Tiger Trauma
04-22-2007, 03:13 AM
http://calsun.canoe.ca/Sports/Hockey/2007/04/22/4102304-sun.html
Frustrated Hitmen careless against Tigers
\Netminder Spence loses cool as do many of his teammates as Calgary loses in the Hat
By SCOTT FISHER, CALGARY SUN
MEDICINE HAT -- You could have made a full-length video yesterday called 'When Calgary goaltenders go wild.'
First, it was Flames backup Jamie McLennan snapping on Detroit's Johan Franzen.
Last night, it was Hitmen 'tender Dan Spence who lost it.
Spence felled Tigers super-pest Derek Dorsett seconds after David Schlemko had given Medicine Hat a 2-1 lead.
Chris Stevens scored on the ensuing powerplay and that was all she wrote for the Hitmen, who now trail the Eastern Conference Final 2-0 after last night's 4-1 loss.
Spence said he was frustrated with Dorsett, who has been doing his best Holmstrom impersonation the entire series.
"I felt I was being interfered with," a frustrated Spence said of the eventual game winner.
"I got a piece of it but it went in the net. And then I let my emotions get the best of me there.
"That was a mistake on my part."
Spence, who has a goals-against average of 2.64 with a .898 saver percentage in the playoffs, was far from the only Hitmen player who lost his composure last night.
The offensively talented Tigers had chances on nine powerplays, converting on two.
Dorsett also scored a first-period goal for the Tigers, who will visit the Saddledome for Game 3 tomorrow night (7 p.m., Shaw TV, The Fan 960).
Dan Mercer scored the lone goal of the evening for the visitors.
With the Hitmen trying desperately to get something going on a third-period powerplay, it was the Tigers who hammered home the final nail in the coffin.
The Tigers cleared the puck down the ice and Spence came way out of the net but misplayed the puck and gift-wrapped Stevens' second of the evening.
Flames draft pick Matt Keetley made 30 saves for his second win in as many nights.
Calgary GM/head coach Kelly Kisio clearly was unhappy with some of the calls that went against his club but refused to criticize the officiating.
"We were frustrated, obviously," Kisio said. "They were on the powerplay for most of the second period.
"If you're in the box against a team like this, it's going to cost you."
After Dorsett gave the Tigers an early the lead, the Hitmen pieced together several solid shifts and drew three straight penalties. They failed to score during a 40-second 5-on-3 but Mercer slid a puck behind Keetley on the powerplay.
The goal snapped Keetley's shutout streak against the Hitmen at 188:11.
With Calgary enjoying another man advantage, Ryan White came in hard on the forecheck and drilled Medicine Hat captain Kris Russell behind the Tigers net.
Russell went into the boards awkwardly and stayed down for several minutes while White was handed a questionable double minor for checking from behind.
During the stoppage in play, Tigers forward Brennan Bosch wrestled Dupont to the ice and Calgary's leading scorer left the ice favouring his right knee but returned in the second.
Schlemko gave the Bengals a 2-1 lead 52 seconds into the middle frame, floating a wrister through a screen into the top corner.
Spence chopped down Dorsett a second after the puck went in and Dorsett set up Stevens for an easy tap-in for the insurance marker.
Calgary Sun's point of view
Frustrated Hitmen careless against Tigers
\Netminder Spence loses cool as do many of his teammates as Calgary loses in the Hat
By SCOTT FISHER, CALGARY SUN
MEDICINE HAT -- You could have made a full-length video yesterday called 'When Calgary goaltenders go wild.'
First, it was Flames backup Jamie McLennan snapping on Detroit's Johan Franzen.
Last night, it was Hitmen 'tender Dan Spence who lost it.
Spence felled Tigers super-pest Derek Dorsett seconds after David Schlemko had given Medicine Hat a 2-1 lead.
Chris Stevens scored on the ensuing powerplay and that was all she wrote for the Hitmen, who now trail the Eastern Conference Final 2-0 after last night's 4-1 loss.
Spence said he was frustrated with Dorsett, who has been doing his best Holmstrom impersonation the entire series.
"I felt I was being interfered with," a frustrated Spence said of the eventual game winner.
"I got a piece of it but it went in the net. And then I let my emotions get the best of me there.
"That was a mistake on my part."
Spence, who has a goals-against average of 2.64 with a .898 saver percentage in the playoffs, was far from the only Hitmen player who lost his composure last night.
The offensively talented Tigers had chances on nine powerplays, converting on two.
Dorsett also scored a first-period goal for the Tigers, who will visit the Saddledome for Game 3 tomorrow night (7 p.m., Shaw TV, The Fan 960).
Dan Mercer scored the lone goal of the evening for the visitors.
With the Hitmen trying desperately to get something going on a third-period powerplay, it was the Tigers who hammered home the final nail in the coffin.
The Tigers cleared the puck down the ice and Spence came way out of the net but misplayed the puck and gift-wrapped Stevens' second of the evening.
Flames draft pick Matt Keetley made 30 saves for his second win in as many nights.
Calgary GM/head coach Kelly Kisio clearly was unhappy with some of the calls that went against his club but refused to criticize the officiating.
"We were frustrated, obviously," Kisio said. "They were on the powerplay for most of the second period.
"If you're in the box against a team like this, it's going to cost you."
After Dorsett gave the Tigers an early the lead, the Hitmen pieced together several solid shifts and drew three straight penalties. They failed to score during a 40-second 5-on-3 but Mercer slid a puck behind Keetley on the powerplay.
The goal snapped Keetley's shutout streak against the Hitmen at 188:11.
With Calgary enjoying another man advantage, Ryan White came in hard on the forecheck and drilled Medicine Hat captain Kris Russell behind the Tigers net.
Russell went into the boards awkwardly and stayed down for several minutes while White was handed a questionable double minor for checking from behind.
During the stoppage in play, Tigers forward Brennan Bosch wrestled Dupont to the ice and Calgary's leading scorer left the ice favouring his right knee but returned in the second.
Schlemko gave the Bengals a 2-1 lead 52 seconds into the middle frame, floating a wrister through a screen into the top corner.
Spence chopped down Dorsett a second after the puck went in and Dorsett set up Stevens for an easy tap-in for the insurance marker.
Calgary Sun's point of view