Last night, the Halifax Raiders came into town to play St. Louis in regular season action. After pregame festivities concluded, the puck dropped and the players were ready to go to determine who would rise to the ocassion.

Before the late arrivals could even find their seats, Halifax captain Atlas Rush began an absolute assault on St Louis goaltender Billy Sorokin. Lyle Odelein III was able to shut the door on his first opportunity, but Rush kept fighting in front of the net. Rush was rewarded with a goal off a deflection from a puck ripped from the point by Esa Parmberg, and the Raiders took the lead 1-0.

Code:

3:09 of 1st period - Shot by Atlas Rush.
3:09 of 1st period - Shot Blocked by Lyle Odelein III.
3:11 of 1st period - Shot by Atlas Rush.
3:11 of 1st period - Shot Misses the Net.
3:13 of 1st period - Shot by Esa Parmborg.
3:13 of 1st period - Deflect By Atlas Rush.
3:13 of 1st period - Goal by Atlas Rush - Halifax Raiders : 1 - St. Louis Scarecrows : 0.

The Raiders almost took a two goal lead into the locker room after a beautiful redirect by Cody off a shot by Jaakkp Jarvinen, but the shot went just wide and the game remained a 1-0 affair.

Code:

19:53 of 1st period - Shot by Jaakko Jarvinen.
19:53 of 1st period - Deflect By Cody.
19:53 of 1st period - Shot Misses the Net.

St. Louis did not get the start they were hoping for in the second period as Basil Magnicotta took a weak penalty off the opening face off.

Code:

0:01 of 2nd period - Esa Parmborg wins face-off versus Nicolaj Muller in neutral zone.
0:03 of 2nd period - Minor Penalty to Basil Magnicotta for Tripping.

Sorokin proved to be the best penalty killer on the ice, leaving no rebounds after heavy pressure by the Halifax power play. However, Mika Kandisky did everything right to get the Scarecrows out of the hole; winning face offs and playing solid defense.

Code:

0:36 of 2nd period - Shot by Esa Parmborg.
0:36 of 2nd period - Stopped by Billy Sorokin without a rebound.
0:37 of 2nd period - Mika Kandinsky wins face-off versus Timmo Kyllonen in St. Louis Scarecrows zone.
0:37 of 2nd period - Mika Kandinsky is hit by Jon Snow.
1:05 of 2nd period - Shot by Cody.
1:05 of 2nd period - Shot Misses the Net.
1:45 of 2nd period - Shot by Josef Kubinec.
1:45 of 2nd period - Stopped by Billy Sorokin without a rebound.
1:46 of 2nd period - Mika Kandinsky wins face-off versus Timmo Kyllonen in St. Louis Scarecrows zone.

Kandisky was rewarded handsomely with a shorthanded goal after taking advantage of a power play icing by Haley Knight and a sloppy rebound left in the slot by Mike McKorsky.

Code:

1:52 of 2nd period - Icing by Haley Knight.
1:53 of 2nd period - Mika Kandinsky wins face-off versus Timmo Kyllonen in Halifax Raiders zone.
1:58 of 2nd period - Shot by Mika Kandinsky.
1:58 of 2nd period - Stopped by Mike McKorsy with a rebound.
2:02 of 2nd period - Shot by Mika Kandinsky.
2:02 of 2nd period - Goal by Mika Kandinsky - Halifax Raiders : 1 - St. Louis Scarecrows : 1.

Rookie standout Cody would not take the Scarecrows success lightly. Mere minutes later, Cody took matters into his own hands and slung a gnarly wrister into the top shelf to regain the lead 2-1.

Code:

3:57 of 2nd period - Timmo Kyllonen wins face-off versus Mika Kandinsky in Halifax Raiders zone.
4:04 of 2nd period - Shot by Cody.
4:04 of 2nd period - Goal by Cody - Halifax Raiders : 2 - St. Louis Scarecrows : 1.

Kyle Wellwood would get called for slashing a few minutes later to put the Raiders back on the power play.

Code:

6:12 of 2nd period - Minor Penalty to Kyle Wellwood for Slashing

Although St. Louis fought valiantly throughout the first half of the penalty, Knight would demonstrate that persistence pays off as she notched the Raiders second powerplay goal of the contest to increase the lead to 2.

Code:

7:31 of 2nd period - Shot by Haley Knight.
7:31 of 2nd period - Shot Misses the Net.
7:33 of 2nd period - Shot by Haley Knight.
7:33 of 2nd period - Shot Misses the Net.
7:35 of 2nd period - Shot by Haley Knight.
7:35 of 2nd period - Goal by Haley Knight - Halifax Raiders : 3 - St. Louis Scarecrows : 1.

Just as the Scarecrows seemed to be gaining momentum, the parade to the penalty box continued as Gordon Jablonski got nabbed for interference.

14:47 of 2nd period - Minor Penalty to Gordon Jablonski for Interference.

Some say a strong penalty kill can turn the tides of a game. I offer you this highlight without comment.

Code:

15:26 of 2nd period - Shot by Freddie Sweeney.
15:26 of 2nd period - Shot Misses the Net.
15:28 of 2nd period - Shot by Cody.
15:28 of 2nd period - Stopped by Billy Sorokin without a rebound.
15:29 of 2nd period - Gaspard Boone wins face-off versus Esa Parmborg in St. Louis Scarecrows zone.
15:44 of 2nd period - Shot by Josef Kubinec.
15:44 of 2nd period - Shot Misses the Net.
15:46 of 2nd period - Shot by Esa Parmborg.
15:46 of 2nd period - Stopped by Billy Sorokin without a rebound.
15:47 of 2nd period - Timmo Kyllonen wins face-off versus Mika Kandinsky in St. Louis Scarecrows zone.
15:50 of 2nd period - Shot by Timmo Kyllonen.
15:50 of 2nd period - Shot Blocked by Mattie Brunton.
16:32 of 2nd period - Shot by Freddie Sweeney.
16:32 of 2nd period - Shot Misses the Net.
16:34 of 2nd period - Shot by Esa Parmborg.
16:34 of 2nd period - Shot Blocked by Lyle Odelein III.
16:36 of 2nd period - Shot by Haley Knight.
16:36 of 2nd period - Stopped by Billy Sorokin with a rebound.
16:38 of 2nd period - Shot by Haley Knight.
16:38 of 2nd period - Stopped by Billy Sorokin without a rebound.

The Scarecrows crowd is the loudest it's been all game. After such an effort by their squad they are sure that a goal is coming.

But it's just another penalty. This time it's Nicolas Fleming with two minutes for too much intensity.

Code:

18:27 of 2nd period - Minor Penalty to Nicolas Fleming for Roughing.

The Raiders looked strong but couldn't solve the Scarecrow penalty kill, and this game went into the third 3-1.

St. Louis came into the third period ready to cut the lead down to one. A valiant effort by Gaspard Boome and Barrett Blackwood provided the most potent offense for St Louis thus far, but it was not enough to light the lamp despite the scare it caused in Halifax. A shot off the post from Valeri Tikhonov sucked the air out of the barn, and the fans knew that the hockey gods may not be on their side.

Code:

1:17 of 3rd period - Shot by Gaspard Boone.
1:17 of 3rd period - Stopped by Mike McKorsy with a rebound.
1:23 of 3rd period - Shot by Barrett Blackwood.
1:23 of 3rd period - Shot Misses the Net.
1:25 of 3rd period - Shot by Barrett Blackwood.
1:25 of 3rd period - Stopped by Mike McKorsy without a rebound.
1:26 of 3rd period - Timmo Kyllonen wins face-off versus Mika Kandinsky in Halifax Raiders zone.
1:35 of 3rd period - Shot by Mika Kandinsky.
1:35 of 3rd period - Shot Misses the Net.
1:37 of 3rd period - Shot by Nicolaj Muller.
1:37 of 3rd period - Stopped by Mike McKorsy with a rebound.
1:39 of 3rd period - Shot by Mika Kandinsky.
1:39 of 3rd period - Shot Misses the Net.
2:25 of 3rd period - Shot by Valeri Tikhonov.
2:25 of 3rd period - Shot Hit the Post.
2:27 of 3rd period - Shot by Izem Abioye.
2:27 of 3rd period - Stopped by Mike McKorsy without a rebound.
2:28 of 3rd period - Fork Spoon wins face-off versus Esa Parmborg in Halifax Raiders zone.
2:37 of 3rd period - Shot by Barrett Blackwood.
2:37 of 3rd period - Shot Blocked by Duke Duckworth.

Atlas Rush took advantage of a frustrated St. Louis group, but failed to convert on the other end of the ice.

Code:

2:41 of 3rd period - Esa Parmborg wins face-off versus Valeri Tikhonov in Halifax Raiders zone.
2:46 of 3rd period - Shot by Atlas Rush.
2:46 of 3rd period - Shot Blocked by Izem Abioye.
2:48 of 3rd period - Shot by Duke Duckworth.
2:48 of 3rd period - Stopped by Billy Sorokin with a rebound.
2:50 of 3rd period - Shot by Atlas Rush.
2:50 of 3rd period - Shot Blocked by Mattie Brunton.
2:52 of 3rd period - Shot by Atlas Rush.
2:52 of 3rd period - Shot Misses the Net.

Wyatt Ruschkoff made his first impression on the game in the early stages of the third, but it wasn't quite what the rookie would have hoped for.

Code:

5:54 of 3rd period - Icing by Wyatt Ruschkoff.
5:55 of 3rd period - Ricky Spanish wins face-off versus Nicolaj Muller in Halifax Raiders zone.
5:59 of 3rd period - Minor Penalty to Wyatt Ruschkoff for Holding.

McKorsky would put on a clinic in net to ruin the Scarecrows chances at a powerplay goal.

Code:

6:34 of 3rd period - Shot by Nicolaj Muller.
6:34 of 3rd period - Stopped by Mike McKorsy without a rebound.
6:35 of 3rd period - Esa Parmborg wins face-off versus Gaspard Boone in Halifax Raiders zone.
6:48 of 3rd period - Shot by Lyle Odelein III.
6:48 of 3rd period - Shot Blocked by Ricardo Cotalay.
7:20 of 3rd period - Shot by Nicolas Fleming.
7:20 of 3rd period - Stopped by Mike McKorsy without a rebound.
7:21 of 3rd period - Mika Kandinsky wins face-off versus Timmo Kyllonen in Halifax Raiders zone.
7:22 of 3rd period - Shot by Nicolaj Muller.
7:22 of 3rd period - Stopped by Mike McKorsy without a rebound.

After some back and forth play, Cody would take a page out of Haley Knights playbook and snipe his second goal of the night, increasing the Raiders lead to 4-1.

Code:

9:53 of 3rd period - Shot by Cody.
9:53 of 3rd period - Shot Misses the Net.
9:55 of 3rd period - Shot by Cody.
9:55 of 3rd period - Goal by Cody - Halifax Raiders : 4 - St. Louis Scarecrows : 1.

Jimmy Van Johns was caught at the corner, giving St Louis once last chance to get back into things, however, an errant shot from Fleming would be the final Whisper from the Scarecrows as the Raiders would go on to win this one, 4-1.

Code:

18:33 of 3rd period - Minor Penalty to Jimmy Van Johns for Hooking.
18:34 of 3rd period - Timmo Kyllonen wins face-off versus Mika Kandinsky in Halifax Raiders zone.
19:54 of 3rd period - Shot by Nicolas Fleming.
19:54 of 3rd period - Shot Misses the Net.

The three stars as voted on by the media were as follows.

Timmo Kyllonen was recognized for his unselfish play as he notched three assists as the games Third Star.

Haley Knight showed resilience and determination with a goal and an assist as Second Star.

And our first star of the night was Cody, who's two goals went the distance and helped seal the deal for the Raiders tonight.

Game Link: http://simulationhockey.com/games/smjhl/...HL-50.html

[2023 Words]

Penalty Kill:
We saw a lot of penalties and the penalty kill units both put in work in a game where we only had 1 power play goal, leaving both squads with plenty of failed attempts with the man advantage. The Raiders went perfect and stopped all three chances which could have been a turning point for the other team if they hadn't. St. Louis did pretty good too and didn't stop fighting as they went 4 for 5 on the PK and had a terrific scored a shorthanded goal, scored by forward Mika Kandinsky in the second period to tie the game but no momentum was gained as we saw the Raiders take the lead again 2 minutes later. (120 words)

The Scarecrows Weak Shooting:
It was frustrating for fans at home when they watched St. Louis taking low quality shots but lead the games and two of their players are going to shop up to their next game with new sticks. Muller who had 6 shots didn't shoot the puck with enough strength and wasn't patient enough with the puck, he played over 20 minutes and had more opportunities than any other player on the 1st power play unit. Spoon also didn't help his team missing all 5 shots that he took playing similar minutes to Muller. (101 words)

Workhorse of the Game:
Parmborg didn't get a game star but his coach is going to thank him for his performance in the locker room, he was all over the board and it started with his passing, threading the needle and making a great pass to get the first goal of the game, he also had a +1 and had multiple scoring chances joining the rush all game. He wasn't the strongest on defense but he also wasn't a liability, taking no penalties and getting a hit on what could of been a scoring chance for the Scarecrows, helping his goalie after edging Jablonski out of the slot, giving St. Louis an even weaker shot for an easy stop. Lastly he took the most faceoffs and was the key reason why the Raiders could generate offense, winning key draws in the offensive and defensive zones. (150 words)

RAIYA RABINOV