Tigers Clearing Next Week’s Calendar

A night after watching Josh McCarther put on a show in the Tigers net, earning the first playoff shutout of the season, the Osprey had their backs against the wall, just hoping to stave off elimination and force a game 3.

 

The first shift concluded uneventfully, but Matt Simpson hopped on the ice for the Osprey’s second shift and took a pass immediately.  He got by one check at the blue line and was being watched by Glenn Boyce as he skated to the net with the puck.  Simpson got off a backhander which Boyce was able to ensure wasn’t a drive across the front of the net.  McCarther’s save percentage was still perfect.

 

Simpson tried for another shot a little later in the shift, but Dan Keays blocked it, then Nick Morris blocked a Scott Stewart shot. The Tigers were defending like they had the lead and not really pushing anything into the Osprey zone.  Their first shot on goal was a point shot, more of a dump in, from Big Gally, 4 minutes into the game.  Norm got their second shot too, this one from a little farther down the wall.  This one needed a kick save, which was missed by the two Osprey defenders in front.  You know who doesn’t miss?  Brandon Crowell.  And you guessed it, Crowell was right in front to get their shot off, but I’ll be damned, he missed.  He put the puck off the base of the post, then McKenna kicked out the left pad to stop the rebound.  Mya Ferguson just stood there and watched, expecting Crowell’s fear of her after the “Big Drop” the night before.  Crowell was too focused to be scared though, and after Matt Simpson sent the puck down the ice, Brandon waited for and took the breakout pass with a wild swing of the stick behind himself, surprising the Osprey that he knocked it down.  His shot from just inside the top of the circle beat McKenna over the blocker and the Tigers went up 1-0.

 

Scott Stewart came into the Tigers zone with Josh Stevens trailing behind him, stick cocked for the one timer.  Scott obliged and dropped the pass.  Josh cranked it from the top of the circle, but McCarther bodied it away, Boyce clearing the rebound.  The play circled all the way back and Scott Stewart was all alone on McCarther and this time shot five hole.  McCarther quickly closed the opening and kept his team ahead.

 

Matt Simpson was feeling the pressure of being down a goal in an elimination game and when Nick Morris gave him a couple little love taps, Simpson turned around and gave back two lumberjack chops and found himself in a quiet corner where he was offered a Snickers asked if he was just hangry.

 

The Tigers went to the power play, it wasn’t the best though as they only managed one shot.  They did keep control once Simpson exited the box and Dan Keays had the puck at the point as he stopped Matt Pare’s clearing attempt.  Then as Josh Martel came at him, he was patient and waited, going around the much smaller player.  He skated into the slot and spotted Allan Beaton, and hit him with some backhand sauce.  Allan took the shot right away.  McKenna slid over and got a heel on the puck, but it wasn’t enough to stop the puck from going in.  2-0 Tigers, 8 minutes left in the first period.

 

A good shift after a goal was needed by the Osprey and they got it.  Simpson tried one of his goal line shots to no avail, then tried passing to Josh Stevens open in the slot, but the pass was behind him.  Rohan Dempsey, with his matching socks and work ethic, was picking up every loose puck.  He took a hard shot that Eric Blanchard blocked, unfortunately on the top of his laces, but even an injured Tiger is dangerous, and Eric went to the corner and outworked the Osprey to get to puck free of his zone.

 

After 2 minutes in the Tigers zone, Brandon Crowell came out and picked off an Osprey clearing attempt and had time and space.  He went five hole with his shot, but Chris McKenna said no.  Aidan Camphorst was looking to get on the board after missing game 1.  He picked up a loose neutral zone puck and made one move the dished off to Crowell.  Crowell just let the puck bounce off the boards and back to Camphorst.  Aidan went into the Osprey zone around the outside and then he made a beauty pass to Kurt Thibault in front.  Thibault went over the pad and under the blocker and it was 3-0 Tigers.

 

Thibault setup Ron Beaton in front 30 seconds later but he couldn’t beat the goalie and the rebound ricocheted just wide.  Judging by all the smiling and laughing on the a tigers bench, it’s safe to say they were feeling confidence.  Ron Beaton took a pass from Thibault on a 2 on 1 and he was absolutely robbed by the left skate of McKenna, his best of the night.  That would have made it 4-0.

 

After 1 period, the Tigers had a 3-0 lead and were outshooting the Osprey 16-11.  There would need to be some sort of change if the Osprey were to break the 3 period shutout streak McCarther and the Tigers were on.  Spending almost the entirely of the first 4 minutes of the second period in the Tigers zone would qualify as a change.

 

It was within those 4 minutes that Josh Stevens fired a shot on net from the ringette line.  Rohan stopped it just before it got to McCarther, then he pulled it back and had an open net.  He shot to make it 3-1, but like he did multiple times vs the Lions, McCarther made the quick kick and got the puck with the bottom of his skate blade in mid air.  The puck then went off the outside of the post and wide as onlookers did a combination of cheering and gasping.  The save almost led to a goal at the other end, but McKenna made his own toe save through a screen.

 

Scott Stewart got a step on Dan Keays seconds later and he put on the brakes at the net but couldn’t beat McCarther low on the shot, or his rebound.  Despite not scoring, the Osprey confidence was soaring as they looked to get back into the game.  Dan Keays went to clear a rebound seconds later, and put it off the back of Ron Beaton’s head and it dropped to Stewart.  He passed to Josh Stevens who had the whole glove side and McCarther nearly outdid his previous save as he caught the shot to keep the series shutout dream alive with 12:14 still to play.

 

Isaac Pelley got the puck at the point for the Osprey, and after the pink team had been throwing everything on net, it looked like another wrister from the point, but Matt Simpson was sitting at the edge of the crease behind everyone and he took the pass and redirected it in, to get the Osprey their first goal of the series.  Game on.

 

Goals can come in bunches in hockey and the Osprey were hoping they could score a bunch.  Less than a minute after getting a goal, Josh Stevens put the puck toward the net with Rohan Dempsey skating in front.  He got a stick on it and the puck went through the legs of McCarther.  The Tigers bench was no longer smiling and laughing.  We had a 3-2 game and nearly 9 minutes of hockey to play.

 

Right off the draw the puck went into the Osprey zone and Isaac over skated it, leaving Kurt Thibault alone.  He made a little move and shot backhand.  The puck slid just wide of the net.  The chance to kill the momentum was missed, but the Tigers kept pressing.  Mike McIsaac took a clapper that McKenna got a piece of and it jumped up and went just over the net.

 

Matt Simpson got free and this was the moment.  With Norm breathing down his neck, Matt went to make the move and lost the handle.  He tried to stop, but ended up pushing into McCarther and knocking the net off, sending the faceoff outside the zone.  The Tigers won the draw and a couple nice passes led to Ron Beaton taking the shot on goal.  McKenna made a good shoulder save to keep the game tight.

 

Simpson took a down low shot that was stopped, he backhanded his rebound to Rohan in the crease.  Dan Keays, for the second game in a row, made a huge play.  As Rohan tried to one time the puck to the gaping net, Keays spun around and got the puck just as Rohan did and knocked it off his stick.  Two Tigers teammates came in to tie up Rohan long enough for a Josh to come into the picture and grab the puck. 

 

After a timeout, the Tigers defense, who had been keeping so much to the outside, got a good rest and were able to get a clearance.  Kurt Thibault got the puck with Allan Beaton to his right.  Thibault kept and shot low glove side. Goal!  4-2 Tigers with 2:14 left in the game.  A huge back breaking goal.

 

The Osprey had to do whatever it takes and they pulled the goalie, but then they turned over the puck at the Tigers line.  After scoring 21 seconds earlier, Kurt Thibault gained the red line and fired as McKenna tried to get back to his net.  That would be all the Tigers needed.  The shots may have been tied at 27, but the score was 5-2 for the Tigers and more importantly the series was 2-0.  There will be no Osprey repeat, we will have a new Nomad Cup champion.

 

A big game goes tonight as the Aurora can book their return ticket to the finals as David Lacey would like nothing more than a shot at redemption after last year’s finals fiasco.  The Norsemen will just be looking to stay alive one more day.