First Comment: Szlerchek’s 3 Keys to Vancouver’s Win

We saw an exciting game between the Vancouver Whalers and Lethbridge Lions, that ultimately saw Vancouver take the win after Lethbridge’s collapse. Vancouver would score 3 times in the third period, and here are the 3 keys to their success tonight. First key was the never quit attitude they showed. Despite outshooting the Lions 24-12 through 2 periods, the Whalers would see themselves down 2-0 in that same time. However, in the third period, while only having 7 shots they would capitalize on 3 of them. They finally wore down their opponents to tie it late, as in 17 seconds left in the game late, to tie Lethbridge. Another key was that their contributions came from all over. They had goals from their top line, their fourth line, and their top defensive pairing. It didn’t seem to matter who was on the ice in the third, everybody wanted to see the comeback happen. The third key was not allowing the Lions to expand their advantage in the second period, when there was an endless parade to the penalty box it seemed. Their PK was on point when they need to be, to keep the score close.


Second Comment: Pahajaarinen’s 3 Keys to Lethbridge’s Loss

The Lethbridge Lions suffered a devastating loss tonight at the hands of the Vancouver Whalers, 4-3 in a shootout. After having 2-0 and 3-2 leads in the third period, Lethbridge couldn’t hang on. Here are my 3 keys as to why this loss this game. First, is the monumental collapse in the third period. While they were outshot heavily, 24-12 through the first two periods, they did lead 2-0. Nolan McMahon was stellar in net through those 2 periods, but fell apart in the third. He gave up 3 goals on 7 shots in the third. Whether he became tired, or the caliber of shots was better, it was clear McMahon couldn’t keep up the strong play for 60 minutes. The team itself lost itself defensively, even though it was the best period in shots against. The ultimate killer was the goal with just 17 seconds left. Second key was their lack of production on the powerplay. Their go ahead goal was a powerplay goal in the third to make it 3-2, but they really blew a chance to put the game away in the second period. They went 0-3, 1-6 overall, in the second frame, in which they register only 6 shots in the period. The final key was their performance in the shootout. They were unable to put anything past Kasperi Braulin in the shootout. Adam Foley and Alec Sullivan were both stopped, while Boruvka Banananak missed the net completely.



Third Comment: AGH’s Closer Look at the First Star

Today we look at the matchup between the Lethbridge Lions and the Vancouver Whalers, where we saw the Whalers overcome 2-0 and 3-2 deficits to win in a shootout. First star, Jan Zacha of the Vancouver Whalers played a major part in this comeback win. Zacha is in his second season with the Vancouver Whalers, and was the 8th overall pick to the Toronto North Stars in season 49. He centers the Whalers top line, with Jon Forty-One and Bobby Bobcalf as his wingers. He is relied upon in all situations as his nearly five minutes on the penalty kill and two and a half minutes on the powerplay would suggest out of his 23 minutes total played. He was prolific in the faceoff circle taking 18 of the 31 he drew on. While he did not score on his 3 shots, he was able to assist on Vancouver’s first goal and the game-tying goal with just 17 seconds left in the third. Those big assists when they needed them most is why Zacha was able to take home the first star of the game.