The FIHL was back in action in week five at the Tampa Bay Skating Academy on Saturday, November 14 with the Minute Men taking on the Sand Sharks and the Aces versus the Sting Rays.
In the first game, the undefeated Sand Sharks kept rolling with a 19-5 win over the Minute Men. The Sand Sharks got on the board within the first minute of the game on a goal by Nathan Souza. The Sharks went on to build an 8-0 lead before the Minute Men got on the board with 5:41 left in the first period with a power play goal by George Brkljacic. The Sand Sharks added a goal by Andrew Shillings with 2:18 left in the period to take a 9-1 lead. The Minute Men opened up the scoring in the second period on a goal by Side Show Bob at the 18:39 mark and added a goal by Wyatt Frontiero with 8:11 left in the period to cut the Sand Shark’s lead to 9-3. The Sharks answered with a goal by Andre Bobowitz with 4:57 left in the period, giving the Sharks a 10-3 leading going into the final period. The Minute Men’s Kyle Fanelli scored 52 seconds into the third period, but the Sand Sharks fired back with six consecutive goals to take a 16-4 lead with 5:30 left in the game. The Minute Men added another goal by Brkljacic (assisted by Alex Noti) before the Sand Sharks scored three more goals to secure the decisive 19-5 win. The Sand Sharks had three players with hat tricks (Bobowitz—4 goals, 1 assist; Julian Pontoni—4 goals, 2 assists; Shillings—4 goals, 2 assists). Other highlights for the Sharks included Nolan Borek with two goals, Souza with one goal and four assists, and Dave Beaudin with four assists. Shots on goal were Minute Men 44, Sand Sharks 57.
In the second game, the Aces and Sting Rays battled in a matchup that saw the Sting Rays come away with an 8-4 victory. The Aces got on the board first with a goal by Jaxon Law with 13:22 left in the first period. The Sting Rays tied the game with 7:01 left on a goal by Chandler Odell and took a 2-1 lead on a goal by Nolan Borek with 2:58 left in the first period. The Sting Rays added two goals within 30 seconds in the second period when Tyler McDuffie and Richard Poweska scored to give the Sting Rays a 4-1 lead with 14:05 left in the period. The Aces fired back on goals by Law with 11:38 and 1:29 left in the period to give him the hat trick and cut the Sting Rays’ lead to 4-3 going into the final period. The Aces tied the game at 4-4 with 12:32 left in the game on a goal by Josiah Martinez, but the Sting Rays regained the lead when Odell scored less than a minute later. The Sting Rays went on to score three more goals on their way to the 8-4 win. The Sting Rays’ Odell had a hat trick and one assist, while Nolan Borek had two goals and two assists and Poweska had two goals. The Aces’ Gavin Frost contributed three assists while the Sting Rays’ Joshua Guay had two. Shots on goal were Aces 42, Sting Rays 49.