The Waywayseecappo Wolverines return to home ice on Monday night, looking to tie their best-of-seven quarterfinal series against the Swan Valley Stampeders after falling 5-0 in game one on Friday night.
Going into the third period losing 1-0, the Wolverines surrendered four third period goals in game one and will look for a better sixty-minute effort in game two on Monday.
Game One Recap
1st Period: In the first twenty minutes of play in Swan River, both the Wolverines and Stampeders showed a few nerves and felt each other out as neither team wanted to make the first mistake.
The Wolverines would get the first big opportunity of game one on a 5-on-3 powerplay early in the first. Rayman Bassi would get called for a hook and the Wolverines 5-on-4 unit would go to work with no luck. The Two clubs would skate into the second period scoreless with the shot clock tied at 9-9.
2nd Period: It took just 7:18 for the goose egg to be broken in the second period when a shot attempt was blocked and landed right on the stick of Tommy Cardinal. The 20-year-old from Quebec quickly one-timed the puck past Liam Tereposky to put the Stamps’ up 1-0.
It wasn’t for a lack of opportunity for the Wolverines as they would get four separate chances on the powerplay in the second. Each time, Swan Valley did a great job of getting right in the face of the Wolverines and giving the team zero time and space to get anything going. The Stamp’s would hold that 1-0 lead going into the final twenty minutes of play.
3rd Period: It took all of nine seconds for the Stamps’ to walk in off of the opening faceoff and find the back of the net. After taking the draw and getting the puck in deep, Trevor Schroder posted up at the side of the net and banged in a rebound just beyond the pad of Liam Tereposky to give the Stamps’ a 2-0 lead.
Nathan Carl and Ryley Lanthier would add two more goals for Swan Valley in the next six minutes to give the Stampeders a commanding 4-0 lead with more than thirteen minutes to go. Trevor Schroder would score on the powerplay with less than four minutes to play for his second goal of the night, giving the Stamps’ a 5-0 win.
The Details
Wolverines Powerplay: 0/7
Stampeders Powerplay: 2/4
Shots: 36-32 Stampeders
A trend that continued from the regular-season series was the Stampeders making the most of their opportunities and having success on the man-advantage.
A big part of the Wolverines lack of success with the man-advantage is due to the tenacity of the Stampeder penalty kill. It’s something that will need to change if the Wolverines look to get back into the series on Monday night.
Keys to Game Two
Winning Puck battles – The Stamps’ outworked the Wolverines in the corners and in many puck battles during the third period of game one. It comes down to your will to win and who wants it more. The Wolverines need to win more puck battles.
Powerplay Woes – As previously mentioned, the Wolverines need to find a way to score goals on the man-advantage. Through seven games against Swan Valley in the regular season and playoffs combined, the Wolverines have gone just 4-for-44 and are averaging over six powerplay chances per game at just a 9% conversion rate. Somethings gotta give.
Hard on The Horses – The Stamps’ lineup filled with big physical talent did a good job of being hard on the Wolverines with their sticks and playing the body. When the Wolverines give their opponent a taste of their own medicine, they typically don’t like it. Staying on that fine line and pushing the physical envelope will be huge for the Wolverines if they look to grab game two.
News and Notes
Fans should expect a few lineup changes on Monday night both upfront and on the back end after dropping game one, 5-0.
Wolverines Goaltender, Colin Ahern will most likely be a game-time decision as he continues to recover from injury.
The Wolverines and Stampeders were the only series in the playoffs to have a pair of days off between games one and two. It will ramp up starting with game two on Monday, game three on Wednesday and game four on Friday.
Series Schedule
GAME THREE Wednesday, March 11 | Wolverines @ Stampeders – 7:30
GAME FOUR Friday, March 13 | Stampeders @ Wolverines – 7:30
GAME FIVE Monday, March 16 | Wolverines @ Stampeders – 7:30 *If Necessary
GAME SIX Tuesday, March 17 | Stampeders @ Wolverines – 7:30 *If Necessary
GAME SEVEN Wednesday, March 18 | Wolverines @ Stampeders – 7:30 *If Necessary
Where to Watch
Watch each game between the Wolverines and Stampeders live on HockeyTV.com or follow the Wolverines on Twitter @mjhlWolverines for live game updates.