PORTAGE VOYAGEURS VERSUS MacEWAN GRIFFINS
Friday, February 10th
Portage College Voyageurs (3) MacEwan Griffins (1)
The second last weekend of the 2011-12 ACAC hockey season had the 6th place Voyageurs playing a home and home series with the 7th place MacEwan Griffins. This series has a lot riding on it as both teams are fighting for the last playoff spot. Presently the Voyageurs have the last spot but are only two points ahead of the Griffins in the ACAC standings.
The game was the last meeting of the year between these two teams. Last season, the Griffins had missed the playoffs for the third straight year as they were second last overall in the league standings. Last year’s Voyageur’s record against the Griffins was 3 wins and 1 loss and so far this year the Voyageurs had won both meetings between these two teams.
The Voyageurs were without one of the team’s top forwards, Jory Geddes. Geddes was out indefinitely with a concussion. Geddes has 25 points this season on 10 goals and 15 assists. As well, right winger Codie Pedersen was a questionable starter as he was nursing a badly bruised knee. Since joining the team after Christmas Pedersen had scored 5 goals in seven games. Gabe Gardipy was also a scratch as he was back home at Portage College with the flu.
On Friday night, the Voyageur’s were being outworked by the Griffins giving up some quality scoring opportunities and the team found themselves down 1-0 early in the first period. If not for the strong goaltending of Kyle Birch it could have been worse. Then at 7:25 the Voyageur’s leading scorer Cory Giroux opened the scoring for the Voyageurs with his 16th goal of the season. Giroux took a wrist shot from the slot area that deflected off a Griffins defenseman’s stick that sailed high up into the top corner of the net. Assists went to wingers Matt Gray and Brandon Couto. In the first period the Voyageurs and Griffins were even in shots and the first period ended 1-1.
Then half way through the second period the Voyageurs Giroux struck once again scoring his second goal of the game on a break-away. Giroux walked in all alone on the Griffin goaltender making a nifty move to his backhand and sliding the puck underneath the sprawling netminder. The assists went to Dustin Popowich and Brandon Couto. The Voyageurs outshot the Griffins in the period 9-4. Four minor penalties were called in the period with both teams getting 2 powerplay opportunities.
The third period saw the Voyageurs take a two goal lead at the 13:50 mark of the period. Brandon Couto scored his first goal as a Voyageur, on a great individual effort, to increase the Voyageur’s lead to 3-1. Couto skated in one-on-one against a Griffin defenseman and completely undressed the rear guard before walking in all alone on the Griffin goaltender, deking the goaltender in close, depositing the puck into the net. Assists went to Cory Giroux and Matt Gray. The Griffins outshot the Voyageurs in this period 16-13.
The win now gave the Voyageurs a four point lead over the Griffins in the standings for the last playoff spot. The Voyageurs outshot the Griffins 44-37 overall in the game. It was a wide open contest with Voyageur’s goalie, Kyle Birch having to make some acrobatic saves to preserve the lead and the win. The Voyageur’s penalty killing units did an outstanding job especially when the team was at a two man disadvantage for a whole minute. Cody Mapes played very well in his penalty killing role and blocked some key Griffin shots. The “ACAC Player of the Game” award for the Voyageurs was Cory Giroux with his three point night on two goals and an assist. The line of Giroux, Gray and Couto were outstanding picking up eight points in the game as a line.
There was some bad news, during the game, as the injury bug continues to strike at the Voyageurs lineup. Left winger Lukas Vepy was lost to the team for the rest of the season with a separated shoulder. In the first period Vepy was taken out hard into the end boards by a Griffin defenseman. The crunching body check left Vepy on the ice holding his shoulder and in obvious pain.
Saturday, February 11th
MacEwan Griffins (6) Voyageurs (2)
Game two was a do or die game for the Griffins. A loss tonight to the Voyageurs would end their chances of making the playoffs for the fourth straight year. The Voyageurs had to win the game if they wanted to ensure their playoff spot for the fourth consecutive year since joining the ACAC league. The Voyageurs would be without Geddes, Pedersen, Gardipy and now Vepy in the lineup.
The Voyageurs came out strong with the line of Giroux, Gray and Couto dominating play early and getting some great scoring opportunities. However, the Griffin goaltender was equal to the task and turned aside every attempt by the Voyageurs to score early in this game. Key saves by the Griffins goaltender seemed to energize their team and they started to play with more confidence taking the play to the Voyageurs. For the second game in a row the Griffins would open the scoring when the Griffins scored at the 12:53 mark to take a 1-0 lead. However, a minute later winger Troy Watt, on a Voyageur powerplay, scored his second goal of the season on a hard wrist shot that eluded the Griffin goaltender to tie the game 1-1. That’s how the first period ended. The Voyageurs outshot the Griffins 13-10 in the first period. The Voyageurs went 1-2 on their powerplay while the Griffins went 0-2.
The injury bug reared its ugly head once again when late in the first period Matt Gray was injured when he fell awkwardly into the side boards. One of the more competitive players to ever play for the Voyageurs Gray laid on the ice unable to get up. Gray was done for the evening when he sustained undisclosed neck and back injuries.
The second period turned out to be the period that let the Griffins back into the playoff race. The Griffins scored four unanswered goals as the Voyageurs looked tired and beaten. The second period ended with the Griffins holding a comfortable 5-1 lead. Having too many key players out of the line-up had finally caught up to the Voyageurs. The Voyageurs went 0-5 on their powerplay while the Griffins went 2-8. The Voyageurs outshot the Griffins 13-11.
The third period started with a goaltending change for the Voyageurs. Jordan Washburn would start the third period as it was decided to give Kyle Birch the rest of the night off. The Griffins would also be enjoying a two man advantage to start the third period as the Voyageurs had taken a roughing penalty while killing the original penalty at the end of the second period. The plan was to start three forwards to kill this two man advantage for the Griffins and it seemed to work. At the twenty second mark of the third period Brandon Couto scored his second goal as a Voyageur, unassisted, while being two men down to bring the Voyageurs within three goals of the Griffins. There was still plenty of time to mount a comeback in the third period as well. However, five minutes later the Griffins scored again to make take a four goal lead once more and that’s how the game ended. The Voyageurs outshot the Griffins 18-9 in the period and 44-30 in the game. The Griffins went 2-8 on their powerplay while the Voyageurs went 1-10.
The win for the Griffins was their first road win of the year. The Voyageur’s record against the Griffins this year is 3 wins and one loss. The Voyageurs still hold a slim two point lead on the Griffins heading into the last weekend of the season. The Voyageurs will be meeting the Nait Ookpiks who the Voyageurs haven’t beaten this year while the Griffins will play the last place Briercrest Clippers who they have beaten twice this year.
