Reno Pond Hockey played the Jurassic Pucks for the RIAL Winter 2022/23 D-League Playoff Semifinals. The game took place on Monday, March, 6th, 2023 at 9:15PM. The game was at Reno Ice.
Reno Pond Hockey was coming off of a 3-2 shootout victory over Mid-Ice Crisis. Reno Pond Hockey finished the regular season with a record of 9-1-0. Reno pond Hockey has secured number one seed in the playoffs after winning the RIAL Winter 2022/23 D-League Regular season title. They did that by coming in first place with the best record in the D-League during the regular season.
The Jurassic Pucks were coming off a 4-3 win over the Nevada Police Foundation. They finished the regular season with a record of 4-5-1. They had won three of their last five games. They were the number four seed in the playoffs after coming in fourth in the standings and getting the last playoff spot.
Reno Pond Hockey’s all-time record against the Jurassic Pucks is 1-1-0. The last game between Reno Pond Hockey and the Jurassic Pucks was on February, 1st, 2023. Reno Pond Hockey won that game 7-1.
Check out the game preview here.
Reno Pond Hockey scored the game’s open goal around 3′ minutes into the first period. #46 Brett Horachek came down the wing. He took a slapshot and scored.
Reno Pond Hockey added to their lead with 14′ minutes to go in the first period. #13 Kevin Lee got the puck to #4 Matthew Stewart in the neutral zone. Matthew then passed the puck to #9 Tristan McKnight who out-skated the defense to get a breakaway. He would score on the breakaway.
The Jurassic Pucks would score their first goal of the game within a minute of Reno Pond Hockey’s second goal. The Jurassic Pucks would get the puck on net. Their player was left wide open in front of the net. They would get the rebound and score. Reno Pond Hockey would score again with 8′ minutes to go in the first period. #46 Brett Horachek would keep the puck in the offensive zone. He would take a slapshot from almost the same spot as his first goal and score.
With 6′ minutes to go in the first period, the Jurassic Pucks would score again. The Jurassic Pucks player was able to get around the defender after #72 Mitch Costa fell down. The Jurassic Pucks player then shot and scored. Reno Pond Hockey would respond with another goal in under thirty seconds. #9 Tristan McKnight passed the puck out of the defensive zone to #4 Matthew Stewart who carried the puck into the offensive zone. Matthew’s shot was saved and Tristan put away the rebound. Reno Pond Hockey had a 4-2 lead after the first period.
Just over a minute into the second period, Reno Pond Hockey would score again. #72 Mitch Costa would keep the puck in the offensive zone. His initial shot was saved. He would get his own rebound and score.
With 15′ minutes to go in the second period, Reno Pond Hockey would add to their lead. #23 Joshua Schaap would pass the puck to #46 Brett Horachek. Brett would take another slapshot to score his third goal of the night completing the hat trick.
With 2′ minutes to go in the second period, Reno Pond Hockey would score again. After putting pressure on the Jurassic Pucks in front of their net, the puck would come loose. #88 Jesse Viner would get the puck and score. Reno Pond Hockey would take a 7-2 lead into the third period.
A minute into the third period Reno Pond Hockey would score on the powerplay. #28 (C) Zac Seidemann dumped the puck into the offensive zone. #25 Ethan Crisp would get the puck below the goal line. His centering pass deflected off the goalie and went in.
The Jurassic Pucks kept the puck in the offensive zone. They got it to one of their players who was behind the defense. He would put a move on the goalie and score.
The game would end in an 8-3 Reno Pond Hockey Victory. Reno Pond Hockey advanced to the RIAL Winter 2022/23 D-League Championship game with this win.
The game started out close but Reno Pond Hockey managed to keep the lead. They continued to expand on their lead until it was out of reach for the Jurassic Pucks. This was Reno Pond Hockey’s tenth win in a row. That extends their all-time winning streak. This was the fourth game this season where Reno Pond Hockey scored seven or more goals. This is also the sixth game in a row where Reno Pond hockey has allowed three or fewer goals. It is the ninth overall game this season where they have allowed three or fewer goals.
Reno Pond Hockey’s first goal was scored by #46 Brett Horachek. It was unassisted. The second goal was scored by #9 Tristan McKnight. It was assisted by #4 Matthew Stewart and #13 Kevin Lee. The third goal was scored by #46 Brett Horachek. It was unassisted. The fourth goal was scored by #9 Tristan McKnight. It was assisted by #4 Matthew Stewart. The fifth goal was scored by #72 Mitch Costa. It was unassisted. The sixth goal was scored by #46 Brett Horachek. It was assisted by #23 Joshua Schaap. The seventh goal was scored by #88 Jesse Viner. It was unassisted. The eighth goal was scored by #35 Ethan Crisp. It was assisted by #28 (C) Zac Seidemann.
Goals – #46 Brett Horachek (3), #9 Tristan McKnight (2), #72 Mitch Costa, #88 Jesse Viner, #35 Ethan Crisp
Assists – #4 Matthew Stewart (2), #13 Kevin Lee, #23 Joshua Schaap, #28 (C) Zac Seidemann
Stats were not published on the league website
Reno Pond Hockey is back in the D-League Championship. This marks back-to-back appearances for them in the D-League Championship game. They have made the championship game twice in five seasons. This is the second time they have made a championship game in three playoff appearances. They will face Mid-Ice Crisis in the D-League Championship game.
Reno Pond Hockey vs Mid-Ice Crisis | RIAL Playoffs
2:15pm
Location: Reno Ice
Mar.
11th
Zac Electrifly 