Aurora Guiding Norsemen to Defeat

Game 2 of the Norsemen and Aurora’s semi final went ahead Tuesday night with the Aurora holding a 1-0 series lead.  The Norsemen were looking to open the scoring as they went in on a 2 on 1 with Travis Hatcher the only defender back for the Aurora.  Hatcher blocked the Josh Stevens shot and Matt Simpson picked up the puck and turned up ice.  He set his wheels to turbo and flew up the ice at full speed.  As he entered the zone he deked around the D and with just Blake Isenor left to beat as he came across the ice, Simpson elected to shoot and it went past the glove of Phil Sprague and into the top corner.  The Aurora’s first shot on net was a goal, not quite 90 seconds into the game.  It would be an uphill battle for the Norsemen.

Ryan Clarke nearly added to the Aurora lead when he redirected a point shot just wide of the net.  Sprague would make a brilliant save on a tip later in the period when he had to reach back to his left with his glove as he slid to the right post.  The Norsemen were being heavily outshot, but it still remained 1-0. 

Mike Bourgeois was able to get a shot through to the goal from the blue line, nothing too hard, but it made it through traffic and hit the pads of Logan MacLean.  The rebound was kicked out to the right of the goaltender and Pete Swistun was just sitting on the back post waiting for the gift to arrive.  He easily converted it into a goal, a game tying goal with 8:02 left in the first.  A new game was afoot.  

Any momentum the Norsemen were pulling from their goal, was quickly evaporating when they went to the penalty kill.  Phil Sprague made a diving save early in the penalty kill when Brandon Crowell got the puck in the corner with the goalie out of position.  The puck hopped up and over Sprague but managed to stay out. The Norsemen managed to keep scoring chances low, but Travis Hatcher would throw a wrister on goal in the second half of the penalty, and Matthew Pare redirected it.  The puck went right through the legs of Sprague, the Aurora were back on top by one.

Sprague made a nice series of saves on Matt Simpson with 2:20 to go in the period, and then Norsemen captain Blake Isenor would fight through a couple of Aurora to throw a shot on goal in the final minute.  Logan MacLean never saw it coming.  The puck hit him and dropped down at his feet.  Connor Tousignant was there for the rebound and he swung at it.  MacLean made a kick save and then another.  The Norsemen took 5 shots of their period total of 9, in the last minute.  The Aurora took 17 in the period and left with the 2-1 lead.

10 seconds into the second period, Tom Saunders threw a puck on goal from the neutral zone.  Logan mishandled it and then nearly gave it to the Norsemen as he tried to slide it to his defenceman.  The Norsemen bench started shouting to throw everything on goal, believing MacLean to be feeling shaky.  They just couldn’t find a way to complete that task.  

With just over 5 minutes gone in the period, Josh Stevens shrugged off a couple checks, including one inside the Aurora’s zone as he rushed the puck North.  As he got free, he fired, his shot going straight through the open legs of Logan MacLean, the game was tied once more.

For 6 minutes the teams struggled to make anything happen.  Some minor scoring chances went wither way, but there was nothing to show for it.  That’s when Brandon Crowell got the puck at the top of the circle to the left of Sprague.  He zipped a wrister  over the blocker and into the top corner of the net.  Under 6 minutes left to play, and the Aurora were holding another lead.

Brandon Crowell nearly found the back of the net just 20 seconds later, but Sprague stoned him.  Mike Bourgeois had a dangerous point shot with 4 minutes to go, one that created a couple rebound chances to the right of Logan, ones he had to hold close to the post to deny, and he did.

Matt Simpson was sprung for another chance with 2 minutes left in the game, his chance was identical to the one he opened the scoring on with the glove side of the net open.  He shot the puck and nailed the corner cross bar, then was forced to his own end to play defence.  

In the final minute, the Norsemen pulled their goalie and threw pucks and bodies to the net.  Their barrage wouldn’t bear fruit, and the Aurora held on to win their 4th straight playoff game.  They are set to face the Osprey in the final which begins at 9:30pm tonight at the RBC Centre.

With every series being a sweep this year, we will see one team winning their 5th straight playoff game tonight, with a chance to make it 6 on Tuesday, it’s just a question as to which team that will be.  Come out to the rink and see for yourself.