GAME 14 - OLL VS PIV

 

OLIMPIJA 4 - 2 PIONEERS VORARLBERG

LAVOIE RETURNS BUT ČERVENY EXITS; WE GO 1-0 WITH THE ONKOMAN BLUE JERSEYS

DESERVED WIN MARRED BY YET MORE DISAPPOINTING REFEREEING

Lineup changes

Mahkovec moves up to the first line. Simšič is finally back on the wing on the 2nd line. The kid line stays the same. Červeny is back as the first line centre and Bičevskis moves all the way down to the 4th line. Lavoie returns to the top line after extended time off. Kapel is not in the squad tonight, is he injured?

Stars of the game

* Lukaš Horák - another vintage display that covered most of our errors in team defence. 

** Alexandre Lavoie - it was so nice to have him back tonight. The first line had far better shape with him in the lineup and he provided an excellent screen for Ege's goal.  

*** The hockey gods - our star centre goes down early in the season. Our new winger is out for weeks, too. Now, our replacement centre goes down with a nasty looking injury. Do they not want us to do well this season? What have we done to deserve this? Why do they not want Simšič to play wing?!

Honourable mentions: defensive scoring! Mašič, Atwal and Ege all score tonight, with an ENG for Mahkovec. Mašič was given the MVP award. Atwal has the second ever Smash Burger G.

See the special note article published earlier today for a deep dive onto the decision not to stop play when Červeny went down injured, which led to a PIV goal.

Game flow

P1

B. Summer of PIV looks very young - turns out he's 17!

PIV bring 7 fans.

1444 Mašič wins it in the offensive zone, but promptly loses it. This leads to a 3 on 1 the other way, and we are lucky that PIV do not connect to take advantage of the wide open back post. Mašič is still a young defenseman, but he has not played anywhere near the standard he set when he joined us mid-season last year.

11 It's been a positive start from us so far, with good possession. We are dictating the game.

1022 Mehle hits the post. We are generating chances.

721 Lax net front presence and the rebound from Horak's initial save is nearly bundled in (3rd pair on the ice).

606 Mehle loses it and can't get it back in time, so it's a 2 on 1 chance for PIV that goes wide.

543 PEN OLL - high stick by Pavlin. I have to wonder if it's partly a Peter Crouch thing with Pavlin. Peter Crouch was an English footballer who was so much taller than everyone else he kept getting called for fouls. It wasn't his fault his elbows were at the height of other people's heads! Same perhaps with the towering Pavlin and his stick. He's a tall man, his stick is always high!

4 The PK keeps its box shape really well and denies the PIV PP opportunities.

309 Červeny rips one first time on the move and it's well saved, a pretty impressive effort.

3 PEN PIV Ćosić is plastered into the boards by 91 PIV - it's immediately called a 5 minute major penalty that is under review. They call it a 5 and 20 minute penalty, so the player gets waved off back to the changing rooms. Why not 5 and a game? It's called for boarding.

2 Horak makes a huge diving save on a shorthanded turnover that leads to a 2 on 0. We cannot be doing that at the start of a major penalty. PIV has another high danger chance to follow this - what is happening here?! Thankfully, we soon make up for it...

1:11 PPG OLIMPIJA - Ege uses Lavoie's excellent screen to shoot low blocker side. Pance gets the assist and we get to enjoy Ege's TV machine gun celebration. With it being a 5 minute major, the powerplay continues. The period ends amid a well-set up attack and good pressure.

1-0

P2

The final minutes of the PP are quite messy, unfortunately - the break didn't suit us.

1716 GOAL PIV PIV make a stretch pass that wasn't respected by the kid line. Gregorc has to deal with a 2 on 1, first taking the pass before trying to take the man - he gets neither, the pass goes through and Horak cannot do anything about the free back post. Gregorc obviously knows better than me, but to me I would like to see him fully commit to taking the man and leaving Horak able to take the pass option there. Be aggressive and counter strongly - that's what I would say if I was a coach. Getting stuck in no man's land doesn't help anything. Anyway, it was a tough situation and not really his fault - the kid line forwards were cut up there which left him out to dry. This is what happens when you put three young players together - you will get mistakes.

3rd Line -1

2nd Pair -1

16 PIV looking much sharper after the period break.

1229 Smash Attack!

1101 BURGER GOAL OLIMPIJA - Atwal's power move trickles in! He shoots and a double rebound off the goalie and a PIV defender's leg leads to a goal. I loved seeing him take the initiative and enter the zone himself. If the forwards aren't going to do it, do it yourself! It wasn't necessarily pretty, but it was effective! Well done, Arvin!

Line 2 +1

Pair 1 +1

2-1

1018 Disappointing moment as Zajc is through on goal but elects to pass it backwards and it is intercepted. For a man who is in need of a goal or two, why not shoot there?!

956 GOAL OLIMPIJA - Mahkovec keeps possession well and finds Mašič, who scores net front! Another messy one, but who cares - it's in! Mašič shoved it under the goalie's 5 hole. Mahkovec on the assist.

Line 1 +1

Pair 1 +2

9 Now we are trying stretch passes, good to see!

735 Sabla flattens a PIV defender in the neutral zone, you love to see it!

458 Pance and Ege execute some great rush defence to smother an opportunity for PIV.

345 PIV hit the post! Červeny lost it in the offensive zone and was too busy having a tantrum to get back and help out. 

328 Now it's Sabolič doing the Zajc and trying to find the extra pass when given a good look in front of goal. Shoot, man!

130 Weak defensive zone faceoff and Horak has to save it 1v1.

Some infuriating defensive displays this period.

21s PEN PIV - high stick, this time on Pavlin!

P3 

1809 A nice passing sequence from Pance to Ege to Lavoie, but it's just out of reach for Lavoie at the back post.

843 A messy moment for Horak out of his net. As Steve Dangle would say, 'you're a goaltender! Tend the goal!'.

830 Sabolič and Tomaževič have a 2 on 1 but Blaž misses Sabla's pass.

549 1st line are all around the net and engaging in a hack + whack.

519 PIV hits the post again. Horak saves twice after.

355 Červeny goes down in a defensive sequence and it is obvious that he has broken his wrist, hand or thumb while using his stick to deter an attacker. Whilst he is contorted in pain on the floor, PIV are free to complete a triple pass to the back post to score. Horak does very well to even get close to it. The crowd and Olimpija are furious about play being allowed to continue. SEE MY EARLIER ARTICLE TODAY FOR A DEEP DIVE ON THIS DECISION.

4th line -1 (Pance, Červeny and...)

3rd pair -2 (Gregorc and Ćosić)

3-2

2 PIV goes empty net.

107 ENG Mahkovec! Pavlin assist. We've had three gun celebrations on the TV tonight: Ege shooting, Mašič holstering and Mahkovec aiming!

Final thoughts

We played well tonight and deserved to win comfortably. I am not happy at all with the refereeing decision on PIV's second goal, as my earlier article today explains. The real issue here is that now our replacement centre for Kerbashian is also injured. It was great to get Lavoie back, but the hockey gods have not been kind to us with injuries so far this season. Bičevskis' Faustian bargain to always come back as the top line centre will resume, and Simšič will presumably return to centre yet again. I just want to see him in his natural position on the wing! Is that too much to ask?! 

It was very pleasant to see some defensive scoring come through (3/4 goals tonight), as we have been lacking that thus far. We do need to continue to tighten up our team defence, though, as we gave PIV too many 'unforced errors' to take advantage of. Let's hope for another 3 pts tonight vs Innsbruck.