2017-2018 PLAYER & GOALIE OF THE WEEK #5

Erik_KarlssonChad_JohnsonMike_HoffmanJonathan_Bernier

EASTERN SKATER TEAM GP GOALS ASISSTS POINTS PM  +/-  SOG S%
Karlsson, Erik BGR 4 4 4 8 2 2 13 30.8
             
EASTERN GOALIE TEAM GP GOALS AGAINST G.A. AVERAGE SAVES SAVE %
Johnson, Chad CBJ 2 3 1.5 75 .962
             
WESTERN SKATER TEAM GP GOALS ASSISTS POINTS PM  +/-  SOG S%
Hoffman, Mike WLJ 4 4 2 6 2 4 13 30.8
             
WESTERN GOALIE TEAM GP GOALS AGAINST G.A. AVERAGE SAVES SAVE %
Bernier, Jonathan CHI 2 3 1.44 77 .963
             

Hampton Blizzard Hampton has another two games at home this week trying to fend off Brentwood and Bathgate.
Brentwood Bandits @ Hampton Blizzard The first period was all Hampton with a big edge going to Hampton in shots (15-8) and hits (10-2) and scoring chances (5-0). For a change, the edge actually materialized into something on the scoresheet with goals by Point and Rantanen giving Hampton a nice 2-0 lead after 20 minutes of play.
Round Two went the other way with Hampton continuing to outhit Brentwood but otherwise getting outplayed in every facet of the game and the Bandits evened things up with goals by Marleau and Tavares to send it into the 3rd period tied 2-2.
Rantanen scored his second of the game 3 minutes in to give Hampton the edge but the period overall was very even as the two teams has settled into a rhythm. Unfortunately for Hampton their rhythm sounded a lot like the Canadiens Coyotes game and Price let in an easy point shot by Hainsey at the 8 minute mark and then Niederreiter dealt the Blizzard a death blow with just 38 seconds left ripping a wrist shot through Price’s legs to give the Bandits a 4-3 lead.
Hampton pulled the goalie and it looked like it was going to pay immediate dividends as the Blizzard penned the Bandits into their own end and had a great chance when Filip Forsberg deked his way through several players to bear down on goaltender Gibson, but Brentwood’s keeper wouldn’t be beaten it the game went to Brentwood 4-3.
Brentwood outshot Hampton 18-10 in the final period (nice defence boys) and won 59% of the faceoffs in the game. Ouch. Hampton did manage to win a small victory in bruising up the Bandits with a 28-14 margin in hits.
Bathgate Rangers @ Hampton Blizzard The high-flying Bathgate Rangers soar into town and the game turned out to be exactly as expected with defence optional.
The Blizzard got on the board first with their first shot courtesy of a wrister by Forsberg over Anders Nilsson’s shoulder. Hampton opened up the lead to 2-0 exactly four minutes later when Vincent Trocheck ripped home a slapshot from the top of the faceoff circle that Nilsson didn’t have a chance on.
Karlsson brought the Rangers to within one with less than a minute to go when he rifled a puck past Carey Price for his 7th of the season.
Shots in the first period were a cool 16-15 for Bathgate.
The offensive play carried over into the second period with lots of shots and lots of scoring chances for both teams.
Burakovsky deked Tyutin out of his skates and then did the same to Nilsson to stretch the lead back to two goals at 6:19 of the 2nd period.
The team that would not go away didn’t. Klingberg’s slapper from the point goal the Malkin-Kane line on the board (is that even legal to have them both on the same line let alone same team?) as it bounced off Price’s shoulder and into the net to make it 3-2 with about 9 minutes left in the 2nd period.
The two teams continued their breakneck pace for the remainder of the 2nd period but it was all Bathgate getting the chances. Every Hampton rush seemed to end with a takeaway or broken stick or puck bouncing over a player’s stick and Bathgate was all over it outshooting the Blizzard 9-1 in the final 10 minutes of the period to give them a 16-7 edge for the period overall.
While the first two periods were end to end action the 3rd period was mired in mud for the most part. Hampton would wind up outshooting Bathgate 16-7 but the shoots were mostly innocuous from the point and the Hampton defencement typically could not score to save heir lives.
The Rangers were clearly the better team at slopping through muck though as Korpikoski demonstrated deflecting Malkin’s low slapper past Price and into the mud at the back of thr Hampton net to even the score.
Fresh off a 4-3 loss to Brentwood in the final moments of the last game all Hampton could think of was “here we go again.”
Fortunately for the Blizzard there were Rantanen and Zajac as the former crushed and stripped the latter of the puck at centre ice and fed Burakovsky with a nice pass to make it a two-on-one rush with Trocheck. Trocheck took a nice pass from Burakovsky in front of the net and knocked it into the Bathgate net to make it 4-3 Hampton.
Bathgate immediately went on the attack and pressured the Blizzard in their own end but then Dillon was called at 17:29 for hauling down Point on what may have otherwise turned into a breakaway.
Hampton followed with a flurry of shots on Nilsson but could not score. Bathgate pulled their goalie with just under a minute to go but couldn’t manage a shot and that was it.
A very entertaining game with lots of scoring chances for both teams and despite the score some pretty good goaltending.
Kane and Malkin each notched two assists for Bathgate in 20+ minutes of ice time.
Trocheck had two goals and an assist and Burakovsky had a goal and two helpers for Hampton. The defensive pairing of Ekman-Larsson and Sekera had a good night being each a +4. Beaulieu and callup Frederik Claesson not so much as each was a -2.
Weekly Summary: Two good games ending with 4-3 scores with Brentwood finishing on top in one and Hampton getting revenge on Bathgate in the other. On a positive note, the Hampton offense seems to be waking up a little. On a negative note, the defensive substitution of Claesson for Johnson sure isn’t working out all that great and will mean some ulcers for the Hampton goalkeepers.

Bathgate Rangers Rangers have been scoring a bunch lately, but giving up even more so they don’t know what to expect during their 2 game home stand, but they hope to give Gilbert and Wausau some fair runs for the money.
Gilbert Sharks @ Bathgate Rangers Well true to form, the Rangers found ways to get into and out of and into the game. Kane started the scoring near the end of the 1st but then in the final minute of the period things drastically changed after Miles Wood received a 5 minute charging and GAME misconduct penalty. With 5 on 3, Rinne was asked to do wonders, but with 30 seconds left in the 1st Spooner took a Josi pass and popped it right into the back of the net. 18 seconds later Panarin fired one past a defenseless Rinne to give the Sharks a 2-1 lead as the buzzer for period one sounded.

BUT period 2 sees the momentum shift after the Rangers kill off the rest of the 5 minute major and then they take advantage of the penalty to Panarin to tie it up when Eriksson (Louii, Louii) slaps one home. Klingberg and Karlsson on the assists. Karlson then puts the Rangers on top at the 15:58 mark and Staal makes it a 4-2 lead in the 3rd when he scores at 6:53. BUT, need I say more, the defense then lays down for a while or rather the Sharks bust loose and Giordano and Brassard each net their 1st goals of the season to tie it up. All this before the midpoint of the period. The 3rd period was dominated by the Sharks – 12-5 shots on goal edge to highlight. Overall the Sharks to 73 shots (37 on goal) to the Rangers 57 (32 on goal), but the Rangers edged them in scoring chances 17 to 14.

By now – midway through 3, the score is knotted at 4 AND the Rangers actually keep it tat way. THEN it’s free hockey and Louii, Louii Erickson nails the game winner, and his 2nd goal of the game just shy of the 3 minute mark in OT – Karlsson again nabs a point on the goal. Rangers actually win a game – but give up the lead OFTEN.
STARS (all BGR)
1. Eriksson 2 goals
2. Karlsson 1 goal, 2 assists
3. Staal 1 goal.

Getzlaf from Gilbert gets a notable with 15 faceoff wins. Zajac does likeway for Bathgate and Miles Wood gets a dubious notable with 15 PIM.

Wausau Lumberjacks @ Bathgate Rangers Working on a 1 game win streak, the Rangers try to make it TWO. Malkin gets a scratch as does Louii, so there goes a bunch of offense. And you know what? The team responds with some defense.

Rangers get 2 in the 1st, Franson and Karlsson. Then early in the 2nd they get a 3rd – Karlsson again – a PP goal after Giroux was escorted to the box for holding. Things were looking good for Nilsson and the Rangers until Lehkonen pounced on one and slipped it past Nilson to cut the 3-0 lead to 3-1 shortly before the end of the 2nd.

Then 5 minutes into the 3rd, Rangers in prevent mode – hah – Hoffman takes a feed from Dumbar and Kopitar, skates in and puts the hurts to Nilsson and scores to make it 3-2. Fans start singing ‘Hear we go again” – but this time it’s the Rangers – Klingberg on the power play, again caused by Giroux leaving the ice for tripping – Klingberg scores as Klingberg sets him up. Nilsson and the Rangers then stop the Lumberjacks cold in the final 2 minutes to get their 2nd straight win. WooHoo.
Stars (All BGR)
1. Karlsson 2 goals, 1 assist
2. Klingberg 1 goal
3. Nilsson 31 saves
Notable for Wausau was Smith with 31 saves.
Wausau only managed 8 scoring chances in the game. And the Rangers actually did some good on power plays this game (2 for 6).

Weekly Summary: Rangers take 2 straight at home for a change:
5-4 OT verses Gilbert
4-2 verses WausauUntil next time …

Clearfield Bison Clearfield faces two offensive powerhouses in Alamo and Lakeland. Can the Bison continue their stingy ways?
Alamo Defenders @ Clearfield Bison Worst game of the year – by far – for the Bison. The coach believes they started to believe all the ‘hype’ and didn’t move their feet – they gave up a breakaway, a penalty shot, and another breakaway all within the first 90 seconds!MArchand cashed in on that second breakaway, but Bobby Lu kept the Defenders off the board the rest of the 1st.

Clearfield pushed back a bit in the 2nd, but a PP marker by Pacioretty set the Bison back – and after Little made it 201, the dagger was a goal by (of all people) Matt Read. The wind out of their sails, Clearfield surrendered 2 more in the third to set the final at 5-1 Alamo. The Defenders defy their name – they aren’t great on the back end, but MAN is there a lot of offensive talent on that squad 🙂 Very very tough matchup for Clearfield, glad they aren’t in our division!!

3 stars:#1 Marchand 2G, #2 Seguin 2A, #3 Lehner 30 sv

Lakeland Flying Tigers @ Clearfield Bison Division-leading Lakeland picked the wrong time to come to town. Still stinging from the Alamo defeat, the Bison put up the most dominant performance I’ve seen in MWHL action. Clearfield put the first **19** shots on the board; Lakeland didn;t even get one on net for 16 minutes! Shots were 23-3 after one, 42-6 after 2, and 59-11 for the game. Poor Fleury was absolutely under siege from the get-go, and he actually played a whale of a game under the circumstances. Final score: 5-0 Clearfield in a game that was not that close.

To make matters worse, there were 7 PPs..and Clearfield received them all, cashing in on four (Bison PP has been a problem all year, nice to see it break out a bit!)

Anderson now 9-0 with 6 shutouts, but this was the easiest shutout he will ever get.

#1 star Drouin (Hat trick); #2 Little 1G 3A, #3 Old Man Jagr with 3A

Weekly Summary: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. Clearfield goes 1-1 at home, both blowouts.

Brentwood Bandits 3 home games for the Bandits this week. No time for elaborate write-ups this week, but let’s see how it shakes out!
California Regulators @ Brentwood Bandits Good game. Brentwood jumps out 3-0, but Holtby and the Regulators hold them off the score sheet the rest of the way as they climb back and tie it up in the 3rd. Go to OT… nothing. Go to shootout, California pulls it out as Halak lets in 2 of 3 and Holtby closed the door.

1 2 3 4 SO F
2017-18 California 6-8-0-3 1 2 0 0 2 4
2017-18 Brentwood 11-4-0-2 3 0 0 0 0 3

Scoring Summary
Per Time Str Team
1 8:01 EV BWB Phaneuf (2), assisted by Krug (17) and Tavares (8)
1 8:47 EV BWB Crosby (10), assisted by Hainsey (6) and Niederreiter (10)
1 15:29 SH BWB Backes (3), assisted by Kulikov (1)
1 16:04 PP CAL Nelson (7), assisted by Silfverberg (6)
2 :33 EV CAL Huberdeau (6), assisted by Gaudreau (10) and Vrbata (6)
2 7:55 EV CAL Di Giuseppe (2), assisted by Fowler (6) and Dano (1)

Penalty Summary
Per Time Team
1 10:12 CAL Huberdeau (12), 2:00 – delay of game
1 15:07 BWB Tavares (4), 2:00 – slashing
2 3:37 CAL Faulk (12), 2:00 – hooking
2 16:14 CAL Nelson (12), 2:00 – boarding
3 10:04 BWB Kulikov (4), 2:00 – hooking

Shootout: California 2-Brentwood 0
Shooter Goaltender Result
CAL Vrbata Halak X
BWB Crosby Holtby X
CAL Reinhart Halak G
BWB Marleau Holtby X
CAL Gaudreau Halak G

SOG 1 SOG 2 SOG 3 SOG 4
California 11 6 11 3
Brentwood 10 11 10 3

CAL BWB
SOG 31 34
FOW 30 35
FO% 46.2 53.8
Hits 29 25
Blocks 15 17
Missed Net 7 19
Shot Attempts 55 68
Scoring Chances 9 10
PIM 6 4
PP 1-2 0-3
TOA 6:10 5:04

Star 1: BWB Crosby 1 G
Star 2: BWB Backes 1 G
Star 3: BWB Phaneuf 1 G

GWG: Sam Reinhart

Notables: CAL Holtby 31 saves
BWB Crosby 15 faceoffs won

California GA SV Save% TOI W L OL Rate
G Holtby -W 3 31 .912 65:00 3 8 2 7.5 (-0.5)

Brentwood GA SV Save% TOI W L OL Rate
G Halak -OL 3 28 .903 64:51 3 1 1 6.6 (-0.3)

Alamo Defenders @ Brentwood Bandits Alamo comes to town. Gibson turns away 35 of 37 Alamo shots to allow Brentwood to come away the winner 3-2.

1 2 3 F
2017-18 Alamo 7-8-0-2 0 1 1 2
2017-18 Brentwood 12-4-0-2 1 2 0 3

Scoring Summary
Per Time Str Team
1 12:37 EV BWB Radulov (7), assisted by Forbort (6) and Hainsey (7)
2 14:01 EV BWB Cammalleri (2), assisted by Krug (18)
2 15:44 PP ALA Marchand (5), unassisted
2 16:35 EV BWB Backes (4), assisted by Cammalleri (4) and Phaneuf (6)
3 8:50 EV ALA Plekanec (3), assisted by Pearson (4) and Read (5)

Penalty Summary
Per Time Team
1 7:05 BWB Krug (10), 2:00 – hooking
1 13:21 ALA Marchand (21), 4:00 – high sticking
2 8:38 BWB Vatrano (4), 2:00 – holding
2 14:17 BWB Phaneuf (19), 2:00 – interference
3 6:03 BWB Vatrano (6), 2:00 – tripping

SOG 1 SOG 2 SOG 3
Alamo 10 18 9
Brentwood 12 6 2

ALA BWB
SOG 37 20
FOW 28 23
FO% 54.9 45.1
Hits 18 19
Blocks 14 16
Missed Net 18 7
Shot Attempts 71 41
Scoring Chances 13 5
PIM 4 8
PP 1-4 0-2
TOA 5:07 2:50

Star 1: BWB Cammalleri 1 G, 2 Pts
Star 2: BWB Backes 1 G
Star 3: BWB Gibson 35 saves

GWG: David Backes

Notables: ALA None
BWB Gibson 35 saves

Alamo GA SV Save% TOI W L OL Rate
G Lehner -L 3 17 .850 59:05 4 5 2 6.7 (-0.8)

Brentwood GA SV Save% TOI W L OL Rate
G Gibson -W 2 35 .946 60:00 9 2 1 6.9 (-1.0)

Long Beach Ice Dogs @ Brentwood Bandits Goalie showdown! Neither Gibson nor Talbot would bend in regulation. Go to OT with no score. Krug rips a slapper past Talbot for his 1st of the season and huge win for Brentwood in OT!

1 2 3 4 F
2017-18 Long Beach 9-6-0-2 0 0 0 0 0
2017-18 Brentwood 13-4-0-2 0 0 0 1 1

Scoring Summary
Per Time Str Team
4 1:51 EV BWB Krug (1), assisted by Cammalleri (5) and Backes (5)

Penalty Summary
Per Time Team
1 6:46 LBD Roussel (18), 2:00 – roughing
1 10:22 BWB Kulikov (6), 2:00 – boarding
1 15:26 LBD Fabbri (6), 2:00 – roughing
1 15:26 BWB Backes (18), 2:00 – roughing
3 3:00 LBD Lindholm (10), 2:00 – hooking
3 16:55 BWB Phaneuf (21), 2:00 – slashing

SOG 1 SOG 2 SOG 3 SOG 4
Long Beach 12 12 10 2
Brentwood 10 9 10 2

LBD BWB
SOG 36 31
FOW 27 29
FO% 48.2 51.8
Hits 15 31
Blocks 15 15
Missed Net 9 14
Shot Attempts 60 60
Scoring Chances 10 11
PIM 6 6
PP 0-2 0-2
TOA 5:21 3:19

Star 1: BWB Gibson 36 saves
Star 2: BWB Krug 1 G
Star 3: LBD Talbot 30 saves

GWG: Torey Krug

Notables: LBD Talbot 30 saves
BWB Gibson 36 saves

Long Beach GA SV Save% TOI W L OL Rate
G Talbot -OL 1 30 .968 61:51 7 4 2 6.4 (-1.0)

Brentwood GA SV Save% TOI W L OL Rate
G Gibson -W 0 36 1.000 61:51 10 2 1 8.1 (+0.2)

Weekly Summary: Brentwood gets 5 of a possible 6 points at home. Can’t ask for much better than that!

Is this Bandit team for real? After 19 games, it appears they actually might be. Coach Tom Atkins was all smiles in his post game presser… if that says anything.


Long Beach Ice Dogs  
California Regulators @ Long Beach Ice Dogs California took a quick lead on a Gaudreau goal 30 seconds into the game. It stayed 1-0 until Ellis tied it at the 13:00 mark of the 3rd period. It looked like we were headed to OT when Huberdeau knocked in the game winner with 48 seconds left.

Stars:
1. Gaudreau
2. Huberdeau
3. Holtby

Weekly Summary: Long Beach loses a heart breaker to their instate rivals in the only home game of the week.

LA Great Danes One home game this week for the Great Danes, versus the league-leading Clearfield Bisons. Backup Steve Mason in Goal for LA, giving Frederik Andersen a break after his 4 wins last week.
Clearfield Bison @ LA Great Danes The Great Danes started strong in the 1st period but gave up the first goal at the 10:03 mark on a wrap-around by Patrick Maroon. But the Danes got goals on 2 straight shots on Luongo 3 minutes apart by Tyler Toffoli and Brayden Schenn. The Great Danes had a 15-3 shot advantage after 1 period and a 2-1 lead. There were only 3 penalties the entire game, all in the second period, and no scoring in the period, so the Danes held a 2-1 advantage entering the 3rd. The score remained 2-1 LA with 5 minutes remaining, and play seemed pretty even, with both goalies making some key stops. But the last 5 minutes was all Bisons – they had 11 scoring chances in the 3rd period, most in the last 5 minutes. But a combination of blocked/missed shots and some huge late saves by Mason kept the puck out of the net, and the Danes barely held on for a 2-1 win. Mason was the 3rd star with 26 saves, and Schenn/Toffoli were the first 2 stars with a goal each. The Great Danes threw their weight around against the Bisons, outhitting them 23-13, and had 13 blocked shots to find a way to win.
Weekly Summary: The Great Danes eke out an ugly win in their lone home game of the week.

Jagr Mullets Will Jagr continue scoring goals in bucketloads, and giving them up like a waterfall?
Hampton Blizzard @ Jagr Mullets Started playing this game, and after a 1-1 score in the first it locked up. No luck recovering it.

Fortunately (???) when I replayed the game, we also hit a 1-1 score in the 1st… and even got to 2-1 thanks to two goals by the league leader Nazem Kadri.

But then, as they say, it was all Hampton.

The Blizzard made it 4-2 heading into the 3rd when the wheels fell off for Jagr. Our worst defensive defenseman, Justin Schultz, takes a 5 minute spearing penalty. OK, we can live with that – he wouldn’t be killing penalties anyway.

But Hampton scores THREE goals during the ensuing major, all less than 45 seconds apart.

Just like that, it’s 7-2 Hampton.

Vlasic scores a garbage goal late to safe a little face (that’s what we tell ourselves) en route to the 7-3 drubbing.

Oh did I mention that Jagr outshot Hampton 52 to 26? Clearly we lack quality, not quantity.

Scoring Summary
Per Time Str Team
1 3:33 EV JAG Kadri (13), assisted by Martinez (10) and Kessel (13)
1 4:42 EV HAM Trocheck (5), assisted by Petry (2) and Burakovsky (4)
1 8:36 EV JAG Kadri (14), assisted by Martinez (11) and Kessel (14)
2 8:46 EV HAM Nielsen (1), assisted by Sekera (8) and Petry (3)
2 10:28 EV HAM Sekera (4), assisted by Hornqvist (6) and Price (2)
3 3:19 EV HAM Stastny (4), assisted by Beaulieu (9) and Hornqvist (7)
3 8:08 PP HAM Lee (8), assisted by Forsberg (5)
3 8:21 PP HAM Ekman-Larsson (3), assisted by Beaulieu (10)
3 8:45 PP HAM Hornqvist (5), assisted by Ekman-Larsson (2) and Point (5)
3 11:58 EV JAG Vlasic (1), assisted by Staal (3) and Wilson (5)

Star 1: JAG Kadri 2 G (Hometown Homerism)
Star 2: HAM Hornqvist 1 G, 3 Pts
Star 3: HAM Price 52 saves

GWG: Paul Stastny

Notables: HAM Price 52 saves, Sekera 5 blocks
JAG Carter 15 faceoffs won

Thunder Bay Nor’Westers @ Jagr Mullets The ship is sinking fast for Jagr… can they bail water out fast enough?

A 2-1 Mullet lead in the 2nd ends up a 3-2 Thunder Bay lead late in the 3rd… but Patrik Laine scores his 5th goal on the power play at 17:51 to force OT.

In the overtime, the Nor’Westers dominated possession in the Jagr end for most of the period, but neither team could score. So on to the shootout!

Shooter Goaltender Result
TBN Saad Murray X
JAG Carter Reimer G
TBN Barkov Murray X
JAG Ovechkin Reimer G

And the Mullets clip the Nor’Westers 4-3 in the shootout to salvage 2 of 4 points at home this week.

Scoring Summary
Per Time Str Team
1 5:36 EV TBN Smith (2), unassisted
1 7:14 EV JAG Carter (6), assisted by Ovechkin (10)
2 6:50 EV JAG Hall (4), assisted by Kessel (15)
3 2:54 EV TBN Jones (3), assisted by Nyquist (4)
3 3:31 EV TBN Couturier (5), assisted by Tatar (6) and Smith (11)
3 17:51 PP JAG Laine (5), assisted by Vlasic (3) and Schultz (3)

Star 1: TBN Smith 1 G, 2 Pts
Star 2: JAG Hall 1 G
Star 3: JAG Carter 1 G

GWG: Jeff Carter

Notables: TBN Reimer 37 saves, Couturier 16 faceoffs won
JAG Murray 33 saves, Kadri 16 faceoffs won

Weekly Summary: The Jagr offense continues to surge, but the defense remains clueless. The Mullets will try to find the candlestick in the billiard room, but I wouldn’t bet on Colonel Mustard’s moustache that they figure it out.

Corktown Suds Corktown got the max 8 points last week. Looking to keep rolling because the East is stacked with tallant.
Jagr Mullets @ Corktown Suds Jagr is off to a disappointing slow start, and looks to turn it around as the East overall looks very tough. And the Mullets did exactly that. Scoring 3 minutes into the game which would be 1 of 5 goals for Jagr. Rookie sensation Patrik Laine scored two goals (6) Murray had an impressive 43 saves for the Mullets.

Jagr 5-2

Bathgate Rangers @ Corktown Suds Corktown used their aggressive strategy to put up 4 goals. Tarasenko added 2 (10) for the Suds.

Corktown 4-1

Gilbert Sharks @ Corktown Suds The Sharks from the Western conference come to Detroit to face the Suds. Corktown’s high powered O was at it once again. This time scoring 5 goals. Tarasenko added another 2 goals (12)

Corktown 5-2

Weekly Summary: Corktown goes 2-1 during their three game home stand. Tarasenko had 4 goals increasing his season total to 12.

Bucks County Racoons The Raccoons hope to make some hay with 3 home games against teams below .500 on the season entering the week….
Chicago Cosa Nostra @ Bucks County Racoons In a tight checking game, the Chicago Cosa Nostra defeated the Bucks County Raccoons in a shoot out by the score of 2-1. The teams traded goals in the first two periods, followed up by a scoreless third. BCR carried the play somewhat, having a 17-7 advantage in good scoring chances, but Bernier had a strong game in net for the visitors to lead them to victory. He was the 1st star of the game, followed by E.Kane and Toews, the respective goal scorers for each team. The Racs sadly took their participation point and went home…..
Thunder Bay Nor’Westers @ Bucks County Racoons Hoping to bounce back from their disappointing result against Chicago, the Bucks County Raccoons did the exact opposite, yielding 4 goals in the 1st period on the way to a 7-3 defeat at the hands of the Thunder Bay Nor’Westers. Statistically the game looked even, but as Charlie Brown once told Lucy “Tell your statistics to shut up”. Jake Allen was horrendous in goal, recording a .788 save % for the game. Seth Jones had 2 goals for the visitors and was namend the number one start, followed by Barkov (3 pts) and Zaitsev (G,A).
California Regulators @ Bucks County Racoons After being thoroughly embarassed in game 2 of the home stand, the Bucks County Raccoons came out with a vengeance, scoring 4 1st period goals on the way to a 5-1 win over the California Regulators. The Racs scored the first 5 goals of the game, and heck, they even had 2 PP goals. Darling was magnificent in net, losing the shut out with only a minute to go in the game. Johansson (2g, 2a)Schwartz (G,A) and Darling (27 saves) were named the 3 stars of the game.
Weekly Summary: Instead of making hay, the Bucks County Raccoons pretty much stunk up the joint in a 3 game home week. And coming from a Raccoon, that says a lot……

Alamo Defenders Alamo’s home slate includes Chicago and Metropolitan Division leader Lakeland.
Chicago Cosa Nostra @ Alamo Defenders Alamo gets on the board first with Patrick Eaves 8th goal. Chicago ties it up on a Manson goal. Pacioretty closes the scoring out with a goal of his own. After one period, its 2-1, Alamo.

In the 2nd, Nylander ties it up for Chicago. Wheeler scores a goal for Alamo and its 3-2 after 2 periods.

In the 3rd, Marchand and Pearson score for the Defenders. Chicago gets a goal by Nugent-Hopkines, but Alamo pulls out the game.

Chicago goes 0-3 on the power play. Alamo gets no opportunities.

Alamo 5 Chicago 3

1st star – Eaves-Alamo
2nd star – Wheeler – Alamo
3rd star – Manson – Chicago

Lakeland Flying Tigers @ Alamo Defenders The high flying Tigers come to Alamo to take on the Defenders.

Alamo starts off strong by scoring the first 3 goals. Midway through the second, Lakeland makes it a game. After 2 periods, its 4-3, Alamo.

Late in the 3rd, Plekanec gets an insurance goal for the Defenders.

On the power play, Lakeland goes 2 for 3, and Alamo goes 1 for 1.

Alamo 5 Lakeland 3

1st star -Marchand-Alamo
2nd star -Beauvillier-Lakeland
3rd star -Gardiner-Alamo

Weekly Summary: Alamo wins both games against Chicago and Lakeland, 5-3.

Gilbert Sharks Gilbert with just 1 home game against Jagr in this session
Jagr Mullets @ Gilbert Sharks Jagr gets a 5 minute Cross Checking midway through the first period and Gilbert gets an extended Power Play. jagr kills off 4 Minutes and 47 seconds of it before Ryan Getzlaf slips one through to put Gilbert up 1-0. Cam Atkinson adds a goal just 18 seconds into the 2nd Period to put Gilbert up 2-0. Jagr cuts the lead in half midway through the 2nd on a goal by Marc Staal but Gilbert comes right back 44 seconds later when Mark Giordano finds the back of the net. Gilbert would add two more goals in the 3rd for a 5-1 victory.
Weekly Summary: Gilbert wins their only home game this session

Toledo Walleye Toledo 6-8-2 14pts hosts 2 good teams Long Beach 9-6-1 19 pts and Los Angeles 10-5-1 21 pts. A tough couple of games.
Long Beach Ice Dogs @ Toledo Walleye After a scoreless first period, Long Beach takes the lead with a shortie, Roussel turning the tables on the PP. Toledo bounces back with 2 goals, Krecji and Martin, one in the 2nd period, one in the 3rd period. Long Beach responds in a big way, 4 goals in the final 11 minutes of the game, as Dubnyk must have gone blind, letting in all those goals. Ice Dogs win 5-2
1st star Skinner 2g
2nd star Talbot 41 saves
3rd star Schmidt 1g 1a
LA Great Danes @ Toledo Walleye LA comes out hard and fast, pumping in 4 goals the first period, with Benn leading the way with 2 goals. After that, its all Frederick Anderson, who gets a complete game shutout, standing on his head to squash the Walleye.
1st star Anderson 34 saves – shutout
2nd star – Benn 2G
3rd star – Eller 1g (although I would have given it to Suter with 2A and 5 blocked shots)
Weekly Summary: Toledo continues to search for a winning combination, but our lack of multiple big scorers may hinder us till next year.
Anderson with the big shutout for LA was dominant for the visitors.
Benn and Skinner with 2 goals also in the running for player of the week.

Wausau Lumberjacks The Lumberjacks will play Hampton, Thunder Bay, and Clearfield.
Hampton Blizzard @ Wausau Lumberjacks Hampton 3 Wausau 4
Three Stars
1.Rantenen 2g.
2.Brown 1g.
3.Frolik 1g.
Thunder Bay Nor’Westers @ Wausau Lumberjacks Thunder Bay 2 Wausau 3
Three Stars
1.Berglund 1g.
2.Hoffman 1 g.
3.Oduya 1G.
Clearfield Bison @ Wausau Lumberjacks Clearfield 2 Wausau 3
Three Stars
1.Hoffman 1 g. 3 pts
2.Zuccarello 1 g. 2 pts.
3.Smith 38 saves
Weekly Summary: Wausau gets good play in goal to spark 3 game winning streak.

Chicago Cosa Nostra Two home games for the week.
Long Beach Ice Dogs @ Chicago Cosa Nostra Chicago gets the win in Shootout – Final Score 4-3
Three Stars
1. Brown – 1G, 2 Pts
2. Toews – 1G, 2 Pts
3. Kreider – 1G
LA Great Danes @ Chicago Cosa Nostra Chicago gets a late goal followed up by two empty netters to take home the win 5-2
Three Stars
1. Bernier – 41 Saves
2. Kreider – 1G, 2 Pts
3. Toews – 1G, 2 Pts
Weekly Summary: Chicago takes both home games this week, still doesn’t mean they are good by any stretch of the imagination.