Nevermind that the Squirrels had beaten Enigma twice this season. Nevermind that the Squirrels outshot Enigma 33-22 on Tuesday. Enigma won when it counted. For the second season in a row, Enigma knocked the Squirrels out of the playoffs, this time with a 5-2 win behind solid goaltending of Craig Stone.

The Squirrels found themselves in a 2-0 hole in the first period after giving up goals at 8:31 and 9:31. Enigma extended its lead in the second period with a power play goal at 2:26. The Squirrels finally got on the board at 10:41 of the second period as Chris Wautel got a shot past Stone on the power play. Two minutes later, Enigma got its three-goal advantage back. The Squirrels cut Enigma’s lead to 4-2 only moments later as Rob Myers gunned a pass through the crease to Ben Sumner, who hit it in despite having a defenseman draped on him. But then Enigma capitalized off of a late power play opportunity and sent the Squirrels packing.

The Squirrels played without Juan Canchasto, Matt Borlik and Wade Marks. Chi Pham subbed on defense. The Squirrels will now turn their attention toward ice, which begins in a couple of weeks.

Enigma has been on a roll lately, winners of six in a row which put them a point ahead of the Squirrels in the standings. The Squirrels needed a victory as they slipped to third place, and they got it Tuesday, beating the defending champs, 5-2.

Ben Sumner got the scoring started in the first minute of a game on a pass from Tony Richelsen. About 11 minutes later, Enigma tied the game. Then Rob Myers cut hard to the net and backhanded a shorthanded goal in to give the Squirrels a 2-1 lead a the half.

Enigma tied the game again at 7:29 of the second period. Shortly after, the Squirrels put it away. Jon Magi’s power play goal from the point put the Squirrels up 3-2 at 10:27. Less than two minutes later Chris Wautel scored. Only eight seconds off of that goal, Tony Richelsen put the Squirrels up 5-2, and the Squirrels killed off the rest of the game.

The Squirrels played without Jeff Ford, Don Marks, Wade Marks, Juan Canchasto and Phil Van der Vossen. Chi Pham subbed on defense. Bob Sewell made 25 saves in net as the Squirrels put up 24 shots.

The next game is Monday, July 23, at 9:30 p.m. against the Swingers.

The game could have gone either way. A bounce here, a post there, the game was close to being out of reach and the Squirrels could have skated away to their fifth straight victory – or they could’ve lost. Instead, as the buzzer sounded, the tie seemed like a blessing.

Enigma scored first as their ‘sub’ – who was wearing a completely different colored jersey than the rest of Enigma – skated around several players and put one through goaltender Bob Sewell. Chris Wautel tied the game late in the first period as he stood alone in front of the net and collected a pass from Jeff Ford.

Enigma took the lead in the second period, but the Squirrels battled back as Wautel and Ford each had a goal from passes by Ben Sumner. With about three minutes to go, the Squirrels took a penalty, and a deflected shot into the Squirrels’ net tied the game.

The Squirrels played without Matt Borlik, Don Marks, Wade Marks, and Juan Canchasto. The next game is Thursday, at 7:30 p.m. against Mors ab Alto.

Game notes: The tie likely drops the Squirrels to second place, as Silver Spring – a team the Squirrels beat earlier in the season – has yet to lose or tie another… Team captain Kit Watson celebrated his 28th birthday.

The Squirrels had a quality victory Thursday, beating defending champs Enigma, 6-2, before two enthusiastic fans.

The match started out like last season’s semifinal playoff game (which Enigma won, 1-0) – heavy on the defense. Kit Watson got the scoring started early in the period with a second-effort shot to put the Squirrels ahead, 1-0. Enigma tied it, and the game was 1-1 at the half.

Early in the second half, Enigma’s Mike Vogt skated around everyone and tapped in a shot past goaltender Bob Sewell. Then the floodgates opened. Ben Sumner hit Matt Borlik in front of the net with a pass, and the game was tied, 2-2. Jeff Ford scored to put the Squirrels ahead. Then Ford scored again. The Squirrels got a scare as Don Marks went head-first into the boards. Seeing the injury, the referee blew the whistle a split second before Enigma scored a would-be goal. Marks was a little woozy, but managed to play again. Up 4-2, the Squirrels scored two more late in the game. Very similar to their first connection for a goal, Sumner found Borlik in front of the net again and the Squirrels went up 5-2. Then Ford scored his third of the game – his 10th of the season after only five games. The Squirrels outshot Enigma, 26-25. Chris Wautel, who played defense, finished the game with three assists.

The Squirrels only had two full lines, and were missing Juan Canchasto, Phil Van der Vossen, Desi Richelsen, Tony Richelsen, Wade Marks and Rob Myers. The next game is Tuesday, May 15 at 9 p.m. against Mors ab Alto.

Three seconds remained in the game. With the Squirrels goaltender pulled and an extra skater on the rink, defender Kit Watson took a slap shot from just inside the center line. Through several screens, Enigma’s goaltender saved it – and the game – and the Squirrels lost their first playoff game in two years, 1-0, on Monday.

The game was bound to be low-scoring. The Squirrels and Enigma were one-two in defense, and had similar offensive numbers. They both finished the regular season with 27 points, though the Squirrels won the tiebreaker. The Squirrels clobbered Enigma, 7-1, earlier in the season, but a 2-2 game a couple of weeks ago made it clear that the teams were pretty much even down the stretch. And only a fluky goal would be the difference in a playoff game.

At 13:54 of the second period, a turnover, a shot off the post, a bad bounce, and a knuckler shot went past Squirrels goaltender Bob Sewell, and that was it. The Squirrels managed 21 shots while Enigma posted 19.

Enigma advances to Thursday’s finals against the winner of the 5 Holes-Snipe match, which already had four-times as many goals scored in the first half than the Squirrels-Enigma game.

The Squirrels played without Don Marks, Juan Canchasto and Matt Borlik.

Despite the loss, the Squirrels still gathered – as they usually do – at Barbeque Wings & Beer in Cloverly, showing no shame in a loss after posting a 14-6-1 record, a second-place regular season finish, and the best defense and goaltending in the division. The Squirrels will now turn their attention to ice, where they will attempt to defend their championship in the winter’s C league.