<div align="center">Season 30, Game 63
Prince George Firebirds @ St. Louis Scarecrows
Final Score: 2-1 </div>

Hello everyone, and welcome to another exciting installment of SMJHL Today. In this week's recap, we take a look at a matchup that wouldn't be particularly exciting to anyone if it were a primetime game in the middle of Season 29. However, this is Season 30 we're talking about--and the entire landscape of the league has been stood on its head!

Tale of the Tape
In Season 29, the Prince George Firebirds had everything going for them at one point. Some great trades brought in the likes of BJ Subban, Sludge, and Latvian phenom Reinis Ausmeisters. Led by now Manhattan Rage rookie Nicolas Winter, they surged to second in the Western Conference. However, in the playoffs, they fell well short of the mark by losing to the eventual conference champion Vancouver Whalers in 6 games. With not many people coming back, Prince George had to rely on a solid draft from one of the largest draft classes in league history--could they pull it all together to surpass even last year's great regular season performance?

On the other side of the ice, we all know what happened to the St Louis Scarecrows in Season 29. We called one of the games right here on the SMJHL Today Network! The team had such a great core of talent, and combined with their up-and-coming defensive force, it seemed that they would be an absolute lock for another championship run in Season 30. However, things have started off slightly less dominant than the pundits have expected. Obviously the departure of Alexander Charlyb'y, making his rookie debut on the Texas Renegades of the SHL, has been hard to take--his faceoff wins were absolutely crucial to the Crows' physical possession game. Beyond that the Crows have experienced massive slumps in production from enforcer Danny Foster and prolific scorer of last season Frans Erichsen. Is the slump just that, or does St Louis have some explaining to do before playoff time.

Keys to the Game
With the sides so evenly matched entering this game, it's time we combined the Keys to the Game for both Prince George and St. Louis. Today's keys are brought to you by Chiquita Bananas - for every hit Danny Foster issues during the regular season, Chiquita will donate $100 to The United Way!

• Win the hits battle. In the past, the Scarecrows have been able to absolutely bully the opposition, since the emphasis in the SMJHL has gone away from hitting and has produced many more "finesse" players. This isn't the case anymore with the new and improved S30 draft class. Portland Admirals hopeful Barak Obrana has upped his physical game, as has rookie Tyrone Savage. Foster and company have to keep these guys in "check" to pull through today.
  
• Stay even. The depth of rookies from each side is pretty astounding, if you think about it. It's probably fair to say that all-rookie teams would still be quite a game to watch, especially between these two sides. It's important that no one line becomes subject to exploitation. What I mean by that is, while both teams have split their first lines with rookies and veterans, they mustn't let any one line face the brunt of offensive pressure; that's how close battles on paper get turned into routs.
  
• Have the better goalie. Prince George has been riding high on their #1 rookie sensation, Ben Waters. His 7-1-1 record entering this game easily tops the league, rookie or not. As for the Scarecrows, that's the biggest question mark for the defending champions. In this matchup, seasoned backup Kasper Haapanen is getting his first start of his required 6 this year. To put it in John Madden-like terms, whoever has the better goalie tonight will absolutely win this game.
  

The Game-Winning Highlight
This game was nothing short of a defensive standstill. Much to the delight of the two rookie goaltenders on display, there was a total of 38 shots in the entire game. In no single period did either team have a double-digit shot total. Blocked shots were relatively even, and what Prince George won in the hit department, St Louis made up for with faceoff wins. Danny Foster was sent to the box for tripping with just over 3 minutes left, and that provided Prince George with a rather large opportunity ...

"Well as time is winding down here, the play is picking back up as the powerplay for Prince George continues. Riccardelli with the puck now, bringing it to neutral ice. He passes up to Frederick Boone ... who finds Stephen Pham. Back to Boone. He dumps it in the St Louis zone for a change. Kasper Haapenen leaves the crease to grab the puck and give it to Targaryen. Targaryen looks for Landry ... PICKED OFF! Hunky Monkey has it! It's a 2 on 1 with Pollak in tow ... passes to Pollak ... :goal SCOOOOOOORES!!! It goes past the leaping Haapenen. With just under 2 minutes to go, Prince George takes the lead, 2-1, ON a 2-on-1!"

Final Score
Prince George - 2
St. Louis - 1

Other Key Performances

• In addition to Barak Obrana, who had 3 hits, Levi Watkins had a game-high FIVE hits, nearly outhitting the entire St Louis squad himself.
  
• Although he didn't earn a star thanks to his goalie's outstanding performance, Hunky Monkey had an assist on both of PGF's goals as well as two hits.
  
• The woes for the St Louis first pairing continued in this game; Danny Foster and Rhaegar Targaryen combined for 4 PIM - and that's it!