Missoula Leaves Valencia Looking to Take on Boulder

After an unsuccessful trip to California, despite the very successful Outdoor Classic by which the Ducks swept the Kings 3-0, the Maulers have turned their sights to their on-coming series against the Boulder Bison. Fun fact you should know is that Christian Manning, previous Mauler from earlier this season, was traded down to Boulder in exchange for a roster spot for a higher scorer. This should be his first return since then and should be an interesting turn out. Niko Pukkila was also traded down to the Cheyenne Stampede in return for the same thing. I think that since this will be their first series against the Bison and vice versa, the Maulers will need to know some things about Boulder before they hit the ice with them. The Bison are a tough team seeing that have to fight hard to hold their own in the Mountain Division. They are currently sitting in 4th place with 32 points while Missoula is in 4th place as well with 27 points. Hopefully the Missoula boys can get back on their feet after traveling around quite often and pick up some home-ice wins. These boys are fighters and right now we need them to fight back harder than they have in the past. It is almost crunch time for the playoffs and if they want to find themselves in a post-season spot, they better start taking these games seriously and start devising a plan that will work for all of them whether that be switching up lines, training the tendys harder, or extra ice time. The playoffs are slowly approaching and it is time to get ready for some of the hardest games they have faced because everyone is going into crunch mode.

The Flyers started the scoring game off at 13:57 in the first with a goal from #15 Wil Barnett and assists for #21 Wade Wylie and #16 Blake Aguilar.

Valencia went up 2-0 when #5 Niklas Giers scored on Janzen on a power play at 6:49 with an apple for #14 Austin Ehrlich and Blake Aguilar. It was 3-0 when frequent scorer Jakob Kranabetter shot one into the back of the net at 12:50. There were assists for Austin Erhlich and Zach Paxman. Max Rebholz put the Maulers on the board at 19:29 in the second period on a power play with help from Erich Jaeger.

Zach Paxman was able to push it 4-1 with a goal at 1:14. Assists were given to #28 Chase Thesman and #7 Sam Taferner. Joey Sundgren cut the lead in half when he found the back of the net on a power play at 3:58. An apple was given to Austin Azzinnaro. Niklas Giers scored on a power play once again to make it 5-2 and give points not only to himself but for Austin Ehrlich as well. Blake Aguilar made it 6-2 with his own goal at 12:39. An assist was given to #13 Adam Papayoanou. The last goal of the game was scored by Auzzie at 18:47 with an assist for Craig Buford.

Make sure not to miss out on the Boulder Bison series on Feburary 7th, 8th, and 9th all at 7:30 pm MST at the Glacier Ice Rink!

The boys during warm ups

Statistics:

PENALTIES:

Period 1:

Missoula Maulers - Joey Porco (Checking from Behind) 2 Minutes, 1:10

Missoula Maulers - Joey Porco (Checking from Behind)(Misconduct) 10 Minutes, 1:10

Valencia Flyers - Zach Paxman (Kneeing) 2 Minutes, 1:47

Missoula Maulers - Tanner Todd (Head Contact) 2 Minutes, 2:24

Valencia Flyers - Jakob Kranabetter (High Sticking) 2 Minutes, 18:50

Missoula Maulers - Erich Jaeger (Charging) 2 Minutes, 19:50

Period 2:

Valencia Flyers - Zach Paxman (Interference) 2 Minutes, 1:20

Missoula Maulers - Jordan Wheatly (Interference) 2 Minutes, 4:52

Missoula Maulers - Henrik Ekestahl (Tripping) 2 Minutes, 6:23

Missoula Maulers - Tanner Todd (Fighting) (Major) 5 Minutes, 7:54

Valencia Flyers - Travis Wilson (Fighting) (Major) 5 Minutes, 7:54

Missoula Maulers - Corey Schafer (Delay of Game) 2 Minutes, 13:40

Valencia Flyers - Dillon Thomas (Delay of Game) 2 Minutes, 13:40

Valencia Flyers - Dillon Thomas (Interference) 2 Minutes, 17:31

Period 3:

Missoula Maulers - Corey Schafer (Fighting) (Major) 5 Minutes, 3:50

Valencia Flyers - Dillon Thomas (Fighting) (Instigator) 2 Minutes, 3:50

Valencia Flyers - Dillon Thomas (Fighting (Major) 5 Minutes, 3:50

Valencia Flyers - Dillon Thomas (Fighting) (Game Ejection) 10 Minutes, 3:58

Missoula Maulers - Henrik Ekestahl (Interference) 2 Minutes, 6:33

Valencia Flyers - Zach Paxman (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 7:31

Missoula Maulers - Cody Janzen (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 7:31

Valencia Flyers - Wil Barnett (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 8:36

Missoula Maulers - Erich Jaeger (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 2 Minutes, 9:42

Missoula Maulers - Corey Schafer (Fighting) (Major) 5 Minutes, 14:07

Missoula Maulers - Corey Schafer (Fighting) (Game Ejection) 10 Minutes, 14:07

Valencia Flyers - Chase Thesman (Fighting) (Major) 5 Minutes, 14:07

SHOTS ON GOAL:

Missoula Maulers - 26 total

Valencia Flyers - 40 total

POWER PLAYS:

Missoula Maulers - 2 for 5

Valencia Flyers - 2 for 8

GOALTENDERS:

#31 Cody Janzen for Missoula Maulers: 60 Minutes played, 40 shots on goal 34 saved

#30 Luke Thompson for Valencia Flyers: 60 Minutes played, 26 shots on goal 23 saved

Maulers Test Valencia in Game 2

Day 2 of the Maulers' trip has rolled around and the boys are pushing the roster of Valencia to their limits. Even though they did not pick up the win, your Missoula players are back on top of things trying to beat them at their own game. By using brute force, the team is trying to work the Flyers to pure exhaustion instead of repeatedly attacking their opponents and working themselves to the point where they are too tired to play, which in all reality is a good strategy. Hopefully the Maulers can pick up the final two points before heading home to prepare for an enormous 3 game series against the Boulder Bison on February 7th, 8th, and 9th with the third game being free admission to all the lucky fans in the Missoula area that night! I feel that boys are quickly growing up compared to the fresh faced rookies we saw in August/September! I think it fantastic to see them competing harder and harder every game but at the same time quickly bonding as a family. In the beginning it was 23 young men stepping out on the ice for the first time together and now it is 23 brothers.

Jakob Kranabetter from Valencia started things off at 3:12 when his goal when past the pads of Mcdaniel. #12 Jason Hart picked up the assist. Jordan Wheatly scored the only Maulers goal of the game at 16:59 with help from fellow team mates Tanner Todd and Tyler Zandhuisen. This geno ended the scoring for the first 20 minutes.

In the second period, previous scorer Luc Whyte struck up another point with his goal at 14:13. This lone goal was assisted by Jared Waldman and #28 Chase Thesman.

Jared Waldman picked up a point for himself at 6:24, thereby ending the scoring game and having the final score come out 3-1. Luc Whyte was credited the final assist.

The boys outside of the Outdoor Classic

Team tickets

Statistics:

PENALTIES:

Period 1: 

Missoula Maulers - Jordan Wheatly (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 5:20

Valencia Flyers - Wil Barnett (Cross Checking) 2 Minutes, 5:20

Missoula Maulers - Tanner Todd (Illegal Stick) 2 Minutes, 14:36

Period 2:

Missoula Maulers - Corey Schafer (Delay of Game) 2 Minutes, 3:09

Valencia Flyers - Travis Wilson (Delay of Game) 2 Minutes, 3:09

Missoula Maulers - Matt Chamberlain (Delay of Game) 2 Minutes, 3:48

Valencia Flyers - Austin Ehrlich (Delay of Game) 2 Minutes, 3:48

Missoula Maulers - Joey Sundgren (Holding) 2 Minutes, 5:22

Missoula Maulers - Erich Jaeger (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 7:09

Valencia Flyers - Jakob Kranabetter (Interference) 2 Minutes, 7:09

Valencia Flyers - Jakob Kranabetter (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 7:09

Missoula Maulers - Erik Hartzell (Boarding) 2 Minutes, 15:22

Valencia Flyers - Zach Paxman (Tripping) 2 Minutes, 19:19

Period 3:

Missoula Maulers - Austin Azzinnaro (Delay of Game) 2 Minutes, 13:24

Valencia Flyers - Wil Barnett (Delay of Game) 2 Minutes, 13:24

Missoula Maulers - Corey Schafer (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) (Misconduct) 10 Minutes, 13:47

Valencia Flyers - Blake Aguilar (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) (Misconduct) 10 Minutes, 13:47

Missoula Maulers - Tyler Zandhuisen (Head Contact) 2 Minutes, 17:13

Valencia Flyers - Jason Hart (Charging) 2 Minutes, 17:46

SHOTS ON GOAL:

Missoula Maulers - 23 total

Valencia Flyers - 38 total

POWER PLAYS:

Missoula Maulers - 0 for 3

Valencia Flyers - 0 for 4

GOALTENDERS:

#30 Michael Mcdaniel for Missoula Maulers: 60 Minutes played, 38 shots on goal 35 saves

#1 Mark Becica for Valencia Flyers: 60 Minutes played, 23 shots on goal 22 saves

Hello Maulers fans, I wanted to clear some things up before anything else was confused. 1. The way I write is never meant in a harsh way to the Missoula Maulers organization or to the boys themselves. I just want to see them be successful on the ice like I know they can be and show everyone else that they shouldn't be put down for their stats. Yes I know it might sound a little over zealous at times and I apologize but don't get me wrong I love these boys. I have known a lot of them for almost 3 years now and I cherish those connections. They are great players and can accomplish anything they set their minds to. 2. I apologize for the 10 streak mistake on yesterday's blog, that has been fixed as well.  So in conclusion, please don't get the wrong idea about this blog, I love writing for the Maulers, working with the boys, and being able to report to every one in the Maulers nation. I will try to write less critically from here on out, and believe it or not I have been a Maulers fan for quite some time and still am! I am sorry if any of you received the wrong impression, I would never want that to happen. Don't give up hope on these talented young men because when they set their minds and hearts to it, they tackle mountains. Remember, 

Go Maulers!!!!

Game 1 Ends with Valencia Flying in for a 3-2 California Win

Well what can I say. The Flyers of southern California have handed the Maulers their 2nd loss since about mid-January. You know I would usually say something positive here about what the team did, and I will in just a second, but first I want to point out something. I have been a Maulers fan for quite awhile and to be honest, my favorite season was the 2011-2012 season because the guys had so much spark and they wanted to win and they wanted to prove all of the doubters wrong. They were a power team beating everyone else out of the AWHL as the Regular Season Champions but now it seems like they are tired all the time and the spark is gone. I so desperately wish it would come back, it made games fun and the guys were always willing to fight harder each match they were faced with. Nowadays they seem to just accept that they are going to lose going into games and that is exactly what happens. Something needs to change within the organization itself, whether it be a coaching/managerial problem or an organization problem in general, because if they want their fans back and they want the players to get hyped up to put that jersey on, nothing is going to change about their current situation unless they do it first. I thought the boys played well overall coming within one of tying the game for a third time. Bring the joy of hockey back and everything will fall into place. Until they do that, the loss column will be a pretty good instigator.

There was no scoring in the first period.

Valencia drew first blood with a geno from the stick of #9 Zach Paxman and an assist for #22 Jakob Kranabetter at 2:37. Austin Auzzinnaro tied things up for your Missoula boys at 7:01 when his shot went past Luke Thompson. Corey Schafer and Joey Sundgren were given apples for this power play goal. #14 Austin Ehrlich gave the Flyers their first lead of the game at 15:51 with the last goal scored in the period. Kranabetter and Paxman picked up 1 more point each.

At 4:04 in the third, Auzzie tied everything up at 2 with a beauty goal assisted by Nikita Sheptytskyy and Joey Sundgren. This would be the last Maulers geno of the game. #26 for Valencia Luc Whyte scored the game winning goal at 17:40 with the help of #18 Jared Waldman and #7 Sam Taferner. His goal would end the scoring for the 60 minutes.

The next two games of this series will be on the 25th at 12:15 pm PST and on the 26th at 1:15 pm PST. Don't miss out!

The boys loading the plane bound for California in Spokane, Washington (home to almost 1/2 of the players)

Pre-game warm ups with Janzen finally back in the cage!

Statistics:

PENALTIES:

Period 1:

Missoula Maulers - Joey Porco (Interference) 2 Minutes, 13:00

Period 2:

Valencia Flyers - Chase Thesman (Cross Checking) 2 Minutes, 6:52

Valencia Flyers - Niklas Giers (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 13:19

Missoula Maulers - Edward Pollon (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 13:19

Period 3:

Missoula Maulers - Joey Porco (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 8:14

Valencia Flyers - Zach Paxman (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 8:14

Missoula Maulers - Jordan Wheatly (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 2 Minutes, 10:44

Valencia Flyers - Blake Aguilar (Interference) 2 Minutes, 13:56

SHOTS ON GOAL:

Missoula Maulers - 31 total

Valencia Flyers - 40 total

POWER PLAYS:

Missoula Maulers - 1 for 2

Valencia Flyers - 0 for 2

GOALTENDERS:

#31 Cody Janzen for Missoula Maulers: 60 Minutes played, 40 shots on goal 37 saves

#30 Luke Thompson for Valencia Flyers: 60 Minutes played, 31 shots on goal 29 saves

Time to Focus on Valencia

To basically sum Sunday's game up lightly, let's just say this match up did not go the way the Maulers would have liked it to. At all. With an 8-1 win on home ice, the Salt Lake City Moose will continue to sit comfortably with 40 points in third place and move on to a 2 game series versus the first place Idaho Jr. Steelheads. In the Maulers' case, they will have a 5 day break before they are back at things in Valencia, California facing off against the Flyers in a 3 game series. Now typically I would try to say something about what the Maulers should do to better their game against the next opponent but I think for a change I won't. They know what they need to do and if they simply won't do it well, I can't help that. If they are having any questions at all about why they aren't winning, the team needs to look at why they are losing instead. In my opinion, if you want to win, play like a team because playing separately will get them no where. On the ice they need to act like a team because to quote Herb Brooks lightly, "you don't have enough talent to win on talent alone." Now I am not saying that these boys are not talented because they are, especially the tendys, but they have to work together if they want to win that is the end of the conversation. Work together and stick to each other during periods and you will get the two points, work alone and try to become a star yourself and you will end up with another loss in the statistics column. And if they can't simply play for that play for each other instead of the jersey because nothing seems like it can stick. Work together, that's all I am going to say really because this is getting out of hand. This is basically how I feel right now, "When you pull on that jersey, you represent yourself and your teammates. And the name on the front is a hell of a lot more important than the one on the back ! Get that through your head!" also , "We move forward starting right now. We start becoming a team RIGHT NOW! Skating. Passing. Flow and creativity. That is what this team is all about, gentlemen..." - Herb Brooks. You might want to be considering this philosophy a little more than you have in the past.

There was no scoring in the first 20 minutes of the game.

Adam Kresl, who would go on to score a hat trick and 4 out of the 8 goals, started his amazing play at an impressive 0:28 into the second period. This was unassisted. His next goal came at 0:37, a wicked 9 seconds later, assisted by Pat Dwyer and Matthew Morse. Pat Dwyer was the next one to put a point on the board for the Moose at 5:19 when Adam Kresl assisted on his goal. Tyler Keturi made it 4-0 Salt Lake City at 10:40 when Viktors Ponatovskis and Jurijs Moiseicenko were able to help Keturi slid the biscuit past Mcdaniel. Adam Kresl completed his 2nd period hat trick at 17:14 when the Moose went up 5-0 and Matrin Tolkner and Daniel Coley recorded assists.

Tyler Zandhuisen scored the lone Maulers goal at 3:27 on a power play to spark even just the tiniest bit of hope into the boys. Tanner Todd and Jordan Wheatly picked up assists. SLC recorded another point to make it 6-1 at 4:10. Viktors Ponatovskis was credited the goal while Martin Tolkner was given an assist. At 11:41,  Adam Kresl scored his 4th goal of the game on a power play. Apples were given to the great line of Martin Tolkner and Daniel Coley. The final goal of the game was scored at 18:56 making it 8-1 Moose when Jurijs Moiseicenko beat Mcdaniel for the final point. Pat Dwyer was given the assist.

Statistics:

PENALTIES:

Period 1:

Missoula Maulers - Corey Schafer (Tripping) 2 Minutes, 8:08

Salt Lake City - Alex Pommerville (Slashing) 2 Minutes, 10:18

Salt Lake City - Alex Pommerville (High Sticking) (Double Minor) 4 Minutes, 16:18

Period 2:

Salt Lake City - Anthony Mancini (Slashing) 2 Minutes, 3:09

Missoula Maulers - Jordan Wheatly (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 2 Minutes, 6:19

Missoula Maulers - Tanner Todd (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 2 Minutes, 10:59

Salt Lake City - Martin Tolkner (Elbowing) 2 minutes, 19:35

Salt Lake City - Martin Tolkner (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 2 Minutes, 19:35

Period 3:

Salt Lake City - Hank Parra (Slashing) 2 Minutes, 0:20

Salt Lake City - Pat Dwyer (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 6:07

Missoula Maulers - Corey Schafer (Holding) 2 Minutes, 6:07

Salt Lake City - Cole Corson (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 7:49

Missoula Maulers - Derek Griffin (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 7:49

Missoula Maulers - Joey Porco (Cross Checking) 2 Minutes, 7:49

Salt Lake City - Bryan Giorgi (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) (Misconduct) 10 Minutes, 9:35

Missoula Maulers - Corey Schafer (Head Contact) 2 Minutes, 10:17

Salt Lake City - Bryan Giorgi (Obscene Gestures) (Game Ejection) 10 Minutes, 10:17

Missoula Maulers - Joey Porco (Elbowing) 2 Minutes, 12:31

SHOTS ON GOAL:

Missoula Maulers - 26 total

Salt Lake City Moose - 44 total

POWER PLAYS:

Missoula Maulers - 1 for 7

Salt Lake City Moose - 1 for 6

GOALTENDERS:

#30 Michael Mcdaniel for Missoula Maulers: 60 Minutes played, 44 shots on goal 36 saves

#30 Ryan Gasparovic for Salt Lake City Moose: 60 Minutes played, 26 shots on goal 25 saves

The Pack Bites Back

The boys are back in the fight! Something finally clicked, at least for now, and the Maulers turned everything around on the Moose and beat them with the exact same score as on the 17th. It is wonderful to see the boys' spirits lifted by this miraculous win and seeing what they can accomplish when they really put their minds to the game. Using the mentality of a wolf pack, you bite the wolf and the entire pack bites back. If the team can just keep this cycle up and keep forcing wins like they did last night, they are set on a comfortable road to round out the season on. The trick is keeping it up though. I am proud of the boys for winning the second game of the Salt Lake City vs. Missoula series and now it is anybody's game. If the Missoula boys can prove what they are worth against the Moose then they are one step in the right direction for a playoff spot. For many of the guys on the Zoo Town team, this is their first year of junior hockey and they are finally finding their feet after many victories and down falls. You can almost start seeing the bonds of a team starting to show which is important because if there isn't a sold core unit they can all depend on the team will crumble. Hopefully they will win the 3rd and final game of the trying series in Utah and head on to their next trial with heads held high. Stay together boys because sometimes at the lowest points, that's all you can rely on.

There was no scoring in the first period so 0-0 at the end of the first 20 minutes.

Newcomer to this season but vet from last year Jordan Wheatly opened the scoring for everyone at 1:33 into the second period. Edward Pollon and Tanner Todd were there to help him out. #17 Cole Corson got his Moose on the board with another early goal at 5:34. His team mates #3 Jacob McMullen and #13 Brett Meyer received apples for that play. Austin Auzzinnaro had a beautiful goal at 8:23 when he led the Maulers to a 2-1 lead halfway through the second. Todd and Pollon each chipped in an assist. Erich Jaeger closed the scoring out for the second period with a goal at 14:27 assisted by Max Rebholz.

The Maulers once again started off the scoring for the period. This time it was from the blade of Nikita Sheptytskyy at 4:38 with a little support on the power play from Corey Schafer and Derek Griffin. Pat Dwyer scored the last goal of the game for the Moose at 6:22 with a final apple for #19 Jurijs Moiseicenko. The lamp was lit at 9:00 in the third by none other than superstar himself Erich Jaeger assisted by captain Anders Nord.

January 19th is the third game of the series with an early puck drop of 12:05 pm so make sure you don't miss this lunch time hockey matinee!

(I have been watching Miracle quite often lately if you couldn't tell)

Statistics:

PENALTIES:

Period 1:

Salt Lake City - Tyler Keturi (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 8:36

Missoula Maulers - Anders Nord (Delay of Game) 2 Minutes, 12:00

Missoula Maulers - Erich Jaeger (High Sticking) 2 Minutes, 16:35

Period 2:

Salt Lake City - Nick Luitgaarden (Slashing) 2 Minutes, 6:24

Missoula Maulers - John Andersson (Interference) 2 Minutes, 12:18

Period 3:

Salt Lake City - Cole Corson (Slashing) 2 Minutes, 2:40

Salt Lake City - Alex Pommerville (Slashing) 2 Minutes, 9:00

Salt Lake City - Bryan Giorgi (Hooking) 2 Minutes, 13:26

Salt Lake City - Bryan Giorgi (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 13:26

Salt Lake City - David Barnes (Elbowing) (Major) 5 Minutes, 18:20

Salt Lake City - David Barnes (Elbowing) (Game Misconduct) 10 Minutes, 18:20

SHOTS ON GOAL:

Missoula Maulers - 31 total

Salt Lake City Moose - 41 total

POWER PLAYS:

Missoula Maulers - 1 for 7

Salt Lake City Moose - 0 for 3

GOALTENDERS:

#30 Michael Mcdaniel for Missoula Maulers: 60 Minutes played, 41 shots on goal 39 saves

#31 Brad Robertson for Salt Lake City Moose: 60 Minutes played, 31 shots on goal 26 saves

Salt Lake City Puts Missoula to the Test

As the boys arrive in Salt Lake City to face off against league giants, the Salt Lake City Moose in their first initial match up, they are pushed to their limits fighting for a playoff chance. I know all of Missoula's 65,000 residents would love to see the boys in a playoff run, as would I, but if they are going to make they have to step it up. I know that they want to win games and they want to make it in the playoffs and they want to win it all, but if they want to achieve that dream these very talented boys better kick into high gear. I am good friends with some of these guys and I desperately want to see them (all of them) succeed to the very end. They are going to have to play much more aggressive, bulk up their offensive game, bulk up their defenseman, and ultimately fight as one team. I do have to compliment them though on their perseverance and drive to continue moving forward through some very difficult situations. They have stuck together as a tight group through the drought and came out even stronger. I am very proud of all of them for their growth throughout the season and the families they have created during their current time in the Zoo. If you ever feel down about the losses boys think about what you have accomplished up to this point. You guys have fought from last place to 4th, keeping climbing the ladder, every one has my support!

The Moose struck first at 14:46 in the first period when #21 Adam Kresl was fed the puck from the stick of #22 Hank Parra and #6 Martin Tolkner. At 19:43, SLC went up 2-0 with a beauty goal from Martin Tolkner. Assists were given to #8 Tommy Breitfuss and #7 Viktors Ponatovskis to end the first period.

#2 Pat Dwyer scored an unassisted goal at 14:26 into the second to make it 3-0 in favor of the host team. Quickly finding a flaw, veteran Corey Schafer was able to score on a power play at 19:09 with help from Joey Porco to get the Maulers on the board. 

Adam Kresl started off the scoring in the third period as well with a geno at 2:11. Apples were given to #14 Matthew Morse and #5 David Barnes. Joey Sundgren ripped one into the Moose's net at 2:54 for a quick response. Corey Schafer assisted him on that play. The last goal of the game was scored at 19:30 by Martin Tolkner on an empty net unassisted.

There will be the second game on the 18th and the third on the 19th, with the last one scheduled for 12:05 pm. Then, the team will head down to Valencia, California to take on the Flyers on the 24th-26th. Keep strong!!

Statistics:

PENALTIES:

Period 1:

Salt Lake City - Pat Dwyer (Hooking) 2 Minutes, 8:00

Period 2:

Salt Lake City - Hank Parra (Interference) 2 Minutes, 11:07

Salt Lake City - Matthew Morse (Interference) 2 Minutes, 16:14

Salt Lake City - David Barnes (Slashing) 2 Minutes, 18:52

Missoula Maulers - Joey Porco (Slashing) 2 Minutes, 19:29

Period 3:

No Penalties

SHOTS ON GOAL:

Missoula Maulers - 35 total

Salt Lake City Moose - 27 total

POWER PLAYS:

Missoula Maulers - 1 for 4

Salt Lake City Moose - 0 for 1

GOALTENDERS:

#30 Michael Mcdaniel for Missoula Maulers: 58:54 Minutes played, 26 shots on goal 22 saves

#31 Brad Robertson for Salt Lake City Moose: 60 Minutes played, 35 shots on goal 33 saves 

Maulers almost claim Game 2

In a well fought Game 2, your Missoula Maulers almost claimed the 2 points they needed in their fight to win yet again against the Idaho Junior Steelheads. But unfortunately enough just wasn't enough for the home town boys. I can really honestly see the potential in this youthful roster but to date they haven't shown from what I expected out of them. Hopefully they will get up to speed for the remainder of the second half of the season like I know they can, they just need a spark of inspiration to get them on the right path. Joey Sundgren and John Andersson have been great additions to the team so potentially they could help out the others but we will just have to see! The next match up is against the Salt Lake City Moose and this could be one of the toughest series they are going to appear in yet. The Steelheads and the Mustangs are major opponents of course due to their strength and physicality but the Moose are comparable to the Maulers because if the Zoo Town boys played to their full potential they would almost be exactly like Salt Lake City. Gritty players who play each 20 minutes thoroughly and with every bone in their body. Come on boys just rough it out, don't get discouraged, and play with the mind set that you are going to win instead of the thought that the game is going to be extremely rough. That might be cliche but it's true. Get with the program guys an 11-13-3 record isn't going to improve itself.

Victor Carlsson started the scoring for this game at 12:13 in the first period. The Jr Steelheads got on the board with a 1-0 lead the same time as Randy Patzner and Zach Walden picked up their assists. This was the only goal of the first.

The younger Chamberlain brother, Josh, recorded the only Maulers goal and the only goal of the second period at 7:35 on a power play with assists for Nikita Sheptytskyy and Tyler Zandhuisen.

In the third period, Randy Patzner scored the tie breaking goal at 15:01 with apples for Hunter Lester and Dimitris Jones. This would be the last goal of the entire game.

The boys have the next series coming up on January 17th-19th against the Salt Lake City Moose in Salt Lake City, Utah. Good luck!

Warm ups

Statistics:

PENALTIES:

Period 1:
No Penalties

Period 2:
Idaho Junior Steelheads - Randy Patzner (Tripping) 2 Minutes, 6:19

Idaho Junior Steelheads - Randy Patzner (Roughing) (Major) 5 Minutes, 7:55

Missoula Maulers - Tanner Todd (Fighting) (Major) 5 Minutes, 15:37

Idaho Junior Steelheads - Zach Walden (Fighting) (Major) 5 Minutes, 15:37

Idaho Junior Steelheads - Randy Patzner (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) (Misconduct) 10 Minutes, 15:23

Period 3:

Missoula Maulers - Matt Chamberlain (Too Many Men) 2 Minutes, 7:59

Idaho Junior Steelheads - Victor Ivarsson (Interference) 2 Minutes, 10:34

SHOTS ON GOAL:

Missoula Maulers - 31 total

Idaho Junior Steelheads - 29 total

POWER PLAYS:

Missoula Maulers - 1 for 3

Idaho Junior Steelheads - 0 for 1

GOALTENDERS:

#30 Danny Kowalski for Idaho Junior Steelheads: 60 Minutes played, 31 shots on goal 30 saves

#30 Michael Mcdaniel for Missoula Maulers: 60 Minutes played, 29 shots on goal 27 saves

Steelheads Swim Up to a 5-1 Win

The Steelheads have arrived in town and unfortunately this 2 game series is looking quite a bit like the previous match up between these two fighting teams. Idaho ended the Maulers' 7 game hot streak that was ignited down in the hot desert of Las Vegas, Nevada. I do agree that the Missoula boys are willing to fight with everything they've got but sometimes there are teams that just can't be beaten. From what I watched last night, the boys were not playing as they had only a few weeks ago. Again they were getting too far apart from each other and the puck was being lost too often. I know I have said this before when they were playing Idaho in the last set, but if you want to win against a very high energy team that is built on the fundamentals of  rushing the puck, using physical aggression to push back opposing players, and a very strong goaltender, a team like Missoula must stick together in small packs and continuously keep the puck between each other if they want to get a shot on goal at all. Also these guys, and I know they don't like it, but they will have to keep their defenseman on the blue line at all costs. Teams like the Steelheads pick off the weaker players and challenge the more skilled ones to their breaking point. You have to put your strongest players out for as long you can that can keep the puck moving while attacking with a strong physical force and your defenseman need to be able to meet or even overcome the opposing players' physical forces and they need to stand their ground no matter what is thrown at them. Now with Gronborg out after an injury occurring last night to his knee, Mcdaniel and Janzen need to step up their playing as well to be able to withstand the numerous hard shots that Idaho will be producing. I know these boys are capable of this type of playing but I don't know if they know what they are capable of. If you can't overpower them with strength, pin point their weaknesses and use that against them. If these guys won't do that, they won't even have a shot. Sorry to be brutally honest but it's true.

At an outstanding 16 seconds after the start of the game, #24 Jano Blasko got a quick shot past Sebastian with an apple for #3 Victor Ivarsson. The second goal of the game for Idaho came at 2:46 from the stick of #26 Kyle Williams and an assist for #19 Macky Power. Tyle Zandhuisen scored the only Maulers goal on a power play at 11:18 that would go unassisted. This would be the first and last goal for Missoula and the last goal of the first period.

The first geno of the middle frame came on a power play at 12:41. #7 Ben Hull was credited with the goal and #21 Bryan Hodges picked up the assist. At 14:11, the Steelheads went up 4-1. #9 Luc Gensler was credited with the goal and #26 Kyle Williams recorded his 2nd point of the game.

There wasn't much action for the scoring department in the 3rd, but the final went up 5-1 on a power play at 19:31. #27 Zach Walden was rewarded the goal and #15 Parker Lewis had the last assist of the game.

Hopefully the boys will pick up the two points tonight at 7:30 in the Glacier Ice Rink. Make sure you don't miss out on the last game of January!

Statistics:

PENALTIES:

Period 1:

Idaho Jr Steelheads - Randy Patzner (Boarding) 2 Minutes, 6:42

Idaho Jr Steelheads - Parker Lewis (Too Many Men) 2 Minutes, 10:34

Missoula Maulers - Derek Griffin (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) (Misconduct) 10 Minutes, 16:22

Idaho Jr Steelheads - Ian Patrican (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) (Misconduct) 10 Minutes, 16:22

Period 2:

Missoula Maulers - Anders Nord (Too Many Men) 2 Minutes, 10:49

Idaho Jr Steelheads - Parker Lewis (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 18:48

Missoula Maulers - Corey Schafer (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 18:48

Period 3: 

Idaho Jr Steelheads - Nick White (Boarding) 2 Minutes, 3:58

Idaho Jr Steelheads - Bryan Hodges (Tripping) 2 Minutes, 6:17

Idaho Jr Steelheads - Victor Ivarsson (Fighting) (Instigator) 2 Minutes, 9:30

Idaho Jr Steelheads - Victor Ivarsson (Fighting) (Major) 5 Minutes, 9:30

Idaho Jr Steelheads - Victor Ivarsson (Fighting) (Game Ejection) 10 Minutes, 9:30

Missoula Maulers - Joey Sundgren (Fighting) (Major) 5 Minutes, 9:30

Idaho Jr Steelheads - Randy Patzner (Tripping) 2 Minutes, 12:29

Idaho Jr Steelheads - Randy Patzner (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 2 Minutes, 12:29

Missoula Maulers - Derek Griffin (Cross Checking) 2 Minutes, 18:17

Missoula Maulers - John Anderson (Tripping) 2 Minutes, 19:31

SHOTS ON GOAL:

Missoula Maulers - 19 total

Idaho Jr Steelheads - 46 total

POWER PLAYS:

Missoula Maulers - 1 for 7

Idaho Jr Steelheads - 2 for 3

GOALTENDERS:

#1 Sebastian Gronborg for Missoula Maulers: 33:15 Minutes played, 27 shots on goal 24 saves

#30 Michael Mcdaniel for Missoula Maulers: 26:45 Minutes played, 19 shots on goal 17 saves

#1 Sean Healy for Idaho Jr Steelheads: 60 Minutes played, 19 shots on goal 18 saves

7 is the Name of the Game

Welcome back to another Maulers Recapped! Sorry I haven't gotten this out earlier, I have been a little under the weather lately but even though I am I will keep you guys up to speed on what has happened lately! The boys have extended their win streak to 7 with a complete 3 game sweep over the previous dominant Phoenix Knights and let me tell you, all of the boys are finally on high spirits playing like they should be. They are finally breaking up potential opposing plays, they are driving the puck more aggressively, everyone is bringing out their physical game for every 20 minutes, and everyone I mean everyone is pushing their limits even further than before. I am impressed with how they changed their game so quickly how it seems they have beefed up their expectations of themselves. Over this weekend I think the players that stood out to me were definitely rookie Erich Jaeger, veterans Corey Schafer, Anders Nord, and Joey Sundgren, and the Chamberlain brothers. Congratulations on the win boys! Don't get me wrong, Cody Janzen is a phenomenal goaltender worthy of NAHL status, but why take Sebastian out if he is on a hot streak? Now he may be tired or there is some injury I don't know about it just seems like that might have been an error on their part. Please don't misunderstand, Janzen is one of my favorite junior hockey goalies, but if a goalie is hot he's hot let 'em play until he can't anymore. Who knows what will happen next.

#27 Robert Crisci dominated for the Phoenix Knights in the first period lifting them up 1-0 when his power play goal found the back of the net at 6:56 into the second period. Assists were given to #17 Shane Fitzpatrick and #25 David Hornkak. Missoula Maulers forward Tanner Todd found the back of the net for your hometown boys at 7:15 tying everything up at 1's with assists for Nikita Sheptytskyy and Edward Pollon.

Phoenix dominated the second period when they scored 2 goals to push them up 3-2. The first one came just 46 seconds after the start of the period when David Hornak scored on a power play goal with apples for #9 Jordan Kaspick and #15 Braden Cooper. The second was scored at 1:32 when #11 Robert Smith had the help from both Cullum brothers, #12 Brayden Cullum and #22 Jordan Cullum. The Maulers capitalized quickly though at 4:12 when Joey Sundgren also scored on a power play when Anders Nord and Corey Schafer fed Joey Sundgren the puck.

 Anders Nord was the star of the third scoring the only 2 goals of the period. The first was just an amazing 18 seconds after the start of play with assists from John Andersson and Henrik Ekestahl and the second was at 3:21 with help from Joey Sundgren and Corey Schafer. The final score was 4-3.

The next series is on the 10th and 11th against the Idaho Jr Steelheads. It will be a great match up with definitely some great hockey to watch! I personally really like the Steelheads from the days before creating Maulers Recapped so it will be interesting to see who takes it all! (Pictures all taken by me)

Your tendy for the night Cody Janzen!

Warm ups

Warm ups part 2

All the teams on the ice before the game

The boys 

Sebastian Gronborg starting the second game

Statistics:

PENALTIES:

Period 1:

Phoenix Knights - Max Mahood (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 2:40

Missoula Maulers - Derek Griffin (Interference) 2 Minutes, 5:49

Phoenix Knights - Jordan Cullum (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 11:44

Phoenix Knights - Max Mahood (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) (Misconduct) 10 Minutes, 17:33

Phoenix Knights - Max Mahood (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) (Game Ejection) 10 Minutes, 17:33

Phoenix Knights - Tanner Branch (Tripping) 2 Minutes, 17:33

Phoenix Knights - Shane Fitzpatrick (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) (Misconduct) 10 Minutes, 19:16

Missoula Maulers - Billy Bigham (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 20:00

Period 2:

Phoenix Knights - Josh Smith (Tripping) 2 Minutes, 4:01

Missoula Maulers - Nikita Sheptytskyy (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 2 Minutes, 5:41

Missoula Maulers - Erich Jaeger (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 7:16

Phoenix Knights - Braden Cooper (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 7:16

Missoula Maulers - Austin Auzzinnaro (Cross Checking) 2 Minutes, 8:39

Phoenix Knights - Jordan Cullum (Cross Checking) 2 Minutes, 8:39

Missoula Maulers - Erich Jaeger (Tripping) 2 Minutes, 12:43

Phoenix Knights - Josh Smith (Hooking) 2 Minutes, 19:52

Period 3:

Missoula Maulers - Erik Hartzell (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 6:50

Phoenix Knights - Charlie Allen (Slashing) 2 Minutes, 10:47

SHOTS ON GOAL:

Missoula Maulers - 58 total

Phoenix Knights - 41 total

POWER PLAYS:

Missoula Maulers - 2 for 6

Phoenix Knights - 2 for 5

GOALTENDERS:

#31 Cody Janzen for Missoula Maulers: 60 Minutes played, 41 shots on goal 38 saves

#30 Alex Taylor for Phoenix Knights: 60 Minutes played, 58 shots on goal 54 saves

Knights face another loss 6-3

The Missoula Maulers are on a hot 6 game winning streak thanks to a great combination of fabulous goaltending, forwards who are constantly breaking up opposing plays and rushing the puck, and defenseman who are keeping their zone clean of any potential goals. I am glad to see that the boys have finally got their game in sync to what needs to happen and how they are playing. Watching the game last night at the Glacier Ice Rink, some of the players that I thought stood out the best were phenomenal goaltender Sebastian Gronborg, great scorer Erich Jaeger, fantastic Swedish defenseman Henrik Ekestahl, and  the ever faithful chirper and skilled forward Corey Schafer. All of these players stood out for their own special reasons. Erich Jaeger was fantastic at getting the points on the board as always, Corey Schafer kept off most of the Knights' aggressive players from his much needed star players by just creating a giant chirp fest the entire game, Henrik played great defense and was awesome at keeping the puck in Phoenix's zone, and this was Sebastian's 4th straight win which speaks for itself, in my opinion if he is still playing hot like this keep him in even longer! I am glad someone took my advice to heart and started putting out the necessary players to get these wins. I mean of course the boys are doing all of this on their own, they just needed a little push start that is all! Congratulations on your 6 game streak and keep playing like this boys! Next thing you know, you could be in the 3rd or 4th spot competing for the playoffs! What I personally don't understand is why the coaching staff wanted to pull Sebastian during the late third period I believe. I mean that basically counts as an empty net goal for the other team since it creates such an easy scoring possibility. I have noticed that they do that very often and I can understand why you would want to do that if there was a 1 point difference from a win but when you have a 2-3 point lead why?

Phoenix struck first blood at 3:47 in the first period when assistant captain #10 Max Mahood beat Gronborg with the help of the other assistant #22 Jordan Cullum. At 13:07, Joey Sundgren scored on Alex Taylor to tie things 1-1 with the help of Anders Nord and Corey Schafer on a power play.

The second period was dominated by Missoula. Max Rebholz scored an unassisted goal at 3:36 and Erich Jaeger scored the next one at 5:35 when his biscuit went in with the help of Josh Chamberlain and Max Rebholz. This brought the score up 3-1 at the end of the second.

A flurry of goals were scored in the very tedious third period. Anders Nord started off the bid at 4:26 with an unassisted goal. Phoenix fought back when #25 David Hornak found the back of the Missoula net at 7:38 with the help of #6 Tanner Branch and #9 Jordan Kaspick. Nord then beat Taylor again at 13:27 on another power play when Henrik Ekestahl was given an apple. The Knights struck again when #15 Braden Cooper put the biscuit in the basket and apples were given to #11 Robert Smith and #12 Brayden Cullum at 18:06. Erich Jaeger scored the last unassisted goal at 19:28

The last game of the series is on the 4th at 7:30 pm at the Glacier Ice Rink so don't miss it!

The boys during warm ups at the GIR

Statistics:

PENALTIES:

Period 1:

Phoenix Knights - Shane Fitzpatrick (Interference) 2 Minutes, 12:18

Phoenix Knights - Braden Cooper (Interference) 2 Minutes, 16:05

Missoula Maulers - Corey Schafer (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 19:22

Period 2: 

Phoenix Knights - Shane Fitzpatrick (Interference) 2 Minutes, 2:15

Missoula Maulers - Craig Buford (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 5:02

Phoenix Knights - Jordan Cullum (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 5:02

Phoenix Knights - Charlie Allen (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) (Misconduct) 10 Minutes, 5:02

Phoenix Knights - Brynton Macnab (Fighting) (Major) 5 Minutes, 7:56

Missoula Maulers - Tanner Todd (Fighting) (Major) 5 Minutes, 7:56

Phoenix Knights - Kelby Minshull (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 12:27

Missoula Maulers - Anders Nord (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 12:27

Phoenix Knights - Jordan Kaspick (Interference) 2 Minutes, 18:41

Phoenix Knights - David Hornak (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 18:41

Missoula Maulers - Joey Porco (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 18:41

Period 3: 

Phoenix Knights - Josh Smith (Fighting) (Major) 5 Minutes, 4:17

Missoula Maulers - Craig Buford (Fighting) (Major) 5 Minutes, 4:17

Phoenix Knights - Kelby Minshull (Cross-Checking) 2 Minutes, 12:11

Phoenix Knights - Nick Kujawa (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) (Misconduct) 10 Minutes, 13:27

Phoenix Knights - Nick Kujawa (Unsportsmnalike Conduct) (Game Ejection) 10 Minutes, 13:27

Missoula Maulers - Billy Bigham (Interference) 2 Minutes, 13:35

Phoenix Knights - Brennan Johnsson (Boarding) (Major) 5 Minutes, 20:00

Phoenix Knights - Alex Taylor (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) (Misconduct) 10 Minutes, 20:00

Phoenix Knights - Shane Fitzpatrick (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) (Misconduct) 10 Minutes, 20:00

SHOTS ON GOAL:

Missoula Maulers - 47 total

Phoenix Knights - 46 total

POWER PLAYS:

Missoula Maulers - 3 for 5

Phoenix Knights - 0 for 2

GOALTENDERS:

#1 Sebastian Gronborg for Missoula Maulers: 60 Minutes played, 46 shots on goal 43 saves

#30 Alex Taylor for Phoenix Knights: 60 Minutes played, 47 shots on goal 41 saves