Game # 2 Port Hope 4 - Lindsay Muskies 1
September 14th, 2007
Summary
This is one of those games that will be remembered for all the wrong reasons. There was some good hockey played but the headlines will concern the brawl with 3:10 left to go in the game. It could mark trouble for Port Hope's head coach, Brian Drumm, who received a Travesty of Game Gross Misconduct penalty for his part. Ironically, it came at a time when the main criticism being levelled at the Lindsay team by some fans was that they weren't being physical enough. On the ice, the Muskies were again undone by powerplay goals - three of them - and some borderline calls.
Period 1
The Muskies started the game really well, skating hard and forcing Preds goalie Potvin into a series of fine saves. Then disaster struck when Port Hope scored with their first foray into the Lindsay end - and of course their first shot. It came from Mitch Moffatt at 3:54 and was completely against the flow of the play.  But it knocked the Muskies right back and soon they were in further trouble. The first of a handful of penalties against them led to a second goal for the Predators from Tyler Miller at 10:07. Lindsay then got back into the game with a neat goal of their own. Ryan Oliver carried the puck in from the left wing and when it looked like he might take it behind the net, he instead chose to flick it over to Alex Fiset who had half the net to aim for and made no mistake. It was timed at 14:25. But the penalties kept coming from referee Gauthier and from one came a third Port Hope goal. It was a shot from close in by Kenny Allen at 18:07 when he jumped on a juicy rebound. In fact the Muskies were lucky it wasn't 4-1 by the buzzer as Chris Fearneley pulled off an astonishing save from close in in the dying seconds.
Period 2
The second period was played almost exclusively in the Port Hope end but the Muskies didn't often look like converting it into goals. The Preds didn't seem to want to build on their advantage as they sat back and absorbed what Lindsay threw at them. The Muskies did finally get the puck into the net and set off to celebrate the goal, but referee Gauthier had other ideas. He ruled that the net was off its moorings. If it was then it was the Preds goalie who lifted it off but no delay of game penalty was called. Soon after, the net was knocked clear off again when a Port Hope defenceman crosschecked a Lindsay player into it behind the play but again there was no penalty called. So with twenty minutes of regulation left, the Fish trailed by two and they had to get to grips with their tempers over the perceived miscarriages of justice.
Period 3
Perhaps the least said about the third period the better, but here goes. Chad Dunlop struck again at 10:20 during a Port Hope two man advantage but that was the only time the puck would find the net in the period. The Lindsay players seemed to be getting more and more steamed about some of the calls from the stripes, such as when Cam Granger got called for roughing after brushing the Pred's goalie as they passed each other behind the net, and it seemed that something could trigger some ugliness. That came with 3:10 left on the board when the Lindsay captain, Corey George, appeared to be grabbed and punched by a member of the visitors' staff. The result was a brawl involving most players and will undoubtedly lead to serious suspensions. Once play restarted, the slightest contact saw the Muskies heading for the box in quick succession and in this way at least the ref was able to see out the game without any repeat.
Box Score: Click here
Game Sheet: Click here
Photographs
Ryan Oliver heads over to join Alex Fiset in the celebrations after the Lindsay #10 set up the Muskies' goal with a seeing-eye pass across the crease.
Kevin George, making his Lindsay debut, fires a shot on Jeff Potvin but can't beat him.
#3 Josh Ruys waits for the puck on a Lindsay powerplay.
The Muskies celebrate cutting the lead down to one but referee Gauthier had other ideas.
Tensions are strained behind the net in the third period as Rory Landry gets into the thick of things.
A brawl breaks out after the Lindsay captain, Corey George, appeared to be assaulted from the bench.
Away from the brawl, Kyle Stojsin controls a one-sided fight at centre ice.
The aftermath is a lot of cleaning up - and likely some long suspensions.