Chargers Thump Cardinals in SVL Matchup

The days of the Powers/Davison rivalry have seen its best matchups come and go, at least on the ice that is. With the high school hockey participation decline in Genesee County, the few teams remaining do their best to attract the depleted talent pool in the surrounding areas. Davison (2-3-2) was a firsthand reflection of the “sign of the times” as their roster consisted of just 15 young men Tuesday night, when they hosted Powers (8-1) at the Dort Financial Credit Union Event Center.

Senior Brenden Tarpening put the Chargers on the board early in the first period. Tarpening snatched the loose puck inside the right faceoff circle sending a wrister towards Cardinals’ netminder Scott York and knocking home is own rebound. At 9:42 Davison was signaled for their first of four penalties on the night. The Chargers powerplay was unsuccessful. Shortly after, netminder Nick Kurtiak tried to catch the Cardinals sleeping on a line change when he fired a pass through the neutral zone to Trey Carlock at the Cardinals blueline, but Carlock was denied. With 2:23 remaining in the first period, Nolan Berner created a turnover at the Cardinals’ blueline firing off a snapper on York as Gerhardt exploded on the scene to put away the rebound making it 2-0. Less than a minute into the 2nd period, the Chargers’ Weston Reinig patiently slid a backhand in through the heavy slot traffic bagging one of his two goals on the night. After two Chargers powerplays and one Cardinals, neither were able to capitalize on the man advantage. At the 1:41 mark, Powers’ Reinig struck again in the slot putting the Chargers up by 4. With just 25 seconds left, Jack Dawley’s one-timer closed out the 2nd with a sweet cross-ice dime from Mason Czarnecki, giving the Chargers a substantial 5-0 lead.

The 3rd period was much of the same story as the Chargers controlled possession with multiple opportunities and the Cardinals simply had no answers. The Chargers ended the night 0/4 on their powerplay. The sole goal of the 3rd came from Luke Cramer submerging it by Cardinals’ York to cement the contest at 9:04. Nick Kurtiak sealed the shutout. Powers are now 9-1 on the season and 2-0 in SVL play. Final Powers 6 Davison 0

Next game: Bloomfield Hills, Wednesday, 7pm, Jan 5th @ Detroit Skating Club