Tiger Town

After not scoring last game, only the third time he had been kept off the sheet this season, Brandon Crowell was looking to help his Tigers get a win Thursday night vs the Lions.  He would find a way to contribute. Quickly.  He scored the game’s opening goal just 20 seconds in, the first shot of the game, a clean break as he got around the Lions D and then deked around Trevor Pate.

Iain Duncan made a pass to Andrew MacDonald who just tipped the puck wide of the goal, but Eric Blanchard wasn’t happy about that, so 30 second later, he kicked the puck off the stick of Connor Tousignant, through the legs of Josh McCarther, and into his own goal, to tie the game at 1, as he threw his head back in frustration.

On the next shift, McCarther came out of his net to play the puck.  Dustin Hall knocked it out of the air but couldn’t beat Josh as he back pedalled into his net.  He got two shots off, the second going just over the bar and wide.  Jamie Richard got the luck in the corner and sent it back to Hall all alone in front.  He reached and dropped to a knee, and fired.  McCartney made the glove save to shut him down.

Kurt Thibault fired a shot in the rush that just missed wide if the net and then Kurt tried to spring Crowell for a breakaway but Joey Richard knocked the pass out of the air to shut that down.

With Dan Keats rushing the puck into the Lions zone, he was surrounded and the puck knocked away.  Ron Beaton comes rolling in and claps the loose puck right off the crossbar, dead centre of the net.  The puck pops off the bar and hits Kyle Wearherbee in the chin as he reached up with his hand to stop it.  Luckily no damage was done and he cleared the puck.

At 6:40 of the first, Kurt Thibault caught Brandon Crowell with a perfect pass as he beat a Lions defenceman to the slot.  Going in all by himself, Crowell chose the. Lover side for his shot, but Pate made the big blocker save to hold the fort.  The Tigers took it to the Lions for the next 2 minutes, spending almost all of it in the Lions end.  When the Lions did get out, the had a scoring chance after Dusty danced Glenn Boyce and then sent a backhander off the shoulder of McCarther and then the crossbar.  Moments later he would take a very optimistic snapshot from the goal line and miss spectacularly.  Jamie Richard would show him how it’s done 20 seconds later when he beat McCarther off the rush, just below the blocker.

Up 2-1 after the first, the Lions were feeling pretty good about things, but Allan Beaton ear asked that feeling pretty quickly with a beauty of a toe drag around the poke check of Trevor Pate before sliding it into the gaping net.

The Lions would then get themselves into penalty trouble and the Tigers made them pay.  As Glenn Boyce circled the net, Brandon Crowell was just coming on the ice on a line change and no-one spotted him.  He skated right up the middle of the ice and Boyce hit him with a pass as he was nearing the hash marks.  He caught it and released the shot quickly, beating the glove of Pate as he tried to come across the net.  The tie was broken, the Tigers had the lead for the second time.  The goal is Crowell's 28th if the season.  The man had 29 career goals before this season, he's smashing his personal bests this year as the orange is suiting him.  (He also scored 5 times in an orange all-star jersey, in case you missed that article).

Connor Tousignant nearly tied it back up with a shot that narrowly missed the post.  With Taylor McKay and Nick Morris serving their 7th minute of their 2 minute coincidental penalties, Kurt Thibault brought the puck all the way to the point and then back down again and shot across his body, making it 4-2 with under 8 minutes to play.

Up by 2, the Tigers went to another power-play with 2:37 left, giving them a good chance of running out the clock.  They maintained possession in the Lions zone.  Norm Gallant took a point shot that Crowell tipped just wide and then almost tucked the rebound in off the end boards, but Ian Duncan stood in his path as he couldn’t get all the way in front for his shot.

The Lions were desperate for a clear to pull Pate, but the Tigers just kept the puck in.  Another lively bounce off the end boards, this time to Thibault on the opposite side of the net, just above the goal line, he shot, but Pate came over and got his blocker on it just in time.  The Lions finally moved the puck and would get their clearance.  Dusty was in his office and took the Keith Webb pass.  He was all alone aside from Glenn Boyce calling for a pass.  He deked and went to the backhand, and got it up under the bar to bring the Lions within 1.

Attempts were made to get another one past Josh, but the Tigers goaltender wouldn’t find a way past the Tigers defence, falling 4-3 in a hard fought battle.