Game # 40
Lindsay Muskies 3 - Bowmanville Eagles 2
January 20th, 2008 in Bowmanville
Summary
The Muskies continued their surge for the playoffs with a fine win in Bowmanville. They did it the hard way, though, giving up a two goal lead before Trevor Mock scored the winner with less than two minutes to go. Earlier, Rob Kay and Mitch Vasey had put the Fish out in front, only for two unfortunate turnovers to bring the Eagles right back in it. Matt Ginn once again had a fine game in goal, and the penaltykilling was outstanding as they denied Bowmanville on every occasion, including two long two man advantages. The win for the Fish was achieved without the services of the impressive Shayne Taylor who was not able to play in this one. Elsewhere this evening, the Quinte West Pack lost 5-1 in Wellington, meaning that the Muskies now lead them by three points for the final playoff spot. The Fish are now also, of course, closer to Bowmanville, who have played three games more.
Period 1
There was a lot of skilled hockey from both teams in the first period, but the only goal was a rather scrappy affair. The Muskies battled hard for the puck right at the right post of Bowmanville's goal and amidst all the mass of sticks, the puck squirted through netminder Clarke's skates and sat in the centre of the crease, a few inches short of the line. Rob Kay was right there to flick it home before any of the defencemen could recover. That there was no further scoring is a compliment to the defences and tenders. Referee Renaud was calling everything so both teams enjoyed powerplay chances but couldn't make them count. The Eagles had well over a minute of two man advantage and they are normally lethal under such circumstances but the best they could manage this time was a shot that hit the bar and headed straight up before being cleared.
Period 2
The Muskies worked tremendously hard in the second period, battling for every puck. If the first goal was a little scrappy, the second for the Fish was anything but. The Muskies won a face off to Dan Clarke's right and instanly Mitch Vasey turned and fired into the net. The Fish had a couple of good chances after that, notably when Trevor Mock and Alex Fiset were both denied by Clarke. Things seemed to be going well when the Muskies were granted another powerplay in the latter stages of the period. Errors had been few and far between to that point but as the Muskies built for another rush from their own zone, a defenceman turned the puck over and Bowmanville skated in unmolested to beat Matt Ginn. The Muskies still created more chances, with Rob Kay's shot being tipped over the net at the last moment by Clarke's elbow. At the other end, the Eagles struck a post while Ginn had to pull off another impressive save as he got from left to right in a hurry to block a shot. The period ended with the Fish holding a 2-1 lead, but with Bowmanville owning 1:26 of a two man advantage, so the game was very much still on a knife-edge.
Period 3
Things started well for the Muskies as they continued to defend ferociously, denying the Eagles many shooting angles on their two man advantage. Bowmanville were unable to get the flying start they wanted at the beginning of the period and it seemed things were going to continue to go Lindsay's way. But halfway through the frame another unfortunate turnover in the neutral zone again allowed Bowmanville to score. Although Alex Charette was able to get close enough to make a diving attempt at a tackle, the Bowmanville forward was still able to get the shot away and into the net. As the game wore on, both teams must have been thinking this one could well end up going into overtime, as the last meeting between the clubs did. Referee Renaud had been calling a lot of penalties all evening and was called on again with a little over two minutes left as passions rose. The Eagles got in on a breakaway but were denied by Ginn and in the 'afters' that followed, the official sent four more - two from each team - into the sin bin. Although this left the teams at even strength, it highlighted the fact all the players knew they were playing for very important points. This fact was also highlighted by the joy on the face of Trevor Mock when he flicked in the game-winner at the 18:03 mark. The Muskies pressed hard on the Eagles' defence, and when a rebound came out to Mock about eight feet out, he calmly lifted it back into the top half of the net with the tender already down. Despite the late goal, the game proved to be a long way from decided. The Eagles pulled their goalie with 1:20 to go and threw everything into attack. With 45 seconds left this pressure resulted in the Muskies taking another penalty, making the defence of their lead even more difficult. They did hang on but it wasn't without controversy. As the Eagles pressed hard, Matt Ginn made a save and held on, with just one second left on the clock. The ref blew his whistle for a stoppage and almost immediately the buzzer sounded for the end of the game. The rest of the Lindsay team came off the bench to celebrate but referee Renaud was having none of it. He sent them back to the benches and indicated he was going to restart the game. Two seconds were put back on the clock, which was a significant difference to the one second (at most) that had elapsed between whistle and buzzer and which gave Bowmanville one last chance. Equally bizarrely, the play restarted with Lindsay appearing to have five skaters on the ice, despite having one in the penalty box. At the restart, the puck went into the corners were it was then sent across to a Bowmanville player at the top of the crease. But well before he could put it in the net, the buzzer sounded again - and this time it was for real.
Box Score: Not Yet Available
Game Sheet: Not Yet Available
Photographs
Rob Kay forces in the first goal of the game to give the Muskies a 1-0 lead.
Then in the second period, Mitch Vasey's fierce shot after a face-off makes it 2-0.
The Muskies are turned away.
Aaron Keaney forces Clarke to save and cover up.
With the game tied 2-2 and less than two minutes to go, Lindsay's #12, Trevor Mock, secures two huge points as he scoops the puck over Clarke, who is already down.
Mock is duly mobbed by his line-mates.
And then they head off to the bench for further celebration.