The Score - Ice/Warriors - Game two

A big-time effort from the club's big guns ties the series as it now shifts back to Moose Jaw Tuesday.


The Score – Moose Jaw 2 – Kootenay 5

What Happened – Kootenay got made sure Warrior goaltender Thomas Heemskerk had a tougher time seeing pucks and it paid off. Ice forwards were in his face all night.

The Turning Point – The easy pick would be Reinhart’s shortie in the first minute of the second period but an argument can be made for the five minute major dealt to McIlrath six minutes into the third. Kootenay couldn’t convert to put the Warriors away and two goals later had many in the Rec Plex crowd holding their breath. A couple of solid saves late by Nathan Lieuwen squashed the comeback attempt.

The Goals – On the power play Kootenay finally got it going when Brayden McNabb corralled a loose puck in the slot, drew most of the defenders to him before dumping a pass to Fraser who had a day and a half to bury his first of the playoffs and a 1-0 Ice lead… The power play was clicking for the Ice when this time Cody Eakin took a pass in the slot and instead of shooting dropped a pass to McNabb who wired a slapshot past Heemskerk to make it 2-0. Czerwonka didn’t get an apple on the play but his perfectly timed screen made sure Heemskerk didn’t see it, never mind stop it… On the PK to start the second – though you’d never know it – as Drew Czerwonka and Max Reinhart pressured the Warriors down low in their own zone. Czerwonka got the puck out to Reinhart at the bottom of the left circle. He buried it for his first of the playoffs and a 3-0 lead… Kootenay started the third the same as they did the second but with a different result. After failing to clear the zone Colin Bowman sent a shot to the net that Lieuwen stabbed out of the air only to have it land at the side of the net. Quinton Howden stuffed it in to break Lieuwen’s shutout bid…. Kootenay’s sleepiness continued on a four-on-four halfway through the third, a shot cleared by Lieuwen came wide to Colin Bowman, who found Spencer Edwards wide open to bury his first of the playoffs and shrink the Ice lead to one… Ice fans began to breathe again when Joe Antilla put his first into an empty-net to seal the win and tie the series…. The Warriors pulled Heemskerk again and this time Brock Montgomery shot the puck from 195 feet and finished the game 5-2.

The Lines – Mixed up, somewhat. Max Reinhart come off the second line and centered Drew Czerwonka and Pearce on the wings. Ismond joined the big line with Eakin and now Fraser while King, Boomer and Antilla remained. Knoblauch sprinkled Eakin and Reinhart in on the fourth unit as the chess match continued and it seemed to work for most of the evening, giving Kootenay the edge as the Warriors tried to match with 15-year-old's White and Potomak seeing spot duty again. Brett Lyon (suspension) will return for Game three giving the Warriors some depth but Cody Beach (knee) is still out.

The Bad Blood – Frustration was on the Warriors side of the ice on this night. Dylan Hood, non-existent most of the evening, took an accidental highstick from Matt Fraser and then turned to referee Dan Cowley and give him an earful. As the play came back up the ice a stickless Hood punched Fraser in the head, drawing a roughing minor.

The Hit – After taking a pass up the boards in the neutral zone Jesse Ismond had the puck for a second and then absorbed a high hit from Warrior D-man Dylan McIlrath, who left his feet on the hit. Ismond looked to be out cold before he hit the ice and didn’t return. McIlrath received a major and was ejected, as was his assistant coach Trevor Weisgerber who was tossed for arguing the call. As a major it will be reviewed by the league and if I was a betting man I’d doubt McIlrath would get any more time. He left his feet but the major should be all the discipline he receives. Ismond didn't return and Knoblauch said that he would have to undergo concussion testing to determine his status for Tuesday night.

The Hit Part II - Later in the third Warrior d-man Dallas Erhardt was hit in the neutral zone and struggled to get to his feet. Looking woozy Erhardt didn't get the number of the truck that hit him - as I didn't see it either - and didn't return.


The Crowd – 2467

Rec Plex Three Stars

1. Brady McNabb – +3 and the best player on the ice
2. Cody Eakin – Two assists
3. Colin Bowman – solid defender set up the comeback


What it means – Kootenay avoids going down 2-0 headed back to the Jaw but now has to win one in the Crushed Can, no small feat.

Up Next: Game Three goes Tuesday night in Moose Jaw. 7PM (102.9 – The Drive)

Summary:
Eastern Conference Quarter-Final best-of-seven series tied 1-1

Warriors 2 @ Ice 5

CRANBROOK, B.C. - Western Hockey League summary for playoff game between the Moose Jaw Warriors and the Kootenay Ice; March 26, 2011
Kootenay Ice forward Max Reinhart scored a short-handed goal to start the second period and it stood up as the game-winner as the Ice beat the Moose Jaw Warriors 5-2 in WHL Playoff action Saturday night, tying the Eastern Conference Quarter-Final series at one.
Matt Fraser opened the scoring 6:07 into the game with a power play goal and Brayden McNabb got another at 15:02 to give the Ice a 2-0 first period lead. Reinhart's short-handed marker in the second gave the Ice a 3-0 lead into the third but the Warriors would fight their way back into the game on third-period goals by Spencer Edwards and Quinton Howden, with his third of the series before the Ice scored two empty-net goals by Joe Antilla and a 195-foot shot by Brock Montgomery to tie the series.
Nathan Lieuwen stopped 18 of 20 shots to get the win while Thomas Heemskerk stopped 37 of 40 shots in taking the loss.

First Period
1. Kootenay, Fraser 1 (McNabb, Eakin) 6:07 (pp)
2. Kootenay, McNabb 1 (Eakin, Fraser) 15:02 (pp)

Penalties -- Fraser Ktn (interference) 2:54, McFaull MJ (holding) 5:29, Ismond Ktn (slashing) 9:17, McIlrath (interference) 9:51, McIlrath Ktn (roughing) 13:19, Johnson MJ (tripping) 17:11, Montgomery Ktn (goaltender interference) 19:10.

Second Period
3. Kootenay, Reinhart 1 (Czerwonka) 0:56 (sh)

Penalties -- McIlrath MJ (interference) 4:03, Boomer Ktn (goaltender interference) 5:04, Hood MJ (roughing) 12:47, Ismond Ktn Honejsek MJ (unsportsmanlike conduct) 17:09, Martin Ktn (interference) 18:59,

Third Period
4. Moose Jaw, Howden 3 (Honejscek,Bowman) 2:16
5. Moose Jaw, Edwards 1 (Bowman, Reilly) 10:24
6. Kootenay, Antilla 1 (King) 19:04 (en)
7. Kootenay, Montgomery 1 (McNabb, Boomer) 19:59 (en)

Penalties -- McIlrath MJ (charging major - served by White, game misconduct) 5:52, Boomer Ktn (goaltender interference) Heemskerk MJ (unsportsmanlike - diving - served by Svendsen) 6:30, McNabb Ktn (high-sticking) 9:40, Fraser Ktn (high-sticking) 19:30.

Shots on goal by
Kootenay: 12 14 14 - 42
Moose Jaw: 3 7 10 - 20

Goal -- Kootenay: Nathan Lieuwen (W, 1-1); Moose Jaw: Thomas Heemskerk (L, 1-1).

Power Plays -- (goals-chances)
Kootenay: 2-7
Moose Jaw: 0-7

Referee -- Dan Cowley, Ryan Thompson. Linesman -- Jeff Jobson, Sean Donnelly.

Attendance -- 2467 (4264)

Scratches --
Kootenay: Mackenzie Skapski (healthy), Luke Paulsen (shoulder - 2-4 weeks), Adam Rossignol (healthy), Mike Simpson (healthy).
Moose Jaw: Matt Franczyk, Cody Beach, Brett Lyon (suspension), Brayden Cuthbert, Jordan Wyton.

Summary courtesy Jeff Bromley of the Cranbrook Daily Townsman