Konrad Sander seems to be enjoying life on the Delta Ice Hawks.
Dealt from the hometown 麻豆社国产Wolf Pack on Jan. 10, Sander went from the worst team in the Pacific International Junior Hockey League (PIJHL) to one of the best.
The Ice Hawks eliminated the Grandview Steelers in five games after a 4-2 victory on March 1 and Sander said the team is feeling good after the opening round of the playoffs.
"The first round went really well for us," he said. "We had a certain system and we stuck to it. We pretty much controlled the entire series except for one game."
Sander picked up one assist during the series against the Steelers but was suspended for two games after a check to a Steelers player's head in Game 1. His suspension, along with a few other extenuating circumstances, contributed to the team's lopsided 7-1 loss in Game 3.
"I was out with a suspension and so was Mitchell Pacey," he said of the loss. "We also had a few guys who were hurt and our goalie didn't have his best night. We had to call up a couple different affiliate players and they played well, but obviously not good enough."
Sander said he's been playing on a line with Anthony Brito and John Proctor and said they've gelled well.
"I really enjoy playing with those guys and just playing on this team in general," he said. "Everyone gets along both on and off the ice and it's a great atmosphere."
Next up for Sander and the Ice Hawks is the Tom Shaw Conference finals, where they will take on the top team in the PIJHL, the Richmond Sockeyes. Many pundits are calling the series the real PIJHL finals as the Sockeyes and the Ice Hawks were, by far, the top two teams in the league. Sander said it should be a fun series to play in and to watch.
"It's going to be a really good and close series," he said. "But I don't think we should have any problems as long as we stay out of the penalty box. All of the games that we've played against Richmond since I got here have been goaltending battles, so I think there should be some late nights and long games."
The Sockeyes took the season series, winning four out of the six games, but three of the games went to overtime and all of the games but one were decided by two goals or fewer.
The series opened on Saturday (March 5), with the teams needing overtime settle the score. The Sockeyes skated away with a 4-3 victory but the Ice Hawks answered the next night, knotting up the series with a 6-1 win.
The series continued with games on Tuesday (March 8), Thursday (March 10) and Friday (March 11). but results were not available by press time.
For more information on the series, visit www.pijhl.com.
