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Majors Edge the Ice

May 23, 2011 - Ontario Hockey League (OHL)
Mississauga St. Michael's Majors News Release


Mississauga, ON - The MasterCard Memorial Cup continued at the Hershey Centre tonight as the Majors met the WHL Champions, the Kootenay Ice. The Majors recorded their first victory of the tournament, edging Kootenay by a score of 2-1.

Both teams were coming off tough losses in their opening games of the tournament and looking for a fast start. Kootenay broke the ice with the first goal of the game after Rob Flick took an interference penalty at 7:23. Kootenay's goal came when World Junior star Cody Eakin wired a wrist shot over JP Anderson's shoulder to give the Ice a 1-0 lead. It didn't take long for the Majors to even things up. At 9:18, Maxim Kitsyn banged in a loose puck in the Kootenay crease to tie the game. Rob Flick and Marc Cantin had the assists. Tensions boiled over after the Majors goal and a scrum ensued just in front of the Kootenay net. As a result, Flick and Jesse Ismond were sent to the penalty box for roughing. The two teams were pretty even for the rest of the period and neither team could break the tie. The two teams headed to the locker room with the score tied at one, with Kootenay holding the edge in shots on goal, 12-11.

The two teams battled in the second period and neither team broke through. Penalties were the story of the period as a total of seven minors were assessed. The constant powerplay opportunities resulted in some good chances for both teams but neither could capitalize on their opportunities. The game remained deadlocked at one after the second, with the Majors outshooting Kootenay 14-9 in the period.

The teams continued to play a close game in the third period. It appeared as though the next goal would win it and with both teams trying to avoid falling to 0-2, that goal was going to be crucial. The game winning goal came at 11:51, and it came off the stick of Flick. Flick made a great move to get around the defender before putting the puck past Ice goaltender Nathan Lieuwen, to give the Majors the 2-1 lead. The Majors held on for the crucial victory, their first of the tournament, despite being outshot in the third period, 13-8 by the Ice.

JP Anderson turned in a very strong performance, making 32 saves on 33 shots. Lieuwen made 32 saves on 34 shots in the loss. The games three stars were Lieuwen (3rd), Eakin (2nd) and Flick (1st).

The Majors now have two days off as Saint John meets Owen Sound tomorrow before Kootenay and Saint John do battle on Tuesday night. The Majors will look to improve to 2-1 on Wednesday when they face the Attack in a rematch of the Rogers OHL Championship Series.

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