Stephen Warwick and the Open Net

The Lions and Evergreens were meeting Thursday night in what should have been the 4th game of the week, however the Osprey and Tigers game the night before was cancelled due to the weather.  Matt Simpson, just 2 points back of 100 in his career, was disappointed to lose the opportunity to be the second player this week to reach that milestone.  Instead, that chance fell to Keith Webb, who was just 3 points back of 100.  

 

In their final game before the week off, the Evergreens took a lead into the final period vs the Osprey before collapsing and eventually taking the loss, but the solid performance vs the league leaders had given the Evergreens some previously hard to find belief.  Missing all-star Blake Irvine, the Evergreens would need to come together more as a team to beat the pesky Lions.

 

The Lions conversely, were coming off a loss to the Tigers and wanted to start building momentum towards a deep playoff run.  Their first shift would be the start the Lions were looking for.  Connor Tousignant hit a post and then would get a chance off a Stephen Warwick pass.  Jamie Wutke would stop the first shot, but the rebounding would end up in the back of the net.

 

Cobee MacNaughton got that goal back a minute later with a shot off the rush that beat Trevor Pate’s blocker.  Off the next draw the Lions Stephen Warwick nearly restored the lead, but Jamie Wutke made a toe save on the shot.  Keith Webb however wasn’t missing when he took a Dustin Hall pass on a 2 on 1, burning the puck hard into the open net.

 

After a stretch of neutral zone play, Kirk Levy took a point shot and it went through traffic and under the arm of Wutke who got a piece of it, then dropped just wide of the net, but the Lions were smelling blood, but couldn’t get the puck across the line.  Then Evergreens players Luke Levangie and Rob Emberley had a big collision at their own blueline which made a very loud sound.  It turned out the Levangie fell on Rob’s stick and broke it.  The Evergreens took advantage of the moment as Tyler Carr rushed ahead.  He made a beauty toe drag and cut into the net from down low.  Trevor Pate had to react quickly, throwing out his left pad to make the save.

 

Keith Webb then got his second of the night as he dangled through the slot and shot top corner.  Dustin Hall nearly added to the lead as he deked Zack Walsh and then had Wutke for a moment, but not long enough as Jamie got over to make the save.  But in the same shift.  Keith Webb was in the perfect position to take a rebound off the end boards and bury it into the open net.  The hat trick goal, the second of his Nomad career, was point 100 of his NHL career, the second player to get there this week.

 

Stephen Warwick, looking to find a much needed goal, shot off the shaft of Wutke’s stick as his inability to score was fodder for the chirps from both teams.  Wore though was the next play.  Warwick poked a rebound to Connor Tousignant and Andrew MacDonald at the back post.  They were on the right side of Evergreens defenceman Kenny Shea, but the puck went off Tousignant’s skate to MacDonald.  He kicked it up to his stick and then went to backhand it into the open net with Wutke diving, but he swung and missed as Shea cleared it from the side of the cage.

 

On the same play.  Tousignant mad a beauty pass over to Warwick with an open net and he shanked it wide.  Andrew MacDonald gave it right back to him from behind the net and Wutke dives over, but not in time to make the save, but the save wasn’t necessary as Warwick hit the side of the net.  The play stopped as Apples Bonnell knocked the net off and 26 guys started chirping Warwick.

 

Connor Tousignant made a wraparound off the next draw and it went clean through the legs of Wutke but out the other side.  The Lions wouldn’t be able to score again in the first and would give up a shorthanded chance in the final minute when Silas Bonnell was gifted a breakaway.  He made no mistake with an excellent deke on Pate with just one second left in the penalty.

 

Dustin Hall got one early in the second when Webb gave him a pass from behind the goal that went off his skate before he got his stick on it.  But the Evergreens weren’t dead, they responded quickly.  Silas Bonnel was going hard to the net when Taylor McKay knocked the puck off his stick.  Silas slammed on the brakes with Taylor right behind him and Silas took the worst of the collision, flying epically and hitting his head on the ice.  As the players called for the playoffs to stop, the Evergreens carried on.  Taylor cleared it but not hard enough as Rob Emberley grabbed it and spotted Luke Levangie,  Luke went top corner over Pate’s glove for the goal.

 

The Evergreens were having a solid shift as Levangie took a shot off the wing and Pate couldn’t control the rebound.  The Lions made a mess of helping him out and Levangie stole the biscuit, feeding Emberley in front.  Rob beat a sprawling Pate for a big goal that got the Evergreens back into the mix.  It was 5-4 for the Lions with nearly 16 minutes left on the clock.

 

Iain Duncan was next up for the Lions.  He got the puck from Keith Webb òff the draw and after his first shot was stopped, he ripped it in to give them a 2 goal lead once more.  Wutke was getting absolutely peppered, making a lot of saves.

 

Warwick, still unsure how to score, tried one from the back of the net.  It went off Wutke and nearly over the line.  It would have were it not for Kenny Shea being there to save the day.  For all his troubles, the Lions cracked like 3 shots off Wutke’s mask, breaking some piece but not so bad that Jamie couldn’t carry on.

 

Tousignant, after watching the broken mask happen, had a slot opportunity and went up high of course.  He just missed the top corner and the puck went off the glass, coming out on the other side of the net, and who was there patiently waiting? Stephen Warwick, with an empty net.  No, he didn’t score, he failed to kick the puck to his stick as Greg Bonnell got there to pressure him.

 

The score was still 6-4 when Silas got his second breakaway of the game.  This time Pate stuck with him and made the save as Joey Richard was just behind Silas, putting the pressure on.  

 

We went a long time with a goal.  Andrew MacDonald nearly ended the dry spell when his shot beat Wutke but Greg Bonnell got the save apple, blocking it on the goal line.  The puck was caught in his gear just long enough for Wutke to dive back and stop Tousignant was the puck fell to him.  

 

With 1:41 left, Keith Webb did it again, getting his 4th goal of the game.  After getting dangled by Cobee MacNaughton, whose shot rang off the post, the Lions Kyle Weatherbee would put the final nail in the coffin in the last minute with a beauty forehand/backhand deke on the breakaway.  Keith Webb had 6 points in the 8-4 Lions win, a career high, just as Bobby Sacre had a career high in points in the game he had his 100th point earlier in the week.

 

The Lions will face the Norsemen next week as they look to catch them in the standings, while the Evergreens matchup against the Tigers.