Southern Professional Hockey League 12/25
Seals Lay Holiday Pounding On Cyclones
KISSIMMEE, Fla. - As holiday hosts go, the Florida Seals did not roll out the hospitality wagon for the visiting Pee Dee Cyclones. Actually, with the number of times they light the goal light, the Cyclones goalies needed more suntan lotion for the backs of their necks.
Tim Vitek and Justin Keller scored twice apiece to lead the parade as the Seals put a 9-4 hum bugging on their guests from South Carolina.
"It was a good game for us. We needed to get back on track after the loss last night," Vitek, who also added two assists, said. "We're back and rolling again so that's good."
Smarting after a loss to Richmond the night before, the Seals wasted no time in starting the scoring fiesta. Just 51 seconds in, Kahlil Thomas and Keller broke out 2-on-1 with Thomas feeding a wide open Keller who beat Pee Dee goalie Guy St. Vincent easily. At the 4:20 mark, with Florida on a power play, Vitek took a feed from Steve Zoryk, slid out toward the front of the net and whipped a wrist shot past St. Vincent. Four minutes after that, Zoryk again fed Vitek who lit the lamp for his second of the game and a 3-0 Seals lead that they took into the first intermission.
"We just didn't show up," Pee Dee coach Mark Richards said. "We were awful tonight. That's all."
The onslaught continued in the second period. Craig Miller, back in the lineup after an injury, cashed in on a shorthanded opportunity, banking a shot in off St. Vincent to make it 4-0. Thomas followed two minutes later with another man advantage goal that pushed the margin to 5-0.
Goal number six belonged to Keller, who picked up the puck and sent one of his patented hard shots into the net. That ended St. Vincent's night as Matt LeDuc came on to play net. His luck was no better as Vitek sent Rob Sich in on a breakaway that Sich cashed in to make it 7-0. Pee Dee finally dented the armor of Florida net minder Matt Balser (30 saves) when SPHL Player of the Week Allan Sirois blasted a shot home. The Seals got that one right back when Chad Haacke continued his outstanding rookie season by tapping home a Ryan Coghlan pass. Daryl Moore finished the period by jamming home a rebound just before the buzzer to make it 8-2 going to the final stanza.
"We pounced on them early. The guys were hungry," Seals Coach Tommy Stewart said. "You don't want to get the guys greedy and get bad habits. That's what we talked about in between the first and second periods. We wanted to continue to dominate but have good habits and don't get point hungry or goal hungry. The team comes first before any individual."
The Seals pushed the lead back to seven goal 30 seconds into the third when Dan Pszenyczny's drive from the point deflected off a Cyclones defender and past LeDuc. Pee Dee scored two late goals, one by Brian Boike on a power play and the other by Sirois with 1:15 remaining to account for the final.
"We're just starting to roll here," Stewart said about his team's play of late. "I expect great things here in the second half."
The Seals are off for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day before heading to Columbus, Georgia to take on the Cottonmouths on Tuesday, December 26 at 7:30 p.m.
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Southern Professional Hockey League 12/25
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