It’s always fun to watch rival teams play and nobody knows that better than Cobras and Maulers fans. There is always a little of every aspect that make up a great hockey game, pushing, shoving, fighting, scoring, and celebrations. Butte was hoping to make a comeback against Missoula after being trounced on 6-4 the night before at the GIR, a goal I’m not sure they’ll ever accomplish.
Damon Hanson opened up the scoring,. Taking control of a one man advantage when Corba, Chadd Lounder took a two minute minor hooking penalty just over a minute into the game. Hanson is a piece of work, if he is on the ice, good things are going to happen-for his team. He isn’t the fastest player on the team but he can carry a puck like nobody’s business and can spot a goalies weak spot from his own defensive zone. You stick that guy between Austin Auzzinnaro, a two year Mauler with some of the fanciest feet in the league, and Tanner Todd another vet, with a rough and tumble attitude and a shot a little like Johnny Boychuk’s, you’re screwed.
Less than two minutes later, Russian breakout star, rookie, Alex Shalamov, already having two goals under his belt from Friday decided to add another tally to the score sheet by slipping a puck past Cobras goalie, Reed Kinsey, once again showing why he is a multiple time star of the game. Azzinnaro picked up an assists on Alex’s goal giving him two points in less than two minutes!
The Maulers weren’t quite done for the period though, four year Mauler, Matt Chamberlain got in on the action, picking up a pass from Shalamov, taking off a play from three year Maulers vet Tyler Zandhuisen and throwing the puck in the net to hoist Missoula up 3-0 half way through the first.
At this point, Cobras switch their goalie and put in Tage Rustgi, who played in Missoula the night before. Rustgi holds the vicious Maulers off long enough for PJ Silveria to give his team the glimmer of light they were looking for, slipping the puck under Noah Parker, just seconds after Chamberlains goal. Parker and Rustgi then turned the scoring off for the remaining minutes.
Just like Butte tends to do, James Kilgore took it upon himself to grab a goal early in the period. This didn’t throw Missoula though, if you know Noah Parker , an 18 year old who can block a five hole, knock down your top shelf, and catch your slapshot, you know he doesn’t get flustered easily. Though even Parker was probably nervous when Tyler Lodin and Tanner Todd were both sent to the bin to serve penalties giving the feisty Cobras a 5 on 3. Little did Parker or the rest of the rink know, this kill was going to do nothing but help the Maulers.
After a defensive zone face off, the Maulers fight to keep the puck away from the net, finally the boys get some tape on it and toss it down the ice. Rustgi went out to retrieve it, where Corey Schafer, a Mauler of three years, a trade from the Great Falls Americans in 2011, met him at the other end of the ice, grabbed the puck and effortlessly tossed it into the open net. Jonathan Bernier much?
The Maulers could only protect their two goal lead for seven minutes until Anton Zimmer cut the lead to just one goal once again instilling hope in the Cobras. That was enough to agitate the Maulers.
Just 18 seconds after Zimmer’s goal, Chamberlain cut off Butte’s celly by scoring a goal of his own and grabbing back the two goal lead, also giving Shalamov his second point of the night and Edward Pollon his first. Then Tanner Todd grabbed his second point off the night, feeding off a pass from Andrei Shebelbain and Damon Hanson. Hanson decided to get in on the action himself just seconds after Chamberlains goal, scoring his own and sending the Cobras into a flurry.
PJ Silveria was the one who would turn out to answer for Butte, scoring a last minute goal off a pass from Kevin Philbin to go into the Intermission 4-7.
As time went down in the third, both goalies manage to hold the squirmy teams out of the net until a little past the halfway mark. When a powerplay opportunity arises for Missoula, coach Marcus Baxter throws on one of the most dangerous lines in all of the league to take advantage of the power play. Austin Azzinnaro, Tanner Todd, and Damon Hanson all lined up in front of Tage, where Todd was the lucky guy who doubled the score over the opposers. Four minutes later, Alex Shalamov put the game away with some help from Pollon and Zanhuisen to wrap things up 4-9.
Tanner Todd Picked up first star of the night, Shalamov grabbed second and PJ Silveria claimed third.
Some very honorable mentions for the games who didn’t get recognized. Edward Pollon, Andrei Shebelbain, Emil Travergard.