2017-2018 PLAYER & GOALIE OF THE WEEK #12

Evgeni_MalkinJames_ReimerDavid_PastrnakPhilipp_Grubauer

EASTERN SKATER TEAM GP GOALS ASISSTS POINTS PM  +/-  SOG S%
Malkin, Evgeni HAM 4 3 5 8 5 3 12 25%
                   
EASTERN GOALIE TEAM GP GOALS AGAINST G.A. AVERAGE SAVES SAVE %
Reimer, James TBN 4 7 1.74 117 .944
                   
WESTERN SKATER TEAM GP GOALS ASSISTS POINTS PM  +/-  SOG S%
Pastrnak, David CHI 4 3 4 7 0 -4 13 23%
                   
WESTERN GOALIE TEAM GP GOALS AGAINST G.A. AVERAGE SAVES SAVE %
Grubauer, Phillip CAL 2 4 1.97 59 .937
                   

Clearfield Bison Two home games – vs. Lakeland and our biggest rival, Hampton. Could the league-leading Bison stay hot at home?
Clearfield Bison @ Clearfield Bison This one was all Clearfield from the opening drop. Clearfield tallied twice in the first, added one in the second and capped it off with 2 more in the third for a 5-0 whitewash. Lakeland generated only 5 scoring chances the entire game.

The oddest thing? Karl Alzner ended up with the Gordie Howe HT after Boyle challenged him in the third. Of all the players to get the Gordie Howe, Alzner might have been my last choice in the entire league…but that’s why they play the games.

Clearfield led in shots 34-28, won 2/3 of the faceoffs, and out-chanced the Tigers 13-5. The only disappointment was the Bison PP, as it continues to be dead last in the league (0-4 in this one).

STARS: The computer gave one to Luongo but I’m revoking that, he didn’t have to face many difficult shots. Any time your never-score, never-penalized D gets a Gordie Howe, he’s GOT to be #1!! Alzner 1G, 1A, 1 fight #2 Hertl 3A #3 Maroon 2G

Hampton Blizzard @ Clearfield Bison Hampton has given us fits since I started playing them last year…but this game was unlike any other I’ve played against them. The Blizzard simply didn’t show up, and this time Price could not save them.

The first period was relatively even…Hampton had a couple of decent rushes, but neither team had much going until at 17:15 Alex Edler threw a harmless-looking wrister to the net..and Price whiffed on it. The announcer said that Price definitely should have had it..and I’m thinking that rocked the whole team’s confidence.

For the next 20 minutes of game action, Hampton generated exactly ONE shot. At the 13:49 mark of the second the shots read 21-5, the score read 4-0 and the game was all but over. The backbreaker was a breakaway shortie by (who else?) Bergeron.

Clearfield added insult to injury with 2 third-period PP goals and another goal by Alzner(?!). Forsberg scored to break the shutout, but the final was 7-1 Clearfield.

Not much for Hampton to find positive here – shots were 44-17, chances were 20-8, Clearfield went 3-8 on the PP.

STARS: #1 Little 2G 2A #2 Alzner 1G 1A #3 Williams 1G 1A

Weekly Summary: Alzner gets the only two stars he’s likely to ever get, and the Bison hit peak performance with two dominating wins. The fans are starting to think a deep playoff run is possible, but the coaching staff wants to take it one game(set) at a time.

Weekly Preview: Rangers have begun to settle in after their flurry of salary cap reduction trades (or building for the future trades, or trading for the fun of it – who knows).
This week they play 1 home game – against Jagr, a team which feels they have shrugged off the early start are might now be in it to win it. Just a few hours after their latest trade they hit the road. Can Ellis have a positive effect?
Jagr Mullets @ Bathgate Rangers Jagr wastes no time in getting on board, just before the 3 minute mark Ovechkin takes the setup from Laine and Staal and puts the biscuit in the basket for a 1-0 Jagr lead.
But wait!! Those Bathgate boys are not having any of it. They then go on a 4 goal rampage through the rest of the 1st quarter. 3:49, 5:13, 8:54 all three even strength goals, Staal, Anderson and Killorn. Then a minute after the 3rd goal, Hornqvuist gets a PP goal and it’s 4-1 Bathgate as the first period ends. YAY!
But then, the Rangers don’t come out for period 2 – at least that’s the way it felt. Jagr outshoots the Rangers 12-4 and they outscore them 3-0 to tie it up. Gaborik gets the 1st Mullet goal of period 2, set up by Ellis! Then Laine fires 2 pucks past Rinne the 1st at 15:32 and the 2nd with just over a minute to go.
Teams head to the locker rooms looking at a scoreboard that reflects a tie – but the momentum has definitely shifted mulletward!
And Jagr doesn’t lose that MO. 3:28 in, Hampus Lindholm gets his 10th, fed to him by Laine and Kadri. The goal is scored on a delayed penalty to E.Staal. Laine is having a great day with 2 goals and 2 assists at this point and the Mullets have gone up 5-4.
BUT ….
Just when you think Bathgate has dropped so low that the best thing would be the buzzer to end the game, Erik Karlsson follows in a Donskoi and Zajac rush and nails the rebound for his 15th goal and the game is tied, and all this less than a minute after Jagr had netted their 4th straight goal.
Strange thing then occurs – no one scores again in the 3rd. And no one scores in the OT period even though both teams peppered their opposing goalies – 5 shots each in OT.
On to the shootout ….
Ovechin shoots – SCORES Karlsson shoots – save
Laine shoots – SCORES (of course) Ferland shoots – save and the game is over:
Final Jagr 6 Bathgate 5 (SO)
Stars – all Jagr
1. Laine 2 goals, 2 assists (and SO goal)
2. Lindholm 1 goal 1 assist
3. Ovechkin 1 goal 1 assist (and the GWG in the SO)Ellis in his 1st Jagr game leads his team in TOI with 30:07 in 27 shifts (including OT) and gets an assist and is +1.
Weekly Summary: Bathgate manages a point in their 1 game homestand, dropping a heartbreaker in a shoot-out.

Long Beach Ice Dogs  
Alamo Defenders @ Long Beach Ice Dogs Alamo had a 3-2 lead when Long Beach pulled Talbot for an extra skater. They were able to score the tying goal when Carter scored at 18:55. The game went to a shootout which the Ice Dogs won 2-0 on goals by Carter & Skinner. This was a really well played game without any penalties.
Long Beach Ice Dogs @ Chicago Cosa Nostra Chicago led 2-1 going into the 3rd period when Long Beach scored 2 goals in the first 2 minutes to take the lead. With 8 minutes to go the game got interesting. Kreider scored to tie the game. 1 minute later, Skinnner gave the Ice Dogs the lead. 3 minutes after that Pastrnak tied the game again and it went to OT. 17 seconds into OT Pastrnak scored his second goal of the game as Chicago won 5-4.
Weekly Summary: Long Beach picked up 3 points in their 2 games

Jagr Mullets Jagr plays two at home, welcoming new additions Ryan Ellis and Antoine Roussel.
Minneapolis Deep Freeze @ Jagr Mullets First place Minneapolis comes to town, licking their chops at Jagr’s GAA.

But the Mullets strike first, getting a PP goal by Granlund (13) at 8:01 of the 1st. Minneapolis immediately gets retribution, with former Mullet MVP Joe Pavelski (17) getting a power play marker less than 3 minutes later. Justin Schultz (7) continues to shine for Jagr, potting one a minute later at even strength to give the Mullets a 2-1 lead.

Minny gets the tying goal from Hossa (18) early in the 2nd, and then nemesis Scott Hartnell (10) gets an unassisted goal 3 minutes into the 3rd to put the visitors up 3-2.

Newly acquired Antoine Roussel immediately becomes a fan favorite, getting a 5 minute major and game misconduct for beating up Tkachuk.

But wait! New addition Ryan Ellis (10) blasts one into the twine to tie it back up 3-3.

Minneapolis wisely plays conservatively, waiting for Jagr to perform their typical late game choke… but not this day. At 18:23, Elias Lindholm (4) shocks the Deep Freeze by scoring, and then Ryan Ellis (11) scores 14 seconds later to quickly make it a 5-3 Jagr lead with less than 90 seconds remaining!

Marian Gaborik (4) slips in an empty-netter to seal the deal 6-3.

Scoring Summary
Per Time Str Team
1 8:01 PP JAG Granlund (13), assisted by Nurse (7) and Hall (24)
1 10:48 PP MIN Pavelski (17), assisted by Marchessault (10) and Aho (21)
1 11:56 EV JAG Schultz (7), assisted by Staal (13) and Laine (23)
2 3:37 EV MIN Hossa (18), assisted by Tkachuk (19) and Pavelski (20)
3 3:03 EV MIN Hartnell (10), unassisted
3 4:54 EV JAG Ellis (10), assisted by Kadri (18) and Laine (24)
3 18:23 EV JAG Elias Lindholm (4), assisted by Gaborik (4) and Granlund (15)
3 18:37 EV JAG Ellis (11), assisted by Rielly (4) and Hall (25)
3 18:47 EN JAG Gaborik (4), assisted by Granlund (16) and Elias Lindholm (14)

Star 1: JAG Ellis 2 G
Star 2: JAG Granlund 1 G, 3 Pts
Star 3: JAG Lindholm 1 G, 2 Pts

GWG: Elias Lindholm

Notables: MIN Bobrovsky 30 saves
JAG Vasilevskiy 33 saves, Roussel 17 PIM

Bathgate Rangers @ Jagr Mullets Fresh off an upset of first place Minneapolis, Jagr hopes to build some momentum.

Kadri (27) does just that, scoring his 27th and league leading goal at 9:15 of the 1st.

But then the wheels come off. Bathgate scores 4 unaswered goals by Subban (6), Ferland (11), Zajac (5), and Killorn (8) to quiet the home crowd.

The bright star of the game for the Mullets? Antoine Roussel, who collects another fighting major and also scores his 12th goal of the year at 16:58 to make the final score a misleadingly respectable 4-2 Bathgate.

Weekly Summary: Jagr only manages 2 of a possible 4 points at home. But the fans have a new cult hero in Roussel, and the next homestand is already an advance sell-out.

LA Great Danes 3 Games at home this week for the Great Danes
Corktown Suds @ LA Great Danes Tyler Toffoli scores 4 minutes in to put LA up 1-0, and the Danes score 3 goals in the first 8 minutes of period 2 to go up 4-0. Stephen Johns scores on the PP with 6:50 left for Corktown to spoil Frederick Andersen’s shutout, but the Danes take the first game of the homestand 4-1. Scheifele 2G-1A and Benn 1G-2A earn the first 2 stars, and Andersen with 29 saves is the 3rd star.
Long Beach Ice Dogs @ LA Great Danes In the battle of canines, the Danes again score early on an Alex Chiasson goal 6:51 in, and it stays that way until Alex Pietrangelo scores 6:30 into the 3rd period. Frederick Andersen again loses the shutout late, this time on a Matheson goal with just 5 seconds left. The Danes win 2-1 behind Andersen’s 34 saves. For the second straight game Ryan Kesler wins 83% of his faceoffs for LA.
Alamo Defenders @ LA Great Danes The top 2 teams in the Pacific face-off the 4th time this year. After a scoreless first period, Jake Gardiner puts Alamo up 1-0 2:52 into period 2, but the Danes respond quickly on a goal by Ryan Suter 39 seconds later. Alamo gets 2 late 2nd period deflection goals by Blake Wheeler and Tyler Seguin to go up 3-1 after 2 periods. Another deflection goal by Brad Marchand on the PP 11:30 into the 3rd period gives Alamo the 4-1 lead. Goals by Ryan Kesler and Mark Scheifele get LA within one with 4:15 left, and the Danes get a few late chances but come up short, losing 4-3. Gardiner/Wheeler/Seguin all had 1G-1A for Alamo and were the game’s 3 stars. The Danes fail on their only PP chance, and Alamo goes 1-5 as the Danes make it a game of it with 2 late goals but Alamo seemed in control all night.
Weekly Summary: The Danes do win 2 of 3 at home, but 3 losses in 4 games this season versus 2nd place Alamo have made it a race in the Pacific. The Danes will need to find a way to match up better versus Alamo, and they will get two more matchups with them over the next two weeks.

Bucks County Racoons Home games against cellar dwelling Chicago and division leading Clearfield……
Chicago Cosa Nostra @ Bucks County Racoons A tight and chippy contest throughout, with many skirmishes after the whistle, is decided with 3:14 to go in the 3rd period when Jayden Schwartz scores from Kane and Lucic to give the Raccoons a 2-1 win. Bucks County had the edge in most statistical categories and was able to kill off all 4 of Chicago’s PP to secure the win.
Clearfield Bison @ Bucks County Racoons Hoping to gain some momentum form their previous home victory, the Bucks County Raccoons could not capitalize and were defeated by the Clearfield Bison by a score of 3-0. BC again had a slight statistical edge in the game and killed off all 6 BIson PP opportunities, but Anderson in net proved too much for the home team in the loss.
Weekly Summary: 2 of 4 points at home, which is pretty much what average is, and the Raccoons are proving to be just that at this point in the season, an average team……

Gilbert Sharks Gilbert has just one home game this block vs. Jagr
Jagr Mullets @ Gilbert Sharks January 20 2018 01-28-2018

1 2 3 F
2017-18 Jagr 21-20-0-4 1 1 0 2
2017-18 Gilbert 16-23-0-6 0 2 2 4

Scoring Summary
Per Time Str Team
1 17:40 EV JAG Ellis (10), assisted by Radulov (19) and Kadri (17)
2 5:21 EV GIL Atkinson (19), assisted by Getzlaf (28) and Panarin (28)
2 6:29 EV GIL Stepan (7), assisted by Bouwmeester (7) and Spooner (15)
2 11:04 EV JAG McGinn (2), assisted by Nurse (6) and Ryan (3)
3 :49 EV GIL MacKinnon (7), assisted by Giordano (11) and Iginla (3)
3 9:04 EV GIL Panarin (19), assisted by Josi (15) and Getzlaf (29)

Penalty Summary
Per Time Team
1 5:16 JAG Hall (26), 2:00 – hooking
2 15:32 JAG Ellis (23), 2:00 – hooking
3 5:56 JAG Schultz (17), 2:00 – cross checking
3 15:15 JAG Elias Lindholm (14), 2:00 – cross checking

SOG 1 SOG 2 SOG 3
Jagr 17 8 4
Gilbert 4 17 19

JAG GIL
SOG 29 40
FOW 25 39
FO% 39.1 60.9
Hits 20 21
Blocks 9 12
Missed Net 12 18
Shot Attempts 53 67
Scoring Chances 3 12
PIM 8 0
PP 0-0 0-4
TOA 3:12 6:55

Star 1: GIL Panarin 1 G, 2 Pts
Star 2: GIL Atkinson 1 G
Star 3: GIL Stepan 1 G

GWG: Nathan MacKinnon

Notables: JAG Quick 36 saves
GIL Getzlaf 17 faceoffs won

Jagr GA SV Save% TOI W L OL Rate
G Quick -L 4 36 .900 58:59 4 2 0 6.9 (+0.1)

Gilbert GA SV Save% TOI W L OL Rate
G Rask -W 2 27 .931 60:00 13 18 3 7.3 (+0.3)

Weekly Summary: Gilbert gets a big 4-22 win over Jagr.

Toledo Walleye Toledo (21-19-4) hosts division leading Minneapolis (22-18-4) and Conference foe California (17-23-4).
Minneapolis Deep Freeze @ Toledo Walleye Toledo 2, Minneapolis 1 – Goaltenders rule this division battle. Dell saves 31 of 32 for the home team while Bobrovsky saves 32 of 34 for the visitors. Toledo takes the early lead on a BAckstrom goal just over 2 minutes into the game. After that, a lot of tight play on into the 2nd period until Tkachuk evens the score just before the 2nd intermission. In the 3rd period, van Riemdyk breaks the deadlock with the game winner just as Aho gets called for hooking. After that Toledo is able to hold the visitors at bay for the 2-1 win.
1st star – van Riemsdyk 1G 1A
2nd star – Backstrom 1G 1A
3rd star – Dell 31 saves
California Regulators @ Toledo Walleye Toledo 5, California 0 – Dubnyk with a perfect 27 saves. Toledo uses 48 shots on goal to wear down Domingue. Goals from Green, Ward, Okposso, Sutter, Krejci.
1st star – Dubnyk 3 stars
2nd star – Krejci 1G 2A
3rd star – Green 1G
Weekly Summary: Toledo wins 2, with a big one over division leading Minneapolis.

The goaltenders stood tall for Toledo with Dell saving 31 of 32 and Dubnyk saving 27 of 27.


Alamo Defenders The Toledo Walleyes and Gilbert Sharks come to San Antonio to take on the Defenders.
Toledo Walleye @ Alamo Defenders Late in the 1st period, Pacioretty scores his 17th goal for Alamo. The Defenders score the next three goals. With about 5 minutes to goal, Toledo scores on a goal by Letestu. Alamo outshoots Toledo, 41-31.

Alamo 4 Toledo 1

1st star – Lehner 30 saves
2nd star – Pacioretty
3rd star – Seguin

Gilbert Sharks @ Alamo Defenders 47 seconds into the game and Brad Marchand nets his 23rd goal. Later in the 1st, Tanner Pearson scores his 7th goal. In the second period, Pacioretty scores his 18th goal to close the scoring. Lehner earns a shutout.

Alamo 3 Gilbert 0

1st star – Lehner 28 saves – shutout
2nd star – Marchand
3rd star – Pacioretty

Weekly Summary: Alamo gives up 1 goal in 2 games to take both games against Toledo and Gilbert.

Lehner with a shutout and 1 goal against. Pacioretty scores in both games.


Brentwood Bandits Brentwood has a 3 game home stand as Bathgate, Long Beach, and Lakeland (in a divisional showdown). Can the Bandits continue down the winning path?
Bathgate Rangers @ Brentwood Bandits Bathgate comes to town. Can they shower goals on the Bandits?

2 goals scored in the 1st. One by Brentwood (Backes #9) and one by Bathgate (Anderson #13).

On to the second where the Bandits Crosby (23) scores on the PP assisted by Backes (12). 2-1 Bandits lead.

Midway through the second Backes scores his second of the game (10). 3-1 Bandits lead.

Second period winding down. Just under 2 minutes left when Karlsson scores his 15th of the season to cut the lead to 3.2 Bandits.

Go to the third. Close game… or is it?

Weise scores his 4th on a rare PP shift to make it 4-2 Bandits.

Last two minutes of the game Bathgate pulls Rinne, and with 24 seconds left in the game Phaneuf shoots one from the blue line into the empty net. 5-2 Bandits is your final score.

1 2 3 F
2017-18 Bathgate 19-21-0-5 1 1 0 2
2017-18 Brentwood 31-11-0-3 1 2 2 5

Scoring Summary
Per Time Str Team
1 18:52 EV BWB Backes (9), assisted by Tavares (20) and Marleau (12)
1 19:38 EV BGR Anderson (13), assisted by Shaw (9) and Killorn (9)
2 3:05 PP BWB Crosby (23), assisted by Backes (12)
2 11:35 EV BWB Backes (10), assisted by Miller (5)
2 18:16 PP BGR Karlsson (15), assisted by Klingberg (20) and Staal (22)
3 15:27 PP BWB Weise (4), assisted by Tavares (21) and Niederreiter (24)
3 19:36 EN BWB Phaneuf (4), assisted by Tavares (22) and Backes (13)

Penalty Summary
Per Time Team
2 2:38 BGR Rinne (8), 2:00 – delay of game
2 3:42 BGR McCann (4), 2:00 – holding
2 8:05 BGR Girgensons (14), 2:00 – hooking
2 12:44 BGR Subban (45), 2:00 – holding
2 17:19 BWB Niederreiter (20), 2:00 – interference
3 1:31 BWB Marleau (21), 4:00 – boarding
3 13:16 BGR Klingberg (23), 2:00 – roughing
3 13:16 BWB Weise (14), 2:00 – roughing
3 13:56 BGR Staal (22), 2:00 – holding

SOG 1 SOG 2 SOG 3
Bathgate 8 5 20
Brentwood 12 19 8

BGR BWB
SOG 33 39
FOW 37 34
FO% 52.1 47.9
Hits 21 27
Blocks 12 17
Missed Net 12 16
Shot Attempts 62 67
Scoring Chances 15 10
PIM 12 8
PP 1-3 2-5
TOA 4:15 5:08

Star 1: BWB Backes 2 G, 4 Pts
Star 2: BWB Tavares 3 A
Star 3: BWB Phaneuf 1 G

GWG: David Backes

Notables: BGR Rinne 34 saves
BWB Gibson 31 saves, Tavares 3 assists

Bathgate GA SV Save% TOI W L OL Rate
G Rinne -L 4 34 .895 58:40 14 16 3 7.4 (+0.1)

Brentwood GA SV Save% TOI W L OL Rate
G Gibson -W 2 31 .939 60:00 23 8 1 7.7 (-0.2)

Long Beach Ice Dogs @ Brentwood Bandits LBD comes from the LBC to try to steal a win from the Bandits.

1st period sees Long Beach take a 2-0 lead with goals from Skinner (18) and Faulk (13).

2nd period sees Long Beach take a 3-0 lead with Faulk potting his second of the game and 14th on the season.

3rd period Brentwood’s peppering shots on Talbot finally pays off as Backes scores his 11th and then Kessel scores his 12th on the PP. 3-2 Long Beach lead.

Halfway through the 3rd Carter scores his 12th. 4-2 Long Beach lead.

Bandits don’t give up and pull Halak (who has been worthless anyway giving up 4 goals on 17 shots, but who’s counting?). Crosby scores his 24th with 52 seconds remaining to pull within 1. Then Crosby, Niederreiter, Kessel, and Krug pepper as many shots as they can muster in 52 seconds but Talbot holds serve as Long Beach pulls out the 4-3 win.

1 2 3 F
2017-18 Long Beach 20-21-0-4 2 1 1 4
2017-18 Brentwood 31-12-0-3 0 0 3 3

Scoring Summary
Per Time Str Team
1 6:10 EV LBD Skinner (18), assisted by Carter (30) and Marner (29)
1 8:03 EV LBD Faulk (13), assisted by Bozak (29) and Parise (7)
2 9:23 EV LBD Faulk (14), assisted by Zetterberg (20) and Savard (13)
3 1:10 EV BWB Backes (11), assisted by Nash (3)
3 5:47 PP BWB Kessel (12), assisted by Krug (43) and Niederreiter (25)
3 10:18 EV LBD Carter (12), unassisted
3 19:08 EV BWB Crosby (24), assisted by Krug (44) and Niederreiter (26)

Penalty Summary
Per Time Team
1 6:10 BWB Vermette – tripping – goal scored on delayed penalty
1 12:25 LBD Cole (21), 2:00 – roughing
2 4:33 LBD Martinez (24), 2:00 – roughing
2 10:53 LBD Bjugstad (12), 2:00 – roughing
2 18:59 BWB Phaneuf (42), 2:00 – roughing
3 5:09 LBD Nash (20), 2:00 – elbowing

SOG 1 SOG 2 SOG 3
Long Beach 7 5 5
Brentwood 16 12 15

LBD BWB
SOG 17 43
FOW 24 35
FO% 40.7 59.3
Hits 26 19
Blocks 20 14
Missed Net 7 13
Shot Attempts 38 76
Scoring Chances 10 12
PIM 8 2
PP 0-1 1-4
TOA 2:05 7:33

Star 1: LBD Faulk 2 G
Star 2: LBD Carter 1 G, 2 Pts
Star 3: LBD Talbot 40 saves

GWG: Jeff Carter

Notables: LBD Talbot 40 saves, Matheson 5 blocks, Faulk 6 blocks
BWB None

Long Beach GA SV Save% TOI W L OL Rate
G Talbot -W 3 40 .930 60:00 18 16 4 7.4 (0.0)

Brentwood GA SV Save% TOI W L OL Rate
G Halak -L 4 13 .765 58:41 8 3 2 7.0 (+0.1)

Lakeland Flying Tigers @ Brentwood Bandits Lakeland comes to town in a Divisional showdown.

1:49 into the 1st Thornton scores his 1st of the season for a 1-0 Lakeland lead.

Marleau (16) and Braun (3) make it 2-1 Bandits after one period.

2nd period sees Vatrano score a rare goal (3) unassisted after stealing the puck at center ice and skating in a breakaway, beating Jones in the 5 hole. 3-1 Bandit lead.

Ristolainen scores his 5th and we have a 1 goal game heading into the 3rd.

Lakeland throws everything at Halak, but he was determined to put the last pitiful performance behind him as he stood on his head turning away all 14 shots thrown at him in the 3rd to secure the 3-2 victory for the Bandits.

1 2 3 F
2017-18 Lakeland 21-20-0-4 1 1 0 2
2017-18 Brentwood 32-12-0-3 2 1 0 3

Scoring Summary
Per Time Str Team
1 1:49 EV LAK Thornton (1), assisted by Hartman (7) and Vatanen (9)
1 10:16 EV BWB Marleau (16), assisted by Forbort (16) and Backes (14)
1 15:58 EV BWB Braun (3), assisted by Vermette (8) and Hainsey (11)
2 4:12 EV BWB Vatrano (3), unassisted
2 19:46 EV LAK Ristolainen (5), assisted by Thornton (17) and Grabner (4)

Penalty Summary
Per Time Team
1 12:37 LAK Seabrook (16), 2:00 – boarding
2 5:17 BWB Backes (40), 2:00 – hooking
3 1:43 BWB Miller (14), 2:00 – cross checking
3 17:25 LAK Lowry (25), 2:00 – hooking

SOG 1 SOG 2 SOG 3
Lakeland 2 14 14
Brentwood 13 4 5

LAK BWB
SOG 30 22
FOW 26 24
FO% 52.0 48.0
Hits 16 23
Blocks 13 16
Missed Net 11 12
Shot Attempts 57 47
Scoring Chances 8 9
PIM 4 4
PP 0-2 0-2
TOA 4:37 3:03

Star 1: LAK Thornton 1 G, 2 Pts
Star 2: BWB Marleau 1 G
Star 3: BWB Vatrano 1 G

GWG: Frank Vatrano

Notables: LAK None
BWB Crosby 15 faceoffs won

Lakeland GA SV Save% TOI W L OL Rate
G Jones -L 3 19 .864 58:15 8 13 4 6.7 (0.0)

Brentwood GA SV Save% TOI W L OL Rate
G Halak -W 2 28 .933 60:00 9 3 2 7.6 (+0.7)

Weekly Summary: 4 out of 6 points at home is not too bad at all. A fun week. Looking forward to the games down the stretch!

Thunder Bay Nor’Westers Only 1 game at home this week and it is against Toledo.
Toledo Walleye @ Thunder Bay Nor’Westers Thunder Bay scores 1st with Seth Jones netting his 13th of the season. Toledo gets a power play after Muzzin goes to the sin bin for roughing. Backstrom scores (15) on the power play. Tieing the score at 1-1. The Nor’Westers score again to take the lead back 2-1 on Reilly Smith’s 8th goal of the season.

In the 2nd period the game starts to get more physical. Finally Nick Foligno ties the game again at 2-2 with his 12th of the season.

The 3rd period is all Toledo. Thunder Bay looked tired, slow and frustrated. Letestu(7) scores putting the Walleye in the lead for the 1st time. Late Adam Larsson shows his frustration and gets 2 minutes for roughing. Krejci scores his 16th goal of the season to cap the scoring. Toledo 4 Thunder Bay 2.

While James Reimer played ok in the net the defense lost their cool taking unnecessary penalties that changed the game.

Weekly Summary: Thunder Bay continues the slid down the standings.

New Jersey Grizzlies A week of 4 home games and 8 points on the line, this was the point where New Jersey knew they had to step up or the season could be in trouble.
Hampton Blizzard @ New Jersey Grizzlies Hampton who comes in with a stellar core of players lead by Carey Price in net. This game was going to be battle since only two weeks ago these two teams hooked up for good ole western shootout. As expected the two teams did not disappoint. Hampton jumped out 2-0 early in period one but it was Nick Ritchie and Viktor Hedman bringing the game even in the end. Hampton again took the lead but then it was the Viktor Arvidsson show, he netted two to give New Jersey the lead but also take the lead in the goals race for the the league. New Jersey added a empty net and 5-3 was trhe final.
Bucks County Racoons @ New Jersey Grizzlies In the second game of the week New Jersey would host the Raccoons of Buck County. They should be called the squirrels cause that’s way they played. NJ got out early and Bucks County tied it but then in the second every time NJ thought they were close to hitting the net it was a Bucks County player coming in and creating and scoring giving Bucks County a goal marker and two goal lead. Bucks County added two more in the third and was completely in control from start to finish, winning 6-2 going away.
Hampton Blizzard @ New Jersey Grizzlies So you thought game one of the week was important New Jersey was looking toward this match up again with Hampton. Hampton was not going to go silently into the night. Viktor Arvidsson was the definitely on the minds of the the Blizzard and they started out hitting him early.The atmosphere was electric and had a playoff feel. Hampton and New Jersey traded goals in the start of period 1. At the end Hampton had the lead but there was alot of game still to go. Period 2 was all NJ. They took back the lead but a late goal by Hampton lead us to the third all tied up and the game was getting ready to erupt. Like a chess match both teams where playing tight through the first 10 minutes until Evegeni Malkin was able to give Hampton the lead and take the winds from New Jersey’s sails. New Jersey knowing the division rivalry and again the need for points took a timeout to get the shooters on the ice with all systems go and and the Ric Flair WOO WOO in the background Leon Draisaitl was able to get the game equalized. The crazy stat was New Jersey out shot Hampton 17-1 in the third, If not for the stifling defensive play this game could have been much different. Overtime was upon us the sound was deafening and with a loose puck squirting out it was Jordan Eberle on the breakway scoring hsi 10th goal to give New Jersey the win. 5-4 in OT,
LA Great Danes @ New Jersey Grizzlies So after a barn burner against Hampton, New Jersey hosted another western team in LA. the Great Danes came in leading their division and were looking extend that lead. New Jersey was in a dog fight the whole way. Again like Hampton it was tied and lead to amazing finish in the third. Both LA and NJ traded shots but again in needed an overtime to decide the winner. After tying the last game Leon Draisaitl was able to score the game winner and give New Jersey a big win against a western rival.
Weekly Summary: four games eight points on the line. New Jersey walks away with 6 of 8 and still in a the playoff hunt. New Jersey needs to continue to keep pushing and just play hard. Let the chips fall as they may but they need wins and wins fast.

PS Wish I could write every week like this but its tough in season.


Corktown Suds  
Thunder Bay Nor’Westers @ Corktown Suds 1 of 3 games between the Nor’Westers and the Suds in Corktown this week

Corktown 1-0
Eichel (8) gets the only goal

Thunder Bay Nor’Westers @ Corktown Suds Thunder Bay gets one late to tie it 2-2. Wins in a shoot out

Thunder Bay 3-2

Thunder Bay Nor’Westers @ Corktown Suds Thunder Bay gets the shut out and wins the weekly series 2-1

Thunder Bay 3-0

Weekly Summary: Nor’Westers take 2 of 3 from the suds.

Lakeland Flying Tigers Just 1 Game this block, A home game vs division rival Cloumbus
Columbus Brew Jackets @ Lakeland Flying Tigers Lakeland, with no help from G- Martin Jones…wins in OT 4-3.

Oshie with 2 goals leads the way for the Flying Tigers.

Weekly Summary: A win at home is never a bad thing. Jones needs to pick up his game or Fleury is going to have to run the table when he returns.

Columbus Brew Jackets Brew Jackets in the hunt gets 3 home games this week – division leader Brentwood, big-time rival Bathgate, and Central hopeful Wausau. And it’s also time to rest a few guys ….
Brentwood Bandits @ Columbus Brew Jackets First period it looks like a game. Jackets Ladd gets 1 the first (15), then less than a minute later Marleau (16) ties it up. Then the Bandits steal of goal, Weise (4) to go up but the Beer boys tie it a couple of minutes later on a PP goal by Miller (23).
PERIOD 2 – Sid (no longer the kid) makes it 3-2 Bandits at the 7.45 mark and then Stome (5) ties is right back up 16 seconds later. Neiderreiter (17) and Crosby (24) again score for the Bandits late in the period to s(t)eal it up.
PERIOD 3 – neither team scores as Gibson turns back 13 Brew Jacket shots to preserve the 5-3 Brentwood victory.
STARS: (all BWB)
1. Crosby 2 goals
2. Niederreiter 1 goal, 1 assist and GWG
3. Marleau 1 goal, 1 assist
Bathgate Rangers @ Columbus Brew Jackets Game 1 was a setback – now the Brew Jackets take on pops! Rangers show up with some D! Neither team splits the pipes in the 1st. And it keeps going that way until the last 5 minutes of period 1 when Miller (24) pounces on a rebound and knocks it past Rinne. 3 minutes later Subban (6) ties it up when he moves in to score. But Strome gets the go ahead goal back in the last minute of period 2.
Rangers then tie it up with some 3rd period pressure when Zajac (5) scores with 6 minutes to go. Rinne and Budaj keep it that way and it’s on to OT.
Both teams manage 3 shots in OT and then with 47 seconds left Eriksson gets the setu from Anderson and Subban to put away the game winner and Pops wins this round. Grrrr
3 Stars (all BGR)
1. Zajac 1 goal, 1 assist
2. Subban 1 goal, 1 assist
3. Eriksson 1 goal
Wausau Lumberjacks @ Columbus Brew Jackets The week is not going well, so lets cut some timber. The Lumberjacks come to town and are sensing a leaking beer can and they quickly pounce on Budaj. Zuccarello (8) and Dumba (11) get 1st period goals within the opening 10 minutes. Jackets, via Foligno (11), get 1 back early in the second, but Palat (14) gets a PP at 7:15 to regain the 2 goal lead. Kucherov (18) gets a PP goal late in the period and the 2nd end 3-2 Wausau.
Early in the 3rd (2:10 mark) Giroux (5) scores the 2nd Wausau PP goal and it’s back to a 2 goal deficit for the home brew. Halfway through the period Stalberg (5) nails a pass from Kucherov to make it 4-3 Wausau. Then the classic happened. with 56 seconds left, Budaj skates to the bench for the extra skater.d And the Jackets peppered the Lumberjacks but they either went wide or got blocked and Stalberg netted the tying goal with ONE SECOND LEFT – and it’s on to OT. 3rd period Columbus only got 5 shots on net – fortunately 2 of them went in.
Looking to reverse the previous OT game, the Brew Jackets flipped the results when new Brew Jacket Jimmy Vesey (5) scored the game winner with 1:04 to go.
STARS:
1. WLJ – Zuccarello 1 goal, 2 assists
2. CBJ – Kucherov 1 goal, 1 assist
3. CBJ – Hayes 1 goal, 1 assistNotable – Kopitar (WLJ) gets 3 assists
Weekly Summary: 1-1-1 3 Points – should have been more, good that it wasn’t less.

California Regulators  
Game #1 – Home Team: California Regulators
Gilbert Sharks @ California Regulators California wins 7-1.
Gilbert Sharks @ California Regulators Gilbert strikes back, wins 3-1.
Lakeland Flying Tigers @ California Regulators Lakeland squeaks out a win, 3-2 in OT.
Weekly Summary: California drops another homestand, 1-2 for the week.

Weekly Preview: Minneapolis gets one scheduled home game plus a surprise visit from the Chicago Cosa Nostra.
Minneapolis Deep Freeze @ Chicago Cosa Nostra  Minneapolis Deep Freeze (6) @ Chicago Cosa Nostra (5)

The Cosa Nostra team bus broke down due to the extreme cold in Minneapolis, so the Deep Freeze get an extra home game this week.

And the Deep Freeze start out on a hot streak as Tkachuk (8) opens the scoring barely 1 minute in to the game. Chicago evens it up 7 minutes later on a blast from Pastrnak (12) that beat Crawford. With 31 seconds left in the first person, Spezza (10) winds up and fires a slapshot past Saros to give Minneapolis the 2-1 lead.

Gagner (7) extends the lead to 3-1 for the Deep Freeze with a one-timer from Manning 2 minutes into the second period. The teams trade penalties throughout the middle of the period but generate little offense. DeKeyser (1) scores his first of the year on a slapshot from the point that narrowly squeaked through Crawford to bring his team back within 1. Minneapolis leads 3-2. Not even 3 minutes later, Chicago ties the game when Nugent-Hopkins (9) redirects a shot from Gakchenyuk. Crawford never had a chance and now we’re tied at 3.

We enter the third period tied at 3, and the Deep Freeze are surely disappointed after leading 3-1 early in the second period. Minneapolis get thoroughly dominated by Chicago throughout the first 10 minutes of the final period, as the Cosa Nostra outshoot the Deep Freeze 11-3 and take the lead on Galchnyuk’s 15th of the season. The Deep Freeze find their game again and keep some sustained pressure in the Chicago zone, resulting in Tkachuk (9) beating Saros to tie the game at 4 with under 6 minutes left to play.

Tkachuk tries to undo the good he’s done by taking a totally unnecessary cross-checking penalty with 3 minutes to go, and giving Chicago a chance to retake the lead. The Cosa Nostra defense gets caught too far into the Deep Freeze end though, and gives Fisher a shorthanded breakaway with 36 seconds left in the penalty. Fisher (5) makes them pay, as he puts the triple-deke on Saros and Minneapolis takes the 5-4 lead with 1:33 to play.

After winning the ensuing faceoff Chicago pulls the goalie. The move pays off when Kreider (17) evens the score with a powerplay goal less than 30 seconds later. Will one of these teams manage to end the game in regulation or are we headed for overtime!?

The teams play in the neutral zone for most of the rest of the period before Minneapolis gets across the Cosa Nostra blue line. Tkachuk feeds it across to Markov (3) who “shoots low” and “hit the crossbar” to give Minneapolis the lead with only 3 seconds left! Minneapolis wins 6-5 in what was surely one of the most exciting games of the season for these division rivals.

Scoring Summary
Per Time Str Team
1 1:23 EV MIN Tkachuk (8), assisted by Hossa (11) and Pavelski (20)
1 8:17 EV CHI Pastrnak (12), assisted by Toews (21) and Kreider (9)
1 19:29 EV MIN Spezza (10), assisted by Aho (21) and Pesce (10)
2 2:07 EV MIN Gagner (7), assisted by Manning (9)
2 14:18 PP CHI DeKeyser (1), assisted by William Nylander (21) and Pastrnak (24)
2 17:03 EV CHI Nugent-Hopkins (9), assisted by Galchenyuk (23) and William Nylander (22)
3 9:38 EV CHI Galchenyuk (15), assisted by Parayko (15) and William Nylander (23)
3 14:16 EV MIN Tkachuk (9), assisted by Hossa (12)
3 18:27 SH MIN Fisher (5), assisted by Seidenberg (6)
3 18:53 PP CHI Kreider (17), assisted by Hutton (8) and Pastrnak (25)
3 19:57 EV MIN Markov (3), assisted by Tkachuk (19) and Orpik (12)

SOG 1 SOG 2 SOG 3
Minneapolis 15 9 13
Chicago 9 8 15

MIN CHI
SOG 37 32
FOW 48 22
FO% 68.6 31.4
Hits 16 23
Blocks 11 12
Missed Net 13 19
Shot Attempts 62 62
Scoring Chances 13 11
PIM 8 6
PP 0-2 2-5
TOA 5:35 3:40

Star 1: MIN Tkachuk 2 G, 3 Pts
Star 2: CHI Pastrnak 1 G, 3 Pts
Star 3: MIN Fisher 1 G

GWG: Andrei Markov

Notables: MIN Orpik 5 blocks, Pavelski 19 faceoffs won
CHI Nylander 3 assists, Saros 31 saves

Bucks County Racoons @ Minneapolis Deep Freeze Bucks County Raccoons (3) @ Minneapolis Deep Freeze (2)

Minneapolis controls the play at the beginning of the game, mounting 7 shots to the Raccoons 1 in the first 10 minutes. Hossa (18) gives the Deep Freeze a 1-0 lead with 7 minutes left in the period with a slick move past the defense and a shot over the shoulder of Darling. Minneapolis continues to dominate through the rest of the period but can’t frack Darling again. At the end of the first period the Deep Freeze lead only 1-0 but hold a commanding 16-4 advantage in shots on goal and 10-2 in scoring chances.

Minneapolis keeps the pressure on to start the second period and peppers Darling with 9 more shots in the first 4 minutes including several on a powerplay opportunity. Later in the period, Aho and Chara get going for a 2-on-1, but Aho just misses the net. The Deep Freeze get their second powerplay chance of the period with Wilson in the box for Roughing and this time they make it count as Turris (13) blasts a one-timer from Hartnell into the back of the net for the 2-0 lead halfway through the second period. The Raccoons finally get on the board with 3 minutes left in the period when Kane (9) redirects Schwartz shot from the point around a sprawling Bobrovsky. Minneapolis controls much of the second period but still finds themselves only leading by 1 heading into the third.

Bucks County evens the score at 2 when Johnson fed Kane (10) for a breakaway and he just squeaked it past Bobrovsky. The Raccoons get another break when Dominic Moore (14) gets behind the defense and beats Bobrovsky top shelf to take the 3-2 lead with 9 minutes to go. Minneapolis controls the rest of the game but is unable to get anything past Darling, and Bucks County holds on to win despite being dominated in almost every statistically significant category (see for yourself below).

Scoring Summary
Per Time Str Team
1 12:53 EV MIN Hossa (18), assisted by Tkachuk (20) and Pavelski (2
2 9:33 PP MIN Turris (13), assisted by Hartnell (14) and Gagner (2
2 16:36 EV BCR Kane (9), assisted by Schwartz (28) and Lucic (27)
3 6:09 EV BCR Kane (10), assisted by Johnson (11)
3 11:03 EV BCR Dominic Moore (14), assisted by Bellemare (5)

SOG 1 SOG 2 SOG 3
Bucks County 4 7 6
Minneapolis 16 18 19

BCR MIN
SOG 17 53
FOW 27 42
FO% 39.1 60.9
Hits 12 17
Blocks 24 13
Missed Net 10 17
Shot Attempts 40 94
Scoring Chances 7 24
PIM 10 2
PP 0-1 1-5
TOA 1:58 6:23

Star 1: BCR Darling 51 saves
Star 2: BCR Kane 2 G
Star 3: BCR Moore 1 G

Notables: BCR Darling 51 saves
MIN Pavelski 16 faceoffs won

Weekly Summary: Minneapolis wins a thriller in a surprise visit from the Cosa Nostra and loses a hard fought contest to the Raccoons when they run into a hot goaltender.