The Monday Nighters

It was another 3 gamer on Monday night as the Sable and Wolfpack had a rest day while the other 6 teams were battling it out at the RBC Centre.  The winless Highlanders were playing against the undefeated Falcons in the 9:00 game.  

 

David Lacey was feeling good about his chances when he say the depleted lineup on the other side of the ice, as the Falcons were missing some of their top talent.  As it would turn out, David would be right.

 

Just 82 seconds into the game, Brock Bethune was left alone in front of the net and he roofed a shot over the glove of Josh McCarther to give the Highlanders the lead.  Josh would see lots of rubber as the Falcons struggled to get out of their own zone.  With just under 12 minutes to play, the Highlanders went to the power play when Dustin Hall took Kyle Gouthro down.  Then Robin Gareau went to the box for a trip, quietly smiling the whole way to join Hall.

 

Up on the 5 on 3, the Highlanders were up 2 men for just 10 seconds when the Falcons Josh Flemming blocked a shot and went in on a breakaway.  He went top glove and tied the game with the rare shorty on a 2 man disadvantage.  

 

The Falcons killed the first penalty, but the Highlanders persistence paid off as Taylor McKay picked up a puck in the slot for a power play marker to restore the lead.  With 4:27 left in the first, Greg Delano found a rebound at the side of the net and roofed it to make it 3-1.

 

The second period was similar to the first in that the Highlanders held the bulk of the play, but the Falcons finally started getting chances.  Evan Dutrizac, filling in for Logan MacLean in the Highlanders goal, made some solid saves in his limited action, while Josh McCarther wouldn’t allow another goal.  Unfortunately for the falcons, they just couldn’t get anything strung together, and with an empty netter to Delano in the dying seconds, the Highlanders picked up their first victory of the young season.

 

On Rink B we have the Astros and Voyageurs and short Shannon Farrell, it was the Boyageurs getting first blood with a Jeff Miles goal.  Then Darren Ells for the Astros a minute later with a tap in goal after Jonathan Webber made a beauty pass back door.

 

Ryan Kinley, put the Voyageurs back in front with just 30 seconds left in the first as the teams traded chances.  The second period was scoreless for the first half until Landon Miron took a James Harrison pass and then fought off a check for the goal.

 

Zack Harrison has been on fire this season, generating a lot of chances and helping push the Astros zone time.  He was rewarded with his second goal of the season when he tipped in a point shot to put the Astros up 3-2.

 

With 4:12 to play, a shot from Derick Levesque went off the shoulder (head?) of Jared Worth and then went up into the air, dropping behind the goaltender in the crease.  Cobee MacNaughton was on the doorstep waiting and he tapped the puck in the tie the game back up once more.

 

There was a faceoff to the left of Voyageurs goalie Andrew Lowery and despite the Voyageurs winning the draw, they immediately gave it away to Ryan Boucher.  He found James Harrison at the top of the circle.  Harry fired a shot and Lowery made the save, kicking the puck out to his left, but just like the giveaway moments earlier, the puck went right to Bouch, and he immediately slammed it home.

 

The Voyageurs pulled Lowery and promptly got scored on as Landon Miron shot the puck into the empty net from just inside his own zone.  The win put the Astros in first while they awaited the Starrs finish vs the Wolverines.

 

Those Starrs and Wolverines were in a tight battle back in rink D.  Neither team was looking like they really wanted a win for much of the first as the goalies were stopping everything.  That was until 1:14 of the first.  Kenzie Wadden had a fire lit under his ass and deked through a few Wolverines and was alone against Ashton Speight.  Ashton was rumoured to have found he was missing an edge as the game started and as Wadden came in, Speight started to back up, then he went ass over tea kettle and Kenzie just chipped the puck into the open top of the net.  

 

The pesky Wolverines fought back.  After Phil Sprague made one save, the puck came to Carter Nickerson alone in the slot.  He fanned on his first attempt, but had time and space to get a second chance, and he made no mistake that time, putting it past the glove of Sprague with just 5.4 seconds left in the period to tie the game at the break.

 

Starrs power forward Pat Oxner let Kenzie Wadden carry the mail, getting another golden opportunity on Speight.  This time Ashton didn’t fall and he made the save.  Oxner was following the whole play and the rebound just sat there for him to storm in and bury.  2-1 Starrs.

 

With 8:10 left in the second, Rohan Dempsey thought he caught Sprague napping as he came around the net for a wraparound.  Sprague got across the crease and stopped him, but the puck rattled around and could be seen nearly crossing the line between his legs, but it didn’t and the Starrs stayed up a goal.  Off the faceoff, the Starrs pushed forward with Pat Oxner running the show.  He got through everyone and alone on Speight, just like earlier with Kenzie going in, he got the shot and Speight saved it, leaving a rebound for the taking.  Kenzie was too slow however and the puck was cleared before he could get there.

 

Time wound down and the Wolverines, still very much in the game, pulled Ashton.  However, as he skated to the bench, the Starrs cleared the puck down the ice and he had to rush back to the net.  Without enough time to get set, he made a good save and the puck went to the right wing to Pete Swistun.  Swistun roofed a shot from the faceoff dot as Speight made a full extension.  3-1 Starrs with 1:32 left.  That would be how the game would end, the Wolverines taking not just the loss in the game, but also losing Taylor Baird to an ankle injury and Jamie Richard went down awkwardly in the final seconds as his future remains in doubt.

 

The Starrs win puts them in a tie for first with the Astros.  All 8 teams will be in action Wednesday night.