Hockey Central

Tycoons Hang On For a 4-2 Winoons

April 25th, 2022

Jon Szychta's Natural Hat Trick Leads The Tycoons to a 4-2 Win In The First Game Back.

It was the first game back from the Covid-19 restrictions as the CIHL last played on December 18th. Even with the four month pause, Jon Szychta picked up where he left off as he led the Tycoons to a 4-2 win. Szychta did not waste anytime as he powered his way into the Warriors' zone and beat goaltender Ray Loo on his blocker side. He made it 2-0 before the period ended with Loo down and out.

In the second period, Szychta completed his natural hat trick at the 5:05 mark on an nice individual effort. Despite missing some of their top guns in Devin Welsh, Greg Smyth and Connor Quinn, the Warriors battled back, led by Francois Esterhuizen. They closed the gap to one when Esterhuizen finally was able to solve Tycoons goaltender Emerson Keung. Keung had another solid night and was doing his best to keep his team ahead. He was also lucky at times as the Warriors had a couple of their shots hit the crossbar.

Then in the third period, Esterhuizen scored his second of the night at the 4:54 mark to close within one and there were still plenty of time left. Could Esterhuizen follow Szychta with a natural hat rick of his own? Unfortunately for them, Keung said no as he shut the door the rest of the way. Matthew Nuttall sealed the deal for the Tycoons with an empty netter with 35 seconds remaining. Keung stopped 27 shots while Loo stopped 26.

Next CIHL action in Discovery Bay:

Game 1
AsiaXpat Kowloon Warriors vs Manulife Macau Aces
April 30th @ 7:30 pm

Game 2
HKBN Hong Kong Tycoons vs South China Sharks
April 30th @ 9:00 pm