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Final Standings 2000-01 Season
Home Road
Home Road Top PLAY-OFFS Foxhall Flames v Kingston Nighthawks and Chichester Golden Seals v Michigan Dragons Foxhall start as short odds favourites against outsiders Kingston, who'll have to contend not only with the most productive offense in the league (3.3 goals/game), but also the second meanest defense (2.4 gpg). Whilst the 'hawks can also score (3.02, ranked 5th), their defense is a concern as they ranked 9th of the 12 teams, allowing 2.95 gpg. As usual in the play-offs though, it will probably come down to two things - who has the hot goalie and who can win on the road. With Flames having a tremendous road record, they appear to have the edge here as well. Kingston will battle hard, but by my reckoning, Flames in 5. The other match-up features one team making their play-off debut (Michigan) against a team returning to post-season play for the first time for many years (Chichester). Despite Michigan's superior points tally, the Seals have home ice advantage through winning their division. Expect goals in this series, with Jagr leading Seals 2nd best offense in the league (3.27 gpg) against the Dragons 3rd ranked side (3.15). On the other side of centre-ice, Michigan have the meanest defense, backstopped by Eddie Belfour, allowing just 2.35 gpg. But the Seals are no slouches, ranking 4th at 2.63 gpg allowed. This has the potential to be a great series and I suspect it will go the distance. Harder to pick is the winner, but I think the Dragons will edge through. Top Foxhall Flames v Kingston Nighthawks Game 1 in Foxhall As expected Flames came out strong and
bossed the first period, but with both goalies in top form it took some
tic-tac-toe passing for Radek Bonk to score the only goal of the
session. Role reversal in the second as the visitors made a brisk start
and Martin Rucinsky fired home from a tight angle at 23.12. When
Matthieu Schneider's long shot found it's way through traffic and into
the net, Nighthawks were in front, but the lead lasted little over a
minute until Vitali Yachmenev levelled the scores. Scott Mellanby
restored Kingston's lead at 31.36 and they then had 3 consecutive
powerplays, however that was the way it remained at the break. The third
session was more even, but a chippy affair. With time beginning to drain
away, Flames found the tying goal on the PP, as Valeri Bure deflected
Eric Weinrich's shot to make it 3-all at 56.01. Seconds later Bonk's
drive almost won the game, but instead crashed off the cross bar and
into the crowd. So, first game of the post-season and we had overtime!
The visitors had two shots early in what was to prove a short extra
session, as a wild scramble in front of their goal saw the puck bounce
to Weinrich who chopped it into the net to a huge roar of approval from
the Flames crowd. Game 2 in Kingston Andrew Cassels gave the visitors the lead
at 2.48 with Rucinsky sitting for interference, but within 4 minutes
Simon Gagne and Steve Yzerman (shorthanded) switched the lead in the
home team's favour. Eric Lindros tied it before the end of the period
with Rucinsky sitting his third minor of the session. Mellanby and Kimmo
Timonen scored 2 goals quickly in the second before Lindros pulled one
back to make it 4-3. When Ryan Smyth restored the 2 goal advantage
before the 10 minute mark Storr was suffering shell shock - 5 goals in
12 shots faced. Then Sean O'Donnell and Weinrich tangled and scrapped,
the 'hawk was assessed the instigator penalty and Bure promptly scored
the Flames 3rd powerplay goal to make it a one goal game again - and
this with 27 minutes to play. >From there on it was more like
play-off hockey, with both sides playing fairly conservatively in the
3rd and chances hard to come by. Storr was pulled with 48 seconds left
as the Flames tried to tie the game but Martin Straka hit the empty net
to claim the win. Coach Turner was quoted as being very pleased that the
scoring was spread amongst his team, but expressed grave concern about
the penalty killing (Flames 4 of 14 on the powerplay through two games).
Meanwhile the weak showing from Storr and the quantity of good chances
for the 'hawks forwards will have been a concern for coach
Quinton. Game 3 in Foxhall If the previous 2 games had been exciting,
this one was a step up to the next level. Both netminders were in
outstanding form, especially Salo who was instrumental in keeping it
scoreless at the halfway point, as the Flames dominated. The shot count
was 21-9 in their favour at this stage and they'd also come up blank on
5 powerplay chances in the first 20 minutes. Kingston got their game
going in the third and as often happens having been under pressure for
so long, but not having yielded, they took the lead when Smyth scored
from the slot at 45.12. Flames were in the same situation as game 1 and
a very similar conclusion to regulation time ensued. This time at full
strength, Ken Daneyko's heavy pass to the side of the net was diverted
up and over Salo by Robert Kron at 56.24. Despite 37 saves from Salo and
26 from Storr, neither had the win as this game also went to overtime.
If we'd seen heroics so far, there was no real description for Salo's
overtime performance. With the crowd roaring on their favourites, Flames
poured forward, often overwhelming the 'hawks. But time and again Salo
kept them at bay, making 19 saves including 5 great saves and forcing
the game into a second overtime. Although Storr had largely been a
spectator in the previous stanza, he showed he was on his mettle as he
stoned Smyth in the opening seconds of the 5th period, and Flames went
back the other way creating a great chance for Bure who fired high at
the corner..........only to see Salo again turn aside the shot. Finally,
at 82.24 the game winner arrived and after all the stellar play, it was
a scrappy affair. Both sides turned the puck over before Martin Straka
split the defense and rifled a drive past the helpless Storr. Needless
to say, the star of the night was Salo, with an incredible 57 save
performance, and Kingston return home having taken away home ice
advantage, leading 2 games to 1. Foxhall Flames v Kingston Nighthawks After 3 close games, 2 requiring overtime, Kingston lead 2-1 having taken home ice advantage with a road win in double overtime in game 3.... Game 4 in Kingston Another epic game in an extraordinary
series. Although the Flames had less of the play in the first, they came
out with the lead as Valeri Bure put them ahead midway through. Early in
the second Eric Lindros doubled the lead and when Radek Bonk scored at
36.24 Flames were fully in control. Kingston were given a vital shot in
the arm though when Ryan Smyth put them on the board before the second
break. And with tensions building, Chris Pronger and Tom Poti scrapped
as the buzzer sounded to end the session. In what had been a relatively
quiet game so far penalty wise, Bure being called for slashing was a key
moment, even more so when Steve Yzerman tipped home Gary Suter's shot.
Flames continued to look for an insurance goal on the counter attack,
and looked the more threatening, but at 51.36 the red light registered
in favour of the 'hawks as Simon Gagne's wrister beat Storr and tied the
game at 3. Yet again, these teams were going to overtime. It proved to
be a cautious affair, Flames having one powerplay chance, but with
scoring chances at a premium, for the second game running the teams
headed into a second extra session. With tired players and so much at
stake, off the puck action increased. Nighthawk players kept incurring
the displeasure of the referee and handed Flames 4 different
man-advantage situations, including two spells of 5 on 3. But the
penalty killers were inspired, Flames managing only 6 shots in total
through what was to prove another scoreless 20 minutes. There was an
ever-increasing feeling that the game would be decided by special teams,
and with Flames taking three penalties in the third extra session,
Kingston laid siege to Storr's net. When the winner finally came though,
it was at full strength. Darius Kasparaitus managed to keep the puck in
the offensive zone after a rush, and dumped it goalwards where Martin
Straka spun and fired in one motion, finding the twine behind Storr to
settle the contest at 113.36. Another 41 saves for Salo, whilst Storr's
55 save effort proved cruelly insufficient. Game 5 in Foxhall With Flames now in a must win situation, the
pressure was on. But at least they could look back on last years
play-offs and remember their recovery from 3 games down to beat
Bracknell. As with previous home games, Flames were the superior side
for much of the first two sessions, but as usual Tommy Salo was in no
mood to concede. There was a steady stream of minor penalties which
neither side could capitalise on, until late in the second when
Kingston's Gary Suter took a penalty, just as team mate Schneider
stepped out of the box. Cassels shot from the wing was re-directed by
Chris Pronger and although Salo made the initial save, Marius Czerkawski
was on hand to jam the puck home. The third session was a dull affair,
Flames trying to grind out the win and Nighthawks not generating much
offense, and very few scoring chances. Bondra had their best attempt,
but rang the pipework, and in the end Flames were relieved to have
extended their season by at least one game. Game 6 in Kingston Another tight affair, with a scoreless but
penalty strewn first that saw Scott Mellanby pick up a 10 minute
misconduct for his 'discussions' with the officials. Lindros bagged his
4th of the series to put the visitors ahead on the PP at 26.48. Cassels
picked up a double minor later on, and Mathieu Schneider's blast from
the point levelled the scores in an even middle period. The next goal
would be crucial and it was another powerplay goal, Michal Handzus'
backhand effort lifted high over the despairing dive of Storr to put the
home side in front and leave Flames facing elimination. They had a
little under 12 minutes to save their season, but with the under-rated
'hawks defense getting strong assistance from furiously back-checking
forwards, Flames couldn't find a way through. Indeed, Stephane Yelle's
strong checking took the puck away from a Flame forward and Kasparaitus'
dump-out was corralled by a streaking Sergei Berezin, who raced away to
seal the game, and the series, at 56.24. So, the bookies outsiders Kingston Nighthawks advance to the Stanley Cup Final after a 4-2 series win over regular season champs Foxhall. Tommy Salo was named as series MVP after compiling a tremendous 93.7% save rate. Coach Quinton was disconsolate in defeat and having lost in the Stanley Cup final for the past two seasons, must wonder exactly what he has to do to get the Flames to win the holy grail. Key stats: Top Chichester Golden Seals v Michigan Dragons Game 1 in Chichester A tense start saw exchanges of penalties
and an interrupted flow with Alexander Karpovstev forcing Ed Belfour
into a great save with a couple of minutes left in the opening period.
The 2nd started much as the first, but with both sides trying to stamp
their authority on the series, heavyweights Owen Nolan and Derian
Hatcher slugged it out, the contest ending even and at 5 minutes each.
However, Bill Guerin broke the deadlock straight from the face-off at
4.24 only for Andrew Brunette to even things up on the PP a couple of
minutes later. A spell of end to end play ensued resulting in messrs
Guerin and Brunette exchanging goals again to end the period tied at
2-2. Both offenses gave the goalies plenty of work in the 3rd and
Hatcher and Mattias Ohlund hit the metalwork within minutes of each
other , then Jagr and Brian McCabe forced Belfour into heroics to keep
the score tied at 2 after regulation. Todd Bertuzzi had been the nearly
man as he had been denied three times by spectacular Belfour stops, but
he became the villain when he took a tripping penalty and Guerin bagged
his hat-trick and the winner on the PP at 70.48. Game 2 in Michigan Another cautious beginning, with the first
action of note coming halfway through the period. Brendan Morrison
picked up the first penalty of the game, and the Seals took just 30
seconds to capitalise, Bryan Smolinski firing home. With a little over
16 minutes elapsed, he was Johnny-on-the-spot again, scoring from close
in to double Seals lead. When Burke and Benoit Brunet tangled and picked
up unsportsmanlike penalties in the second, a pretty feed from Phil
Housley sent in Pat Verbeek and he deked Belfour before sliding the
biscuit through the five-hole and Chichester were up by a field goal.
This was Housley's 3rd point of the night - in fact he'd picked up an
assist on all 5 Seals goals in the series so far. Despite the lead, the
visitors picked up the pace in the third against a strangely subdued
Dragons. Smolinski bagged his hat-trick at 45.36 and with Burke solid in
goal, Chichester blanked the home side 4-0 to level the series. Game 3 in Chichester The Seals wanted to get back quickly at
the visitors following their home opener loss and Andrew Brunette scored
at 3:36 after Pat Verbeek had missed a good opportunity a minute before.
A dour battle ensued and following a Sean Burke penalty, Pierre Turgeon
equalised at 12:24. The game came to life and Brian Smolinski's wrist
shot to the bottom corner restored a one goal lead just to see veteran
Ron Francis cancel that out with 2:48 left to the first break. The
second period started with some scrappy play. First game hat-trick hero
Bill Guerin went close on the PP and Seals made Ed Belfour perform at
his best with two big efforts on the same play. The deadlock was broken
by Smolinski once again, his 5th of the series, to give the Seals a 3-2
advantage. Jaromir Jagr surprised Belfour on the glove side just 2:00
into the 3rd to make it 4-2 and from there on the home side ground down
the visiting efforts to keep the advantage for a deserved win. Game 4 in Michigan Turgeons' shot through traffic on an early
powerplay found the net to give Dragons an early lead. With the home
side trying to stifle Smolinksi, it of course opened up things for Jagr
and he made them pay at 13.12. In what was a fairly even encounter,
Sergei Samsonov won his personal battle with Burke when he roofed one
over the goalie on the 34 minute mark. Coach Morris and his superstar
Jagr were not impressed when referee Rob Schick sent the Czech to the
penalty box early in the third on a 'holding the stick' call. But
team-mate John MacLean gave the best possible comment on the call as he
split the defense and slid the puck under Belfour, tying the scores with
a short-handed marker. This only served to galvanise Michigan and
although Burke kept out two golden opportunities from the hitherto
missing-in-action Owen Nolan, Turgeon turned the Dragon's pressure into
the lead at 49.36. >From there on the home team, much as the Seals
did in game 3, then kept the visitors at bay for the remainder of the
game, and Marc Savard hit the empty net late on to confirm the result.
So, back to Chichester in what is now a 3 game series Game 5 in Chichester A tense opening which saw frustrations
boil over around the 8 minute mark when Guerin and Brian McCabe engaged
in a prolonged fight, both men winding up bloodied. The scoreboard
remained blank after the first 20 minutes though. It was another feisty
player who broke the deadlock, Pat Verbeek jamming home from close range
to give the Seals the lead at 5.11. Just under 3 minutes later the
advantage was doubled through John MacLean's backhand shot. When Jason
York joined Guerin in the box minutes later to hand the home side a 2
man advantage, Michigan were on the ropes. But they killed off the
penalties and reached the break 2-0 down. Early in the third, Ed Belfour
went down awkwardly and had to leave the game, coach Perez forced to
replace him with Roberto Luongo, the youngster making his play-off
debut! The session was full of stifling hockey, neither side allowing
the other any decent chances, and few shots. But Seals superstar Jaromir
Jagr handed the visitors a lifeline at 57.36 when he took two minutes
for hooking, and referee Mark Faucette tacked on a misconduct for his
complaints. With Luongo on the bench inside the final minute, Guerin
finished some crisp passing from Duchesne and Turgeon to make it 2-1.
Any thoughts of a miraculous comeback evaporated within 30 seconds, as
MacLean hit the empty net to preserve the win for Chichester. Game 6 in Michigan The raucous home crowd were quieted after
just 96 seconds as Jaromir Jagr struck for the Seals, on Phil Housley's
6th helper of the series. When Keith Jones joined team-mate Patrice
Brisebois in the box around the 7 minute mark, it took Chichester just
24 seconds to make the two man advantage count, Robert Lang snapping a
wrist shot past Belfour's shoulder for a 2-0 lead. The period continued
in a wide open, end-to-end fashion and Sergei Samsonov put the Dragons
on the board when he drove the net and stuffed the puck under Sean
Burke. Both teams accentuated more defensive hockey after the first
interval, and Michigan gradually took control of the play. Owen Nolan's
first of the post-season tied things up at 27.12 and the only other
thing of note in the session was Bob Boughner picking up a 10 minute
misconduct after being called for highsticking. Mike Modano's 3rd assist
on the night (remarkably, his first points of the series) helped set up
Samsonov's second goal early in the third period and Dragons discipline
was to prove vital. As they maintained their composure, Seals suffered
and the home side ensured victory with powerplay goals from Pierre
Turgeon and Brendan Morrison. Game 7 in Chichester So with everything up for grabs it was a
cautious start to the game. Nolan opened the scoring at 9.12 with the
puck trickling under Burke's equipment. A recurrence of Belfour's
previous injury again saw Luongo come in, this time after 17 minutes.
Dragons dominated the second session, but against the run of play and
with just the Seals 7th shot, Pavel Trkna tied the game at 28.24.
Turgeon restored the Dragons lead with a soft goal on 32 minutes, and
although Jagr registered a flurry of attempts, just to prove he was in
the same building, Modano scored on a low drive to the bottom corner.
Down 3-1 Seals had to regroup in the interval. It only took 48 seconds
to change things though, Modano scoring a PP goal on a penalty carried
over from the second period. There was no way back from that, and at the
buzzer Michigan celebrated their first ever Stanley Cup finals berth.
Coach Morris was upset with his team, using the phrases "hugely
disappointing" and "a poor effort" after the game, and
not impressed with Burke who gave up a couple of soft goals. So, it's Michigan v Kingston in the final, with the Dragons having home ice in the odd-numbered games. Key stats: Top Michigan Dragons v Kingston Nighthawks Game 1 in Michigan The Dragons stamped their authority on the
finals with a dominant show. Bill Guerin (5) was first on the board for
the home team, although Ryan Smyth (4) soon tied the scores with a PPG
as Shjon Podein sat out two minutes for hooking. Owen Nolan (3) restored
Dragons lead within 30 seconds and a brace from Ron Francis (2,3) made
it 4-1 after the first twenty minutes. Whilst first round hero Tommy
Salo was doing his best, Michigan were simply getting too many scoring
chances. Patrice Brisebois (1), Marc Savard (2) and Guerin (6) again
built the score to 7-1 by the end of the second and the 'hawks looked
stunned with disbelief. They did manage a consolation in the third from
Mathieu Schneider (3), with Dragons not adding to their score, but the
concern for coach Turner was how would his side react after this
blow-out? Game 2 in Kingston Determined to bounce back, Kingston came
out strong on home ice. It was Dallas Drake (1) - a bit player in the
regular season, but brought in for the play-offs in place of Theo Fleury
- who scored on the 8 minute mark to put Nighthawks ahead. They largely
dominated the first period, much as Michigan had done in game 1, but
ex-'hawk Sergei Samsonov's equaliser (4) at 13.36 left it level at the
break. The sides exchanged goals in the second, both coming on the
powerplay and at similar times to those in the first. Smyth (5) restored
the Kingston advantage only for Nolan (4) to send the sides into their
locker rooms still all square. Despite both sides having some good
chances, there was no further scoring and so the game entered overtime.
A pair of roughing minors reduced the sides to 4 on 4 within 24 seconds,
then Kingston were handed a huge opportunity as Brisebois was assessed a
double minor for tripping which infuriated coach Perez. However, whilst
he was losing his head, the penalty killers kept theirs and despite
'hawk pressure, the crisis passed. Kingston continued to have the edge,
but both goalies stood firm and a second overtime was required.
Nighthawks killed off an early penalty, but with both sides visibly
tired, it was a defenseman who got the game winner - Sean Hill's (1)
drive from the point beating a despairing Salo to clinch victory for the
visitors. Game 3 in Michigan Late arrivals for game 3 missed the opening
exchanges which almost had the roof come off when Mike Modano (3) took
just 24 seconds to put the Dragons in front. Determined to play his part
having been given the chance, Drake (2) went to the net and was rewarded
when he jammed home a shot Belfour failed to cover with 3.36 gone. After
this both sides settled into more defensive minds, but that didn't stop
Brendan Morrison (2) making it 2-1 Michigan at 14.24. For the remainder
of the game Belfour and Salo were in top form, each making some big
saves to keep the opponents at bay. Even Belfour though was unable to do
anything about a Ryan Smyth shot that Michal Handzus (2) deflected past
him to tie the scores with 6 minutes to go. Despite taking two separate
penalties in the remaining time, 'hawks had forced the game into
overtime. It took just two minutes to settle matters and it was a
painful finish as ex-hawk Samsonov latched on to a feed from Mattias
Ohlund and drilled it past Salo from 30 feet to give Dragons the win,
leaving them one game from overall victory. Game 4 in Kingston With the cup on the line, the last thing
expected was a wide-open, end-to-end game. But with Kingston pressing
and the swift-skating Michigan forwards counter attacking, the first
session was great entertainment, but hard on the goalies. Salo was in
sparkling form, making 4 big stops and with Johnny-on-the-spot Drake (3)
scoring for the third straight game, Kingston took the lead at 7.12.
With the game continuing at an amazing pace, the only surprise was that
this was the only goal of a session in which Michigan had a 17-10 shots
advantage. The game setlled down somewhat in the second, although both
goalies were kept busy and Belfour was keeping his side in the game.
Even so, around the 27 minute mark a scramble round the crease saw the
puck carom into the net. It took several video replays to determine that
the goal was legal, and had come off the stick of Michal Handzus (3),
but it meant Kingston led 2-0. Early in the third hero turned villain as
Drake picked up a cross-checking minor and the Dragons capitalised with
Mike Knuble (1) tipping home a Sean Hill blast at 42.48. Kingston were
threatening to self destruct as Tom Poti went to the box, and then the
largely quiet Darius Kasparitus made his biggest impact of the finals,
earning a major plus game miscondcut for a vicious cross-check on Keith
Jones. With the crowd behing them though, 'hawks penalty killers
produced a remarkable effort which allowed Michigan just the one shot in
the 5 minute advantage. A sublime piece of skill from Ron Francis
changed things - his pass finding Patrice Brisebois whose shot was
parried by Salo, only to fall to the stick of Morrison (3) who knocked
it home with under 2 minutes left. Despite allowing only 5 shots in the
third period, Nighthawks had seen their opponents convert 2 of them to
force yet another overtime. Kingston had more of the play early on, but
when the goal came it was from an unlikely source. Jones and Marc Savard
initiated a breakout from their own zone with an interchange of passes,
before defenseman Jason York jumped into the play and swept Jones' pass
past the diving Salo and into the open net. York's first goal of the
play-offs - and the goal that clinched the cup for the Michicgan
Dragons! So, congratulation to Carlos and his Dragons for winning their first title, although I'm sure he's not the first coach from outside the UK to claim the prize, but definitely the first from the other side of the Atlantic! Top
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