Game # 15 Lindsay Muskies 4 - Kingston Voyageurs 5
October 25th, 2007 in Kingston
Summary
A poor first period didn't look too promising for the Muskies but they fought back well, outshooting the first-placed Voyageurs 37-22 in the remaining two frames. But in the end they fell to an individual display of skill as the League's player of the month for September, rookie Jordan Mayer, scored a shorthanded breakaway goal that turned out to be the gamewinner. Lindsay rang two shots off the posts and were that close to getting something from this game. The Muskies' goalscorers tonight were Aaron Keaney, Chad Jones, Josh Ruys and Kevin George.
Period 1
A disappointing first period saw the Muskies fall behind at 9:44. The goal came from Anthony Geldart following a face-off outside the Lindsay zone. In truth, the goal had been coming for a while. The Muskies were putting in a lot of effort but seemed to be fighting the puck much of the time. Passes weren't as crisp as they needed to be and too often the puck was mishandled. The hosts outshot the Fish 14 to 6 and on reflection the Muskies might have been happy to be only one goal behind at the buzzer. It wasn't that they were particularly bad but the Vees looked very good, being quicker to the puck and more direct to the net. The good news was that with forty minutes left the Muskies still had plenty of time to turn the ship around.
Period 2
Things got worse for the Fish before they got better. At 4:25 the Vees doubled their lead when Josh Dadic met a pass at the far post and shot on goal. Richard Nerland had done very well to get across and seemed to think he had it but the puck must have found a gap because it was in the net behind him. This setback seemed to wake the Muskies up and they began to play much better.  They answered with three straight goals of their own and it was nearly more. First to find the back of the net was Aaron Keaney at 5:23. He was in just the right spot to pick up the rebound given up by Hache on Alex Charette's shot. It was a richly deserved goal for the Lindsay #21 who has had so much bad luck around the net in recent months. Corey George picked up the other assist. Then it was the turn of Haché to think he had a shot only to find it behind him. On a powerplay, Chad Jones shot was partially stopped but got through, bouncing a couple of times before reaching the twining. Assists went to Derek Davis and Kyle Stojsin. Back level, the Fish kept coming and at 11:11 they were in front when Josh Ruys' effort had just enough to get past the goalie, with Eric Gethers getting the lone assist. The Muskies nearly made it 4-2 when a blast hit the Kingston post and bounced out. Three times in quick succession a stoppage in the Vees crease ended in a scrummage and on the third occasion the referee penalised Cam Granger four minutes. The Fish killed off the first minor but then an odd bounce off the boards set up the home team to equalize courtesy of Brandon Perry's shot at 17:25. There was still time for Kyle Stojsin to redirect a shot past Haché only to see it once again ring loudly off the post. The turnaround on the ice was reflected by Lindsay's 21-13 advantage in shots in the second period.
Period 3
The Muskies started the third period on the powerplay but couldn't get their noses back out in front. Instead it was the hosts that scored first, with Mitch Latchford, who recently moved to the Vees from Peterborough, beating Nerland amidst a scramble in front of the crease at 3:46. The Muskies didn't lay down and roll over, however, and they pressured their hosts into taking penalties and giving up some good scoring chances. Things didn't go the Muskies' way, however, as they found themselves further behind in unfortunate circumstances. Pressing for the equalizer on a powerplay, they lost control of the puck and it was picked up by free-scoring rookie Jordan Mayer who skated in from the blue line and beat Nerland before any defencemen could get back to help. Lindsay got a wonderful chance to cut the margin when Kingston took two minor penalties a minute apart, giving the Fish a long two man advantage. Try as they might they couldn't make it count and entered the last few minutes still trailing by two. Finally some nice approach play by Aaron Keaney and Corey George set up Kevin George at the far post to smash the puck in at 18:12. Lindsay looked set to be encamped in the Vees end in the remaining time but when they pulled their goalie with 60 seconds to go, it seemed to ignite the Vees again who forechecked very impressively, making it hard for the Muskies to set up or even get out of their own zone. Kingston's Brandon Perry found himself with an empty net to aim at but uncharacteristically he sent his effort wide. But it turned out not to matter as the Fish simply ran out of time to come back once again.
Box Score: Click here
Game Sheet: Click here
Photographs
In the first period, Aaron Keaney is hauled down as he headed for goal, but the Muskies couldn't convert the powerplay.
The Muskies were much better in the second period. Here Ryan Oliver strives for the net.
Aaron Keaney is in the right place to bang home the rebound for Lindsay's first goal.
Matt Haché is well placed to stop Chad Jones' shot from out wide but the puck goes right through him.
The Vees' Anthony Geldart seems to think Josh Ruys is going to pass across, but instead he sends it through Haché's five-hole.
The Muskies continued to press Haché but hit the post twice.
After the Voyageurs score two in the third period, the Muskies try and play catch-up.
Kevin George scores the Muskies' fourth but it isn't quite enough.