Giant Tigers

Kyle Publicover just needed his team to manage a single point against the Tigers to take sole possession of first place in the Nomad Hockey League, but Norm Gallant and the Two-Win Tigers were feeling pretty good as puck drop approached.  Goaltender Nick Comeau was fresh off his first win in months, albeit for another team, and Zero-Point Zack (Harrison) was talking about moving off the third line by finally registering a point, so the game was pretty much in the bag before the puck was even dropped.

We did verify however, and they did need to play the actual game, so out to the ice we went, and in the game's second minute, Cobee MacNaughton came down the left wing and snapped a shot off the left post and in past Jonny Prall. 

The Tigers looked to add to their lead after Carter Nickerson took a penalty for running Chad Hasegawa into his own net.  The power play went out and promptly scored no goals.

With 6:35 left to go in the first, James Harrison was sent in on a breakaway but Nick Comeau denied him.  James' buddy Landon got the next scoring chance for the Evergreens and he found the back of the net via the glove side to tie the game at 1, which is where the first period ended, but not before Ron Neaton went to the box for holding with just 5 seconds left.

Straight off the period opening faceoff, Landon Miron went forward and got by everyone with just Comeau ahead of him.  Miron's shot went 5-hole, but Comeau shut the door.  The Evergreens worked the puck around on the power play and after a couple of decent chances, the Tigers went to clear.  Kyle Gouthro stopped it and walked right in and wristed a shot high glove side to make it 2-1 for the Evergreens.

On what appeared to be a broken play as the Tigers entered the zone, Zack Harrison picked up the puck and threw it on goal.  It went right off Prall's head and into the top of the net as Zero-Point Zack shed his nickname.  Then Matt McNeil was given the puck by Allan Beaton and McNeil curled around the left wing circle and cut in toward the net.  It looked like he may go around the goal, but instead he fired a shot low and hard, beating Prall through the legs.  The score was 3-2 for the Tigers, but they had a lead on the Evergreens in their previous meeting as well.

Less than a minute after the McNeil marker, Miron got a little drop pass from Brock Bethune and he quickly took the shot.  It went off the left shoulder of Comeau and into. 3-3 with 6:17 remaining in the second.

A faceoff in the evergreens zone was won directly back to the point by Chad Hasegawa.  Norm Gallant collected it and waited for a brief moment as a lane to the net opened up.  He shot.  The high shot was redirected downward by Zack Harrison, and suddenly he was sitting on two goals on the season as he earned the new nickname 'Zero-Quit Zack'.  The Tigers were feeling good, about as good as Jamie Anstey's rave music would make you think.

No team can rest in their laurels however and Landon Miron was simply given too much time and space as he came into the zone and cut across the middle of the ice in the slot.  Going from right to left, he shot back against the grain and right under the glove of Comeau for his third hat trick, and league leading 28th point  of the season.

This game looked destined for the shootout.  With just 3 seconds left on the clock, Carter Nickerson was working his ass off to get a shot on the Tigers goal when he was knocked down.  From the left faceoff dot, and his ass, Nickerson fired a shot on goal.  It went just above Comeau's left pad and below his arm, but Comeau's reflexes were good and he caught the puck and stopped an otherwise epic GWG, so indeed, to the shootout.

The Tigers elected to go second.
E - Brock Bethune - save
T - Dan Keays - GOAL
E - Landon Miron - GOAL
T - Cobee MacNaughton - save
ok, then we had a shit ton of solid goaltending, with Comeau and Prall each saving the next 6 shots, then;
E - Jonny Bamford - save
T - Norm Gallant - The East Coast Beast - G.O.A.T. (L).

Coming in on his off wing, Gallant leaned into a wrist shot and blew it past Jonny Prall's glove for the game winner.  What a hero.  

Despite the loss, the Evergreens picked up that single point they needed to take sole possession of first place, and the Tigers 2 points helped them inch closer to the teams above them in the standings.

There are just 2 weeks left before the Christmas break so all teams will be looking to secure as many points as they can before the holidays.