GAME 11 - HCP VS OLL

 PUSTERTAL 2-3 OLIMPIJA (OT/SO)

DRAGONS EVENTUALLY EMERGE VICTORIOUS FROM THE WOLVES' DEN VIA SHOOTOUT

FREAK OWN GOAL KEEPS IT EQUAL IN REGULAR TIME

Lineup changes

None!

Stars of the game

* Rudolf Červeny - this isn't a straightforward first star: he was certainly the most impactful player in the game, but for both good and bad reasons! He scored the first goal and made notable contributions throughout the game, but the real highlight/lowlight was an own goal on a delayed penalty with an empty net for the extra skater. Read below for the analysis...

** Robert Sabolič and Marcel Mahkovec - both showed their excellent stickhandling in front of net, with two backhands. Sabla's went high and Marcel's went low. The former was the 2nd goal and the latter was the game winning penalty shootout goal.

*** Lukaš Horák - who else? Another highlight-reel triple save, with many other moments sprinkled in. His trademark splits-glove save is a sight to behold. GSAx probably 2+ again. Had no chance on the only goal he was in the net for, as Kapel left the man at the back post free. Looked superb in the penalty shootout, as you'd expect.

Game flow

P1

1303 - PEN HCP - slashing.

Sabolič to Bičevskis in front, good SOG.

Sabla has another SOG, but Bičevskis and Tomaževič can't pole it under the goalie.

1134 - with 31s left on the PP, Ege gets boarded/roughed and it's PEN HCP, 5 on 3.

Sabla has a shot blocked and other long range slapshots. 

802 Horak TRIPLE SAVE in close with his pads.

758 PEN OLL - broadcast does not show why Mašič is in the penalty box, as they were busy showing highlights - not the last time this would happen tonight. Highlights are nice, but the live game is more important... Sort yourselves out, Pustertalians!

647 Redoubtable poke check on a darting HCP forward from Horak. So smooth, what a beast!

HCP look weaker than last year - partly, of course, due to us signing Atwal and Ege from them!

551 Zajc loses it at the opposition blue line and Horak has to make a sharp pad save off the ensuing rush.

306 Ćosić joins the attack and shoots well from the inside right circle; saved.

53s - Punishing reverse hit on an HCP player by Červeny, again showing his higher level experience. Not only does he expect the hit, he prepares for it and hits the other guy first! The others could learn something from him.

0-0

P2

1857 GOAL HCP - well worked from the Wolves here - Kapel isn't there to tie up the man at the back post and it's a similar story to last game's free-man-at-the-back-post goal. Horak has nae chance, as they say in Scotland.

2nd line -1

1st pairing -1

1800 PEN OLL - Pavlin knocks the goalposts off their moorings and it's a delay of game.

Good work by Sodja to waste some time in the offensive zone. Simšič even gets a decent shot on goal shorthanded.

1550 - GOAL OLIMPIJA - Pavlin does what he has been doing really well so far this season: shooting towards one of his forwards with the intention of getting a deflection. Once more it works, with Červeny the beneficiary. These are very effective because the goalie has already committed to the initial shot and cannot react by the time it's deflected. According to the ICE league website, Pavlin is actually our highest +/- this season, with +7 now. He has sheltered minutes playing easier matchups on the 3rd pair, but he has been doing excellently offensively and we must celebrate that. Captain putting in the work (and his body on the line - he took a good few hits and blocks tonight, too)!

1st line +1

2nd pair +1

1448 snipe from Červeny goes off the goalie's shoulder; he didn't know much about that one and is lucky not to be picking it out of his net.

1159 Nice stick work by Červeny once more but his shot gets blocked.

1121 HCP can't link up at the back post on a 2-on-1; that would have been wide open!

1113 Up the other end, it's a DELAYED PENALTY for a hook on Pavlin. Horak goes off and an extra skater comes on, looking to take advantage before the penalty gets called...

BUT DISASTER STRIKES! Under pressure, Červeny launches the puck back to the blue line, but Pavlin is too far away...and it somehow coasts almost the entire length of the rink, all the way into our empty net. I was sure that this would be called back, as presumably the HCP player got something on it - but the review shows they didn't! They just disrupted Červeny's stick enough for it to miss Pavlin and hit the goal! What a shocker and a gut punch! See the 'final thoughts' for further analysis of this moment!

1st line +0

3rd pair -1

Červeny is a personal +0 now that he's scored a goal at both ends!

2-1

1049 PEN HCP - finally, we get the initial penalty for the hook on Pavlin... 

943 Červeny, looking highly motivated to make up for what just happened, rips one and it clangs into the post.

556 Good fake by Sabolič to pretend to go back for a  line change and then dart down the offensive side for a shot on goal.

307 GOAL OLIMPIJA - great work by Ege to jam the rush at our blue line springs Sabolič the other way, who re-enacts his delightful forehand-backhand-roof of the net move with the same result as before - the puck in the back of the net and the goalie sprawled on the floor! It's really nice to see some positivity for Ege, as he had been leaking goals while on the ice recently. The usual great hands in front of net by Sabla.

Line 1 = +1

Pair 2 = +2

1 Generating chances as we near the period end...

PEN HCP - no announcement and referees aren't broadcast...

Mašič fans on the puck at the blue line and turns it over for a chance the other way that Horak saves.

2-2

P3

1249 PEN OLL Ćosić continues his ill-disciplined recent run and draws an interference call. There's a difference between being physical and putting the team on the penalty kill every game. He needs to find that, and soon, because it's sloppy play and it could end up costing us games.

1204 Great shorthanded chance for Beričič leads to a pad save. Sodja did well to zoom up the ice and hold it up for Miha.

1102 Bodies on the line in front of goal - Gregorc, Ege, Bičevskis and Pance. Bičevskis in particular is laying out to stop it. It looks like the shot comes off Ege's helmet in the end?! Big penalty kill, well done fellas!

944 Acrobatic glove save  in trademark form by Horak.

5 Quite a messy sequence of back and forths between the teams.

333 Good effort by Červeny to fire the puck across the net front area.

308 PEN HCP - delay of game as the puck goes over the glass.

HCP have a shorthanded man through on goal, but it's offside.

We can't get clean shots off despite good possession and pressure. At the end of the PP, we turn it over and Horak has to make an important glove save. He is just so good.

2-2

OVERTIME

Starts Červeny, Simšič and Mašič, as last time.

426 Červeny shoots and the goalie instinctively drops it to swish it over to a teammate, but it's nearly swiped by Olimpija.

301 Ege has a screened shot saved.

244 Horak stops a dangerous push with another glorious poke check. We can't be so frivolous and lose the puck in our own zone.

201 Simšič to Ćosić across goal, saved.

157 Mašič has a good look, but it's saved in dramatic fashion - the Italian commentators shout 'OCTOPUS!', which is something I've never heard used for a goalie before.

134 The commentators strike again with a 'MAMMA MIA' as HCP can't score at the back post.

59s good breakup at the net front by Atwal.

Tomaževič and Simšič can't connect, so Horak has to deal with another rush and saves the slapshot.

15s left HCP have a decent shot, but that's it for overtime...

2-2

SHOOTOUT

OLL 1 - X - Červeny makes a flurry of moves and gets poked decisively.

HCP 1 - X -  HCP player beats Horak but hits the bar!

OLL 2 - X - Sabolič just rips it and it gets blocker saved. Why not try the backhand here? It hasn't failed so far!

HCP 2 - X - Horak waits well and stops it with his pad.

OLL 3 - X - Kapel looks very awkward and doesn't even get a shot off before the goalie swallows the puck. Have to admit I'm surprised to see Kapel take one so early, as he's looked off the boil so far this season. In fairness to him, he is coming off a long-term injury, so it's natural. We need to see more from him soon, though, otherwise he might be a candidate to be scratched once Kerbashian comes back. If they keep Červeny, he could play Kapel's position on the second line right wing.

HCP 3 - X - Deft ninja pad slide by Horak quashes this one.

SUDDEN DEATH!

HCP 4 - X - Horak is a wall - pad save - dneska ne!

OLL 4 - GAME WINNER - Marcel Mahkovec with a delicious fake to get the goalie moving East-to-West before sliding the puck 5-hole (between his legs).

ENDS 2-3 OT/SO

Final thoughts

We shouldn't have let this get to OT, we were clearly the better team tonight. However, a win's a win!

Regarding the own goal, what a shocker! Now, it's obviously a bit of a freak occurence, but we do need to learn from it. The situational awareness can be improved, for example. If we have an empty net and our least mobile player in the team, Pavlin, manning the blue line point position, perhaps we should not be firing the puck back there with quite so much velocity. If we lose the puck, we get the penalty - not a big deal. Instead, we concede in embarrassing fashion.

This cost us a point, as OT wins are only 2 compared to 3 for a regulation win. The game before also shouldn't have gone to OT. Now, we can't complain too much, as we are still winning - but you just know these lost points here and there can come back to bite you in the playoff race. Let's clean it up and get some wins in regulation in the upcoming hockey week! I'm off on holiday so I am pretty excited for it. See you there!