Tigers Defeat Ice 5 -1 || Series Tied 2-2

The game tonight was even better that last nights game. Forgive me if I miss a play or two, with all the cheering and exciting play going on things can slip your mind pretty easily without writing them down.

The Tigers started the game absolutely on fire. Kootenay got out of their own zone only a couple times in the first ten minutes. The Tigers were getting chance after chance only to be stopped stoned cold by Todd Mathews who was stealing the show early. Including a breakaway stop On Zdenik Okal

Well with all the pressure the Tigers were cooking up eventually something gave way. It was Emerson Etem who would get an already riled up crowd standing on its feet. Emerson would pick the lower right hand corner to put the Tigers up 1-0.

The Tigers would continue to put pressure on the Ice however Cole Grbavac would get called for a cross-checking penalty. A lighter tap along the boards, he would knock his man over, however his stick was up horizontal and the refs like to call anything that involves getting the stick up.

The Tigers would get a very rare break. Brayden Mcnabb sorta dismissed a forechecking Taylor Gal, who gave a real nice pokecheck at the blueline. Gal had a clear cut breakaway only to be hauled down in short order, and the Referee awarded a penalty shot.

Gal swooped wide right, came in made a slight deke and went backhand to put the Tigers up 2-0 The Tigers I thought really controlled the play. Todd Mathews gave his team a chance to get back in the game, however when called upon Tyler Bunz was equal to the task making a couple very good saves.

Kootenay would get on the board after a slight mistake by young Tigers defensman Scott mcKay. McKay tried to make a pass to a Tiger player along the boards in Kootenay's end. It was picked off by christian Magnus, and he made a perfect pass to a streaking Dominik Pacovsky. Pacovsky would swoop in from the side with speed on Tyler Bunz. Bunz had no choice but to sprawl across the crease and Pacovsky went five-hole.
2-1 Tigers

Kootenay would then take a penalty after Joey Leach threw a shoulder into Emerson Etem as he was on his knees stickhandling. On the Powerplay the puck would come back to the point and Zdenik Okal let rip a one-timer, the rebound would bounce out and Thomas Kundratek buried it into a partial open net.
3-1 Tigers.

The Tigers would get a gift moments later. Isherwood would lay a howitzer of a shot
just inside the blueline. Mathews Would kick out a big juicy rebound, and Kootenay's Paul Martin would accidentally put the puck into his own net.
4-1 Tigers.

At this point Todd Mathews would get pulled temporarily, but would go back into the game a shift later.

The Ice really seemed to Key on laying a beating on Thomas Kundratek. The puck went behind the net Tyler Bunz went to play it and Drew Czerwonka would hit Kundratek from behind knocking him violently into he boards. Kundratek took a moment to collect himself then gave the ol' you'll have to try better than that. A few minutes later Pacovsky would lay an elbow into the side of Kundratek Head, this time the Tigers made them pay.

Taylor Gal came out from behind the Net with the puck and fed a streaking Wacey Hamilton who one-timed a short pass into the open net.
5-1 Tigers
The Ice would pull Mathews, and Put in Nathan Lieuwen for good this time.

The last 10 minutes of the third period had a slightly less tempo to it, however the Tigers were still playing pretty solidly. Near the end of the game a couple fights would brake out.

Fight
Cole Grbavac would drop the gloves with Drew Czerwonka after Grbavac gave him a couple love taps. This fight was all Grbavac as he threw about 20 punches to Czerwonka's 1 or 2. Near the end of the fight Grbavac would counter a punch thrown by Czeronka and caught him real good just under the glass of the helmet. It just about buckled his knees and you could tell it did some damage as Czerwonka body language said he wanted to stop.

A couple minutes later an unlikely fight would happen. Near the Tigers net Zdenik Okal and Jesse Ismond would get into a shoving match and both dropped the gloves. It was a quick fight with Ismond pushing Okal into the back of the Tigers net to trip both players up.


Thoughts
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I thought the Tigers really took it to the Ice. Kootenay's goaltender gave them a chance to get into the game, but couldn't hold the fort forever. Thomas Kundratek played a whale of the game for the Tigers. I thought no-one had on off night. Tiger rookie Scott Mckay made a slight mistake and the Ice jumped on it however I thought he played fairly well and gave some of the Tigers vets a slight breather with his ice time in the third period.

I didn't watch any of the first two games of the series, but I'm guessing that the games in each teams building were completely different. The Tigers looked very good at home, and showed more of a will to win. Hopefully the Tigers can keep that Up in Kootenay as they will have to win a game their to win the series.

The Series now shifts to Kootenay on Friday Night for Game 5, then Game 6 will be back at the Arena on Sunday.