Comparable in speed and size, defending champs Irish Shamrocks and the Iroquois Silverhawks played a fast paced, high tempo match. Shots on goal were precise and passing of the nifty variety.

The differences: 1) The Iroquois ability to minimize the Irish’s smooth, flowing offensive breakout style through neutral zone pass interceptions, both along the ice and through the air. Silverhawk defenders batted them down frequently, leading to turnovers and rushes going the opposite way. Iroquois back checking also stalled their opponent’s progress.

The Iroquois’ transition game (from intercepting passes to the offensive rush) was aided by their speed and shooting accuracy, resulted in a noticeable shots-on-goal advantage through the first 2 periods.

2) Penalties, and the ability of the Silverhawks to take advantage of their power play opportunities. Their first 2 goals were scored on pretty pass plays made possible by good puck control. Cecil Hill snapped a Ryan Martin-centering pass from behind-the-net into the top corner in period 1. The winning goal was a Mario Lemieux special with Ryan Davis sliding a cross ice pass from right defense to Cam Patterson at the left face off circle whose one-timer whistled in on the short side.

Still, the Irish were far from out it. The champs generated numerous scoring chances from crisp passing plays and their ability to cycle the puck. Defenseman and team captain J.R. Holmes made several splendid moves to keep the puck inside the Silverhawks blue line, particularly during Shamrock powerplays. However, a very cool and collected Iroquois goaltender made the necessary saves and rebounds were few.

The Shamrocks’ Darryl Dean scored a highlight reel goal of his own taking a deep centering pass from his winger, after streaking in from his defense position, to wrist a bullet high to the blocker side.

Late in the game, with the Irish pressing, Silverhawk Cam Patterson scored his second with an empty netter. ***Be sure to delete the above text (including this line) before continuing.