Silent Night

First place was available for the taking for the Osprey as they played the 2nd place, and leaderless Aurora on Tuesday night, but it was the Aurora opening the scoring.  Steve Power went upstairs with a rebound off a Bobby Sacre shot.  

 

Brandon Marsh doubled the lead exactly one minute later after he fought through a couple checks and shot from below the goal line, the puck careening off the stick off Matt Baird and in.  

 

The Osprey’s Greg Moffat watched a Travis Hatcher shot come in from the point and when Stryniak made the save, the rebound dropped to his left.  Moffat dove and knocked in the rebound to get the Osprey on the board.

 

Nick Collins had a good chance in the slot a minute later, but Nick Stryniak made the pad save to keep his Aurora up by a goal.  Andrey Gromov had a chance back up the ice a few seconds later, but Matt Baird made the save look easy.

 

Mike Bourgeois took a pass from D partner Mya Ferguson and instead of shooting, Bourgeois felt the heat of Red Hot Rowan, closing the distance on him with his Bedsy fish bowl.  As Rowsy got close, Bourgeois stumbled and his lane to the net closed as he had to just dump the puck into the corner.

 

Steve Power got a semi breakaway off a Matt Ryder spinning backhand pass. He went for the wrister and fired.  Baird shut him down and cleared the rebound away.  The Osprey immediately went up ice.  Rohan Dempsey went for the pass to Josh Martel who was driving the net, but the pass just missed connecting. 

 

The Aurora had some zone time and after a couple, chances, a mad scramble and a clear to the corner, Nathan Bessey walked out with the puck and saw some room on Baird’s glove side.  His shot went right where he wanted, but so did Baird’s glove as he caught and held on for the whistle.  The game was starting to heat up.  Scott Stewart picked Bobby Sacre’s pocket around the Aurora ringette line and went in all alone.  Luckily for Sacre, Stryniak made a blocker save on the play.

 

Matt Simpson went dangling and the last man he burned was Matt Ryder.  In alone on Stryniak, Simpson was about to shoot when Ryder’s stick reached around and got right into his hands, sending him flying into the goal.  On the power play, the Osprey went to enter the zone as Moffat chipped a pass to Simpson.  Matt knocked the puck out of the air and Bessey reached back, knocking it to the corner.  Simpson got the first and Moffat went to the net.  When the pass came to him, he made a beauty redirection into the top corner of the net to tie the game at 2 with just over 3 minutes in the first.

 

The Osprey went up 3-2 early in the second when Josh Stevens was given three uncontested chances at the side of the goal before he finally got the puck up and over the outstretched leg of Nick Stryniak.  The was the third straight for the Osprey as they had the lead for the first time on the night.

 

A long stretch without a whistle was nearly ended after Mya ate shit all by herself at the blueline.  Adam Jarvis grabbed the puck and handed it off to Andrey Gromov.  He entered the Osprey zone and dropped the puck to Matt Ryder whose pass to Jarvis at the side of the goal was perfect.  It would have been a beauty of a goal were it not for the toe save by Matt Baird.

 

Rohan Dempsey nearly had a shot squeeze through the pads of Stryniak, and Matt Ryder missed the top corner on Baird but had his shot sail over the glass, but neither team could find a goal.  Bobby Sacre got close but had about 3 Osprey hook him as he went through the crease, just missing the open net at the end of his chance.  He did draw a penalty though.

 

This is where we would like to thank our sponsor, Bobby Sacre’s Pizza Delivery Service.  They would like to announce their first franchisee; Matt Simpson.  Simpson showed us all just how efficient a delivery service this is.  He threw up a very fancy pizza on the PK and Bobby accepted with a little wink and after a little puck movement, Sacre got the puck in front of the net.  He mishandled it and Baird went to jump on the puck, but Bobby managed to get ahold of the puck again and a quick little move and the puck was in the back of the net.

 

Josh Stevens tried to open a franchise of his own the next shift, but Rowsy must not have been wearing his glasses as the completely missed the biscuit.  This game was looking destined for a shootout, but then Bessey levelled Josh Martel from behind, probably revenge for a hit Martel laid on Bessey 3 years ago when Martel was a Norsemen and Bessey and Osprey.  Bessey declined to comment on the play, which we will take as an admission of guilt.

 

With just 2:05 on the clock, the Aurora were likely to end the game shorthanded or give up a late goal.  Josh Stevens had other plans.  In the name of fairness, Josh took down Bobby Sacre.  No-one yelled about the refs needing to make the call.  In a strange coincidence, there seemed to be a lock of shots high and wide for some reason too.

 

With just 30 second left, Matt Ryder forced a turnover at his own blue line and skated up the left wing.  He wound up for the slapshot and Simpson was getting back, reaching in to get his stick in the way.  Ryder released, Simpson’s stick connected with stick and went flying.  Baird seemed to not see the puck, likely catching more of the flying stick than the puck.  He looked around, surprised to see the shot went in.

 

The Osprey fought hard but couldn’t overcome the Aurora as they failed to lock in first place, meaning it will come down to the final days of the season.