Timbermen and Saints Draw

The Nanaimo Timbermen visited the Port Coquitlam Saints on Sunday night and it was a physical game right out of the gate.

The Timbermen received penalties early on in the first period, with David Mjoen getting two minutes for holding followed by a Taylor Raiche game misconduct for intent to injure at 5:43. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the Saints who got on the board first, as Jeremy Roe scored for the Timbermen at 4:16 to take a 1-0 lead.

The Saints eventually got on the board at 11:29 when Connor Goodwin scored to even up the score. Timbermen’s Owen Barker received two minutes for high sticking at 14:54 and the Saints wasted no time, well, less than 20 seconds, to score on the powerplay when Luke Lehtimaki picked up a rebound rather close to the crease and put it in the back of the net to make it 2-1 Saints.

The Timbermen continued to get into penalty trouble as Andrew Miller got two minutes for delay of game and the Saints made them pay as Goodwin scored his second of the game at 15:50.

With just under 30 seconds remaining in the first period, Travis Mickelson scored for the Timbermen to cut the Saints lead to 1. The Saints called a timeout with 18 seconds left, but they weren’t able to capitalize.

The second period opened up in the goals department for both teams. The Timbermen scored two quick goals at 2:54 and 3:18 to go up 4-3, but Saints’ Goodwin evened up the score when he scored on a breakaway at 3:42.

The Saints took a 6-4 lead when Nathan Marken scored at 6:51 on the powerplay followed by a goal from Tanner Fisher at 9:00, but that lead quickly vanished when Tre Mason got called for holding at 9:57, in which Brett Hawrys scored on the powerplay and then Miller scored 6 seconds later to tie the game up.

At 15:05, Marken notched his second of the game to give the Saints a 7-6 lead and that wrapped up Timbermens’ Matt Zeller’s night as Peter Dubenski entered the game. It didn’t start well for Dubenski as the Timbermen basically fell asleep when Mason literally jogged right down the middle untouched and put it in the back of the net at 15:47 to make it a 8-6 game.

Timbermens’ Cole Kryworuchka scored on a breakaway at 16:08 to make it a 8-7 game, but when Corey Shires received two minutes for delay of game 40 seconds later, Saints’ Fisher capitalized on the powerplay at 17:38 making it a 9-7 Saints entering the third period.

While the third period saw some scoring chances for both teams, it was great goaltending and big plays that made it a low scoring period.

Dubenski made a great pass to Miller that led to a breakaway and Miller scored his second of the game at 6:45 to cut the Saints lead to 1.

The Timbermen did not stop there even a man down when Dane Sorensen scored shorthanded at 14:25 to tie the game up.

The Saints got into trouble when Goodwin received a five-minute penalty for high sticking at 15:58 at which point you would think the Timbermen would put the Saints away, but then Kryworuchka received two minutes for high sticking at 17:03 and both teams were unable to score another goal before the end of the period.

In overtime, the Timbermen took a 10-9 lead 27 seconds in with a goal from Sorensen. It seemed to be over when Saints’ Pierce Watson received two minutes for interference and a game misconduct for hitting a Timbermen player in the change box at 15:28, but the Timbermen couldn’t score on the powerplay.

With 59 seconds left in overtime, the Saints called a timeout and it worked for them as Alex Philcox scored with 46 seconds left to tie the game up. The Timbermen had one last shot when they called a timeout shortly after, but nothing came of it as the game ended in a tie.

Three stars of the game
1. Port Coquitlam – Connor Goodwin - 3 goals, 3 assists
2. Nanaimo – Dane Sorensen – 3 goals
3. Port Coquitlam – Tanner Fisher – 2 goals, 3 assists

The Port Coquitlam Saints will have a bit of a breather after playing three games in 5 days, as they will host the Delta Islanders on Friday, May 30. The Timbermen will also get some rest after playing back-to-back games, as they host the Coquitlam Adanacs on Saturday, May 31.