1/12/05
Nothing Decided Here
#7 Cushing Academy and #9 Tabor Academy skated to a 1-1 tie today, with the Penguins’ Brad Malone and the Seawolves’ Drew Wadsworth scoring the game’s only goals 19 seconds apart early in the third period.
Overall, the game was pretty even, with both teams taking turns at holding the puck in the other team’s end, and a lot of 5-on-5 skating. Tabor, which had the game’s top line in the Chris Potts-Steve Silva-Matt Cook combination, had more quality scoring opportunities but were denied by Cushing junior goaltender Richard Bachman, who had 36 saves. Steven Ritter was strong for Tabor, kicking out 39 shots. (We find those shot numbers a little high on both sides, but no matter: both goalies came up big when called upon.)
After a scoreless first period, Cook had a great opportunity to put Tabor on the board when he had the near side lined up but couldn’t bury it. Later in the period, Tabor junior forward Jamie Jelinek had a great shorthanded opportunity, stripping Cushing defenseman Keith Yandle at the blue line and taking off the length of the ice only to be stopped by a great Bachman glove save that kept the game 0-0. About a minute later, Bachman came up with another excellent glove save, this time off Potts.
The game entered the third period still 0-0, but not for long as Cushing, on the power play, scored when Malone, a 6’2” sophomore from Miramichi, NB – the land of Atlantic salmon – banged away at a rebound until it popped in just 54 seconds into the period.
Nineteen seconds later, Tabor tied it up at 1-1 on a nice all-around play. Cook got the play started by moving the puck smartly to Silva who dished it to defenseman Wadsworth, the trailer on the play. The goal, which was even-strength, came at the 1:19 mark and finished off the day’s scoring.
But the best part of the game was yet to come, as the game picked up speed and intensity over the last 5-7 minutes of the third period.With it came a number of good opportunities. Perhaps the best came when Tabor’s Chris Bower, stationed behind the net, got the puck out front to Keith Bombaugh for a great scoring opportunity with about four minutes left. Bombaugh, however, couldn’t put it by Bachman.
In overtime, Tabor had good pressure, particularly late, but neither team could find the back of the net.
As time ran out, Cushing’s Yandle took a gratuitous chop to the back of Potts’ legs, the only down point to what had been a good clean game. Yandle was assessed a major and, in the minor skirmish that followed, Tabor’s Andy Brennan retaliated with a cross check, picking up a minor.
Players on both sides today missed the game due to injury or sickness. Tabor forward Keif Orsini was out with a separated shoulder, so defenseman Ben Smith moved up to center. For Cushing Jayson Lee, Damen Nisula, and Scott Soborowski were out with injuries; and Ben Ewing and John Frey were sick.
For Cushing, it was their second 1-1 tie in a week. Last Wednesday, the Penguins and Governor Dummer battled to a 1-1 tie.
“We were a little off,” Cushing coach Steve Jacobs said afterward. “We battled hard, but it was sloppy – too many turnovers. We forechecked well, had the edge in territory, and Bachman played well for us. But Tabor’s a good team.”
“Both teams played hard and moved the puck well” Tabor coach Gerry Dineen said. “It was an exciting game.”
