Post by QC Mike on Jan 11, 2023 22:28:21 GMT -7
This series kicked off at the Qualcomm Quonset Hut with the Quarrymen looking to take up their beef with the Bruisers from the playoffs two seasons ago.The first period was a relatively even affair where both sides ahad a couple of chances. The difference being Ryan Nugent-Hopkins capitalizing on his chance with Ryan O'Reilly in the box for slashing. The first ending with the home side leading 1-0. The second was much more of the same. Mark Stone evened the account at ones at 8:24. Ivan Provorov unloaded a bomb from the point on the power play at the midway point of the second to restore the Q-Men's lead. Nazem Kadri doubled the home sides lead with under a minute left to go in the period. Quad Cities leading 3-1 after two. The third saw both sides come out and press their opposition a bit harder. Charlie McAvoy stood O'Reilly up at the blue line with a thunderous hip check into the boards that seemed to daze him, but he had the last laugh as pulled Bonavista back to within one less than a minute later. The Quarrymen pressed hard but Jacob Markstrom shook off his poor performance of the first two periods and held the Bruisers in the game. The midway point of the frame saw Kadri looking for a dance partner as something had set him off but he ended up with a double minor for roughing. The puck seemed to follow Cam Fowler around the ice for about the first minute of the power play before he got tired of it and shot it past Philip Grubauer to even the score at threes. Shortly after getting out of the box, Kadri found a willing dance partner in Mike Foligno and the game settled down as both sides seemed to be settling for the points when with less than two minutes remaining Bonavista was called for too many men on the ice. Quad Cities generated a couple of chances and looked to be setting up for the kill when Cale Makar's stick broke and Anthony Cirelli got one last chance on Grubauer but was unable to do anything with it sending the game to Overtime. Claude Giroux had one chance to win the game just after the power play had expired but Markstrom turned him aside. There followed a lot of pretty skating with some pucks thrown at the opposing nets but nothing of any note happened until just before the buzzer when Cam Fowler decided that he needed Charlie McAvoy's stick as a souvenir, earning the home side a 1.2 second power play they were unable to capitalize on. Final score 3-3.
Bonavista 3 (7 chances on 35 shots) vs Quad Cities 3 (8 chances on 36 shots)
1. Provorov (QCQ) - 1G, 1A
2. Cirelli (BVB) - 2S, 2 chances on 3 shots
3. Grubauer (QCQ) - 3 GAA on 7 chances
The rematch back in Bonavista saw the bad blood continue. Less than a minute into the game Ryan Strome this time was unable to find a willing dance partner and ended up with a double roughing minor. The Quarrymen had almost killed the man advantage off when Antony Cirelli beat Philip Grubauer to open the scoring for the home side. This set the Bruisers off and they dominated from there out. Marcus Foligno caught Ivan Provorov with head down necessitating a visit from the trainer although Provorov stayed in the game. Foligno later in the shift was sent off for boarding and on the ensuing power play Cirelli's stick broke , letting Joss Morrissey walk in but Jacob Markstrom was able to fight off puck and deny Morrissey. A few minutes later, Morrisey was again the recipient of of broken stick this time form Shea Theodore but the ensuing shot didn't much trouble the Bonavista keeper. Jason Zucker doubled the lead at 13:12 while the sides were skating four aside. Just before the fifteen minute mark, Joel Farabee pulled on back for the visitors on a nice feed from Strome but Mark Stone restored Bonavista's two goal lead at 16:24. The Bruisers going into the first break up 3-1. The second saw the Q-Men push back and get more involved in the play. Calvin De Haan stapled Ryan Johansen into the boards just before the three minute mark of the frame. Nazem Kadri then got a little over exuberant and found himself in the box for charging. Shea Theodore blasted one in from the point to stake the Bruiser's to a three goal lead. With just over a minute remaining in the second, Teuvo Teravainen pulled one back with Alexandre Carriere off for holding to give the visitors some life heading into the intermission. 4-2 Bonavista. The third peiod was a wide open affair with Quad Cities pressing to score and Bonavista counter punching in the hope of landing a knockout blow. Johansen on his one good leg blew past James van Riemsdyk and put one past Grubauer to extend the Bruiser's lead and JVR finding his self stapled to the bench for the rest of the game. Kadri got that one back at the fourteen minute mark. The gimpy Johansen was the recipient of some luck when while on the power play Elias Lindholm's stick broke on the clearing attempt and Johansen was able to calmly slot it past an out of position Grubauer. Nazem Kadri, a dynamo in the third, again would not let his team go quietly and got that goal back at the eighteen minute mark on a pretty tic-tac-toe play from Terravainen and Dylan Cozens (replacing the benched JVR). With Grubauer on the bench for the extra skater, Kevin Fiala pulled the visitors within one with over a minute to go. Elias Lindholm found the puck on his stick twice in the final flurry, but his shots didn't trouble Markstrom much and the home side held on for the thrilling 6-5 victory.
Quad Cities 5 (9 chances on 31 shots) vs. Bonavista 6 (9 chances on 34 shots)
1. Johansen (BVB) - 2G, GWG all while -2
2. Kadri (QCQ) - 2G, 1A, 2PM, 3 chances on 6 shots in 3rd period
3. Theodore (BVB) - 1G, 1A 2 chances on 3 shots