TWHL opens new season at Samrong

SAMRONG: The TWHL D' Pelican Fall Classic Hockey League skated into a new season Sunday night with one storied franchise claiming victory as did an upstart expansion squad in the 4-team league.

                For this season, three of the TWHL original teams have been brought back (the Din Daeng Jets, the Klong Toey Whalers and the Sukhumvit Stars); the Ratchada Coyotes are the new team on the block.

                In Sunday's first game, the Din Daeng Jets thumped the Sukhumvit Stars 7-2. In the second contest, Ratchada won 4-3  over Klong Toey when Czech Vladimir Prochazka scored on a breakaway with just nine seconds left in the game as he overpowered Whaler goalie Wasunun Angkulpattanasuk when he came barreling the left wing in the final seconds of the game. Her brother, Pattarapol, was the winning netminder in the Ratchada goal.            

                The Stars jumped into a 2-1 lead in their game, but the Jets responded with 6 unanswered goals and their rookies made the difference, in particular Brett Filmore and 13-year old whiz kid Hayden Taylor. Original Jets Tewin Chartsuwan (with a hat trick), Michael White (2 goals), and Bjorn Turmann (1goal, 1assist) all had big games for the Din Daeng and Simon Halverson did a good job guarding the twines for the Jets.     

                In the second game, despite outshooting the Coyotes by an almost 2-1 margin, the Whalers fell behind in goals 3-1 when Klong Toey captain Scott Murray took a hooking penalty. The Whalers rose to the occasion though and Pasit Jirachai scored two beautiful short-handed goals to even the game, only to see Prochazka score the eventual winner for the expansion Coyotes.