Records: Vees 54-4-0-2 / Bandits 47-7-0-6
Home / Away: Vees (Away) 25-4-0-1/ 6-1-0 Bandits (Home) 25-3-0-2 / 6-1-0
Playoff Series Schedule
Game 1 7-2 Vees (Centennial Regional Arena)
Game 2 Apr 21st (Centennial Regional Arena)
(If the teams split first two games)
Game 3 Apr 22nd (Centennial Regional Arena)
Game 4 Apr 25th (SOEC)
*Game 5 Apr 26th (SOEC)
*Game 6 Apr 28th (SOEC)
*Game 7 Apr 29th (SOEC)
(If one team sweeps first two games)
Game 3 Apr 24th (SOEC)
Game 4 Apr 25th (SOEC)
*Game 5 Apr 27th (SOEC)
*Game 6 Apr 28th (SOEC)
*Game 7 Apr 29th (SOEC)
** If necessary
7pm Starts (6PM PT in Alberta)
The Set-Up: The Vees took the Doyle Cup opener in convincing fashion, putting up a seven spot on the Bandits. In what could prove to be a critical game 2, the Vees have a chance tonight to sweep the first two games of the series on the road, and have the series finish in Penticton.
Mario Lucia led all scorers with one goal and four points; edging out Travis St. Denis and his four assists. Logan Johnston put together a solid game himself, scoring twice and finishing with three points; a couple near misses away from a hat-trick.
The game wasn’t all Vees from the start, as both teams seemed to battle some jitters in the early going; a feeling out process in the first five to six minutes. The opening power-play of game one went to the Vees, and the early goal seemed to settle down the Vees and they took off from there.
Neither the Vees nor their fans should expect another big score like last night, as the Bandits without a doubt will come out hard and desperate. The key for the Vees is to match the Bandits’ desperation and force the issue early on; don’t let the Bandits get into the series.
Player to Watch
Vees: Steven Fogarty
The Vees forward is due for one of his signature “Steven Fogarty” performances and game two could not be a better time. By their own admission, the line of Fogarty, Joey Benik and Bryce Gervais weren’t at their best, even though the three combined for two of the Vees seven goals. The trio wasn’t at their sharpest with the puck and had some issues when in their own zone in game one. The three have shown they can play at a level that is hard to match and that’s where they will need to be tonight.
Fogarty’s defensive game is second to none; as he just might be the Vees best defensive forward and he was dynamite in defensive zone draws last night. The New York Rangers draft pick is a confident and dependable player without the puck and is rewarded with key minutes late in games for the Vees. Offensively speaking, Fogarty has been somewhat “snake bitten,” as his last goal came in game two against the Kings, however it was the game winner in a 2-1 victory.
The Edina, Minnesota native can be a force in the offensive zone as he possesses a lethal mix of size, skill and vision. When Fogarty is on, he is a handful for the opposition’s defense, taxing the blue-liners with his determined play when he has the puck. The Vees center will need to be that player, a big-body presence taking pucks to the net and creating some room for his wingers. Fogarty has shown he can be the best player on the ice, on both sides of the puck; when Fogarty is going, so too is Joey Benik and Bryce Gervais and that is bad news for the other team.
X Factor
Vees: Out Bandit the Bandits
As stated off the top, the Bandits will be determined to get a win in game two, as they can’t afford to go two games down and hit the road for what would be at least four games. You can use all the superlatives you want to describe the Bandits tonight but simply put, they will be coming at the Vees hard. In saying that, the Vees can’t rest on last night’s result and expect the same outcome in game two. No one likes to lose, especially at home, and after surrendering seven goals; the Bandits will have a chip on their shoulder and the Vees need to have one as well.
Doyle Cup Scoring
Lucia 1-3-4
St. Denis 0-4-4
Johnston 2-1-3
Stecher 1-1-2
Benik 1-0-1
Gervais 1-0-1
Murphy 1-0-1
Loik 0-1-1
R. Reilly 0-1-1
Goaltending
Katunar 1-0-0 2.00 GAA .923 SV%
Doyle Cup Scoring by Lines:
1ST 2-5-7
2nd 2-0-2
3rd 2-2-4
4th 0-0-0
D 1-1-2
Playoff Scoring
Murphy 9-9-18
Benik 8-10-18
Lucia 6-10-16
St. Denis 4-9-13
Gervais 6-5-11
Stecher 2-8-10
M. Reilly 1-8-9
Johnston 4-4-8
Fogarty 4-4-8
R. Reilly 3-4-7
Loik 3-2-5
DePourcq 1-2-3
Jones 0-3-3
Buchanan 1-1-2
Beaulieu 0-1-1
Playoff Goaltending
Chad Katunar 12-2-0-1 1.74 GAA .938 SV% 2SO
Vees Scoring by Lines Playoffs
1st 19-28-47
2nd 18-19-37
3rd 10-10-20
4th 1-2-3
D 4-21-25
Player to Watch:
Bandits: Jan Obernesser
The Bandits goaltender will look to rebound in game two after being pulled in the opener. The AJHL playoff MVP seemed to fight the puck on Friday night and would most likely want a couple goals back. The 19 year-olds’ body of work in the AJHL shows he is one of the best in Alberta and there was a reason why he was named the playoff MVP. Obernesser doesn’t have to go too far back to reinsure himself of his abilities; his shutout against the Oil Barons, on the road, in the Championship clinching game is prime example. Obernesser has proven he can bounce back and will have to do the same tonight.
X Factor
Bandits: Bounce Back
The Bandits will have to hit the reset button ahead of game two; put last nights’ result behind them and focus on the task at hand.
Brooks has lost handily before at home in the playoffs, surrendering seven goals in a game two loss to the Oil Barons in the AJHL Enerflex Cup but found a way to persevere and win the series in six games. They find themselves in the same situation tonight and in what you could say is a “must win;” do they show their resolve once more?
Doyle Cup Scoring
Muscoby 1-0-1
Semenok 1-0-1
Watt 0-1-1
Goaltending
Obernesser 0-1-0 7.95 GAA .684 SV%
Fredrick 0-0-0 4.19 GAA .833 SV%
Doyle Cup Scoring by Lines:
1St 0-0-0
2nd 0-0-0
3rd 0-0-0
4th 0-0-0
D 2-1-3
Playoff Scoring
Cam Maclise 6-10-16
Matt Wilkins 7-8-15
RJ Reed 7-5-12
Mark Reners 6-6-12
Dylan Nowakowski 2-9-11
Colton Semenok 3-7-10
Anthony Paskaruk 5-4-9
Dakota Mason 5-4-9
Anthony Petruzzelli 3-4-7
David Watt 0-7-7
Patrick Lee 3-3-6
Jeremy Burns 1-4-5
Ryan Luiten 1-4-5
Andy Williams 3-1-4
Maddison Smiley 2-2-4
Tanner Hicks 1-3-4
Chris Muscoby 1-2-3
Matt Tyson 0-2-2
Taylor Elliot 0-1-1
Playoff Goaltending
Jan Obernesser 12-2-0 2.16 GAA .915 SV% 2 SO
Michael Fredrick GP 1 0-0-0 4.98 GAA .800 SV%
Bandits Scoring by Lines Playoffs
1st 15-27-42
2nd 16-14-30
3rd 9-12-21
4th 6-9-15
D 7-23-30
Broadcast: 5:40pm PT Pre-Game Show 6pm PT Face-Off
EZ ROCK AM 800 (Radio) Doyle Cup PPV Here
