2025 SSL Week 8 Recap

Game 15: Raptors 11 – Polar Bears 7

If the Raptors were waiting for a signature game, they picked the perfect moment. In a wild, back-and-forth offensive showcase, Richmond’s black-and-white came out on top, outgunning the Polar Bears in a frenetic, highlight-filled match.

Mathieu Lippens had the hot stick for the Raptors, finding the net four times—three in the second half alone. Murtaza Raza kept the ball moving, racking up both goals and primary assists, and Victor Melendez Gonzalez quietly piled up helpers in another quietly elite playmaking night. Steve Foltz and Karl Pereira each delivered when it counted, and rookie Tony London grabbed his first point of the season.

For the Polar Bears, Brandon Loughen did everything he could—scoring four and assisting on two more, while Chris Bourne and Seth Womack each made their mark on the scoresheet. But the Bears’ defense had no answer for the Raptors’ late push, and what was a back-and-forth battle cracked wide open in the final frame.

Game 16: River Dogs 4 – Rough Riders 2

The River Dogs played their most disciplined game of the season when it mattered most, grinding down a Rough Riders team known for outlasting everyone in the third. Courtney Cooke gave the Riders an early lead, but the Dogs answered with depth: Vivian Sievers opened their scoring, and Nick Baldaino, Matthew Dillard, and Malachy Cole finished it off.

Dillard was all over the rink, with a crucial third-period goal to put the game out of reach. Malachy Cole notched both a goal and an assist. The River Dogs’ defense locked it down when the Riders tried to rally, limiting Jeremy Sacra and company to just a single second-period tally.

This win not only keeps the River Dogs’ playoff hopes alive—it throws the whole top of the table into chaos.