BY MICHAEL DAVID
His teammates were bound and determined to do whatever it would take to get Sun’s goaltender Ryan Thomson his 100th career victory Friday night at The Campion Ice House.
And, in the end, Justin Taylor’s game winning goal in overtime gave Taylor a hat trick, and it gave the Suns a 6-5 victory over the St. Nicks Hockey Club and made history for veteran net minder Thomson.
St. Nicks did not make it easy for Thomson. After the Suns jumped out to a 3-1 lead late in the first period, the Hockey Club from New York City scored with seconds left on the clock to close the gap to 3-2.
The Suns scored a power play goal two minutes into the second period to once again take a two-goal lead, only to see St. Nicks score four minutes later and pull within one, 4-3. The teams exchanged goals late in the second period to leave the score at 5-4 heading into the final regulation period.
Midway through the third period, St. Nick’s scored to tie the game 5-5. Thomson fended off numerous shots on goal the remainder of regulation and, fittingly, the game would be decided in overtime.
Thomson had sat on 99 victories for his previous two starts, only to come up short in overtime shoot-outs. Now he would again be faced with sudden-death overtime determining his chance to reach the milestone.
The Suns pressured the St. Nicks’ goalie numerous times in OT. And when the visitors committed a penalty, the Suns had a one-skater advantage with just over two minutes remaining in the extra period.
That set the stage for Taylor’s game winner. The puck crossed the crease, setting off the celebration in the stands and on the ice. The Suns mobbed their winning goalie at center ice, delighting the big crowd in Hailey.
Thomson, visibly emotional after the game, thanked his teammates and the fans for “making it possible to reach this goal of 100 victories.”
St. Nicks and the Suns will face off again at 7 tonight—Saturday, Feb. 18—at The Campion Ice House in Hailey. Proceeds from this weekend’s games support the Wood River Baseball and Softball Associations.