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Matty7478 · 04-22-2020, 09:54 AM

Newfoundland Berserkers vs. Carolina Kraken Kraken

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Introduction
Today, the Newfoundland Berserkers would travel south to the Spectrum Center in Charlotte to face the struggling Carolina Kraken. The Berserkers came into this game lacking any semblance of form, having lost their last 6 games in a row. While they still posed a threat to other teams looking to finish in the top 2 places, they would have to stop their current slide to have any chance of really putting others under pressure down the stretch. Their opponents in the Kraken had been lingering at the bottom of the table all season - with a 8-22-2 record up until this point, a serious bounce back would have to take place for the Kraken to pull of any miraculous comeback in the table this season.

The goalie match-up pit impressive rookie starter Cale Amundsen against Kraken backup Monty Montgomery. Amundsen had been in a class of his own coming into this game, ultimately carrying the Berserkers to their current place in the table; sporting a 12-7-2 record in goals and a 2.73 GAA, he is a goalie to be feared. Montgomery meanwhile had not seen the ice often up to this point; with an 0-1-0 record and 3.04 GAA, many were unsure what to expect from Montgomery, and so expected the Berserkers to have enough in this game to overcome the Kraken.

First Period
The majority of the first period was spent by each team feeling their way into the game. While there were shots to speak off in the early minutes, the goaltenders were easily a match for the early testing shots that would come their way. An early opportunity for a Powerplay came when Adam Friedland went into the penalty box for 2 minutes for holding; however, the Berserkers could not take advantage of the man advantage. And they would pay for this lack of edge as, half way through the 12th minute of the period, a clean breakaway from Michael Lee resulted in an easy goal past the helpless Amundsen. The Kraken would hold onto this lead as the game entered the second period.

End of 1st: NL 0-1 CAR

Second Period
The second period would continue with the same game script as the first; while there were large periods of inaction, Carolina still firmly held control over the game. And soon, they would make this pressure pay off, with Nilsen netting his 4th goal of the season after tipping in the assist from Michael Lee. Suddenly being faced with the need to catch up from 2 goals behind, Newfoundland would become more frantic in their play. This would result in three separate penalty incidents through the rest of the second period; and though Carolina would not be able to capitalise and net any more chances, the Berserkers would need to recover their composure if they looked to stand any chance at winning as they went into the third period.

End of 2nd: NL 0-2 CAR

Third Period
As Newfoundland tried to muster some level of offence to come back into the game as the third period began, it looked as if they had finally began to wear away at the momentum that the Kraken had built throughout the first 2 periods. After multiple efforts, the Berserkers would eventually get their breakthrough 9 minutes into the quarter as Guy LeGrande would cruise into the slot and - with the assistance of Twist and Wallace - would score a snapshot to bring the deficit down to one. However, Newfoundland would not be able to find another goal to tie the game up, and the Kraken would escape this game with their 9th win of the season. With this loss, the Berserkers suffered a 7th straight loss, and fell to a record of 14-15-3.

End of Regulation: NL 1-2 CAR

Three Stars
The three stars for this game were given out as follows:

1) Michael Lee (CAR) - 1 G, 1 A
2) Cale Amundsen (NL) - SV: 40, SV%: .952
3) Patric Twist (NL) - 0 G, 1 A

Michael Lee was the deserved first star in this game - having a part to play in both the goals that brought the Kraken to this important win.
Amundsen, as normal during his rookie campaign, impressed greatly between the sticks and kept Newfoundland in a game where they could have lost sight of the lead early.
And Patric Twist earned the third star for the game on the back of a 1 assist, 1 +/- performance. While the result did not go their way today, Twist was an important presence on the ice offensively, and provided some of the best forward momentum when he was getting time. While others may have had more obviously impressive statlines, the workhorse performances of Twist will likely continue earning plaudits as the season reaches its conclusion.

Final Score: Berserkers

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