R-hawks topple Sailors

Daniel Volpatti has remained hot following his return from an injury.

The Welland native has nett ed f our goals in as many games, his most recent coming in a 5-3 Niagara Riverhawks victory over the visiting Port Dover Sailors Thursday night at the Gale Centre in Niagara District Junior C Hockey League action.

“I’ve been feeling good ,” Volpatti said, about his scoring streak. “I came back from a hand injury. I was out two weeks, so I was pretty pumped to play the last couple games, just get the puck to the net and score some goals.”

This is Vol patti’ s first full season at the junior level and, if the last four games are any indication, he is starting to feel more comfortable.

The 18- year- old now has eight goals on the season, but it is his defensive play that he is known for on the team.

“Defence comes first and offence comes second,” he said. “That’s how I like to think of it.”

Volpatti has proven to his coaches, through his defensive mindset, that he was a great signing for the Riverhawks ( 1611- 0- 2) this season.

“He’s so defensively sound. He’s always in the right place at the right time and he’s always picking up the right guy ,” assistant coach Adam Dunne said. “He’s so good defensively that I didn’t even know that that was his fourth goal in four games. I just look at his defensive game.”

For the rest of the team, they almost saw a 4- 1 lead through two periods slip away in the third, when the sailors were able to get within one before a Dawson Ethier goal sealed it for the Riverhawks.

“I thought we played really well the first two periods,” Dunne said. “The last period it looked like (Port Dover) wanted it a little bit more. I know that team. I knew they weren’t going to give up.

“For some reason, we don’t like those leads going into the third period. These guys always like to make it interesting for us.”

It was the opposite for the Sailors ( 8- 18- 1- 1), as head coach Mike Tobin wasn’t impressed with how his guys played in the contest.

“We’re a fast team and we should thrive on this ice,” Tobin said. “The last two times we’ve been here we haven’t come to play. We put together 10 minutes and that’s it.”

The next matchup f or the Riverhawks comes against the Dunnville Mudcats, a team that

The last two times we’ve been here we haven’t come to play. We put together 10 minutes and that’s it.”

Head coach Mike Tobin

put up a 10-spot against them in their last game.

“We have to play 60 minutes; a 20-minute hockey game doesn’t win you anything,” Dunne said. “We can beat anybody in this league if we play 60 minutes, but unfortunately we’re a team that has to play 60 minutes to win every game.”