Suns Shine
By DAVID LARSON<br><i>The Wood River Journal ~ Sun Valley</i>
They weren't four lines deep. The head coach ended up playing. They played in front of no more than 200 fans. What did it all mean for the Sun Valley Suns semi-pro hockey team? How about two more victories.
	Head coach Chris Benson and Co. laced up the skates in Park City last weekend, beating the Silver Kings by scores of 8-7 and 8-6.
	"Barely, but we did," was what Benson said Monday, describing his team's move to 22-0 on the year. "We didn't have our strongest team and I ended up suiting up as our fifth defenseman. I had to give the boys a little bit of a break."	
	Sun Valley used up all the resources they had in their Friday night thriller, as Ryan Enrico scored on an empty-netter with 20 seconds left to give the squad a one-point win. The goal&#045;assisted by Chris Warrington and Jamie Ellison&#045;came just 15 seconds after goalie Ryan Thomson almost let a puck into net that would've given Park City the advantage. It was vintage Sun Valley, however, finding the will to win.
	"The boys definitely played with a lot of heart," Benson said. "I don't know how the heck...they took their share Friday, it wasn't the most well-disciplined game but our boys came out with the win." 
	The close, physical weekend was no more evident than on Saturday, when the Suns jumped out to a quick 3-1 lead after one. That's when things changed. Players from both teams began jawing at each other while the refs decided to call the game tighter. It would lead to a whopping total of 13 penalties in the second and third periods as well as a player ejection. As the game swung forcefully from the Suns to Park City and back to the Suns, Trevor Thomas made his way to the locker room while Vilnis Nikolaisons was called for a check from behind late in the game. Could this be the end of Sun Valley's historic winning streak? No.
	With some players staying at home&#045;the opening of Dirty Little Roddy's, perhaps?&#045;and with Sun Valley up 5-1, Park City came back to notch it at 6. Bill Tryder, like he's done all season, would have none of it, using his speed to get free at the 1:40 mark and put the game away on an empty-netter, giving Sun Valley insurance and the win, 8- 6. Sun Valley was perhaps the best team to ever play in the one-year old Park City Olympic-sized ice hockey rink.
	"Obviously it wasn't the most well-disciplined weekend but we weathered the storm," Benson said. As for this weekend, "I think as long as we play disciplined hockey we'll be fine. We need to use our speed to our advantage and make them make penalties."
	Benson was referring to players such as Enrico, who had three goals and five assists on the weekend, as well as Ellison, who had two goals and five assists. Benson knows the team will be shorthanded, as Adam Swain, an impact player in his first year on the team, is doubtful with a shoulder injury suffered last weekend against the Missoula Cutthroats, as well as the loss of Caleb Baukol, who's inspired  the Suns for many years. It should all add up to one last weekend at the Sun Valley ice rink, one last chance for the Suns to end the season at 24-0, a mark never before seen in the 83353.
	"To be where we're at with two games left, it doesn't happen too often," Benson said. "There's a little pressure on the boys, so hopefully they'll remain level-headed."
	There have been whispers swirling around the ice that former Boston great Cam Neely, a 2005 inductee into the hockey hall-of-fame, may play for this weekend's opponent, the Boston Bulldogs. It would be quite a sight to see, as the 42-year-old Neely can probably still crack heads and slap shots with the best of them. It would be one final test in this epic season in Southern Idaho.
	"I don't know," Benson said, not sounding thrilled. "I've heard rumors."

<b>NOTES:</b> Thomson had 44 saves on Friday, 33 on Saturday...Warrington finished with 5 goals and 4 assists to lead Sun Valley on the weekend...Nikolaisons had 2 goals and 2 assists...Tryder got his 100th career goal, a remarkable achievement...Goalie Colin Zulianello, February's Wood River Journal Athlete of the Month, is expected to tend goal Saturday night...Benson on if his team will "party hardy" if they can finish 24-0, "Hell, I don't know, they probably will no matter what..." Sun Valley has confirmed that there is absolutely no possibility that they'll play in the hockey championships in Wisconsin at the end of the year, as there are too many logistical problems holding them back...Boston has a Hollywood producer in their line-up, as Bobby Farrelly (Dumb and Dumber, Me, Myself and Irene) tends goal every once in awhile...