View From The Ice
by Brett Holmes
February 19 1998
It’s about time. We hadn’t tasted victory over this Macklin team yet this season.
We finished the season with an excellent game making few errors.
This game kept our unbeaten streak alive at ten. In the last 18 games we only lost two. And those two losses coming against “A” teams.
We started the game on the right track when Landmark passed it out to Holmes. Holmes tipped the puck to Paulgaard as he and Ganser went in on a two-on-one. Paulgaard sucked the defenseman over to his side which left Ganser wide open, over to Ganser and he put the puck right along the ice in the corner for the first goal just a minute and a half in.
Macklin then surprisingly scored after more pressure by Provost.
But Glencross scored two goals just 45 seconds apart. Number 11’s second goal coming at 11:11 of the first. 3-1 Provost. None of the goals were the goalie’s fault.
Then Holmes, minutes later, scored on a rush with a shot from the blue line.
Holmes then gathered a loose puck from the center ice line and Ganser went in on another odd man rush, this time with Holmes.
Holmes went to the far side, taking the defender with him. And again Ganser, at the hash-marks, took the pass and made a similar shot as he did earlier in the period. 5-1 Provost after twenty minutes of play.
We sort of settled down in the second and third periods. Ganser topped his hat trick just minutes into the second period and Carroll added his fifth of the year in the third. Glencross then finished his hat trick with four minutes left in the game.
Stahl played a very solid game despite not getting many shots. And our penalty minutes are also very solid, standing at almost half a game worth of minutes.
Provost scoreboard:
First Period- Ganser (Paulgaard, Holmes); Glencross (Benoit, Holmes); Glencross (Benoit, Stempfle); Holmes (Sorby); Ganser (Holmes).
Second Period- Ganser (Adams).
Third Period- Carroll (unassisted); Glencross (Benoit).
This was a game where our penalties totally killed us. Six. Did you hear that? Six of the Daysland/Forestburg goals came on the power play.
We scored two or three with the man advantage, so penalties were costly all throughout.
Paulgaard started things off when he passed it from our blue line up to Ganser at the other blue line, he was being checked so he passed it over to the wide open Holmes. Holmes skated in and put it just where his coaches said to: low on the stick side. 1-0 Provost.
Minutes later Benoit took a pass from Glencross and Benoit had no trouble scoring from the edge of the crease.
Daysland/Forestburg didn’t score until the period was almost half over. But Holmes scored which gave Provost the cushion goal after Paulgaard slid the puck to him from the corner.
Glencross scored on a shot similar to Benoit’s close in shot. 4-1 for Provost. This didn’t look too hard. But it turned out out to be probably the hardest game this season.
Daysland/Forestburg scored two more quick goals before the period was over. I think we were just relieved to be up one goal.
But that one goal lead didn’t last very long into the second period.
Daysland/Forestburg scored a goal just seven seconds in. Then twice more in the next two minutes to take the lead for the first time in the game.
Both teams scored a goal in the latter half of the period. Benoit for Provost with the assists going to Glencross and Carroll.
With under four minutes remaining Holmes almost got a Knee Brace Trick when Adams’ shot from the point hit Holmes in the side of the knee when in front of the net. The puck just barely bounced in the corner of the net.
This goal kind of sparked the team for a comeback.
The coaches mixed the lines up a little bit when Holmes was traded for Stempfle.
Glencross and Benoit combined for a quick goal with just 58 seconds left in the second.
Whew. Good, we can go in with a tie at seven. Nah.
One of our defenseman, I’m not sure which, lifted the puck into their zone from our blue line. Holmes skated to catch up with it. He managed to slow down the puck and take the only defenseman back. Benoit picked up the loose puck and slid it to Glencross at the other side of the net who one timed the puck into the net. 8-7 for Provost. Much better.
Almost halfway through the third we could see that things were getting to be a little more conservative.
Stahl was playing excellent hockey. Stopping clear shots and everything else that came his way.
No goals to report on until about seven minutes left in the game when Daysland/Forestburg scored on a impossible save for Stahl. Tie game, 8-8.
Then Daysland/Forestburg came down the ice again. Breakaway. Scores. Put it up on the scoreboard. Mark it down on the game sheet. Hold on. Shouldn’t we just wait for Stahl to lift his pad and show everyone it didn’t go in. Great save Stahl! Thanks to Kenny Deck as well who has been helping Stahl the past little while on those breakways.
With the lines back to normal and with just a minute to play Benoit took a pass from Adams in the corner and out to Glencross who scored his fourth of the game on the short side.
We managed to kill the rest of the time in our corner of the rink with the great work by our defensemen who had a excellent game.
Provost scoreboard:
First Period- Holmes (Ganser, Paulgaard); Benoit (Glencross); Holmes (Paulgaard); Glencross (unassisted).
Second Period- Benoit (Glencross, Carroll); Holmes (Adams); Glencross (Benoit); Glencross (Benoit, Holmes).
Third Period- Glencross (Benoit, Adams).
If you plan on coming to our second game of the two game series expect a fantastic game. The game is this Saturday at the Provost Arena.
———————
Previous issues of View From the Ice.
BACK