#4 Whalers @ #2 Brewers
The Brewers(10-4-1) will host the Whalers(6-7-2) in the middle game tonight. In some respects these are two very similar teams. Their goaltenders, Kenny "The Porn 'Stache" Lallier(WHL) & Matty "The Spazzy" Albertazzi(BRE), have almost identical stat lines. The Brewers have 7 players with double digit points and the Whalers have 6.
That is where the similarities end. The Brewers have taken two out of three in the season series. The Brewers have nearly tripled the penalty minutes the Whalers have accumulated this season, and the Whalers have scored 14 more goals this season than the Brew Crew.
The Whalers top line of Joe Gaudet, Dillan Pierce & Scotty Shaw have combined for 77 points. Scoring 55% of their teams goals has put a target on their back and labeled the team as top heavy.
The Brewers have a more balanced attack, play a more physical game and havea stronger defensive unit.
This will be a close game, but the Brewers will slip by 5-4, possibly 6-4 with an empty netter.
Whalers Score 5 in 3rd to Beat Brewers 8-6
The Whalers used five different goal scorers and got points out of 9 different players in an 8-6 win over the Brewers. Sparked by a five goal third period that saw them turn a 5-3 deficit into a solid win.
Riding a deep bench (14 skaters) compared to the shorter benched Brewers (9 skaters), it was just a matter of time before the talented and deep Whalers started tilting the ice towards the Brewers and Matty "The Spazzy" Albertazzi.
The Brewers jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead with only 4:31 elapsed in the game behind goals from Matty "The Eagle" Crowson, Brock "The Bully" Barton and Aaron "Large Marge" Mancuso. The Brewers were all over the Whalers and it looked as if the Brewers were going to roll over them in dramatic fashion.
The Whalers bounced back with a goal late in the first and another early in the second of the stick of Nick "The Hick" Hall. The Brewers bounced back on another goal from Barton at 9:41, but the Whaler's Jay "The Zamboni" Zanleoni cut the lead to one goal with 4:42 to play.
Danny "Super Chunk Chocolate Cookie Dough" Charette made it 5-3 with a blast from the point and just 25 seconds to give the Brewers hope heading to the locker room
The third period was all Whalers as the Brewers legs started to go. Joe Gaudet got things going just 75 seconds in from Tommy Crapser & Dillan Pierce, followed by a goal from Gary "The Pearl Necklace" Laperle with 8:04 remaining. Keith "Bubba" Lazarczyk broke the 5-5 tie from Chris "Smoke a" Dubin. The Whalers went out in epic fashion, scoring 3 goals in the last 3:20. Scotty "Sugar" Shaw tied the game, Joe Gaudet scored the game winner(his 19th of the season) and Zanleoni put the nail in the coffin just 9 seconds later.
In the end the Whalers had the depth and rolled to a victory.
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