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monochameleon · 12-22-2015, 05:24 AM

Game 3
Manitoba Vikings vs. Calgary Mustangs
Federation Arena, Calgary

The home ice is supposed to be an advantage. The crowd are at your back, cheering you on. The flipside of this, of course, is that when you struggle at home, the crowd are right on top of you, closing in around you, and groaning their disapproval.

The game Sunday night was the kind of game that derails playoff campaigns, that kills all momentum, that makes a team stop and ask, "What just happened to us?" The Mustangs came in with the series level, and though the series is now still only 2-1 to Manitoba, it will feel like Manitoba are up 10-1 for all the good it did Calgary.

Roman Vrzacek opened the scoring for the home team, much to the delight of the crowd. It would be the only delight they would enjoy all night. Ryan Huddy scored at 13:40 in the first to level the scores. Then in the second period, the Vikings piled on three further goals to open up a big lead. Martel, Gagnon and Nichols all scored, while Tom Palmer picked up a pair of assists. To underline to what degree the game was not going Calgary's way, not only did they fail to score on two powerplay attempts, but they also got socred on shorthanded.

The third period all fell apart. Justin Homer set up back to back goals for Palmer and then a second for Gagnon, and Jason Woombill and Steve Austin iced the cake with goals of their own. The Mustangs had gone from looking competitive to looking helpless - one of the best defences in the league had been reduced to an 8-1 loss.

Again, the shots on goal tell the story. 47-19 Manitoba as the Vikings dominated possession. Fred Lind was pulled after suffering six goals against him in 42 shots. The remaining five were faced by John Spears and even then he let in two of those.

The Vikings looked, for the first time all playoffs, like the dominant team that they have for so long claimed to be. They still need two wins, but it will take a lot of character for Calgary to come back from such a brutal beating at home.

12-22-2015, 05:24 AM	#81
monochameleon Minors (Double A) Join Date: Dec 2015 Location: New South Wales, Australia Posts: 114	Premier League Final Game 3 Game 3 Manitoba Vikings vs. Calgary Mustangs Federation Arena, Calgary The home ice is supposed to be an advantage. The crowd are at your back, cheering you on. The flipside of this, of course, is that when you struggle at home, the crowd are right on top of you, closing in around you, and groaning their disapproval. The game Sunday night was the kind of game that derails playoff campaigns, that kills all momentum, that makes a team stop and ask, "What just happened to us?" The Mustangs came in with the series level, and though the series is now still only 2-1 to Manitoba, it will feel like Manitoba are up 10-1 for all the good it did Calgary. Roman Vrzacek opened the scoring for the home team, much to the delight of the crowd. It would be the only delight they would enjoy all night. Ryan Huddy scored at 13:40 in the first to level the scores. Then in the second period, the Vikings piled on three further goals to open up a big lead. Martel, Gagnon and Nichols all scored, while Tom Palmer picked up a pair of assists. To underline to what degree the game was not going Calgary's way, not only did they fail to score on two powerplay attempts, but they also got socred on shorthanded. The third period all fell apart. Justin Homer set up back to back goals for Palmer and then a second for Gagnon, and Jason Woombill and Steve Austin iced the cake with goals of their own. The Mustangs had gone from looking competitive to looking helpless - one of the best defences in the league had been reduced to an 8-1 loss. Again, the shots on goal tell the story. 47-19 Manitoba as the Vikings dominated possession. Fred Lind was pulled after suffering six goals against him in 42 shots. The remaining five were faced by John Spears and even then he let in two of those. The Vikings looked, for the first time all playoffs, like the dominant team that they have for so long claimed to be. They still need two wins, but it will take a lot of character for Calgary to come back from such a brutal beating at home.