<div align="center">Vancouver Whalers @ Montreal Militia

Final Score
2-1
Game Link

Starting Lineups

Vancouver Whalers

Conklin Owen - Jon Ross - Ace Redding
Theodore Graham - Brynjar Tusk
Triforce Link


Montreal Militia

Nolan Angello - Filip Granlund - Jason Forbrook
Ilmari Maatta - Viatcheslav Orlov
Stephen Harris

Game Recap

Day 3 saw a rematch of the Day 1 encounter between the Militia and Whalers, a game that the Militia won 5-3 in Vancouver. The Whalers returned the favour in Montreal though, running out 2-1 winners. Let's take a look at the game period by period.

Period 1

The opening period got off to a quick start, as it took only 8 seconds for the referee to send Viatcheslav Orlov to the penalty box for a nasty high stick on Brynjar Tusk. The Whalers were unable to generate any shots during the PP, with Connor MacDonald making the most noise durin the two minutes, laying out two big hits.

It was more than 6 minutes in to the game when a goalie was tested for the first time. Marcos Maciel won the draw for the Militia, and he was picked out in front of the net by Henrik Vikstrom, but Triforce Link was up to the task of denying his quick shot. A penalty to Adam Kaiser followed as the Militia took control of the game, but Link was solid between the pipes, denying Johnny Watson multiple times.

Near the middle of the period saw Stephen get his first big workout of the day. He blocked away a vicious OG Bobby slapshot, and pulled off a tremendous save on the rebound as Olson Stuart threw the puck back towards the goal. Ace Redding was the next to be denied a goal, after MacDonald sent him through on goal after intercepting Nolan Angello's loose pass.

The Whalers were able to hold off another PP opportunity for the Militia after Olson Stuart was sent to the box, but when Alfred Holiday was penalised for holding with 3:20 to play, they weren't quite so lucky. Watson lost control o the puck in the Whalers zone, but Wesley Wells was able to keep the play alive. His shot whizzed by the goal, and Link was unable to get across in time to prevent Brennan Kennedy's wraparound from sneaking in to the net, breaking the deadlock to give the Militia the lead.



The period came to a close with little extra activity, both teams entering the locker room to an awakened Montreal crowd.


Period 2

Much like the first period, this one started off with a penalty to a Montreal player. Jason Forbrook was the culprit, and this time the Whalers made no mistake with the man advantage. It was a little more than a minute in to the PP when the Militia were caught making a poor line change that allowed Conklin Owen a breakaway, an opportunity he did not squander. Link stopped the puck behind the net for Holiday, who found a streaking Owen with a long outlet pass, and he found the top corner with ease, leaving Harris screaming at his defense for leaving him so exposed.


Filip Granlund registered what would be 1 of only 3 shots on target in the period for Montreal shortly after the equaliser, his quick wrist shot being snared by the glove of Link. Harris stayed strong at the other end, stopping Olson Stuart and then Levi Kubrak twice in quick succession. The opening ten minutes of the second period saw little else of note, as both teams struggled to generate opportunities.

Whalers' goon Ieuan Llewellyn found himself in the penalty box for hooking after 13 minutes, a place he has developed a knack for finding. The Militia sustained heavy pressure in the Vancouver zone for the duration of the penalty, but some hard work from the PK unit and a couple of excellent saves from Link ensured the score stayed level. Watson in particular couldn't believe it when Link blocked what appeared to be a sure goal.

If the first period was the period of high sticking - with three penalties called for the infraction - the second was the coming out of the hooking call, with all penalties given that designation in the period. The last was Ilmari Maatta giving the Whalers a third chance to score on the PP with around 3 minutes to play. Adam Kaiser came close, and Owen had a chance to score his second PP goal of the night, but Stephen Harris said no, and the Militia saw the penalty out.

In the final minute, Travis Jeziak stole the puck from Patrick Kilgore, and the Miltia set up in the Whalers' zone. Montreal moved the puck around, with Kristofer Hallfredsson eventually finding Brennan Kennedy in the slot, but his one-timer missed the net with only 1 second left on the clock.


Period 3

There was a hitting frenzy to begin the third, with both teams trying to establish physical dominance. Jaylor Toast lit up Ace Redding, followed by Redding getting some revenge with a huge hit on Watson. Ilmari Maatta let Theodore Graham know he was in a game too, connecting with two big checks in the space of 13 seconds.

Triforce Link showed his preseason form early in the third, standing strong against multiple onslaughts in order to keep his team level. Filip Granlund tried three times to put the puck beyond Link, but Link was up to the task each time, leaving Granlund shaking his head in disbelief. Link's lightning reflexes were on show as well, as he adjusted well to a Laraque Obama deflection that would have beaten most goaltenders.

Alfred Holiday went to the box for the second time 7 minutes in, but the Militia failed to capitalise, with every shot on Link's net sailing high or wide.

It was just before the halfway point of the period that the lamp was lit once again. In a play eerily similar to Vancouver's first goal, there was a mix-up during Montreal's line change, allowing a breakaway. Link gathered the dumped puck, Connor MacDonald zipped it out to OG Bobby, who deked Harris out of his skates and slipped it home. The home crowd was stunned in to silence as the Whalers' celebrated, with goaltender Link picking up his second assist of the night.


Montreal almost got themselves back in to the game a minute later, with sustained pressure culminating in a Watson slapshot that Link was able to stop and cover. From the resulting face off, the Whalers carried the puck up the ice, and forced Harris in to a smart double save, as he denied Jon Ross and Carl Farris from doubling the lead.

With 6 minutes to play, Hallfredsson made things even more difficult for Montreal, earning a two minute trip to the box. Due to some poor shooting though, Vancouver could not put the game out of reach, and Hallfredsson exited the box with 4 minutes to play and the deficit just at one.

With only a minute left on the clock, the Militia found themselves with one last opportunity to send the game to overtime. As Harris was pulled from the net, Montreal gained position in the Vancouver zone. Toast shot wide of the goal, but Angello was able to recover the puck along the boards. He cut inside and fired a wrist shot high, but Link saved and held to force a face off. Ross won the face off for the Whalers, and they were able to clear the zone to hold out for a 2-1 win.


Highlights


Brennan Kennedy opens the scoring


Olson Stuart high sticks Johnny Watson


Ilmari Maatta hits Theodore Graham


OG Bobby scores the game winning goal

Team Stats

Hits

13-18

The Militia were the more physical of the two teams on the night, though the hit totals were on the low side overall.

Faceoff Wins

44-34

Vancouver totally dominated the draw all night long, with the center on their first, second and third line all posting over 50%, with Jon Ross' 15/25 the most impressive of the bunch.

Shots Blocked

7-4

With the contest being such a closely fought affair with a low number of shots (19 for Vancouver, 17 for Montreal), preventing the other team from testing your goaltender is incredibly important. Vancouver blocked a huge 7 shots on the night, something Triforce Link will have been incredibly thankful for.

Three Stars

3rd Star - Brennan Kennedy
1G, 1P, 1S, 10:09 minutes

Despite being on the losing side, Brennan Kennedy made the most of his limited ice time, scoring Montreal's only goal of the night with his only shot.

2nd Star - Triforce Link
16 saves from 17 shots - (0.941), W, 60:00 minutes

Triforce Link had a great performance in between the pipes for the Whalers, allowing only 1 goal on 17 shots. Steady as a rock in the preseason, his experience was on show once again as he helped lead his team to victory, and he perhaps was hard done by not receiving the first star award.

1st Star - OG Bobby
1G, 1P, +1, 3S, 2H, 12/22 FO, 15:24 minutes

OG Bobby had a great night, picking up the GWG, performing solidly in the draw, and putting his body about for a couple of hits. The second line center, in his rookie year in the SMJHL, eastablished himself well with a good all-around performance here, and will be looking to continue onward and upward from here.
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