Ice Championship: Squirrels 5, D.C. Shooters 3

The Squirrels won their first summer league championship on Sunday, defeating the top-seeded D.C. Shooters 5-3 to finish their most successful calendar year in their 14-year history.

Jon Danziger got the scoring started in the first shift of the game, sending a floating shot that somehow found the net. A few minutes later, Don Marks put the Squirrels up 2-0 with a deflected shot up the middle on the power play.

The Squirrels kept up the momentum in the second period, as Brent Machado’s centering pass from the right boards found its way into the back of the net. Danziger scored again to put the Squirrels up 4-0, but the Squirrels weren’t at all comfortable with the lead. Though the D.C. Shooters were down, they had frequent momentum and plenty of chances in the Squirrels’ zone, but were frequently stifled by the Squirrels’ defense and goaltender Merritt Lyon. They finally scored just 13 seconds after Danziger’s goal to cut the lead to 4-1, but Neil Shah struck right back to give the Squirrels a 5-1 lead going into the third period. The D.C. Shooters even called a time out in the second period after that.

Desperation set it for the D.C. Shooters in the third as they threw everything they had at the net, scoring twice to cut the lead to 5-3 with plenty of time remaining. Even at that point, the Shooters’ fans were on their feet and chanting, but the Squirrels fought hard in the waning moments to seal the victory.

What made the loss even worse for the D.C. Shooters was that it was their only regulation loss all season, as they earned 27 of 28 points in the regular season while beating the Squirrels twice, once in a shootout.

In 2014, the Squirrels won two ice championships and fell short in their roller championship to a team that originally signed up for a higher division. The Squirrels are now gearing up for the winter season, where they’ll be promoted to the Bronze 1 division.