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Malc
05-20-2009, 01:43 PM
By Doyle Potenteau

Cody Almond took one for the team on Tuesday night. Then another, and another and another.

In the end, blocking four consecutive shots was all for naught, as the Windsor Spitfires edged Almond and the Kelowna Rockets, posting a 2-1 victory in Memorial Cup action. The win kept Windsor‘s slim hopes of a national title alive, while for the Rockets, it was a mean-nothing loss.

Having earned a berth in Sunday‘s championship game of the four-team tournament on Monday, Kelowna (2-1) entered last night‘s contest with nothing to lose.

Had the Rockets won, Windsor (1-2) would have been eliminated.

Instead, the Spits won a boring game, and now they play again on Thursday night in a tiebreaking game, against the loser of tonight‘s final round-robin contest between Drummondville (1-1) and Rimouski (1-1).

In turn, tonight‘s winner advances to Friday‘s semifinal, which will meet the winner of Thursday‘s tiebreaker. With all this as background fodder, and Kelowna having the next five days off, the Rockets played a lacklustre game, one lacking the urgency they showed in earlier wins over Rimouski and Drummondville.

“We came out flat and it pretty much carried throughout the whole game,” said Almond, who, with Kelowna trailing 2-1 in the third period, blocked four straight shots during a Windsor five-on-three power play. “We didn‘t compete hard and we got outworked.

“We‘re going to have to bring a lot better effort for the final if we want to stand any chance, really. We need to come out harder and compete better; I think we just got outworked tonight.”

Rockets bench boss Ryan Huska agreed his team was flat and was outworked. The Spitfires also, strangely, outhit Kelowna.

“There was not nearly enough (energy),” said Huska. “I guess with the situation (we were in), we knew Windsor would come out urgent. They had no choice. I thought they played very hard and they did a good job of giving us nothing, and we didn‘t respond the way we needed to try and eliminate a team from the tournament.

“A lot of the credit has to go to the way Windsor played tonight, but I also think we weren‘t at our best. We were standing around a lot watching them play tonight. It just wasn‘t enough urgency for this type of situation.”

Kyle St. Denis, who opened the scoring with a power-play goal seven minutes into the second period, scored for Kelowna, which was outshot 34-17, including 14-4 in the third.

Taylor Hall and Ryan Ellis replied for Windsor, while centre Adam Henrique had two assists for the OHL champions.

Mark Guggenberger made 32 saves for the Rockets, while Andrew Engelage turned aside 16 shots for the Spitfires, who were also more aggressive, especially physically, than Kelowna.

“We played our defensive game very well,” said Spitfires defenceman Harry Young. “We tightened up in the neutral zone defensively and we didn‘t give them much room out there.

“In our first two games, we traded chances too much; we went offence against offence. That doesn‘t suit us well. We went back to our systems, and I think it paid off. Progressively, throughout the game, we got better. Our identity is defensive play and physical play. And, finally, we brought that out. That‘s why we saw success.”

As good as Windsor played, Kelowna‘s effort was certainly lacking, as several media members noted Tuesday night.

“It looked like we were satisfied we were in the final,” said Rockets defenceman Tyler Myers. “But whenever you have a chance to eliminate a team, you want to take advantage of it, and we didn‘t tonight.

“It‘s nice to have the next four days off to regroup and get back into it.”

Added Rockets captain Colin Long: “It was a very poor effort. At this time of the year, and the stage we‘re on, besides Guggenberger, it was a pretty embarrassing effort.”

Kelowna opened the scoring in the second, but it was nearly Jamie Benn who did so midway through the first. With Engelage out of position and Windsor‘s net empty, Benn, from the right post, shovelled a backhand into a crowded crease, hoping it would bank in off a body. The smart play didn‘t work, though, as the puck instead bounced towards the blue-line instead of the goal-line.

In the second, Myers ripped a one-timer from the high blue-line, and St. Denis managed to tip it home at 7:33. The power-play goal came 19 seconds after Henrique was fingered to the box for hooking. Hall then levelled the score with 3:39 left in the period, deflecting a Henrique shot that bounced up and over Guggenberger. Windsor‘s goal came after hard pressure by the Spits and the Rockets failing to clear the zone.

In the third, Ellis closed out the scoring with the game-winning goal at 4:13, slapping a shot from the point past a Colin Long block, then high-blocker side on Guggenberger.

Three minutes after that, the Rockets took three consecutive penalties in 99 seconds; Long and Benn for slashing, then Myers for cross-checking. The Spits, how-ever, couldn‘t score on their long five-on-three man advantage, thanks in part to Almond making four consecutive blocks on one shift.

“It was a five-on-three situation and I was just trying to get some momentum for the team, get a little energy for that,” said Almond, adding he wasn‘t hurt blocking those shots. “Down 2-1 at that point, if they get another one, it‘s pretty hard to come back. But I don‘t think the effort was there tonight.”

“That was unbelievable,” Myers said of Almond‘s effort. “He proved there he has a lot of heart and character.”

“It was bad on our part to take all those penalties, and he bailed us out in a big way, but we couldn‘t repay the favour,” added Long.

http://www.kelownadailycourier.ca/stories_local_sports.php?id=186862

Scoring Summary
First Period
No Scoring

Second period
1. Kelowna Kyle St. Denis (Myers, Almond) 7:33
2. Windsor Taylor Hall (Henrique, Nemisz) 16:21

Third Period
3. Windsor Ryan Ellis (Henrique, Hall) 4:13

Shots on goal
Kelowna 6-7-4 17
Windsor 8-12-14 34

Power plays
Windsor 0 for 4
Kelowna 1 for 6

Attendance 4,290

Malc
05-20-2009, 01:44 PM
By Regan Bartel

This Kelowna Rockets team has confused me all season long. When push comes to shove they find a way to win, yet when it's not a back against the wall situation this team just doesn't push themselves. It was evident Tuesday night in a 2-1 round robin loss to Windsor. The Rockets were given 4 power play chances in the second period alone, but managed just 7 shots on goal. From my vantage point it looked as though the Western Hockey League champions were content on closing out the round robin with a record of 2 and 1 and were just thrilled to be headed to Sunday's championship final.

While Windsor should have been the more desperate team, how does it feel to be skating away with just a one goal win against a team that clearly lacked urgency in their game? If I was Windsor I'd be concerned, not celebrating the fact that I have a chance to play in a tie breaker game on Thursday.

Cody Almond was one of few Rockets that appeared to want to win the game and head into Sunday's final with a record of 3-0. The best shift of the game came when Almond blocked four shots on a Windsor 5 on 3 power play. Almond took two shots off the glove, one off the head and another in the ribs as he got in the way of every shooting lane possible.

Where has Mikael Backlund gone? After making his mark in the WHL playoffs with some terrific efforts, Backlund has no goals to show in the first three games of the Memorial Cup. In a match up of the Calgary Flames first round picks, Windsor forward Greg Nemisz clear outplayed Backlund. Nemisz, a first round pick of the Flames from 2008, was a threat to score while Backlund, a first round pick of the Flames in 2007, didn't even have a shot on goal. A world class player like Backlund can't be a passenger in a tournament of this magnitude.

Who was the best Rocket? Mark Guggenberger gets my vote. Another tremendous effort by the 20 year-old goaltender who surely needs to get a serious look by some NHL team. Wouldn't you want to bring this guy in on a tryout? Guggenberger was the main reason why the Rockets lost the game by just a single goal. After allowing two 'softies' against Drummondville, Guggenberger could have easily earned the third star in Tuesday's game.

Tyson Barrie will have little time off following the Memorial Cup. Barrie told me before the game he is off to the NHL combine following the 10 day tournament. The combine is for North American players expected to be selected in the first two round of this summers NHL draft.

http://reganbartel.blogspot.com/2009/05/are-you-as-confused-as-i-am.html