Rob Flick had a goal and assist as the Mississauga Majors edged the Kootenay Ice 2-1 and pushed the Ice to the brink at the 2011 Memorial Cup.
The one-game suspension tonight of Ice captain Brayden McNabb due to an elbow major on Joey Hishon of the Owen Sound Attack loomed extremely large over the Ice tonight as Kootenay struggled with the fore check and rush of the Majors most of the night, though both clubs play a similar style, McNabb might've been the difference tonight.
Some more thoughts....
This one was ugly, period. A slug-fest that deteriorated into a poorly officiated game, for both sides that morphed into a 1-1 defensive struggle, with each team waiting for the other to make a mistake.
Kootenay was the first to do so when Flick - a bull of a player - pushed his way past a poor effort by Ice D Hayden Rintoul in tying him up and buried the game-winner with 8:09 left in the third period.
The Ice opened the scoring on the power play - positives both, that they scored on the power play and that they scored, period - when Cody Eakin turned into the slot and let go a wrist-shot that beat JP Anderson for a 1-0 lead. 7:55 into the game.
The lead lasted all of 83 seconds as a poor defensive effort again lead to a stunning 2-on-0 from about 25 feet to Nathan Lieuwen's right. Devante Smith-Pelly and Max Kitsyn went in alone on Lieuwen but the keeper stopped them initially but Kitsyn banged in a loose puck to tie it at one.
D Joe Leach was a horse in place of Brayden McNabb. Logging over 30 minutes and he along with D James Martin were the club's best pairing for the Ice. D Hayden Rintoul struggled without his steady D-partner McNabb, on for both goals against. He and Jagger Dirk just didn't look comfortable together.
The Zebras - Brutal, not to put too fine a point on it. Just a poor excuse at this level that the fans on the tube and those at the Hershey Centre were subject to such a display. Refused to allow the teams to develop any flow at all and then when they did in the third, the teams were to apprehensive to get anything going. One comment on the Buzzing the Net live blogging late in the third: "If anyone heard a woman scream "OH GOD NO, NO OVERTIME!" that was me. Kootenay with a good chance to tie it up there."
The most entertaining aspect of the game looked to be the two coaches and their different schools of coaching, one old, the other new. Kris Knoblauch should've been pulling his hair out at the calls in the second that saw the Ice get five minors in the second period alone. He was cool as a cucumber. Dave Cameron, on the other end of the spectrum, was ripping everyone within earshot, including Rob Flick for taking a penalty on the goal he assisted on to tie it up. It worked, as Flick scored the game-winner.
The scoring, or lack of it. For a team that has so many offensive weapons - McNabb, Eakin, Fraser, Reinhart, King - only Eakin looked like a player who might be able to put the puck in the net. Boomer, for my money, was one of Kootenay's better players tonight but no finish was found.
Loo good again - the most consistent player for the Ice at the Memorial Cup has been Lieuwen. He kept them in it last night and did the same for much of the night tonight. Kootenay was out-shot in the third by a wide margin after having second periods on both nights to build on. A dominant middle frame last night fizzled out and tonight they killed off five Majors' power play opportunities, limiting them to maybe four chances by my count. The third period has been a let down on both nights.
The prognosis - Not good. Essentially this tournament is over for the Ice. Only one team, since the four-team format was adopted in 1983 and the three-team version started in 1972, has lost their first two games and rebounded to win the cup - the 2009 Windsor Spitfires. Kootenay's backs are against the wall; it's do or die; seventh game; pick a cliche.
For starters, Kootenay needs to beat the number one ranked team in the CHL Tuesday night, the Saint John Sea Dogs. Do that and it'll put them into the tie-breaker game Thursday night.
Owen Sound and Saint John play Monday. An Attack win puts Owen Sound into the semis, likewise for a Sea Dog win. Whichever team wins tomorrow will be 2-0. If it's the Attack, their game Wednesday against the Majors will be for first place and a bye into the final. If it's the Dogs, then Wednesday will a game for the semi-final placing or maybe the final but the winner will at least avoid the tie-breaker Thursday night.
One would think the Ice would be cheerleading the Sea Dogs to victory tomorrow and hope a repeat of 09 happens when the Kelowna Rockets started 2-0 and then could've put the Spitfires away in their last round robin game only to lose 2-1 and then lose to them again the cup final. The Sea Dogs would be assured of the bye to the final with a win tomorrow as they would have the first tie-breaker over either of the other teams with a 2-1 record at the end of the round robin.
Yes, the planets need to align for it to happen again.
This, of course, is provided the Ice beat the Sea Dogs Tuesday night. They'll need to run the table with four straight wins in order for the Ice to win the cup.
Got it? There'll be a test later.
They'll get McNabb back for Tuesday's game but will it be enough? And will they find the ability to score? One goal a Memorial Cup does not win.
I'll post any more comments, stories or highlites I find.
8 comments:
Matt Kirk was brutal and the zebras were a factor in the final outcome. The PP's were 6-3 for the Majors and I can tell you that was not a 6-3 type game. There were a couple of high sticks, trips and vicious cross checks in front of the net that were not called against St Michaels. The Ice were hogtied and abused all 3rd period and not a single call. Poorest officiated Memorial Cup I can remember.
The Ice are playing tentative and are not crisp at all, The offensive players are not getting into good scoring positions. There have been lots of rebounds but players are not paying the price to get to good scoring areas. They are usually too tight in as opposed to being back about 5 feet where the rebounds are going.
Win or lose the next game it's probably lights out. They are not as talented as the 2009 Spitfires with Taylor Hall etc. A fan of the WHL can not be happy with this. Something is horribly wrong because they would have never won the WHL title scoring one goal in two games.
Now you know how the Winterhawks feel about the bad officiating. Quit complaining. Ross was suspended 2 games for a bad call, don't want to hear McNabb being suspended either
C'mon Anymouse Portland fan, you can do better than that.
I wrote that the officiating was bad both ways. Stripes wouldn't let them play, that's what I had the problem with.
As for Ross, well, he was a three-time offender and was suspended as such. Dragged his knee and had he not been suspended twice before, wouldn't have been suspended this time.
Kirk loves to be the difference maker. He very rarely lets the player's be the difference maker's. The officiating governing body should really take a hard look at this guy.
Calm down all, yes the odds are against Kootenay and they have to win 4 in a row but they did that against Portland, Saskatoon, and Medicine Hat. They started a bit slow but I think if they play with a nothing to lose attitude on Tuesday they will do fine. Everyone must realize that they are playing the best of the best, every game is going to be a war. I would be dissappointed if they didn't make it to the knockout round but only one team gets to raise the Ed Chynoweth Championship banner next year. That is an accomplishment unto itself. But now it's time for the leadership to take charge, prove all the doubters wrong, and battle adversity. Every man in that locker room has to look at the guy next to him and be willing to die for him. That is what a team is all about.
But it was both of them. Dave Lewis is the back ref some 75 feet away and calls King for the slash off the faceoff when clearly both players were swinging at each other.
The call took Kootenay off a key pp when both players should've gone, or none.
Neither stripes did a very good job and caused the game to bog down into a boring, tentative struggle in the third.
You knew that the breaks the Ice got during the WHL playoffs would even out eventually. We got alot of bounces and calls that went the Ice way so now the hockey gods have evened things out. I think a game against Saint John and their highly skilled(aka Portland)team is just what the doctor ordered.
Last nites game I have never seen 2 slashing calls made where a player gets slashed in the shin guards.
I've seen much worse hacks in our beer league.
Port and Spoke would of done better then the Ice are doing!
Lets PRAY the WHL get's one win.
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