Game # 45 Lindsay Muskies 4 - Quinte West Pack 2
February 1st, 2008 - in Trenton
Summary
A month ago, many people were writing off the Muskies' chances of reaching the playoffs this season, but in the end they secured their place with four games to spare, which is a remarkable achievement. They did so at the expense of their hosts this evening, the Pack. The Fish went into their rivals' barn to face a team who knew their lives depended on winning the game, which is never easy. Despite going 0 for 8 on the powerplay, the Muskies ran out winners thanks to two goals from Rob Kay and one each from Devon Jonson and Brad Langford. Matt Ginn saved 24 of 26 shots for the win. The only questions left now for the Fish are who will they play in the first round - and can they catch Bowmanville for fifth place? The Eagles have 46 points with three games remaining while the Muskies have 42 points with four left.
First Period
The Muskies came out strong, firing the first three goals of the game in the direction of Jordan Tanner in the Quinte West net. They let their hosts get back into the game a little by taking the first minor of the period when Scott Lavender called Aaron Keaney for interference. But the penaltykillers did their job restricting the Pack to barely a shot. From then on, the Muskies had the advantage of shots, although they, too, couldn’t make their first powerplay count. The Fish finally broke through at 16:25 when Devon Jonson beat Tanner, assisted by Trevor Mock and call-up Grant McLean. Things could soon have turned around, though, as the Muskies took another penalty almost immediately after the restart. Again, though, the penaltykillers did their job well and maintained the lead for Lindsay at the first intermission.
Second Period
The Muskies lead didn’t last long as Dustin Walsh scored after just 10 seconds to level things. But it was the Fish who got the next goal to restore their lead, and this time it was Rob Kay who did the damage. Assisted by Mitch Vasey and Jordon Sinclair, he beat Tanner at 4:12. From then on, the Muskies could have put the game out of reach if they had had any kind of powerplay as the Pack took four consecutive minors. But none of them were converted to goals and so the Fish only had a one goal lead to carry into what promised to be a nerve-wracking third period as the Pack’s season hung in the balance.
Third Period
Both teams began the third period knowing that the first goal would likely be huge - and it went to the Muskies. Rob Kay got his second of the game at 3:43, assisted by Mitch Vasey and Alex Charette, giving Lindsay a little bit more breathing room. It turned out that they would need it. The Pack got back within one with 8:23 remaining with a goal by Henderson Robinson. The Muskies, however, didn’t panic, and defended their slim advantage. Despite the fact that their playoff lives depended on winning the game, Quinte West were restricted to just seven shots in the final period, and the Muskies capped their victory with an empty net goal only a second before the buzzer, with Brad Langford recording his first goal for the club, which was unassisted.
Box Score: Click here
Game Sheet: Click here
Photographs None.