Ska Brewing skates to 6-1 win over REG in town league

Revenge is a dish best served cold, like beer

By Than Acuff 

While Ska Brewing came into their game Monday night against REG winless and in last place in the C/B town league standings, you wouldn’t know it by watching them as they skated to a 6-1 win Monday night at Big Mine Ice Arena, avenging a loss to REG earlier in the season.

Puck possession was the name of the game for Ska Brewing as they took it to REG in the opening minutes of the first period. Eric Dishmon offered to stand in net for REG and made a couple clutch saves early but Ska would score two minutes into the game when a shot by Scott Thomes from the point clipped off the leg of a defenseman and past Dishmon for a 1-0 lead.

REG remained diligent in their defensive efforts looking to counter with the occasional odd man rush up the ice, but Ska cut off the few chances REG had and scored a second goal midway through the first period when Scott Reamer set up Gary Huresky for a goal.

REG switched gears looking to establish a dump-and-chase style as they were struggling in neutral ice and it looked to be effective providing some chances in the attacking zone but, and there’s always a but, it backfired. Thomes beat REG players to the dumped puck and pushed it out to Huresky on the wing. Huresky then found Scott Hetherington breaking loose behind the REG defense with a pass and Hetherington skated to net to score for a 3-0 Ska lead by the end of the first period.

Words on the REG bench during the break inspired the team and they came out in the second period determined to right the wrongs from the first period. Mollye Erickson set the tone for REG with her backchecking efforts in neutral ice to help keep REG on attack in the opening minute. That effort was just what REG needed, that is until Kevin Van Horn skated up the wing for Ska, looked off a pass to the slot and fired a wrist shot midstride catching Dishmon by surprise for a 4-0 Ska lead.

REG remained in the hunt on offense and were finding some seams thanks to the crafty skating of Emmy Luna, positioning of Stevie Kremer and the all-out effort of James Brennan. Their work set up Kremer for a shot, Ska goalie Nicholas Mikeska made the initial save and Brennan skated onto the rebound, but his shot hit the side of the Ska net.

There was a stretch midway through the second period when the C/B league looked a little like A/B league as both teams were skating up and down the ice trading off attacks including a legitimate slapshot by Reamer (that’s three Scotts, one team) off the post and in to put Ska up 5-0.

Bobby Block did everything he could to protect the house for REG serving as the “Block”ade in the slot and clearing the puck from harm’s way. His effort epitomized the never-say-die-despite-being-down-five-goals-in-the-third-period attitude of REG as they kept plugging away hoping for just one goal. 

Despite REG’s efforts, Ska scored a sixth goal as Reamer set up Huresky for his second goal of the night. REG remained unfazed though being the ever-positive squad made up of mostly teachers, and they finally got their just rewards at the end of the game as they went all out with four REG players in the Ska slot swatting at the puck until Erickson finally provided the magic touch to push it through.

Kremer brought a new move to the game when she looked to skate through the legs of Mark Cram to try and set up another REG goal but, alas, it did not work and Ska finished out the 6-1 win.