Battle of the Basement

The Tigers were feeling good too.  They got on the ice for warmup missing just 3 players, and despite those being good players, the Eurekas had only 8, just one more than the Tigers themselves had last week.

Cobee MacNaughton was about to have himself a good night.  Cobee opened the scoring a few minutes in as he used his speed to get around the Eurekas forwards playing defence.  This would become a theme on the night.

Despite the lack of bodies, the Eurekas were playing well.  Nick Comeau in the Tigers goal has filled in a bunch for the Eurekas this season, so he was looking like a man in a mission to show his second team up.  He was stopping everything, including Rowan Ayers trying to replicate his shootout success with a five-hole attempt.

Wutke at the other end was getting bombarded and Cobee had another rush, this time off a feed from 88.  Cobee cut across the goal mouth and shot it over the blocker to make it 2-0 Tigers.  Then it was Justin “killer” Langille.  After ruining Greg Moffat’s musical career last week, Langille realized he had a hard shot and he was gonna use it.  From the top of the circle, he let one rip right into the top corner of the net for his second of the season and a 3-0 Tigers lead.

Cobee was looking for the hatty and he got his chance.  Inspired by the strong play of his captain, Cobee tried the “Normy no move”, except on the breakaway.  A move better known as the Kucherov. So in came Cobeerov, one on one with Wutke.  He leaves the puck as he moves his stick across, faking out the goaltender.  Wutke bites zero percent and Cobeerov is left looking like he blew it as he skated back to the bench.

Zack Harrison had to remind Cobeerov how it’s done as he went Bingo late in the first, and then with 24 seconds left in the period, Cobee did it, he completed the first period hat trick, assist to 88 (as is always required on any Tigers goal).

The Tigers took a 5-0 lead into the second period while Shannon Farrell and her Eurekas were lost for ideas as to how they could beat Comeau.  They didn’t give up and a few times it looked like they might score but in the spirit of the 4 Nations game, the Eurekas were all Swedish, no Finish.

Every chance the Tigers got, they looked to setup 88.  He had a great opportunity after a sleek toe drag and proceeded to lob one into Wutke’s bread basket from in tight.  But after the boys considered adding Gallant to their Do Not Pass list, Cobee and Norm got on a 2 on 1 as Gallant neglected his back-checking duties, Comeau’s shutout bid be damned.  Cobee was looking shot all day long, but at the end, he passed to over to Norm and Norm hit the back of the net for the 2nd time in 4 games.  Watch out, Gally is on fire and the Tigers are heating up for a playoff push.

The rest of the game would be as devoid of goals as the Eurekas bench was devoid of rested players.  Nick Comeau posted his first shutout of the season, and the Tigers move to within 4 points of the Greyhounds.  With just 3 games left and 9 points on the table, the Tigers can move as high as 6th.  The Eurekas would need to win out and have the Tigers go winless to be able to move out of 8th before the playoffs hit.