Ells Will Be Ringing

The Norsemen came into the playoff matchup vs the Eurekas as the clear favourite to win.  With 3 players in the top 10 of league scoring, you are going to be a threat to outscore your opponents on any given night, even when you aren’t outshooting them.

 

20 seconds into the game, Landon Miron took a shot from the top of the circle and beat the glove of Eurekas goaltender Ashton Speight, but he didn’t beat the post.  Then the Eurekas Josh Beitel took a shot as he stepped in from the point.  Phil Sprague made his first NHL save in months, then he stopped the rebound shot by Dylan Warren, and the second rebound, and the third one went into his glove here he held it as Carter Nickerson looked for his 3th rebound attempt on the play.

 

Half a minute later, Evan Ridley sent the puck in front of the net to Ryan DeWolfe, and he was stopped.  Jeff Miles fanned on the clearance and it went back to DeWolfe.  He was stopped again, then another rebound chance and he moved the puck to his backhand as Pete Swistun went to the front of the net to defend.  DeWolfe slid the puck just wide of the gaping net.  Miles was having a struggle shift and failed to clear the biscuit past Kyle Publicover.  The Eurekas made 2 quick passes and this time Evan Ridley had a chance in front and Sprague shut him down too, then again.

 

The Eurekas centred the puck but it went straight through everyone and Landon Miron was looking for space.  Brian Collins got back and fought him off before Miron could release the shot on goal.  The Eurekas were making things happen and K Pubs Demon Hunter made a pass in front to Ryan DeWolfe whose shot went off Sprague, then Evan Ridley and dropped down right to Sprague’s toe and he kicked the puck as Blake Isenor came in to help, narrowly missing accidentally knocking the puck into his own net, but the puck stayed out.  The shots were 14-1 for the Eurekas.

 

Shot number 2 for the Norsemen was a Jeff Miles point shot that Landon tipped and Ashton Speight got just the tip of his toe on.  Shot number 3 was by Nick Marshall, who received the pass from James Harrison across the ice.  Marshall went under the glove of Speight and against the flow of play, the Norsemen had the 1-0 lead with 11:00 left on the clock in the first period.

 

After the goal, the Norsemen went back into their shell as the Eurekas took control of the game once more, but they couldn’t find the goal they were seeking.  Dylan Kugler of the Norsemen spotted Ray Carrigan going to the net and his pass connected, but Ashton got a stick on it as well and the puck went wide of the Eurekas goal.  With a keen nose for the net, Carrigan picked up a rebound, beating Kyle Publicover in a brief battle, then Brian Collins thought he was gonna skate away with the puck but he went by everything without the puck.  Ray was there all alone in the slot.  Ashton started coming out to cut down the angle as Ray shot.  Speight flashed the leather and held on to deny Carrigan his first of the playoffs.

 

20-7 were the shots on goal in favour of the Eurekas and lucky 21 came off the stick of Carter Nickerson.  Through a Chad Hasegawa screen, the puck glanced off the side of Sprague’s head and in to tie the game.  The Norsemen responded, Landon Miron all alone on Speight, he deked, but Speight got his left pad on the puck and Miron shot on his backhand.

 

With under 30 seconds left in the first, the Norsemen went to clear the zone but Keifer Gladwin kept it in and passed the puck to Dylan Warren.  Robin Gareau made a diving attempt to knock the puck away, but he missed, and that left Blake Isenor alone to defend Warren and Carter Nickerson.  Warren passed to Carter and he deked around Sprague to make it 2-1 Eurekas.

 

It took only 30 seconds for the Eurekas to extend their lead, thanks to a beauty no look backhand pass from Robin Gareau to Dylan Warren in the neutral zone.  Dylan went in on the breakaway and fired low, beating Sprague five hole.  3-1 Eurekas.

 

Not long after that, Darren Ells got the Norsemen back within a goal as his wrist shot went off the glove of Speight and in.  The Eurekas had no time to enjoy holding the lead.  The Norsemen were coming.  They had their best sustained pressure of the game, but like the Eurekas at the start, they couldn’t get the goal they needed.

 

Leaving the Eurekas zone in the final 6 minutes, Dylan Warren walked into a clapper that Sprague fought off with his glove, leaving a rebound rolling to his left.  Josh Beitel was busting his ass to the net to get the loose puck and he swung at it as the puck crossed the goal line wide of the net.  He hit the post with his shot and the puck went back out front to a group of awaiting Norsemen who cleared the puck.

 

Into the final 3 minutes, the Eurekas up by a goal but looking tired.  Nick Marshall took a shot that fooled Speight, going off his leg which was fine, but losing sight of the puck, Ashton dropped, and in doing so, he kicked the puck into the net to tie the game with just 2:18 to play.  Marshall had a shot from the slot on the next play, but Speight got his blocker on it.

 

Final minute, the Norsemen make a defense change and room opens up for Dylan Warren up the far side of the ice.  He cuts across and shoots as he gets past Thomas Saunders.  The shot goes behind Sprague, off the post, and out, with just 47 seconds left.  15 seconds left now and Carter Nickerson puts the puck off the boards and skates around Hawboldt.  Nickerson is alone, the game on his stick.  Known as a sniper, this is his forte.  He comes in and instead of the big snipe top shelf, he tries the little five hole slide, but Sprague’s five hole is not open and the game is going to a shootout.

 

First up the Norsemen, Landon Miron.  Five hole shot, goal.

Derick Levesque for the Eurekas; he comes with speed, throws on the brakes, goes backhand and the puck goes off the blocker, lands on his pad, then rolls down the back as Phil slides just past the net, no goal.

Big Dells, comes in rings it off the back bar, popping the bottle ever so slightly.

Dylan Warren must score to extend this game.  He goes far right and fakes the shot, then releases the same shot he had just faked, only Sprague never bit on the fake and he catches the shot, Norsemen win!

 

Nearly our second upset of the night, but no, this one went to the favoured team.  The Eurekas are hoping to have grinder Jake Rankin in the lineup for their next game in 2 weeks as they are taking the bye week next week.