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Waters · 06-24-2019, 12:16 PM

Anaheim Outlaws Outlaws

vs

Detroit Falcons Falcons

Game 54

Game Link

This game, the 11th game of the season for both teams, featured a defending cup champion Anaheim Outlaws, sporting a record of 6-3-1 vs a surging 7-2-1 Falcons team. The Outlaws, expected to be worse with the loss of many key players, seemed to start the season very well, while the Falcons, who are in a position to have a very strong, young team for the next few seasons, looked even better than most would expect them to have been at this point. This was a duel of two top teams going at it, with the Outlaws taking a very close victory at the end.

Period 1
The Falcons crippled themselves very early in the game, as only 23 seconds in, Josh Driver took a key interference penalty that crippled the team for 2 minutes. Anaheim's league leading powerplay quickly got to work, launching 3 shots on goal towards Emiko Spector before finally scoring on the 4th, a Nick Connolly goal off a miss from Noah Tedla. Despite no longer having an extra man, the Outlaws continued to have control over the complacent Falcons, launching shot after shot against the pair of Noah Andros and Travis Bitties. After a couple back and forth icings, the game came to a standstill until the outlaws scored again, 4 minutes into the first period, off a Gunnar Petrov shot, with Corey Kennedy and Noah Tedla both picking up their second assists of the game. After a small period of time where the Outlaws continued their early momentum, the Falcons dominated for about 2 and a half minutes, leading to a Gabster TheMagnificent goal to cut the lead in half. While the rest of the period did not feature any exciting moments either than a stagnant powerplay for the Falcons late in the period, this period was largely dominated by the Outlaws, as reflected by the score.

Outlaws 2 - Falcons 1

Period 2
The second period was a completely different story. The Falcons quickly went on the attack, and after 2 and a half minutes with not a single shot on goal for either team, a Savoli Tankovic shot missed the net, at which point the puck ended up on Kalvins Zvejnieks stick and into the goal, tying the game up at 2. Within 3 seconds of the next face-off, Jagger Fouquette shot the puck directly on goal, and after a minute long stretch of nothing ended by a missed Falcon shot followed by a deflection on goal, saved by Tibuk Soonika, again followed by another stretch of a minute with nothing, Fouquette found a pass from Bitties and scored. The Falcons now led, 3 to 2, making 3 unanswered Falcons goals. While the Outlaws had a period of dominance after a Tankovic tripping call midway through the period, the 5v5 portion was mostly controlled by the Michigan team, with a 12 to 6 shot count in favor of the Falcons.

Falcons 3 - Outlaws 2

Period 3
Despite the Outlaws being the desperate team, the Falcons completely controlled the beginning of the period, featuring 6 shots in the first 5 minutes, 4 of them misses, to the Outlaws' single miss. They then continued to control the game for the next stretch, constantly showering Soonika with shots, with most of them missing. However, the Outlaws goaltender has to be credited with keeping his team in the game, resisting the Falcons onslaught. Detroit continued to have discipline issues, however, and following a Bitties penalty for elbowing, Petrov capped off a dominant powerplay showing with his second of the game, tying the game at 3. The Falcons seemed like the better team for the rest of the period, putting as much effort as possible into making something happen and gaining the lead back, but Soonika shut the door. Despite an impressive powerplay from a Lallo Selman hooking call, they were not able to seal the deal, and the Outlaws were not able to get any momentum going during their 4th powerplay of the game, as the Falcons expertly killed the Outlaws' opportunities. This period was dominated by the Falcons, but they weren't able to score when it counted, as despite shots being 11-4 in favour of the Birds, the Outlaws managed to equalize and bring this game to OT.

Falcons 3 - Outlaws 3

Overtime
Overtime was largely boring. The Outlaws had a couple opportunities early, but failed to capitalize. The Falcons had 4 consecutive shots, but only the first 2 reached the goaltender, who saved them both. The rest of the period featured one shot, saved by Spector, and the teams went to a shootout.

Shootout
The first two shooters, Bitties and Selman, for Detroit and Anaheim respectively, had their shots saved. Gabster missed his shot, Spector saved Max Rockatansky's attempt, and the teams entered round 3 in a tie. Lunga Gumba couldn't get it past an extremely sharp Soonika, and Petrov, who had been the hero twice for Anaheim, managed it a third time by sniping it past Spector for the win.

Final: Anaheim Outlaws 4 - Detroit Falcons 3 (SO)

(My) 3 Stars:
1 - Gunnar Petrov Outlaws

(2 G, SO winner)
2 - Corey Kennedy Outlaws

(2 A)
3 - Tibuk Soonika Outlaws

(32 saves from 35 shots)

about 850 words

Tate · 06-24-2019, 09:00 PM

Comment 1 – MVP – Gunnar Petrov
It was clear from the very first period that Outlaws forward Gunnar Petrov was not going to allow the Falcons into the win column. Gunnar set the tone by scoring in the first period and went onto to add an assist to his plate before the final buzzer of the third period. It was also Gunnar Petrov who would be clutch for the Outlaws in the shootout, ending the game with a laser shot, and one that he is starting to become known for. The Outlaws have a strong future so long as players like Gunnar Petrov take the ice for them.

Comment 2 – Unsung Hero – Tibuk Soonika
While it can’t be ignored that Gunnar Petrov was a driving force for the Outlaws during the game, it was truly the poise and leadership of Tibuk Soonika that sealed another win for the Outlaws. Tibuk Soonika is quietly building a reputation for a clutch goaltender who has the capabilities to take his team to the very end. Time in and time again we are seeing Tibuk Soonika grace the 3 stars and this is of no coincidence, for in the netminder, the Outlaws have found a true budding star. One has to wonder how much longer we'll see Soonika star in the SMJHL before he is rightfully called up to where he belongs, the SHL.

Comment 3 – Turning Point of the Game – 3rd Period
Again it could be argued that it was Gunnar Petrov’s tying goal in the 3rd period that turned the game in the Outlaws favor but it would be wrong not to include Tibuk Soonika in the conversation. It was clear that Gunnar Petrov’s goal had given the Outlaws the necessary edge they needed to push back, but it was the absolute stand out performance by Tibuk Soonika in shutting the door and maintaining the tie that allowed the Outlaws to sneak into overtime. If it weren’t for the work of those two players, this game could have easily been had by the Falcons.

315 words

Toivo · 06-24-2019, 09:28 PM

Comment 1: Battle Between the Nets
Game 54 of the 48th SMJHL season turned into a shootout (literally). With both teams putting up 3 goals in regulation, it came down to a skills competition with the goalies being tasked with keeping their teams alive. Emiko Spector of the Detroit Falcons has a 7-2-2 record with a .889 save percentage. His foe, Tibuk Soonika of Anaheim Outlaws is 7-3-1 with a much more impressive .914 save percentage. Both goalies did well initially in the shootout. With Tibuk Snooika stopping Travis Bitties and Lunga Gumba, while forcing Gabster TheMagnificent to miss the net with his shot. Emiko Spector stopped Lallo Selman and Max Rockatansky. It looked like the shootout could drag on, but then Gunnar Petrov beat Emiko Spector, and Tibuk Soonika won the Battle Between the Nets. (130 words)

Comment 2:Heavy Hitters
Detroit Falcons’ Jagger Fouquette, Kalvins Zvejnieks, and Miika Salo combined for 15 hits of the 24 hits by Detriot. On the other side of the ice, Anaheim Outlaws’ Anthony Banthony and Chuck Good III each had three hits. Overall, Detroit racked up 24 hits compared to Anaheim’s 19. The Falcons were hitting harder than Anaheim. The physical nature wasn’t enough for the Falcons to get the win. Salo racked up 3 of his hits in a span of 9 seconds, hitting Nick Connolly repeatedly between 18:46 and 18:55 of the 2nd period. Nick Connolly took another hit by Khabib Nurmagomedov right before this span, so he was hit 4 times in 20 seconds. Perhaps the Falcons targeted him because he got the started scoring for Anaheim who went onto win the game. (132 words)

Comment 3: Special Teams
The special teams were out and about for both teams tonight, but it was Anaheim’s powerplay that saw success. With 4 powerplays, the Outlaws picked up 2 powerplay goals (50%). On 2 attempts by the Falcons, Anaheim manage to kill off both. In a game that went to shootout, those powerplay goals by Anaheim proved to be costly mistakes for the Falcons. Coaching staff will likely need to address penalty kills at the next practice with tonight’s performance. Detroit’s penalties were spread out across 4 players, so no “one” player was costing them the game, just a collective failure at playing disciplined hockey by the Falcons. (106 words)

NONAME · 06-24-2019, 11:32 PM

Comment 1: 102 words

Speciality Teams

Game 54 of the SMJHL season consisted of a close tight battle between the Detroit Falcons and Anaheim Outlaws. The Falcons controlled 5 on 5 play throughout the game but the Outlaws were able to capitalize on their powerplay opportunities to keep themselves in contention whereas the Falcons failed to convert on their opportunities. The Outlaws went 2/4 on the powerplay with goals from Nick Connolly and Gunnar Petrov whereas the Falcons went 0/2. One of those powerplay goals came 11:10 into the 3rd period to tie the game up 4-4 allowing the Outlaws to eventually win in the shootout.

Comment 2: 101 words

Player of the Game

Tibuk Soonika played a fantastic game facing 35 shots in total. The Falcons continued to apply pressure on the Outlaws 5 on 5 throughout the game but Soonika battled through and kept the Outlaws in it just enough for the Outlaws to eventually catch up and tie the game. To put the pressure into perspective, the Falcons totaled 23 shots in the final two periods whereas the Outlaws only managed 10. Soonika continued his brilliant play into overtime and then also in the shootout saving all 3 shootout attempts to eventually clinch the victory for the team.

Comment 3: 105 words

Ice-time Eater

Games that go into extra time require players to have incredible endurance to continue this high level of play from start to finish. Corey Kennedy displayed that endurance perfectly in tonights match-up totalling the game high, 27:25. He was put on the ice for 2:41 of powerplay ice-time and only 10 seconds on the penalty kill. He was very effective with his ice-time as he managed to pot 2 assists, was a +1, blocked 4 shots, had 2 hits, and 2 shots himself. Overall, Kennedy played an excellent game and is showing he can be relied on with big minutes for the team.

***Hallsy*** · 06-25-2019, 08:41 PM

My personal 3 stars of the game:
1.Corey Kennedy , he saw 27 minutes of ice time, in todays game, which is just simply a shit ton of ice time, he was a mobile defender that quarterback the offense with 2 assists, was a +1, and had 2 shots, 2 hits and 4 blocked shots, hiuge reason why the outlaws won this game

2.Kalvins Zvejnieks, 50% in the face-off circle, 1 goal, +1, 3 shots, and 6 hits, physical, meat and potatoes hockey. he grinded hard in this game and honestly was a huge reason why Detriot was able to get a point

3. Gunnar Petrov, scored 2 goals in todays contest and had 5 shots on net in 20 minutes of ice time. played a great game for the outlaws

133 words

iRockstar · 06-27-2019, 03:50 PM

COMMENT ONE - Outlaws almost slip
The Outlaws took a commanding 2-1 lead in the game in the first period alone which put the Falcons at a deficit, it was crazy to see them rebound back (Falcons) and obtain the lead now 3-2 in the second, Anaheim thankfully tied it with just under 9 minutes left in the game and then Petrov ended the almost disaster turnaround result. Thankfully, this game for them wasn't too hard to watch, but, they narrowly escaped with the victory, was very impressed with the Falcons battle back honestly. I would like to see some results from the Outlaws moving forward, a more team-oriented effort but regardless they had their shining star save the day! (114 words)

COMMENT TWO - It was a shooters paradise
To see that the teams combined for over 60 shots on net is insane, especially in a minor-league game with two seemingly competitive teams, both goalies were standing on their head and that is why this one didn't get out of control. Kudos to both the goalies on this one, also crazy to see some of the individual numbers for shots on goal: Detroit (4 players with 4 or more shots) and Anaheim (3 players with 4 or more shots) and most of these were unfortunately not (4 of the 7 players did not score a goal despite having the highest shots on goals). (104 words)

COMMENT THREE - Petrov unofficial hattrick
It's unfortunate to see it won't go down as an official hattrick, but he had one hell of a game here, scoring in the first period than being captain clutch in the third to tie the game, only to be the one coming on the ice to secure the victory in a shootout too, he's got it all, and is very impressive, it doesn't surprise me that he got the game winner, honestly he deserved it. He had some great setup-men on his team to help him achieve this but he deserves much of the credit. More to come from Petrov for sure, that is a name we wont forget! (110 words)

nour · 07-24-2019, 11:02 AM

Welcome back to another edition of Nour's 3 Focuses of the Game!

COMMENT 1: Anaheim Penalty Kill
In a close game like this that ends in OT, every minute can spell fortune or disaster for a team, and Anaheim’s 2 Penalty Kills, while not entirely impressive just from a numbers standpoint, were key moments in this game that got the Outlaws a big win. Gunnar Petrov was the focal point of this game, earning the game’s first star for his 2 goal performance in this game, but he also ate up the most PK minutes of anyone on the team at 2:39. His stellar performance at both ends of the ice made locking this game up look a lot easier than the scoreboard indicates. (107 Words)

COMMENT 2: Faceoff Hero
As a whole this game was a quintessential example of evenly matched. Both teams barely pull ahead of each other in a lot of the game stats, or even break even in a lot of cases. This was true for faceoffs as well, though few players were as dominant there as Detroit’s Gabster TheMagnificent, who went a stunning 65% on the dot for this game. A lot of other players hovered around that 50% mark or worse, but Gabster really felt like he couldn’t be beat at times. His strong faceoff wins and offensive pressure resulting in this wins gave Detroit the much needed push to keep this game close and push it to the shootout (116 Words)

COMMENT 3: Defensive Prowess
It’s no secret that one of the best players on the coe for the Outlaws was number one defenseman Corey Kennedy, with his 2 assists and heavy power play usage at 2:41 being key for the Outlaws offensive pressure, but whats a defender who can’t defend? Thankfully for Anaheim, they are far from that problem with Kennedy, whose underlying, less offensive numbers show that he excels on all situations. Kennedy’s all star defensive showing saw him leading all teams in blocked shots with 4, as well as throwing a few big hits around while eating up some big minutes to finish with a plus/minus of +1. What an effort from Kennedy! (111 Words)

**First GM in SMJHL history to win 3 Four Star Cups back-to-back-to-back**

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