Mya Ferguson Gets Involved

One regulation win.  That’s all the Evergreens are looking for before Christmas.  Conversely, the Osprey were seeking to continue having zero regulation losses, and these teams were facing each other Wednesday night.

 

The Osprey came out strong, and when Isaac Pelley forced a turnover one minute in, he fed Scott Stewart for a one timer.  Jamie Wutke was in position for the save, but the shot was wide and went off Evergreens defenseman Luke Hawrylak and just missed the goal.

 

Keaton Hicks had a shot on goal that deflected off a stick and Wutke had to be quick to make the save with his blocker.  The Evergreens finally got their first shot on goal off the rush, just over two minutes in, but Baird absorbed it like a sponge.

 

After a couple plays that just failed to click for the Osprey, Silas Bonnell turned the puck up ice and as he got to Baird, he passed the puck across.  It sauced over Baird’s stick and off the leg off Greg Moffat defending in front.  Baird was sliding across and was fortunate to have the redirection go right off the top of his right pad and stay out, otherwise the Evergreens had the lead.

 

Rohan Dempsey had a good chance up the left wing just afterwards, but Kenny Shea outskated him and denied the shot on goal, yet the Osprey persisted.  They shut down every passing lane and worked hard.  Michael Bourgeois had an amazing play to keep the puck in, diving to the blue line and then, with the puck on his stick, he pulled it back, hooking it into the zone.  If he hadn’t done it so well, it would have been an odd man situation for the Osprey, but he hooked it too hard and it went to the Evergreens, but the Bourgeois got up and broke that play up too.

 

The Evergreens found a few little chances, but not much of high quality and it was starting to feel like and Osprey go ahead goal was inevitable.  Josh Martel, having the season of his career, made a nice little pass to a rushing Nick Collins and Collins went in alone from the ringette line.  He deked to his backhand and shot, but couldn’t beat Wutke.  Scott Stewart had a glorious chance but his shot hit the shaft of Wutke’s stick and was cleared by Derek Hale out of the air.

 

Keaton Hicks was given far too much time and space to walk in towards the Evergreen’s goal, and his backhand was stopped, but Rohan Dempsey was there to tuck the rebound around Wutke to open the scoring with just over 5 to play in period one.

 

Max Dewey went to play a puck off the boards in the Osprey zone and mishandled it.  Matt Simpson politely said “thank you” and was off.  He had a breakaway from his own blueline and he looked at his options on the menu and decided on a little deke with a backhand slide five hole.  It was served perfectly and the Osprey had a two goal lead with a couple minutes still to go in the first.  The Osprey finished the period on the power play which the Evergreens defended well.  The shots on goal favoured the pink team 15-10.

 

Keaton Hicks and Rohan Dempsey were looking good on a line together as Hicks took a pass in the opening seconds of the period, taking the shot that Wutke had to make a big slide to stop.  

 

With little in the way of exciting hockey, Mya Ferguson decided to spice it up a bit.  As one of the youngest players in the league, she spotted one of the oldest and decided to mark her territory.  She went right at the senior Bonnell and high sticked him.  The refs were on to her and called her for the infraction.  She had buyer’s remorse and apologized to her team as she was chirped for risking Matt Baird’s shutout bid.

 

Greg Bonnell could only laugh, for it was now his time to shine.  They don’t call him “Apples Bonnell” for nothing.  On the power play, he struck.  Firing the puck on goal, Ivan Kravchenko got himself into position and deflected the shot.  It went through Baird’s legs and in, the Evergreens were back in it.  Mya did the walk of shame back behind her team and sat down, knowing she owed them.

 

The goal was just the first shot of the period for the Evergreens and they came alive.  That life was short lived and resulted in a total of zero shots on goal before the Osprey punched back.  Rohan just missed over the crossbar.  Simpson got two shots on goal in tight after being in the middle of a Silas and Levangie sandwich.  Another goal was being built up towards.

 

Blake Irvine nearly flipped the script as he clapped one barely wide of the top corner, and Luke Levangie had a good shot that Baird needed to stop, but the Osprey marched on, right to a power play.

 

Travis Hatcher made a nice keep in at the line and poked it to Red Hot Rohan Dempsey.  Rohan out worked Derek Hale and went to the net from the corner.  He appeared to lose control for a moment and Wutke moved slightly forward thinking the puck would be his, but Dempsey regained control and then deked around Wutke for his second of the night.

 

It was the best stretch of hockey for the Evergreens in the next two minutes, but nothing came of it, and the Osprey came back up ice with two scoring opportunities that Wutke denied as his save percentage increased.  With exactly one minute left, Wutke skated to the bench and Cobee MacNaughton hopped over the boards.

 

A puck slowly entered the Osprey zone, right to Matt Baird.  The impartial timekeeper yelled “go for it”, as he hoped to see a goalie goal.  Maybe Baird thought about it.  If he could get it past the players in the zone, he would have no-one there to get the puck as it sailed toward the empty net.  This was probably in his mind as he was beside the net and decided to drop it back.  He mishandled the puck as Derek Hale neared, but he managed to poke it away, and it went right to Calum MacKinnon who was coming towards the net with speed.  He went around Baird and had the empty net in front of him to make it a 1 goal game.  Hold the phone.  Mya Ferguson was there to pay off some debts.  She got her skate on MacKinnon’s shot on the goal line and kept it out.

 

The Osprey wouldn’t find an empty net goal, but saving one would give the, just as much satisfaction and they took the 3 points with the 3-1 lead.  They will face the struggling Lions next week as the Evergreens have the Norsemen.