Reno Pond Hockey played the Nevada Police Foundation on February 11th. It was game eight of the RIAL D-League Winter 2022/23 season. The game took place on Saturday, February, 11th, 2023 at 9:00PM. The game was at Reno Ice.
Reno Pond Hockey was coming off of a 4-2 win against the Grrrowlers. Reno Pond Hockey had a record of 6-1-0. They were on a 6 game winning streak. Reno pond Hockey was in 1st place. The Nevada Police Foundation were coming off of a 3-9 loss to Mid-Ice Crisis. They had a record of 2-4-0. They were on 5th place. Reno Pond Hockey had never lost to the Nevada Police Founding having an all time record of 1-0-0. The last game between Reno Pond Hockey and the Nevada Police Foundation was on December 21st, 2022. Reno Pond Hockey won that game 6-3.
Check out the game preview here.
Reno Pond Hockey scored 30 seconds into the game to take a 1-0 lead. #9 Tristan McKnight would pass the puck from the corner to #96 Robbie Janas. Robbie’s shot from the point went in.
Reno Pond Hockey added to their lead around the 12′ minute of the first period. #45 Brian Janas would pass the puck from below the goal line into the slot. #4 Matthew Stewart would get the puck. He was left open in the slot. His shot would find the back of the net.
Reno Pond Hockey would score their third goal around the 9′ minute of the first period. #9 Tristan McKnight would get the puck in the neutral zone. On a two-on-one he would put a move on the goalie and find the back of the net.
On the next play, Reno Pond Hockey would score their fourth goal. After winning the center ice faceoff, #9 Tristan McKnight took the puck into the offensive zone. He would leave the puck for #23 Joshua Schaap on a drop pass. Joshua had plenty of space and time to take a shot and score.
Reno Pond Hockey would score their fifth goal in just under 6 minutes left in the first period. After an offensive zone faceoff win, #13 Kevin Lee would take a shot from the point. #45 Brian Janas would tip the puck into the net.
With around 4′ minutes left in the first period, the Nevada Police Foundation would score. A battle in the neutral zone would lead to a breakaway. On the breakaway, they would put a move on the goalie to find the back of the net. Reno Pond Hockey would answer with a goal less than two minutes later. On the rush #9 Tristan McKnight would pass the puck to #88 Jesse Viner. Jesse would take a shot. His shot was saved. #4 Matthew Stewart got the rebound and was able to put it into the back of the net. The first period would end with Reno Pond Hockey have a commanding 6-1 lead.
The Nevada Police Foundation would score their second goal in the 16′ minute of the second period. On a three-on-one, the puck carrier would put a move on the goalie to score. That would be their final goal of the night. Reno Pond Hockey would answer with a goal around the 13′ minute of the second period. #96 Robbie Janas couldn’t handle #23 Joshua Schaap’s pass. The puck came out to #28 (C) Zac Seidemann. His one timer would be deflected into the net by one of the defenders. Reno Pond Hockey would take a 7-2 lead into the third period.
Play was stopped around the 11′ minute of the third period. Reno Pond Hockey would score on a breakaway but it wouldn’t count. Behind the play one of the Nevada Police Foundation players was down. She was carrying the puck toward the net. She tried to move through four defenders. After losing the puck in her own feet, she fell. Because of the way everyone was positioned in front of the net, as she was going down she moved her leg to avoid it from hitting one of the defenders. By doing that she put all of her weight on her other knee as it hit the ice. The play should have been blown dead sooner but play was stopped. She did get up and was helped off the ice. From what I heard she injured but is ok.
Around the 7′ minute of the third period Reno Pond Hockey would score their eighth goal. #23 Joshua Schaap would keep the puck in at the blue line. He had plenty of space and time to get the puck to #9 Tristan McKnight who had a wide-open net. Tristan was able to tap the puck in for a goal.
#4 Matthew Stewart would score the last goal of the game. #88 Jesse Viner would draw in four defenders. He would pass the puck to Matthew. Matthew would shoot it. His shot went right over the goalie’s shoulder and into the back of the net. That goal would complete Matthew’s hat trick.
The game would end in a 9-2 Reno Pond Hockey victory.
First off I need to discuss the goaltending. The Nevada Police Foundation barely had a goalie. They got him last minute. There is no doubt that it did affect the game. The question becomes did Reno Pond Hockey score nine goals because of the other teams goalie? I don’t think so. I think Reno Pond Hockey could have scored nine goals anyway. I the Nevada Police Foundation will want to put this loss all on their goalie but that is not true. They were giving up on defensive plays. They were leaving players wide open or unchallenged in their defensive zone. They were collapsing into their own net on a lot of plays. They were puck watching not in position on defense. Their offense couldn’t get things going either. They couldn’t handle neutral zone pressure. They were trying to individually win the game. Which is a trap a lot of teams with poor chemistry or no real leadership fall into. One player gets the puck and try’s to do it all themselves. This can be seen on the three on one when the puck carrier didn’t pass the puck or when players try to move through three or four defenders by themselves. I think that is why Reno Pond Hockey could have scored nine goals anyway. There was nothing stopping them from doing whatever they wanted in the offensive zone for most of the game.
On the other end, Reno Pond Hockey just did what they have been doing. They knew they had a big game coming up and this game was a good chance to hone their skills. It was the seventh win in a row for Reno Pond Hockey. That extended their longest winning streak in team history. This was the fifth game this season where Reno Pond Hockey scored five or more games. This is the first game since Sunday September 10th, 2021, that Reno Pond Hockey has scored 9 or more goals. This was the second largest win in Reno Pond Hockey history. The largest win was on Wednesday May 5th, 2021, where Reno Pond Hockey beat Q&D Construction 14-2. This game is in the top ten for most goals overall in a single game. This could end up being the largest win in the RIAL this season.
Reno Pond Hockey’s first goal was scored by #96 Robbie Janas. It was assisted by #9 Tristan McKnight. The Second goal was scored by #4 Matthew Stewart. It was assisted by #45 Brian Janas. The third goal was scored by #9 Tristan McKnight. It was unassisted. The fourth goal was scored by #23 Joshua Schaap. It was assisted by #9 Tristan McKnight. The fifth goal was scored by #45 Brian Janas. It was assisted by Kevin Lee. The sixth goal was socred by #4 Matthew Stewart. It was assisted by #88 Jesse Viner and #9 Tristan McKnight. The Seventh goal was scored by #28 (C) Zac Seidemann. It was assisted by #96 Robbie Janas and #23 Joshua Schaap. the eighth goal was scored by #9 Tristan McKnight. It was assisted by #23 Joshua Schaap. The ninth goal was scored by #4 Matthew Stewart. It was assisted by #88 Jesse Viner.
Goals – #96 Robbie Janas, #4 Matthew Stewart (3), #9 Tristan McKnight (2), #23 Joshua Schaap, #45 Brian Janas, #28 Zac Seidemann
Assists – #9 Tristan McKnight (3), #45 Brian Janas, #13 Kevin Lee, #88 Jesse Viner (2), #96 Robbie Janas, #23 Joshua Schaap (2)
Stats were not published on the league website
Reno Pond Hockey is in first place in the current D-League standings. They have the opportunity to win the regular season title for the first time in their history.
Reno Pond Hockey has secured a playoff spot. Who Reno Pond Hockey will play is currently unknown. They will play on March 6th or 7th. Of course who and when they play depends on where everyone finishes in the standings. If the playoffs started today Reno Pond Hockey would play the Jurassic Pucks in the semifinal for a chance to play The Guardians or Mid-Ice Crisis in the championship.
Reno Pond Hockey vs Mid-Ice Crisis | RIAL
9:15pm
Location: Reno Ice
Mar.
1st
Zac Electrifly 