The Emmaus ice hockey team started out of the gate slow during the 2015 season. Four straight losses put the Green Hornets in a hole early. But the last three weeks have seen them surge back to the middle of the pack with three straight wins over Liberty (twice) and Northampton.

But Monday night was a different story. Defending Lehigh Valley Scholastic Ice Hockey League champion Parkland (8-0-1) scored four first-period goals and added on five more to end the Emmaus (3-5) winning streak at three with a 9-3 victory at Lehigh Valley Ice Arena.

As in all other sports, the clash between these two rivals is heated.

With three penalties apiece, and each team wanting to get the better of each other, it is always a game that is circled on the schedule not matter what the records of the two teams are.

“We look forward to the Parkland games each year,” said Hornet senior defenseman and captain Luke Rheiner. “We are all friends off the ice, but during games we always want to beat each other.”

The competitiveness showed within the first couple of minutes during Monday night’s clash.

Matthew Sheaffer (two goals and an assist) scored his team leading 17th goal just 43 seconds into the game to give the Green Hornets an early advantage.

The Trojans quickly answered with a goal by Charlie Rongo a minute later, and three others by Jake Nimeh, Billy Wilkinson and Evan Dratch to take a 4-1 edge at the end of one.

“Matt’s goal was big for us,” said Rheiner. “It gave us some momentum and the confidence we needed. But Parkland’s a good team and they quickly showed that with their answering goals. Our defense and goalie (Toshan Doodnauth) played really well tonight and kept us in the game for much of the night.”

Before they knew it, the Hornets down 6-1. Parkland scored the opening two goals of the second period. The Green Hornets had a chance to bring one back on a breakaway, but it was stopped by the Trojans’ goalie.

Noah Brown added one midway through the period off assists from Sheaffer and Jackson Goodman.

Sheaffer tallied his 18th of the season late in the third period, but it was too little too late for Emmaus, who will now regroup and focus its attention its next game Friday night at LV Ice Arena against Phillipsburg (5-3-1), which is coming off an 8-5 loss to Southern Lehigh.

“Playing Parkland is always a tough match,” said Rheiner. “But they give us good competition and we won three in a row heading into it so we will look to bounce back again with our game on Friday.”