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Montreal's Filip Granlund tussles with Colorado's Joey DiNino after heated words about Granlund's mother were exchanged at the faceoff</div>

Live from Colorado, it's SMJHL Today with coverage of the first matchup between hometown Colorado Mammoths and, having fun with the throwback jerseys, the road warrior Montreal Militia . Let's get right down to it, what really mattered in this inter-conference tilt? We turn now to the Turning Points of the Game!

Turning Points of the Game

1. Holy shit, he scored already?



Let me tell this from a sportscast crew perspective: I usually show up early to games to get the pregame coverage done, interview players, stuff the fans (you) usually. like. Welp, gosh darn it, I had a flat tire, so I wasn't able to get there on time for me, but I was able to get there just in time to see the team already celebrating. I asked my co-host, "What the heck just happened?" and they said, "It's already a 1-0 lead for the Mammoths!" The first line was able to, in 10 seconds, win the faceoff, drive into Montreal territory, take a shot, recover a rebound and shoot again, RECOVER A MISSED SHOT, and score on this beauty from Ben Dover, the guy that took the first shot! Already, 10 seconds in, Montreal's Matt Lewis-Flood has a 360 GAA on a 66.7% save percentage. Thank god he improved since then, and those stats are really meant for exaggeration's sake, but damn! That Colorado offense is fast!

2. Hey, we got ourselves a fight!



Well not really, but as you could see from the opening graphic, Filip Granlund didn't take kindly to what Joey DiNino had to say about Granlund's family, and the instigation at the faceoff was what got DiNino kicked out. If there was anyone you wanted to be kicked out of the game, however, it was not DiNino: he had an 80% faceoff percentage headed into the fight, didn't even win the damn fight, and his absence led to Granlund winning 4 out of his last 5 faceoffs, which didn't sway the tilt toward the Militia but didn't help Colorado's chances. The guy management probably wanted to have be the goon? William Goddard, who posted a nill stat line outside of 2 shots into MLF's gut. During the 5 minutes Granlund was gone, by the way, Montreal missed out on an opportunity to score thanks to the instigation penalty tacked on to DiNino's fight, and if Granlund was on the 2nd powerplay line like he should have been, maybe the turnover caused by Kristians Rozentals wouldn't have happened and an extra opportunity could have materialized.

3. Missed chance early in the 3rd Period



Yeah, Kimmo Lokinen took one for the team there, but he got lucky with the follow-up shot. Early in the 3rd period, the <s>Impact</s> Militia were down 2-1 and in desperate need of a goal. The 3rd line was already out, and they were hungry: the 3rd line plays the least amount of time on the team, and needed a chance to prove their worth. Suddenly, a chance opens up, as Jean Chretien gets a laser to bounce off Lokinen's mask and dribble toward the open net. All Feta Fingers has to do is tap it in, but no. He swings wildly at the puck and sends it AWAY FROM THE NET, long enough for the Mammoths to send the puck down the ice for an icing and regroup. Had Fingers converted, it's a tie game, the Militia become more offensive, and it's possible the game coule have been won by the road team in regulation or at least have taken the game to overtime. Since that did not happen, Militia fans, place the weight of the team on Fingers' weak, weak shoulders.

A few sidenotes before we move on to the 3 Stars of the Game...

Interesting Sidenotes

- Kimmo Lokinen got his first career win on his first career game tonight, playing all 60 minutes and stopping 16 of 17 shots for a 94.1% save percentage. This gives him the best full-game rookie start in Mammoths history, with Jacob Andrews coming close at a 90.1% save percentage and 2 GA in his first rookie start (this is not counting his first appearance on the ice, where he filled in and stopped 4 shots in 15 minutes).
- This was Filip Granlund's 1st fight ever, and he took a draw. This might lead to more aggression for the usually calm rookie, but watch out: he's no longer a fight virgin.
- This game broke Viatcheslav Orlov's 3 game pointless streak, but he still has yet to find the net as a rookie. This isn't uncommon, but from a 2nd overall pick, Montreal expected more offensive production.

And finally...

SMJHL Today's 3 Stars of the Game

3rd Star - Ilmari Määttä, - The best player on the losing team deserves some recognition here. 4 big hits resulted in 1 turnover, on top of his 18 takeaways, and he scored the lone goal for the Militia in today's game. Snaps to you, Ilmari, get your team out of the gutter by being a fantastic role model.

2nd Star - Kimmo Lokinen, - A record-setting night for the rookie goaltender, Lokinen showed his true worth on the ice. He got some good help from his team (7 blocked shots), but on his own, Lokinen kept pucks away from the net and in good position. Only 4 of his 16 saves resulted in rebounds, and only 2 of those resulted in putback shots. THose 2 shots were gloved safely by Lokinen, something real pros are able to pull off.

1st Star - Evgeny Yakikov, - 8 hits, 8! 3 of those hits led to extra Mammoths possessions, and only 1 was too aggressive, resulting in Yakikov's lone penalty of the night. His team was better with him on the ice, and Yakikov's 8 faceoff wins on 11 tries in Militia territory gave his team the chance to convert more often. Thanks to the Russian rookie, the Mammoths had pressure on Montreal all night long.

FINAL SCORE
- 1
- 3