PREGAME:

Montreal Militia

This is the second time Montreal are forced to make a trip of over 6 600 kilometres for an away day in Anchorage, and also the second time I'm covering a Militia game in Anchorage! Montreal currently has a very impressive record of 11-6-1 through the opening 18 games, and have been providing the goods both offensively and defensively. They have not quite got the level of production expected from their top forwards, but one of their big strengths has been the scoring they have gotten all around their lines. Another big plus has been the great form of netminder Aleksi O'Koivu-Volkova, who already has two shutouts on the season, and tops the lot in the league's goalie charts. Coming off a 5-2 win last game against Anaheim, Montreal looks to be a big threat to the rest of the league this season.  

Key Players:

- Commander Shepard (LW): Shepard is a diminutive two-way forward, standing at 5-foot-7, and 180 pounds, but has a deceptively lethal shot for his size. Almost always topping his team's shot count on a game-by-game basis, Shepard currently has 8 goals and and as many assists in 18 games. A 53rd overall pick for Winnipeg, the Canadian is capable of making something from nothing better than anyone else on this Montreal team, and could wreak havoc on an inexperienced Armada defence.
- Aleksi O'Koivu-Volkova (G): As mentioned earlier, O'Koivu-Volkova is statistically the best goalie in the league at the moment. The giant Russian, standing with a large frame of 6-foot-4, 225 pounds, has had to be relied on many times during lacklustre Militia performances, and has rarely disappointed. For his size, he possesses incredible reflexes and has single-handedly won Montreal some points. A 61st overall pick for the Hamilton Steelhawks, 'AOK' has a very bright future between the pipes.

Anchorage Armada

Anchorage host Montreal for the second time this season, having lost 2-0 when they played earlier in the season. The Armada currently have a respectable 9-6-3 record, but have lost their last two games. The young side, with a large selection of rookies, is in a bit of a transition phase this season, where they are focusing on developing their youngsters as much as they are focusing on getting results. Their defence has been shaky, with half of their core being new rookies, but many of their forward newbies have been producing at the level expected. Like Montreal, they have also been getting good goaltending, with Peter Larson putting up numbers that are around the top as well.

Key Players:

- Xena (C ): The star center and leading point scorer for the Armada, Xena is having a very productive final SMJHL season so far, as she aims to become the all-time leading point scorer in franchise history. She is off to a great start in her pursuit of that accolade, as she has 22 points through the first 18 games, and has contributed massively to the offensive production of the team, as the squad's most senior member.
- Olivier Cloutier (LW): The newly-appointed captain in Anchorage, Cloutier has been living up to his status off the ice, but especially on the ice, with 10 goals and 19 points on the season. He has formed a devastating one-two punch with Xena, as they represent a very large portion of the offensive numbers the Armada have produced. Anytime that the Boats have a high-scoring game, you can bet Cloutier and Xena will be involved.


First Period:
The first period has the Armada in complete control, as they lead 2-0 after 20. Out-shooting Montreal 11-8, their two goals did not come from the usual customers, however. Just 31 seconds into the game, Johnny Sins found Alekski Leskinen with a stretch pass, before the Finn's wrister found its way in under the arm of O'Koivu-Volkova to give a very early 1-0 lead to Anchorage . Montreal recovered well and the next half-period was rather balanced, but it would be the Armada who struck again, as a shot by Andris Dzerins got blocked and found its way to Jonas Larsen, who tucked away his 3rd of the season to make it 2-0 Anchorage. The period draws to a close with the Armada leading 2-0, and generally being in control of the match.

Second Period:
Montreal got themselves on the board in the second period, but the Armada added another to retain a 2-goal cushion. Just over two minutes into the period, Olin Dowd played a puck across to Svensson, who gained the zone before finding Hans Zucker with a pinpoint pass. Zucker took the puck in stride, before rifling it top corner on Larson to make it 2-1. The Militia's momentum would be short-lived however, as a scramble in front after a shot by Xena hit the post led to Olivier Cloutier jabbing home his 11th of the season to extend the score to 3-1. The shots in this period were 10-5 in favour of the Armada, as Montreal are slowly fading from the game. The Militia are going to need a big 3rd period effort to turn this one around.

Third Period:
Wow. I will let the highlights speak for themselves in this period. Just 9 seconds into the period, Commander Shepard has a shot miss the net, before finding his own rebound and slotting it in while Larson accidentally knocked his net off. It went to video review to make sure it went in, but it clearly did. 3-2 game. Around two and a half minutes later, Shepard took a pass from Svensson and shot, but after a block it fell to the front of the net, where Shepard jammed it in through Larson. For the second time in the game, Shepard had a goal go to review, but it was approved again. tie game, 3-3! Montreal continued to press forward, and after Jaguar Johnson intercepted an errant pass from Cloutier, Svensson broke forward on a 2-on-1 with Oliver Klozoff, and set him up for the Militia to take their first lead, at 4-3. Svensson, with the primary assist on all 4 Montreal goals, is flying! Things only got better for the Militia, as later on a blocked shot from Svensson ended up on the blade of Shepard, who roofed it on Larson for his hat-trick goal to extend Montreal's lead to 2. 5-3! Anchorage were starting to sink without a trace at this point, having conceded 4 unanswered goals, but they did get one back. A good combination play in the zone from Tony Ford, Dzerins and Xena saw Ford notch his 4th of the campaign to make it 5-4 with 5 minutes left. The Armada kept pushing, but after Brock Emmerton took a poorly-timed holding penalty, Montreal took advantage of the powerplay, as a loose rebound from Griffith Cadwallader's shot was potted in by Shepard for his 4th (!) of the game, in what has been an incredible showing by the winger. That goal made the game 6-4, and that's how it ended, as Montreal once again get a win in Anchorage, with Commander Shepard's 4-goal performance and Kristoffer Svensson's 5-assist outing steal the headlines for this one.



3rd Star: Hans Zucker (RW)   : Zucker wasn't the star of the show today, but he was a contributing member in an overall incredible performance for the Militia top line, and he got them initially on the board in the 2nd period.

2nd Star: Kristoffer Svensson (C )   : It's not very often that you will see a player get 5 points in a game and not be first star, but take nothing away from Svensson. He had the primary assist on all 5 of Montreal's first goals, in what will almost certainly be the best game of his season.

1st Star: Commander Shepard (LW)   : A dominant performance from the small winger, as he scores 4 goals, all in the third period, to essentially smash and grab a win for Montreal in one period when all seemed lost. Him and Svensson each had probably the best individual performances of their seasons, and essentially stole the game themselves in the 3rd.

-gwdjohnson

Word Count: ~1.4k