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Montreal's Richard Douglas scores the first of 2 meaningless goals in the Militia's loss</div>

Another edition of SMJHL Today brings us to Game 5: Montreal Militia @ Detroit Falcons, a classic clash between 2 of the Original 4 that mark the name for the most coveted cup of all minor league hockey - the 4-Star Cup. The phrase "win 'em early so you don't have to fight for 'em late" could not be more proper in this situation, as the first in a series between conference rivals could ultimately set the tone for who gets the advantage headed to the playoffs. Taking a look back, the Detroit - Montreal series has determined the Western Conference champion since Season 24, when Detroit took the conference in the last season with 6 SMJHL teams. Since then, Montreal has won the series against Detroit across the season each year and has gone to be the Western Conference Champion each year. Interesting note: even when Detroit did, in fact, become the Western Conference Champion in S24, they were eliminated in the 2nd round by the then-Impact. That's our Historical Perspective tidbits of the Game! Let's go to the highlight reel for the 3 plays of the game:

HIGHLIGHT REEL

3. Rising Hippo knocks out Matt Lewis-Flood for the game



Matt Lewis-Flood was already on the ropes after an awful 1st period: 50% save percentage, and if he didn't get help from his defense for 3 blocked shots, that could have gone to 4 or 5 goals. It's not like he was getting any help: only 4 shots made it to the net for the Militia in the 1st. So MLF is on his heels, and the Falcons gain possession off a defensive turnover. Prince Daniel James sends it to Tobias Thorvaldsen, who sends it up to Hippo for the breakaway attempt. He's so far ahead of everyone, it's basically a shootout, and Hippo dances around the "elite" prospect for the 4th goal of the game. Lewis-Flood leaves the game with an embarrassing 71% save percentage, to be replaced by rookie goaltender Rough CockBurn.

2. Justin Novastar starts the offense immediately out of the penalty box



I know, that's not Novastar, he didn't score this game. But he did ultimately lead to the goal happening. Immediately upon exiting the penalty box, Novastar scoops up a loose puck following the demolition of Montreal's Nolan Angello, but he turns it over immediately. He then, after being cold in the box for 2 minutes, works his way into position to play good defense, grab a pass off a defensive turnover, and start the offense with a drive into Montreal territory. He gets it to Stonehands, and the rest is history: a few shots later, Lewis-Flood is scraping the puck out of the net. None of this happens if don't kill the penalty and unleash the offensive catalyst Justin Novastar And to give them credit, Nucky Toohoots was the one to finish the drive with a puck hitting twine.

1. Matt Lewis-Flood's performance that got Rising Hippo thrown in the box



Wow Just wow :facepalm: It was still a close game, but this was where this particular sports fan said that Lewis-Flood was off tonight. Who flops? Especially someone as prestige as MLF. And especially within the first 5 minutes of the game. The sad part: the performance was perfect and got the penalty, but Montreal couldn't do anything with it, marking the start to a 0-for performance on the powerplay (5 attempts). That's just sad. This might have also been fitting, given that it was Hippo that got MLF back and took him out with the 4th goal against. And let's look to the judges for his scores: - 5.1, - 8.6, - 6.9, - 9.0, - Oh shit, is he hurt?

Finally, to wrap up this broadcast, let's see who our Unsung Hero of the Game is!

Unsung Hero - Wiljian Zjang,

Who? Yeah, Wiljian Zjang, the ever-important 2nd line center, went out and did his job: win faceoffs. It's the only thing that he really is known for, outside of his passing, which makes him a dominant faceoff winner. Even though he ended with nill stats across the board, Zjang racked up a 60% faceoff percentage, with the breakdown being 8/12 in Montreal territory, 7/10 on the defensive draw, and 3/8 on neutral ice. These faceoff differentials show that Zjang is focused on the important battles and could have possibly been a catalyst for Falcon production on the 2nd line, which produced 1 goal this game. It also shows how important it is for him to win that the 3 faceoff losses in his own end translated to 5 shots on net, while the 8 wins in opponent territory led to 5 shots as well, with a few of those attempts leading to direct icings of the puck. Zjang won't be noted for his contribution outside of this broadcast, but the specialist should be mentioned for his tenacity to finish his job.

And that's a wrap! For all of us here at SMJHL Today, good night, and good luck!

FINAL SCORE
- 2
- 5