Pandas Dazzle and Rhinos Come Ready to Rumble

Emotion and elite skill were on display in week five.

A week of bumps and bruises, snipes and cellys, saves and sensations—including a fantastic halftime show from the 10u and 8u skaters of the Tritons hockey club, who really stole the show.

The Cardiff Stingrays and Balboa Pandas battled it out in a back-and-forth contest between two teams that have embraced their identities. 

Then the Leucadia Longboarders got emotional in a game against a wiry Escondido Rhinos squad, who bounced back this week with a full bench and stellar goaltending.

As we pass the halfway point of the regular season, emotions and gameplay are ramping up for the teams of the Unify Elite Draft League.  

Gameplay Recap

Cardiff Stingrays vs. Balboa Pandas

In this contest, the identities of both teams shone. In the early minutes of the game, the Cardiff Stingrays demonstrated their puck control and speed, but it was the Balboa Pandas who jumped out to the early 3-0 lead off of opportunistic bounces and rush plays. 

The first two goals came off the stick of captain Rory Herrman. For his first goal, Herrman collected a mishandled puck at center rink, swept around a Stingrays player, and then shot through a screen, a bar-down snipe that really set the tone for the rest of Herrman’s night. The next goal came off a defensive-zone turnover by the Stingrays, with the Pandas’ Bailey Ridout collecting a fumbled pass and dishing it off to Herrman in the slot for a quick one-timer that beat Stingrays’ goaltender. 

Off the next center-rink faceoff, Quincy Maffitt and Lars Erickson connected for a gorgeous goal—Maffitt collected the puck off the draw, hustled down the right boards into the Stingrays zone, and skated as if he were going to carry the puck around the net, but instead dished a behind-the-back pass into the crease area that found Lars Erickson, who hammered home a one-timer from a prime scoring area, putting the Pandas up 3-0.

Despite going down 3-0, the Stingrays stuck to their game plan and continued to work the offensive-zone cycling. After an extended period in their offensive zone, Stingrays’ Logan Wise connected with Wes Langeloh in the high slot, who fired an initial shot that was blocked before reloading and releasing a second consecutive shot that beat the Pandas tendy.

Ridout of the Pandas got the next goal of the game, collecting a high-and-wide shot by the Stingrays before going coast to coast and sliding a rolling puck five-hole to beat the Stingrays goaltender. This put the Pandas up 4-1, a score that would hold until the end of the first half. 

In the opening minutes of the second half, Stingrays’ Wise and Langeloh came out as a duo on a mission. Their speed and nose for the net led to multiple opportunities in succession before they combined for a goal. Wise received a pass, evaded two Pandas players, and then found Langeloh alone at the bottom of the left circle, who received the puck from Wise and popped a shot top shelf to beat the Pandas’ goalkeeper high glove. 

The Stingrays kept up the pressure. Jason Effertz gathered a rebound off a hard wrist shot by Wise, and then made a power move to get to the crease, cannonballing his way to a prime scoring area and eventually jamming the puck into the net to bring the goal deficit to one. Then, the Stingrays evened up the score off a power play goal from Colton Grover, who rifled in a shot from the high slot as he found himself with time and space after the Pandas lost their triangle defensive structure.

The Stingrays tying goal seemed to light a fire under Herrman, who started to dominate play with brute strength and sheer determination. 

But the Singrays broke the tie. Grover settled down the play behind his own net and sent out a leading pass to Langeloh, who skated into the puck with speed and took complete advantage of the Pandas’ loose defensive coverage, which allowed him to cross the red line and cut across the rink uncontested before firing a shot that powered through the Pandas goalie, giving Langeloh his third goal of the game and putting the Stingrays up 5-4 with 6:54 remaining in regulation. 

But Herrman and the Pandas would not back down. After some back-and-forth play between the teams, the Pandas’ Jimmy Becker carried the puck out of the Pandas’ defensive zone and executed a textbook two-on-two rush with Herrman. Becker carried the puck into the offensive zone, crossed with Herrman and dropped the puck for him, and then continued his trajectory to the net, which pulled the Stingrays defense back and left Herrman with room in the high slot to wire home a dagger of a wrist shot that tied the game back up 5-5. 

With the score tied and regulation time winding down, Herrman collected a puck near the red line and then lumbered down the right wing before whacking an unexpected backhand shot that beat the Stingrays’ goalie. Herrman’s fourth goal of the game would be the last of the contest, the Pandas coming out on top over the Stingrays with a final score of 6-5. 

For a four-goal performance and showcasing a strong will to win, Rory Herrman was awarded player of the game.

Final Score

Cardiff Stingrays: 5
Balboa Pandas: 6

Leucadia Longboarders vs. Escondido Rhinos

The Rhinos skated with renewed energy in week five, playing with a full bench, attacking hard, and defending well. The Longboarders were without their captain, Reed Kinsey, and despite playing with fire, the lineup imbalances ultimately proved too much for the Longboarders to overcome. 

The Rhinos kicked off the scoring. Dillon Bilek skated the puck over the red line and passed it over to teammate Jack Allen, who fired a wrister high glove side to put the Rhinos up 1-0. Then Brian Gorda, in his EDL season debut, collected a puck that bounced directly back to him after an offensive-zone faceoff and wristed a shot from the point that found its way into the back of the net, giving the Rhinos a 2-0 lead. The Rhinos maintained pressure, buzzing in the offensive zone, getting the next couple of goals: first off a slick move and goal by Billy Metcalf, followed up by an even sweeter Metcalf backhand assist from the offensive-zone corner, which connected with teammate Anthony Dykes at the bottom of the opposite circle for a one-timer goal that put the Rhinos up 4-0. 

Flustered and frazzled, the Longboarders called a timeout. Ray Kinsey, who had been playing with intensity all night, came out of the timeout as if he were shot from a cannon, and ended up lighting the lamp for the Longboarders off a hard wrist shot that beat the Rhinos keeper high glove.

With a 4-1 lead, the Rhinos went on to control play for the majority of the remaining time. And when the Longboarders did have opportunities, Rhinos goalie Ryan Meltzer was there to shut the door. Late in the game, Rhinos captain Pasha Bocharov made a beautiful rush up the rink, dipsy doodling around a couple Leucadia defenders before walking in and beating the goalie with an electric 1-2 move and high-glove finish to put the Rhinos up 5-1. 

With emotions rising and frustration boiling over, there was an unfortunate scrum between Leucadia’s Dylan Woods and Escondido’s Dillon Bilek, resulting in both players receiving double minor penalties. 

The game would wind down with one more goal from Metcalf, several more strong saves from Meltzer, and a late scorcher from Kinsey that found twine in the dying seconds of the game, getting him his second goal of the game and giving him the opportunity for a big-energy celly. Despite the high-energy bursts from Kinsey and the Longboarders, the game ended as a 6-2 Rhinos victory.

For his three-point performance and bringing the family out to the game, Billy Metcalf was awarded player of the game.

Final Score

Leucadia Longboarders: 2
Escondido Rhinos: 6

Looking Ahead: Keys to the Game

Reflecting on week five and looking ahead, these are the key components to giving each respective team an advantage, as analyzed by the Unify Elite Draft League front office.

Leucadia Longboarders: Stay composed throughout the game, but use speed and tenacity to win puck battles and make the most of odd-man rushes.

Balboa Pandas: Utilize size and structure to control the middle of the rink, preventing faster teams from easily entering prime shooting lanes.  

Cardiff Stingrays: Use the entire rink to cycle the puck and create scoring opportunities. Ensure all players on the rink are moving their feet to support the play, and stay committed to winning as a team.  

Escondido Rhinos: Keep the bench stocked and play hard in both zones. Hustle to win puck battles and ensure that teams don’t come out of their zone with clean entries.