With the season winding down, we're bringing you the last episode of S29: A Look Back. Soon enough we'll all be looking at playoff match ups, followed shortly thereafter by the outlook of S30... but before we do, let's look at one more Vancouver Whalers game.

As much as we hate to end on a low note, today's game will be covering one in which the Whalers were unable to bring home a win for the fans. Sometimes, the other team just wins, and we're going to look at how it happened in Game 154.

Today's match up came against the Colorado Mammoths, who we know the Whalers have had success against thus far in the season. Going in they had won 4 and lost only 2, but today would be carried by Colorado. Let's first look at the important moments in the game- of which there weren't a whole lot of, and those which did transpire were all in favor of the Mammoths...

Highlights
Period 1, 7:22: Goal by COL
<center>
O'Dooley and Debkowski torch the Whalers for Colorado's first tally</center>
The first goal of the game came at the hands of Jack Dabkowski, with the assit coming via Maverick O'Dooley. After Levi Kubrak beat Serj Kovalchuk at the face off do tin the Mammoths' zone, a Ben Dover was able to pick off an errant pass by Lars Dahlstrom, leading to a quick break out by Maverick O'Dooley. O'Dooley skated end to end before putting the puck on the tape of Dabkowski, who pounded it past Vancouver's Dingles. It was a lovely display of transition from defensive play to the being on the attack, with Dingles being left out to dry.

Period 1, 9:11: Goal by COL
<center>
Debkowski racks up his second of the night in short order... the last goal to be scored on the evening</center>
The second and final goal of the game saw Debkowski yet again finding the twine, this time in an impressive manner. After Colorado gained control of the puck in the neutral zone, it was ultimately Debkowski who got the first shot off. After missing, he retrieved the puck and put it on net yet again, coming away successfully with another tally. Truly an impressive show of hustle and awareness from the Colorado left winger.

Period 1, 16:12: Fight!!!
<center>
The first period saw most of the action on the night, with goals and fights keeping the crowd on their feet</center>
It was an exchange of fistcuffs between Frontdoor McGraw and Charlie Conway late in the first which brings us our last highlight of the evening, with the two players both seeking to spark their respective teams to more physical, and ultimately successful level of play. Neither was able to clearly come out on top, with the refs jumping in when it was apparent that they'd fought to a draw.

Thus ended the notable moments in the game. Taking a look at a few quick stats:

Stats

Shots
Vancouver saw the advantage when it came to putting rubber on net, winning the stat with a total of 31 over Colorado's 22. Alas, if they aren't going in, they count for nothing, so while it's nice to have the upper hand here, ultimately you must finish to have success.

Hits
Yet again, Vancouver saw the physical advantage they had over Colorado fail to pay dividends. They outhit the Mammoths 15 to 12, but it wasn't enough to slow down the Colorado scorers.

Faceoffs
With a success rate of 56.9% (49/86) in favor of Vancouver, you'd again expect to see better possession resulting in goals. Alas, another stat which was a "win", while losing the overall battle for the game.

Saves
Naturally the stat which made the difference for the Mammoths tonight... Colorado's Jacob Andrews ability to keep any and all shots from crossing the goal line. Despite a strong performance from Stiv Dingles (0.909 save percentage), Vancouver's snipers were unable to find pay dirt, rendering his solid game worthless.

Special Teams
Both teams were unable to produce on the power play... Although it's not clear if it was solid PK play, or an overall lack of organization and production from the power play units on each team. I suppose you could say Colorado won on this front, having 4 opportunities to Vancouver's 2, but when neither team scored, it's hard to declare a real winner.

3 Gnars
Normally this section would be reseverd for an MVP or 3 star selection, but with the poor result here, we've decided to shuffle things up and pick 3 players we felt carried the most blame in the loss.

1. Conklin Owen - With over 17 minutes of ice time, Vancouver's sniper was not only unable to produce a single point, but he was also unable to get off a single shot on goal... His only contribution was 2 hits, with only 1 producing a turn over (when Jon Ross picked up the loose puck). For a player whose strengths are offensive, he's got to create opportunities for himself or his teammates.

2. Lars Dahlstrom - His poor pass led to the first goal of the night, and he (and the rest of his line) ultimately finished with a -2 rating. He was able to get 4 shots on net, but was unable to make a difference in the goal column, and he picked up 2 PIM, hurting his teams' chances at winning. Even when only playing 13 minutes on the third line, he's got to be counted on to not hurt the team.

3. Stiv Dingles - Fair or not, when the offense isn't there, the goal tender has to be the best player on the ice. With his opposition keeping everything clear of his net in a high volume of action, Stiv had to be up to the challenge. He was not, and failed to help will his team to victory.