By Michael Garbacz
Team Dustin Aigner 5, Team Pat Luckenbach 11
This year’s All-Star game featured a showdown between captains Dustin Aigner and the Pat Trick for a 16-minute-per-period tilt, with all the brightest stars on display. Team Dustin had its work cut out for it, as Team Pat came fully loaded with a 1-2 punch of the aforementioned Trick and the Smooth Criminal to boot. Although Team Dustin fought hard, its game coming together with a heavy forecheck, Team Pat was able to hold Team Dustin at arm’s length throughout by dint of superior skill. The Onancock Kid put in an All-Star yeoman’s work for Team Dustin, registering a hat trick and smilin’ like a butcher’s dog; Scott Millikin registered one goal and one assist; TR Hoyt buried one; Bradley Colona collected a pair of helpers; Sharkey Parks and La Boca each contributed one. For Team Pat, the captain sunk four battleships and threw in an apple; the Smooth Criminal put in a tidy two-goal, four assist effort; Preston Shover tickled the twine twice and twinned up on assists; James Haley and Ethan Ayer rang up a goal and an assist apiece; Gabe Nock put the biscuit in the basket; Zach Webb and Annika Fread each chipped in an apple.
Following the game were this year’s skills competition events: Goalie Rapid Fire, Shooter Accuracy, Shooter Breakaway, and Goalie Breakaway. In the Rapid Fire segment, goalies face three timed rounds of shooters launching shots from across the court; in Shooter Accuracy, shooters have six shots to hit as many targets as they can in as little time as possible; in the Breakaway competition, each goalie faces ten shooters in a penalty shot.
Goalie Rapid Fire: Brad Ford allowed only two goals in three rounds
Shooter Accuracy: Donnie Williams hit two targets in 16 seconds
Shooter Breakaway: TR Hoyt converted two goals on four attempts
Goalie Breakaway: Alex McCullough stoned every last shooter, no one scored.
ESSHL regular season action resumes Sunday, March 15 at 1:30 p.m. at Stapleton Rink in Parksley. Don’t forget to check out the website at www.esshl.org, and find ESSHL on Facebook.
