Jan 28, 2012 | Dan Culbert | 1281 views
Goaltending Makes the Difference On The Road
Despite a good team effort, and some strong performances by others, it was clear that Ben Beechey was the best 99er on the ice last night as the Contractors Rental Supply Midgets earned a point in their match with the London Bandits.
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Beechey held the team in the game against a fast attacking team from London and an opportunistic second period earned the team a 2-2 tie as the team continues to improve it's road record.
Despite having to kill off 5 penalties and a survive a penalty shot, the CRS Midgets found themselves only down 1-0 after one.
In the second, the team had better legs and were able to not only apply some pressure, but to score two and take the lead heading into the third. RJ Huszczo got the team on the board after an intense shift put sustained pressure on the home team, when he stepped into a pass from Dakota Culbert and blasted a shot high over the glove of the Bandit's goalie, with Tyler Schaeffer adding the second assist on the play. Then with just under two minutes to play in the period, Culbert took a pass from Huszczo in his own end and broke out 1 on 2. Using speed throught the neutral zone, he forced both "D" to challenge him and was able to drive right to the London net. Although he was unable to get a shot off, the puck popped free for Andrew Lombardi who beat his check to the zone and fired a shot passed the screened goalie.
The Bandits scored ujust before the half way point of the third to tie things up, as a Bandit's player crashed the net, and then held Beechey down as the puck was jammed under him on a prolonged scramble with no whistle. More questionable calls lead to the 99ers having to kill off 5 more penalties inthe third, and again the team played well on the PK with Beechey coming up big when needed. Faced with the calls seen, the team held it's composure very well and earned the point.