Like Baldy skiers still waiting for the big dump to arrive, the Sun Valley Suns men's ice hockey team has done its share of waiting recently.
The Suns have been waiting for their first forward line to produce like it can. They've been waiting for a strong defensive effort and a solid goalie night, having yielded 56 goals in eight games dating back to last season before a 7-2 win over McCall Jan. 2.
They've been waiting for a special unit breakthrough, with no shorthanded goals in nine games. And they've been waiting for a young goaltender to come along and provide some relief for Ryan Thomson.
Some of that waiting came to an end last weekend, as the Suns (4-2) swept their first two-game series since last February with a 5-0 and 4-2 success over the Cache Valley (Utah) Trappers at Sun Valley Skating Center.
Thomson, the seventh-year goalie from Arizona, posted his fourth career shutout in 68 Suns games Friday. He turned aside 29 shots and benefited from goals by five teammates. The Suns out-shot Cache Valley 53-29 and weren't challenged.
All-time Suns career scoring leader Vilnis Nikolaisons closed out Friday's scoring with a shorthanded goal—the team's first in nine games dating back to last March.
Suns coach Billy Tryder, who debuted his coaching career with two wins, said he considered inserting back-up goalie Colby Stoecklein in Friday's third period. Thomson had the shutout going so he stayed in.
On Saturday, Sun Valley Youth Hockey product Stoecklein got his first Suns start and made the most of it—spotting Cache Valley an early goal and then shutting down the Trappers with a total of 27 saves.
Weekend scoring leader Nikolaisons (3 goals, 2 assists) added another shorthanded goal giving the Suns a 3-1 lead Saturday. He closed the scoring with a scorching one-timer on a cross-ice pass from Jon Duval that beat Utah goalie Dane Jorgensen for the 4-2 final.
The forward line of right wing Nikolaisons, center Jamie Ellison (4 assists) and left wing Jon Duval accounted for 10 of the 25 Suns points.
Coach Tryder said after Saturday's game, "We had trouble getting started tonight. But we spent most of the time in their zone in the second period (a 25-11 shots advantage) and put some pressure on them. The third line helped out, in fact, everybody contributed. A win is a win."
Sun Valley will carry a three-game winning streak and a 16-4 goals-against in those three wins when the Suns host Vancouver Moto Ice from British Columbia Friday and Saturday, Jan. 15-16 at 7 p.m. at Sun Valley Skating Center. Saturday's game is a benefit for Hailey Ice.
The two teams had a hard-fought series last March 6-7, the Suns winning 5-3 in the Friday game and Moto Ice taking the nightcap 6-4.
Hockey Summary
SUNS 5, TRAPPERS 0
friday, JANUARY 8
Cache Valley Trappers 0 0 0 0
Sun Valley Suns 2 1 2 5
FIRST PERIOD—(1) SV, Josh Jacobson 1 (Jamie Ellison), 0:53. (2) SV, John Stevens 2 (Charles Friedman, Cody Proctor), 12:10.
SECOND PERIOD—(3) SV, Blake Jenson 3 (Eric Demment, Stevens), 7:05.
THIRD PERIOD—(4) SV, John Miller 1 (Vilnis Nikolaisons, Jacobson), 7:44. (5) SV, Nikolaisons 3 (Ellison, Jacobson), 15:45, shorthanded goal.
SHOTS ON GOAL—Cache Valley, 3-13-13 for 29; Sun Valley 23-15-15 for 53.
GOALIES—Cache Valley, Dane Jorgensen (48 saves); Sun Valley, Ryan Thomson (29 saves, 3-2-0 record).
OFFICIALS—Bobby Noyes and Eric Wingard.
NOTES—This was the fourth Suns career shutout for seventh-year goalie Ryan Thomson, the last one almost a year ago to the day, on Jan. 9, 2009 in a 6-0 home victory over Cache Valley.....Coach Billy Tryder said he considered substituting goalie Colby Stoecklein in the third period, but decided against it with Thomson having a chance for the shutout.
SUNS 4, TRAPPERS 2
SATURday, JANUARY 9
Cache Valley Trappers 1 1 0 2
Sun Valley Suns 2 1 1 4
FIRST PERIOD—(1) Cache Valley, Ben Wilner (Paul Amidon), 3:02. (2) SV, John Stevens 3 (Blake Jenson), 10:58. (3) SV, Sinjin Thomas 1 (Jamie Ellison, Vilnis Nikolaisons), 11:38.
SECOND PERIOD—(4) SV, Nikolaisons 4 (Josh Jacobson, goalie Colby Stoecklein), 11:07, shorthanded goal. (5) Cache Valley, David Goff (Jeremy Guttermen), 11:16.
THIRD PERIOD—(6) SV, Nikolaisons 5 (Jon Duval, Ellison), 14:34.
SHOTS ON GOAL—Cache Valley, 8-11-10 for 29; Sun Valley 11-25-9 for 45.
GOALIES—Cache Valley, Dane Jorgensen (41 saves); Sun Valley, Colby Stoecklein (27 saves, 1-0-0 record).
OFFICIALS—Chris Benson and John Olson.
NOTES—Suns forward lines were Blake Jenson-Matt Ward-Noah Loyd, Jon Duval-Jamie Ellison-Vilnis Nikolaisons, and Cody Proctor-Charles Friedman-Taylor Rothgeb. The defensemen were John Stevens, Trevor Thomas, Josh Jacobson, Sinjin Thomas and Danny Ward. Not skating tonight were Eric Demment, Ryan Enrico, John Miller and Ivars Muzis......There was a good crowd for the "Girls on the Run" benefit night.
2009-10 Sun Valley Suns
(4-2-0 overall: 4-2-0 home)
PLAYER GAMES GOALS AST. PTS. PMIN
Vilnis Nikolaisons 6 5 6 11 2.0
Blake Jenson 6 3 8 11 4.0
Cody Proctor 6 4 4 8 4.0
Jordan Pritchett 2 4 3 7 2.0
Ryan Enrico 4 3 3 6 0.0
Eric Demment 4 3 3 6 16.0
Jon Duval 6 1 4 5 4.0
Charles Friedman 5 1 4 5 0.0
Josh Jacobson 5 1 4 5 2.0
Jamie Ellison 5 0 5 5 4.0
John Stevens 5 3 1 4 0.0
Ryan McDonald 2 1 3 4 0.0
Chris Warrington 4 2 1 3 0.0
Ivars Muzis 5 2 1 3 6.0
John Miller 2 1 1 2 4.0
Taylor Rothgeb 6 0 2 2 0.0
Bryan Winkler 1 1 0 1 0.0
Bobby Sloper 3 1 0 1 0.0
Sinjin Thomas 2 1 0 1 2.0
Noah Loyd 6 0 1 1 0.0
Trevor Thomas 6 0 1 1 4.0
Colby Stoecklein 1 0 1 1 0.0
Zak Greenawalt 4 0 0 0 4.0
Ryan Thomson 5 0 0 0 0.0
Blake King 1 0 0 0 7.0
Cooper Miller 4 0 0 0 0.0
Danny Ward 2 0 0 0 0.0
Matt Ward 1 0 0 0 2.0
GOALTENDER GAMES GOALS W-L AVG.
Ryan Thomson 5 22 3-2-0 4.40
Colby Stoecklein 1 2 1-0-0 2.00
Shots—Thomson 205, Stoecklein 29. Saves—Thomson 183, Stoecklein 27. Shootout saves—Thomson 2. Shootout goals allowed—Thomson 1. Shutouts—Ryan Thomson 1. Empty net goals—0.
SCORE BY PERIODS 1ST 2ND 3RD OT TOT
Opposition 9 7 6 2 24, 4.0
Sun Valley 10 13 14 0 37, 6.2
INDIVIDUAL MARKS
Two-goal games (3)—Eric Demment 1, Cody Proctor 1, Vilnis Nikolaisons 1.
Three-goal hat tricks (or more)—0.
Game-winning goals (0).
Power play goals (2-8, 25%)—Chris Warrington 1, Jordan Pritchett 1.
Power play goals (opposition): 3-21, (14%).
Suns shorthanded goals (2)—Vilnis Nikolaisons 2.
Shorthanded goals (opposition): 0.
Season penalty minutes: SV 69, opponents 31.
GAME RESULTS
Total record: 4-2-0
Record in 1-goal games: 0-2-0
Record in overtime: 0-2-0
Games scoring 9 or more goals: 0
Games scoring 7 or more goals: 3
December 11 (H) Park City Pioneers 8, Sun Valley 7 (OT)
December 12 (H) Sun Valley 8, Park City Pioneers 5
January 1 (H) McCall Mountaineers 7, Sun Valley 6 (OT shootout)
January 2 (H) Sun Valley 7, McCall Mountaineers 2
January 8 (H) Sun Valley 5, Cache Valley Trappers 0
January 9 (H) Sun Valley 4, Cache Valley Trappers 2
Suns center Jamie Ellison helps goalie Ryan Thomson freeze the puck during the Jan. 1-2 McCall Mountaineers hockey series on resort ice. Thomson posted his fourth career Suns shutout Friday with a 5-0 win over Cache Valley. Photo by David N. Seelig
