It’s WEEK NINETEEN of the Eagle River Hockey League, and this is the AAA recap.
Jalapenos vs. Garcia’s
On 2-7-18 the ERHL entered week 19 of the season. In the AAA division, first place Jalapeno’s (15-1-3) took on last place Garcia’s (3-14-2) in the early game. It was a back and forth first period, but after that it was all Jalapeno’s.  Garcia’s Travis Martin lead off the scoring on a power play goal. About a minute later, Jalapeno’s Jason Elledge tied the game 1-1. It didn’t take long for Jalapeno’s Dustin Smith to get the next goal to take the lead. With :55 remaining in the first, Martin scored his second goal of the game to tie it up 2-2. From then on, it was all Jalapeno’s. Jason Elledge and Kenny Hood both scored in the second. Finally, Dylan Kingrea rounded out the scoring making the final 5-2, Jalapeno’s. There was a steady stream of players to the penalty box throughout the game, especially in the third period. There was a total of nine penalties called, six against Jalapeno’s and three on Garcia’s.
Homesteaders vs. Pizza man
In the late game, third place Homestead (5-10-4) gained two points on second place Pizza Man (9-7-3) with a 4-3 win. The first period had only one goal. It was scored by Pizza Man’s Patrick Zmuda. Each team started off the second with a power play goal. First by Justin Frechione of Pizza Man then by Tylor Garner of Homesteaders. Midway through the period, Brett Siegal of Pizza Man netted the next goal which was followed by Homesteader’s Adam Powell’s goal. That ended the period with Pizza Man up, 3-2. It was the third period that made the difference for this one. Homestead’s Taylor Garner got his second goal of the night with help from Sam Cehula to tie the game 3-3. Then, Jake Wilkins fed the puck to Matt Viens who buried the game winner with 5:41 left on the clock. Like the first game, there was a steady stream to the penalty box. Each team was whistled for four penalties each.
Daniel Shepard is a freelance photojournalist and regular contributor for the ECHO News. He lives and owns a photography business in Eagle River. To learn more about Dan Shepard Photography, visit dan-shepardphotography.com. To reach Dan, email: dan@echoak.com.
