Summer 2003

      Summer-2003 season summary.
      It was the 5th season with the Pacific Hockey Association for the Hammerheads during which a lot of things have happened for the first time in team's history.

      First of all, the Hammerheads participated in C+ division for the first time. After dominating in C conference previous two seasons the Hammerheads had to fight for points every game at this higher level of play. And for the first time the team didn't win the regular season finishing in second place (but just one point behind the Cobras). Later in the playoffs the Hammerheads suffered their first playoff loss and missed the finals first time ever.

      Nevertheless, the season brought some positives as well. The competition was at a level the Hammerheads never encountered before. The roster mostly stayed in tact compared to the previous season and there are minimal changes foreseen going into the next one. Such stability in the roster created a very friendly and enjoyable environment in the Hammerheads' dressing room and on the ice.

      Team stats for Summer-2003 season. With a winning record of 8-7-1 the Hammerheads finished second, one point behind the Cobras and ahead of both the Black and Blues and the Ice Cutters. The Hammerheads scored 82 goals - more than any other team in the conference, but also allowed the highest number of goals against - 76. The goal difference was at positive 6, which appeared to be the best among the 4 teams.
      The Hammerheads scored 7 power play goals on 44 attempts, which converts to not so impressive 16% power play effectiveness. In addition, the team allowed 6 short-handed goals making it questionable if power play is beneficial at all? :-)
      The penalty kill was even worse at 75% (7 goals were allowed on 28 penalties). Twice the Hammerheads scored while playing a man short.

      Players stats for Summer-2003 season.
      After leading the Hammerheads for a second consecutive season in every scoring category Subra Narayan was voted the team's Most Valuable Player. His numbers are impressive: 17 goals and 18 assists for a total of 35 points in 15 games this summer. And this time around he also impressed everyone by leading the team in penalty minutes with 8 after playing the previous two seasons penalty-free.
      Ryan Limaye was the only other player beside Subra to score more than 10 goals and collect more than 20 points on the season. Playing in 13 games he scored as many times and added 15 assists for a total of 28 points. Ryan remained all-time leading scorer of the club passing a 100-goal milestone All this offensive strength is combined with Ryan's gentlemen play - he didn't commit a single penalty for the third consecutive season (at least 52 games)!
      After missing the previous 3 championship games, Ken Anstey has to wait another season - even though he was ready for the final the Hammerheads failed to make it. But as long as Ken can repeat his offensive output of summer-2003 (6 goals, 13 assists, 19 points) there is a good chance for the Hammerheads to fulfill his dream :-) During this season Ken passed a 125-points milestone and remained the all-time Hammerheads leader in assists with 87. His experience and coaching advice are invaluable for the club.
      After recording an assist in the playoff game, Jon Luong moved into the third place among the goal creators on the team. With 14 assists and 5 goals he also shared the third place with Ken in total points (19). Playing on the line with Ryan and Subra, Jon completed the most offense-producing trio of the team. Jon became the only Hammerheads forward to improve his stats from the previous season - 19 points in 14 games in summer-2003 vs. 18 points in 17 games in winter-2002.
      Brent Jenkins is one of the two players on the Hammerheads who played all 17 games this summer. Tireless forward recorded 18 points (7+11) ranking him 5th on the team. Brent has also played a penalty-free game for a second season in a row.
      Nine goals by Craig Wallace is the third best this season on the Hammerheads. 5-game goal scoring streak by Craig at the beginning of the season helped the Hammerheads to a good start. The line of Craig - Ken - Brent did a lot of damage in the offensive zone tiring the opposition with precise passing and scoring timely goals.
      Tom Carmony joined the Hammerheads 5 games down the stretch and immediately added some power to the offensive force of the team. In 12 games he collected 12 points including one hat trick. Tom also established team's longest point-scoring streak of the season at 7 games. He is one of the 4 Hammerheads players who didn't have any penalties this season.
      Playing in his second season for the Hammerheads Dennis Millstein became the best scoring defenseman on the team recording 2 goals and totaling 11 points. One of the most reliable blue-liners has to be called for a penalty yet - in 30 games that span two seasons he has never visited the "Bad Boys" box.
      Limited to 10 games due to his military duty, Rich Brezovec was only one point short (7) from repeating his previous season offensive output (but back then he played 13 games). Smartly using his size and power he created a number of scoring chances by placing himself in front of the opponent's net.
      Roman Gendler captained the Hammerheads for the 5th straight time. Playing on the defense he finished with 7 points (2+5) scoring the only Hammerheads' goal in the playoff game against the Black and Blues.
      6 points by Ralph Pursifull is 3 times more than he had in the previous season. Stay-at-home defenseman scored one goal as well. Along with Subra and Jeff Brezovec, Ralph shared a win in the "Tough Guy" competition this season with 8 minutes in penalties.
      Jeff Brezovec has played in all 17 games this summer (and in all 18 games last winter). His streak of consecutive games played has reached 37 and with a total of 84 games Jeff is the all-time leader on the Hammerheads. Jeff scored 2 goals and assisted 3 times.
      George Schroder spent his first season with the Hammerheads shifting back and forth between the defense and the offense. Nevertheless, George scored 2 goals and assisted once.
      Playing in only 8 games Robert Chen was the 5th regular defenseman on the Hammerheads. He scored one goal and added one assist.
      Goaltending by Mike Chicas helped the Hammerheads to finish the season with a winning record for a 5th time in a row. In 10 games he had 4 wins and a tie. At the end of the season Mike faced 1000th shot as the Hammerheads goalie.
      Russell Layton subbed for the Hammerheads in 8 games. Speedy forward scored 8 goals including a 4-goal outburst against the Cobras. With 4 assists he recorded a total of 12 points on the season.
      Mike Phipps was a reliable back up for Mike Chicas in goals. In 6 games for the Hammerheads he celebrated a win 4 times versus 2 losses.

      The Hammerheads wish to everyone to have a nice off-season and come back full of strength and desire to play on October 12, 2003, when the winter season starts.

      September 10, 2003. Playoff game 1. Hammerheads - Black and Blues 1:4
      Hammerheads' troubles continued in the playoffs as well. In the last four games of the regular season that don't include meetings against the roster-depleted Cobras the Hammerheads scored more than 2 goals only once. This problem of putting a puck into the net despite having a good number of skilled forwards showed once again and at the worst possible time.
      As far as the game goes, the Black and Blues jumped to an early lead 2-0. Before the first period ended the Hammerheads were able to trim the deficit to a minimum on Roman Gendler's goal assisted by Jon Luong. In the second, the Hammerheads continued to pressure trying to get an equalizer but with no success. At the mid-point of the last period the Hammerheads allowed a soft goal on a screened shot, which basically removed a question about the outcome of the game. Even a later power play opportunity worked against the Hammerheads, who allowed a short-handed goal, 6th this season!

      Well, the Hammerheads' season has ended. But the new one - Winter-2003 - starts in one month. Meanwhile, come back to the Hammerheads web site to check on the Summer-2003 Season Summary as well as the off-season transfer news.

HIGHLIGHTS:
The Hammerheads registeres a record-low number of shot on goal at only 13.
Jeff Brezovec played in his 37 game in a row matching the second longest streak for consecutive games played (see club records page)! Unfortunately, it was probably Jeff's last game for the Hammerheads. After 5 seasons with the club he has decided to take some time off. Jeff has stepped on the ice in Hammerheads uniform 84 times - more then anyone else in the team's history! Playing on the defense he scored 18 goals while assisting 17 times!

      August 27, 2003. Game 16. Hammerheads - Ice Cutters 2:5
      For the third consecutive time the Hammerheads failed to beat the Ice Cutters. And it's not surprising - the Ice Cutters is the best team of the C+ conference in the second half of the season. They gained at least a point in their last 8 games collecting 12 out of 15 total points in the second half. Going into the playoffs they present a real threat to any team.
      The loss left the Hammerheads in second place in the conference. It is the first time in team's history the Hammerheads didn't win the regular season competition. But it's also the first time the team played in the higher C+ conference. The Hammerheads finished ahead of 5-time C+ conference participant Black and Blues and Ice Cutters who advanced into this division along with the Hammerheads. The Cobras became the winners of the regular season thanks to their strong play at the start of the tournament; the roster problems at the end could have cost them a division title.
      The two Hammerheads goals were scored by Subra Narayan (unassisted) and Ryan Limaye (assisted by Dennis Millstein and Brent Jenkins).

      In the second game of the night the Black and Blues outscored the Cobras 4:3 and moved into the 3rd place securing the first round meeting against the Hammerheads. The Cobras and the Ice Cutters will compete in the other playoff game to advance into the final
.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Ice Cutters scored their first two goals at the end of the first period within an 8-second span, which is the fastest two goals the Hammerheads ever allowed.
Tom Carmony's point-scoring streak stopped at 7 games. Ryan Limaye extended his point-scoring streak to 6 games.

The Hammerheads scored more goals (82) than other 3 teams in the conference :-) but they also allowed more goals (76) than anyone else :-( Powerful offense compensated for defensive mistakes and secured a winning record of 8-7-1 in a 16-game season.

      August 20, 2003. Game 15. Hammerheads - Cobras 12:6
      Only four players were accounted for all 12 goals by the Hammerheads. Subra Narayan led the scoring with 4 goals, Tom Carmony and Russell Layton followed him with hat tricks, and Ryan Limaye deposited the other two pucks into the Cobras net. In the assist columns Ryan was first with 5, Ken Anstey was next with 4, Dennis Millstein and Subra were part of the celebration 3 times each, Tom Carmony did it twice and Brent Jenkins once. For the night the Hammerheads accumulated a total of 30 points.
      At the start of the game nothing was indicating that it would end in double digits. After the first period the Hammerheads were ahead 3:1, but only three minutes into the second the Cobras tied the score. Hammerheads pulled ahead one more time on what the Cobras answered with a pair of goals and claimed the lead of their own (5:4). But it wasn't for long - the second period ended with the Hammerheads infront 6:5.
      In the third period, the shortage of the players on Cobra's bench finally showed. Tired, they failed to mount much of a resistance to still striving Hammerheads allowing 6 goals while scoring only one.
      With the win the Hammerheads secured the second place in the conference. At the same time they moved just one point behind the Cobras and have a chance to sneak into the first at the very end of the season. A win in the last game against the Ice Cutters combined with a Cobra's loss to the Black and Blues can move the Hammerheads to the top of the standings. Will that happen?.. Come see both games next week.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Tom Carmony's point-scoring streak reached 7 games - longest this season!
Second time in team's history 3 players scored at least 3 goals each in the same game. The only other time was on Feb.17, 2002 when four players had hat tricks in a win against the Crimson Death 16:2.
Five assists in a game by Ryan Limaye match a club record. Seven points in a game by both Ryan and Subra Narayan are one point short of the record.
Last goal of the game scored in a short-handed situation by Subra Narayan was 500th goal by the Hammerheads in their 5 seasons with PHA!

      August 13, 2003. Game 14. Hammerheads - Ice Cutters 1:3

      The Hammerheads were unable to create any dangerous offense against the short-benched Ice Cutters. Spending most of the time in the offensive zone they combined for only 23 shots on net that were easily stopped by the opposing goaltender who played flawlessly. Going 0 for 4 with a man advantage didn't help the Hammerheads as well while the Ice Cutters cashed in on one of the two power play attempts of their own. The Hammerheads were able to avoid a shutout when Tom Carmony won a battle along the boards behind the net, Ryan Limaye picked up a loose puck and passed it across the crease to Rich Brezovec who deposited it easily into the half-open net for his second goal in as many games.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Tom Carmony extended his point-scoring streak to 6 games! He needs to record a point in the next game to establish the longest streak this season. Ken Anstey is the other player who had a 6 games point-scoring streak earlier in a season.
Hall of Fame updates:
      - Mike Chicas played in his 50th game for the Hammerheads! In these 50 games he faced 999 shots and stopped 867 of them for 0.868 save percentage!

      July 31, 2003. Game 13. Hammerheads - Black and Blues 5:4

      It was the 5th (and the last) meeting of the regular season between these two rivals. The previous four games were very close - only once the Hammerheads outscored the Black and Blues by 2 goals. This time around was not much different.
      The Hammerheads jumped to an early lead on goals by Jeff and Rich Brezovecs. But a few minutes later the Black and Blues evened the score within a 21-second span. Nevertheless the Hammerheads finished the first period ahead thanks to a goal by Subra Narayan.
      In the second period teams traded power play goals (Craig Wallace for the Hammerheads) but before the final intermision the Black and Blues were able to get another equilizer. The game winner was scored by Brent Jenkins half way into the final period.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Tom Carmony is riding a 5-game point-scoring streak!
Jeff Brezovec and Brent Jenkins remained the only 2 Hammerheads to play in every game this season.
Subra Narayan is the overall leader on the Hammerheads team. He is first in goals, assists, and points (of course). And he is first in penalty minutes as well :-).

      July 23, 2003. Game 12. Hammerheads - Cobras 13:2

      The only 5 Cobra players that showed up for the game could not mount any resistance to the determined Hammerheads. The Cobra's goaltender lost interest in defending the net after the first period as well. After two 20-minute running time periods the game was called. In short, a lack of players on Cobra's bench basically ruined the game by eliminating any competition from their side. It wasn't a fun game for both teams.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Tom Carmony opened scoring 33 seconds into the game, which is the fastest goal by the Hammerheads this season. At that point of the game you can assume the Cobras were still fresh. Check out the Hammerheads club records page to find out who scored the fastest goal in team history.
The other Hammerheads goals were by Russell Layton (4), Subra Narayan (3), Brent Jenkins (2), George Schroder, Craig Wallace, and Jon Luong.
Hall of Fame updates:
      - Subra Narayan recorded 50th assist in Hammerheads uniform!

      July 16, 2003. Game 11. Hammerheads - Ice Cutters 1:8

      The game was predecided before it started. The Hammerheads appeared to be without their goalie Mike Chicas and the only question the game could resolve was how many goals they can limit the Ice Cutters to. Well, the answer is 8. The only goal the short-benched Hammerheads could master was on a turn-around shot by Ralph Pursifull from a nice feed by Ken Anstey. That goal capped the first-period scoring and left the Hammerheads trailing only 1:2 after 15 minutes.
      In the last 7 minutes of the game the Cobra's goalie came out to help the Hammerheads. The score at that point was already 1:8 and didn't change any more.

HIGHLIGHTS:
According to the scoresheet, the Hammerheads outshot the Ice Cutters 31 to 14. Well, 8 of the 14 shots by the Cutters ended up in the Hammerheads empty net.
Hall of Fame updates:
      - Roman Gendler played in his 75th game for the Hammerheads! He is the second player to reach such a plateau (after Jeff Brezovec).

      July 9, 2003. Game 10. Hammerheads - Black and Blues 7:5

      For the first time in four attempts the Hammerheads have beaten the Black and Blues in regulation time. And as it was expected the game was very close until the very end. The first two periods ended in a 4:4 tie. As far as scoring goes, both periods were identical. At the start of each, the Hammerheads pulled ahead by a goal (Ryan Limaye in the first and Subra Narayan in the second) but then the Black and Blues not only equaled the score but also claimed the lead of their own. And twice with less than 2 minutes to play in a period the Hammerheads scored the equalizer (Russell Layton - 1st period, and Dennis Millstein - 2nd).
      At the end of the second period the Black and Blues had a chance to go ahead when the penalty shot was awarded for throwing a stick at the puck by the Hammerheads goaltender Mike Phipps. Well, Mike won the duel and preserved a tied score after 30 minutes of play.
      In the last 15 minutes of the game the Hammerheads have finally erupted. First, Tom Carmony put a rebound into the net and then twice Subra sprinted away from the Blues' defense on the breakaways to complete his 7th career hat-trick.
      With the win the Hammerheads remained in the 2nd place and increased their lead over the Black and Blues to 3 points.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Subra Narayan's hat-trick is the second by the Hammerheads this season. His last two goals were 56 seconds apart, which are the fastest two goals scored by the same player in summer-2003!
Tom Carmony and Russell Layton scored their first goals for the Hammerheads!
Hall of Fame updates:
      - Ryan Limaye reached a new level in all three scoring categories. In 69 games with the Hammerheads he scored 100 goals and recorded 75 assists for a total of 175 points!!! This achievement translates into an average of 2.5 points per game!
      - Subra Narayan reached his milestones in 2 scoring categories: 50 goals and 100 points in 40 games for the Hammerheads! Here is another 2.5 points per game average!

      June 25, 2003. Game 9. Hammerheads - Cobras 4:8

      Mike Phipps didn't have a good night in the net for the Hammerheads. He kept fighting the puck the whole night allowing 6 goals on shots from around the blue line. Some of them were like cannon blasts but some were harmless dump-ins that trickled into the net between Mike's pads.
      On the other side of the rink, the Hammerheads put enough pressure on the short-benched Cobras but were not able to compensate for all of their own mistakes due to a reliable play by the opponent's goaltender and defense. The four goal scorers were Dennis Millstein, Subra Narayan, Craig Wallace, and Brent Jenkins. Ralph Pursifull and Russell Layton had 2 assists each.

HIGHLIGHTS:
The loss to the Cobras is the largest by the Hammerheads this season :-(
2 goals in the second period during a 13-second span were the fastest two goals allowed by the Hammerheads :-(
Hall of Fame updates:
      - Brent Jenkins became the third player to score 50 goals for the Hammerheads!
      - Ralph Pursifull recorded his 25th point with the club!

      June 11, 2003. Game 8. Hammerheads - Ice Cutters 5:4

      This game had a very familiar scenario for the Hammerheads - quick and easy lead at the beginning and struggle to protect it the rest of the time. After the first seven minutes the Hammerheads have built up a 3:0 lead on a pair of goals from Jon Luong and solo strike by George Schroder. But by the end of the first period the score was already 3:2. After a scoreless second period the game could still go either way. Twice the Hammerheads pulled forward by two goals (Ryan Limaye and Jeff Brezovec) in the last period but both times the Ice Cutters came back within one. The final attempt by the Ice Cutters to even the score by substituting a goalie with an extra player wasn't successful and the Hammerheads salvaged the victory that moved them into a second place in the standings.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Two minor penalties in the game moved Ralph Pursifull into the third place on the all-time list with a total of 40 PIM.
The Hammerheads didn't allow a goal in the last 9 penalty killing situations (5 games span). At the same time they didn't score a goal in the last 8 power play attempts (4 games span).
Hall of Fame updates:
      - Jeff Brezovec became the first player to play 75 games for the Hammerheads! In five seasons with the club he missed only 3 games!

      June 4, 2003. Game 7. Hammerheads - Black and Blues 1:2

      It was a frustrating loss for the Hammerheads. With almost a full roster, the Hammerheads struggled the whole game to put the puck into the net. The chances were there but they were not realized. Breakaways, odd-man rushes, almost empty net shots - all of these didn't translate into goals. The only time the Hammerheads scored was after a backhander by Ken Anstey from the bottom of the right circle. That goal came at the end of the second period and cut the deficit to only one goal (1:2). But the Hammerheads failed to carry a momentum into the third period and were outshot by the opponent 8-13 in the last 15 minutes. If not for a strong play by the netminder Mike Chicas who stopped a couple of breakaways on his own the score could have been worse.
      The loss dropped the Hammerheads into the third place and moved the Black and Blues into the second. Only one point separates the two teams in the standings.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Ken Anstey extended his point-scoring streak to 6 games.
The Hammerheads lost two consecutive games for the first time since June 2002.
It was the first time this season the Hammerheads allowed less than 4 goals in a game.

      May 28, 2003. Game 6. Hammerheads - Cobras 4:6

      Even with Ken Anstey’s return to the lineup and 4-point night, the Hammerheads were not up to the task of beating the first place Cobras. The game was close and saw lead changes a few times but in the end with just over a couple of minutes, the Hammerhead lapsed and let the Cobras get two quick goals which cemented a 6-4 win. Mike Chicas was busy in the net stopping 21 of 27 shots. The Hammerheads only managed to get 21 shots, but they had some good scoring chances that they just were not able to capitalize on. In the end, with a short bench (some key Hammerheads were unable to make this game) and some unlucky breaks combined with a strong showing by the Cobras, the Hammerheads were unable to win this one.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Subra Narayan leads the Hammerheads this season not only in points but in penalties as well (with 6 PIM). For comparison, the previous 2 seasons he played a penalty-free game.
Tom Carmony and George Schroder recorded their first points in the Hammerheads uniform.
Hall of Fame updates:
      - With a 4-point outing Ken Anstey reached the 125-point level playing for the Hammerheads. Averaging almost 2.5 points a game it took him only 51 games to achieve this.

      May 21, 2003. Game 5. Hammerheads - Ice Cutters 9:4

      Led by 5 goals from Ryan Limaye the Hammerheads overpowered the short-benched Ice Cutters. Ryan, playing his first game after becoming a father to his newborn daughter, scored the first two goals of the game on his first two shifts. His linemates Subra Narayan and Jon Luong had a great night as well. Subra scored twice and assisted on 4 other goals while Jon recorded 4 assists of his own. Craig Wallace and Richard Brezovec had the other 2 goals for the Hammerheads, and Jeff Brezovec assisted 3 times.
      In the first period the Hammerheads outshoot the Ice Cutters 13-2 scoring 5 unanswered goals. But in the second, the Hammerheads fell a victim once again to the nagging problem they experience this season - keeping the lead. The Ice Cutters scored 3 consecutive goals erasing a huge lead the Hammerheads had after the first 15 minutes. By the end of the second period teams traded goals one more time and the third period started with a scoreboard showing 6:4.
      This time around the Hammerheads didn't have much trouble to preserve a win against tired Ice Cutters team. They scored 3 more times in the last period while not allowing any goals on their own end.

HIGHLIGHTS:
5 goals in a game by Ryan Limaye is the second best result in Hammerheads history! Actually, the record belongs to Ryan as well; he scored 6 times in a game against the Crimson Death back in winter-2001 season.
Jon Luong is on a 5-game point-scoring streak!
Tom Carmony played his first game for the Hammerheads! Welcome to the club!

      May 7, 2003. Game 4. Hammerheads - Black and Blues 5:5

      The second meeting of the season between the Hammerheads and Black and Blues was almost a repetition of their first game. The Hammerheads jumped to an early lead on goals by Roman Gendler and Ken Anstey. In second period, Robert Chen scored on the power play, then Craig Wallace found back of the net at even strength. At the start of the third, Subra Narayan extended the Hammerheads' lead to 5:1 but then an unexplainable happened. The Hammerheads could not mount any effective attacks while the Black and Blues applied some offensive pressure of their own. And with less than 2 minutes to go in the game the Black and Blues were able to erase a 4-goal deficit and tie the game.
      Last time the Hammerheads were able to get a winner in overtime but this time around the extra period went scoreless. Both the Hammerheads and the Blues had at least one chance each to leave the ice victorious but neither team was lucky enough. Although, you can say that the Blues were happy to get a point out of this game and the Hammerheads were disappointed when a win slipped out of their hands.

HIGHLIGHTS:
First two goals of the game by Roman Gendler and Ken Anstey are the fastest two goals scored by the Hammerheads this season so far (29 seconds apart).
Robert Chen in his first game this season scored one goal, assisted on another, and earned a minor penalty. This combination qualifies Robert for Gordie Howe hattrick (fighting is not allowed in PHA so it is substituted with a minor penalty)!
Hall of Fame updates:
      - Craig Wallace hit a double in this game: he scored his 50th goal and at the same time it was his 100th point as the Hammerhead! It took only 55 games for Craig to achieve this!
      - Jon Loung's assist was his 25th point in Hammerheads uniform!
      - Ken Anstey played his 50th game for the Hammerheads!

      April 30, 2003. Game 3. Hammerheads - Cobras 2:5

      The speedy Cobras jumped to a 2-0 lead after the first period. Early in the second, Ken Anstey cut the deficit in half (1:2) but a few minutes later the Cobras restored 2-goal difference on a power play. Then in the third, two quick shots within a span of 25 seconds by the Cobras put a game away. Ryan Limaye scored for the Hammerheads one more time with less than a minute left.

HIGHLIGHTS:
Ken Anstey, Ryan Limaye, Brent Jenkings, and Jon Luong are on the 3-game point-scoring streak.

      April 23, 2003. Game 2. Hammerheads - Ice Cutters 5:4

      The Ice Cutters had significant roster changes in the off-season loosing half of its players. That loss was well compensated by a merger with the diminished Jets that won the C+ conference championship last season. The name for the newly combined team remained the Ice Cutters though. The Hammerheads, on the other hand, kept their roster mostly intact - 13 out of 15 players stayed with the team.
      Both teams are the rookies in the C+ conference. Nevertheless they play a good quality hockey and are able to compete at this higher level. And in the first round both of them recorded a win against the old-timers of the C+ conference. So, the winner of this meeting faced an opportunity to become a lone leader in the standings at this early stage of the season.
      The Ice Cutters struck first by scoring a short-handed goal 5 minutes into the game. Midway through the first period Subra Narayan equaled the score. In second, Ken Anstey put the Hammerheads ahead after some nifty stick work and Ryan Limaye increased a lead to 2 goals with a nice shot deflection. But the Ice Cutters immediately came back within a goal. Goal by Craig Wallace gave the Hammerheads some breathing room but before the second period ended it was a one-goal game again.
      With 2,5 minutes to go in the third period Craig scored his second of the night on a power play making it 5-3. But within half a minute the Ice Cutters cashed in on their own power play opportunity. It seemed that the Hammerheads are starting to develop a tendency to loose a lead at the end of the game as it happened last week against the Black and Blues but this time they were able to withstand the final pressure from the Ice Cutters. The win moved the Hammerheads into a sole possession of the first place in the conference.

HIGHLIGHTS:
With 2 seconds left in a game Subra Narayan received his first minor penalty as the Hammerhead. He also scored and assisted in this game. Since the fighting is not allowed in this league the minor penalty combined with a goal and an assist qualifies Subra for Gordie Howe hattrick!
Special teams: The Hammerheads are not doing too good in such situations this season so far. They allowed 2 goals in 5 penalty kills while scoring only once in 8 power play attempts. In addition, there were 2 short-handed goals allowed!
Hall of Fame updates:
      - Richard Brezovec's assist on the first Hammerheads goal was his 25th career point!

      April 16, 2003. Game 1. Hammerheads - Black and Blues 6:5 (OT)

      Playing the first game that counted in C+ division the Hammerheads recorded their first win by defeating the Black and Blues in overtime. Jon Luong scored his second of the night with less than 3 minutes left in the extra period highlighting the Hammerheads celebration of the season opener.
      The Hammerheads were never trailing in this game. Craig Wallace opened a scoring on his first shift when only 48 seconds ticked by. In the second period Brent Jenkins scored twice and Ryan Limaye added an unassisted goal. At the start of the third period Jon extended the Hammerheads lead to 5-2 and it seemed that the game is over at this point. But to the credit of the Black and Blues they didn't give up and continued their desperate attacks mostly relying on the individual skills of their best player Mikhail Ulinich. And such tactic paid off when they tied the game with just 17 seconds to go in the third.
      
HIGHLIGHTS:

It was the 10th time the Hammerheads played the extra period. So far the record is 5 wins and 5 ties with no losses.
Hall of Fame updates:
      - Ken Anstey is the first Hammerhead to reach a new level in assists category - 75! It took him only 47 games to climb to such a record height in which he averaged 1.6 assist/game!
      - Craig Wallace became the 4th player with 50 (or more) assists!
      - Brent Jenkins has played in his 50th game as the Hammerhead!

      April 13, 2003. Pre-season game. Hammerheads - Cobras 3:6

      The Hammerheads were looking forward to this pre-season game to get a feeling on what it's like to play in C+ conference. And even though the result of the game is a loss the Hammerheads were satisfied with what they saw. The game pace is much higher at this level and the time you get to handle a puck is much shorter. The teamwork and good passing become more valuable than ever. All of that was missing in the Hammerheads' opponents last season, which basically eliminated a fun of competition.
      The Cobras outskated and outshot the Hammerheads in their first meeting. But the Hammerheads cannot complain about not having scoring chances on their own. They had enough opportunities to put a puck into the net but Cobras' netminder was on top of his game limiting the Hammerheads to only 3 goals. Craig Wallace, Jon Luong, and Ken Anstey were able to cash in. The Hammerheads defense, on the other hand, was having troubles with speedy Cobras' forwards allowing too many odd breaks.
      Well, the bottom line is that the Hammerheads can compete at this level. It will be tough and rough, it will require their best every night. But the Hammerheads are ready!

HIGHLIGHTS:

- George Schroder, the newest member of the Hammerheads, made his debut skating on the defense! Welcome to the club!