This is the 3rd meeting of the season between these two teams. The Whalers have came up with a victory in the last two games will they do it again?
The whalers have outscored the Mammoths 8-6 in 2 1 goal game wins. Whalers PK has been key with 80+% performances in both games as they are 11 for 13 during these two games.
Will the mammoths break their losing streak against the Whalers?
1st period:
1. Vancouver Whalers , Alfred Holiday 2 (Theodore Graham, Jon Ross) at 1:25 (PP) Holiday opens up the scoring in this game with a power-play goal.
2. Vancouver Whalers , Thor Pederson 2 (Connor MacDonald, Theodore Graham) at 5:31 Thor snipes one off the rush.
Two Goals by the whalers within the first five minutes of the hockey game, this isn't looking good for the mammoths so far.
Penalty Summary:
Frontdoor McGraw (COL) for Hooking (Minor) at 0:17, Tord Yvel (COL) for Holding (Minor) at 9:20
2nd period:
3. Vancouver Whalers , Ace Redding 3 (Conklin Owen, Adam Kaiser) at 17:36 Redding showing off his sick dangles
Whalers rookie Redding showing his stuff for the SHL Scouts as he makes some pretty dangles to give his team a demanding 3-0 lead.
3rd period
4. Colorado Mammoths , Frontdoor McGraw 2 (Steven Stamkos Jr., Maverick O'Dooley) at 0:18 Frontdoor tries to give his team some life, but it may be too little too late for his team
5. Vancouver Whalers , Corey Bearss 2 (Olson Stuart, OG Bobby) at 1:41 Whalers destroy any hope that the Mammoths once had in less than 1:30.
6. Vancouver Whalers , Olson Stuart 1 (OG Bobby, Theodore Graham) at 16:17 Give the Whalers some icing on this cake walk.
end of game.
<div align="center">Three Stars:</div>
1.Olson Stuart - First Career Goal and a Assist.
2.Theodore Graham- Showed why he is one of the best prospects in the SHL today with a demanding 3 assists game. Steelhawks fans are probably swearing as Ben Dover has been a disappointment this season.
3. Alfred Holiday- Scored the games first goal and was huge in starting the rally and playing an all round game with a +2 performance.
Unsung Hero:
Jon Ross- Yes, I know he is a highly touted SHL prospect from the S30 SHL draft, but he played a great game today and was a fundamental player for his team. He had the most shots on his team, dominated the face-off circle(16/26) and got a hit and blocked a shot. He showed his all round skills. He didn't get on the board but he did the little things to help his team win today.
<div align="center">Period 1</div>
Nicky Toohoots was tied up on the opening face off of the game by Ronnie Westbrook, St. Louis winger Joe Kurczewski picked up the loose puck and put a shot on goal in the first seconds of the game. One of only three shots for St. Louis in the period- Kurczewski is by far the Crows leader in SOG through the season with a 10.66% shooting pct. off 122 total shots through 50 games.
Neither team scored a goal in the first period with the Falcons out shooting St. Louis 11-3 on two power play opportunities.
Marc Leclerc was called for tripping Frans Erichsen at 5:44 as the Crows broke out of their defensive zone. St. Louis failed to take a single shot on the man-advantage.
Scarecrows rookie Scott Escobar (10:00) and Manhattan Rage prospect DarryL Landry (15:26) each took tripping penalties that put Hans Moleman and the Falcons on the PP.
Crows goalie Kyle Whalgren was outstanding in the opening frame, Moleman came close three times on the power play collecting his own rebounds but Whalgren weathered the storm.
<div align="center">Period 2</div>
Rookie Geof Reine scored at 5:42 after retrieving his own missed shot and trading passes with St. Louis 4th line winger Dos Diablo.
Diablo who hasn't updated since April has been one of the most prolific scorers for the Scarecrows averaging only 10 mins per game Diablo finished the season with 10g 14a 24pts and an impressive +14 rating. At .89 p/20 Diablo is #1 on St. Louis ahead of Kelly Rivet who sits at .85 with 51 points on the season.
There were eight penalties in the period and three of them were charged to St. Louis enforcer Danny 'Bananas' Foster.
Danny started the period off taking a holding penalty against Molemanat 0:57 after Jason Visser turned the puck over in the neutral zone and gave Moleman a near break away- if it weren't for Foster's effort.
Geoff Reine was called for interference at 3:10 just seconds after the Scarecrows had killed a penalty. Just nine seconds later it was a 5v3 with Danny Foster returning to the box for hooking Rising Hippo as the 4ton Hippo worked the boards and spun away from an attempted hit by Foster.
St. Louis managed to escape Detroit's power play unharmed but only saw a few moments of 5v5 with Frans Erichsen being called for holding against none other than Rising mu'fuckin Hippo. Frans had the 42 ton behemoth pinned on the boards and held him fighting for possession while the puck had already moved along, Erichsen's trip to the box would not be the last for St. Louis in the period.
After another successful penalty kill for St. Louis the luck turned in favor of St. Louis and the Scarecrows got a shot on the powerplay with Chadathy Brodangleschlong (who recorded five hits in the game) taking a roughing penalty behind the Falcons goal.
Each team recorded five shots in the period failing to generate any scoring chances on the man advantage. Danny Foster was called for hooking Alex Berkis at 14:05 after receiving a stretch pass from Alexis Metzler that put Berkis in a great scoring position until Foster neutralized the danger and Berkis's shot floated in for an easy stop for Kyle Whalgren.
Detroit didn't do shit on the power play again.
Neither did the Scarecrows though- with one more opportunity from a tripping call against Alec Derin at 17:53. Danny Foster laid a big hit on Sivy McSieve in the neutral zone and the puck was picked up by Jason Visser. His slow legs were not enough to get by Derin who pulled Visser to the ground before he could get a shot or pass off.
<div align="center">Period 3</div>
The third started off with another power play for the Falcons. Geoff Reine was penalized for holding RISING FUCKING HIPPO. The PK was incredible all night for St. Louis allowing a league average 23 shots in a game getting giving the opposition eight power play opportunities. That easily could have been a game where we saw 40 plus shots from a properly oiled power play machine
The final stretch of the game saw a single goal from Scarecrows 2nd round draft pick Willy Mack. His third of the season came from stick of fellow rookie's Joe Kurczewski and Geoff Reine at 6:35. Kurczewski found Mack at the top of the right wing circle after breaking into the Falcons zone on a bank pass from Geoff Reine. You could see the relief in Willy Mack's game after he scored- with an extra jump in his game he showed everyone he is capable of so much more than he has done thus far in S30.
After a promising start from Mack the past few days have been utterly disappointing. With multiple weeks passing between updates Willy is by no means a player the Crows want to give up on, but with each passing day Willy falls behind and optimism for his return becomes less and less realistic :'( WILLY COME BACK!!!
<div align="center">Three Stars</div>
1. Kyle Whalgren
Picked in the first round of the S30 SMJHL draft Whalgren has proven himself one of the elite prospects in SMJHL. Leading the league in Minuets played, shutouts, shots faces, save pct, and GAA. Whalgren is one of the best fucking rookie goalies the SMJHL will every know. Dude's going big places. Recording the shut out against Detroit was huge for Whalgren and the Scarecrows.
2. Willy Mack
<3 Love you Willy. With a goal in the third and a single face off win for 100% on the night Willy Mack made a small case for his new abstent style of existence.
3. Geof Reine
The big rookie defenseman may not be the flashiest TPE gainer but Reine can still put up points with two on the night (1g 1a) and 4 PIMS Reine netted the game winner for the Scarecrows in another low shooting affair for the team
<div align="center">Team Stats</div> Hits:
Detroit 22
St. Louis 20
Face Off Wins:
Detroit 36
St. Louis 38
Blocked Shots:
Detroit 5
St. Louis 7
PIMS
Detroit 10
St. Louis 16
Chadathy Brodangleschlon led the Falcons with five hits in only 7:21 played in the game along with Rising Hippo who played a much more full 22:49.
Brodangleschlon is a god damn pain to play against, and to coach. He would have had plenty more than the two PIMS if the coaches let him off the leash like St. Louis does with Danny 'Bananas' Foster. - Who registered 6 PIMS and three hits in 18:56
The first period of this game was a parade of bodies in and out of the penalty box -- Whalers’ defenseman Teddy Graham getting boxed twice in a row, the first two only thirty seconds in for roughing, and then not ten seconds out of the box, another two for hooking. Despite Vancouver’s eagerness to give away PIMs to Halifax, however -- and with Halifax putting up 15 shots to Vancouver’s paltry 5 in the first period -- the Raiders are unable to produce; the lone goal in the period going to the Whalers at the end of the 7th minute thanks to Dom Monarch who scooped up the puck shaken loose from Adam Kaiser at the tail-end of what Halifax had hoped would be an offensive turnover in their favor. Wehner put through his paces all period -- sloppy shooting by the Whalers certainly not helping him buffer the onslaught of shots all period.
<div align="center">
Quote:One of several split-second saves by Wehner in the 1st against Halifax -- who kept up pressure and traffic in the crease, dominating puck possession and shooting rights for nearly the full twenty minutes.
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Second Period
An early equalizing Halifax goal in the second clocked in at the 4 minute mark by defenseman Matthew Shea seemed to be enough to kick Vancouver’s defense back into gear. Far narrower shot margin this period, Raiders only shooting seven times to Whalers eight. More penalty minutes accrued by both teams, though neither able to capitalize on the powerplay. The Vancouver defense turned the bone-crunching dial up to twenty -- hits and shot-blocks consternating attempt after attempt by the Halifax offense. Late in the 19th minute of the period, however -- magic happens, play just seems to click for new Vancouver FA acquisition Frankie Latta, as he rockets one off a missed attempt on net by Dom Monarch and nabs his first career goal in the SMJHL, putting the Whalers up by one again.
<div align="center">
Quote:Latta’s celly off the late-period goal, the stands behind him as the mood in the arena visibly shifts in Vancouver’s favor.
</div>
Third Period
Not even ten seconds on the clock before the opening scorer in this third period -- the Whalers burst right out of the gate, rookie darling Ace Redding netting one against a startled and unprepared Hocolate, who’d looked distracted heading back out on the ice from the locker room at the start of the period. Between the coaching staff and the captaincy on ice, Halifax played a straight, if a little narrow game through most of the third -- keenly avoiding giving away any man advantages to Vancouver. The Whalers, though, not so lucky -- Brynjar Tusk racking up a PIMs hatty, clocking in a minor in every period including a hooking call at 16:36 of this 3rd. A motivated Raiders powerplay unit on the ice produced a goal twelve seconds into the penalty, spearheaded by Blake Battle, with assists from Volkova and Reed. Vancouver ties up Halifax neatly at 3-to-2, with over a minute and a half spent battling out possession of the puck along the neutral zone boards. Halifax’s attempt to inject some last minute energy into their offense by pulling Hocolate out of goal ends in the Whalers all but sealing the deal with a Ross-helmed empty netter with 22 seconds left in the game. Vancouver winds up walking away -- unsurprisingly -- with the win.
<div align="center"></div>
<div align="center">Three Stats of the Game</div>
Halifax was overwhelmingly more dominant both in the dot and on the shot tally -- this was seemingly their game in terms of puck possession indicators, however; Vancouver’s hit squad wasn’t only landing big blows steadily the entire game, they were forcing turnovers with their hits. This was a huge part of Halifax's failure to produce offensively this game.
Halifax may have the rowdy reputation, but Vancouver was guilty of racking up big minutes in the box this game -- 14 to the Raiders’ 8. Tusk did his huge part to help, securing 6 of those minutes personally, next repeat offender the disarmingly named Teddy Graham at 4 minutes. Usually a frequent flyer on sin bin airlines, Llewellyn kept his nose clean tonight with the Raiders. This is an instance where despite having almost double the PIMs, ‘Couver only let Halifax produce once on the powerplay -- big hockey tonight for the Whalers did not, in fact, have big consequences.
No negatives on the plus-minus board tonight for Vancouver! It’s a rare moment indeed when line construction, player discipline, and the hockey gods conspire to give the gift of positive stats to an entire team.
<div align="center">Unsung Hero</div>
Vancouver’s sweet lil’ snack cracker Theodore Graham deserves some recognition tonight. 2 points from 2 assists, only a couple runs at the box, plus a positive plus-minus, four hits and three shots blocked. Teddy’s really starting to stand out as a 2-way d-man, especially if he keeps going and putting up those assists instead of getting dragged into taking stupid penalties while out on the ice. He’s got a soft heart, and chirping does things to a man -- let’s hope this game against Halifax is a sign of better overall discipline to come; Teddy is poised to turn into an invaluable asset over the coming season.
<div align="center">4@2 Game 200</div>
<div align="center">Period 1</div>
The final game of the regular season began with Beau Bent staring down Ronnie Westbrook at the Scottrade center in St. Louis. Bent who went 13/22 in the face off circle with one goal and +1 rating in 22:35 played defeated Scarecrows rookie Ronnie Westbrook on the opening draw. Westbrook (along with the rest of the Crows) struggled throughout the night on the face off dot going 2/8 on the night. Hamilton prospect Eugene Feist carried the way going 15/25 against Kelowna's centerman.
With few shots on goal in the opening 10 minuets for Kelowna St. Louis found themselves on the penalty kill after Geoff Reine was called for roughing against Trevor Wilson at 10:27 after he coughed the puck up to him in his own end and made a desperate play to save his team from getting scored on.
The man advantage was neutralized after Vasily Horvat's stick got caught in the feet of a speeding Joe Kurczewski at 11:13 who was tripped and crashed into Knights goaltender Jason Aittokallio.
A minute after The Scarecrows had safely killed the penalty they were back on the PK at 14:48 as Eugene Feist held onto Geronimo Otto after Kelly Rivet dumped the puck behind the Kelowna goal.
The Knights found the back of the St. Louis net on the ensuing power play. For his twenty eighth of the season Justs Sirmais pounded home his own missed shot after retrieving Dieter Dominique's shot that Vasily Horvat redirected into the right wing corner. Sirmais was challenged by Jason Visser and dragged the fuck out him and embarrassed the Scarecrows rookie PK unit.
With only four shots on goal for Kelowna and nine for the Crows- St. Louis had their work cut out for them in the second..
<div align="center">Period 2</div>
Joe Kurczewski was jolly on the spot redirecting a shot from Ronnie Westbrook at 4:43 as he tallied his 13th goal of his rookie season. Westbrook received the pass from his pointman Danny Foster-who bounced it along the boards to Ronnie - who caught the pass in stride along the boards at the edge of the right wing circle and cut to the center of the ice before firing into traffic.
Kurczewski tied Nate Akenson for most goals by Scarecrow rookies in the regular season. With 26 points in 50 games Joe Kurczewski solidified his lead in points by rookies on the Scarecrows roster.
St. Louis scored one more time in the game on a missed shot by Bill Cirocco Geoff Reine Scarecrow defenseman knocked in his 6th on the season at 13:31. After nearly two minuets of sustained pressure in the Kelowna zone the Crows finally capitalized, but they didn't hold on to the lead for long.
Beau Bent's 21st of the season tied the game one minute ten seconds later at 14:41. After winning the neutral zone face off Bent and the Knights dumped and chased in behind the Scarecrows net. Kornel Kasparek and Trevor Wilson connected to put a shot on that was blocked by Crows defenseman Nick Celej. The Crows could not get a hold of loose puck while Celej struggled back to his feet. And before they could react Bent had already beat Kyle Whalgren airing a shot through the wickets and under Whalgrens glove hand.
<div align="center">Period 3</div>
The third began with Geoff Reine taking a double minor on Kornel Kasparek as he tried to enter the Crows zone. A high hit that caught Kasparek's nose opened up a stream of blood that sent Reine away for four minuets.
The Knights capitalized quickly 30 seconds after breaking into the Scarecrows zone. Adriana Starosta worked the puck to the left wing boards and Dieter Dominique, the Crows PK pinched Dominique with Jason Visser and Nick Celej out of position attacking Dominique- backhanded the puck behind the net to Cara Hohenberg who put it home on a sliding Kyle Whalgren making his best effort to cover the wide open net Hohenberg had to work with.
The penalties continued to come for St. Louis as they struggled to hold on and crawl back into the game. Frans Erichsen sent the Knights to the power play at 11:09 along with Casper Ek at 15:04.
The Crows failed to produce any good scoring chances only taking six shots in the twenty minutes of play.
At 18:38 Ty Justice came storming across the the Scarecrows blue line and fired a shot wide that Justs Sirmais picked up on the opposite boards. He too put one on goal for Kyle Whalgren to save- Whalgren could not control the rebound with Michael Burrows lurking in his crease. And Danny Foster wasn't on the ice to knock Burrows on his ass before he put it home. 4 fucking goals. and the knife in the coffin from the Knights.
<div align="center">Three Stars</div>
1 Justs Sirmais
Sirmais lead the Knights in points during the regular season and he led them in game 200 with 1g 1a and a -1 rating... 8/18 on the face off dot... Justs Sirmais.. Star 1?
2 Beau Bent
Bent was a +1 with a goal in the second period. He played 22:35 with split time on the power play and penalty kill.
3 Michael Burrows
In 12:09 played Burrows recorded a goal and +/- of 0.... Please clap
<div align="center">Team Stats</div> Hits
Kelowna 11
St. Louis 9
Face Off Wins
Kelowna 34
St. Louis 31
Blocked Shots
Kelowna 4
St. Louis 5
PIMS
Kelowna 6
St. Louis 12
Power Play
Kelowna 2/6
St. Louis 0/3
Live and die by the power play
The Crows failed to coordinate anything on their three power play attempts against Kelowna. Had they capitalized just once, and defended better on the PK the final game of the season against the Knights could have ended very differently.
It's also worth noting that Eugene Feist won nearly half of the 31 Crows face offs wins going 15/25 on the dot for a 60% win rate. while the rest of the team struggled to perform.
<div align="center">Game 97</div><div align="center">Game Link</div>
<div align="center"> Kelowna Knights 4 at 5 St. Louis Scarecrows </div>
<div align="center">Burrows - Dominique - Otto
Justice - Hohenberg
Aittokallio</div>
<div align="center">Ek - Feist - Akeson
Foster - Targaryen
Wahlgren</div>
It was only the second meeting of the season between the Knights and the Scarecrows. The Knights won the first match up 3-2.
The fans at the Scottrade Center were in for a treat at this game. It was a high scoring game that needed a shootout to decide the winner. The Scarecrows came away victorious, defeating the Knights 5 - 4.
1st Period
Knights Goal - Beau Bent from Kasparek
Beau Bent opened up the scoring. Burying his 9th goal of the season just 4:45 into the game. Bent won the face-off back to Kasparek who passed the puck right back to bent open in the slot. Bent made no mistake with it, sniping it past Wahlgren. 1 - 0 Knights.
Knights PP Goal - Justs Sirmais from Horvat and Justice
It was the first powerplay of the game for the Knights and they were able to capitalise on it. Sirmais won the faceoff in the Crows zone back to Justice. Justice passed the puck over to Horvat who threw the puck at the net. Sirmais was able to get his stick on the puck, deflecting it into the goal. 2 - 0 Knights.
Scarecrows Goal - Geoff Reine from Westbrook and Diablo
The Crows were able to get one goal back late in the 1st. It was a sloppy line change by the Knights. Diablo fired the puck up to Westbrook who had a 2 on 1 with Reine. Westbrook passed it over to Reine who had an easy tap in for the goal. 2 - 1 Knights.
2nd Period
Knights Goal - Alex Light from Wilson and Bent
The Knights were able to extend their lead to 2 goals early in the 2nd period. Rookie winger Light scored his 6th goal of the season. Danny Foster was able to block Wilson's shot but in bounced right over to Light, who put it away past Wahlgren. 3 - 1 Knights.
Scarecrows PP Goal - Casper Ek from Targaryen and Celej
The Crows have had a pretty good power play this year, hovering around 20% on the season. The second power play unit was able to get the job done this game. Celej found Targaryen open on the blue line. Targaryen did a fake shot pass over Ek whos was creeping in on the left side of the crease for the tap in. 3 -2 Knights.
Scarecrows Goal - Taylor Stach from Diablo and Reine
Reine was able to out muscle Dominique from the puck and feed it up the boards to Diablo. Diablo fired the puck at the net and Stach deflected it perfectly into the bottom corner, tying the game up. 3 - 3.
3rd Period
Scarecrows Goal - Frans Erichsen from Kurczewski and Targaryen
Kurczewski shot the puck towards the net that Aittokallio struggled to handle. There was a mad scramble in front of the net. Erichsen was finally able to locate the puck and put it in the back of the net to give the Crows their first lead of the game. 4 - 3 Scarecrows
Knights Goal - Beau Bent from Kasparek and Hohenberg
It looked like the Crows were going to be able to put this game away until Danny Foster took a very costly holding penalty. In a final attempt to score the Knights pulled their goalie and it worked. Bent scored his second goal of the game, 10th of the season, on a beautiful pass from Kasparek. 4 - 4.
Overtime
It was a rather uneventful overtime session. The Scarecrows were not even able to put up a single shot. Wahlgren was easily able to put aside the Knights 4 attempts on goal. This game would need a shoot out to decide its winner.
The shoot out was a great battle between the two best goalies in the SMJHL. They made ridiculous saves one after another, stopping the first seven shooters combined. Finally Scott Escobar from the crows was able to put one past the great net minder Aittokallio, to give the Crows the win! 5 - 4 Scarecrows.
Three Stars
1st Star
The 1st star of the game was easily Beau Bent. Although it was in a losing effort, the Knights would've walked away from this game with 0 points. Bent was everywhere on the ice racking 2 goals and 1 assist. He was also 12/21 in faceoffs and put up 7 shots. Fantastic game from Bent
2nd Star
Rookie defensemen Geoff Reine was the 2nd star in this game. Reine had a solid outing tonight putting up a goal and an assist. He played 20:47 of solid hockey finishing +2 on with 1 shot on goal.
3rd Star
Dos Diablo was the 3rd star of the game. Diablo put up 2 assists on the night while only playing for a total of 11:55. He was also able to put 2 shots on goal and finished +2, great efficiency from Diablo.
<div align="center">(#146) 5 - Halifax Raiders vs. St. Louis Scarecrows - 2
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Last night, Halifax came back to the Scotiabank Centre riding a three-game win streak. Up against a St. Louis team fresh off a loss, the Raiders came in and extended their win streak off production from some surprising players and a meltdown in net by goalie of the year candidate Kyle Wahlgren.
The Raiders struck first for the only goal in the first, a power-play shot off the stick of Victor Lindstrom after a boarding penalty to St. Louis defenseman Danny Foster.
<div align="center"></div>
Quote:... shot by Blake Battle, it’s off the blocker of Wahlgren, he can’t keep ahold of it, the rebound way out of the crease and Flower’s got it. The pass to Volkova, the shot - Volkova pump fakes and sends it over to Lindstrom, Lindstrom flips it top-shelf - and HE SCORES! Halifax breaks the ice early, a power-play goal four minutes into the period and boy, Wahlgren is furious...
2nd period
Where the first period was a good start for the Raiders, the second period was them entirely steamrolling the Scarecrows. Surprisingly, Wahlgren would stick out the entire period, but it was clear by the halfway mark that this would be Halifax’s game.
<div align="center"></div>
Quote:Akeson wins the faceoff, the puck to Erichsen. Erichsen misses the net, and Targaryen’s got it. Targaryen dumps it back towards Foster and Foster trying to wrap around the net - no, sends it back towards Erichsen. Dekes past Kosonen, open shot for Erichsen, Pel’s glove up, but she can’t get to it in time and THEY SCORE! Erichsen ties it up for the Scarecrows and on the bench, head coach Valtteri Bottas is not pleased.
<div align="center"></div>
Quote:Joey Ryan wins the faceoff, and the puck back to O’Callahan, with the shot - BOUNCES AND SCORES! Just three minutes later, and Halifax has once again taken the lead off a bizarre goal by Kip O’Callahan. How did Wahlgren let that one get past him? The Raiders all smiles as they crowd around O’Callahan and Ryan, but Wahlgren and the Scarecrows all frowns as they lose their three-minute lead.
<div align="center"></div>
Quote:With Danny Foster off for interference, the Raiders have a golden opportunity here to make that gap two goals. Reed wins the face-off, puck to Volkova. Out to the point, Volkova with the pass and Lindstrom with the puck. Quick shot on goal, Wahlgren’s got it but he can’t hold on - puck into the crease, Iversen’s at the pole. Trying to bury it and Targaryen’s stick is there, a second time - AND IT’S IN, IVERSEN SCORES! Iversen falling backward into her teammates as the Raiders go up 3-1, a power play goal from Greta Iversen and the Raiders!
<div align="center"></div>
Quote:...shot goes off Pel and she’s got it. The faceoff in the Raiders zone with the Scarecrows threatening to tie. Kurczewski wins the faceoff, the pass to - Reflieux picks it up instead! Reflieux skating back up and he’s out, pass to Laing into the neutral zone. Laing enters the zone, the shot - misses the net. Picked back up by Reflieux, around the net and over to Battle. Battle swerving in, quick pass to Flower, off the stick, behind Wahlgren - SCORES! Just a minute later, it’s now 4-1 Raiders, and oh, Chris Crutchfield is not happy with Wahlgren and Wahlgren is not happy with himself.
<div align="center"></div>
Quote:… Banning picks up the puck, finds his alternate at the point. Volkova with the shot, comes off the left pad of Wahlgren, Volkova picks it back up and passes out to Reed, Reed with the windup - , HE SCORES! Reed with Halifax’s fifth goal of the game and this isn’t even fair anymore. Is Wahlgren staying in net? Two goals in three minutes, oh my. This game was over a long time ago, but boy, does that one sting.
3rd period
<div align="center"></div>
Quote:Puck drops and Westbrook wins the faceoff, skating out towards the boards and absolutely slammed by Iversen! Manages to scramble back onto the puck, but passes it off quickly, and he looks a bit dazed. Landry’s got it now, up the middle, dekes, backhand, scores! Landry puts one back on the board for the Scarecrows, but it’s not worth much now. 5-2 Raiders with five minutes left, and the Scarecrows are gonna need a miracle tonight.
PSN 3 Stars of the Game
1 - Pietra Volkova - The young Russian rookie broke out of her slump today with a three-assist night, all three power-play points. With four shots on goal, a hit, and three points in 14:00 of ice time, Volkova won first star for her contributions on the power play and coverage of all the ice.
2 - Frans Erichsen - Erichsen broke the shutout for the Scarecrows with his early second-period goal. While the effort would be in vain, Erichsen merits applause for his efforts to turn the tide with two shots and three hits on the night.
3 - Victor Lindstorm - On a night where ten different Raiders made their way onto the scoreboard, Lindstrom takes third star with two points and three shots, including the goal that would break the first tie and herald a slaughter of offense from Halifax.
PSN Unsung Hero of the Game:
With a two-point night of his own, Niklas Flower picks up our unsung hero. Flower had a secondary assist on the very first Halifax goal that broke the ice and paved the way for the blowout, and proceeded to score an additional goal to secure the Halifax lead. Flower had four shots and a hit in the Raiders’ offensive blowout, covering the ice thoroughly to make way for his teammates.
Game 169 brought the late season surge of the Montreal Militia to Prince George for a battle against the Firebirds. The game began even but as time passed one team took full control of the game. It wasn’t exactly a goalie duel, but there were plenty of entertaining highlights. First let’s look at the starting goalies:
Ben Waters #31
Waters comes into the game working on Goalie of the Year honours but having a hard time staying atop the statistical categories. Personal awards aside, Waters has helped PGF to a good season and expectations for the playoffs are high for this young lad.
Stephen Harris #45
Harris makes up one half of the Militia goalie tandem that has at times looked like potentially the best, and at other times have had to bail each other out. For his part, Harris has earned a few extra starts down the stretch as the Militia try to prepare a decision on who to start in the post season. Not stellar numbers here but a lot of determination.
First Period
Early on in the game the play went from end to end with quite a few good chances for either side. Half way through the period the newest Militia member Matthew Shea drops the gloves with Hylytyr NoRetornable. The fight goes the distance as neither one can get the upper hand, so they both take a seat in the penalty box.
After serving his penalty Matthew Shea opens the scoring with a bomb from the blueline that blows past Waters.
But PGF comes right back with pressure in the Montreal zone, getting a lot of pucks toward Harris. Finally, Karl Hertzberg is rewarded with a goal on a nice move around the defender
Second Period
A lot of back and forth in the second period, early on it seemed like either team could take control of the game. Things started getting a little rough through the middle portion of the period, and after a bit of pressure from the Militia Johnny Watson took a pass from Shea and made no mistake, giving Shea the Gordie-Howe Hat-trick. Montreal followed up with another goal from Obama to take a 2 goal lead into the dressing room
Third Period
Waters looked rattled to start the third period, and less than two minutes in Johnny Watson grabs a puck behind the net and pots his second of the night
That was it for Waters who takes his frustration out on the bench door as he heads for the locker room to cool down. Dafoe steps in but a minute later Watson completes the hat-trick with a beautiful shot off the faceoff
That was the end for PGF as they barely managed any consistent pressure for the rest of the game. Montreal added another goal before Karl Hertzberg picked up his second for Prince George. Harris looked up to the task most of the night and the Militia gave him plenty of goal support to coast to victory.
Final Score
Montreal Militia - 6 @ Prince George Firebirds - 2
3 Stars
1 - Johnny Watson (MTL)
A hat-trick is usually enough to garner first star but Watson also added 2 assists to make it a 5 point game. 2 - Nathan Russett (MTL)
Russett had a very strong game and easily could have been the best player for Montreal if not for an even better night from Watson 3 - Karl Hertzberg (PGF)
This spot would probably go to Shea if the game were in Montreal, but Hertzberg had a great night of his own, potting two goals. Probably the only PGF player worth mentioning in this game.
<div align="center">Game 109</div>
<div align="center"> Kelowna Knights 4 at 3 St. Louis Scarecrows </div>
<div align="center">Yanovich - Dominique - Otto
Justice - Kasparek
Aittokallio</div>
<div align="center">Mack - Westbrook - Kurczewski
Foster - Targaryen
Wahlgren</div>
It was another great game between the Knights and the Scarecrows at the Scottrade Center. This was the third meeting between these two teams and it once again needed a shootout to decide the winner. Knights were able to edge out the Scarecrows in this one, beating them 4 - 3.
Period 1
Scarecrows PP Goal - Michael McHale from Diablo and Foster
The Scarecrows took an early lead just 3 minutes into the game off a goal from Michael McHale. Diablo took a quick wrist shot from the wing that hit iron, luckily bouncing right to Mchale for the easy finish. 1 - 0 Scarecrows
Period 2
Scarecrows Goal - Danny Foster from Mack and Kurczewski
Willy Mack was able to enter the Knights zone with great speed. He shot the puck low towards the net hoping for a juicy rebound and he go just that. Foster pounced on the rebound, extending the crows lead to two. 2 - 0 Scarecrows
Knights Goal - Michael Burrows fro Shirobokov and Horvat
The Knights answered back immediately, scoring just 32 seconds after Foster's goal. Burrows sniped is 8th goal on the season off of a beautiful pass from Shirobokov. 2 - 1 Scarecrows.
Knights Goal - Geronimo Otto from Kasparek and Justice
Geronimo Otto was able to tie the game up half way through the 2nd period. He bounced off a check from Geoff Reine and made a pretty move on the Crows defender Celej to score his 5th on the season. 2 - 2.
Period 3
Knights Goal - Michael Burrows from Shirobokov and Sirmais
What a game from Michael Burrows. He gave life to the Knights scoring their first goal of the game back in the 2nd period, now he gives the Knights the lead in the 3rd. He sniped a quick wrist shove, glove side that was too quick for Wahlgren to stop. 3 - 2 Knights
Scarecrows Goal - Eugene Feist from Reine
With the game looking all but over, the Crows were able to muscle in a goal to tie the game with only 20 seconds remaining! Feist scored his 10th of the season and it was a greasy one. Kurzcewski fired the puck towards the net and it led to a mad scramble in front. The puck disappeared for what felt like minutes until Feist was able to locate it and send the game to overtime.
Overtime
It was a real fast paced overtime period with both teams having multiple odd man rushes. The two goalies, Aittokallio and Wahlgren, stood on their heads in ot. Both teams had 3 shots a piece and were unable to score. This game is heading to a shoot out.
The Crows have struggled with the shoot out all season long, and it continued tonight. Wahlgren was able to stop the first two Knight skaters but that didn't matter because the Crows couldn't get anything past Aittokallio. Cara Hohenberg beat Wahlgren with a sick move to give the Knights the win. The Knights beat the Scarecrows 4 - 3.
Three Stars
First Star
The first star of the game easily goes to Michael Burrows of the Knights. Burrows carried his team scoring 2 goals and putting up 7 shots in 13:59 of ice time. What a game from him
Second Star
Danny Foster had a solid game despite the loss. He put up a goal and an assist. He logged 21:42 of ice time and laid out 5 crushing hits.
Third Star
Fedor Shirobokov was the third star of the game. He dished out two assists in tonights game. He also had fantastic night on the pk, logging 5:48 of ice time short handed. The Crows were only able to score 1 goal on the PP despite having 6 attempts at it and Shirobokov was a major factor in shutting them down.
It was the second meeting of the season between the Halifax Raiders and the St Louis Scarecrows. Both teams were coming into this game with a 2 game win streak. In the end, it was the Scarecrows that would continue their streak, defeating the Raiders in overtime 2 - 1.
Period 1
The Raiders started the game off hungry. They completely smothered the Scarecrows, allowing them no space to make any kind of plays. The Raiders out shot the Crows 14 - 4 in the first period. Wahlgren stood on his head in the first, as he stopped the constant barrage coming from the Raiders. Many consider Wahlgren to be the top goalie in the upcoming draft and he was showing people why in this game.
Somehow the Crows were able to escape the first period without letting up a goal. The first period ended with a score of 0 - 0.
Period 2
The Crows were able to fight back a little more in the second period. Both teams were deploying defensive tactics in this game, not wanting to give up the important first goal. It was a rather uneventful 2nd period.
Period 3
Scarecrows Goal - Danny Foster from Rivet and Mack
The first goal of the game was finally scored 9:05 into the third period by Scarecrows defenseman Danny Foster. Foster bombed one past Hocolate off a great pass from Rivet. Rivet has been having an outstanding season with Crows, leading all defenseman in points. I believe Rivet deserves to win the Ideen Fallah Trophy, given to the MVP of the season. (this deserves a bonus 2 tpe Snuff, tbh.) 1 - 0 Scarecrows
Raiders Goal - Isaac Kaiser from Laing and Banning
The Raiders were not rattled at all by the Scarecrows last goal, tying the game up just one minute later. Laing's line was applying constant pressure in the Crows zone and got a good cycle going. The tired Crows weren't able to get the line change they needed and Banning found the opening he needed to set up Laing for the easy tap in. 1 - 1.
With overtime looming, this game started to get real chippy. Danny Foster crushed Raider's defenseman Kosonen into with a hip check. Kosonen did not like the hit and decided to take on Foster, this was big mistake. Foster dropped his ass with ease.
This game was heading to overtime to decide its winner
Overtime
Scarecrows Goal - Scott Escobar from Foster and Targaryen
Escobar scores a beautiful game winner for the Scarecrows 2:24 into overtime. He was able to give himself some room for a shot by spinning off of one defender. Once he had the space he made no mistake, sniping it past Hocolate for his 4th on the season and the Crows win. The Scarecrows beat the Raiders with a final score of 2 - 1.
Three Stars
1st Star
Kyle Wahlgren is the first star of the game. Without Wahlgren, this game would've been over after the first period. He was an absolute wall back their tonight, stopping 28/29 shots.
2nd Star
Scott Escobar is your second star of the night. Scoring a beautiful game winner to give the Crows the win. He also finished with 11/16 faceoff wins and a +1 on the night.
3rd Star
Isaac Kaiser had a solid game for the Raiders. Despite losing, he was able to get the Raiders at least one point by scoring the game tying goal late in the third. He play 15:34 of solid hockey tonight. Kaiser is the third star of the night.
The first period of this game was a game of touch-tag between forward lines, both Kelowna and Vancouver racking up enough goals in the 1st to satisfy a full-length game -- which asks the question, where were the goalies in the 1st? Out to lunch sipping lattes and gossiping about girls? The Whalers hit the board first, with a bomb of a clapper to the back of the net courtesy of Connor MacDonald at 3:37; Kelowna kicked back, and kicked back hard with two goals back-to-back, the first, a wrister from Ty Justice, coming in about a minute after Vancouver put up the first point of the game, the second hammered home by Bergfalk at 7:33. But Vancouver wasn’t done yet -- responded in kind at 9:25 to even up the score two-a-piece. There was a sudden return to sanity made by both keepers, and the nets were both quiet until a final powerplay opportunity was taken to the bank by MacDonald at 15:23 for his second point of the game. Both teams came off the ice tired, but the mood was an excited one -- fueled by a crowd hungry for more goals.
<div align="center">
Quote:Connor MacDonald’s giant slap shot opening scoring season at the beginning of the first period of play.
</div>
Second Period
Second period, much like the first, but Kelowna putting up more than their fair share of the points -- line stamina seemingly endless compared to a quickly petering Vancouver team. Wilson of the Knights with the first, in the net one minute into the game. Fairly quick response by the Whalers, with the unlikely Frank Latta popping in a dirty backhand past Aittokallio at 3:47. But the Knights pressed onwards, netting two more goals against the Whalers, both tragically at even strength. The second half of the period scrummed out along the boards in the neutral zone, Vasily Horvat getting a little too enthusiastic about puck retrieval and gets sent to the bin in the 14th minute. Despite having the powerplay, Vancouver remains silent for the rest of the period -- the scoreboard sitting at 4 to 5, in Kelowna’s favor, blackening their mood as they trudged off the ice at the end of the twenty minutes.
<div align="center">
Quote:Vasily Horvat, fooling all of exactly nobody with these kind of stick tactics.
</div>
Third Period
A tenser, tighter start to the third period meant fewer points for both teams -- thankfully for both net minders -- but the end result was not in Vancouver’s favor. They wound up posting first on the board in the 3rd by the 7th minute, Conklin Owen and Jon Ross tag-teaming Aitto to equalize for Vancouver. They managed to scrap and hold onto that even points ice for a full five minutes, but Kelowna wasn’t done. 11:42 saw the game winner sneak past Link, courtesy of Wilson for his second goal of the game -- and then Wilson, scenting blood in the water in the last game minute with Link out of net, locked in the hat trick at 19:53. Kelowna walked off the winners.
<div align="center">
Quote:Trevor Wilson’s empty net goal, capping off a brutally high scoring game and a three-goal night for the Kelowna forward.
</div>
<div align="center">Three Stats of the Game</div>
For all the goaltending seemed absent in this game, by rights, the second period should’ve been so much worse for Vancouver -- Kelowna put up 14 shots to Vancouver’s 9 -- and yet big defensive stops and the sizable presence of a reanimated Triforce Link in goal stopped this game from being a runaway train in the second period.
Vancouver is usually the law on the ice, but Kelowna out-hit the Whalers 19 to 12; and despite having an underwhelming presence in the face-off circle (KEL’s 39 to VAN’s 50), Kelowna seemed perfectly content to orchestrate Vancouver’s efforts to grind themselves to dust on the ice.
Vancouver only capitalized on one of their three available powerplay opportunities this game, despite facing Kelowna’s middling, at best, penalty kill unit. Vancouver’s PP% is 18.23% for the season, which in and of itself, isn’t great -- 4th in the league, but the fervor and goal-eager nature of the game which should’ve played a bit extra into the Whaler’s efforts abandoned them in all but one attempt to take advantage of Kelowna’s on-ice mistakes.
<div align="center">Unsung Hero</div>
Vancouver’s man in the net Triforce Link deserves some recognition tonight. He had to face-up against a whopping 31 shots, and at the rate of success Kelowna was firing them off, every save counted in making sure the gap between Kelowna and Vancouver’s performance was as narrow as possible. While his first period in net wasn’t stellar, he put up bursts of truly next-level net-minding, failed only by his own tired defence. Here’s to you, Triforce Link. You tried.
grimreaper Registered
S34, S38 Challenge Cup Champion
Posts:1,964 Threads: 79 Joined: Dec 2011 Reputation:3
Pronouns: Undisclosed
Hans Moleman - Nucky Toohoots - Alex Berkis
Prince Daniel James - Jari Sinikka
Sivy McSieve
Vancouver Whalers
Conklin Owen - Jon Ross - Corey Bearss
Theodore Graham - Connor MacDonald
Maximilian Wehner
Game Recap
In Game 180, the Vancouver Whalers played host to the Detroit Falcons, and despite being out-shot on the night, were able to ease their way to a 4-1 victory. Let's take a look at the game period by period.
Period 1
Th Falcons came out the traps looking for blood, as they peppered Wehner's goal early on. He was forced in to three big saves in the opening 2 minutes to keep the deadlock unbroken. It was the Whalers who got the scoreboard going though, as Levi Kubrak collected Ieuan Llewellyn's loose shot off the boards and made Detroit pay 2:26 in to the game.
Things quickly went from bad to worse for the Falcons, as Marc Leclerc took a trip to the penalty box for interference. The Whalers wasted little time in capitalising, as Ace Redding slammed home from an OG Bobby face off win to extend the lead to 2-0.
Carl Farris hit the post for the Whalers, almost making it 3-0, before the Falcons started to put on heavy pressure. Shot after shot was fired at Maximilian Wehner, but he was equal to every single one. An Adam Kaiser goalie interference penalty gave the Falcons a man advantage, but still they couldn't beat the Whalers' goaltender. Things then went from bad to worse for Detroit, as Alfred Holiday scooped home a rebound from Redding's shot to send the home crowd wild. The score stayed the same until the buzzer, and the Whalers entered the locker room up 3-0 at the break.
Period 2
It was only 5:23 in to the second period that the lamp was lit for the 4th time. Connor MacDonald was the goalscorer, and his effort saw Sivy McSieve replaced in goal by Jeremy Anderson, as the Whalers took what looked to be an insurmountable 4-0 lead. Jari Sinikka went to the box shortly after, but Vancouver couldn't pile on even more misery, as Anderson held strong in the Detroit goal.
Hans Moleman was able to pull one back for the Falcons at 10:34, scoring his 21st of the season. Thor Pederson was next in the box for Vancouver, but the Falcons couldn't take advantage of their momentum, and Wehner again answered every question the Falcons asked him.
The second period played out much more evenly than the first, and both teams had another power play opportunity before the buzzer. Neither team was able to put the puck in the net though, and the period came to a close with the Whalers leading 4-1.
Period 3
The start of the third period saw the Whalers almost take a 5-1 lead, as Jon Ross got in close only to be stoned by Anderson. Anderson was forced in to another two saves before Leclerc went to the box for a second time, as the Whalers pushed for more goals. There was nothing doing on the power play though, and the Falcons killed the penalty as they sought to get back in the game.
The third was a quiet affair, and it wasn't until 16:34 that the next major event happened, as Redding took a trip to the box for tripping. The Falcons only managed one shot on target during the penalty, and Wehner easily saved it.
The Falcons tested Wehner twice in the last minute, but the German was equal once again. The buzzer sounded on what was a rather uneventful closing period, with the Whalers treating their fans to a 4-1 victory.
Game in Pictures
Maximilian Wehner makes one of many saves during the game
Connor MacDonald celebrates his goal
Hans Moleman scores Detroit's only goal of the night
Jari Sinikka with interference on Jon Ross
Key Team Stat
Shots Blocked
7-14
Not only did the Falcons out-shoot the Whalers 33-25, they also had double the number of shots blocked. The Whalers were tireless on defence, throwing their bodies in front of everyone, and doing all they could to protect Wehner from any extra work. Despite Wehner's tremendous performance on the night, the game could have been completely different if the Whalers hadn't been so effective at blocking shots. Their excellent effort was certainly a key reason they were able to win the game so comfortably.
Three Stars
3rd Star - Alfred Holiday 1G, +2, 1S, 1SB, 19:47 minutes
Holiday had a solid performance on the night, picking up the Whalers' third goal, contributing a shot block and ending up a +2 with his excellent defensive performance.
Ace Redding picked up the GWG and an assist, as well as laying two big hits. Despite taking a penalty late in the third, Redding had a very good game, and was a key contributor for the Whalers.
1st Star - Maximilian Wehner 32 saves from 33 shots - (0.970), W, 11-10-1, 60:00 minutes
Maximilian Wehner had one of his best games of the season, posting an excellent 0.970 save percentage as he stopped 32 shots. The game gave him his 11th win of the year, and showed the Whalers' fans that they have a goaltender for the future to take over for the missing Triforce Link.
</div>
JayWhy Registered
S15, S16, S28, S34, S38 Challenge Cup Champion and Lance Bass
KELOWNA -- The match-up may have appeared even, but in many ways it was anything but as the Kelowna Knights defeated the Montreal Militia 2-1.
Just over eight minutes into the game, Jason Forbrook managed to pot his first goal of his young career by the highly publicized Jason Aittokallio. It appears this gave Forbrook a newfound confidence, as he sent a barrage of shots Aittokallio's way throughout the remainder of the game. Many of those managed to find dead space or a deflection, most of them being poor shot attempts by a player riding the high of his first goal.
Forbrook managed to take seven shots in the game in total, and was named the third star of the game.
The Militia would be put to sleep, however. While they managed an early advantage in score, it was not kept for long. Kelowna had a strong possession game, and forced the Militia into a whole of blocking shots and failing to recover rebounds.
In total for the evening, the Knights won 49 face-offs to the Militia's 32.
Alex Light, a star prospect for Kelowna, was able to take a strong feed from Beau Bent to score his first goal of his career. The excitement was palpable, as following the contest he was seen in the locker room still riding his high and screaming to whomever would listen.
"I scored a goal!"
He had the juberance of a small child on christmas, and the sensational joy of an old man meeting his grandchildren. It was a spectacle to watch in the aftermath of the events.
Michael Burrows took over quickly in the second, the young rookie scoring his fifth of the season just under two minutes into the frame. That would seal the deal. The Militia outshot the Knights, but failed to gain any real traction.
Jeff Kirkstone was a fantastic goaltender in the affair, stopping 23-of-25 shots. However, it was Jason Aittokallio who took the first star honors with 29-of-30 saves and raising his record to 6-2-1.
An old man's dream ended. A young man's vision of the future opened wide. Young men have visions, old men have dreams. But the place for old men to dream is beside the fire.
Thanks to Jackson, Copenhagen, and Harry Hans!
GOING DOWN IN STYLE. TOAST4LYFE
JayWhy Registered
S15, S16, S28, S34, S38 Challenge Cup Champion and Lance Bass
KELOWNA -- It was a countdown to the finish in Kelowna this evening, and not because people were excited to see the end. In fact, the game wasn't even close and the excitement was low as people left the arena early to beat the traffic which inevitably just formed earlier than usual.
No, instead, the Kelowna Knights created their own countdown as they scored three first period goals, two second period goals and one in the third period. By the end of it, the Knights had managed to defeat the Colorado Mammoths 6-2.
The scoring started very early, as Trevor Wilson and Beau Bent connected just over the 90 second mark. Wilson had a steady hand with his rifle of a shot and the marksman hit his target well. His 10th goal of the season put Kelowna up 1-0.
Jacob Renninger potted his fifth of the season to tie it up just past the four minute mark of the period off a good cycle in which Maverick O'Dooley made Jason Aittokallio look silly. O'Dooley had a history with Aittokallio throughout the season, and it continued here as he made Aittokallio focus so intently on him he missed the cutting forward behind him and the goal slid in behind him.
Wilhelm Huber and Beau Bent both scored almost within a minute of one another and just around the 16 minute mark. Bent had his off a rebound after Ty Justice rocketed a slapshot from the point through traffic and Bent used his large frame to locate the barely visible rebound. His instinct showed strong in the moment, and his banger attitude proved valuable.
Evgeny Yakikov managed his second goal of the season exactly 20 seconds after Beau Bent's goal, and the end of the first was 3-2 in favor of the Knights. Kelowna had scored on one in every three shots on goal for the period, while Colorado scored on one in every four. The goaltenders, as can be expected, were unamused.
The second period changed things around, as from that moment forward Jason Aittokallio pitched a shutout and the Mammoth made a change. Alex Light, he of the excitement fame from his first ever goal, scored his fourth goal of the second just under four minutes into the period. It was in that moment the Mammoths made a change, pulling Ekaterina Rudnikova in favor of Curtis Allison.
At the time of her pulling, Rudnikova had stopped 7-of-11 shots on goal, and would accrue the loss in the contest and fall to 8-15-0.
Allison wouldn't fare much better. Ty Justice, with just over two minutes remaining on the period, would smash a one-timer from just outside the face-off circle on a beautiful set-up feed from Cara Hohenberg and pot it behind him. Allison gave up another goal later in the third period as well to Alex Light.
Allison stopped 10-of-12 shots against, proving to be better than Rudnikova, but failing to stop the final nail falling into the wood of the coffin. Aittokallio stopped 16-of-18 shots on goal.
Trevor Wilson was named the first star of the game with his three point effort including a goal on three shots. Alex Light and his two goals on a minimalists dream game with two shots was second star, and Beau Bent with his three points and a goal on four shots was third star.
An old man's dream ended. A young man's vision of the future opened wide. Young men have visions, old men have dreams. But the place for old men to dream is beside the fire.
Thanks to Jackson, Copenhagen, and Harry Hans!
GOING DOWN IN STYLE. TOAST4LYFE
JayWhy Registered
S15, S16, S28, S34, S38 Challenge Cup Champion and Lance Bass
VANCOUVER -- It was surprising to the Whalers, to say the least. While they expected a war to be waged in Vancouver, they did not anticipate the onslaught of the Kelowna Knights. Kelowna managed to outshoot Vancouver 42-23, and outscore them 5-2 in the victory.
It all started early, as the teams got heated and Adriana Starosta took a holding minor. It would be repaid in full later on, but it was just the start of the back and forth between the two teams. Just over 30 seconds after Starosta was released from the prison, Lykke Bergfalk took a short skip feed from Beau Bent and stole the show for a moment with a great backhand past the Maximilian Wehner for the first goal of the game.
Once again everything was back and forth for a while. The Whalers seemed to lose their temper for a moment as Ace Redding and Steven Stamkos Jr both took bad penalties, but nothing came of the powerplays. Justs Sirmais, the leader of the Knights offense, was able to power a good breakout pass late in the first period to Geronimo Otto during a line change. Otto decided to take the opportunity and took control of Wehner, leading him out of position and roofing the puck for the 2-0 lead.
Into the second period, Levi Kubrak scored just 91 seconds into the frame to break the shutout for Aittokallio. Meanwhile, the onslaught of Knights shots continued on Wehner, who was struggling to maintain his positioning. Beau Bent scored at exactly three minutes into the second period off a feed from Alex Light on a two-on-one break. The outlet was strong, and the finish was even better.
Just three minutes later, Justs Sirmais was the final nail in the coffin for Wehner. Maximilian Wehner was pulled as Sirmais sniped by his 23rd goal of the season. Wehner stopped 13-of-17 shots in the contest.
Triforce Link took the vacated spot in the crease for Vancouver, and in his haste to join the game appeared to have forgotten to stretch. Jason Aittokallio got an assist, as he tapped the puck off to Cara Hohenberg, who launched it to Michael Burrows. Burrows, on the breakaway, did the Forsberg and stretched out wide to tap the puck past the line while Link was unable to make the stretch.
That would be the final goal for the Knights. Theodore Graham and Lykke Bergfalk fought to end the period, with Graham winning and helping to push momentum to the side of the Whalers but it appeared too late.
Levi Kubrak scored his second goal of the game just over seven minutes into the third period, and some more fireworks went off but nothing substantial occurred.
Jason Aittokallio stopped 21-of-23 shots for the win, while Triforce Link in his limited time on ice stopped 24-of-25 shots. The Whalers stars were held down in the game, as Ace Redding went scoreless on 6 shots and Steven Stamkos Jr was scoreless on 5.
Beau Bent led the game in shots with 7, and had one goal. Dieter Dominique struggled like his counterparts on the opposite team, failing to find the net on 5 shots.
Justs Sirmais was the first star of the game with 16 face-off wins on 28 attempts, 2 points including a goal on 6 shots, and a +3 rating. Vancouver's Levi Kubrak was second star with two goals on three shots and the only positive rating on the Whalers at a +1. Michael Burrows was third star with two points, including a goal on two shots in only 12:21 of ice time.
An old man's dream ended. A young man's vision of the future opened wide. Young men have visions, old men have dreams. But the place for old men to dream is beside the fire.
<div align="center">Game 177 - Detroit Falcons @ Prince George Firebirds
</div>
As the season began getting to the pointy end Detroit were looking to hold onto top spot, whilst Prince George were looking to tske some winning form into the playoffs.
1st Period
TSN Turning Point.Prince George Firebirds. Goal. Karl Hertzberg (Tapper Kottbulle) 18:24
Up until this point in the matchup, Detroit had lacked energy on the ice. Their opposition, on the other hand, looked hungry. Detroit started the match slowly and hadn't appeared to be gaining any speed. This allowed Karl Hertzberg to take full advantage of the Power Play by netting the opening goal of the game. Tapper Kottbulle skillfully intercepted a pass, which he then fed to Hertzberg who drove the puck all the way to the attacking third before firing a rocket of a shot which evaded the blocker of the Detroit tender.
This was a turning point for Detroit however, because this goal seemed to shoot a bolt of energy into their team. After this goal it was all one way traffic in favour of the Falcons.
At the first break it was the Firebirds on top, but it was the recently invigorated Falcons who drew my attention late in the period. Their final minute of the period left me excited for what would come.
2nd Period.
Detroit Falcons. Goal. Kaspars Berzins (Rising Hippo, Cikgnar Konstantinov) 10:52
As soon as Detroit took to the ice for the second period you could notice the newfound spring they had int their step. It was almost like a new team had taken the ice. A face off in the Detroit attacking zone saw Konstantinov win the puck, sending it to Rising Hippo who sent it first touch to Berzins, who's one timer raced into the back of the net.
Scores were level as the teams left the ice after the 2nd period. Detroit's newly energised team were starting to play like the exciting team they have been all season, whilst the Firebirds were beginning to show cracks.
3rd Period.
Detroit Falcons. Goal. Henrik Vikstrom (Zach Evans) 3:51
The Firebirds looked tired after spending most of the second period trying to defend the tireless waves of attack being sent their way. Vikstrom sped onto an opposition pass, intercepting the puck, before finding Zach Evans in the attacking zone. Evans faked a shot which sent the tender the wrong way, dished the pass back to Vikstrom who sent the puck into the top corner of the net, which had been left vacant due to the smooth skills of Evans.
Detroit Falcons. Goal. Alex Berkis (Hans Moleman) 5:55
The final goal of the game came shortly after the previous one. This was the goal that seemed to take all the wind out of the Firebirds sails. After another of Prince George's passes were intercepted, this time by Hans Moleman, he was able to thread the needle all the way to Alex Berkis, who sent the puck straight down the five hole of the Firebirds goaltender. After this goal Detroit seemed to take their foot off the pedal, possibly trying to preserve some energy for the playoffs.
<div align="center">Final Score. Detroit Falcons 4 - Prince George Firebirds 1</div>
3 Stars
1 - Sivy McSieve (DET) - The Detroit Goaltender was doing everything right tonight. After letting in one goal on the Power Play it seemed like it was him, who inspired the team to step up to their best for the rest of the game.
2 - Henrik Vikstrom (DET) - Vikstrom was in total control of his game tonight, and it showed in the way that everyone around him played. No one had to rush their play tonight and it was due to the way Vikstrom conducted himself, and the others around him.
3 - Kaspars Berzins (DET) - A very solid effort tonight. His assistance on the Power Play was a feature of his game.
Power Play
Detroit Falcons - 0 on 5 Attempt(s) - 0.00%
Prince George Firebirds - 1 on 4 Attempt(s) - 25.00%
Penalty Kill
Detroit Falcons - 3 on 4 Attempt(s) - 75.00% - Score 0 goal in Penalty Kill
Prince George Firebirds - 5 on 5 Attempt(s) - 100.00% - Score 0 goal in Penalty Kill
Team Stat
Detroit Falcons - Hits : 14 - Faceoff Wins : 39 - Blocked Shots : 8 - Penalty Minutes : 8
Prince George Firebirds - Hits : 19 - Faceoff Wins : 31 - Blocked Shots : 9 - Penalty Minutes : 8
Hallsy![[Image: powerplaygoal.png?width=750]](http://www.sportingcharts.com/media/221847/powerplaygoal.png?width=750)
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@ ![[Image: sBvj8WN.png?1]](http://i.imgur.com/sBvj8WN.png?1)
2![[Image: 4sN9yMR.png]](https://i.imgur.com/4sN9yMR.png)
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@ 
Kelowna Knights 4 at 5 St. Louis Scarecrows 
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