BY MICHAEL DAVID

The Holy Cross Crusaders traveled west to the Campion Ice House in Hailey this weekend and swept the two-game series against the Sun Valley Suns, winning 3-2 on Friday and 5-4 Saturday night.

Following Friday’s loss, a determined bunch of Suns came out of the gates, shutting down the Crusaders and taking the 1-0 lead seven minutes into the contest on a goal by Doug Yates, with assists provided by Trevor Thomas and Spencer Brendel.

Holy Cross struck back less than a minute later to tie the score, 1-1. The Suns’ Justin Taylor scored with the helper from Brendel at the 4:14 mark of the period to give the home team a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission.

The Crusaders tied the game once again 5:32 seconds into the second stanza, but the Suns’ newest player, Michael Bud scored with 11:56 remaining in the period to give the lead back to Sun Valley, 3-2. Holy Cross scored at the halfway point of the period to tie the game at three goals apiece, and added another score with an extra man on the attack during the delayed penalty to go up 4-3 after two periods.

Both teams’ defenses stiffened in the third period, but the Crusaders broke through to score with 6:23 remaining in the game and take a two-goal lead, temporarily quieting the large crowd in Hailey. The Suns’ Tyler Lovejoy snuck one past the Holy Cross goaltender with 3:35 left in the game to pull the home team within one goal, but Sun Valley was unable to penetrate the suffocating Crusader defense down the stretch.

Next up for the Suns are two home games against St. Nicks from New York City next Friday and Saturday, Feb. 16 and 17. Puck drops at 7 p.m. both nights at the Campion Ice House in Hailey.