With a comprehensive 20-2 victory over the Sheffield Ice Tigers on Sunday, the Buccs secured a top-two finish in the round-robin stage of the Summer Classic.

The Buccs came into the game on the back of a two-game losing streak and knew they could take nothing for granted against an Ice Tigers outfit who put up a good fight in the reverse fixture. It took just under 3 minutes for the Buccs to get on the scoreboard, with Carl Price opening the scoring. The goals kept coming at regular intervals, putting the Buccs up 5-0 by the half-way point of the first period. However the Ice Tigers’ defense held firm for the rest of the period, with the Buccs unable to find a way past the goalie, meaning the scores remained 5-0 at the end of the first period.

The second period was a busy affair, withe Buccs scoring a further five goals before the Ice Tigers finally found a way past netminder Rob Tomlin at 33:07, with Daniel Glue opening their account. A flurry of goals and penalties kept the scorekeepers on their toes, and the Buccs applied some more pressure to end the period 13-1 to the good.

The third period continued where the second left off. After a couple of early penalties on both sides, the Buccs resumed their pressure, tallying 3 goals in a span of 1m18s. The Ice Tigers scored their second at 51:52, with David Foulstone getting on the scoreboard. Not content with 3 goals in just 1m18s, Mark Jankins and Carl Price combined to score three inside a span of just 37 seconds in the 53rd minute. With the clock winding down, a flurry of late penalties threatened to leave more players in the penalty boxes than on the benches, but the Buccs were able to close out the game with no further action on the scoreboard.

MVP for the Buccaneers was #71 Michael Walsh.

The Buccs are next in action this coming Saturday against the Don Valley Vikings, facing off at Blackburn Arena at 6pm.