wow, what a game tonight. not exactly what i expected but i'll take it. we came out against a team that had underperformed in the past and definately wasnt the same team that lost to the titans 2-0.
we came out strong and kept the pressure on them and managed to get the 1st goal at the 7:14 mark of the first period. cowin AKA Bufyglien was in front of the net and somehow managed to pot a goal on a pass from ross smiley AKA Mr. "hustle his ass off all day", and put us ahead. it was a nice confidence boost for the team but as much as we hustled our asses off after that goal we couldnt seem to get another one to go ahead 2-0.
on to the second period, it was relatively quiet for them. we were controlling the ball but couldnt get decent shots on net. be it due to the shot blocking skills they had or the fact that when guys would get the ball they would hesitate a little too long or hold onto the ball a little too long waiting for a perfect opportunity and end up losing it to them. they had a few odd man chances but we're good at getting back on the back check and shutting them down. not to mention baskie is great in net.
they got a goal on an UGLY shot/deflection in front of our net on a powerplay and tied the game up 1-1 with 2:46 to go in the second and that deflated our sails somewhat. a quick line change solved that. next line out was Stabs, Brawlett and me and we won the face off, played it into their zone, brawlett brought it around the left side and almost behind the net and i was wide open and he was looking to pass it so he fired it in front and it went off Stabs leg and in. not the prettiest goal but its not like we wouldnt take it.
in the third period i could tell we were starting to get outplayed just a bit but its all good. that shit happens from time to time and we manage to pull through.
they were getting some good chances but so were we and it was still 2-1 for us so nothing to worry about. until about the 4 minute mark of the 3rd that is. they got it into our end and the communication broke down somewhat at they had a guy wide open in front of our net and sniped a goal to tie the game up again. it wasnt really anyones fault. me and stabs were covering our point men, it was just a brain fart by someone that resulted in a goal. no big deal.
2 minutes later johnston started a rush and gained the zone, then sat at the blue line for about 5 seconds and no one even made a move to go after him to pressure him so he just wound up and rifled a slapshot right by their goalie on the ground and we were back on top 3-2 with 2:44 left in the 3rd. a minute later hackett potted a goal to put us ahead 4-2. i cant remember how he scored but it was at the 1:44 mark of the 3rd and we were feeling pretty good at that point.
we played hard till the end, i keep saying "play to win, dont play not to lose" and it kind of works.
ross took a penalty with 34 seconds left in the game on a dive by a kid on their team. the same guy that stabs fell on earlier in the game and this dude proceeded to run over to the ref after a whistle and whine to him, to no avail. the ref knew he was being a pussy and didnt want to hear it. for some reason he gave ross a penalty on a dive and the ended up scoring with 1 second left to make the game 4-3 but too little to late. we won and now we're over .500 for the first time this year.
overall it was a good game, we got the W and thats all that really matters.
special mention to ross, he was running his ass off all game and hustling hard. whether it be on the forecheck, backcheck, breakout, or just running to the bench for a change. he had a really good game and it paid off, he got an assist and helped us get a win.
another special mention to cowin. 2 game goal scoring streak and he had 2 points today. more than me, and im pretty sure he now has more goals in 5 games than he did all last season in the winter.
good game by baskie. he kept us in the game and gave us a reason to play hard and win.
jason rolled or sprained his ankle halfway through the game and didnt leave the bench, which is probably what i would have done. he stayed there and stayed with the team and provided moral support that we needed in the dying minutes of the game when we werent leading.
one more special mention to Heavy Beavy. he actually took a slapshot today and it made it to the net. all my harrasing him to shoot when he has it actually paid off and sooner or later he's gonna snipe a beauty goal. hopefully.
good win today team. next week we play the Whalers at 8pm. HUGE game. like... MASSIVE!!!
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