The Emmaus-Parkland rivalry hit the ice on Monday, and like any other sport, it didn't disappoint. The students came out in support, and the play on the ice was physical and fast-paced.

Goalkeeper Mike Smoker was at the top of his game, but it just wasn't enough as Parkland (5-0) found the net five times in a 5-1 win at the Lehigh Valley Ice Arena in Whitehall.

The loss was the first for Emmaus (4-1) on the young season.

"Right now we're just looking at how we will respond to taking our first loss of the season," said head coach Brian Braun. "It will be interesting to see how we react to this. Next week we have our bye week, so we'll see what happens when we come back against Whitehall. Other than that, we're excited to get back out there. And Parkland is a good team. We'll see them again."

The story of the game was the play of sophomore goalie Mike Smoker. He stopped 45 of 50 shots on his net.

Parkland was relentless in its attack, and the Trojans gave him different looks.

Morgan Bensinger's second goal in the first half came just 48 seconds after Drew Phillipes tied the game for Emmaus. That goal proved pivotal, and took any kind of momentum away from the Green Hornets.

The game didn't disappoint from an excitement standpoint. There were a couple skirmishes and the first penalty of the game came just 33 second into the game on elbowing by a Trojans forward.

Smoker continued his solid play, and kept Emmaus in the game, making save after save.

"What more is there to say, 50 shots, and he made it a game that we weren't blown out," said Braun. "Fifty shots, it shouldn't even be a close game. He kept us in it, and I'm happy to have him."

Brett McHale's first of his two goals came with a little over a minute left before the end of the second period, and seemingly put the game away.

The Green Hornets struggled putting more pressure on Robert Stock (17 saves on 18 shots). Besides Phillipes' goal, Matt Heffelfinger just missed a goal in the second period on a four-on-four penalty shortened play.

"Now we know what we're up against with Parkland," added Braun. "We just need to use more open ice and create more chances."

Emmaus will next hit the ice on November 26th against the Whitehall/Salisbury Non-Pure division team at 6 p.m.