DESPITE the threatening sky, the first game between the all boy team Maple Leafs and the all girl team Canucks began with great enthusiasm during action last weekend in the Bermuda Inline Hockey League at the Pembroke Community Centre.

The Leafs came out strong but the Canucks defence held up. Soon the tables were turned and Julia Scully, Celine Collis and Paula Weech were all taking hard shots on goal for the Canucks. Mikey Daly was working hard in goal and Michael Betteto made some great defensive moves. Suddenly the Collis sisters broke through with a blazing goal by Christina assisted by her sister Celine. This was soon repeated as the Collis sisters doubled the Canucks score with another zinger. This time Celine scores and Christina assists. Asha, in goal for the Canucks, had a dazzling couple of saves but finally, Nicholas Hall blasted a goal in the short side and the score was now Canucks 2, Leafs 1.

The Leafs were hoping for a tie by half time with the Betteto brothers playing some great offence. The second half of the game brought the rain but the play continued. With the Leafs feeling the stress, they moved goalie Mikey Daly to forward. He put the pressure on the girls but was repeatedly dashed by Julia and Paula. Finally, though Daly zaps one in the corner to tie the score. Soon Christina powered through and the Collis sisters scored a third goal for the Canucks! Within moments, Paula had a deflection opportunity created by Lauren Daly and she deposited another quick goal for the Canucks giving the girls a commanding lead of 4-2. There are only minutes left in the game and a mad scramble occurred around the Canucks goal. Mikey Daly delivered a rapid fire shot that closed the gap to 4-3. Astonishingly, Mikey repeated that performance, notching the hat trick in the closing seconds. Game over with a hard fought 4-4 tie.

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Canadiens 3 Senators 3

Both teams were at full strength and ready for a challenge. These eight to 12 year old boys were ready for action. From the first drop of the ball there was fierce action, from end to end. The Canadiens were first to score with a strong shot from Ryan Goddard, one of last year's top scorers and assisted by Krishna Boodram. Ryan then continued to show his excellent playing skills by potting his second goal of the game, this time assisted by Conor Lohan. Senator goalie stopped some good shots and kept the Senators in the game. With a two goal lead by the Canadiens, the Senators didn't give up but got very motivated. They realised that if they didn't pick up the pace immediately, this game would be over. Senators' Tadhg O'Shaughnessy put in his first of the day assisted by William Gardner. The Canadiens responded immediately with a goal from Riley MacNeil, with assists from Alex Griffin and Conor Lohan. Senators fought back again and again shooting at every chance they got. Canadiens goalie Tyler MacNeil was incredible, stopping shots that brought the crowd to a roar. There was a large crowd around the net, then Tadhg O'Shaughnessy scored with assists from David Lehmann and Tyson Harvey with just two minutes remaining. In the end the Senators were able to put enough pressure on the Canadians to tie the game up.