Two fabled franchises face off in TWHL

SAMRONG: The Klong Toey Whalers and Din Daeng Jets, the two most storied franchises in TWHL history, clashed Sunday night in the D' Pelican Fall Classic Hockey League. But when it was all skated and done, the highly-hyped affair ended up being a one-sided shoot-out as the Whalers' finely-honed harpoons pierced the defensive fuselage of the Jets six times while the Whaler defense hung tough ensuring a shutout for Whaler keeper Dream Angkulpattanasuk.

            Geoff McIntyre potted a hat-trick; original Whaler Scott Murray scored two goals and Todd Switzer added a single in the 6-0 rout. The Klong Toey-Din Daeng rivalry is akin to the NHL's great Montreal Canadien-Toronto Maple Leaf rivalry, with the flamboyant Jets being compared to the charismatic Canadiens and the lunch-bucket Whalers being likened to the blue-collar Leafs. On this night, the working-class guys won out.

           In Sunday's second match, the Sukhumvit Stars won their first game of the young season defeating the expansion Ratchada Coyotes 3-1 in a hardly-fought contest. Fleet snipers Scott Whitcomb and David Blomquist notched singles for the Stars as did rookie Dave Ducharme, who never lost the league in the game. Vladimir Prochazka continued his scoring mastery for Ratchada scoring in his third straight league game, but Sukhumvit's defensive prowess thwarted the Coyotes offensive thrusts and Jason Cotsmire won the goaltending duel over Lance Parker, in a meeting of the league's two hottest keepers.