Game # 28 Wellington Dukes 4 - Lindsay Muskies 5 (Shootout)
December 9th, 2007 in Lindsay
Summary
It seemed like most Muskies fans skipped this game to concentrate on their Christmas shopping, which was a shame since it turned out to be one of the best games so far this season. The win in the shootout was a fair reward for an excellent performance by Lindsay, with promising defenceman Mike Wills landing himself a haul of a goal and two assists. Corey George and Trevor Mock also chipped in with a goal and a helper, while Kyle Stojsin had the fourth goal for the Fish. Richard Nerland pulled off a series of fine saves to get the Fish into the shootout, where Stojsin put in the game winner after Ryan Oliver had also been successful. One thing that was evident in this game was the Muskies' growing self-belief and this win will no doubt do wonders for the team's morale. Hopefully it will carry over into tomorrow night's game against the last-placed Cougars.
Period 1
Much of the good play that the Muskies showed in the first two periods Friday's game against Bowmanville was in evidence in the first twenty minutes against Wellington. Not surprisingly, though, the Fish found it much harder going against the first-placed Dukes. They played hard but sometimes had trouble breaking out of their own end. The Dukes got the lead at 5:36 with a little bit of fortune. The goal came on a powerplay and the Muskies had all but killed off the penalty when a point shot from Kyle Crawford clipped the arm of a Lindsay player which was just enough to deflect it over Richard Nerland's glove. But Lindsay didn't let their heads drop and they kept coming back as well as they could. They didn't make as many shooting chances as they had on Friday but they still were able to tie up the game. A blast from Mike Wills was blocked by goalie Fischer but Trevor Mock was right there to sweep home the rebound at 11:28. Corey George also picked up a point on the play. With Nerland playing very well at the other end, the Fish held their own until the first intermission and could be very satisified with their performance so far.
Period 2
The second period was even better for the Muskies in some ways, although they fell behind on the scoreboard. The Dukes came out hard at the Fish but they weathered the storm and as the period wore on, they began to give at least as good as they got. It looked as if the team finally began to believe that they could win this game, and that feeling was enhanced when they took the lead at 8:30. The goal was a thing of real beauty. It started with Mike Wills carrying the puck out of his own end and ended with the same player firing a shot right through Fischer. In between were some lovely passing moves, earning Kevin George and Jeff Bayley well-deserved assists on the goal. After that it began to look like Lindsay might even increase their lead as they carried the play to the visitors. What could have been a turning point came with a retaliatory penalty. When the Muskies were denied a good shooting chance by a desperate hook, it looked like they were about to go onto a powerplay, but a little bit of retribution by Ryan Oliver in the neutral zone meant both teams had a player sent to the box and they remained five on five. Almost immediately the Dukes were able to break up the ice, swap some neat passes and score through Marc Senecal at 13:48. The Muskies again responded well to losing their lead and continued to outchance the Dukes in the remainder of the period. That counted for nothing, though, as the Fish suddenly got caught short at the back and another odd-man rush ended with Chris Brown putting the puck in the net at 16:34. Near the end of the period, Wellington got called for two minors in quick succession giving the Muskies a sizable two man advantage that would carry over to the third period.
Period 3
Although the Fish couldn't score on the five on three, they did do on the five on four that followed the end of the first penalty. Corey George shot what looked like a speculative effort from far out by the boards, almost on the goal-line, but Fischer met it at the near post and turned it in to the net at 1:06. Alex Fiset and Trevor Mock were given assists. Things got even better on another powerplay at 7:25 when Kyle Stojsin tipped in a shot from Mike Wills to give the Muskies the lead for the second time in the game, also assisted by Justin Lacey. Sadly the lead only lasted 19 seconds as the Dukes sped back up to the other end and Corey Bureau promptly deposited the puck into the top corner. Once again, though, the Muskies continued to believe in themselves and battled all the way to the buzzer. The Dukes finished the period hard but couldn't beat Nerland or the defence in front of him. A harsh-looking interference call against Aaron Keaney afer a hit on a player with the puck between his feet put the Dukes on a powerplay with only a few minutes to go but once again the penaltykillers did their job and Corey George came very close to scoring a shorthanded goal. So when the buzzer went it was a point apiece with just the home of the extra one to be decided.
Overtime
Both teams came close to ending the game in overtime but neither could. There was plenty of excitement but the goalies came out on top and the teams headed for the supplementary skills contest.
Shootout
When the Dukes missed their first penalty shot as Nerland forced the shooter to hurry his shot, Ryan Oliver had the chance to put Lindsay ahead, which he promptly did - and made it look easy. Zach Morbeck then ripped a fierce shot past Nerland who was anticipating the deke to restore parity before Corey George beat the goalie but not the ironwork with a rising shot. Tony Rizzi took the third Wellington penalty and again Nerland forced him to shoot over. This gave Kyle Stojsin the chance to win the extra point and he made no mistake when he deked and then lifted his quick shot into the roof of the net.
Box Score: Click here
Game Sheet: Click here
Photographs
Aaron Keaney, Mitch Vasey and Jordan Sinclair set up around the Wellington net.
Trevor Mock equalizes the Dukes' earlier powerplay goal.
Mock then put his size to good use in the corners.
More pressure from the Fish in the second period.
Jeff Bayley and Jordon Sinclair combine to put the puck just wide.
Mike Wills turns to see his shot go right through Fischer.
The Muskies went hunting for more - but none came that period.
Trevor Mock hopes for another juicy rebound.
Just a minute into the third period and Corey George makes the score 3-3.
When Kyle Stojsin tips in another Wills shot a few minutes later, the Muskies take a 4-3 lead but it would only last 19 seconds as the Dukes responded immediately.
So the game ended up going into a shootout and Ryan Oliver comprehensively beats Jake Fischer with the Muskies' first effort.
After the Dukes make it 1-1 with their second attempt, Corey George has a chance to get the advantage back for the Fish but his shot rngs off the bar.
Kyle Stojsin doesn't waste the chance to win the game as he outmanouevres Fischer and lifts a shot into the roof of the net.