GAME 7 - OLL VS HCB

 OLL 2 - HCB 5

Tight game ends in a flattering score for the foxes

Lineup changes

Cerveny, the replacement centre, comes in surprisingly as the 2nd line centre. Tomaževič moves to the wing and Mahkovec moves down to the 3rd line. Zajc is 13th forward. You have to wonder if Zajc has a knock of some kind, as it's unusual not to have him playing. I thought Cerveny would come straight in on the first line to replace Kerbashian, but it seems Coach Karhula is more comfortable with Bičevskis there, as was the case last year. From what we saw in the game, I would have Cerveny on the top line, keep Tomaževič as 2C and put Bičevskis back as 3C, with Simšič on the wing. Don't mess with what worked!

Stars of the game

* Rudolf Cerveny - Looked like someone who's played in the KHL recently. Seemed to make something happen every time the puck touched his stick. Took a hit to make the play on the Tomaževič goal, which is something coaches always love to see. 

** Žiga Pance (1G) - Pure class, as ever. Scored a delightful goal to spark the team, as he has done before. Love the man!

*** Jaka Sodja (1A) - Doesn't get the credit he deserves. A crack penalty killer, he also seems to draw tons of penalties. Set up Pance very well and generally is very active on the ice. He makes more of an impact than many of the players further up the lines.

Game flow

P1 

HCB have an immediate shot on goal, not a portentous start.

18:37 Cerveny's first touch is a slick handle and pass. Pleased to see him looking sharp out there, as he should coming from the KHL.

16:54 NON-CALL PENALTY, GOAL BOLZANO A blatant trip in our defensive zone goes uncalled. It was so blatant that we sort of stopped playing, leading to a quick snap-chance for HCB that beats Horak 5-hole. 

0-1

15:55 Non-call on a slash on Pavlin, who's hand is in pain as he heads to the bench.

HCB have really smooth neutral zone transitions, with set one-tap plays that keep slicing us up and allowing them carry-ins rather than dump-ins. This is important because the former have a much higher percentage chance of ending in a goal than the latter. Can you guess which one we do more of?

13:30 Nice solo move by Sodja to get a backhand shot on goal.

13:04 Chances at the goal line for Bičevskis and others.

We're creating the kind of pressure in the offensive zone that we don't usually do - it looks like a powerplay, but it's not! Great to see!

11:38 PEN ON HCB - finally the refs give us something! Hook on Tomaževič.

PP1 is Cerveny, Tomaževič, Sabolič, Lavoie and Atwal.

We lose the faceoff, and then Atwal loses possession at the blue line...

HCB get a shorthanded shot on goal before we do on this powerplay....and it ends with 1 SOG to HCB and 0 for us. Cue the Chuckle Brothers 'oh dear, oh dear' meme again. I get that we're never going to be the Oilers PP but come on now. I will go back and check through the match reports, but we must be operating in the 5-10% range on the PP at the moment. For reference, it should be closer to 20-25%! If we can't convert PPs into PPGs, we will not go very far this season.

7:45 Atwal can't finish off a beautiful 4-player move by the top line and pair.

6:21 PEN OLL - Too many men?! Pavlin and Horak contest this one vociferously, but the refs don't change their mind. Too many men penalties are a bit subjective with how big of a crossover there is with changes, but still. We have not been favoured so far.

6:11 Pance has a shorthanded chance that the goalie just about keeps under his pad. Cool to see Sodja and Beričič directing each other on the PK. I really admire those guys.

Cerveny replaces Zajc on the PK3 with Simšič. Mahkovec can't quite finish off a good move coming out of the box. PENALTY KILLED OFF.

1:52 Simšič has our best chance yet, but the puck slides under the goalie and past the post.

1:11 GOAL OLIMPIJA - Pance makes a break for it, does a 1-2 with Sodja in support and pulls off a nifty deke move to roof it high glove side. Great work from the best 4th line in the league.

1-1

P2

18:10 Pavlin does some great bodyblocking at the net to set Ćosić free, creating a chance for Mahkovec and Simšič.

17:20 PEN HCB - trip on Beričič through on goal.

We keep possession well this time (1:57 in their zone continously), and the penalty killers are visibly tiring, but we didn't have a killer chance. Signs of improvement, at least!

10 Lots of HCB pressure. 

10:48 Gregorc manages to hit the roof with the puck, can't say I've seen that before! Somebody thinks it's a good time for a SMASH ATTACK!

9:59 We get a smash of a different kind, with a decent fight breaking out. This riles up the visiting Erasmus students. I'm sad Pavlin didn't get some better shots in, but the Bolzano player wisely avoids a straight confrontation with the man mountain and pulls Pavlin's jersey over his head. Maybe next time. 4 minutes each for them.

8:58 HCB hits the post.

6:41 I notice HCB have a defender with a famous name, Bourque, playing for them. He doesn't seem to be a relation to Ray or Mavrik, but he is a Montreal Canadiens former draft pick. Pretty cool!

5:09 HCB RD trails the play and is wide open at the back post, or 'black toast' as we used to say at my school when we played football. Miss those guys!

4:10 Gregorc shows some delectable footwork to nullify a rush chance. Šeško is quaking in his boots!

2:47 HCB hit the post again off the rush. Cerveny does a cool reverse hit, showing his pedigree. None of our guys seem to do that!

1 Gregorc sends Bradley, a pest-y and pesky Bolzano forward, into another dimension with a fake shot from the blue line. Bradley jumps, falls over and then appears to have injured himself slightly. A few hearty laughs from the crowd.

P3 

15:21 PEN ON HCB for ? Refs' mics weren't working all night so I don't know what this was for, there was no clear signal. 0 shots on goal for us, maybe one.

12:56 GOAL BOLZANO - this came out of nowhere and to be honest I missed the buildup. Having watched the highlights, Pavlin and Gregorc get experlty split up and the forwards are not back to help out. To be fair to Bolzano, it's a scintillating move involving all 3 forwards that cuts through us and leaves Horak with little chance.

1-2

11:35 GOAL BOLZANO - Oh-oh. Rapid wraparound chance rebound gets slammed in. Atwal gets dispossessed in the defensive zone and it's over before you know it for Bradley at the back post. Horak getting hung out to dry again. Does it not frustrate you to do this to such a good goalie? I hope it does for our defenders.

1-3

10:33 GOAL OLIMPIJA - Another Pavlin shot and Tomaževič deflection! Cerveny takes the hit to make the play here, getting wiped out but managing to pass it to Ćosić, who feeds Pavlin. 17 blasts one straight into Blaž's skates and it's game on. Ćosić and Pavlin gets assists, but Cerveny deserves one, too.

2-3

9:13 PEN ON HCB - HIGH STICK ON GREGORC.

Decent possession again but only one shot to show for it. We really needed a goal here but we go away empty-handed.

6:17 Sodja has a trailer shot into the goalie's chest.

4:24 GOAL BOLZANO. Another one that comes out of nowhere, against the flow of play, that I miss. Highlights show a rush down the left and a sharp shot that simply beats Horak over his glove side. Good shot, but as the NHL commentators always inanely say, Horak would 'want to have that one back'.

2-4

3:55 Empty net attempt, but Horak sent back by the refs.

3:49 empty net is a go. Cerveny, Tomaževič, Atwal, Sabolič, Gregorc and Lavoie out on the ice. We do not establish possession...

3:13 EMPTY NET GOAL BOLZANO. Game over.

1:10 Lavoie hits the post.

Pavlin and HCB goalie are the two match MVPs, presented as usual by the slightly-concerning 'Angel Hostess Agency'. 

Final thoughts

This was a strange game, in that we are usually the ones who weather the storm of opposition possession and then have a few moments of excellence that make the difference. This time, it was the other way around - we had more possession, but Bolzano had the quality to keep taking chances that came out of relatively little.

- HCB more clinical with their chances, better passing and better finishing

- Complete powerplay failure again

- Conceded goals out of nowhere

- 1st goal conceded was unfortunate, there should have been a call there. Play to the whistle, though, boys!

The first home loss of the season hurts, but let's remember how long we went without one this time last year. It felt like it was Christmas by the time we got one. On to Graz on Sunday afternoon. A big game against the league-leading Man City-esque splash spenders of the summer, and a return for Trevor Gooch.