Scoring by five different players and a strong defensive effort sparked the Sun Valley Suns men's senior amateur hockey team to a 3-1, 3-1 season-opening sweep of the McCall Mountaineers last weekend.
Power-play goals by Paul Baranzelli, Eric Demment and Ryan Enrico lifted the Suns (2-0) to Friday's 3-1 win at Manchester Ice Centre and Suns goalie Ryan Thomson made 28 saves in his 2006-07 debut.
Saturday, the Suns recorded single goals in each period—by Jamie Ellison, John Stevens and Enrico—and rode the 30-save performance of Colin Zulianello to another 3-1 triumph over the 2004 national 30-and-over champion Mountaineers.
Chris Benson, Suns coach, said, "It was a good opening weekend. We were solid in our own zone and both goalies played real well, making crucial saves each night. It looks promising for the season."
McCall played without its best player, former University of Maine and Idaho Steelheads star Cal Ingraham, who is rehabbing from a knee injury.
They were the lowest scoring games in the 22-game, four-season series between the two Idaho teams. It was Sun Valley's first win at McCall in two years and only the second time the Suns have swept at McCall. The Mountaineers still hold a 13-8-1 advantage in the rivalry but are now only 6-5-1 on the positive side on their home ice.
The Suns continue their 32nd season of competition Friday and Saturday, Dec. 15-16 with a two-game home weekend series against the Park City (Utah) Silver Kings at Sun Valley Skating Center.
McCall visits Sun Valley Dec. 29-30 for a big New Year's weekend series. Then the Suns have three home weekends of games in January 2007 interrupted by a trip to Jackson Hole, Wyo. for a rematch with the Moose Jan. 12-13.
Suns Hockey Summary
SUNS 3, MOUNTAINEERS 1
friday, dEC. 1
Sun Valley Suns 0 2 1 3
McCall Mountaineers 1 0 0 1
FIRST PERIOD—(1) McCall, Mike Hanson (unassisted), 8:01, shorthanded goal.
SECOND PERIOD—(2) SV, Paul Baranzelli 1 (Billy Tryder), 4:05, power play goal. (3) SV, Eric Demment 1 (Jon Duval), 9:30, power play goal.
THIRD PERIOD—(4) SV, Ryan Enrico 1 (Vilnis Nikolaisons, Ivars Muzis), 15:57, power play goal.
SHOTS ON GOAL—Sun Valley 13-14-12 for 39; McCall 11-8-10 for 29.
GOALIES—SV, Ryan Thomson (28 saves, 1-0-0 record); McCall, Tony Davenport (36 saves).
NOTES—Suns forward lines at McCall were Adam Swain-Ryan McDonald-Blake Jenson, Vilnis Nikolaisons-Jamie Ellison-Ryan Enrico, Jon Duval-Paul Cox-John Stevens, Scott Winkler-Billy Tryder-Trevor Thomas/D.W. Cook. The defensive pairs were Chris Warrington-Paul Baranzelli, Ivars Muzis-Eric Demment, Jamie James-Josh Jacobson....Scott Winkler cracked a rib in tonight's game and will be sidelined indefinitely....Newcomer Adam Swain played college lacrosse in Colorado. He is the brother of Wood River High School boys' soccer coach Farrell Swain.....McCall's Mountaineers, the 2004 national champion, placed second in the 2006 USA/Labatt Blue Hockey Adult Men's Non-Check Over 30 Division eight-team national championship tournament staged April 20-23 at Alltel Ice Den in Phoenix, Az. The Mountaineers went 3-0-0 winning their four-team pool with a 13-5 goals-against, then they beat 2005 national champion Phoenix Senior Coyotes in the semi-final game. But they ran up against a solid squad in the championship contest and fell 6-3 to the Lucent Technologies Hurricanes from West Bloomfield Hills, Mich. Winner of three of the past four national 18-and-over titles, the Lucent Hurricanes stepped up an age bracket this past winter and used the talents of former St. Louis Blues/Vancouver Canucks left wing Dave Roberts along with several former Michigan State Division 1 hockey players. They lost only five games all last winter.
SUNS 3, MOUNTAINEERS 1
SATURday, DEC. 2
Sun Valley Suns 1 1 1 3
McCall Mountaineers 0 0 1 1
FIRST PERIOD—(1) SV, Jamie Ellison 1 (Paul Baranzelli), 9:24.
SECOND PERIOD—(2) SV, John Stevens 1 (Jon Duval, Paul Cox), 14:53.
THIRD PERIOD—(3) SV, Ryan Enrico 2 (Ellison, Vilnis Nikolaisons), 4:05. (4) McCall, Derek Paget (Mike Hanson), 6:54, shorthanded goal.
SHOTS ON GOAL—Sun Valley 14-16-11 for 41; McCall 13-7-11 for 31.
GOALIES—SV, Colin Zulianello (30 saves, 1-0-0 record); McCall, Tony Davenport (38 saves).
NOTES—The Suns yielded only 2 shorthanded goals in 24 games last winter but gave up 2 shorthanded goals this weekend at McCall....McCall's Troy Edwards injured his knee in tonight's game and Dave Ingraham separated his shoulder this weekend....The Suns were 3-for-12 on the power play for the weekend and McCall was 0-for-12. Weekend penalty minutes were Sun Valley 32, McCall 52 including two misconducts.....In the last five games against McCall the Suns have enjoyed good success on the power play, going 9-for-31. In contrast, McCall has been 1-for-24 on the power play against the Suns penalty killers. Suns coach Chris Benson said, "Our penalty killers did a good job at McCall."
Suns center Jamie Ellison (dark jersey) takes a faceoff against former Idaho Steelheads captain Jeremy Mylymok of the McCall Mountaineers during last weekend?s season-opening men?s senior hockey series won by the visiting Suns 3-1, 3-1 at Manchester Ice Centre, McCall.
