DEN [ 3 ]
THU [ 4 ]
>>>
Thunder Bay, ON- The Timberwolves can smell the playoffs. Opponents beware... they are not backing in either.
>>>Coming off of three straight wins, Thunder Bay came home after a 4-1 win at Reykjavik to welcome the 2007-08 CCHL Cup Champion, Denver Spurs to the Canadian National Gardens.
>>>"They (Timberwolves players) are very focused right now," said general manager, Blake Wendt. "As focused as I've ever seen them."
>>>Things started off quiet for both teams to open the game. Denver playing more cautious, and Thunder Bay not giving their visitors much room in the offensive zone.
>>>But at 17:11, Vinny Lecavalier broke the scoreless tie for his 29th of the season off a break-away and some nifty deking on Jonas Hiller.
>>>Having the lead was not enough for the Spurs, and Milan Lucic tried to find a Timberwolves player to dance with. No takers at first, but after some after-the-whistle stickwork on Thunder Bay's leading scorer Marian Gaborik, Patrick Sharp (pictured) finally had had enough and dropped the mitts with Lucic at 19:14. A spirited bout that seemed to have the opposite result than what the Spurs were looking for. As eventually Sharp held his ground and rallied his club and his home fans behind them.
>>>The first period would end with Denver up 1-0.
>>>The middle period took off with the same physicality that the first ended with. Hits were hard and the hits were often on both sides. But at 8:37, Denver's Craig Rivet crossed the line and checked Thunder Bay's Bryan Little face-first into the glass. While the rookie lay motionless for a brief period. His captain, Keith Ballard look several gloved swings at the face of Rivet before linesmen quickly moved in. Rivet recieved two minutes for boarding and a 10-minute misconduct. Although Little did eventually skate off under his own power and finish the game, his teammates were none too pleased with the incident.
>>>"Rivet's a vet and knows better," said Sheldon Souray. "That hit has no place in the game. He could've let up and he didn't. Lucky the kid (Little) wasn't hurt too bad."
>>>While 4-on-4, Patrick Sharp tied things up at 9:13 for his 17th from Jay McKee and Matt Niskanen.
>>>But at 11:36, Lecavalier scored his second of the game to put Denver back on top. Matt Hunwick was the salt in the Timberwolves wound at 15:48. Putting the Spurs up 3-1 going into the final period.
>>>"It was disapointing to have that third one go in," said centre, Mike Fisher. "We weren't being outplayed. But one mistake and turnover and it's a killer."
>>>Jonas Hiller was locked in for the third period. The Spurs came out firing and the Swiss tender was a wall for the Timberwolves. With Hiller securing the backend, Thunder Bay focused on getting back the two-goal deficit.
>>>Sheldon Souray brought his club within one with a blast from the inside the left faceoff circle for his 17th of the season at 5:36.
>>>Thirteen seconds later and the Spurs were in big trouble. Ales Hemsky skated in on Pekka Rinne uncontested and roofed the tying goal over the Finns shoulder for his 15th of the season.
>>>Not looking to go to overtime, Denver kept the pressure on the Timberwolves defense and kept shooting from anywhere on Hiller. Hoping for something to sneak through.
>>>But Hiller remained un-passable and stopped all of the Spurs twenty shots in the third period.
>>>Also not looking to go to overtime were the Timberwolves. Namely, Marc Savard who took a tape-to-tape feed from Sharp to fake the pass back to Sharp and shoot it five-hole on the Spurs goalie to put Thunder Bay ahead for the first time in the game at 14:42.
>>>The lead would hold and the Timberwolves won their forth in a row and are 8-2-1 in their last ten.
>>>"It's a very good win," said a subtle Timberwolves head coach, Craig Hartburg. "They didn't get down and never let up in pursuit of every goal. If you didn't know the score and missed the first sixty minutes, you'd never know we were down 3-1. Alot of poise and determination was what they guys showed out there. But more than anything, we would have definately been killed without Jonas (Hiller). He saved the game. Literally."
>>>
>>>3-STARS
>>>***Vincent Lecavalier (DEN) - 2 goals
>>>**Patrick Sharp (THU) - Goal, assist and a fight (Gordie Howe Hat trick)
>>>*Jonas Hiller (THU) - 38 saves (20 in the 3rd period)
>>>
>>>Next game: Thursday vs Havana (26-38-6)
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