The calendar has flipped to 2023 and the Huntsmen are back in action.  They began the second half of the season on the road against the Union Jr. Thunder.

Saturday

The Huntsmen would score first thanks to Chase Canestra. After PA cleared the puck out their own zone, the Thunder defense misplayed the puck. Canestra raced to the loose puck and beat 2 defensemen earning himself a breakaway chance and a goal to go up 1-0. About 3 minutes later, Watson broke in the Union’s zone, dropped a pass for Gilmore and he ripped a shot to beat (G) Meeker for the 2-0 lead. The Thunder would answer with a goal from the slot that beat (G) Jones to cut the lead 2-1. The 2nd period is where the Huntsmen would pull away. Canestra would score his second goal of the game with a beautiful backhander, and about two minutes later Chase Mueller would ring a shot off the post from the point giving the Huntsmen a 4-1 lead. In the 3rd, PA continued to dominate. Reese Gilmore would cash in a rebound chance for his second of the night making it 5-1. Jaeger Daniels was the next scorer as he would pick up the goal falling to the ice for a rebound chance. Daniels wasn’t done as he would score again this time on the breakaway as the Huntsmen would win big 7-1. Ty Jones picked up his 13th win in net while, which is tied for league lead, making 26 saves.

Sunday  

It wasn’t a good start for the Huntsmen as the Thunder would score twice in less than two minutes near the midway point of the 1st period for the 2-0 lead. Late in the period both teams committed penalties and they would offset and 4-4 was the result. Daniil Diukin would get PA on the board speeding through the neutral zone, and he ripped a shot past (G) Kline cutting the deficit 2-1. The Huntsmen began the 2nd period on the powerplay because of a late penalty against Union in the 1st. Pennsylvania would convert on the power play thanks to Ryan Arendes and solid puck movement by Diukin and Miller at the point tying the game 2-2. A couple minutes later, Union would respond to retake the lead after an awkward bounce off the boards from behind the net came right back to the front of the net and the Thunder would punch it in to make it 3-2. That goal would send (G) Harkins to the bench and Ty Jones would replace him. On the following faceoff, Ben Watson would fire a wrister tying the game 3-3 :10 later. Jaeger Daniels would give the Huntsmen the lead with a sharp angle shot as the scoring fest continued and it was 4-3 PA. Union would retaliate on their own power play chance with a rebound goal tying the game 4-4. In the 3rd period the Huntsmen would get into penalty trouble and would be on the wrong side of a 5-3 powerplay. The penalty kill unit came up big time and wouldn’t allow the Thunder to take the lead. The Huntsmen had their chance on the power play as well but couldn’t find the back of the net, and the game headed to overtime. Danill Diukin was the hero in OT with his second goal of the game giving the Huntsmen a 5-4 victory.

Up Next

The sweep puts the Huntsmen on a three-game win streak heading into the Showcase this weekend. A big test awaits them in New Hampshire, with both opponents from the Boston Division. First, they take on the leagues best Railers Hockey Club. The Railers are number one overall with a 21-6-1 record and 43 points. Right behind them in the same division are the Boston Jr. Rangers 19-6-1 with 39 points. Railers are on a 3-game win streak heading into the Showcase. They will take on the New Jersey 87s and the Adirondack Jr. Thunder before facing the Huntsmen the following day. The Rangers have won 2-3 going into Showcase weekend. Boston will start the Showcase against the New Jersey Renegades, and then take on the Huntsmen.

There's even more action coming up this weekend. Along with the Showcase, its All-Star Weekend. Representing the team are: Forward Ryan Arendes, defenseman Daniil Diukin, and goaltender Ty Jones. Head Coach Blaise Kilroy will also be on the bench for the All-Star Game. Let’s check out the stats:

Arendes            GP 28, G 25, A 24, 49 pts  (2nd in goals, 1st in points)

Diukin                   GP 18, G 11, A 13, 24 pts

Jones           Wins 13, Save % .902, Goals Against Average 3.45, Shut outs 2

Here’s what they had to say about being elected to the All-Star Game:

“I’m so excited to be part of this. It’s also exciting to have the All-Star game and the Showcase over the weekend.” Daniil Diukin

“I'm excited to go and interested to see how I do against the best competition the league has to offer. It’s an honor.” Ty Jones

“I’m very grateful and super excited. I think it will be a really cool experience to meet other players that are the best in the league. I think it will be a fun experience.” Ryan Arendes

It’s an action-packed weekend for the Pennsylvania Huntsmen. The team started off the second half on the right foot with 2 victories. The games will be getting more and more important as the playoffs are not too far ahead.

Schedule

All Star Game Saturday      8pm in Exeter, NH        Arendes and Diukin Gray Team // Jones White Team

Sunday vs Boston Jr. Rangers      2pm       at Ice Den in Hookset, NH

Monday vs Railers Hockey Club 10am    at Ice Den  

By: Joe Sindoni

Staff Writer

Play by Play Announcer