Written by December 24, 2022 – Christmas Eve Victory
The 2010 Flames played an early morning hockey game on Christmas Eve. They played a familiar foe, in the Monarchs. The Flames were able to get a very early lead, and then they held the lead for the rest of the game. This time, there was no blown lead and the Flames skated to a 5-3 win at West Side Arena.
The Flames took a lead on the first shift and never let the lead go.
Saturday, December 24, 2022. West Side Arena.
Christmas Eve Victory.
Score by period:
Monarchs: 01 – 01 – 01 = 03
Flames: 02 – 01 – 02 = 05
Flames goals in order:
- Chase Giampa took the puck off of the defenseman at the right point and skated out of the D-zone. He broke away, skating up the left wing, Teddy Beal on his right. Giampa cut in toward the net and ripped a shot that beat the goaltender and found the net. The Flames had a 1-0 lead, just 0:26 into the game.
- Just a couple of shifts later, Ian Kaveney had a shot on net that was saved and pushed toward the corner. Gavin Petrie retrieved the rebound and sent a pass back to the slot area. Kaveney took the pass, loaded up, and shot the puck right through the five-hole to give the Flames a 2-0 lead.
- After a couple of transition opportunities for each team, the Flames scored again. Logan McCain and Brody Phengsysouvanh worked together to break up a scoring bid and then they turned it into a scoring chance for the Flames. The pair of defensemen brought the puck up ice where Sean McGee took possession at the offensive blue line. McGee made a move, lost the puck for a second, and got it back in time to fire a shot into the top corner of the net where Grandma hides the Christmas candy. Flames led, 3-1.
- Early in the 3rd period, Teddy Beal took a nice pass from Sean McGee and got a rid of a low hard shot quickly. The goalie made the save but the puck kicked off of the pads and hit a Monarchs defenseman in the skate and went into the net. Flames now had a 4-2 lead.
- The Monarchs were trying to break the puck out of their own end when Chase Giampa stepped in front of a pass on the fore-check and stole the puck. He lost the handle but the puck went right to Teddy Beal who was curling off of the half-wall from the fore-check and skating toward the slot. Beal had a defender right on him but that also created a bit of a screen on the goaltender. Teddy fired the puck inside the near post as he skated toward the far post, taking the goalie in that direction. It was nice pressure from the Flames and they turned into a goal, and a 5-3 lead with 6:00 left to play.
The Monarchs have a good team with a couple of exceptional skaters, so they are prone to getting breakaway opportunities on offense several times per game. They did get plenty of chances in this game too. Will Rosenbeck and Travis Ingalls were equal to the task more times than they weren’t. Their combined efforts gave the Flames a chance to hold their lead, and to win the game. The Flames took care of business on the ice, with a 5-3 win. It didn’t hurt that the Flames kept their cool for the most part while things unraveled a bit as the final period progressed.
After the game the 2010 Flames did their Secret Santa gift swap in the warm room. It was fun to watch as the players exchanged gifts, not knowing who their gift was from. I would rank the Secret Santa as a total success, and the smiles just may be the proof. Everyone had a great time. We have a great group.
Secret Santa celebration at West Side Arena.
The 2010 Flames return to the ice for the Winter Classic Tournament this weekend. They will play their first game on Friday at 6:10pm at Tri-Town Ice Arena.
You can find more 2010 Flames material in these pieces, here. 2010 Manchester Flames.
The thoughts and opinions expressed here are those of the individual contributors, mostly mine, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the schools, coaches, players, or characters listed in any of these blog posts. Or, maybe they do, but you would have to ask them directly.
Either way, “It’s a great day for hockey” ~ the late “Badger” Bob Johnson.