CORNER BROOK Special teams were the speciality during Corner Brook Molson Ball Hockey League play on Thursday night.
Both games at the Kinsmen Arena II were decided by late power-play markers.
In the marquee matchup, South Shore Luxury Limos Rangers took sole possession of first place with a hard-fought 2-1 win over Sumptin' Fishy at the Gate. It was the first regulation loss of the season for the fishermen.
Jeff Cammie scored the game-winner with just under five minutes left on the clock, while Steve Simms notched the other goal.
Grant Vincent had the lone tally for the losing side.
Darren Buckle outdueled Adam Hicks between the pipes.
It was great timing for a the game to decide first place, as the league will now go on a short hiatus until June 26.
"It's great to finish on a high note and have a bit of confidence and momentum heading into the second half," said Buckle.
Succeeding in shutting down offensive weapons like Brandon Hynes and Jeremy Bishop definitely helps in that regard.
"That's the top line in the league, the b'ys are dynamite," said Buckle. "Our game plan from the onset was to put our top defencemen against them and we did a pretty good job, for the most part, of keeping them to the outside."
Such a low-scoring game is rare in ball hockey, especially in a contest featuring so much firepower, which made it extra special for Buckle.
"It was end-to-end action, you didn't have a minute to blink," he said. "You always got to be watching the ball because there's shots coming from all over.
"It was an awesome game," he added. "Fun to be a part of."
The following is a summary of the other league game on Thursday night:
Oceanex 4, Red Rock Bullets 3
Josh Skinner scored twice, including the winning goal with the man advantage with 2:15 left to play, as the ocean crew broke the hearts of the Bullets.
Steve Hobbs and Ian Skinner also lit the lamp for the victors.
Zack Green, Leslie Pennell and Micky Lushman replied for the Bullets.
South Shore are now in control of the standings, with a 5-0-1 record, while the fishermen find themselves in second place at 4-1-1. The ocean crew are in third at 3-3-0, with the Bullets in the basement at 0-6-0.
