Will the Eurekas Sink the Norsemen’s Ship?

This is it, game 3 of 3, either the Norsemen or the Eurekas were wrapping up their season on Monday night.  The Eurekas jumped out to a 1-0 series lead and the Norsemen were ready to complete the comeback.  Just 20 seconds into the first period, Landon Miron cut to the middle of the ice and took a shot that Ashton Speight couldn’t contain with his glove.  The puck dropped down to Nick Marshall, but the newly minted Summer Captain couldn’t put the rebound in on the backhand.

 

Less than a minute later, Landon made a pass to Rob Manteuffel who was driving to the back post with George Murray on his back.  The pass was good and Rob got his stick on it but shanked it just wide of the net.  The Eurekas only had a few outside shots so far as the Norsemen looked stronger.  Matt Anderson tried to chance that but his shot was deflected and Ray Carrigan made a great play as he stopped the redirected puck and then dove to make a pass off the redirection.  Dylan Kugler was streaking and should have had the breakaway but as he got to the Eurekas blueline, he mishandled the puck sending it just out of his reach and into the corner.

 

With Darren Ells sitting in front of the net waiting for a pass, Derick Levesque saw it coming and picked it off, going all the way up ice down the left wing.  He cut across the ice once he reached the Norsemen zone and let loose a wrister.  Phil Sprague barely moved as the puck zipped by his right pad and the Eurekas, against the flow of play, took the 1-0 lead just over 4 minutes in.

 

The Eurekas got a burst of energy from the goal and had some zone time, but it was a dump in that changed things next.  Phil Sprague got the puck behind the goal line with plenty of time and decided to go up the middle.  Well, Keifer Gladwin was cruising in and got his stick on the puck and Glen MacDougall was the second man in, and the puck went to him as Sprague slid into the net.  He went too far and MacDougall beat him to make it 2-0 Eurekas.

 

Feeling a little down after playing so well and having a 2 goal deficit, the Norsemen went to work.  Dylan Kugler had the top corner picked, but it hit the shaft of Speight’s stick and stayed out.  The Norsemen then won a draw in the Eurekas zone and Pete Swistun put it on net.  Chad Hasegawa tipped the shot and Darren Ells picked up the rebound at the side of the goal.  His backhand went off Speight’s leg and sat down beside the net, but Speight turned, kicking it off his other leg and into the back of the net to make it 2-1 Eurekas.

 

Brian Collins told his team to get more pucks to the net and they tried, but the Norsemen were blocking shots like crazy, as any Blake Isenor team does.  Then Dylan Warren got a good one through, going top corner, but Sprague got his glove out and flagged it down.

 

Rob Manteuffel put a shot from the slot just over the Eurekas goal Jeff Miles fought off two Eurekas to collect the puck.  He then passed it down low to Kugler and went too far the point, where Kugler sent it back.  Miles moved to the middle of the ice and shot in motion.  His seeing eye shot went over the blocker of Speight with a Ray Carrigan providing the screen, and we were tied with the Norsemen having the momentum.

 

On the next play, the Eurekas got the puck deep but Darren Ells went picking cherries.  He got the pass and with Josh Beitel closing in on him, he pulled a filthy toe drag and went in all alone.  He shot was stopped and as Beitel nearly got back, Ells took the rebound and got his second backhand goal of the night, and dropped down to a knee for the celly.  Having hurt his knee the night before, he admitted that was not a smart move, but a goal like that, you gotta be excited.  3-2 Norsemen after 2 goals in 18 seconds.

 

The tide seemed to be turned fully in the Norsemen’s favour.  Phil Sprague, despite making it interesting with his playing of the puck, was getting dialed in, stopping the Eurekas pressure.  Ashton Speight was making some big saves in the Eurekas net as well, and no-one else could score for the rest of the first.

 

An early power play chance for the Eurekas was spent mostly in the Norsemen zone as Evan Ridley had 2 good scoring chances, including a wraparound that just missed going in, but they couldn’t find the equalizer, and Jeff Miles stepped out of the box, took the pass and had a lane to the net.  His shot went just under the glove of Ashton, but also just wide of the net.

 

Tom Saunders made a breakout pass to Landon and the big man did the rest, going top shelf past the glove of Speight to make it 4-2.  Then just seconds later Landon crossed into the zone with the puck, fed James Harrison and his pass was in the tape of Nick Marshall just behind Speight to make it 5-2, these 2 goals just 15 seconds apart.

 

Carter Nickerson flew up the wing and went across almost the whole ice before shooting to beat Sprague to make it 5-3.  Right off the faceoff at centre, Landon took the puck straight to the Eurekas goal.  He got past Brian Collins who tried to shove him off the puck, and then with Josh Beitel going across to cover, Landon made the move to his left and Josh’s straight leg went right into Landon’s knee and he went down hard, rolling around in pain.  Beitel was assessed a double minor and the Norsemen went to the PP.

 

Despite having a full 4 minutes, the Eurekas shut the Norsemen down.  Then Landon toe dragged Beitel as Josh pulled his leg away and Miron then beat Speight to make it 6-3.  Zack Harrison would be awarded a goal with 20 seconds left as Brian Collins threw his stick with an open net, but the game was already over by that point, the Norsemen move on to round 2, which starts tonight!