Game # 5 Lindsay Muskies 1 - Bowmanville Eagles 0
September 23rd, 2007 in Bowmanville
Summary
The pendulum, perhaps, has swung since the Muskies reversed the scoreline from the heartbreaking 0-1 defeat against Bowmanville in game 2 of the playoffs seven months ago. This was a magnificent victory for the Muskies as their workrate throughout was first class. Matt Ginn made a dream debut in net for Lindsay, stopping all 31 Bowmanville shots for the shutout - the first debut shutout for Lindsay since Chris Foxwell did it against Kingston on September 12th, 2003. Alex Fiset scored the game's only goal in the first period and from then on the entire team worked intensely to preserve the win and could very easily have won by a larger margin. The triumph means that the Muskies have earned five out of a possible six points this weekend. This was the club's first shutout win since Ryan Mula kept the Peterborough Bees at bay in a 3-0 victory on November 11th, 2005.
Period 1
The Muskies put in an excellent first period that saw them deservedly take the lead. They had the best of the play and created a lot of chances, although too often the shooting was a little off target. Bowmanville's best spells came when they had the only two powerplays of the period, but even then they didn't threaten Matt Ginn in the Lindsay net too often.  The opening goal came at 13:26 when Chad Jones set up Rory Landry for a shot. Chris Azzano, the Eagles' goalie, got his body behind it but a juicy rebound fell perfectly for Alex Fiset to find the roof of the net.  Ginn's best save came with only 40 seconds left when he got a glove to a Bowmanville shot that seemed headed for the corner of the net. He paid quite a price as he got hit by the onrushing forward looking for a rebound that never came.
Period 2
Ginn was busy early in the second period as the puck got behind him but he did very well to reach back and grab it before it crossed the line. The penalty calls were fairly even between the two teams but the Muskies' problem was that theirs largely came in a bunch in the middle of the period. They defended well to come out unscathed, with the Eagles also enjoying a brief spell with a two man advantage.  Bowmanville were denied a goal by an illegal move and were rewarded with a penalty shot. The taker, Louke Oakley, lost control of the puck some distance from the crease and wasn't able to get a shot on Ginn as the Eagle and the rubber went separate ways. The Muskies came closes to adding to their total on several occasions. One saw Kyle Stojsin create a shorthanded chance as he waltzed past the Bowmanville defence but was denied by a good save from Azzano. The netminder was just a spectator, however, in the final seconds as Lindsay rang the puck off the corner of post and bar.
Period 3
The intensity of the Lindsay team never wavered in the final period as they preserved their one goal advantage. Despite being the more heavily penalized team again in the third, the players worked hard to win every loose puck and to keep the Eagles' forwards away from the crease. Alex Charette came as close as anyone to finding the net as he reacted quickest to another nice rebound and thought he had the whole of the top half of the net to aim for as the goalie was down. His well-struck shot was snapped out of the air by Azzano's glove as he somehow got his arm up to make the save. But in the end, although a second goal would have been nice the settle the good number of travelling fans' nerves, it didn't turn out to be necessary. Despite a couple of debated icing calls that kept the pressure on the Muskies with the Bowmanville net empty in the final (strangely slow) twenty seconds, the two points were secured and the team could feel immensely proud of themselves at the end of a long weekend.
Box Score: Click here
Game Sheet: Click here
Photographs
Alex Fiset scores what would turn out to be the only goal of the game in the first period.
Chris Azzano in the Bowmanville net saves one of thirteen Lindsay shots on goal in the first period
Cam Granger blasts another shot on net in the second but his effort is blocked
Aaron Keaney strides in to fight for the puck following a face-off in the Eagles' zone.
Azzano can only look behind him and hope as a shot rings off the iron in the last two seconds of the middle period.
Matt Ginn gets ready to lead the team out for the crucial third period.
And after twenty more minutes of play the young debutant is deservedly celebrating a good win with his team-mates.
Matt Ginn after securing the shutout win in his first game for the Muskies.