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MCP_ · 01-16-2019, 01:00 AM

Lethbridge Review: Game #91

Lethbridge Lions (3) @ Vancouver Whalers (2) Whalers

While it was a rough few games for the Lions, they managed to take the win against the favored Vancouver Whalers, ending their 4 game losing streak. For the Lions, any win that they can get is valuable. While the Whalers have not been a dominant force this season, they ended up being a formidable opponent to the struggling Lions.

1st Period:

Score:

0 - 0

Shots:

6-14

The first period was fairly uneventful. The Whalers received a powerplay opportunity less than a minute into the game thanks to a tripping minor by Dickens Makeout King. Despite a second powerplay later, it was thwarted by Tauras Karazija taking a charging penalty due to a hit on Nick McKee, sending the game into 4 on 4. While neither team made much impact on the scoreboard, the period saw Vancouver taking command of the shooting, as Lethbridge shot most of their attempts near the end of the period, with half of these attempts happening in the dying seconds of the period. By this point, it was clear that Vancouver wanted control of the game.

2nd Period

Score:

1 - 0

Shots:

7-11

The period was still fairly sleepy, with Vancouver whiffing on all three powerplay opportunities throughout the period. In the closing minute of the period, Monkey D. Luffy tallies the first point, giving the Lions the first lead of the game. While the scoring opportunities were closer, Vancouver still had the edge. "So..." you may ask: "when does this game get interesting?" Well...

3rd Period

Score:

3 - 2

Shots:

7 - 11

...now. This period made the game worth watching. Not even 30 seconds into the period, Rodger Bastion scores a beautiful goal after a bit of pass maneuvering by the Lions. Eventually, after some other penalties resulting in no powerplay goals, Whaler Barret McCarthy finally opened the scoring for the Whalers, reducing the lead by one for some time. By some time, I mean less than a minute and thirty seconds. Nick McKee scores the game-sealing goal and the Applebee's ® Fan-Voted Best Play of the Game: McKee loses the puck after a hit by Bernik Vrzala. In the ensuing puck-grab, McKee steals the puck and makes a shot at unsuspecting goaltender Casimir Stevens, scoring in the upper-left hole. Despite a late rally from a powerplay goal from Carlo Russo, the Whalers decide not to tack on the extra attacker. The Lions were visually happy for the win as they exited from the ice as they finally win after their 4 game losing streak.

FINAL:

Score:

3 - 2

Shots:

20 - 36

3 Stars of the Game:

1 - Dinars Briedis (LBL) (0 G, 2 A)
2 - Patrice Nadeau (LBL) (34/36 Shots Saved, 0.944 SV%)
3 - Roger Baston (LBL) (1 G, 0 A)

Flames1848 · 01-16-2019, 08:11 AM

S45 Game 91 SimWeek 4 Lethbridge Lions @ Vancouver Whalers

In this game the (Stats) worst and best goalie played against each other. Casimir Stevens (Vancouver) against Patrice Nadeau (Lethbridge) clashed at each other. And like it always is, it comes other than predicted. Nadeau brought his A-Game to the table and saved 34 of the 36 shots he faced. A great Sv% of 0,944. With this effort he gets the W for him and his team. Casimir Stevens wasn’t in a good mood after the game with 3 Goals on twenty shots.What looked like a good game for him after one period goes down statistically with the 3 Goals in period zwo and three.

GCool · 01-16-2019, 10:50 AM

Comment 1: Rookie Watch
Let's take a look at a standout rookie from each team who really helped out today:
Whalers

Egor Kucherov - Although he didn't get himself on the scoresheet, Kucherov did all he could to keep the game tied where it was. He recorded a game-high 4 shot blocks and registered 3 shots on goal. The second-line defenseman is really showing improvements on both sides of the ice, and it's only a matter of time before he's firing on all cylinders. You can tell that management feels this way, too, as he managed to log 22 minutes for the Whalers.
Lions

Monkey D. Luffy - One of the front-runners for rookie of the year, Luffy had himself a day when Lethbridge needed it most today. The team is already asking for huge minutes from him, and he took 34 faceoffs (winning exactly half) in 20 minutes of ice time. Add a goal on 2 shots to that against a very formidable Whalers second line, and I think most veterans would take a statline like that!

Comment 2: Who Blew It?
You can't improve without knowing what happens in your losses, so it's time for my favorite comment: Who Blew It?
Truth be told, this game was almost blown by Lethbridge's defensive unit. It seemed like the wheels were coming off late after battling with a Whalers team that was miraculously getting every shot on net. Full credit should go to Patrice Nadeau for his 34 saves in the winning effort tonight. However, the two players who were really to blame on the sequence that led to the game-winner by Nick McKee were Barret McCarthy and Bernik Vrzala. McCarthy threw the lazy pass in his own zone that led to a Dinars Briedis interception. A few calculated passes later, Vrzala laid the hit on McKee only to not follow up with the puck. While Vrzala was celebrating ... or something ... McKee was back up quick enough to grab the puck and eventually score. I don't want to lay it on Bernik too hard, as he's a young rookie just learning, but you gotta think he got an earful for that later that night. Congrats to him as well as McCarthy.

Comment 3: First-Round Performances
I wonder how each first-round pick for these teams did in this big game:
Whalers

Borromini Cannellini (7th overall pick): -1, 1 shot, 8/24 faceoffs Rough night for young Borromini, but he had a tall order tonight, going up against one of the toughest centers in the SMJHL right now. Although Luffy is also a rookie, he's put a lot of work into the faceoff department - and he's no slouch himself being the 3rd round draft pick!
Lions

Eva Lykke Aparjode (9th overall pick): +1, 1 A, 1 hit, 17 MP A good day for Aparjode! He has 15 points at this point in the season, which is more than a respectable amount. Asking a rookie to play 17 minutes is about the average in today's SMJHL, but I'm sure management doesn't want to burn him out this early in his career, knowing he'll be back for at least one more full season. Aparjode is typically not a physical guy, averaging about 0.7 hits per game, so any game where he actually gets physical is worth noting.

gordieboom · 01-16-2019, 12:58 PM

comment #1 (quick game report)
Vancouver Whalers outshot their opponent Lethbridge Lions in all three periods, but failed to bring the three points back to home. In the first period, goalie Patrick Nadeau from the Lions stopped all 14 shots he faced, followed by another 11 shots in the second and the first 3 in the final period. Vancouver finally capitalized on their 29th shot of the game with a goal scored by Barret McCarty. The Lethbridge Lions highest shot total in one period in this game was 7, but Vancouver's goalie Casimir Stevens had much more trouble stopping the shots. He ended the game with 17 saves on 20 shots.

comment #2 (player spotlight)
My player in the spotlight today is Jack Kennedy of the Vancouver Whalers. Jack was drafted 40th overall in the S42 SMJHL Entry Draft and 41th overall in the S43 SHL Entry Draft by the San Francisco Pride. Playing in his fourth season in the SMJHL Jack is at the time of writing leading all scorers with 46 points (20 goals, 26 assists). He gathered a high number of those points on the powerplay, 20 to be exact which is the most in the league aswell. However, in this game he was left out of the scoresheet, a rare thing, with 5 shots stopped by Nadeau.

Gobbles · 01-25-2019, 01:37 PM

First Comment: Save of the game

It was a grueling effort by Lethbridge tonight, who averaged a meager 6.66 shots per period, just reaching the 20 shot mark by the end of the game. Outgunned but not outmatched, Lethbridge managed to squeak out a 3-2 win against a Vancouver team that threw 36 shots on target at Patrice Nadeau. While Nadeau was busy for most of the night, they were on fire, only giving up a rebound on 3 of the 36 shots against them, and completely smothering all other attempts. In a particularly brilliant sequence early in the first period, Bernik Vrzala staked into the Lion's zone past the blue-line, and paused a moment before snapping a quick shot at net with a screen by Noah Nowes, who was crashing into the crease. Nadeau made the first save off of the pad, and a quick scramble in front for the rebound led to Nowes scooping out the puck and twisting to fire it in top-shelf. It never made it to the twine though, as Patrice Nadeau stretched up from his butterfly position to rob Nowes of what should have been a sure goal with his glove up high.

Second Comment: Goal of the game

While they may not have won the game in the end, it was a pretty passing play by the Whalers that gets our Goal of the Game nod tonight. Rudy Mentz gathered it on the cycle and passed it to Carlo Russo along the blue-line, who immediately shifted it back to Mentz. Mentz then swiftly sent the puck down through the face-off circle to Petr Mikulak in the slot. Although in a dangerous area, Mikulak wasn't at a great angle to shoot with Patrice Nadeau covering his angles well. However, Mikulak made the smart play of baiting out three of the Lions players to come at him in an attempt to strip him of the puck. Mikulak then quickly snapped the puck back up through the slot diagonally to an incoming Carlo Russo, who had pushed up from the blueline to fill the empty space and one-time the incoming puck. Nadeau only had time to guess where the puck was going as he slid across the crease, and guessed wrong as Russo's powerful shot found the back of the net, bringing the game well within reach for the Whalers, and putting them on the board at 2-1.

Third Comment: Rookie of the Game

While Lethbridge has a great many promising rookies, and Vancouver has some legitimate future superstars on it's roster, I'm going to have to give this one for Nadeau. Posting a 0.944 save % and giving your last-placed team a regulation win in a game the Lions really didn't have much reason being in? Also as mentioned above, he gave up only 3 rebounds on 36 shots! Patrice Nadeau was really on his game tonight, and his team got him just enough goals to add a rare W to his stat block. Despite not having the best stats or win %'s, Nadeau really looks to be one of the best rookie goaltenders of his already impressive class. Lethbridge is currently an expansion team rolling only 9 forwards (3 lines), and almost entirely a rookie lineup. The fact that as a rookie, Nadeau can be entrusted with 40+ games and put up respectable numbers is a testament to how well he has been playing all season. Give Lethbridge one more good draft and have all of their rookies grow at once, including Nadeau, and I expect them to have a much better record next year, with Nadeau still at the helm and positioning himself as one of the top goaltenders of the SMJHL.

*Fluw* · 01-29-2019, 09:03 PM

Comment 1: Special Team Comparison.
Time and time again the Lethbridge lions seem to lack a lot of discipline as it is no surprise to see that they took eight penalties this game. However they did have an amazing penalty kill this game unlike in the other games during the season. The Lions managed to kill of 7 of 8 penalties that they had taken giving them an 87.50% PK. The Whalers on the other hand took fewer penalties with only 2 and managed to keep the Lions from scoring any goals. Overall, it's hard to say who had the better PK, as the Whalers faced much fewer chances. However it is clear to say that the Whalers Powerplay did have a more effective role in the game as they had a 12.50% conversion chance which is abyssmal however the Lions had 0% meaning they couldnt convert either of the two chances.

Comment 2: So Streaky

Man when Nadeau comes to play he really does show up however he seems to be one of the most streakiest goalies I have ever seen. This specific game Nadeau was extremely solid stopping 34 of 36 shots for a save percentage of 0.944 recording his third win in 16 games for the Lions and earning himself a second star. One of those goals was off of a powerplay that seemingly seemed to last forever for the Whalers, so the blame can't be all placed onto Nadeau's shoulders. Unfortuantely this game seems to be an anomaly on the season as Nadeau has repeatedly shown signs of what he can become, such as this game, and where he truly currently lies, around a .884 % which isn't all too amazing. I feel he will find his game eventually and hope he can become what these flashes of brilliance have shown.

Comment 3: Biggest Hit of the Game
The first period saw tension starting to boil between the Lions and the Whalers as first Benois Minuscule received a roughing penalty as he got pissed of at an Whalers player. On the PK a minute later for some reason Tauras Karazija decided to absolutely decimate Nick Mckee who after the hit was definitely seeing stars. Although this hit did land Tauras a two minute charging minor it was still the biggest hit this game saw and both teams were ready to go at each others throats, however the Whalers were smarter about it as they had only recieved two penalties to Lethbridges 8 which was a direct result of this specific hit.

TnlAstatine · 01-30-2019, 02:14 PM

Comment 1
The tale of the tape here was special teams no doubt. The single most important thing in this match up was the special teams. The whalers went an abysmal 1/8 and one of their only goals when they were trying to come back late in the third. About 6 players had more than 5 minutes of playtime on the pk for the lions with rookie defenseman Dubolk leading the way. The lions can't be taking 8+ penalties a game because they aren't going to kill that many penalties every single game.

Comment 2
The second thing I want to take a look at are shots. 36-20. In favor of the winning team? NOPE. The lions were out-shot in every period and honestly this could be that they were on the PK for half the game or that they just cannot defend to save their lives. Honestly this is a worrying trend for the season and is a recurring problem. As long as they score on their minimal chances from their low low low number of shots then the lions should be fine. But, can you honestly expect that from a rookie team?

Comment 3
Goaltending. This goalie has and will be the workhorse for this team. Patrice Nadeau has arguable the worst defense in front of him and he has been the workhouse of the team, and this win is his and probably his alone. 95 save percentage and stopping 34 shots is honestly insane. This guy stood on his head tonight and he will probably have to steal games for this team to win going forward. If you look at Nadeaus season stats in a vacuum they aren't very impressive, but if you put them up for comparison based on whats in front of him. This guys fuck. And he's probably the most underrated goalie and i think any team would be glad to draft him in the upcoming SHL draft

**bk1689** · 01-30-2019, 07:11 PM

3 Stars of the Game

1 - Dinars Briedis (LBL) - 0G, 2A, P2, +2, 0PIM - Briedis had one of the lowest TOI of anyone on his team, but was able to make the most of his limited time on ice. Dinars controlled the play from blue line and was able to make a couple slick passes that his teammates finished off with a shot that tickled the twine.

2 - Patrice Nadeau (LBL) - 34 Saves on 36 Shots (.944) - Patrice stood on his head as the Whalers peppered him with shots from anywhere and everywhere and was able to help his team secure the win and give himself his 3rd of the season.

3 - Roger Baston (LBL) - 1G, 0A, P1, +1, 0PIM - Roger centred his teams first line, he wasn't able to help much in the faceoff dot losing over half of his draws, but where he was effective was making space on the ice for his teammates and setting up a a few nice plays before scoring his teams second goal of the game.

TSN Turning Point

The turning point of this game was only 24 seconds into the 3rd period when Roger Baston scored on a shot assisted by Donny McMasters and Eva Lykke Aparjode. Right off the opening faceoff of the period, Baston was able to sneak by the Whalers D and pick up a puck sent over from Aparjode before he was able to rifle a shot by Vancouvers rookie netminder Casimir Stevens. This made the game 2 to 0 and was able to really give Lethbridge the confidence to kick the rest of the game into overdrive and end up securing themselves the victory.

Worst Player of the Game

The worst player of this game comes from the Vancouver Whalers and is none other then rookie sensation Borromini Cannellini. With 18 minutes on the ice he didn't manage to do anything out there tonight besides get a measly one shot on net. Not only did he not help his team in any other way, but he also hurt them quite a bit in the faceoff circle, winning 8 out of 24 draws he took. His inability to win draws in the big moments of the game is a big reason not only the Whalers lost, but that he is tonights worst player of the game.

Wawazat · 02-01-2019, 03:58 PM

Comment #1
The Insignificantly Significant Player Of The Game.
A ridiculous Wawazat award .. Awarded to the player with less than 7 minutes of ice time that actually registered something positive.
The Lucky Eleventh recipient of this trivial achievement..
Is Vancouver Whalers Fourth Line Right Wing Petr Mikulak.
Petr Mikulak took his 9:39 on premium SMJHL ice time and went to work for the Whale.( it appears that in these Final Five Insig/Sig awards the 7 minute barrier will be stretched as most GMs are spreading time across all lines.)
He assisted on Vancouvers first goal of the game ( scored by Barret McCarthy) at 11:28 of the Third period. This was Mikulak's second assist of the season.
Mikulak's stat line shows 0-1-1 with an even 0(+/-) and he threw an impressive 4 shots on the Lethbridge goal. Unfortunately none were able to make it past. But, it was an effort of insignificant significance and worthy of this recognition . Once again let's hear it for Petr Mikulak of the Vancouver Whalers winner #11 of the Insig/Sig award.
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