Series even at 2-2 between Habs and T-Birds

Frog Lake wins game four nail biter 2-1

The St. Paul Canadiens and Frog Lake T-Birds met Wednesday night in Frog Lake for game four of the second round best of seven series. St. Paul held the series edge 2-1 coming into the game. The lowest scoring game of the series did not disappoint with chances going both ways all game. Frog Lake would win 2-1 to even the series at two games apiece.

The first period started differently than it had in game three for the Canadiens. Dyson Roy scored on a setup from Brodin Ference to give the Habs a 1-0 lead halfway through the period. Darian Gamble and Michael Cardinal would take stick infractions at 12:50 and 13:18 respectively. The penalties gave St. Paul a 5 on 3 man advantage for two minutes. The Habs would be unable to cash in, however. In the dying minutes of the first, Joshua Swampy would set up close to the net,  get fed a beautiful pass, and bury the tying goal on the powerplay. It was 1-1 headed in the dressing rooms.

“He’s a big strong kid, but a lot of people don’t give him (credit) for what he has for hands.” Coach Joe Young spoke about Dyson Roy’s opening goal.

The second period was quiet in the goal column. Penalties would ramp up the intensity of the game, but both sides did well to avoid taking anything extra. Ryley Wozniak would be tossed from the game for a hit from behind with 1:45 to play in the second.

“It’s a rough series. They’re a physical team and we are too. Just got to keep fighting through it.” Adam Neibrandt said after the second period.

The third period came down to a next goal wins mentality. The T-birds had a glorious chance to open a lead 1:21 in, as Brandon Cunningham got hauled down on a break, and was awarded a penalty shot. The attempt was unsuccessful, so the score remained 1-1. The T-Birds powerplay would be the catalyst they were looking for. 20 seconds after the penalty shot, Dyson Roy took a hooking call. Joshua Swampy would fire a hard shot on net that squeaked through David Rupp for a tap in by Michael Cardinal. That goal would make it 2-1. Both teams would get a couple more chances to find the back of the net, but the goalies stood tall the rest of the way. At the final buzzer, shots were 43-36 St. Paul.

“The difference was special teams. They had two powrerplay goals, and we had chances on the powerplay and couldn’t convert.” Coach Young said on the Cornerstone Co-op Post Game Report.

Game five goes Friday, March 10^th in St. Paul at 8 p.m. Lakeland Connect will be there to bring you live updates throughout the game thanks to our sponsors Cronerstone Co-op and Lake City Coach.