Norsemen Go Big

The Lions and Norsemen were tied in the standings Wednesday morning.  By the end of the day, they most certainly were not.

 

It was the Lions who started the game with a little more pep in their step.  Jarrett Carter put a puck off the post and then Sprague’s ass, but the puck didn’t cross the line, and on the next shift a shot wide of the goal sat at the post off the end boards, but the Lions couldn’t connect.  Then Keegan Lewis got stoned by Phil Sprague’s glove on a 2 on 1. 

 

Joey Richard took a point shot that hit Dustin Hall right in the ribs.  He got a backhand off as he dropped, the puck doing a rainbow arc over Sprague and in to give the Lions the 1-0 lead.  They also had 6 shots on goal to the Norsemen’s none.

 

Landon Miron would get the first shot 30 seconds later in a play where he jammed the net and ended up landing on Trevor Pate in the crease.  Landon was feeling it.  He did a little spinorama move to get into the Lions zone and setup Jeff Miles in front.  Pate made the big save.  The Lions though, kept up the pressure.  Jarrett Carter made a nice pass to Stephen Warwick in front, but the pass narrowly eluded him.  

 

Then Norsemen got a boost when Jeff Miles stole a puck off a Lions defender in the neutral zone.  He skated into the Lions zone and his shot went off Pate’s stick and into the top of the net to tie the game at 1 with 10 minutes left in the first.

 

Dustin Hall took a pass from Jamie Richard and was off alone on the breakaway.  He froze Phil Sprague and with a whole open fucking net, he lost the handle and the TSN turning point was activated.

 

Jeff Miles fed Nick Marshall, who got the puck to Landon Miron and his breakaway didn’t involve a Miss, just a clean shot past the glove of Pate.  2-1 Norsemen.

 

Keith Webb nearly got it back immediately, but a loose rebound went off the foot of Thomas Saunders and Webb’s swing was at nothing but the open net in front of him.  Saunders cleared the puck to Landon in the corner and the Norsemen went up ice, the breakout pass up to James Harrison.  He made a pass to Nick Marshall across the crease for the one timer.  2 goals in 20 seconds for the Norsemen.

 

Jarrett Carter went in on a breakaway right off the draw but Sprague tracked his move well and made the stop, then Carter tipped a Webb shot, but a Sprague was once again up to the task.

 

Darren Ells swiped in a shot off a pass from Dylan Kugler and the wheels were officially off the Lions wagon.  It was about to get less than pretty for the yellow team. Ray Carrigan, Nick Marshall, and Landon Miron would each add goals before the first was out, the Marshall goal being an absolute beauty with nice passing and the perfect finish as Marshall got in behind the D to redirect the pass off the post and in.  Landon’s goal was also assisted by the Zamboni door as it was a dump in by Marshall that was the perfect bounce off the door to Landon for the easy tap in.

 

In the second period, the Lions looked a bit better.  Keith Webb had a couple shots to the left of Sprague, and while they didn’t go in, the Lions were pressing.  Sprague got risky with a dump in, playing it to a Lions player and having to make a good save as he retreated back to the net.

 

Trevor Pate, despite being pissed with how his team was playing in front of him, and rightly so, was keeping things at bay in the second, that was until the Lions made too many soft clearance attempts and Landon Miron was all too happy to take the puck give and go with Marshall, then go top cheese for the 8-1 marker.  

 

Keegan Lewis them pulled out the UNO reverse card.  He took a pass from Connor Tousignant and got stopped on his first shot, but roofed the rebound.  He then had a slow backhand rebound goal 14 seconds later and the Lions suddenly felt alive.

 

Sprague had to make a good blocker save on Jamie Richard, then a save of a Hall deflection and rebound as the momentum swung in the Lions favour as they his 30 shots on goal.

 

Pate made a point blank save on Darren Ells at the other end and then a save on a Kugler backhand deke after the Lions failed to get a shot on a 2 on 1.

 

Taylor McKay’s breakout pass sent Stephen Warwick up through the middle of the ice.  He tried to dangle Blake Isenor but he mishandled it, which worked and then he passed it to Jarrett Carter who one timed the puck in and we were at 8-4 and it felt like a game once more.

 

Then Landon walked everyone as he fought off about 12 checks, popped the water bottle and the Norsemen had 9.  Keith Webb got one back after some nice passing, but that would be as close as the Lions would get.

 

While the Norsemen would add 2 more goals, both goalies would have their save of the game in the last few minutes.  Phil Sprague made a brilliant glove save on Steven Warwick, and Trevor Pate made a full splits sliding pad save on Ray Carrigan.

The big win for the Norsemen puts them into third place as the standings are wildly competitive this season.