocetti
The second game of the evening saw the dramatically improved Phantom take on the bikini-slinging Goal Diggers in a tad bit of a cold evening. A lack of stick and ball control for both teams early created opportunities for both teams' attack as Brennan Cullen would score first for the 'Diggers. Then after freshly applying his Coppertone "Defend and Glow", the GD's Rylee Marsh would slip through a stack, snag a pass and bury not one, but two goals on similar plays to give the 'Diggers the comfortable lead. Rees Cullen would chip in with the last goal of the frame to make the score 4-0 heading into intermission.
The second quarter only saw the twine move twice, once by each team as the goaltenders were the star of the quarters. Halftime score was 5-1.
The third quarter saw Chris McAulay score an underhand shot to make it 5-2 but then Rees Cullen and Luke Violini got their suits on straight, putting two past Prokop to re-establish their five goal lead. To start the fourth quarter, the Phantoms' Tacho Garcia and newly signed Dane Gallant (Pacific Rim Class of 2009 - U19's) come out of retirement, each put a pebble past the Goal Diggers 'keeper to bring the score to 7-4 and bring some further excitement to their bench but alas, the GD's would rip the twine a couple more times to seal the deal 11-5.
HeadCase Sportz Players of the Game:
Phantom: T.J. Prokop
Goal Diggers: Luke Violini
*Next Game: Saturday February 11th @ 6pm (UVIC Field #3) with the Phantom taking on the Knights. No games on Super Bowl Sunday or the Family Day Weekend.