<div align="center">Game 199: Montreal Militia @ Colorado Mammoths

Militia winger Wesley Wells dekes Ekaterina Rudnikova in the shootout for the game winner</div>

Colorado and Montreal's last regular-season matchup would start out fast, with a goal before the 9 minute mark and 2 more (split one a piece) within seconds of each other 5 minutes later, but an early 3rd period goal would force extra time. Neither team could break the seal, and the goalie battle went to Montreal as Ekaterina Rudnikova let in 3 goals to Stephen Harris's 2.

<div align="center">Mic'd Up: Ekaterina Rudnikova
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It feels like you got robbed of a victory here tonight, how important is the goalie battle to a game's outcome?
I think it’s the most important thing. If both goalies are playing well, than it truly comes down to the skaters on the ice, and that is what makes a good game. Without both goalies fighting to be better than the other, the game will be far more boring.

You had a great save percentage, but a lot of shots on goal, even with your defense's 13 shots blocked. What can your squad do differently to keep the puck out of your end?
We need to tighten up on the back end, and really go out there and give it our all every shift. I know my guys are trying, but it’s hard to consistently step into net and know we will be outshot every game. I think working harder on playing a more shut down style on both ends of the ice is what’s important, and just possessing the puck a little bit more.

Which would you rather have: the loser OT/SO point or a decision in regulation? This marks the 8th OTL/SOL recorded by you this year.
Well, clearly I’d rather have the win in regulation. But throughout the season, especially when we’re fighting for every point, I’ll take the loss in extra time. We haven’t had the best track record with games like that, but any points are better than none.

Describe what was going on through your head as Viatcheslav Orlov, Zach Zyvleski, and Wesley Wells came your way during the shootout? What changes headed to your next shootout?
I was hoping they would miss. Near the end of the shootout, though, I was really just trying to find whatever focus I had left - it was a marathon. I think for my next shootout, I need to be more confident in my own abilities to stop the shots in close, and not second-guess myself. I hesitated on a lot of those, even the ones that I saved, and I think I just need to trust in myself.

Who would you say was your best friend in the defensive zone tonight? Is that usual for that person?
Tonight, Yvel really stood out to me. He really worked hard in our end, and I think he had like, three or four blocked shots? And then assisted on both of our goals, so it was pretty nice to have him around tonight. And yeah, I think he’s usually more of a difference maker than people realize, so it’s not totally unusual.

Who was your worst enemy on the Militia offensive charges? Is there anything you learned about the play style that you can work on changing moving forward?
For me personally tonight, it felt like Forbrook was everywhere. I really think we need to be better at shutting down a team’s top players, because I was getting massive amounts of shots from the same people over and over again. We’re starting to mesh more as a team, though, and I think we’re in a good place heading into the postseason.

<div align="center">Stat of the Night: Shots</div>

- 71 Shots, 21 Shots Missed the Net (29.58%), 50 Shots on Goal (71.42%), 13 Shots Blocked (26%), 3 Hit the Post (6%), 32 Saves (64%), 2 Goals (4%), 8 Shootout Shots, 2 Missed the Net (25%), 3 Saves (37.5%), 3 Goals (37.5%)
- 35 Shots, 12 Shots Missed the Net (34.29%), 23 Shots on Goal (65.71%), 5 Shots Blocked (21.74%), 1 Hit the Post (4.35%), 15 Saves (65.22%), 2 Goals (8.70%), 8 Shootout Shots, 1 Missed the Net (12.5%), 5 Saves (62.5%), 2 Goals (25%)

There's no doubt who the winner is if you look at the shot clock. Montreal had almost as many missed shots as Colorado did ones that were on target, and that large discrepancy usually results in a blowout. This stat really shows some of the value of Ekaterina Rudnikova, as she was able to stop the shots that made it her way in such a high volume, but it was the shootout that separated the teams, not regulation. While Harris's effort was decent during 3 periods and extra time, his effort in the shootout, fresher than Kat due to a smaller workload, was spectacular. The Militia couldn't keep it on goal, but were able to make the shootout dangles that did make it on net count, while the Mammoths could only muster a few good chances off their on-target shots. Had the Mammoths outshot the Militia by the same margin, the result would be a landslide victory for the home team. Instead, the Militia ride out road warriors with the win.

<div align="center">Scrub of the Game: Jaylor Toast</div>

Oh boy, where to begin? Toast got 18 minutes of ice time and utterly wasted them. One minute was spent fighting off the penalty kill, which is somewhat decent, but he only registers two stats the rest of the time. His one hit came in the middle of the 3rd period immediately after a faceoff, trying to wear down the Mammoths center, but Toast couldn't even remove Olson Stuart from the puck! His 2 shots were no success either, with one at the end of the 1st being an easy leg deflection and the other in the middle of the 2nd a safe glove save. This can be counted as a truly forgettable performance.

FINAL SCORE - SO
- 3
- 2