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Rannev · 04-23-2017, 10:16 PM

1st Period

The first game of Season 34 opened up with a bang as Kelowna scores 35 seconds into the first period. The goal resulted from impressive cycling by the Knights, with Mike Izzy lazering one home to make it 1-0. Play continued with the Firebirds pushing back, getting multiple shots to the net and testing Knights goaltender Sebastian Thompson. The Firebirds continued to push offensively, which unfortunately resulted in bad turnover in the neutral zone and a goal by Kelowna Knight Robert Haugen (assisted by Eddie Andrezjeck). The Firebirds would get a chance to get in the game on the powerplay, but were unsuccessful.

2nd Period

The second period started as a bloodbath as Robert Haugen (KEL) got called for interference and Caelan Fearghal (PGF) for hooking leading to 4 on 4 hockey. The open ice did not prove useful to either side and the next would not occur until a penalty was taken by Dani Forsberg (PGF) for holding the stick minutes later. The Knights would capitalize as Lykke Bergfalk took a slapshot off a faceoff win to beat Artom Zhumbayev and make it 3-0 Knights.

The Firebirds would get on the board five minutes later with a goal by Ziv Alekzandrov (assisted by Caelan Fearghal, Olle Harping). The goal fired up the Firebirds offense as they began to dominate the game and make the Knights a bad penalty late in the second. 10 seconds after the penalty was taken Xander Green sniped one top shelf to make it a 3-2 for the Knights and reinvigorate the Firebirds bench during the seconds intermission.

3rd period

The 3rd period starts with chances from both ends and lots of physical play. The goal light wouldn't shine until 11:05 into the period with a Firebird goal by Chet Manziel who received a beautiful pass by Nick Celej to make it a tie game. Sterling Slaughter almost took the lead late in the 3rd for the Knights but Nick Celej made beautiful blocked shot to take this game into overtime.

Overtime

Chet Manziel get a great chance halfway into overtime with shot top shelf but the Knights Goaltender made a athletic glove save. This game need a shootout to decide a winner.

Shootout

This shootout would be decided by Prince George Firebird Dani Forsberg as he juggled the puck from forehand to backhand and over Thompson who scrambled to make a save. Artom Zhumbayev would then deny Leafer Reilly shot to complete the comeback in this exciting opener of the SMJHL season.

3 Stars

1 - Mike Izzy (KEL)
2 - Eddie Andrezjeck (KEL)
3 - Ziv Alekzandrov (PGF)

**OrbitingDeath** · 04-24-2017, 06:20 AM

Unsung Hero

Caelan Fearghal is once again back with the Firebirds and is leading by example in this first game. Playing the second to most minutes of his team, he was good for the two assists in the third period that brough the Firebirds back into the game. Without Fearghal it seems impossible for the Firebirds to be able to get back into this battle and end it in the shootout. It seems weird that he was not listed as one of the three stars as the Alternate captain of Prince George played a big role in the turn around of this game.

goilers · 04-24-2017, 05:17 PM

<div align="center">3 Stars of the game
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1 - Mike Izzy (KEL)
Goals: 1 - Assists: 0 - Points: 1 - +/-: 2 - Shots: 1 - TOI: 21:31 - Hits: 1
Our first star of the night is RW Mike Izzy who managed to put the puck in the back on the net 35 seconds into the first period and played a strong two way game. Unfortunately, Kelowna couldnâ€™t finish off with a win but walked away with one point.

2 - Eddie Andrezjeck (KEL)
Goals: 0 - Assists: 2 - Points: 2 - +/-: 2 - Shots: 1 - TOI: 25:11
Andrezjeck is our second star of the evening, he assisted on both Kelowna goals in the first period which gave the Knights a 2-0 lead. He was a key player for his team he also had the highest TOI on his team and still managed to finish with a rating of +2.

3 - Ziv Alekzandrov (PGF)
Goals: 1 - Assists: 0 - Points: 1 - +/-: 0 - Shots: 1 - TOI: 8:07 - Hits: 1
And finally our third star is Alekzandrov who started the momentum for the firebirds and they never looked back. He only played 8 minutes this game and collected a goal on his lone shotâ€¦ that is very impressive and he was able to help the firebirds come out with a win.

XLeafer · 04-24-2017, 05:47 PM

Leafer's POTG

So who's the player of the game? The 1st star of this game is Mike Izzy but that is not who the POTG is in Leafer's mind. It's Xander Green. He's did what he could to bring his team back on track. His team down 3-0. They make it 3-1 but Kelowna had momentum. But Xander Green gets the goal to make it a one goal game and that is what brought PGF back to life. He scored not only a goal, but had 6 shots on goal. Thompson didn't want to get them in. He was 50% in the faceoff circle and being 15-15 which is even. He also played 22 minutes which is a lot of minutes for a forward. Is he a defenseman? So Xander Green is Leafer's POTG.

DeletedAtUserRequest · 04-24-2017, 06:10 PM

Just found this section... this is awesome!

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QuantumCowboy · 04-24-2017, 09:55 PM

<center>GOALTENDER MATCH-UP

[Image: vobwKU8.png]

vs.

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Tonight, we saw Canadian crusher Sebastian Thompson squared off with Kazakhstani killer Artom Zhumbayev. A veteran with a couple seasons under his belt against a rookie. At first, this might seem a lopsided matchup, but weâ€™ve been fooled before. We all know about Thompson, at only 5â€™10 and 170lbs soaking wet, his skills are clear when you see him move. Heâ€™s got a Four Star Cup under his belt and is already a prospect for the New England Wolfpack. Whoâ€™s this new kid on the block? Zhumbayev is certainly an intimidating figure, at 6â€™4 and 223lbs, he makes up for his lack of experience with sheer size. They faced similar shots, and Zhumbayev held his own to see his first regular season SMJHL victory. Iâ€™m certain the Prince George GMâ€™s are pretty pleased with themselves over this pick.

dizzyDC · 04-24-2017, 09:57 PM

Stat Breakdown of Janis DÃ¸ro

I think that one player that got overlooked in this Prince George vs Kelowna season opening game was Janis DÃ¸ro, who despite the Kelowna 4-3 loss, played a fantastic game. First of all, he played 21 minutes which included time on the power play and penalty kill. He also had a team leading 4 shots on goal, although none of them found the back of the net. Despite the fact that he didn't find the back of the net, he did manage to pick up the only assist on Lykke Bergfalk's 2nd period power play goal. To me at least, the most important thing that DÃ¸ro provided to the Knights was that on 27 faceoff attempts he won nearly 60% of them. You always want to be controlling the puck and DÃ¸ro was allowing the Knights to do that. Fantastic game to start the season.

Dweaves08 · 04-25-2017, 11:05 PM

Stat Comparison

Total shots on net:

Prince George Firebirds: 27
Kelowna Knights: 25

With how close the shots on net shows how close the game really was. It wasn't like one team ran away with shots for the period, each period shots were within 2 of each other very close game.

Prince George Firebirds - Hits : 16 - Faceoff Wins : 37 - Blocked Shots : 9 - Penalty Minutes : 6
[Image: 200_s.gif#6-grid1]

One of Firebirds 3 goals

Kelowna Knights - Hits : 16 - Faceoff Wins : 41 - Blocked Shots : 6 - Penalty Minutes : 8

[Image: 200_s.gif#0-grid3]

Sebastian Thompson eyeing down shooter in shoot out

With looking at each teams stats for the game you can see why this game went into over time and even shoot out. The stats were very close to one another and its not like one team out played the other.

Was a great game to watch all around.

CFJ · 04-25-2017, 11:21 PM

Crossfit's Play Of the Game:

[Image: carey-price-glove-save-amazing-hockey-save-gifs.gif]

It just has to be that save by the Knights tender Sebastian Thompson as he absolutely saved the game from being ended as he absolutely robbed Chet Manziel as he thought he finished the game off with a glorious chance only to be shutdown to one of the consistent goalies in the league in Sebastian Thompson. Unfortunately the Knights couldn't get the win but they shouldn't hanging their heads in shame as they played great the entire game.

Thanks to prettyburn, TML, Carpy, JNH, Jepox, Engi, Karey, Flappy, Skolpadder, Mook, DollarAndADream, Smirnov and Toe for the sigs.

Code:
Crossfit's First Career SHL Goal, 4. Manhattan Rage , Crossfit Jesus 1 (Pedro Sarantez, Nucky Toohoots) at 5:51

Code:
Devitt's First Career SHL Goal, 5. Calgary Dragons , Prince Devitt 1 (Barry Batsbak 21, Mike Izzy 14) at 10:43

Symmetrik · 04-26-2017, 08:44 PM

3 Stars

3. Ziv Alekzandrov

- His goal started the comeback for the Firebirds. Trailing 3-0, his goal would be the first to break Thompson. The Firebirds grabbed momentum from there, and the last pick in the S34 SMJHL draft picked up his first goal in his first game. He added a hit and was 50% on the dot in just 8 minutes of ice time.

2. Eddie Andrezjeck Knights

- Andrezjeck was the Knights best player. He's their #1 defenseman, no doubt, and he showed it in this one with 2 assists, a plus 2, and 2 shot blocks. He racked up over 25 minutes, most of any player in this game.

1. Caelan Fearghal

- The top defenseman for the winning team, he had a stat line almost identical to Andrezjeck, but he did it with less ice and led his team to the win. 2 assists on the first and second Firebirds goals.

TSN Turning Point

The Firebirds coach laid into his team after a sleepy start. Coming into the first game of the season the Firebirds looked lost, and after giving up a powerplay goal, the Firebirds coach called a timeout and absolutely ripped into his team. Whatever he said worked, as a few minutes later the Firebirds got on the board thanks to the final pick of the draft, who Firebirds GM traded up to grab. The Firebirds started to roll after that, dcoring just 1:43 after to make it a one goal game. They'd strike once in the 3rd to tie it and go on to win in the shootout.

Slobbin · 04-27-2017, 01:52 PM

<center>Kelowna Knights Fall Asleep</center>

The Kelowna Knights came out firing, scoring two goals in the first 8:16 of the game and looking poised to run away with a victory in Season 34's opening game. The "Curse of the 3-0 Lead" proved all too real for the Knights, as they were dominated the rest of the way.

In a defensive minded game, with 51 total shots in regulation, the Knights burned out as quickly as they caught fire. Taking a three goal lead with a little more than half of the game to play, the Knights fell into that all to real comfort zone while having a big lead. The Firebirds scored the last 3 goals of the game, and used that momentum to carry themselves to a victory in a shootout, stealing one from the Knights with a 4-3 win.

Although this loss is a painful one, it couldn't have come at a better time, as the Knights can look back on this tough loss and use that as motivation moving forward.

MWHazard · 05-03-2017, 12:29 AM

VICE Sports GOON OF THE GAME:

First game of the S34 season and it's the Kelowna Knights blowing a three-goal lead at home to lose to their rivals, the Prince George Firebirds. Our Goon of the Game is Dani Forsberg! Forsberg is a left wing for the Firebirds that enjoys hitting Knights and holding sticks. Seriously, Forsberg is a great stick holder. It's a talent. They displayed that talent at 6:20 of the second period, and racked up five hits on the hometown Knights. We caught up with Forsberg afterwards:

"Dani! How often do you hold sticks at home? Is it good practice for what goes on out there? In the locker room? Do the other FirePidgeons like it when you hold their sticks?"

"F*** OFF! F***ING KELOWNA PRICKS! Take your sad little microphone and stick it up your ass!

Toivo · 05-04-2017, 10:50 PM

<div align="center">Big Hitters</div>

The teams were throwing hits tonight. Prince George and Kelowna were both seeking the physcial edge, but ended up matching each other with 16 hits each. Prince George's big hitters were Dani Forsberg with 5 hits, Frederick Boone and Jay Beagle Jr. with 3 hits. Kelowna had a few big hitters as well, Adriana Starosta and Jake Sanders both had 5 hits each. Ultimately, Prince George and Kelowna pushed the game to the wire, neither team had the physical edge nor could finish without the shootout. Kelowna's Lykke Bergfalk ended up being a little too physical, and ended up serving 4 minutes in the sinbin for 2 separate cross-checking penalties.

Grapehead · 05-07-2017, 06:27 PM

The first game of the season saw Prince George opening their season on the road in Kelowna. Expectations for both teams were high coming into the season. New for season 34 the SMJHL teams all reside in the same division now, meaning the race for playoffs would be more intense than ever. After Kelowna busted out to a 3-0 lead in the game, PGF kept their heads up and eventually made the comeback. It was an exciting affair that set the stage well for the whole SMJHL season.

Unsung Heroes

Kelowna - Jake Sanders. Sometimes you need a big hit to bring the energy up on the bench, and the rookie was doing this repeatedly through the game. In total 5 major hits dished out in eleven minutes of playing time.

Prince George - Artom Zhumbayev. Some blame was cast toward Zhumbayev about allowing the early goals to Kelowna, but he more than made up for it. Down 3-0 Zhumbayev settled in, took a deep breath, and shut out the rest of the game. It was also him who ended the game when he made a save on Leafer Reilly in the shootout.

tweedledunn · 05-13-2017, 02:02 PM

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