Brooks vs Quad Cities

Brooks went into the Quad Cities looking to stay ahead of the Mammoth and hoping to at least steal a march on their bitter rivals. They turned the game into a slow, back and forth affair with little energy until Elias Lindholm beat Sergei Bobrovsky with a wrister just inside the post off a seemingly harmless zone entry. This let the home side go into the break up 1-0 after holding the visitors to just 4 shots. The second period saw Q-Men come out with a little more energy. Hampus lindholm was just getting settled in the Bruins penalty box when Miles Wood one timed the feed from Jakub Silfverburg to double the home sides lead. The ensuing faceoff was drawn back by Nazem Kadri to Nick Leddy whose feed send Barclay Goodrow in alone and his inside out move left Goalie Bob all alone and the Quarrymen up 3-0. Quad Cities seemed to be cruising and was applying consistent pressure in the Solar Bears end until Zack Whitecloud ran Kadri through the boards. Kadri had to be helped from the ice and did not return. Whitecloud then saw Dominic Kahun redirect his point shot past Philip Grubauer to put the visitors on the board and send them into the second intermission down 3-1. The Quarrymen came out in the third tentatively and without any fire. Brooks jumped all over them. Matt Duchene pulled the visitors to within one just over a minute into the frame and the goal was still being announced when Mitch Marner evened the score up at threes at the two minute mark. Elias Lindholm had a chance to stop the bleeding but Brobovsky made a great save to deny him and the Bruins went down the ice on a breakout pass from Whitecloud, Kahun capitalizing and giving the visitors the lead, 4-3. Quad Cities pushed but wasn't able to generate much pressure until Claude Giroux redirected Kevin Fiala's feed to tie the score at fours with just under five minutes to play. Unfortunately for the Q-Men, Hampus Lindusholm's seeing eye shot two minutes later wended its way through a maze of bodies and was behind Grubauer before he knew it, putting the visitors back ahead. Quad Cities pushed to tie it back up but had trouble getting the puck away from the Solar Bears. When they did get control of the play they were unable to generate any real chances although Bobrovsky did appear to pull something just before the end of time. Igor Shesterkin coming in to catch a softie from the point to seal the deal and give Brooks an epic 5-4 come from behind win.

Brooks 5  (7 on 19) vs Quad Cities 4  (10 on 36)

1. Kahun (BSB) - 2g

2. Lindholm (QCQ) - 1g, 3 chances  on 8 shots

3. Whitecloud (BSB) - 2a, hit on Kadri that changed the momentum of the game

The rematch at the Brooks Agri-Dome saw Igor Shesterkin start for Sergei Bobrovsky who was still nursing the niggle he's picked up at the start of the first game. The game was a plodding affair given the ice hadn't fully hardened after the floor had been pulled for the annual Monster truck pull until Mitch Marner put the home side ahead with just under three minutes to play. The Solar Bears went into the intermission up 1-0. The second saw the visitors come out with some early fire with James van Riemsdyk evening the score at the 3:35 mark. Elias Lindholm put the Q-Men ahead less than a minute later after Miles Wood had forced a turnover in the neutral zone. Quad Cities lead was short lived as Justin Holl's shoot in off the ensuing face off took a crazy bounce and surprised Alxander Georgiev, tying the score at deuces. Quad Citis then held the edge in play until just before the fifteen minute mark of the second when Shesterkin went down stopping an innocent looking Nick Leddy shot forcing Bobrovsky to come in. Sam Bennett took offence and finished his hit on Leddy off the ensuing dump in. Leddy was slow to get up but remained in the game. Kiriil Kaprizov put Broooks back in the lead at 16:24 as the home side began to dominate play. With Jakub Silfverburg off for hooking late in the period, Bobrovsky was able to fend off a glorious Brandon Sutter short handed chance to preserve the lead on the only shot that Bobrovsky saw in the period after being pressed into service. Brooks ahead 3-2 after two. The third saw another strong start by the visitors. Claude Giroux evened the score just two minutes into the third. Thomas Tatar was then sent off for interference and Elias Lindholm put Quad Cities back into the lead at 3:36. Kevin Fiala scored an insurance goal at the six minute mark and the visitors wanted to put it into cruise control with an expected win. Unfortunately nobody told the Solar Bears that it was over. Less that a minute later Justin Hollagain beat Georgiev  and the home side was back within one. It was a choppy affair with Brooks holding a slight edge in play when Brad Richardson shoveled a loose puck past Georgiev to tie the game back up and send it to overtime with Elias Lindholm's lat penalty cancelling out Hapus Lindholm's earlier holding call. The extra frame was saw Brooks start on a short power play but they were unable to generate anything from it. Play was backand forth when Joel Farabee was sent in on a glorious chance but Goalie Bob swung across on a two pad stack to deny the chance and Sam Bennett went down to the other end and beat Georgiev to give the home side the 6-5 win in OT.

Quad Cities 5  (11 on 47) vs Brooks 6  (10 on 33)

1. Holl (BSB) - 2g, 2a, 2PM

2. E. Lindholm (QCQ) - 2g

3. Richardson (BSB) - GTG

Quad Cities is now 5-0-2-1 (11 pts)