Game 165 - Kelowna Knights (2) vs. Colorado Mammoths (1)

DENVER -- In the mad rush to score near the end of the period, it appears the Mammoth made a fatal error. You should never take offensive zone penalties. You should never take one in the final moments of a game. Denis Lever did both, and it helped allow the Kelowna Knights to take home a 2-1 victory.

While the goals are always the primary factor in a game, what leads to them or what halts them are the truly fatal blows. Denis Lever, with just over two minutes remaining in a one-goal game, showed his mental acuity. Following a dump-and-chase attempt, he crashed the net too hard and took a goaltender interference that all but finished the game.

The goals, however, are the real story. At least, it's the one everybody knows.

Geronimo Otto seemed to be a man possessed early in the game, though oddly finishing with only the third star. He had two assists, one tertiary and one primary. On the game winner, he fed the puck through a comfortable small box of defenders and found Eibhear Sorensen breaking in.

Sorensen, the second star of the game, fired low-glove on Carter Fleury, who was unable to stretch and found himself permanently behind.

Goaltending-wise, Charlotta Caspari succeeded with stopping 12-of-13 shots and with the failure of Fleury's team to support his steady 18-of-20 stops.

Rickie Pecker opened scoring on the powerplay for the Knights, but failed to gain much recognition for his third of the season.

Martin Svensson of the Mammoth managed to tie the game in the midsection of the first period, potting his 13th of the season. Svensson was named the first star, most of which is a benefit of having been the home team and the announcer wanting the crowd to cheer.

The game was very much even, with the face-offs, the blocked shots, the hits all being within 5 of one another. It truly came to the moment when the momentum seemed to be swinging, and the Mammoth had a chance. It came to the moment when a mistake was made, a tired player lost his train of thought and the mental abilities of these young players came into question.

Points Hit:
Tell a journalistic story (which does not blend well with the other parts)
Highlighted 3 Stars
Talked about goalie battle a bit
Looked at specific moment, singled out the turning point (Lever penalty)