The Tropics absolutely erupted for nine goals in a dominant offensive display, rolling past the Nightmares 9-4 in a game that was never really in doubt. From the opening puck drop, it was clear the Tropics’ attack was firing on all cylinders. Ryley Stewart (#6) set the tone early, scoring just over seven minutes in, and Brett Barnes (#43) quickly doubled the lead. Charlie Keeling (#4) made it 3-0 before the Nightmares could even catch their breath, and despite a reply from Dustin Heinish (#71) to make it 3-1, Stewart’s second of the period restored the three-goal cushion. The Nightmares were shell-shocked, and the Tropics’ relentless pressure was overwhelming, outshooting their opponents 36-26 in the first period alone.
The second period saw no let-up from the Tropics, who took advantage of a double minor penalty to Colby Imperato (#10) for head contact. Jacob Nicholson (#15) cashed in on the power play, and then scored again just 68 seconds later at even strength to push the lead to 6-1. Mason Vickers (#18) added another power-play goal, and suddenly the Nightmares were staring at a 7-1 deficit. The Nightmares did show some fight, with Logan Hodgson (#92) and Jayden Resendes-Martel (#67) finding the back of the net to cut the lead to 7-3, but the mountain was simply too steep to climb.
The Tropics' relentless attack continued in the third, with Jacob Nicholson completing a hat trick and Charlie Keeling adding his second of the night to make it 9-3. Colby Imperato managed to score a late consolation goal for the Nightmares, but it did little to dampen the Tropics’ celebration. Goaltender Alykhan Nurani (#30) was credited with the win, while Dustin Heinish (#71) and the Nightmares’ defense simply had no answers for the wave after wave of offensive pressure from a Tropics team that looked completely unstoppable on this night. The final score of 9-4 was a fair reflection of a game dominated from start to finish by the visiting squad.