Sanvido Chiefly to Blame For Series Sweep

South Island Thunderbirds, September 20, 2009

Coaches often ask their players:  “Who is going to step up and make the plays that make the difference today?”  It is an important question because in almost every game, you can look back and find the answers for the winning team.  “TSN turning points” invariably have someone’s signature attached and the authors are the players most in demand from teams at higher levels.

This weekend, the Vancouver North East Chiefs had several players rise to the occasion but after Sunday’s game, there was one in particular who unquestionably stood out and had the greatest impact.  After getting the team’s first goal of the year on Saturday in the first 12 seconds of the season opener and then adding another marker later on in a 9 – 1 blowout, Connor Sanvido came back on Sunday morning with three more big goals that spelled the difference in his team’s 5 – 2 defeat of the South Island Thunderbirds at Bear Mountain Arena.

Each one of the Sunday goals was of the true “goal scorer” species.  The first came at 4:58 in the second period with the score tied 1 – 1 and the game very much up for grabs.  Sanvido came down the middle over the Thunderbirds’ blue line on a pretty routine one on one rush.  As he drew even with the top of the face-off circles and close to the defender, he quickly launched a slap shot that narrowly missed the defender’s left leg and then rocketed up over the right shoulder of Ryan Waldhaus in goal for the T-Birds, popping the goalie’s water bottle off the top of the net in the process.  It was a classic snipe and had everyone in the rink raising their eyebrows in admiration.

His second goal came with just over seven minutes remaining in the second period and the score 3 – 1, when the next goal would really have a huge impact on the game’s final outcome.  This time, Sanvido outraced the last T-Birds’ defender to a loose puck just inside the Birds’ blue line and then fought off the check as he turned and drove to the net.  Off balance and falling down, barely in control of the puck as he approached the crease, Sanvido somehow managed to backhand the puck past Waldhaus and into the net.

Sanvido’s hat trick goal, and fifth of the weekend, came early in the third period, once again when there was still plenty of time for a Thunderbird comeback if the home team could have scored to cut the gap to two.  Justin Georgeson had the puck in the left face-off circle and spotted Sanvido open on the other side.  Georgeson’s perfect pass was one-timed by Sanvido past Waldhaus before he could get across to give the Chiefs’ a four goal margin that would prove to be too much for the Thunderbirds to overcome.

Apart from the three plays that provided Sanvido’s heroics, the game featured very even play and reflected a much better South Island performance overall.  The shots on goal were dead even at 30 apiece and the T-Birds deserve full credit for raising their competitive level to match the Chiefs.  The first and third periods were 1 – 1 saw-offs on the scoreboard and the only difference in the second period was Sanvido’s two solo efforts sandwiched around a power play goal.  The latter started with a well executed give and go that led to a rebound tapped in by Dustin Lebrun.

The Thunderbirds showed early that they came to play, getting the game’s first goal 4:32 from the opening face-off on a breakaway goal by Dane Gibson.  Garett Kemmler tipped the puck forward past the last Chiefs’ defender and Gibson streaked around to pick up the puck at the Vancouver blue line.  His move to beat Chiefs’ goaltender Matt Hewitt was slick, with a fake shot followed by a big shake and bake right-left-right move to tuck the puck past the thoroughly confused netminder.

Sanvido had a minor hand in the tying marker two minutes later, picking up an assist with a simple pass from the boards to the point.  Evan Campbell threw a wrist shot from the blue line to the T-Bird net, where it unluckily deflected in off the leg of a T-Bird defender.

Down 5 – 1 in the third period, it was great to see South Island maintain its strong work ethic, which was rewarded with the team’s second goal at 13:58.  It came on the power play after 90 seconds of sustained puck possession in the Chiefs’ end.  In the end, Justin Polischuk worked the puck down low to Travis Stephens to the right of the goal.  Stephens headed to the crease and then, as the nearest defender approached, flipped a perfect pass through the traffic to Mark Walton coming down the slot for a quick low shot that beat Hewitt just inside the right post.

It was obviously a much better game than the day before, though the end result was the same in terms of the standings.  The Chiefs head home with all four points and have to be pleased to move up the standings on the road.  Meanwhile, the South Island squad has 38 more games in which it can regain the ground lost in this initial “nada” weekend.

Next week, the T-Birds head over to Burnaby to play the BCMML defending champion Vancouver North West Giants.  The Giants split a pair of games up in Prince George this weekend, winning and losing by identical 4 – 2 scores. The T-Birds play their next pair of home games against the Fraser Valley Bruins on Saturday, October 3 (5:20 PM at the Ian Stewart Complex) and Sunday, October 4 (10:30 AM at Naden).