(Game #104)St. Louis Scarecrows 5 @ Colorado Mammoths 4 F/OT

Denver, CO – The defending Four Star Cup Champion St. Louis Scarecrows came rolling into Denver today to take on the Mammoths in a battle of two teams on a bit of a down point of their respective seasons. The Mammoths (9-16-1) have struggled to put the puck in the net, and conversely, keep the puck out of the net at the same time. Colorado is currently last in the league in Goals For, and they’re pretty close to last in the league in Goals Against. The Scarecrows (13-10-3) have found themselves on a skid since starting off the season leading the league for a few weeks. A lot of that can be contributed to the 6-game suspension of rookie goaltender Kyle Wahlgren. Kasper Happanen was less than stellar in relief, going only 2-4, and cost the Scarecrows the division lead in the process.

However, Wahlgren is back between the pipes, as St. Louis looks to regain that early season magic. It looked like the cure for ails them would be a game against Colorado, as St. Louis leads the league in Goals Against with a paltry 2.42 Goals allowed per game. St. Louis finally tinkered with their lines a bit to see if they can spark more offense, and given the 5 goal output tonight, they managed that, at least for one game. There was a lot of action in this one, so let’s get to what you’re here for: The Goals.

With Trev Legend getting a Hooking call only 5 seconds after Colorado killed off a William Goddard penalty, It would be DarryL Landry to open the scoring on the Power Play:

Quote: How do you like that? Legend takes a Hooking call just after Colorado killed off the first penalty and they’re back at it again. St. Louis is putting out Feist, Kurczewski, Akeson, Landry, and Rivet. Colorado counters with Stamkos, Browski, Goddard, and Dover. Feist is going to take the draw in the Colorado zone against Stamkos. Puck is dropped and he wins it back to Landry. Landry moves towards the middle of the ice and takes his shot and HE SCORES! Well, that power play went better than the last one, and DarryL Landry has the Scarecrows up 1-0!

Landry’s 5th of the year comes at 3:11 of the period, only assist going to Feist. St. Louis would then continue to build momentum shortly after to make it 2-0. Those new lines for the Crows would work some magic, as Ronnie Westbrook, recently moved up the first line from the fourth, would hit pay dirt.

Quote: Ben Dover has the puck and with nobody to give it to, he’ll just dump it down into the St. Louis zone. Ronnie Westbrook will be the first one back to get the puck from the corner and he’ll skate behind the net. Westbrook starts up ice and sends to Landry in the neutral zone. Landry, the only scorer so far today, takes the puck into the Mammoths zone. He’ll send it over to Rivet who gives it right back to Landry. Landry holds it, and St. Louis gets set up in the Colorado zone. Landry fakes a shot and sends it back to Rivet, who again sends it right back to Landry. Landry will try a different approach and send it down the wing to Kurczewski. Kurczewski curls off the boards and slides the puck to an open Rivet. Rivet finds Westbrook in front of the goal with his back to the net. He’ll slide it Kurczewski who takes the shoottt and it goes wide, puck ends up back in play and THEY SCORE. This time it was Westbrook who saw the puck before anyone else and he jammed it home before Colorado realized what was happening! 2-0 St. Louis!

Westbrook gets his 3rd of the year from Kurczewski and Rivet at 6:24 of the period, and its beginning to look like the route would be on. However, the final goal of the period would end up coming from Colorado and the magic stick of Master Maguku.

Quote: Feist taking the draw against Stamkos in the Colorado zone. Feist wins another draw and it goes to Erichsen, QUICK SHOT, goes wide. Ben Dover grabs it  and tries to send up quickly, intercepted and kept in by Targaryen. He sends it over to Akeson. Akeson tries a quick pass but its picked off by Dover. Dover finds O’Dooley on the breakout pass and Colorado has a chance 3 on 1. O’Dooley sends it to over to Stamkos who taps it over to Maguku and he buries it! Maguku places the puck in the empty net on the wonderful pass from Stamkos, and the lead is back down to 1.

Maguku gets his fifth of the year, and the period would end 2-1 in favor of St. Louis. While the Mammoths would have visions of a comeback in the second period, it wouldn’t come to fruition. St. Louis would end up outshooting Colorado 11-5, while Colorado would keep shooting itself in the foot, as the Scarecrow Power Play would continue doing some damage:

Quote: St. Louis still on the power play as Stamkos lines up to faceoff against Visser. Stamkos wins the puck to Sim Browski. Browski looks to pass back to Stamkos AND OH MY TARGARYEN JUST LEVELED STAMKOS AND TOOK THE PUCK. He sends the puck to Erichsen and they have a 2 on 1. Erichsen winds up and sends it over to Targaryen and HE SCORES. Frans Erichsen faked his shot and froze the goaltender and gives Targaryen an easy tap in! What a play, on the power play, 3-1 St. Louis!

Targaryen gets his 4th of the season on a fantastic effort by himself and Frans Erichsen. And just like that, Colorado looked like a defeated team. The Mammoths would take another penalty later in the period, a Tripping call on Matthew Leetch, and the St. Louis Power Play would find its 3rd goal of the night:

Quote:Time is almost up in the Leetch penalty, Targaryen with the puck. He’ll dump it in the Colorado zone as the Scarecrows go off on a line change. O’Dooley back to get the puck, sends it up to Hagan in the neutral zone. He tries to go around a St. Louis player but instead he loses the puck to Rivet. Kelly Rivet passes quickly up to Escobar and he takes the puck inside the Mammoth zone. Escobar slows up and allows his power play unit to set up properly. He sends the puck up to Landry at the point. Landry with it now and sends it over to Erichsen. Frans Erichsen looking, sends it up to Rivet who goes back over to Landry. Landry sends it down low to Escobar in the corner. Escobar takes the puck and powers towards the net and HE SCORES. A great effort by Scott Escobar gives St. Louis a power play goal yet again, 4-1 St. Louis, and this one looks to be just about over folks. Oh and it looks like its over for Rudnikova early, as Allison is getting ready on the bench.

And with that third power play goal, St. Louis was in the driver’s seat, leading 4-1. Curtis Allison would come in for Rudnikova, and he wouldn’t allow a goal the rest of the second period, as St. Louis stepped off the gas a little bit. Shockingly though, St. Louis came out in the final twenty minutes looking like they’d already won the game, and as a result, Colorado would go on to have the best minute of its season.

Quote: Foster with the puck now and he’ll send it down the ice as the Scarecrows make a change with less than half a minute to go in the penalty to Reine. O’Dooley goes back to get the puck and he’ll start up ice. O’Dooley makes a pass but its picked off by Feist, who puts the puck back deep into the Mammoths zone. Allison slows the puck down for Eichelele. Eichelele moves the puck up to Ben Dover. Dover slides it up to Renninger as the penalty expires. Jacob Renninger now enters the zone, and holds it for a second. He skates over to the slot and TAKES A SHOT THEY SCORE!. It was Frontdoor McGraw deflecting the puck between his own legs, through the legs of Wahlgren, and its 4-2.

And then. . . .

Quote: Colorado with a bit of life there, as Feist will take this draw at center ice against Yakikov. Feist will win it back to Landry. Landry under pressure and he’ll dump it down the ice into the Colorado zone, no icing. Yvel is back to get the loose puck. He is hit hard by Feist and loses the puck. Wowzers. Yvel gains his footing and is able to get the puck back before Feist can take it, great individual effort by Yvel! He passes up the boards to Trev Legend, who dumps it into the St. Louis zone. It’ll be Feist back to get the puck and he’ll slide it up the wall to Erichsen. Erichsen brings the puck in the zone and he’ll send it back up to Landry. Landry looks to send the puck across AND ITS PICKED OFF BY YVEL. YVEL SENDS IT UP TO CASH MONEY AND COLORADO HAS A 3 ON 0 THE OTHER WAY. MONEY BACK TO YVEL, YVEL FAKES HIS SHOT AND SENDS IT OVER TO HAGAN, HAGAN SHOOTS AND HE SCORES! AND JUST LIKE THAT, COLORADO CASHES IN ON THE TURNOVER AND THIS GAME HAS NEW LIFE! 4-3 SCARECROWS.

But wait, there’s more. . . .

Quote:Svensson taking the faceoff against Westbrook as Colorado has St. Louis back on their heels now with two goals in 28 seconds. Svensson wins the draw back to Goddard. William Goddard decides to take it up the ice himself and moves into the St. Louis zone. He’ll pull up around the halfwall and looks to pass. Goddard still looking, sends it up to Leetch at the point. Matthew Leetch has it now and he finds Sim Browski down low as Colorado has set up in the Scarecrow zone. Browski with it, he’ll send it around the net to Frontdoor McGraw who already has one goal this period. McGraw, over to Svensson. Svensson back to Goddard. Goddard takes his time, find Browski down low, but he’ll give it right back to Goddard. Goddard again back to Browski. Browski is pressured and gives it back to Goddard who works a give and go with Browski right to the net HE SCORES. SIM BROWSKI BEATS KYLE WAHLGREN WITH A NIFTY BACKHAND MOVE AND THIS GAME IS ALL TIED AT FOUR A PIECE.

Three goals in one minute ties the game up for Colorado, who just barely stopped the final nail in the coffin. The tied game woke up St. Louis and Wahlgren and Allison put on a show the rest of the way, stopping all the shots they faced and this game got sent into overtime. As the horn sounded to signify the game going to overtime, St. Louis was notably upset by how they let this one get away. It would only take them 28 seconds to get back the game, and the victory.

Quote: Visser to take the draw against Stamkos to start the overtime. Visser wins it over to Kurczewski and he’ll start up ice. Kurczewski skates into the Colorado zone and takes a shot that’s kicked away by Curtis Allison. The puck travels towards the point and it’s picked up by Kelly Rivet. Rivet sends the puck down low to Jason Visser looking for a lane to the net, can’t find one and he’ll send it back to Rivet at the point. Rivet slides it to Landry. Landry sends it back to Rivet. Rivet can’t find a shooting lane and he’ll casually give it back to Landry. Colorado on their heels early in the overtime period. Landry can’t find a man down low so he gives it to Rivet once again. Rivet finds Kurczewski in the slot, he turns and takes the shot AND HE SCOOOOOORESSSSSSS! JOE KURCZEWSKI STEALS THE WIN BACK FOR THE SCARECROWS AND HE WINS IT IN OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVVEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRTIIIIIMMMEEEEEEEE!!!

Joe Kurczewski’s 5th of the season would be a big one, giving the Scarecrows back a game they tried to give away. Let’s look deeper into the game stats.
St. Louis dominated most of the game, which lead to a 33-22 edge in shots. The key statistic though is Penalty Minutes. Colorado spent much too much time in the box, giving the Scarecrows 7 different power plays! St. Louis made them pay for that lack of discipline, getting 3 goals with the extra man and building the 4-1 lead in the first two periods. Rudnikova didn’t have much of a chance with the team constantly playing down a man in front of her. Colorado would go on to lead defensive stats such as Hits (18-11) and Blocked Shots (10-5) mostly because they were killing a lot of penalties, and then once they tied the game early in the third, they stepped up the toughness.

THREE STARS
1. Joe Kurczewski (1 goal (GWG), 1 assist).
Kurczewski scored the overtime winner and added an assist early on too. He had a game high 5 shots and even won 5/9 Faceoffs today, which is unusual for the winger to take so many draws.
2. DarryL Landry (1 goal, 2 assists)
Landry had a lovely game with 3 points including the power play goal that opened the scoring. He also made a nice pass that lead to the Escobar goal as well. Smart play all around today.
3. Kelly Rivet (3 assists)
Rivet just keeps piling up the points, getting another 3 helpers today, including the main assist on the OT winner. He played a Scarecrow game high 23 minutes, and also blocked two shots. Great play from the St. Louis points leader tonight.