Saints Force Game Seven:

This is posted on the Vipers website:

Saints force game seven

by Don Klepp | Added 2010-04-24

Another sterling performance by Vincenzo Marozzi helped the Spruce Grove Saints defeat the Vipers 3-2 and force a seventh game in the Doyle Cup.

Marozzi stopped 36 of 38 shots in a repeat of Thursday’s first-star performance. He was brilliant during the third period when the Vipers out shot Spruce Grove 15-5. His sprawling save on Connor Jones’s backhand preserved a 2-1 lead early in the period. During a Viper onslaught late in the period he robbed Steve Weinstein, among others.

Here’s how the game developed.

The first period featured tight checking, although the Vipers did manage 9 scoring chances and 12 shots on Marozzi. The Saints got the only goal of the period when Malcolm Tomlinson’s innocent
point shot hit someone in front, bounced up, and then rolled in past Graeme Gordon at 16:06.

The second period provided more of the same, with the Vipers generating most of the scoring chances and most of the shots. Very few of those shots, however, came from second-chance plays because the Saints collapsed very well to their goal, to tie up sticks and block the Vipers from loose pucks in the goal mouth.

A short burst of high drama provided the second period scoring. With the Vipers’ Cory Kane serving a penalty, the Jones twins wreaked havoc in the Saint end. Their work created an opening for Adam Thompson to unleash a slap shot that beat Marozzi at 18:18.

The home crowd of 2564 was still buzzing about the tying goal when Wes McLeod’s floater from the Viper blue line apparently deflected off Nate Fleming, past a screened Graeme Gordon at 18:35.

The Saints have not lost all year when taking a lead into the third period and they received a big boost when Joshua Lazowski struck with a short handed goal at 9:53. A long rebound off Marozzi came out to Lazowski near his blue line. He beat the Viper point man to the puck and raced unimpeded down the ice. Veering to the left, he fired a high shot that picked the top corner over Gordon’s glove.

Lazowski’s goal came against the run of play. The Vipers started the period with more desperation and energy than they had showed in the previous period, and they maintained that energy for most of the final frame.

Jonathan Milhouse made things interesting with a high speed goal at 12:57. The early part of the scoring play was created by Mike Collins who wheeled out of his own zone and dished to Milhouse at the Saint line. From the right wing, Milhouse’s low shot beat Marozzi to the far side.

Aside from Marozzi’s work and some Spruce Grove puck luck, the real story of this game revolved around special teams. The Saints went 1 for 2 with the man advantage and added a short handed goal. Meanwhile, the Vipers were blanked on 5 power plays.

The winner of Sunday’s game (7 pm at the Wesbild Centre) will advance to the RBC Cup national tournament. If the Vipers are to defend their national title, they need to find ways to solve Vincenzo Marozzi and the Saints’ ability to control play around the Saints’ goal crease.