THURSDAY - GRIZZ LEAD 2-1, THE AJHL & ATOM GIRLS HOCKEY

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT

Over 670 fans at the Sports Complex in Olds breathed a collective sigh of relief last night after the Olds Grizzlys snuck out a 6-5 win over the Okotoks Oilers in an offensive slugfest.

Thanks to a pair of Power Play goals scored by Corey Campbell along with a Mitch Maxwell short handed marker the Grizzlys were up 3-0 with less than 3 minutes to play in the first period. . .but, Corbin Knight would only need a minute to cut that lead to a single goal thanks to his 7th and league leading 8th of the post-season ensuring his Okotoks Oilers would head into the first intermission down by only a goal.

In the Second Justin Daigle would tie the game for the Oilers - only to once again face a deficit after Maxwell scored his 2nd of the game putting Olds up 4-3.

Then in the 3rd the goals would once again come fast and furious.

Maxwell would pick up his third point of the night, dropping a no-look pass to the point for Ben Wilson who'd blast home his first of the post-season putting Olds up 5-3. Then, just over two minutes later, the Oilers would once again draw to within a goal thanks to Nicholas Bell.

At 14:20 Nic Bourgeois would keep the play in the Oilers zone by a hair then dish to deBruyn who'd and put the puck on net - Corbin Karl was "Johnny on the Spot" for the Grizzlys deflecting it up and over the shoulder of the Steve Papciak, once again giving the Grizzlys a 2 goal lead. But, once again, the Oilers would respond, this time only 22 seconds later, when John McInnis would score putting Okotoks to within one.

The Grizzlys though, despite being sent to the Penalty Kill with 2:51 remaining and having to face 6 Okotoks attacker after they pulled their net-minder with 57 seconds left to play, would hang on - winning Game 2 by a score of 6-5 and taking a 2 games to 1 lead in their best of seven 2nd round series.

After the Game Mitch Maxwell, who posted his highest offensive output of the post-season with 2 goals and an assist, talked about the Oilers and their ability to make teams who take a shift off pay,

"That's when we'd get into trouble, we'd get up two and kind of relax," he said, "They're just way too high-powered, they've got guys like Knight and Reynolds that can fly with the puck and once we'd sit back, they'd came on top of us and they'd score quick."

"Against these guys if you take a shift off - they'll make you pay."

The Grizzlys will try to avoid doing just that tonight - when they welcome back the Oilers for Game 4.

Game time from the Sports Complex is 7:30 with live coverage starting at 7:25 on 96.5 CKfm.

SCORING SUMMARY

Olds Grizzlys at 10:12 (PP) - Corey Campbell from Brance Orban and Curtis deBruyn

Olds Grizzlys at 13:51 (PP) - Corey Campbell from Brance Orban and Jordan Kwas

Olds Grizzlys at 17:55 (SH) - Mitchell Maxwell from Jordan Kwas

Okotoks Oilers at 18:15 (PP) - Corban Knight from Justin Daigle and Quinn Sproule

Okotoks Oilers at 19:26 - Corban Knight from Kyle Reynolds and Chris Duszynski

PERIOD 2

Okotoks Oilers at 4:48 - Justin Daigle from Kyle Reynolds and Conrad Smith

Olds Grizzlys at 8:55 - Mitchell Maxwell from Shadoe Stoodley

PERIOD 3

Olds Grizzlys at 8:14 - Ben Wilson from Mitchell Maxwell

Okotoks Oilers at 10:50 - Nicholas Bell from Quinn Sproule

Olds Grizzlys at 14:20 - Corbin Karl from Curtis deBruyn

Okotoks Oilers at 14:42 - John McInnis from Jeremy Roberts and Jesse Hudkins

GAME NOTES
Olds' Jordan Kwas picked up two helpers - giving him 14 points in 8 games in the post-season, which at post time lead the league; Okotoks' Corbin Knight scored 2 goals - giving him 8 and passing Olds' Shadoe Stoodly for the league league; Sean Cahill started in net for Okotoks - but after allowing 3 goals on 13 shots (.769 SV%) he was replaced by Steve Papciak to start the 2nd period; Papciak made 19 Saves on 22 Shots, earning a .863 Save Percentage; Marc Boulanger made 18 saves on 23 shots, earning a .782 Save Percentage; Olds went 2 for 7 with the Man Advantage (28%); Okotoks went 1 for 7 (14%).

INTERESTING TO NOTE
In 8 Games Played - Olds is the highest scoring team in the Post-Season with 37 Goals (AVR 4.62 Per Game). Since 2005-2006, of the 21 "Best of Seven" Series played in the AJHL, teams that win Game 3 win the series 62% of the time. Or, also since 2005-2006 , of the 7 times teams have entered a Game 3 tied at a game a piece in a "Best of Seven" Series in the AJHL - teams that win Game 3 win the series 71% of the time.

IN THIS BLOGGER'S OPINION
Tonight will be a real test for the Olds Grizzlys - in 8 games this post-season, Olds has won two games in a row only once (Game 2 and 3 Vs Drumheller). The Grizzlys won aguably the hardest game to win in a seven game series and in doing so have thrown all the preasure back on the travelling Okotoks Oilers. I'm wondering if we haven't seen the best of the Oilers - I mean you have to give them credit, down 3-0 at one point, they kept the preasure on and came extremely close to sending that gave into Overtime - with that said, if that was their best, it wasn't good enough. Officiating lacks consitency in this series - how Ryan Cornforth gets called for "Hitting From Behind" and a Game Misconduct in Game 2 (those who saw the hit know what I'm talking about) when in Game 3 a clear cut "Hitting From Behind" was called "Boarding", I'll never know. I find it odd that the league announced with gusto that for certain games there would be not 1 but 2 officals on the ice for the post-season but Olds has yet to expirience said luxary (including in Game 5 Vs Drumheller, when on a Friday night, there wasn't a single other AJHL game underway.)
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THE ROAD TO THE CUP

AJHL
Playoffs
Division Semifinals
(Best-of-7)





SOUTH
Camrose 5 Brooks 3
(Brooks leads series 2-1)
*The Brooks Bandits continue to struggle when playing on the road - something they'd best find a cure for before tonight's game 4 at the Edgeworth Center in Camrose.


NORTH
Sherwood Park 4 Grande Prairie 2
(Series tied 2-2)
*Former Grizzlys Goalie Chad Carter allowed 4 goals on 24 shots - the most he's allowed in the Playoffs.

Spruce Grove 7 Fort McMurray 6
(Spruce Grove leads series 3-1)
*You have think Fort Mac is all but done - playing on home ice and chance to tie the series, Spruce Grove sneaks past them thanks to a game winning goal with just 15 second left in the game - that's hard for a team to come back from.
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FIRST EVER 'ATOM' PROVINCIAL CHAMPIONSHIP TO BE PLAYED IN OLDS

Starting tonight 10 teams from all over Alberta will be in Olds and Disbury with one thing on their minds - Gold!

For the first time ever Hockey Alberta is awarding an atom girls provincial championship and teams from Olds, Fort Saskatchewan, Grand Prairie, Red Deer, Okotoks, Spruce Grove, Onoway, and a couple from Calgary will all be vying for the top prize.

The Olds Pee Wee Thunder won the Gold last year and will be looking to keep the prize in town.

Listen to live play by play of the Gold Medal Game, which will go Sunday at 1:30 from the Olds Sports Complex, on 96.5 CKfm.