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Tinker Hawks II down the Blues 6-3

  • Published
  • By John Banks
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla., --  The Tinker Hawks II followed up on their last second victory with a dominant and complete victory over their arch-rival, Blues, 6-3 at the Blazers Ice Centre on Sunday.

"These guys always play us tough and the games are very close," said Clark McClay, center for the Hawks.

The first of the game came late in the first period as defenseman Brandon Burk intercepted an errant pass in the Blues zone and skated in front the left face-off circle and sent a shot in the left-hand corner into the net for a 1-0 lead.

The Blues tied the game up at 1-1 at the 7:25 mark of period two as center Bryan Wilson intercepted a pass at center ice and skated in all alone and lifted a shot passed Hawks goaltender Dann Pettit.

The Hawks went ahead again on a power play goal by Burk. He took the puck at the opponents' blue line and sent a laser slap shot through a maze of players giving the Hawks a 2-1 lead at 3:55.
The Blues rebounded with two unassisted goals by Sean Hafferty 30 seconds apart. The Blues took a 3-2 advantage.

"Guys, we need to stop the turnovers. That is what got our opponents the lead," said Dave McClay, center for the Hawks.

The comeback for the Hawks started on a power play late in the second period and center Jason Stefanski poked in a rebound shot from left winger Dennis Gleason at 15:45 of the second period, tying the score at 3.

The Hawks then put on the pressure and took over the contest in the third period. The first goal came as Dave McClay received a splendid pass from Stefanski and then shoveled the pass into the net giving the Hawks a 4-3 lead 55 seconds into the third period.

The Hawks continued their onslaught as Stefanski scored on an unassisted goal midway through the period giving the Hawks a sizeable 5-3 lead. The final scoring of the game happened as Gleason fed a gorgeous cross-ice pass to center Esteban Rodriguez then tipped it past the Blues goaltender rounding out the scoring for the Hawks.

"Great effort, we can build on this win and this will carry us on for the rest of the season," said Dave McClay. 

The victory for the Hawks improved their record to 6-2 on the season, while the loss dropped the Blues to 4-4 on the season. The Hawks return to the ice on Sunday at the Arctic Edge Ice Arena at 6 p.m. versus the Storm.