First Period: First shot of the game on Pelletier taken just seven seconds in and calmly set aside. ... Igor Agarunov is playing as a forward tonight despite the missing defenseman and just took the Bucks' first shot on net. ... Pelletier just made a nice glove save on a backhander from a Sundogs player all alone in front. I believe it was Joey Sides, but I'm not sure I caught the right number. ... Another turnover in the Bucks' zone gave Fagemo the puck all alone, but his shot missed the net high. ... Maxime Lincourt just chipped the puck up to Curtis Billsten, who got it as he gained the zone and skated past the Sundogs' defense to put the puck five-hole on Perras. The goal light didn't go off immediately, and it took a split second for both players to react, so I wasn't sure that was a goal right away, but it definitely was. Bucks lead 1-0 at 4:57 in the period. ... Darryl Smith, who gave the puck to Lincourt on the half-wall, got the second assist on that goal. ... Another great save by Pelletier on a fast play out front his net keeps the Sundogs off the board with about seven minutes down. ... After Perras fell down making a save and lost the puck, Billsten shoved Kevin Jarman to the ice right beside his goaltender. The Bucks weren't able to recover the puck on that play, though, and the score stays 1-0. ... Close call for the Bucks as another chance for the Sundogs trickled through Pelletier's pads. Luckily for him, it went to the outside of the net. ... Sundogs get the game's first power play at 8:33 with Paul Elliott in the box for two minutes for high sticking. ... Only one shot was taken by the Sundogs as that penalty was killed. ... The Bucks got a break right as Elliott came out of the box and seemed assured to go up 2-0 but the player who went to take the shot on the loose puck out front missed, and that gave the Sundogs a breakaway, on which Pelletier made another great save. ... A shot just hit Pelletier's left post on a very close call for the Bucks. ... Sundogs back on the power play at 14:58 with Lehr in the box for holding. ... Penalty killed. ... Deschatelets has made this a 2-0 game with just 1:24 to play in the period on a point-blank one-timer that beat Perras glove side. Smith passed the puck to him from just behind the goal line to Perras's right. Not sure if they're giving a second assist. ... First power play for the Bucks comes with just 44 seconds on the clock with Shaw headed to the box for holding. ... That will carry over to the second period, as the Bucks did not score in the first 44 seconds of their advantage. ... End of the period, Bucks lead 2-0, up 11-10 on shots. That is their first shot lead of the game.
Second Period: The Bucks were not able to set up very well on that carried-over power play, only taking one shot before it was killed. ... A couple big hits have been handed out along the boards in the first couple minutes of this middle period. ... The Sundogs have taken back the shot lead at 13-12. ... A little bit of a scrap ensued behind then net after they took their 14th, but no penalties are being assessed. ... Not much later, Adam Smyth is headed to the box to give the Bucks their second power play of the game. He'll serve two for interference at 5:19. ... Lehr rang a slap shot off the crossbar with not much time left on that one, but the Bucks were unable to get a shot on goal. Penalty killed. .... Another penalty has been called against the Sundogs after a bit of a delay, and now there is some shoving going on around the net. Matt Hanson will go to the box for this one, slashing at 8:07. ... The Bucks just missed a series of chanced with Perras down and out, as they couldn't seem to get a stick on the puck in close, then Benjamin Dieude-Fauvel missed the net wide on a slap shot, then Deschatelets missed a loose puck right out front. Penalty killed. ... An interesting series of events as Kevin Jarman crushed Agarunov into the boards, then started shoving him while he was down. Shoving ensued, and Dieude-Fauvel eventually dropped the gloves with Smyth. ... Dieude-Fauvel and Smyth will each serve five for fighting, and play will be 4-on-4 with Agarunov in for holding and Jarman for boarding. ... Lead cut to 2-1 as the Sundogs scored on their 18th shot of the game. Defenseman Nick Biond0, who was trailing on the play, scored it after getting a drop pass from Kyle Hood. That goal came at 12:37. ... And, just like that, the Bucks have their two-goal advantage back. Billsten scored his second of the night, 10th of the season, from between the circles. Eric Giosa nearly tackled him in celebration. Giosa gets an assist for his pass out to Billsten, but I think Rivet touched the puck, so he might get one, too. Bucks lead 3-1 at 13:18. ... With 3:39 left on the clock, the Sundogs have cut the lead to one again on a goal by Belanger. Bucks lead 3-2. ... And the Bucks have answered once again, this time on Lincourt's first goal since Dec. 8, a flukey wrister that beat Perras stick side. Bucks lead 4-2 with 2:43 to play in the period. ... Pelletier has much of the crowd on its feet after making an unbelievable behind-the-back save on a second-chance attempt by the Sundogs. Keeping them from getting within one with so little time left in the period could be crucial for the Bucks, and doing it in dramatic fashion just gets the fans that much more involved. ... End of the period, Bucks lead 4-2, up 23-22 on shots.
Third Period: The final period has started a little slow, with far less hitting and shooting than the opening minutes of the first two. ... Jeff Bes just missed the net wide on a 2-on-1 chance with Deschatelets. Deschatelets carried the puck up the ice, then sent a long pass across to Bes, who couldn't quite get his shot on net. ... And now Lincourt has his second goal of the night, and he looked awfully happy to get it. He has given the Bucks a 5-2 lead at 4:17 by knocking a loose puck past Perras stick side while the goalie was a bit out of position. Billsten has what is currently the lone assist. The Bucks have picked up the shooting a bit in the past couple minutes and now lead 27-22 in shots, having held the Sundogs to zero in that category so far this period. ... Bucks going on the power play at 6:15 after Mike Nesdill interfered with Smith. ... Penalty killed. ... Bucks going on another power play at 10:58. Well, they were going to be, but now that Rivet and Smyth got tangled up and Rivet held Smith face-down to the ice, maybe they won't. Nope, they still are, with Jarman in the box for high-sticking. Of course, the Rivet-Smyth thing happened on the one part of the ice I can't see over my laptop, so I'm not sure exactly what went on there, but I guess nothing the refs think was worth penalizing. ... Belanger just hit the crossbar on a shorthanded chance. ... Checking has picked up again, and Billsten was just shoved to the ice trying to get in position in front of Perras. ... Penalty killed. ... The Sundogs just got the puck into the net behind Pelletier, but the net came off its moorings before it crossed the goal line, so the score remains 5-2. ... Deschatelets is headed to the box for tripping to give the Sundogs their first power play in quite some time at 16:46. ... It's interesting how physical parts of this game have been considering how infrequently these teams see each other. Another tussle has Sides going to the box. Wait, his number was just taken off the board, while Dieude-Fauvel has joined Deschatelets in the Bucks' box. Okay, now Sides' penalty is back up, but as a five-minute major. That is for spearing, while Dieude-Fauvel has been called for roughing. ... Ouch. Just as he made a stunning save with his back earlier in the game, Pelletier just allowed a goal that has stunned the crowd by bouncing off his back into the net. Only 15.6 seconds left on the clock, so the Sundogs' chances of tying this up are basically nonexistent, but that still stings. ... They're giving that goal to Fagemo, by the way. ... Pelletier had to make one more save, but this one is done.
Game Over: Bucks win 5-3, improve to 30-20-10 (70 points) and take over third place in the Southern Conference with a huge game against the Texas Brahmas just 17 hours away. That Billsten-Giosa-Lincourt line really came through tonight. Arena stars are Deschatelets (3), Lincourt (2) and Billsten (1).
4 comments:
Howcome Fletcher didnt play tonight? Also what happen to Mohr, why wasnt he in the line up tonight? Mike Lobby didnt play much tonight did he? I only saw him playing in the first and that was it, didnt see him in the second or third.
Billsten! That second goal by Lincourt was made possible by Billsten's hustle. That kid is all hustle and crashes the net. Very nice pickup by coach. Kudos to Giosa for playing injured too. Not too many of those type players on this year's team.
Sorry I forgot to mention Fletcher last night, but I wasn't able to ask anyone about it until today. He was injured during Friday night's game and will not play today. Mohr was scratched last night due to the upper-body injury that kept him out of Thursday's practice and also will not play today. And just to make things a little more difficult for the Bucks, Looby is back on the shelf after finding out that the upper-body injury that sidelined him for three games is not quite healed. The Bucks will play today with 14 skaters just 17 hours removed from their last game against a well-rested team in a building where they have trouble getting wins. Should be interesting.
Meant to say 13 skaters, sorry.
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