Login

***sköldpaddor*** · 03-06-2019, 04:06 PM

St. Louis Scarecrows vs. Kelowna Knights Knights

by Benton Fraser, Kelowna Daily Courier

KELOWNA, BC -- I am told that there was an air of anticipation surrounding this matchup. Kelowna seemed to have drawn the short straw for their home opener in having to host the defending champions, and struggled at times, but managed to battle back in an exciting third period to send the game to overtime, ultimately claiming a 5-4 shootout victory. Read further for analysis and recap.

Starting Lines:

STL

Hoover - Larry - Fleming

McScruff - Magnicotta

Sorokin in goal

-----

KEL

Klaus - Sawchuk - Sharp

Kocsis - Scholz

Leblanc in goal

Game Summary

First Period
The Knights jumped out to an early lead with a goal from Bobby Sharp at just over two minutes into the first period, and the crowd was delighted. The Scarecrows stepped up the pressure with a flurry of shots in response, and the Knights pushed right back. An unlucky bounce off of a shot on the other end set St. Louis up for a beautiful passing sequence (Maybe? I don't know, I usually cover curling. It looked beautiful to me) that led to a goal by Charlie Serpe to tie things up at 13:15 of the first. With thirty-four seconds left in the first period, Dick Clapper scored with assists from Zheng and Scholz to put the Knights up 2-1 to finish out the frame. Shots in this period even with 8 for each team.

(First intermission notes: the couple beside me engaged in a very enthusiastic discourse concerning the price of real estate in Vancouver, and came to the conclusion that they would rather live in Kelowna)

Second Period
If the first period looked promising for the Knights, that luck did not hold in the second. St. Louis came out with renewed determination and dominated early. The Scarecrows scored a pair of goals in less than two minutes early in the second, those coming from Tikhonov and Boomhover at 6:42 and 7:59 respectively. A fight broke out in the stands several rows down from me, so I missed the exact play, but when I looked up, Zach Laliberte had taken a rough spill into Sorokin and wound up in the box for goalie interference. Tyler Tougard took offense at this mistreatment of his goalie and took a roughing minor as a result of his attempts at revenge, but neither team could get anything done in the ensuing four on four. The Knights put some quality shots on goal in this period, but couldn't get anything past Sorokin, and the crowd fell into a dark discontentment after watching their lead dissolve into a one-goal deficit by the time the twenty minutes were up. Shots in this period - STL 7, KEL 6

(Second intermission notes: The young man sitting next to me dropped chili from his chili dog onto my shoes. He got up promising to get napkins and never came back.)

Third Period
St. Louis did not let off the gas as they came into the period with a 3-2 lead, and when Nathan Explosion went off for holding early, the Scarecrows immediately capitalized on the man advantage, scoring four seconds later at 1:18 to extend the lead to 4-2. That was enough to bring about a goaltending change for Kelowna, and rookie Alexander Andersson-Grande entered the game for his first SMJHL appearance. He was tested early as the Knights were immediately shorthanded once again (Big Fudge, holding at 1:21). The crowd was not happy, and a small child beside me began throwing popcorn at his sister, which in retrospect may have been unrelated to the game. Andersson-Grande stood tall, though, and Kelowna managed to kill off that penalty. The crowd was appeased, and the momentum seemed to shift then, so it almost seemed inevitable when Nathan Explosion scored a few minutes later at 4:25 to bring the Knights back within one. When Isaac Yamada took a hooking penalty, Kelowna cashed in, tying the game at 12:13. The Scarecrows put on the pressure after that, but Andersson-Grande came up big in the final minutes of regulation, stopping at least five dangerous shots to keep the game tied until the buzzer. Shots in this period - STL 8, KEL 9

Overtime
Both teams came out hungry for the extra point in overtime. There was plenty of action to keep the extra time exciting. Scholz was robbed by the post just twelve seconds in, and Magnicotta and Kocsis both came up with some big blocks early. These are some brave gentlemen, let me tell you, I would not throw myself in front of those shots, no sir. The clock ran out without a shot on goal for either team, and the game would have to be decided in the shootout. This was very exciting, unless you happened to have a delicious pork roast at home in the slow cooker that you'd been waiting all day to get home to.

Shootout
Nathan Explosion put one past Sorokin in the second round, and Andersson-Grande remained perfect in the shootout, stopping all three shots to seal the win for Kelowna.

FINAL: Kelowna 5, St. Louis 4

Three Stars
1 - Gordie Boomhover (STL) - Goal, assist.
2 - Nathan Explosion (KEL) - Goal, assist.
3 - Dick Clapper (KEL) - Goal, assist.

Unsung Hero
Alexander Andersson-Grande (KEL) - It's hardly a rookie's dream to make their debut coming into a game in the third period with their team down by two goals, but Andersson-Grande stopped all seven shots he faced, and stayed strong in the shootout to secure Kelowna the extra point. I bought the kid an ice cream, and tried to give it to him after the game, but the crowd was gathered too closely around the locker room and I couldn't get in, so I ate the ice cream myself.

Sami · 03-06-2019, 04:49 PM

(Comment 1)

Bad penalty kill

Special teams are a big part of the game. And in the end, this might be the reason why the St. Louis Scarecrows lost this game to the Kelowna Knights. In a one goal game, it is a bad thing when your penalty kill doesn't come through once. And in this game, St. Louis suffered two goals on two penalty kills. The coach has to review this and think about the personal he puts on the ice in these moments. Killing penalties isn't always the sexy thing, but as you can see here - it is a vital part of the game and if it works, it can take you very far.

(Comment 2)

Shootout Monster

Kelowna Knights goaltender Alexander Andersson-Grande came up big in the shootout as he stopped all three shooters of the St. Louis Scarecrows. First, he stopped Nicolas Fleming who tried it with a surprising quick slap shot. But he wasn't able to fool Andersson-Grande. Then, Ty Hoover tried a spin-o-rame but failed as well, as Andersson-Grande just stood there and didn't blink once. And then, Tyler Tougard shot into the glove of Andersson-Grande who sealed the win with this clutch save. After the game, we asked him about it: "It's what I do. That is why I am one of the best." Sometimes, it is that easy.

(Comment 3)

Hitting is key

Something every team should know by now - hitting can win you games. And the Kelowna Knights absolutely do that with pride. They outhit the St. Louis Scarecrows 26-13. And two guys came up big here - Liam Hutchinson and Nathan Explosion, where the name says it all. Both of them had four hits in the game and these aren't your normal easy-peasy body checks, these were absolute crushing ... explosions. If you have guys like them on the ice, the other team automatically plays with fear. And this might be one of the reasons why the Kelowna Knights ended up with the win that night.

*Carpy48* · 03-07-2019, 07:13 AM

Comment 3:

A Memorable Rookie Goalie Debut

This comment will discuss the surprising debut of Kelowna's rookie goalie Alexander Andersson-Grande in which he eventually stole the show. Every rookie goalie dreams of playing his first game in the SMJHL at some point during the season, but for Andersson-Grande things didn't go quite as planned. The plan was to have veteran goalie Vivian Leblanc start the first game of the season until everything changed suddenly. Andersson-Grande got thrown into the game just over a minute into the third period after Leblanc surrendered goal number four on just 16 shots. Kelowna was down 4-2 and the team obviously needed a wake-up call. And that one they got. Andersson-Grande was definitely the hero of the game, stopping all shots he faced while his team tied the game and took the game to overtime. OT didn't see any shots on goal at all, so both goalies were lucky. Eventually OT ended and it was time for a shootout. Thanks to Andersson-Grande, who stopped all 3 shots, Kelowna won the game. How many rookie goalies can speak of such an incredible debut? First the rookie was forced to make a relief appearance, took the game to overtime and a shootout and then ended up with a perfect save percentage in the end. This was certainly a game to remember.

awils13 · 03-08-2019, 05:53 PM

Corsi analysis

Note: Corsi for % = shot attempts for / (shot attempts for + against).

Scarecrows

Airi Yamaguchi: 7/19 37%
Basil Magnicotta: 9/25 36%
Brolias Hawking: 2/11 18% (1A)
Charlie Serpe: 14/28 50% (1G)
Filip Zadina: 2/11 18% (1A)
Fork Spoon: 9/29 31%
Gordie Boomhover: 9/29 31% (1G 1A)
Isaac Yamada: 12/26 46% (2A)
Jerry Larry: 12/21 57%
Kiko Rytmeyr: 11/27 41%
Mattie Brunton: 2/16 13%
Michael Fox: 5/16 31% (1A)
Nicolas Fleming: 13/24 54%
Slip McScruff: 9/25 36%
Taisei-Tiikeri Wawazat: 10/30 33%
Ty Hoover: 13/24 54%
Tyler Tougard: 7/15 47% (1G)
Valeri Tikhonov: 10/30 33% (1G)

Knights

Aleksandr Scherbak: 13/20 65%
Barry Batsbak: 12/19 63%
Big Fudge: 17/26 65% (1A)
Bobby Sharp: 16/26 62% (1G)
David Vent: 12/19 63%
Dick Clapper: 14/21 67% (1G 1A)
Gunnar Soderberg: 7/13 54%
Guy Zheng: 19/28 68% (2A)
Karlstrabe Scholz: 23/37 62% (2A)
Liam Hutchinson: 12/19 63%
Nathan Explosion: 13/20 65% (1G 1A)
Nickolas Klaus: 17/28 61%
Nolan Sawchuk: 17/28 61%
Pierre Laroche-Durocher: 13/24 54%
Sami Votto: 7/14 50%
Sanyi Kocsis: 18/32 56% (1G)
Vadim Malichov: 7/13 54%
Zach Laliberte: 13/19 68% (1A)

Performance of the night
Guy Zheng (68%, 2A)

fever95 · 03-09-2019, 02:35 PM

Comment #1

3 Stars Of The Game
3 - Dick Clapper Knights

Dick Clapper put together a decent game in his performance, notching a goal and an assist with a +1 rating and 4 shots on goal in over 17 minutes of ice-time. Clapper scored with under a minute to go in the opening period to give the Knights a 2-1 edge heading to the second period. He also added an assist on a late third period powerplay in what would be the eventual game-tying goal.

2 - Nathan Explosion Knights

Kelowna's Nathan Explosion also put up some good numbers in the Knights' shootout win over the Scarecrows. Explosion netted a goal and an assist with a +1 rating, 4 shots on goal and 4 hits. Explosion assisted on the opening goal of the game and scored his first of the season early in the third period to help Kelowna gain some momentum which would help them tie the the game late in the period.

1 - Gordie Boomhover

Gordie Boomhover was all over the ice for St. Louis, potting a goal and an assist in a losing effort with a +1 rating. He added two shots on net, three hits and went 2-for-4 in the faceoff dot. Boomhover assisted on the Scarecrows first goal of the game, a goal that would tie the game at that point in the game. He scored midway through the second period, a goal that would give St. Louis their first lead of the game by a score of 3-2.

Comment #2

Goaltending Woes
Both starting netminders in this contest had a hard time making saves from the onset. In the first period, shots were deadlocked at eight shots a piece and Scarecrows' goaltender, Billy Sorokin stopped just 6 of the 8, while Knights' goaltender, Vivian Leblanc stopped 7 of 8. In the middle frame, St. Louis outshot Kelowna 7-6 and while Sorokin stopped all 6 of the shots he faced, Leblanc stopped just 5 of 7 shots faced. The Knights took the shot advantage in the third period by a 9-8 edge and St. Louis scored early to chase Leblanc from the net. Kelowna scored a pair of goals but Sorokin remained in the St. Louis net. There were no shots in overtime and when it was all said and done, the two starting goalies combined for 8 goals against on 39 shots for a combined save percentage of 0.795.

Comment #3

Physical Presence
This game featured a lot of hits from both sides and it seemed that every time a player picked up the puck in the corner or along the boards, there was an opposing player there to deliver a bone-crushing body check. For the Scarecrows, Gordie Boomhover delivered three hits while Michael Fox and Nicolas Fleming each had two each. Airi Yamaguchi, Filip Zadina, Slip McScruff, Taisei-Tiikeri Wawazat, Ty Hoover and Tyler Tougard also each recorded a hit for a total of 13 for St. Louis. On the flip side, Kelowna recorded a total 26 hits, twice as many as St. Louis and that could have been a factor in the the final score of the game, wearing down the Scarecrows players. Pierre Laroche-Durocher lead the way with six hits while Nathan Hutchinson and Nathan Explosion each recorded four. Karlstrabe Scholz had three hits, while Bobby Sharp, David Vent and Guy Zheng each had a pair. Nickolas Klaus, Nolan Sawchuk and Sami Votto also each recorded a hit.

Serpe x 13 · 03-18-2019, 01:34 PM

(1st comment)
3 Stars of The Game:

1st Star: Gordie Boomhover Scarecrows

Boomhover was able to help his team come out on top by getting a goal and a assist vs Kelowna. He was dominating today and he was a plus one and had 3 hits over a total of over 24 minutes. Boomhover was able to assist on Charlie Serpe's first career goal.

2nd Star: Nathan Explosion Knights

Explosion lived up to his name in this game and he had 2 points. In the 3rd period he scored a much needed goal to help the Knights come with in a goal of the Scarecrows. Explosion had 4 shots and 4 hits this game and he was in face of many Scarecrow players.

3rd Star: Dick Clapper Knights

Clapper was very important in this game during the 1st and 3rd periods. In the 1st he was able to give his a team a 2-1 lead on a goal he scored. In the 3rd he made a very nice pass to his teammate Kocsis for the goal which tied the game 4-4 and forced overtime.

(2nd comment)
High Scoring Affair:

The total amount of goals in this game was 9 and there could have been a lot more. Both teams were flying on the ice and the goalies were letting in a lot of shots and the defense was playing very offensive as well; allowing for each team's offensives to have multiple odd man rushes a period. Several defense men scored this game including the rookie Charlie Serpe who is very offensive and it was seen this game he is susceptible to letting up odd man rushes because he was trying to make an offensive minded play instead of defensive minded.

(3rd comment)
Very Physical Game

Both teams were hitting often and early. The Knights had 26 hits to only 13 hits for the Scarecrows. The Knights were able to win the physical battle but they ended up losing the game. There were a few roughing and interference minors for both teams. The leading hitter for the Scarecrows was Isaac Yamada with 4 hits and the leading hitter for the Knights was Pierre Laroche-Durocher with 6 hits during the game. Isaac led both teams with 4 penalty minutes. The Knights had taken 3 penatlys while the Scarecrows had taken 2. The Scarecrows were 1 for 3 on the power play and the Knights were 2 for 2.

birdwatcher69 · 03-24-2019, 09:41 PM

Pro Sports Networks Dick McGruff here with tonights first star Gordie Boomhover, Gordie you had an absolute monster game out here tonight how does it feel buddy?
Gordie: I’m not gonna lie Dick it feels fucking amazing. As you may know I was drafted in the 12th round by the Wolfpack this last year and I felt I should’ve gone a bit earlier. I’m clearly a stud and can carry the play whenever I want.

Dick McGruff: That’s good to hear Gordie I look forward to many more performances like that this year. It seems like you’re coming into this year with a bit of a chip on your shoulder is there anything you did in the offseason differently training wise?

Gordie: Not really, I got a signing bonus so I just bought a wakeboard boat and had a lot of sexual relations with mostly 8’s some 9’s and two or three arguably 10’s.

McGruff: (Fistbumps Boomhover) PSN’s Dick McGruff out!

**esilverm** · 03-26-2019, 08:25 PM

Comment 1:
A Rookie's First Goal:

Charlie Serpe, a rookie in the S37 draft class scored his first SMJHL goal in this game at 13:15 in the first period. For many rookies, getting their first goal takes a while to get to. However, Serpe defied the odds and scored on his first shot in his first game. Another important thing to note is that he is a defenseman. Also, he ended the game with a +1 and 2 shots blocked which is very impressive for a first game. This is probably a very good outlook on this player’s future, and we will have a lot to look forward to in the future of his SHL career.

Comment 2:
Fox Sports Midwest Five Stars of the Night

1st Star: Gordie Boomhover – This second year sensation put up outstanding points totals tonight and led his team to the shootout. With 2 points on the night (1 G, 1 A) and 3 hits, this player had an all-around great game outside of the result.

2nd Star: Isaac Yamada – Though he had a hard time finding his way out of the penalty box tonight (4 pim), we were pleasantly surprised when he put up a total of 2 helpers on the board.

3rd Star: Charlie Serpe – A rookie scoring his first goal, in his first game, on his first shot isn’t very common. This d-man did it tonight. Great things are coming from him in the future.

4th Star: Valeri Tikhonov – He put up a goal for the crows, what more can you ask for!?

5th Star: Brolias Hawking – Playing bottom minutes and getting in points is hard. This player got out of this game with 1 helper and a plus on the scoresheet. Good for him.

Comment 3
A look back at last year's playoffs

Last season these two teams went head-to-head in the second round of the playoffs. After taking a gap between the regular season and playoffs, both teams were ready for action. However, by the end of the series the Knights didn’t know what hit them. The Crows swept them 4-0. This rematch of these teams will let us know the position of their rivalry if they happen to meet again in this season’s playoffs. Will we see another blowout, or will Kelowna find their holy grail? We simply will have to wait and see because it is too early in the season to tell.

Pass Forfeit (D) ● Player Profile
Kraken

Special thanks to Blitz, jhockey, Ragnarr, and sulo for the gorgeous sigs <3

[Image: DG0jZcS.png]

Samsung virtual assistant · 04-05-2019, 11:42 AM

Unsung Hero

The unsung hero of this game between STL and KEL is tough. It was a shootout game and a bunch of goals were scored. However the obvious choice is Alexander Andersson-Grande. And no that is not because it's my player but because he didn't recieve one of the 3 stars, so i'm picking AAG. Yeah Alexander came in early in the 3rd after Leblanc let in 4 goals on 16 shots. He shut STL out and managed to help the team into the OT as well as the Shootout by shutting STL out. In the shootout he also stopped every shot, so they managed to pull a win out after Nathan Explosion scored in the 2nd round.

St. Louis Scarecrows, Nicolas Fleming - Stopped by Alexander Andersson-Grande
Kelowna Knights, Barry Batsbak - Stopped by Billy Sorokin
St. Louis Scarecrows, Ty Hoover - Stopped by Alexander Andersson-Grande
Kelowna Knights, Nathan Explosion - Goal!
St. Louis Scarecrows, Tyler Tougard - Stopped by Alexander Andersson-Grande

Navigation

Extra Menu

About us