Wednesday December 7( Semi finals)

Altius win shootout thriller to kick off series with Armadillos

(3)Armadillos vs Altius(4) S.O Game 1

On the road to a shootout, the Armadillos and the Altius put on an entertaining show in what was expected to be a very close game. The teams traded both their goals in the second period with the Altius grabbing the leads on two occasions on tallies by P.Arkalis and J.Provost-Blais. It didn’t take long for the Armadillos to respond and level thanks to a very late second period goal by J.Chiropoulos to set the stage for a crucial third period. Anytime to you enter a final stretch all tied up with so much on the line, teams tend to play extremely cautious wanting nothing less than to make a mistake. That was the case between the two sides as they patiently waited for their chance to come. From-there, it was a battle of who wanted it more, as the two clubs would hold each other scoreless for the remainder of the game. Unable to get it done in regulation time however, the two sides eventually ended up in a shootout to decide matters. P.Bonneau and J.Provost-Blais showed of their skill set as both players executed in the breakaways for the Altius. Getting two out of three attempts usually cuts it which was the case for the Altius, who in the end edged out an important game one victory over the Armadillos.

Punishers using depth in game one win over Assadi Consulting inc

(6)Punishers vs Assadi Consulting inc(1) Game 1

While the focus often remains on C.Gingras and P.Karvouriaris as main concerns, the Punishers are more than just the two dynamic players. Tonight’s win exemplifies how deep they are, and that everyone is a threat. Yes, P.Karvouriaris did open the scoring, and yes C.Gingras had his hand in setting up the games first two goals, but the rest of the match was dictated by many other factors. Depth scoring came into play, a solid defensive structure was impenetrable, and finally the goaltending was stellar with C.Ekonomakis playing a near perfect game. The only time the Assadi Consulting inc got on the score sheet was by the third period with the game already put to rest. It may be only one game, but the Assadi Consulting inc are in deep trouble if they don’t adjust and figure things out. Defeating the Punishers will require a much better effort along with some luck perhaps. P.Assadi has a week to think about this loss and send a clear message that this series isn’t over despite how difficult it will be. If they can manage to win game two, the momentum heading into game three may play into their favour. Maybe a week off will help the Assadi Consulting inc put this loss behind them and focus on only what’s ahead.

The SalumiVino player of the night goes to Joel Provost-Blais. In the little amount of goals that went in between the Altius and the Armadillos, J.Provost Blais made them all happen for his side collecting a goal, an assist along with the shootout winner.