It’s not even October and the Pacific Junior Hockey League is already serving up an intriguing early season match-up on Tuesday night in Ladner.
The league’s only two remaining undefeated teams in regulation time will collide at 7:35 p.m. when the Delta Ice Hawks entertain the North Vancouver Wolf Pack in a Tom Shaw Conference battle at the Ladner Leisure Centre.
The visitors now own a 4-0-0-1 record after a 5-2 home ice win over the Aldergrove Kodiaks on Saturday night. The Ice Hawks are still perfect at 5-0-0-0 following their impressive 5-2 road win against the Richmond Sockeyes last Thursday.
The Hawks rode the first star 32-save performance of goaltender Jordan Naylor to their most complete win of the season against their rivals who were coming off a 10-2 romp of Mission one night earlier.
Rookie blueliner Gabriel LeBlanc gave his team a 1-0 lead after 20 minutes. South Delta Minor product Eric Bourhill doubled the margin before Tyler Paterson put Richmond on the board. That’s when the Ice Hawks took control on three unanswered goals by Nathan Pelletier, Daniel Rubin and Isiah Hendricks to close out the period with a 5-1 lead.
The game was the first of four meetings this season between the cross-river rivals. The winner of the season series will receive the inaugural Battle of the Tunnel Cup. They will see each other again on Nov. 14 in Ladner.
The Hawks also stormed back last Tuesday to edge the much-improved Port Moody Panthers 4-3 in overtime.
Trailing 2-0 after 40 minutes, Jonathan Stein and Jordan Deyrmenjian put the hosts on even terms. The Panhers regained the lead before Bourhill equalized with 2:21 remaining.
Rubin then completed the comeback during the second overtime period that feature three-on-three hockey. Delta outshot Port Moody 40-21.
The Wolf Pack’s lone blemish was a 6-5 opening night overtime loss to Richmond as the Sockeyes rallied from a 5-2 third period deficit.
Tuesday’s game is expected to feature a showdown between two of the league’s top young goaltenders. Naylor, 17, has an impressive .932 save percentage. Wolfpack rookie Jonathan Holloway, 16, is right behind him at .926.
