Here's a great write-up about last night's game between the New Westminster Salmonbellies and the Coquitlam Adanacs. It was by far the best game I've seen in a long time.
What a game! The Bellies played great against the Adanacs tonight, taking game number 1 in the WLA finals 14 to 5. The entire team played well, and while Cliff Smith, Chris Gill, and Ilija Gajic took the first, second, and third stars of the game, the rest of the team was right up there with them. My personal star of the game goes to Bellies’ Peter McFetridge. He was all heart and soul out there. He got an assist on a great play he set up and even reached into the net to make a save when Richards wasn’t there to do it himself.
The Adanacs on the other hand, didn’t have a single player who stood out in terms of skill. Yeah, they’re a good team and the game was a lot closer than it looked on paper, but overall they were underwhelming except in the area in which they excel—mouthing off. I think they need to change their MO up a bit if they hope to take the series (or even a game). They need to get more of their shots onto the net (not missing by a foot or two). If they’d put half the effort they put into taunting into getting the ball into the net, there’d have been a different outcome.
What was interesting tonight was the difference in the two Adanacs’ goalies. Atherton, who started the game, managed to get himself worked up into a lather by the end of the second period. He was bickering with the ref, harassing other players, and just being an overall goof. In the third period, he looked like a toddler gearing up for a tantrum. Levis on the other hand, looked completely dejected after each shot he let in. It was rather sad and pathetic, yet comedic at the same time. Still, I don’t think tonight’s game came down to goaltending. Atherton made an amazing 43 saves. The Bellies just played a much better game, both offensively and defensively, and deserved to take this one. Way to go, guys!
I just got back from Game 3 of the semi-finals between New West and Langley, and am struck by how similar the three games have been. For the most part it goes like this: the Bellies start to completely dominate; the Thunder get upset and resort to petty altercations, jersey pulling, and all-out fights; and the Bellies win the game hands-down. You would think that the Thunder would start to realize that the fighting isn't getting them anywhere. They'd be better off trying to take a few more shots on net. Today was particularly pathetic, with the Thunder making only 32 shots to the Bellies' 58. You sure don't win games that way.
I feel sorry for the goalies. They're not doing a bad job at all. Joe Bell made 24 saves and Ray Hodgkinson made 20. It's the rest of the team that's letting the goalies down. In three games, not a single Thunder player made the three stars of the game. Tonight's stars were Dewolf (3rd), McFetridge (2nd), and Dave Morgan (1st).
I'm debating whether or not to go to game 4. It's very likely going to be much of the same. If it's not and Langley happens to take a win, then I'll be able to see the fifth game at Queen's Park.
Here's part of the fight between New West's Ilija Gajic and Langley's Rob Van Beek.
The Salmonbellies handily beat Langley Thunder tonight at Queen's Park Arena, with a final score of 12-5.
The game was close for about the first four minutes of play. Then Langley had a bit of a scoring drought, not getting one in the net until the sixth minute of the third period. Matt Roik (second star of the game) played really well for the first two periods, but started to look a little off in the third. In fact, goal number three actually went into the net off his back. He was also slow to get up a few times, so we thought that maybe he was injured or unwell. He picked it up again later in the period, though, so that was good.
Langley lost a bit of blood tonight--literally. Both Kyle McEwan and Steve Hay ending up bleeding after fights (with Rory Smith and Ilija Gajic, respectively). McEwan was especially deserving of his injuries sustained at the start of the third period. At the end of the second period, he downed Kyle Ross with a retaliatory check to the back of the head (So I was told. I didn't see it myself because I was watching the play taking place about 15 feet away. I heard the thud, though, and Ross was face down for several minutes).
The two other stars of the game were Gajic (first) and Cliff Smith (third). And the doofus-of-the-night award goes to Thunder's Matt Wilson for his post-game harassment of one of the refs. I imagine he'll face some disciplinary action for his abusive conduct.
