For the week of February 27 - March 5, 2002

Suns light up the Wings 10-3, 10-4

Baranzelli’s scoring spurt fuels sweep

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Scoring 20 goals in a score-sheet weekend, the Sun Valley Suns (19-1) pounded the New England Wings 10-3 and 10-4 Friday and Saturday at Sun Valley Skating Center and set some franchise records.

First-year defenseman Paul Baranzelli kept the hot hand Friday with his third hat trick in seven games. Baranzelli (15 goals in 20 games) tied Kris Webster’s single-season mark for a blueliner set in the 19-12-1 national title season of 1998.

In Friday’s game, weekend-high point scorer Luke Smith (4 goals and 6 assists) followed up Baranzelli’s first of two power-play goals with his own unassisted score. The goals came just six seconds apart—breaking the previous Suns record of two goals in seven seconds set 12 years ago.

Another defenseman, rookie Kit Hughes, piled up six assists Saturday. That broke Glenn Hunter’s standard of five assists for a defenseman in a single game established in 1989, and tied Steve Gentilini’s Suns record of six assists in a game set in 1991.

Vilnis Nikolaisons, Tom Forti and Smith each scored two goals in Saturday’s victory. And the first line of Smith, Jamie Ellison and Nikolaisons enjoyed a big weekend with 24 of 55 Suns points.

Next, the Suns (19-1) meet the Dallas South Stars from Texas Friday and Saturday, March 1-2 at 7 p.m. in the Sun Valley rink. They handled the South Stars 15-4 and 8-2 last January.

Check the Express web site for updated season statistics.

 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.