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Nordiques put Beavers on ice in season opener

  • Published
  • By John Stuart
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  It was opening night for the Tinker Nordiques but you couldn't tell by the number of points they put on the board in an impressive offensive showing.

The three Tinker-affiliated hockey teams opened their winter season Nov. 1 at the Blazers Ice Center, and the Nordiques came away with a handy 9-0 victory against the Division Two Fighting Beavers.

The 15-man Nordiques team, which claimed the summer league championship in August, came off the bench ready to play, notching the first goal with 13:45 left in the first quarter from a shot by center James McCarron. The rest of the game would go Tinker's way as goalie Dan Publicover played a shutout game to stymie the Beavers offense.

Mark Horner scored next for Tinker on a solo shot late in the first period and was shortly followed by goals from McCarron and Miguel Lopez before the period's end to put Tinker up 4-0 in the first 15 minutes of play. And things only got worse for the Beavers.

Erik Rozema-Seaton came out on cue for Tinker in the second period as he put one in the back of net with 5:30 left with an assist from teammate Will Natynczyk. Team captain James Behn also found some daylight in the box late in the period, as he scored off Lewis Lomonaco's assist.

Without too much trouble, Jason Stefanski scored early in the third period with help from Mark Keown. Later in the period, Natynczyk put a goal in the net -- also on a Keown assist. In a style of extreme finesse or just a touch of luck, the Nordiques finished the game with a goal from their team captains -- Behn and McCarron. McCarron found Behn with a pass from behind the net and Behn -- shooting from his knees -- flicked the puck in the net to notch the score at 9-0.

The Nordiques represent a synergy of Canadian and American players, as six team members are Canadian Air Force servicemen who are stationed at Tinker. Their play for the Nordiques is a waft of something familiar amid a deployment in the relatively less hockey-savvy United States, and the players are a major boost for the team.

"We played against a weaker and inexperienced opponent," Behn said. "They played hard but the Nordiques came together in a very well played, positioned and disciplined game. I think we will continue to get better and we have the best roster we've had to date. We look to repeat as league champions in this division. Our whole team played great, passed well and played solid defense. The mix of Canadians and Americans brings a skill and experience we've never had before."

The Tinker Hawks Hockey Team (Division Three) lost 4-3 in a close match to the Smart Alecs earlier in the day on Sunday. The Hawks were missing goalie Brad Poarch and looked to Behn as a fill-in for the match. Poarch will return for the Hawks' game on Sunday.