Welcome YET AGAIN to SMJHL Today. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, since I JUST explained Keys to the Game and the like with these two teams going to battle, we're going to do things a little differently. But we'll get to that. Today's matchup, much like my last broadcast, is between the St Louis Scarecrows and the Kelowna Knights. The keys to this game are identical to the last one for two very specific reasons:

1. The last game was a dead lock. It went to overtime and was decided on the penultimate shot, a laser wrister from Harry Hans. The teams were virtually even up until them, so to change anything on either side would be asinine. Any one misstep could have changed the outcome of the game, so why mess with success?
2. This is the NEXT GAME for both teams. As part of a two-game series, both Kelowna and St Louis knew it'd be a doubleheader. Maybe that's why both teams were rather cautious and played evenly for 65+ minutes the night before. Maybe not ... but wishful thinking from a mere commentator. But yes, changing the gameplan would be impractical given just a day to prepare for the same team and, ultimately, the same lineups. All I know is, Mia Landvik can have another game like that and pretty much guarantee victory for the Knights. No way can a Scarecrows defense match that intensity we saw from her in the 3rd period.

Let's look at some highlights!

1st period - some goals, but more importantly, a fight
Danny Foster signed on with the Scarecrows just five games into the season. The St Louis organization knew that he was enforcer, and that his number one priority was to improve the already dominant and deep physicality of the Crows defense. It only took a few games, though, for Foster to get into his first scrap in the SMJHL:

The shot misses wide, and Bartok picks it up for Kelowna ... he sees what's about to happen and he's sort of just holding the puck in the offensive zone. Danny Foster has started discussing something with Shirobokov, and that's it, they're gonna GO! Shirobokov opens with a left jab. Foster grabs his shirt and has a BIG overhand right for Fedor's head. His helmet's off ... Foster is smiling. Oh no, he's gone Bananas! Both players absolutely WHALING on each other! The refs tackle them both down to the ground, and for good reason. Not much blood on either of them just yet, but it wasn't going to be long, that's for sure. I'll call that one a draw, good scrap though. Welcome to the league, Foster!

3rd period - redemption for both fighters
Once both Foster and Shirobokov had calmed down a little bit, they decided to get in on the action. The game was tied, 2-2, heading into the 3rd period. Halfway through the period, the Crows seized an opportunity:

...Still in a tie game here, as Linna receives the pass from Mikael Talo at center ice. Looking for a give-and-go ... picked off by Joe Kerr and he's going the other way! He gets it forward to McHale but he's going to slow it down a little bit. He knows he has time ... over to Danny Foster, bruised and battered as he may be. Moves it into the offensive zone ... Back to Kerr, who's now caught up. McHale files in, grabs the puck from Kerr. McHale dekes, goes on the attack ... back to Kerr, HUGE ONE TIMER ... SCOOOOOORES!!! Joe Kerr with his first of the year, and Foster's one step closer to a Gordie Howe Hattrick! What a cool, calm, collected display of passing.

Frans Erichsen added another goal at the 18th minute of the 3rd to give the Crows a late 2-goal lead. In a brief sign of urgency, though, Fedor Shirobokov found his play for redemption:

And the stadium is still buzzing after that goal from Erichsen, WHAT a shot to get by Laukkanen ... while the play hasn't been great from either goaltender some of these shots have been fantastic, so I can't be too hard on them ... the SHOT by Lever and it goes wide. Sven Bartok picks it up behind the St Louis net. Greenholm wrestles the puck away and he's headed to the blue line. Here comes Fedor ... he picks off the puck, now the numbers are still with Kelowna in the attacking side! He gets the puck across ice to Hohenberg. Hohenberg back to Bartok ... GOAL! Now Shirobokov has matched Foster with one fight to a draw and one assist tonight ... Bartok REALLY hadn't moved since he got the puck taken from him. Greenholm lost track and sure enough, he's the one to put it in the net. Now Kelowna has 2 minutes to tie it up!

Key Comparison - Stars from Last Game
As I mentioned before, two key players (not necessarily the three stars of the game) were of note going into this game. Let's take a look at how they fared in this contest.

Harry Hans -

• 22:49 TOI
  
• 0 G, 0 A, 0 P, +/-0
  
• 2 H
  
• 3 SOG
  
• 4 PIM
  

Even though he was probably riding high with that game winner in the shootout, it's clear that Hans didn't have his greatest game. Catching two minors is rough, especially since his first penalty - a tough goalie interference call that could have gone either way - led to the first goal of the game for the Knights. His two hits show that he was there physically, but three shots and no points while playing 23 minutes is rather inexcusable. Grade = C

Mia Landvik -

• 21:51 TOI
  
• 0G, 1A, 1P, -1
  
• 2H, 3SB
  
• 2 SOG
  
• 4 PIM
  

Landvik has never been known for her discipline. By that same token, she plays 100% all the time, and that's sometimes worth more on a team that very rarely gets themselves in PIM trouble. However, her PIMS really cost her team this time around - her delaying the game penalty in the second period allowed a powerplay goal that put the Scarecrows back in the game. You could argue that it gave them momentum to score their 3rd and 4th goals to open the 3rd period! She had great defensive numbers but the -1 rating in this case says it all, especially since she was on the ice for the first goal. Grade = C-

Other Key Performances: Kelly Rivet, after an off night in the last game, really picked up the defense with 3 hits and 4 shot blocks ... Eugene Feist had a bad game himself and couldn't even win the faceoffs, just 9 out of 19 opportunities ... Ty Justice cost his team dearly with 10 PIM and just one hit in 19 minutes of playtime ... Beau Bent should be one of the few Knights happy with his performance, scoring his first goal of his career with only one shot on net.

There you have it, folks. It was certainly a tale of two games, even though they were both decided by just one goal. The first matchup between St Louis and Kelowna was fundamentally sound and down to the very last shot. This game was sloppy by all accounts, and somehow the Scarecrows completed the sweep. Games like this are what make championship runs special, though; the true winners can mitigate the mistakes and come up with victories in any way possible.

Final Score
St Louis - 4
Kelowna - 3