Joyce Salvages Slayers Tie With Undermanned Chill

Tony Joyce’s goal with 17 seconds remaining lifted the Sunnydale Slayers to a 10-10 tie with the Keane Chill Monday night. The goal came with goalie Graham Dodge pulled for an extra attacker, and after a fierce battle between Joyce and Chill defenseman Mike Griffiths, which ended with the ball going in just as the net fell to the floor. A brief argument ensued, but referee Richard Wanamaker ruled the goal would count.

Mike Hashem had given the Chill a 10-9 lead with his 3rd goal of the game with 45 seconds left, converting a nice feed from rookie Al MacMullen and beating Dodge to the glove side. Hashem and MacMullen had each scored twice in the first period to pace the Chill to a 5-1 lead after the opening period. But as the game wore on, the Chill, playing with only 3 subs, were outworked by the Slayers, who dressed a full 11-man squad. (“Hey, I’m not a man! What are you, blind?”, claimed Slayer forward Amy Scott).

Captain Gian Scalet’s second goal of the middle frame drew the Slayers to within one at 6-5 entering the third. A fine individual effort by Andrew Mercer restored the Chill's 2-goal lead, before Dan Frid’s two goals in less than a minute tied it, the first of which bounced straight out of the net after hitting the centre post. Wanamaker was blocked from seeing the shot, but after conferring with statskeeper David Watson allowed the goal to stand.

A shorthanded goal by Joyce on a nice clearing pass from Rene Aucoin put the Slayers in front, but a pair of goals by Mercer gave the Chill a 9-8 lead. Brennan MacDonald intercepted a pass and rifled a long shot home to tie the affair at 9-9, setting up Hashem’s and Joyce’s last minute goals.

Notes

Aucoin has 7 assists to lead the League. His previous career high was 6…The Slayers and Chill were the only teams not to tie more than one game last season…Scalet moved into a 6th-place tie on the all-time goals list with Shawn Currie. Both have 148…Mercer’s three goals allowed him to crack the Top 20 list, with 83 on his career…Tests after the game confirmed Scott is not a man.