Yeti 4 Knights 3 game 1 (Overtime)
Knights 4 Yeti 2 game 2
Game 3 to be played on Monday, April 29th at 6:30
Yeti 4 Knights 3 (overtime)
Everyone with any kind of XHL history has to be happy for Ben Rossi, except for maybe the Knights. In time, they will probably be happy for him too, especially if they can find a way to win game 3 next week. With just over a minute remaining in the first overtime of game 1 last night, Ben Rossi batted in a rebound (might have been Zach Smith who got the initial shot) to give the Yeti a game 1 victory last night. Some guys on the Colonials may remember the goal Ben Rossi scored at the buzzer back in the old Brockway XHL days. That goal got Ben Rossi’s team into the playoffs that season. Last nights goal got his team to within a win of winning a championship which would be Rossi’s first one. Win or lose next week, its nice to see him fitting in well with the Yeti and playing hockey at a high level. After the overtime goal, we should have just called off the rest of the series. That alone felt like an xhl championship highlight reel. Fortunately for the Knights, there was still a chance for redemption before the night was over. The Knights got off to a 2-0 lead to start off the night. The first goal came on a connection from Noah Kline to Andy Calvert and the 2nd goal came on a chip up the wall from Noah Kline to Brandon Reiter with Reiter finishing off the play to put the Knights up 2-0. The Yeti took advantage of a couple Knights penalties to get back into the game. Derik Day scored their first goal early in the 2nd period and Zach Smith would later score to tie the game at 2. Zach Smith was not feeling well or else we may have seen a heavier dose of him throughout the game. Needless to say, he is still effective even when he isn’t feeling well. The game would remain tied going into the 3rd period but Noah Kline scored off a rebound from an Andy Calvert shot early in the 3rd period to put the Knights back ahead. Their names wont get mentioned a lot because they are goalies, but Adam McKinley and Clint Lingenfelter both played very well in both games last night. Its rare for teams as good as these ones to get held to 13 combined goals in xhl games but that goes to show how well both teams played defensively and for how well their goalies played. Neither team and neither goalie deserved to lose. With around 6 minutes left to play, Nate Galentine was called for a penalty. It looked like the Knights were about to kill the penalty but Derik Day found Dave Jewell with just a few seconds left on the penalty. Jewell was able to backhand the tying goal. It initially looked like the pass was going to RJ but it worked out well for the Yeti. Neither team would score again in regulation and it took 14 minutes of overtime before Ben Rossi batted in the winning goal. Both teams had good chances to score earlier in the overtime. It appeared that the goalies wanted that game to go on into the middle of the night. The good news for both teams is that a game 2 soon followed a near 60 minutes of game 1.
Knights 4 Yeti 2
We should have just called off the rest of the series after game 1. After a long game 1, both teams may have been all for it. This was another one of those low scoring, well played game by both teams and both goalies. Once again, the Knights got off to an early lead and were able to redeem themselves from a tough game 1 loss to keep their chances alive at a repeat championship. Brandon Reiter scored early in the first period to give the Knights a 1-0 lead and Nate Galentine would follow later in the game to make it 2-0. The Knights were able to avoid penalties in this game which may have been the difference for them in the 2nd game. Ben Rossi put the Yeti on the board midway thru the 2nd period to close the gap but Brandon Reiter and the Knights soon answered to make it 3-1. It didn’t take long for the Yeti to close the gap to 3-2 (RJ) but Nate Galentine would eventually score a big insurance goal in the later stages of the 3rd period to give the Knights a 4-2 win which would hold up for them. The Yeti had a power play chance late in the game and actually pulled McKinley from net to give them a 2 man advantage, but they were unable to get one past Clint. The game 2 win for the Knights sets us up for a do or die championship game 3. Considering how close the last 4 games have been against one another, its only fitting they play one more time to decide who the best team is. Not many were probably around or even care about the 1991 world series , but one of the players on the winning team said that they should have just cut the world series trophy in half when that series ended. The XHL may have to consider that if game 3 ends the same way game 1 ended last night. Good luck to both teams next week and thank you for giving the XHL an entertaining night of hockey last night.
RJ (Yeti) Scored the Yeti's 2nd goal in game 2 last night
1. 2 games of hockey last night. What can you say about the overall team effort in both games? I thought we gave it a good effort. There are things we can improve in game 3 but I think we will put together a solid game
2. You guys fell behind in both games. How important do you think it will be to get off to a good start in a do or die game 3? You obviously don't want to fall behind by multiple goals early on but we have the ability to make adjustments if needed. It's important to match or exceed their intensity from the opening faceoff.
3. Game 1 felt like a marathon. Do you think that’s the best xhl game you have ever been a part of? . It was definitely the most high stakes game I've been in and glad we came out on top.
4. You and Ben Rossi aren’t used to being on a high caliber team like this one. Whats it been like playing on this team? I've been having fun this year. Ben I think has stepped up to new level. It took a couple games to get used to playing with guys I haven't been teammates with in the past but I think we've put together a solid season.
5. Game 3 against the Knights next week. Will you consider the season a failure if you don’t win it? It would be disappointing for sure but the Knights are a good team. I'd say they've been the favorites all season and we've shown now that we are right there with them. We will see who wants it more.
Nate Galentine (Knights)
1. 2 games of hockey last night. What can you say about the overall team effort in each game? The team effort was there as it is each week we play.
2. You had a costly 3rd period penalty in the first game but you made up for it with 2 goals in the 2nd game. Did that penalty weigh on your mind before the start of the 2nd game last night? . It did a bit, but you gotta shake it off stuff happens and can't let it get to you.
3. You guys were able to hang onto a 2 goal lead in the 2nd game. What do you think you guys did better in the 2nd game than you did in the first game? I feel we just kept digging and just kept the drive going.
4. You had to play a 2nd game just a half hour after losing the first game. Were you happy to have a chance to play that soon after losing or would you have rather had a week off to regroup before playing another one? Yeah I was happy to play that second game last night it. Really makes you feel and show what you have left in the tank when you need it.
5. Game 3 next week. Are you expecting a similar game as the games last night? I'm expecting a very competitive game next week
Brandon Reiter (Knights)
1. 2 games of hockey last night. What can you say about the overall team effort in each game? Effort was great in both games.
2. You guys fell in overtime to start the game. Before the start of the 2nd game, were you happy to get a chance to play again on the same night to try to redeem yourselves or would you have rather taken a week off to regain your energy? I was not excited about playing 2 games before the start of the first game.
3. You guys held on in the 2nd game. What do you think you guys did better in that game compared to the first game? . I don’t think we did much different, just pressed on and played our game.
4. The first game was decided late in overtime. Did that feel like the longest xhl game you have ever played in? It was a long game, but I’ve been in long ones before. 2003 Contenders vs Rogue comes to mind.
5. Do or die game 3 next week. How important do you think it will be to get that first goal considering how defensive minded both games were last night? We scored first in both games last night and the series is tied. You always want to get off to a good start but I don’t think either team believes that scoring first is a major key to victory.
***We sent Ben Rossi an interview. We will post it later if he responds.***