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Biggest game- I believe the biggest game for the Hamilton Steelhawks was game five of the Minnesota series. Minnesota was not a team who are uncomfortable playing under pressure. They roared back in their come back win in the Toronto North Stars series from a 3-1 deficit. This was a huge turning point for the Steelhawks as they snuffed out any kind of repeat of that feat with the play of Jakob Tanner. He recorded a shutout on twenty five shots and with an early power play goal and another by the star forward Riko Muerto, they would take out the division rival and punch their ticket to the finals.

The three stars of that game reflects the most important battle of any hockey game... The goalies. Tanner brought home first star honors but the second star went to his rival across the ice, Ranjan. Ranjan turned away 26 shots on 28 opportunities. As a goal tender the most frustrating part of any loss is if your team out shoots the opposition but can't bury any. The third star was somebody who is no stranger to the lime light. He was the insurance goal scorer. Riko Muerto. He was a huge part of this team and definetly in the discussions for playoff MVP.

This was a turning point because you have to be a team that can take the kill shot when it is needed. They did not ease up on the struggling Minnesota team as Toronto did. They stayed focused and finished it when they had the chance instead of letting them fight back in the fight.

Comparing superstars- The Los Angeles Panthers and the Hamilton Steelhawks have a very similair setup. They both rely on superb goaltenders who play behind a tough, strong, and physical defense with offensively gifted offenses. There are plenty of different players who are easily comparable whether it be the star studded goaltending of Jakob Tanner and Jackson Weekes or the amazing offensive awareness of Riko Muerto and Brian Morley. For this I will compare the play of Jakob Tanner and Jackson Weekes.

First off Jackson Weekes had a regular season for the record books. He stone walled some of the best offenses in the league. He stopped 92.6% of the shots that came his way. He kept his goals against average below 2.00 and kept teams off the score board an impressive seven times. He was an absolute beast in the regular season and his performance continued into the playoffs. He is a key player in the Panthers organization and could be the reason they win it all.

Now to the other side of the ice to Jakob Tanner. Tanner had a much more middle of the pack showing as he finished with a 89.9% saves on shots taken and 2.64 goals against per game. He did earn himself two shut outs through the season so as you can see it was a much different story to the playoffs than Weekes. Tanner will have to rely more on his defense and keep the shots out wide for him to be able to have a good showing. Tanner does have the X-factor of playing huge in big games so we will see how the series pans out.

Interview
Beau Ballard from Vancouver whalers.

How did you enjoy the series?
It was good

What do you see in the Whalers future?
Whalers will be good to come

What is in your future?
Future is with the North Star's