Wednesday, December 19, 2007

Swain?s hat trick knocks off Silver Kings 9-8

Suns open hockey season with two-game sweep of Park City


By JEFF CORDES
Express Staff Writer

Sun Valley Suns wing Adam Swain takes a Ryan Enrico pass and scoops it past Park City goaltender Eric Moldenhauer for the overtime game-winning power-play goal in Friday?s 9-8 Suns triumph at Sun Valley Skating Center. Photo by Willy Cook

Adam Swain saved Sun Valley's bacon, and goalie Colin Zulianello just saved the Suns, period, with a bullpen performance worthy of Papelbon.

Swain scored the final two power-play goals of Friday's season-opening Suns game against the Park City (Utah) Silver Kings. The right wing from Denver University helped rally the Suns from an 8-6 deficit to a 9-8 overtime victory over Park City on resort ice.

The Suns (2-0-0) went on to sweep the two-game series with Saturday's more fundamentally sound 5-2 win over Park City.

Son of former pro hockey player Garry Swain of Ontario, Swain was playing his first Suns games since separating his shoulder last February against Missoula Cutthroats. He turned into the go-to guy in a wild back-and-forth game.

Meanwhile, Boise Ice World director Zulianello (2-0-0, 17-3-0 in two Suns winters) came on in relief after starting Suns goalie Ryan Thomson surrendered his eighth goal of the night early in the third period.

Things didn't look good for the Suns at that point. But Zulianello kept his team in the game with clutch saves. "Coming in like that, you've got to be perfect. You can't let your team get down into a two-goal deficit," said Zulianello afterward.

After Swain's linemate Jon Duval brought the Suns into striking range with a clever screened wrist shot nine minutes into the third, the Suns kept working hard until they ended up on the power play with 1:32 left, still trailing 8-7.

Suns coach Chris Benson sent out Paul Baranzelli's line with wingers Swain and Duval plus defensemen Jeremy Schreiber and captain Chris Warrington with 47 seconds left. The Suns applied plenty of heat and added another skater when Zulianello quickly skated off the ice with 30 seconds left.

The swarming Suns kept the puck in the crease. In a mass of bodies, Swain patiently waited until he found a seam and scored the equalizer with just 23 seconds left in regulation. Then, late in the five-minute overtime period, Swain took a cross-ice pass from Ryan Enrico and buried the game winner on yet another power play.

Coach Benson said, "You never like giving up eight goals, but the boys kept their noses in it and wore them down a little. It was entertaining for the fans I guess. And we did have some good puck movement. Swainer, Barnz and Duval looked good out there making some things happen."

Defenseman Eric Demment and Baranzelli each added two goals to the Suns attack and Enrico dished out four assists.

Benson said Park City brought a much stronger team to Sun Valley than last year, when the Suns handled the Utah skaters 8-5 and 12-2. But the Silver Kings couldn't match the Suns pace Saturday night and fell 5-2, the Suns scoring four unanswered goals after falling behind early 1-0.

The Suns had four different goal scorers Saturday and Zulianello was a rock again, stopping 36 of 38 Silver King shots. Benson said, "Colin played great. He made some huge saves at opportune times."

Sun Valley's penalty killers excelled as well, killing off three separate five-on-three Park City power plays. Benson said, "I guess we had the jitters and cobwebs last night. Our defense was much better tonight and we were just more fundamentally sound."

Check today's Express Web site for a complete hockey summary from last weekend.

Suns and Future Suns Friday

Nobody really remembers who wins the annual Suns-Future Suns exhibition played each December as a holiday get-together and fundraiser for Sun Valley Youth Hockey's Brett Sammis scholarship fund.

But that doesn't mean the Suns and Future Suns aren't skating hard while enjoying themselves before the big holiday crowds on the indoor sheet.

This year's event is Friday, Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. Some of the best youth hockey players Sun Valley has produced will take their chances against a Suns squad that could have a little different look because of the holidays. "We'll have a few guys gone, but it should be a good game," Benson said.

Suns to beef up security

Last weekend's season-opening hockey games for the Sun Valley Suns demonstrated one thing loud and clear:

"We're having an issue with beverages brought into the rink during games, mostly by underage kids," said Suns coach Chris Benson on Monday.

Benson said the Suns organization plans to beef up security for future Suns games including this Friday's Suns vs. Future Suns exhibition that always attracts plenty of teenagers and college-age students in town for the holiday.

He said, "All bags and persons will be subject to search. Absolutely no outside beverages will be allowed in the rink," he said.

The Suns also play the McCall Mountaineers over New Year's weekend, Friday and Saturday, Dec. 28-29.




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