GHL PLAYOFFS MEDIA THREAD

[Owen-Moncton]

As the post -season kicks off tonight, I will be attempting to follow up with a little post game writeup on the action. Feel free to chirp or cheer for your team or otherwise chime in. As some of you know, I'm in recovery from a neurological trauma due to a car wreck and doing a little regular creative writing may get the grey matter working a little better. Let's have some fun with this... I think the league may be in for some surprises in terms of upsets and heated battles, which is what playoffs are all about. I love seeing the hate build up throughout a series only to be resolved with a respectful acknowledgement of the victor's efforts by the loser, and the winner being gracious in triumph after a series filled with trash talk and animosity. Kinda like how the wild Irishman, Connor McGregor, talks absolute smack and then is gracious in defeat post-match. 

If your team has any chirps, quips or quotes you want included in the writeups, DM me and we'll work it in...just dont be surprised when your opponent brings a little blowback to the conversation!

Game on fellas! Good luck to you all!

[Owen-Moncton]

PS I might even hit your DMs for a quote post game, but if I dont, feel free to send your comments my way and I'll work it in.

[Joe-Adirondack]

Owen I didn’t know your Dilemma I’m sorry to hear about that get well soon and continue on your road to recovery

[Owen-Moncton]

PRINCE OF WALES PLAYOFFS RECAP

DET-SEA

The Motor City has taken a commanding three-game lead versus Seattle, outscoring their foes 12-7, despite being owned in the faceoff dot (46.9% vs 53.1%) and out-hit 61-73. The ‘Stangs have dominated in virtually every other significant category, including blocked shots and all goaltending metrics. Special teams have been the real story, with Detroit boasting a whopping 46.9% kill rate on the powerplay. Max Pacioretty leads the charge with four tallies and an assist, tying teammate Elias Lindholm in points, who has contributed the inverse, with four helpers and one goal.

Detroit has come out roaring from the hop, playing to their strengths and controlling much of the on-ice action, receiving important contributions throughout the lineup, with no fewer than six players outside of Patches and Lindy, adding at least two points. A win Tuesday night will see the Mustangs advance to the conference semi finals.



TOR-CIN

Toronto and Cincy are knotted at a win a piece, with neither squad separating themselves in terms of total goals scored (8-6 in favor of Cincy), or special teams efficacy. Cincy’s 22.22% is just a hair below Hogtown’s 25%, while Toronto has demonstrated a significant total shots advantage (69-55). Now is the time for either the Toros or the Swords to take advantage of their powerplay opportunities, and with the likes of Hoffman, van Riemsdyk, Tkachuk, Bonino, Kane and Bergeron out ther working their magic, you have to believe that a bump in powerplay numbers is coming for one team or the other, sooner than later. Who wants it?

Game three kicks off tomorrow night. It’s expected that both teams will come ready to give themselves a little breathing room in a tightly contested series, here in the early going.

JON-COL

While they may only have a one game lead in the series thus far, Johnstown has been mauling Colorado without mercy, despite the Mile High City obliterating their P.O.W. quarterfinal rivals in the dot (61.1%- 38.9%) and outshooting them 90-80 across three games.

J-Town’s goaltending has been nothing short of remarkable, the tandem of Rask and Ullmark posting a sparkling combined save percentage of.943.

The literal absence of a Colorado powerplay is worthy of note. While they average just one man advantage opportunity per game, they have yet to connect, with the Swords boasting a sparkling 66.67% success rate on the PP.

Colorado will be looking to even the score Tuesday night. It’ll be an all-hands-on-deck effort and unless the PK finds another gear, opportunity to advance his team to round two might be a tough ask for the talented Colorado keeper Pavel Francouz, who has put up a very impressive .926 save percentage in two of three contests.

AKA- STP

It’s been a classic goalie’s duel between upstart Jake Allen and cagey veteran Jonathan Quick in the fourth and final series in the Prince of Wales conference, with Quick facing a typically heavy workload. Brayden Point, Pavel Buchnevich and Ovie have combined for 26 shots already, for a total of nine points. Quick’s 71 saves in 75 chances versus 41 in 44 for his counterpart have really been the difference in this 1-1 battle, wherein almost every other meaningful stat category appears nearly identical.
Both Alaska and St Paul have the veteran savvy and the big guns to pull away (Ovechkin, Point, Toews, Panarin) and also the backstoppers to neutralize even the sharpest of shooters, making this one an interesting series to keep an eye on.

The Polar Bears visit the Stars tomorrow night.

[Owen-Moncton]

Playoff Feed Cont'd: CAMPBELL CONFERENCE


ADR-BOS

Meanwhile, over in the Campbell conference, the Aces of Adirondack are making life miserable for Boston, outscoring the Bears 11-2 across three outings, taking a commanding 3-0 series lead. The story here is a simple one: goaltending. The Aces’ one-two punch of Semyon Varlamov and James Reimer have proven too much for Boston to date, who are throwing everything they can muster at one of the finest-engineered backstopping tandems in the GHL. Boston leads in shots and has doubled Adirondock in powerplay chances (14-7), yet they have failed to solve the Green and White two-headed Monster between the pipes or its nigh-impenetrable .977 save percentage.
Steven Stamkos leads in scoring with two markers, while Evgeny Malkin has added four assists, with Boston scratching their heads looking for a way to solve the Adirondack onslaught.

PHI-SUFF

The Pharaohs are knotted up in a 1-1 series versus a plucky Suffolk squad which features scoring sensation Auston (Papi) Matthews pitting his formidable talents against 100-point man Nikita Kucherov and Swedish sureshot William Nylander, whose playmaking and puck possession skills really are mesmerizing.

Suffolk demonstrates a distinct advantage in the dot in the early going with a 55.5% record on draws taken, with the aforementioned Matthews cleaning up (27-13) for a 67.5% win rate.
Philly’s willingness to sacrifice the body and block shots has kept this one too close to call as yet, with stellar tendy Andrei Vasilevsky playing below average by any elite goalie’s standard, but if he finds his confidence, rest assured it will spread like wildfire throughout the room, but don’t count out that plucky Stampede squad.

HAL-HAR

Taking a three-cob lead in the conference quarter final, Halifax came to play big-boy hockey, despite the glaring disparity in the hits column, wherein Hartford has virtually doubled its rivals, with an 84-43 advantage. Conversely, Halifax have given up twice as many power play chances (16-8), which the Hartford squad has used to decent advantage (4/16, or 25%).
Huskies hero Patrick Kane has feasted on the opposition with three goals and four assists, while the Tendy tandem of Lehner and Koskinen have posted a spectacular 2.00 GAA.
The Huskies will attempt to close this one out tomorrow in front of Hartford’s hardcore throng. It’ll be a tough ask when Halifax tends to shoot—and therefore possess the puck — at a rate of around 30% more than their opponents. Shots to date: Hal: 103; HAR: 76.

NYA-COR

The Amerks appear to be firing on all cylinders, having taken a 2-0 series lead, outshooting their Cornwall, Ontario rivals 11-4. Ironically, the Crusaders have the faceoff department on lock, with a 55.8% advantage. Cornwall’s powerplay ha been anaemic thus far, with just two conversions in eight tries. The work of goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has been a major factor over games 1 and 2, posting an impressive 2.00 GAA/ .920 SV%, versus a combined .550 coming from the other end of the ice.
It will be interesting to see if the talented Crusader crew led by Mark Stone, who registered 315 regular season shots — good for 34 goals and 35 assists — can find his touch and lead with some kind of a pushback tonight at home. He’ll need help from the likes of Jakub Voracek, Dylan Strome and Adam Henrique — to say nothing of the goaltending, which has been abysmal — if they are to appease the home crowd.

Stay tuned, GHL fans, playoff hockey is back and we arew just getting started!

[Owen-Moncton]

Thanks for reading along, boys... I'll work on my spelling and grammar... hit me up with any post game quotes that you want to have included in the next segment.

[Owen-Moncton]

stay tuned for more writeups coming today fellas...

[Owen-Moncton]

P.OW. RECAP

DET-SEA (2-1)

Looks like Seatle decided to make a series of it, due in no small part to some late-game overtime heroics by Martin Necas, who sniped the OT winner at 6:38 from just inside the right faceoff circle to extend the series.Necas also collected a second assist on the first period marker by teammate David Krejci, while highly-skilled superpest Matthew Tkachuk answered for the Mustangs with the man advantage in the second stanza.
This one could have gone either way, with both teams ringinging shots off the post from high-danger scoring areas.

While Detroit peppered keeper Alex Stalock with 36 shots, the Seatle goalie was perfect at even strength, giving his squad a little extra piss and vinegar top usurp their first round rivals. Whether they have enough left to repeat remains to be seen as the teams square off tomorrow in Detroit.

CIN- TOR (2-1)

The Swords somehow managed to remain perfect on the PK against Toronto, despite giving up six powerplay opportunities in a hotly contested and often physical battle of attrition.
While rugged leader Nick Bonino earned just third star accolades, his 5 blocked shots along with his first frame tally had his teammates fired up from Jump Street, with Evander Kane collecting an apple and two goals to get the win. The shot count only slightly favoured the Swords (28-26) due in no small part to the all-in attitude of Cincy’s squad, who did a marvelous job of limiting the Toros’ chances.
Alex Texier earned first star honors with a wicked snipe from the slot at 2:56 remaining in the second to seal the deal.
Toronto will be without journeyman Derek Ryan for the next nine days as he left the game with an undisclosed injury.

JON-COL (2-1)

The theme of the one-goal game continues in the P.O.W. conference, with Johnstown taking a 3-1 series lead with the OT win versus Colorado, who will have to play without stalwart rearguartd Jonathan Ericsson for the foreseeable future.
And once again, officiating will raise eyebrows as Johnstown were rewarded with seven powerplay opportunities in contrast to no man-advantage minutes for the opposition.
While J-Town failed to convert on those chances, it certainly handcuffed Colorado’s top talent to the pine while their comerades were forced to carry the mail defensively. While some may argue that the blatant missed call on Ryan Graves (COL) was a makeup gesture by the officials, it wouldnt surprise anyone to see the officials called on the carpet with respect to transparency or the lack thereof.
Kudos to the Chiefs for claiming the victory, with Ben Chiarot icing the game at 3:51 into the OT period.
One can expect Colorado to comer out flying tomorrow on home ice where they’ll look to exact a little revenge.

AKA-STP (6-4)

The Polar Bears roared to a 6-4 win versus St Paul, launching 43 shots at the net while keeping the Stars to just 26. Alaska seemed to be getting stronger and more determined as the game wore on, if the shot count is any indication of their team mentality, with 19 pucks directed at Jonthan Quick in the thrd period alone, and while St. Paul fought back courageously, connecting twice in the third, the damage had already been done . Both squads tallied once each on the powerplay, but the story here is all about Alaska’s determination to drive the net early and often, to notch the series at two wins apiece.

[Owen-Moncton]

CAMPBELL RECAP

BOS-ADR (4-2)

The one-two punch of Cirelli and Dumba thwarted Adirondack’s hopes of a clean sweep, as the rugged defender (Dumba) assisted on all three of Cirelli’s goals, the first hatty of the post season. While Cirelli certainly earned first star accolades, he was quick to share the glory: “Matty was huge out there all night, not just in getting me the puck, but he blocked something like four shots, and unless you’ve been on the bench during those moments, you have no idea what that means to your group…it gives you the fire to keep battling, no matter your role”.
Boston travels to Adirondack to pit their skills against the Aces once again, tomorrow night. It’ll be a barn-burner, no doubt.

SUFF-PHI (5-1)

The Stamps absolutely stomped the Pharaohs of Philly in a wild contest frought with fighting, controversy, and plenty of goals as hockey wunderkind Auston Matthews notched a pair and added an assist to extend Suffolk’s series lead to 3-1.
Philly managed a dismal 18 shots, which in a vacuum might have one scratching one’s head, but once again, the powerplay advantage heavily favored the Stamps (7-1), and while they converted just twice with the man advantage, Philly’s finest rode the pine for much of the contest, leaving the home side gassed for much of the heavily slanted affair.
Brady Skej chucked knuckles with Philly’s behemoth back-ender Tyler Myers with just 2:11 remaining in the first, which apparently fired the visitors up enough to dominate the contest.
Fleet-footed Pharaohs winger Andreas Johnsson received a questionable call at 3:58 in the third in the Stamps’ zone, leaving the game and heading straight down the tunnel. Word is, he’ll miss the better part of two weeks with an undisclosed injury. Philly’s faithful erupted predictably following the occurrence.
Once again, league officiating has been called into question, but Pharaohs GM Glenn Bobb declined to comment.
The Stamps will look to close the series out Friday night at home.

HAL-HAR (4-2)

Halifax advances to round two of the Campbell Conference with a sweep of Hartford. Mark Scheifele was the hero of the night with two even-strength goals for the series win.

It appeared that this one could have gone either way after fourty minutes with the the game deadlocked at one apiece, until Halifax stepped on the gas in the third and took charge, bulging twine four times before a bewildered Hartford squad that just couldn’t find answers in order to take the hardworking bluenosers to task.
The 2016-17 champs’ bench boss had this to say as the Huskies celebrated:
“"It's never fun getting swept, it leaves a bad taste.  We tried shaking things up a bit as the series went on.  There were areas where I thought we competed well but you know, that's a helluva team on the other bench there.  Give credit where it is due, and we'll use this as motivation to do better next season.”

COR-NYA (3-1)

The Crusaders knotted the final series in the Campbell conference at two games apiece with a 3-1 victory, building on their recent success after the Amerks built up a two-game series lead.
The animosity between these clubs is palpable (dontcha love playoffs?) with four fighting majors doled out, amidst plenty of big hits and more than enough rough stuff occurring after the whistle. Darcy Kuemper (3rd star) was spectacular, surrendering just one goal in 29 tries, providing much-needed momentum to bring home the win. New York’s Head Coach Justin Brassard hinted—well, more than hinted — at the possibilty of significant lineup changes after dropping the last two contests to Cornwall.
Whether that means a callup, a goalie switch or putting his lines in the blender going forward remains to be seen, but it’s clear that Brassard demands more from his charges.
Action resumes tomorrow in the Big Apple.

[Al-Johnstown]

Apr 22, 2021 14:47:11 GMT -5 Owen-Moncton said:

P.OW. RECAP

DET-SEA (2-1)

Looks like Seatle decided to make a series of it, due in no small part to some late-game overtime heroics by Martin Necas, who sniped the OT winner at 6:38 from just inside the right faceoff circle to extend the series.Necas also collected a second assist on the first period marker by teammate David Krejci, while highly-skilled superpest Matthew Tkachuk answered for the Mustangs with the man advantage in the second stanza.
This one could have gone either way, with both teams ringinging shots off the post from high-danger scoring areas.

While Detroit peppered keeper Alex Stalock with 36 shots, the Seatle goalie was perfect at even strength, giving his squad a little extra piss and vinegar top usurp their first round rivals. Whether they have enough left to repeat remains to be seen as the teams square off tomorrow in Detroit.

CIN- TOR (2-1)

The Swords somehow managed to remain perfect on the PK against Toronto, despite giving up six powerplay opportunities in a hotly contested and often physical battle of attrition.
While rugged leader Nick Bonino earned just third star accolades, his 5 blocked shots along with his first frame tally had his teammates fired up from Jump Street, with Evander Kane collecting an apple and two goals to get the win. The shot count only slightly favoured the Swords (28-26) due in no small part to the all-in attitude of Cincy’s squad, who did a marvelous job of limiting the Toros’ chances.
Alex Texier earned first star honors with a wicked snipe from the slot at 2:56 remaining in the second to seal the deal.
Toronto will be without journeyman Derek Ryan for the next nine days as he left the game with an undisclosed injury.

JON-COL (2-1)

The theme of the one-goal game continues in the P.O.W. conference, with Johnstown taking a 3-1 series lead with the OT win versus Colorado, who will have to play without stalwart rearguartd Jonathan Ericsson for the foreseeable future.
And once again, officiating will raise eyebrows as Johnstown were rewarded with seven powerplay opportunities in contrast to no man-advantage minutes for the opposition.
While J-Town failed to convert on those chances, it certainly handcuffed Colorado’s top talent to the pine while their comerades were forced to carry the mail defensively. While some may argue that the blatant missed call on Ryan Graves (COL) was a makeup gesture by the officials, it wouldnt surprise anyone to see the officials called on the carpet with respect to transparency or the lack thereof.
Kudos to the Chiefs for claiming the victory, with Ben Chiarot icing the game at 3:51 into the OT period.
One can expect Colorado to comer out flying tomorrow on home ice where they’ll look to exact a little revenge.

AKA-STP (6-4)

The Polar Bears roared to a 6-4 win versus St Paul, launching 43 shots at the net while keeping the Stars to just 26. Alaska seemed to be getting stronger and more determined as the game wore on, if the shot count is any indication of their team mentality, with 19 pucks directed at Jonthan Quick in the thrd period alone, and while St. Paul fought back courageously, connecting twice in the third, the damage had already been done . Both squads tallied once each on the powerplay, but the story here is all about Alaska’s determination to drive the net early and often, to notch the series at two wins apiece.

[Al-Johnstown]

Owen, I must correct your recent post for the Johnstown- Colorado series... Johnstown Reggie Dunlop is complaining about the officiating, it was Colorado that had the 7 power play opportunities that the Chiefs stellar penalty killers were able to hold off! If this continues, we may have to resign and bring back Hanson brothers to take care of the officiating!

[Owen-Moncton]

Campbell Conference

NYA- COR

The Amerks came roaring back after squandering a two-game series lead, winning the following two games to close it out in six against their first-round rivals.

New York promised there would be changes to the lineup and the changes paid off, first with a 4-2 victory wherein the speedy legs of veterean Chris Kreider propelled him to first-star honors with back to back powerplay goals in the first frame. Clearly, the demotion to the second line sent a message that Kreider received.
New York could have showed a touch more discipline, but fans of the pride of the Big Apple aren’t known to be squeamish about the rough going, and it was clear that their team was fired up from the drop of the puck closing out the first twenty with a 3-1 lead.
Jake Virtanen added a fourth marker in the second at 16:14; the only goal in an otherwise low-event period.
The hate came to a boil in the final frame with New York taking four penalties, which could have allowed the Crusaders back into the affair and had it not been for some tidy goaltending by Connor Hellebuyck who turned aside nine of ten shots in the third,
may have very well been the outcome.
The final showdown of this series proved to be a clinic in coaching, with Elias Petterson stepping into the spotlight from the second unit. The crafty young Swede followed linemate Kreider’s lead from the game previous, potting a pair of powerplay goals to close out an exciting series full of intra-divisional dislike, penalties momentum shifts, lots of penalties, and at times, stellar goaltending.
Congratulations to New York for advancing to the second round.

SUFF-PHI

After Philly made things interestring with a physical game-five 2-1 victory due largely to a 37 -save outing by Adrei Vasilevskiy, it was on to game six back in the City of Brotherly Love. And on thing the Pharaohs love to do is shoot the puck, which they did some forty two times. Four of those shots found the back of the net, to send the affair into overtime. Jean-Gabriel Pageau was on a mission all night, burrying the biscuit twice on five shots and adding an assist to go with three hits.
On any other night, those stats would be enough to guarantee a first-star selection, however, it was Roope Hintz that would prove to be the hero of the night for Suffolk with his overtime goal at 6:00 into the extra frame, sending a stunned a home-team crowd to the exits, but not before exchanging salutes with their team for what was an exciting season of outstanding hockey.

ADR-BOS

After back to back wins by Boston in games four and five, it appeared Adirondack might have been out of aces. A three-game lead had slipped into treacherous territory, with the Bears hungey for a third win to send the series to seven.
Boston’s Evgeny led the charge in game five with a four-goal effort, adding a powerplay goal to his team-leading fiver-goal tally across the series, but it was the other Evgeny— or ‘Geno’, if you like— that would be celebrating. That Geno of course would be one Mr. Malkin, whose three goal game ( 7 shots/3 goals/1 hit/1 block) iced the affair for the Aces and send Boston packing.
Worthy of note was Adirondack’s shrewd decision to revert to James Reimer between the pipes, after Semyon Varlamov sufferred the back to back defeats in games four and five. The popular backstop gave Adirondock its third win of the series after Varly won games one and two. Such tactics aren’t often seen in playoffs, with coaches preferring to leat their starters carry the load, but it clearly paid off in spades.
Congrats to the Aces on the series victory.

[Owen-Moncton]

P.O.W. Conference

SEA-DET

When last we checked in, Detroit was in danger of watching a hard-earned three -game advantage slide after Seattle pushed back in game four with an OT win.
Despite the loss of veteran forward Richard Panik in game five to an undisclosed injury, Seattle built on his first-period marker for a 3-1 win to send the series back to the west coast for game six.
Aleksander Barkov was superb in the faceoff dot, winning 66% (14/21) of his challenges, adding four shots and a block, despite remaining off the scoresheet in a stunning 3-2 OT victory. David Krejci salted this one away at 1:34 remaining in the overtime period with a seeing-eye shot from the slot that came off a juicy Mikhail Sergachev rebound. Tristan Jarry attempted to direct the point shot off his paddle tto safety but some deft stick work by the savvy Krejci allowed him to elevate the puck over the sprawling keeper.
As the series shifted back to the Motor City for game seven, the momentum Seattle had garnered was palpable. Rarely does any team climb out of a three-game hole to send a series to a seventh and deciding game, yet here were. And, once again, it was the crafty play of David Krejci who led the charge in front of a raucous Detroit crowd. Going 12-for-16 in the dot (75%), the crafty pivot who led his team in series points (3G, 4A) added a goal and two assists in an exciting 4-2 victory for the road team.

CIN-TOR
After Toronto came back in game five with a gutsy 3-1 effort, the Swords of Cincinnati put the opposition to the blade with a commanding 7-3 win in Toronto to end the affair in six games.
Outshooting Toronto 31-24, both Nick Bonino and Marcus Foligno had five shots each, both players scoring twice in what ultimately became a rout as the Swords overpowered their opponents.
Toronto’s big guns (Eichel, van Riemsdyk, Hoffman, Tkachuk, Toffoli) were essentially held to a single assist by Toffoli despite Eichel firing six shots at Swords goalie Carter Hart. Mike Hoffman managed just a single shot all night while point leader James van Riemsdyk fired twice, to no avail.
Tyler Motte added a goal and a helper for the winning side, although he’ll likely miss a couple second-round games with an undisclosed injury.
Congrats to Cincy for advancing to round two of the playoffs.

JON-COL
In what was a surprisingly low-event game, the Johnstown Chiefs sent Colorado to the links with a 3-0 shutout with Adam Luff doing the heavy lifting, scoring twice on seven shots.
With neither team cracking twenty shots all night, it was a nigh-emotionless affair with very little to get excited about, other than the aforementioned Luff’s pair of goals and perhaps Robert Hagg’s nine hits. Ryan Graves attempted to stir some emotion from his team with four thundering hits of his own, but to no avail.
Johnstown wins the series in five to advance to round two.

ALK-STP
After taking game five in OT on a howitzer from the left point by Ryan Pulock, Alaska packed their bags and headed for St Paul Minnesota for a much anticipated game six showdown, with hopes of making it three straight to end the series.
The Polar Bears struck early and often, despite St Paul taking the majority of shots in the first fouty minutes, tallying four goals before the home team solved goalie Matt Murray in the third stanza at 11:09 with Eberle doing the deed on the powerplay. Interestingly, it was Murray’s first start of the series, with Jake Allen winning his last two contests.
Lumbering power forward Austin Watson grabbed a nifty feed from Victor Rask who had two goals and one assist across the series, the former catching enough of the short side to go post and in from the left point to make it interesting before Tyler Johnson scored his second on the powerplay in the third period to put the game out of reach.
The champs of the Adams division advance to round two of the Prince of Wales conference semi-finals after demonstrating a well-engineered balance between firepower and team-toughness, with Ondrej Palat and Alex Ovechkin leading with 16 and 15 hits respectively.

[Owen-Moncton]

P.O.W. Confernce Semi- Finals Recap

ALK-CIN (5-2)

The Polar Bears took game one of the Prince of Wales Semi-Finals rather convincingly in terms of the final result, depositing five pucks behind Swords goaltender Carter Hart, which in itself is no small feat considering his regular season numbers (6 shutouts, 2.28 GAA), but that it was accomplished in just 20 shots should give Swords fans pause to wonder if the young puckstopper can dig deep and rebound before the molehill becomes a mountain.

Alex Ovechkin found his touch with the puck, potting two goals and earning first-star honors for his effort, while Nick Backstrom collected a goal and three helpers for a 4-point night. Ondrej Palt and Brayden Point also notched a goal each, while Alaska’s goaltender — who was perfect at even strength — surrendered a pair of goals whils Cincy held the man advantage.
It was Oskar Lindblom and Patrice Bergeron who scored for the visitors, who mustered 32 shots; five off the twig of Marcus Foligno, who logged just 15:27 at even-strength and could prove to be the whetstone the Swords need to sharpen up for game two.

Campbell Conference Semi-Finals Recap

HAL-ADR (5-2)
It was trade deadline acquisition Steven Stamkos who broke the seal on the contest for the visitors, early in the first frame with just 63 seconds expired, ripping his patented one-timer from the bottom of the faceoff circle to send the powerful Huskies hometeam a clear message that he has found his groove in his new digs and is excited to be in the thick of post-season action.
For the next 19 minutes, Halifax simply dominated, burying the biscuit four times by the time the buzzer sounded, two of those goals with the man advantage. Credit young superstar Kyle Connor, along with teammates Tomas Tatar, Patrick Kane and Mark Scheifele with the early Halifax onslought with young defender Filip Hronek plucking himself a couple apples.
The Aces answered in the second stanza as defender Kevin Shattenkirk picked up his second point of the night when he slipped into the slot undetected to convert a rebound from a Filip Forsberg wrister that the 6’7” Mikko Koskinen was unable to smother.
Adirondack outshot their opponents in the second frame 13-12, yet failed to build on Shattenkirk’s effort to chip away at the substantial Huskies lead.
Halifax’s Travis Konecny added insult to injury with 2:02 to go in the second on the powerplay to put the contest out of reach.
The Aces appeared gassed in the third, producing just six shots versus 15 by the home side.
Lack of discipline led to penalty trouble, including a questionable double minor to Filip Forsberg who was charged with high-sticking Huskies defenseman Nikita Zadorov. While blood was certainly drawn, it is debatable as to who’s stick was actually responsible.

The Aces will be in tough to solve a well-engineered Halifax squad that ended the regular season with an impressive 113 points (53-22-7), but nobody is counting them out this early.

[Owen-Moncton]

P.O.W. Semi-Finals Recap
JON-SEA (6-3)

While it was J-Town’s Matt Luff that led in scoring for the visitors with a pair of goals, defender Robert Bortuzzo was the man of the hour for the visitors, with four assists and three hits on the night. The ‘Bird Man’ Evgeny Kuznetsov flapped his wings tweice as well as the Chiefs overwhelemed Seattle, who opened the scoring with a pair of first-period goals by Tanner Pearson and Blake Lizotte before Kuznetsov replied in the final 27 seconds to cut the lead in half going into the first intermission.

Four seconds later, Seattle rallied when David Krejci set up Martin Necas to extend Seattle’s lead, but that was all the scoring Seattle could muster before J-Town took control of the affair with five straight goals: two on the powperplay (McDavid, Gaudette), as well as two even-strength markers by the aforementioned Luff.

The Chiefs peppered Seattle’s Alex Stalock with 37 shots while Tukka Rask had a decidedly lighter workload with just 24 pucks to contend with.
P.O.W. action resumes tomorrow in Seatlle.

Campbell Semi-Finals Recap
NYA-SUFF (3-2)

It was an infraction-filled affair as Suffolk visited their second-round rivals the New York Americans, at least two of the malodorous variety —one apiece— as the Amerks eaked out a close one with unlikely hero Radko Gudas claiming first-star accolodaes, finishing the evening with what ultimately proved to be the winning goal, along with a pair of heavy hits (no surprise there) and a couple timely blocks to thwart Suffolk’s attempts at evening the score.
The officials were clearly in a mood to call anything that looked even remotely onerous which had little impact on the outcome, save for the flow of play.
Suffolk gets a shot at redeemeing themselves tomorrow night in the Big Apple and if their powerplay starts to connect, it could be a game changer for the ‘Stamps.