December 15: Flames 3 @ 495 Stars White 2

In the second of two games on Saturday the 15^th, the Flames battled through and around heavy traffic in the vicinity of the Pheasant Lane Mall which was packed and overflowing with Christmas shoppers. Then, for the second time on Saturday, the Flames put up a good effort, and this time, left Tyngsboro with a 3-2 win. The win improved the Flames record to 10-5 in Mass Select play, tying them with Saturday’s opponent, the 495 Stars White team at 20 points. The Flames, tied for second behind the Bulldogs, have 11 games remaining in MSL play. Now, let’s get to Saturday’s action and recap.

1^st Period: Well, I did say this effort was a good one, but it didn’t start that way. The Flames mustered just 3 shots on goal in the opening period. However, they did score the only goal of the period and held the Stars to just 6 shots. The Flames goal came after a nice passing effort on a play where the Stars had a 2-on-1 advantage but were chasing the puck towards their offensive blue line. Sebastian Beal beat the two stars back to the puck which had been deflecting by Christian Levesque who slowed a Stars rush with a timely poke check. Beal gathered himself enough to slip a clearing pass between the two Stars’ forwards and onto the blade of Sam Hebert’s stick at neutral ice. Hebert took it from there, racing into the offensive end and cutting sharp to the net, slipping the puck past the Star goaltender. The period would end with the Flames leading 1-0.

2^nd Period: The Flames did respond in the second period and came out flying. Wil Hebert scored the Flames’ second goal after a tremendous fore checking effort. Zachary Bayer stole the puck in the offensive zone and fed it to Sam Hebert who hit Wil with a pass, and Wil finished the play with the goal. 2-0 Flames. Just 94 seconds later, Bayer scored on a set up from Wil Hebert and Jackson Puzzo. These two goals were both a direct result of the Flames hard work, moving their feet, and moving the puck quickly. The Flames led 3-0 and had dominated the majority of the 2^nd period. Then a Flames penalty shifted momentum dramatically. The Stars finished the last two minutes of the period getting the final four shots and a goal with just 0:5.8 left in period. A 3-0 lead was down to a two goal lead, and felt a little bit like the Flames were just hanging on in order to limp to the intermission. A 3-1 lead, yes, but felt oh so precarious.

3^rd Period: In the 3^rd period the Flames pressed the Stars, making them work for every inch of the ice. For most of the period the Flames out skated the Stars and drew two penalties for their efforts. Despite two power plays, the Flames squandered opportunities and held on to the 3-1 lead. Then with less than a minute to play, the Stars were finally able to re-pull their goalie. And, with 0:14.4 seconds left, they scored to cut the lead again; this time it was 3-2. After the faceoff, somehow, the Stars managed a mini odd-man rush, but the Flames were fortunate to catch a Star forward in the zone early and they were offsides with 0:5.4 seconds left. Another faceoff and a scrum for the puck ran out the final seconds, and resulted in a Flames win on the road.

For the game, the Flames were outshot 17-16 but had the better of the chances. The Flames carried the play for the second and third periods, and they managed to escape the onslaught of missed chances they created for themselves. Something I call “empty trips” were abundant for the Flames in the third period. Empty trips as I refer to them, have plagued this Flames team all season. In games when the team could build a bigger lead, tie a game, or even come from behind, there have been chances, many, many chances, but too many empty trips. Empty trips are not only a chance that doesn’t result in a goal, but also chances, good chances, that don’t even result in a shot attempt.

Empty trips contain the following ingredients, almost every single time.

A turnover created by the Flames
A rush up ice, almost never a breakaway
Almost always, just one player rushing up ice, with little or no support
At least one defender back, even if he gets beaten badly
Nice stick handling, but way too much of it, and ultimately a single shot, or no shot at all
Refer to #3, and why there’s never a pass made, just an individual play, a midst a team sport

There’s my observation and definition. Like it or not, agree or not, the Flames often get chances to put games away, display that instinct to secure victory from the shadows of doubt, and sometimes they do; I am guessing there’s another 4-5 wins in the Flames W column had they not suffered from so many empty trips.

In the end, the Flames won 3-2 and beat a team ahead of them in the standings. Nicely done. The Flames are off Sunday, December 16^th.

On Tap: The final weekend before Christmas.