Spurs Bag Donuts!

- The BAG - Helsingborg, Sweden

The much anticipated matchup between the CCHL Conference leaders was about to begin. Would it be a defensive battle? A showcase of scoring? Both?
The game was being telecast worldwide via the CCHL Network and the fans were eager to watch and find out!
After munching on a pre-game meal of doughnuts provided by Wisborg, the Spurs and Donuts were ready to rumble!!!
The fans had their answer off the opening faceoff when CCHL scoring leader Marian Hossa of the Spurs deked goalie Evgeni Nabokov of the Donuts to the ice and roofed his 22nd of the season at the 00:15 mark to start the game! Assists went to center pivot Lecavalier and blueliner McCabe.
The game was intense and high flying as both teams exchanged barrages of shots with both Nabokov and Brodeur standing on their heads, when at 16:08 Vinny Lecavalier deflected a shot past Nabokov! It was his 22nd of the season with assists going to Hossa and McCabe. The Spurs had taken a 2-0 lead.
GM & Coach Johan Kallum hastily called a timeout. He was very animated and gesturing. It was easy to tell he wasn't happy and he was letting his players know about it!
After the unorthodox timeout, play picked up slowly as Coach Kallum shook up his lines. At the 17:13 mark his juggling paid off when Rolston beat Brodeur and found the twine on feeds from Langkow and Jagr. It was his 12th of the season!
For the ensuing faceoff Coach Kallum gestured for the current line to stay out there and what a move it was! 37 seconds after Rolston's tally, blueliner Scott Niedermayer beat Brodeur like a rented mule and the score was deadlocked at 2-2! The Donuts had responded! Assists were recorded on Niedermayer's 8th of the season by Langkow and Rolston. The 1st period came to a close with the score tied 2-2. The Donuts had outshot the Spurs during the high flying 1st period 22-16!

The 2nd period began in the same manner with both teams flying! You'd think they might be a little bit conservative but not these guys! During a 4 on 4 scenario with Laperriere (Spurs) and Sharp (Donuts) off for roughing, Jere Lehtinen potted his 16th of the season at 08:37 on assists by Scott Niedermayer and Rolston. The Donuts had taken a 3-2 lead. The lead lasted almost 5 minutes when at 13:28, Lecavalier netted his 23rd of the season and 2nd of the game, on tic-tac-toe passing with linemates Tkachuk and Hossa who recorded the assists. Tied again!
Line change by Coach Q of the Spurs and less than a minute later at 14:19 the Spurs strike again on rookie Paul Stastny's 13th of the season! He was assisted by linemates Arnason and Laperriere.
The shots were flying, Brodeur was flopping all over the place like a beached salmon, when just 12 seconds later the little used Mikael Samuelsson scored his 1st of the season at 14:31!!!
The helpers went to Straka and Zubov.
Note: Johan, 1st of the season? Where'd you pull that one out of? Gimme a break!
Both teams exchanged shots the rest of the period with neither able to score again. The 2nd period came to a close with the teams knotted at 4-4. A defensive gem it is not as through two periods the Wisborg Donuts have outshot the Denver Spurs 38-27.

Ok...here we go...3rd period. The Spurs come out intent on scoring. The pressure on Nabokov is intense and he wilts at the 1:01 mark! Blueliner Marc-Andre Bergeron nets his 4th of the season with a blast from the point putting the Spurs up 5-4! Assists go to Hossa and Lecavalier. Bergeron, who Spurs' management had been thinking about trading, has been sizzling ever since he was inserted in the lineup for the injured Skrastins.
The Donuts turn it up a notch and are putting more pressure on Brodeur and taking a lot more shots than the Spurs. Back and forth when Jagr solves Brodeur knotting the score at 5-5!! He records his 21st of the season on assists by Scott Niedermayer and Gomez at 10:06. Just a little under 10 minutes to go and tied again!!
The Spurs were intent on regaining the lead but seemed to be looking for the perfect shot. Possibly a mistake when Dman Brett Clark finally jumped into a play pressuring Nabokov and netted his 2nd of the season at 16:44! Helpers went to Arnason and Stastny. The Spurs had the slim one goal lead with just over 3 minutes to go!!
On the ensuing faceoff the fans here at The BAG were roaring! It was deafening as they yelled and stomped their feet to get their beloved Donuts on the scoreboard again.
The roaring was shortlived, however, when Marc-Andre Bergeron trailed Stastny and Laperriere into the Donuts zone and blasted a one timer on a drop pass from Stastny past a bewildered Nabokov!
You could hear a pin drop!
Bergeron's 5th of the season and 2nd of the game only 6 seconds after Clark's tally! Holy Cow!!!
Assists went to Laperriere and Stastny. Spurs 7 Donuts 5.
Bergeron may have worked his way back into the starting lineup with that one.
That goal visibly deflated the Donuts and some of the fans started heading out.
The game ended with the same 7-5 score but what a game! Indeed! All the goals were at even strength.

The Donuts had outshot the Spurs 54-35 in the contest. Looks like Coach Q's shooting practice after the last game worked....eh! Less shots but more quality scoring chances.

Next up for the Spurs are the Jazz Conference rival Hawaii Sandblasters in beautiful Hawaii at the Icesurfer's Palace in Honolulu. The game is in 3 days. They are going to need that time to rest up let alone get there from Sweden! What a schedule....sheesh!! Need some jet fuel money from the league! Luv those FF miles though.