Playoff Game Round 1: 5-2 Steelheds; Final 2013-2014 Maulers Recapped Post

Well, unfortunately I have some very heart breaking news for you all. The Missoula Maulers have been eliminated from the WSHL playoffs by the Idaho Jr Steelheads with a score of 5-2 after 60 minutes of hardcore hockey. I haven't been so incredibly thrilled and saddened at the same time for quite some time. I am so proud of the boys for all the hard work they put into this season and how much they grew as players over the 8 months that I was able to know them. The game they played today was amazing and they went out with one final blow and made sure that if this was going to be their final game of the 2013-2014 collective season then they were going to make it one of the best they have ever played. The boys played with their hearts on the ice and they played as brothers, not team mates, brothers. I am saddened by the fact that all of a sudden everything has come to a halt and this was the final time I will see most of these boys. I have grown to love all of them as the season progressed and it will be very difficult to watch them leave one by one as they return home, return to Europe, and move on to college hockey. I have loved writing for the Maulers and all of you and I am going to miss every minute of it until the puck drops for the first time at the Glacier Ice Rink signaling the return of hockey for the 2014-2015 season. Best of luck boys wherever you are going to head off in your next adventure in life and I hope to keep in contact with you guys! Phenomenal job in the inaugural year of the WSHL and congrats on an amazing performance this season. I am going to miss you guys terribly!! ( :( )

Victor Carlsson started things off at 19:00 in the first for the Steelheads on a power play assisted by Ben Hull and Oskar Af Bjur.

Hunter Lester made it 2-0 at 0:00 for Idaho with assists for Af Bjur and Ian Patrican, Jesper Jensen made it 3-0 at 7:23 with a short handed and unassisted geno, and Ben Hull made it 4-0 at 15:14 on a power play with help from Randy Patzner. Max Rebholz scored half of Missoula's goals to end the 2nd period at 18:13 on a power play with assists for Matt Chamberlain and Tanner Todd.

Dimitris Jones recorded Idaho's 5th point of the game at 11:07 on yet another power play. Assists came from Randy Patzner and Victor Carlsson. Missoula ended the game and their season on their terms with a power play goal from the stick of Billy Bigham at 16:38. This final goal was assisted by Nikita Sheptytskyy and John Andersson.

This is Sophia Rauvola (Etier) signing off for the last time of the 2013-2014 season. Thank you very much for following my posts and we will see if I am back next year! Again thank you very much! Here is a video I made with photos of this season I took!

Statistics:

PENALTIES:

Period 1:
Missoula Maulers - Josh Rehm (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 2 Minutes, 7:05
Idaho Jr Steelheads - Kyle TenEyck (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 2 Minutes, 7:05
Missoula Maulers - Billy Bigham (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 9:38
Idaho Jr Steelheads - Kyle TenEyck (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 9:38
Idaho Jr Steelheads - Bryan Hodges (Cross Checking) 2 Minutes, 10:21
Missoula Maulers - Jordan Wheatly (Holding) 2 Minutes, 10:21
Idaho Jr Steelheads - Jesper Jensen (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 2 Minutes, 10:21
Idaho Jr Steelheads - Jesper Jensen (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 18:55
Missoula Maulers - Corey Schafer (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 18:55
Missoula Maulers - Henrik Ekestahl (Holding) 2 Minutes, 18:55
Period 2:
Idaho Jr Steelheads - Randy Patzner (Roughing Double Minor) 4 Minutes, 4:20
Idaho Jr Steelheads - Luc Gensler (Interference) 2 Minutes, 10:15
Idaho Jr Steelheads - Kyle TenEyck (Roughing Double Minor) 4 Minutes, 15:04
Missoula Maulers - Erich Jaeger (Cross Checking) 2 Minutes, 15:04
Missoula Maulers - Billy Bigham (Roughing Double Minor)
Idaho Jr Steelheads - Zach Walden (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 15:42
Idaho Jr Steelheads - Zach Walden (Slashing) 2 Minutes, 15:42
Idaho Jr Steelheads - Victor Ivarsson (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 19:17
Missoula Maulers - Corey Schafer (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 19:17
Idaho Jr Steelheads - Kyle Williams (Slashing) 2 Minutes, 19:47
Missoula Maulers - Erich Jaeger (Slashing) 2 Minutes, 19:47
Period 3:
Idaho Jr Steelheads - Oskar Af Bjur (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 6:02
Missoula Maulers - Erich Jaeger (Slashing) 2 Minutes, 6:24
Idaho Jr Steelheads - Dak Dice (Interference) 2 Minutes, 6:35
Idaho Jr Steelheads - Dak Dice (Roughing) 2 Minutes, 10:51
Missoula Maulers - Corey Schafer (Roughing Double Minor) 4 Minutes, 10:51
Missoula Maulers - Corey Schafer (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) (Misconduct) 10 Minutes, 10:51
Idaho Jr Steelheads - Jesper Jensen (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) 2 Minutes, 14:41
Idaho Jr Steelheads - Jesper Jensen (Unsportsmanlike Conduct) (Misconduct) 10 Minutes, 14:41
Idaho Jr Steelheads - Randy Patzner (Slashing) 2 Minutes, 16:38

SHOTS ON GOAL:

Missoula Maulers - 20 total
Idaho Jr Steelheads - 28 total

POWER PLAYS:

Missoula Maulers - 2 for 11
Idaho Jr Steelheads - 3 for 3

GOALTENDERS:

#31 Cody Janzen for Missoula Maulers: 60 Minutes played, 28 shots on goal 23 saves

#1 Sean Healy for Idaho Jr Steelheads: 60 Minutes played, 20 shots on goal 18 saves