Osprey Looking to down the Eurekas

The league leading Osprey were taking on a team that has exceeded expectations early this season, the Eurekas.

Scott Stewart had a good early chance that Ashton Speight got a shoulder on to stop the Osprey forward from scoring.  The Osprey were carrying the play for the first 6 minutes as the Eurekas attempted only 3 rushes and 2 were kept outside and Carter Nickerson got close as he drove the net on the other.  The Osprey couldn’t take advantage of their possession and the game remained scoreless until Nickerson got his second chance on the same shift.  Connor Slaunwhite got a puck in deep and tried to feed Dylan Warren but Scott Stewart lifted his stick.  The puck went past them and right to Carter in the slot.  He took the shot and it deflected off Travis Hatcher and in past Matt Baird.  1-0 Eurekas at the 10:16 mark.

Immediately off the next draw, Josh Stevens went in and got a good shot on goal, but still nothing was going in for the Osprey.  The game was also starting to even out a bit as the Eurekas were confident following their goal.  Keifer Gladwin nearly potted a goal off a Jake Rankin back door pass, but he couldn’t get his stick on it.  Then the Eurekas took a penalty and the Osprey power play setup.  Scott Stewart sent the puck to Mya Ferguson at the left point, she went D to D and Nick Collins walked in, shooting through a screen, he levelled the score as Jake Rankin left the box early.

Keaton Hicks setup Dorian Brooks on a 2 on 1 for the Osprey, but Ashton Speight got across to deny him.  The Eurekas won the ensuing draw and Evan Ridley received the puck in the neutral zone.  His wrister from the top of the circle went top shelf past Baird’s glove and the Eurekas went up 2-1 with just 3 minutes left in the first.

The second period did not start well for Brian Collins’ Eurekas.  Matt Simpson lost the draw and then got the puck back immediately.  He entered the Eurekas zone and dropped the puck to Josh Stevens who shot the puck into the top of the net to tie the game at 2, just 8 seconds into the period.  Then Jake Rankin took a shot in the nuts from his own guy, and the puck went up the ice, Josh Stevens nearly scoring his second of the shift.  20 seconds later, Josh Martel stole a puck as Bourgeois pressured the Eurekas player and Martel passed to Keaton Hicks whose shot went in through the five hole of Speight, 3-2 Osprey just 95 seconds into the second.  quite the turnaround.

The Osprey kept rolling, this time it was Rohan Dempsey making a pass to Stevens as Dempsey circled the net.  Josh was alone and he was then celebrating his second of the night.  The went up 5-2 when Josh Steven had his shot deflected wide of the net and Matt Simpson was there for an empty netter.  The game felt out of reach but don’t count the Eurekas out.

Greg Moffatt bodied George Murray in a possible TSN turning point moment.  On the penalty kill, Nick Collins gave the puck away to Dylan Warren and Warren took a stride and backhanded a shot that beat Baird blocker side.  5-3 with 6:51 still left.  A shot wide by the Osprey rimmed around and George Murray got it, then fed Jake Rankin.  Rankin also beat Baird’s blocker and the game was 5-4 with 4:22 left and momentum on the Eurekas side.  But that momentum died right then and there.  They tried to come back but could barely even get another shot off as the Osprey moved to 10 points and are the only team remaining without a regulation loss.