Game 117

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Synopsis

The Vancouver Whalers dominated the Colorado Mammoths in all aspects of the game to earn a 2-0 victory over their Western Division rivals. The Whalers got a pair of goals from Brandon Makarov, his second and third of the season, while the Mammoths mustered only nine shots on net, all of which were denied by Vancouver netminder Triforce Link. Jacob Andrews did his best to keep the Mammoths in the game as he turned away 29 of the 31 shots he faced, including 13 of 15 in a first period that saw the Whalers hold a 15-3 shots on goal advantage. The victory for Link was his eighth of the season, while Andrews took his 15th defeat with the loss.

Turning Point Of The Game (Group 1)

The turning point in this one was a 2 minute and 56 second span in the first period when Makarov found the back of the net twice, the only scoring on the evening. Makarov opened the scoring with an even strength goal just past the halfway point in the first period. The Vancouver blueliner took a feed from teammate Winston Porter and placed a shot by Andrews to open the scoring. The Whalers then took advantage of a Frontdoor McGraw minor just shortly after and extended their lead to two as Makarov saw his seeing-eye shot from the point squeeze its way through traffic and into the back of the net. Makarov's two goals turned out to be the difference and are tonight's turning point of the game.

Interview With Brandon Makarov (Group 2)

A rare offensive performance for you Brandon, what was in your game tonight that led to those two goals?

BM: "I can't really point to anything specifically I guess, but the lanes were there and I was able to take them. Colorado is a young team and sometimes that leads to a little bit of extra time for us defensemen at the point to get our offensive game going. Tonight I had two opportunities and thankfully I was able to capitalize on both of them."


You guys held the shots on goal battle 31-9 but Andrews was solid in net for Colorado, what's it like playing against him?

BM: "Andrews is a solid tender, no doubt about it. When you're playing against one of the more talented netminders in the league, you have to focus on putting pucks on net and hoping that you can find screens, deflections, things like that. Tonight, on my second goal especially, I really got some good help from my teammates while we were on the power play, creating that traffic in front. Somehow my shot got through and went in. We know our goaltender at the other end is just as good and when you give him two goals on a night like tonight we're confident we're going to win."

You guys in third in the conference, ahead of only Colorado. What's it mean for you guys to get the wins against the teams behind you?

BM: "It's always important to try and create some distance between you and the teams behind you but we know we can't take anyone for granted in this league. Colorado's been at the bottom all season but you can see their improvement from Game 1 until now. It's noticeable and we're not overlooking them or anyone else in this league. It's a tough competition and we're just happy to get the two points.

Three Stars (Group 3)

1. Brandon Makarov

Makarov stole the show tonight with his two goals. The usual stay-at-home defenseman was the hero on the evening for Vancouver as he accounted for 100% of the scoring. Makarov's goals were just his second and third on the season and his offensive prowess in tonight's win is a big moment for the young blueliner.

2. Triforce Link

Link was not tested early, often or really at all by any means, but he did what he needed to to collect the shutout and the victory. Link saw just nine shots over 60 minutes of action, but the netminder made all of the saves he was asked to make and he earned his 8th victory of the season in the process.

3. Jacob Andrews

While Link was hardly tested, Andrews had to put on a show just to keep his team alive in the game. With Colorado heavily outplayed all evening, Andrews was forced to make 29 saves, including 13 on 15 shots in the first period. The stout effort from Andrews kept his team alive in the game and gave them a chance to win, despite the poor effort.

Summary

The loss sends Colorado back to the drawing board, searching for answers as they look to tur things around headed into the latter part of their schedule. The victory is a confidence builder for Vancouver, as the Whalers look to continue their roll and make a run at home ice advantage in the first round of the postseason.