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PGS S47 - Game 133 - Vancouver vs St. Louis
#1

[Image: whalers.png] Vancouver Whalers vs St. Louis Scarecrows [Image: scarecrows-new.png]
St. Louis, Missouri
 


Tonight’s match-up is showcasing 2 of the top teams in the SMJHL, we are in St. Louis tonight to watch the Crows take on the visiting Vancouver Whalers.  Both teams have had a strong season so far, the Whalers come into this contest 2 game winning streak, and a record of 17-8-1.  The Scarecrows are flying high with a 12-game win streak, with a record on 20-4-1.  Justin Willis will get the start tonight, his 3rd of the season he’ll be up against Vancouver’s #1, Casimir Stevens. Let’s get right into it:
 
1st period

Both teams elect to start the game with their number one lines, and the game is underway, with Michael Fox wins the opening draw for the Crows.  About 30 seconds into the game, Filip Zadina rings a puck off the post for the Crows, the games first scoring chance. It doesn’t take long after that for the refs to get involved, 1:29 into the first Gaspard Boone and Egor Kucherov are both sent off for 2 minutes, Boone for unsportsmanlike conduct and Kucherov for cross-checking.  Neither team is able to score while playing 4 aside.  It isn’t until the halfway point of the period that first blood is drawn, after a flurry of shots on the Crows back-up goalie Willis, the Crows Nicolas Fleming takes the puck out of the Crows zone and fires a puck past Stevens. 1-0 Crows on Fleming’s 13th of the season.  The Whalers continue to press for the rest of the period, out playing and outshooting (15 – 5) St. Louis.  The period ends, with the Whalers down by one, all thanks to Justin Willis.

2nd period

The 2nd period is a tough fought back and forth period.  The Whalers Egor Kucherov is called for holding at 6:58, his second penalty of the game.  The Crows are only able to muster two shots on net, which are both turned aside by Stevens.  A few minutes later, the play is whistled down again, with Sami Raanta sent off for slashing. The Crows fail to register a shot on this PP, solid penalty killing by the Whalers. The Whalers keep pressing, and with only 19 seconds left in the period, Petr Mihulak scores his 8th of the year, tying the game at one goal a piece.

3rd period

One regulation period left to settle this one, and it doesn’t take long for St. Louis to regain the lead.  Two St. Louis rookies team up for this one, center Mika Kandinsky fires a shot on net, Stevens makes the save but the puck ends up on rookie defender Lyle Odelein III, the grandson on the retired NHLer makes no mistake, scoring his 2nd of the year and regaining the lead for the Crows.  The Whalers try to battle back but the Crows are able to hold off their attacks and put the game out of reach in the last minute of play when Basil Magnicotta scores his 4th of the year, making it 3-1, which is how the game ends. 
 
    [Image: whalers.png]     Final Numbers     [Image: scarecrows-new.png]     

                                                                                                                                                

1   GOALS   3
33   SHOTS    28
2   PENALTIES   3
20   HITS   20
48   FOW       43
 
Three Stars

1 – Justin Willis - [Image: scarecrows-new.png]
2 – Michael Fox – [Image: scarecrows-new.png]
3 – Nicolas Fleming - [Image: scarecrows-new.png]
#2

Comment 1

Unsung Hero:
Playing with a team first attitude has been Basil Magnicotta’s mantra all season and in this game was no different. Logging the most minutes on the team as well as the most minutes on the penalty kill is always a tough ask, but Magnicotta was up to the challenge as he normally is. He blocked a game high 4 shots and sacrificed his body in order to keep shots off his goaltender. Every block counts as the Whalers put 33 pucks on nets with only one finding it’s intended target. Magnicotta also added a late goal to wrap up the win and put any hope Vancouver had on a comeback to rest.

Comment 2

MVP:
Justin Willis was a brick wall in goal tonight for the Scarecrows. Boasting a .970 save percentage after stopping 32 of 33 shots on the night would make any goaltender proud of their performance. He bailed the Scarecrows out time after time in the first period as St. Louis tried to get their legs under them. Willis was able to hold on long enough for the Scarecrows to gain momentum in the third and hold on for the win. The only Vancouver goal came off a faceoff loss and a turn over by Gaspard Boone in his own end which led to a shot where Willis had no chance. Other than that one, Willis was perfect on the night. 
 
Comment 3

Key Factors/Stats:
Tonight’s key factor was the impressiveness of St. Louis’ goaltender Justin Willis. He was hung out to dry by his defense more than they would have liked to see, but each time Willis was up for the task. This game was so even that any mistake by either team could have seen the game go the other way. Casimir Stevens for Vancouver played well but just couldn’t make the big saves when they were needed most. This was a low scoring game similar to that of a playoff game, with very defensive approaches and cautious breakouts. Look for Willis to do big things going into the playoffs as he will be instrumental in any deep run St. Louis will make.

[Image: xvPjYUR.png]
syndicate Outlaws Switzerland
#3

Comment #1

Siberia Sports Player of the Game

When your team needs a W against a team that has been biting at your heels all season, you hate to see your starting goaltender recalled to his SHL team.  That's exactly what happened to the St. Louis Scarecrows in this game.  They needed a big performance from their backup goaltender against Vancouver, and boy did they ever get one.  Siberia Sports picks backup goaltender Justin Willis as the player of the game.  Justin came in to the game and stopped 32 of 33 shots for a .970 save percentage.  An absolutely mental performance in a game that meant so much for the standings.  Willis was a star in this game and solidly got his team the win.

Comment #2

Siberia Sports Unsung Hero

This week we have to pick none other than Siberia's very own, Mika Kandinsky!  Mika has been grinding it out on the 4th line of a stacked Scarecrows team and he's proud of it.  He's been putting up a few points here and there and has been generally very good in his limited amount of ice time.  He's getting better and better, but his efforts sometimes go unnoticed.  Not today.  Mika got a primary assist on the game winning goal!  He got his 4th line going helping fellow rookie Lyle Odelein III blast one into the net to put the Scarecrows up by 1.  On top of this great play, Mika went 6/10 in the faceoff dot and finished +1 with only 6:30 of ice time.  He made the best of the time he had and did his part to help the Scarecrows take home a W.

Comment #3

Siberia Sports Clutch Play of the Game

The big play of this game came from the 4th line of the St .Louis Scarecrows.  The game was tied 1-1 going into the third period.  It was a real stalemate and either team was having trouble getting their offense going.  On steps the skilled, hardworking 4th line of the Crows.  The amount of grit and determination these guys showed was impressive and it paid off with the game winning goal.  It all started when our unsung hero of the game, Mika Kandinsky wins a clutch offensive zone faceoff.  He draws it back to Valeri Tikhonov who has his shot blocked by Vancouver.  The puck then finds it's way back to Mika's stick who promptly takes a hard and low shot, but it's saved by goalie Casimir Stevens.  The shot bounced out for a rebound and Lyle Odelein III was there to bury it.  A fast flurry of shots and pure offense is what it took to finally beat Casimir Stevens, who was having a stellar game.  This was goal was scored by everyone working as a team and being relentless on the pucks.  That's why we chose this moment as our Clutch Play of the Game.

Mika Kandinsky Stars 


[Image: mika_kandinsky.gif]

#4

BUILDING A TEAM FROM THE BACK TO THE FRONT
Seems as though the main difference between the two teams was their defence. Looking at the scoresheet, both teams first line registered a goal. Fleming getting the 1 for the Scarecrows and the Whalers having Mikulak pot the puck in the net for them. But looking at the 3rd period, the Scarecrows added 2 goals to secure the game and both of those goals were scored by blue liners. Basil Magnicotta logged a total of 20 minutes in the game and plays everywhere on the first line, from the 5 on 5 pairings, to the Special teams whether it is with 4 men on the ice or 5. Lyle Odelein III was the surprise here, playing just 6 minutes in the game, he was able to register the Game Winning Goal. He is only on the 4th pairing for the Scarecrows. The difference will always come down to that secondary scoring, and the Scarecrows really got it from an unsung hero

[Image: Bruins10.gif]
Thanks to @enigmatic , @Ragnar and @sulovilen for the sexy Signature
#5

1) Real heartbreaker for the Vancouver Whalers. As a member of this team, I know we like to circle games against top teams, such as this one, and really want to play well. But clearly, we just didn't get the result we wanted here. The Scarecrows are a really good team, and have been for awhile now. They showed in this game why they are as good as they are, going up against a fellow top team and getting the easy two points. I think the difference here was goaltending for the Scarecrows and depth players chipping in. I'll talk about that in my next two points.
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2) The backup goalie steals the show! As a fellow backup, I love to see this. As a member of the team from which the show was stolen, I'm a bit less excited. Willis got the nod when the Crows starter got called up to the SHL, and did he ever answer the call. 32 saves on 33 shots? That's just a hell of a game. In a game between two teams that we knew would be at the top of the standings, this was a huge two points for Willis to get and his teammates would certainly remember this one. I think teams generally see the backup in there and expect a certain result, and it's nice to see that the future of St. Louis goaltending is in good hands with Willis.
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3) Sometimes in a game where there are high caliber players all over the ice, you require the little guys to step up to the plate and take over. That's what happened here, as young, rookie defenceman Lyle Odelein III scored the game winner, Coming down on a rush, he managed to get the rebound kicked out by Stevens and scored his second goal of the year. Odelein only scored two goals this year and played 4th pairing minutes, averaging just over six minutes a game. But the goals don't get much bigger than this one, as the two points could come up huge, especially against a rival top team like the Whalers.
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#6

Unsung Hero

The guy you may not have heard of, but who really made an impact on this game was Lyle Odelein III. The Scarecrows rookie defenseman may not see many minutes, playing just over six in this game, but he showed that he sure knows how to make his time on the ice count. After a shot by fourth liner Valeri Tikhonov was blocked by Kaspars Claude, rookie Mika Kandinsky wrangles the puck and puts it on net. Casimir Stevens gets his blocker on it, but can't hold the puck, and Odelein III is there to capitalize on the rebound opportunity. Can you believe that this was Lyle's second game winner of the season? Start calling this kid captain clutch!


Rookie Spotlight

Let's take a quick look at a young player who really had an effect on this game, and that player is Scarecrows center Mika Kandinsky. Not only did he register the primary assist on the game winning goal, which is nothing to sneeze at with only six minutes of ice time, but he was won sixty percent of his face offs for the game. The face off percentage is of high interest and importance to this St. Louis team because this is one area of their game that hasn't been overly successful all season long. Kandinsky has been steadily improving all season long, and this game really highlights that fact.

Brick Wall Alert

This is an awesome way to recognize great goal tending performances, and boy did we see one in this game. Scarecrows backup Justin Willis out-dueled one of the best in Vancouver's Casimir Stevens, who himself had a nice game going until the third period. Willis stopped 32 of 33 shots by the Whalers and really put the his team on his back in this one. St. Louis is no stranger to scoring a lot of goals, but the offensive gameplan just wasn't clicking in this one. They needed a strong goal-tending performance to make it out of this important game with a win, and I'd say a .970 save percentage is getting it done.

[Image: MrStennett08.gif]

Scarecrows Usa Blizzard Panthers Patriotes Stars

#7

Comment 1

St Louis picks up the big 3-1 win vs Vancouver and I believe it’s because Vancouver has a young core. If you take a look at the game stats they are almost even as this was a extremely close battle! Tonight’s golden star for best performance goes to Michael Fox. Fox was a big reason his team got this victory as he has an incredible ability to make plays happen! Fox assisted on a goal in the first and third period! Another thing I like about his play is that he is not afraid to use the body! Fox had 4 big hits in this game and is not afraid to through his body around!

Comment 2

Goaltending: St. Louis should buy Willis dinner tonight as he had a monster effort stopping 32 of 33 shots. In my opinion he was a huge difference maker in this matchup as he made some critical saves at critical times!

On the other hand Stevens had a average night for Vancouver. He was able to stop 25 out of 28 shots but that wouldn’t be enough. I feel he provided a good effort in this game but unfortunately didn’t get the win. I feel his defence let him down a little bit as St. Louis was able to do some passing plays and score.

Twenty Twenty- Proud member of the Colorado Raptors Raptors
#8
(This post was last modified: 05-18-2019, 01:33 PM by nubbedindaribs.)

Comment 1:

Whalers Wilt in 3rd

A tough lost for the 'ship hopeful Whalers. After Petr Mikaluk tied it up late in the 2nd the Whalers lost all semblance of structure in the 3rd and allowed 2 easy goals. The first goal against the Whalers was right at the start of the period, so the Whalers had fresh legs. It was just a complete defensive breakdown with Lyle Odelein III coming through with an easy rebound goal with no Whaler presence in front of the net. The Whalers are going to have to be better about clearing rebounds away and not allowing second chances if they want to start on a deep run.

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Comment 2:

Whalers' 3rd Line Liability

The Whalers' 3rd line of Aaron Wilson, Dale Miller, and Jon Forty-One were supposed to be an offensive ace in the hole this game. Instead they proved to be a defensive liability, posting a combined -3 +/- and only 3 shots on goal. This match up was in St Louis' favor the whole game, with their line of  Gaspard Boone, Noah Gallagher, and Nicolaj Muller controlling most of the play throughout the game. Will the Whaler's coach switch up the 3rd line with more defensive players for a shutdown role, or will he keep the faith in his sneaky scoring line?

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Comment 3:

Justin Willis Impresses in Another Great Performance

Rookie St Louis Scarecrows goal tender Justin Willis improved to 4-0-0 on the season with an extremely strong performance against the high scoring Vancouver Whalers. Willis has been impressive all season, but tonight was undoubtedly his best showing of the season. Justin Willis stopped 32 of 33, posting an elite .970 save percentage. He was calm, cool, collected all night. Willis saw pucks through screens, positioned himself correctly for every shot, and swallowed pucks all night. If Willis continues to perform like this St Louis is going to have an extremely strong goalie tandem going forward.

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[Image: nubbedindaribs.gif]
#9

Playoff Previews:

Comment #1:  Playoff Previews: Whalers Key Factors

Can Vancouver trust Casimir Stevens to take them to the second round? Or, is it at least too late to question his credibility? Stevens saved 25 of 28 tonight, which is not awful, however, this game seems to be indicative of his total season performance. Despite his amazing 24-11-2 record, Stevens has failed to crack the top 5 in save percentage - in a 10 team league. Stevens will have to step up his game in the upcoming playoffs.  Stevens has posted the exact same .890 save percentage as his backup, Kasperi Braulin.

Make no mistake, Stevens and the rest of the Whalers are incredibly talented, as the numbers suggest. But it is reasonable to question how deep this team can go when you look at the numbers closely.

Comment #2: The future is bright in St.Louis

When speaking of questionable goaltending, the Scarecrows come to mind. However, tonight Justin Willis added to the Scarecrows win column in his fourth victory of the season. Petr Mikulak managed to beat him in the second, but that was Willis' only blemish as he saved 32 of 33 to post a .970 on the night. Despite being outshot and outplayed, Willis managed to carry his team to yet another win. If Sorokin underperforms, the Scarecrows might want to utilise Willis skillset. However that shouldn't be an issue - lets face it, St.Louis is stacked offensively.

Comment #3: End of Season Frustration

These two teams battled hard tonight and in the first period, we saw tensions rise as Scarecrow Garspard Boone received an unsportsmanlike minor. Egor Kucherov retaliated and cross-checked Boone - they received coincidentals. In the 2nd, Kucherov took another trip to the sin bin. Five minutes later, Raanta gave St.Louis another powerplay. Though the Whalers couldn't stay out of the box, Mikulak ended up potting his eigth with the help of Cannellini and Ackroyd - but the Whalers simply couldn't keep up. Will the Whalers succumb to their frustrations in the future, as they did tonight?
#10

Chris Johnson award. This award is given to the player who does something, but isn’t recognised for it.

Comment #1
Far from greatest game for Vanouver team this time around, but we will take a look only goalscorer for Whalers team Petr Mikulak. Petr scored late in the second period to give Whalers a fighting chance down in third period, actually Petr had only 4 shots on goal in this game. Petr also recorded plus one in this game. Mikaluk played quite a lot in this game recording 21 minutes on ice and 1.30 on powerplay while crazy 2.30 on penalty kill. As well as recorded 2 hits. Mikulak was the one of the most aggresive hitters of his team as well with 2 hits.
Comment #2
St. Louis decided the game in a third period with two goals and our unsung hero of the game Basil Magnicotta was the one who sealed the deal with late winner when there was 40 seconds left to play. Amazing scoring percent with only two shots and scoring once is elite level performance. Basil didn’t participiated in any face offs, but played more than 20 minutes and 2 minutes on powerplay and 1 minute on penalty kill. Magnicotta also recorded 4 blocked shots. Have to say that Basil also didn’t received any penalties on hes side neither recorded any hits. True gentleman on the ice, with deadly scoring when it matter the most.

[Image: Kerr.png]
Armada Panthers
"Nobody cared who I was until I put on this jersey..."
#11

Comment #1

If other teams in the SMJHL aren't afraid of the Scarecrows by now going into the playoffs, they should be. In my honest opinion, this is my pick to go to the finals. Excellent balance, good depth and a goalie that is continuing to be rock solid for them. Willis stopped 32 of 33 shots tonight and for most of it, he made it look easy. St Louis goes as far as Willis takes them and if this performance is anything to go by, he will take them to the final and be Playoff MVP. Somebody in St Louis, buy this man a beer.

Comment #2

Vancouver just seemed like they weren't trying this game... apart from the third period. The best player on their team was Petr Mikulak who gave Vancouver their only goal which gave them a chance to come back. Apart from him, there were barely any performances of note from the Whalers, as if they have already clocked out to focus on playoffs. Casimir Stevens especially seemed mortal this game. Unless Vancouver can find some momentum going into the playoffs, this should scare everyone in that front office. Mikulak deserved a lot more than what his team gave.

Comment #3
Something that should be noted is that penalties seemed to be rampant in this game. Granted its near end of season and a lot of teams aren't really focused on discipline when the playoffs are coming, but when a player gets an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, that should make people sit up and take notice. Garspard Boone received one and it was such a weird sight. There was really no point for that, or indeed ever a point to commit an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty so while it could be chalked up to end of season frustration, is there something deeper, lingering under the surface we just don't know? Will be something to watch out for during the playoffs.




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