Kaustick News

Kaustick swept a double header on Saturday, and in the process delivered the Island their first loss of the season, 6-4.

AJ Arbiso had four goals and Chris Mockus had a pair, while Gary Dresser was fabulous in net for the victory.

Although they didn’t land in the goal column, Lou Guevara and Brad Thomas were spectacular and had a tremendous impact on the game.

Kaustick played a complete team game, matching the previously undefeated Islands step for step through the first two periods in a back-and-forth game.

In the third, Kaustick began to pull away.

Kaustick both controlled the play in the middle of the rink and was strong on the boards. More frequently than the Islands, Kaustick cycled the puck in the offensive zone and generated scoring opportunities.

A strong forecheck was key in slowing the Islands, who weren’t able to generate an attack up the middle with speed, instead being relegated for much of the game to playing with the puck on the perimeter.

In addition to his four goals, for a team-high 18, Arbiso also did not take a seat on the bench during the contest.

With the victory, Kaustick improved to 5-4-0 and moved up to third place in the ABS Division — six points back of the Islands, four behind the Diablos and two ahead of Undecided.

Kaustick plays the Grinders (2-7-0, 5th) in the week’s final season. Undecided (4-5-0, 4th), who holds the tie breaker against Kaustick, plays No Fear (1-8-0, 6th). The outcomes will determine playoff seeding.

Both rounds of the playoffs will be held on December 20 — with games at 2 p.m. and the winners competing for the championship at 4:45 p.m.