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Post by wade on Apr 20, 2013 0:44:18 GMT -5
Clarenville advanced past Rosetown with their 7th straight Allan Cup win.
Going into the game, most of us were giving Rosetown the edge. Myself included. I just felt the trapping system which Rosetown uses would fit perfectly against the rushing 'Bous.
I was wrong. Clarenville came out strong, scored early and forced Rosetown away from the tactics which had been so good to them.
It ended up being a convincing win for the Atlantic Rep. They've shown far more fire power than anyone else this week & Rosetown just couldn't snuff it out.
In the late game...well...I gotta be honest...I kinda' thought there was a chance for Bentley to rack up a big number.
Not because Kenora isn't a solid hockey club. They absolutley are...but...playing their 4rth game in 4 nights...they really shouldn't have had the legs they did in the semi-final.
It should go down as a MASSIVE moral victory for the Thistles to do what they did this week. Really gutsy on their part.
The Army had a good chance to blow the game open early on. There were about 5 straight Bentley PP's including 1:36 of 5/3 time but Person made a couple incredible saves & a few other times...the Gens' pumped good chances wide of the net.
And when Kenora got out of the 1rst only down 1-0...we knew they'd succeeded in turning the game into a war right to the bitter end.
Sproat's Penalty Shot was the key to the game. His family...including Grampa'...were on hand to see the RDMH product pull off a huge moment and you just gotta' love that kind of thing.
He handled a VERY clutch moment about as cool as anyone can ever ask. Flicked a backhand in to make it 3-1.
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Post by munzie on Apr 20, 2013 4:21:28 GMT -5
I think I know wade well enough to believe he is quite sincere in his praise for Kenora in Friday nights game.
And at the risk of drawing any wrath because I'm commenting on the Thistles, I'll just take a chance and throw caution to the wind.
But first, I think the B-E-N-T-L-E-Y Generals have a pretty fine hockey team. Skilled, talented, powerful, disciplined well organized, and a treat to watch. After doing a little circuit tour earlier on Friday of Silvan Lake, Bentley & Lacombe and having the good fortune to find the door open at the home rink of the Generals ice palace, I now only wish sometime I could attend a game in their very unique home venue with limited seating and the lowest ceiling beams that I have ever seen anywhere in my life. I can only imagine what a treat it would be to be present and witness the atmosphere when the capacity 300 or 400 hundred fans tucked in behind every beam and girder have the pleasure to watch their fine Generals on a pretty close to full size ice surface that looks from the outside of the building to be near impossible. Yes, I guess the new modern arena complexes are fine and all that, but to witness quality hockey in the likes of the Bentley shrine that I visited today, at least for me would be a treat. I suppose nothing lasts forever, but in my mind that's local Canadian hockey on a Saturday night that I hope will never be forgotten. And there in the front lobby was the Allan Cup proudly on display even though the ice has been gone since Easter.
Now about Kenora, the team I'm not supposed to talk about. As Wade has pointed out, they had played four nights in a row, got bombed by a big score a couple of days ago, then came back to win by an equally lopsided & impressive score on Thursday and were full value for their effort. I'm sure a lot of folks were still not believers when the Thistles took to the ice against a rested Generals squad in Friday nights Semi-final. Of course it was maybe thought by some that it was only a matter of time before reality would set in.
Well reality did set in, and the fans were treated to a splendid contest right up to the very finish. Simply put, reality was prooven to be quite different than what some folks may have anticipated. Slick, well oiled, smooth, dominating,.... well maybe not, but make no mistake, this wiry group from Kenora and outskirts can play the game, are talented and more than just a little bit resilient. They are also tough, block shots very well and when their goal tending is on, as it was Thursday & Friday, they are a formidable foe. While I hesitate to bring the officiating into it because I think it's been pretty decent so far, Kenora sure didn't get any breaks in this game. They were not happy and they had every right to feel that way IMO. Even several honest Generals fans around me agreed with that.
In the end Kenora fell just a little short, but not by too much, against what I have always believed to be the tournament favorites. They did their region proud, and I'm sure they more than got the respectful attention of their opponents.
This brings us to Saturday's final which should be a dandy. I'll be cheering for the hosts this time, who have a fine team and who have done a great job of putting on an friendly and superb event. Hats of to all involved. Nevertheless fair warning to them. I have a feeling that the fast moving boys from Newfoundland have no intention of making it easy, to say the least. If Bentley is going to prevail, they will have to earn it.
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Post by LOTW on Apr 20, 2013 15:33:02 GMT -5
MUNZIE DONT WORRY ABOUT THE WRATH BROUGHT ON IF YOU TALK ABOUT THE THISTLES. I FOR ONE ENJOY THE POSTS THAT SOME DEEM TOO EDGY. KEEPS THE FORUM MORE INTERESTING IF PEOPLE GIVE IT OUT A BIT. IM AT LEAST GLAD KENORA SHOWED UP AT LAST. CAME CLOSER THAN I THINK ANYONE THOUGHT! HECK IT COULD HAVE BEEN AN ALL EAST FINAL WHICH NO ONE WOULD HAVE BET(OTHER THAN JSPICKLE!) THE WEST WOULD HAVE HATED THAT LIKE HELL. WHAT KIND OF REFEREE CALLS A PENALTY SHOT IN THE LAST HALF OF THE THIRD IN A CLOSE SEMI FINAL GAME? ? THATS A GAME CHANGER THERE. I COULDNT SEE IT SO MAYBE IT WAS REALLY BLATANT? ANYONE SEE IT??
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Post by postandin on Apr 20, 2013 16:15:25 GMT -5
LOTW
I did see the penalty and it DID NOT fit all three criteria in order to asses a penalty shot, given the fact that in the second period a Thistle player was hooked down by a General player in more or less the same fashion and same type of play and no penalty shot was given i found the call to be absolutely wrong. I am not a fan of any particular team in this tournament so i do consider my opinion to be unbiased. The referee played a major part in the outcome of this game, not only with that call but many others as well. I thought it was very poorly officiated especially for a semi final in a national championship game. Just my opinion.
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Post by hockeypops on Apr 20, 2013 16:50:31 GMT -5
LOTW I did see the penalty and it DID NOT fit all three criteria in order to asses a penalty shot, given the fact that in the second period a Thistle player was hooked down by a General player in more or less the same fashion and same type of play and no penalty shot was given i found the call to be absolutely wrong. I am not a fan of any particular team in this tournament so i do consider my opinion to be unbiased. The referee played a major part in the outcome of this game, not only with that call but many others as well. I thought it was very poorly officiated especially for a semi final in a national championship game. Just my opinion. NO question the call was gustsy on the part of the referee, especially given the circumstance. I didn't see it as a penalty shot but a ref sees what a ref sees. Give him credit for having the balls to stand by what he saw. No question the Gens weren'r skating and passing like the team we played all year and that certainly played into Kenoras hands but I would say the right 2 teams are in the final. It should be a good one.
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Post by wade on Apr 21, 2013 3:13:45 GMT -5
I do think the decision to call "Penalty Shot" was marginal at best.
I wasn't anticipating that to be the call when I saw the play live.
However, my first reaction to that call, was that I'd rather just take the full 2 minute powerplay at that point in the game.
My thinking was...what if Sproat doesn't score??!! It would have been a huge momentum surge for Kenora if they'd gotten a stop right there!
But...
They didn't get a stop.
Sproat...to his full credit...cruised in and flicked a devestating backhand into the net. Remarkably cool-handed on his part, to be sure.
As for how this game was called...overall...Kenora turned it into a war with the terms they wanted to play the game. They took a tonne of early PIM's and they got out of the 1rst period only down 1-0.
Kenora made no effort to clean up there game in the 2nd or 3rd. They brazenly dared the refs to keep calling against them...and when the ref STOPPED calling them...the game became very difficult for Bentley to get through.
Bottom line...the better team won & I'd take my team 10 out of 10 times against Kenora.
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