Fowl Play: Dirty Birds Hang a Ten-Spot on Killer Goats Behind Smith’s Four-Goal Feast
Defense was entirely optional on Sunday night as the Dirty Birds unloaded an absolute aerial assault, skating away with a 10-3 blowout against the Killer Goats in Division 2 action. Someone notify the rink staff to check the bulbs on the scoreboard, because they got a serious workout.
The Goats actually drew first blood when William Hofmeister buried a feed from Lucas Blanchard, but the Dirty Birds answered right back when James Smith found the twine late in the first. Hofmeister would strike again midway through the second to make it a two-goal night, but from there, the flock took completely over. Dirty Birds winger James Whitacre notched a pair of goals and dished an apple, while Michael Bergstrom served up two helpers before scoring an unassisted beauty of his own.
The real story, however, was James Smith, who went full cheat-code mode. Smith buried four goals on the night—including a dagger of a short-handed tally in the final two minutes—forcing TAHL officials to review his beer league tax bracket and ensuring this game sheet will be laminated and magnetized to his refrigerator before breakfast.
Nelson Pina provided a bright spot for the Goats by finding the back of the net in the third, but Triston Wilson and Nicklas Clark (who collected three points of his own) kept pouring it on to seal the double-digit drubbing.
