Miller the Killer in Overtime Thriller

Bison 4 Peterborough Phantoms 3

5/11/11

What a cheesy headline! But that’s what happened. “Problem player” Joe Miller, who is fast becoming a bigger hero at Planet Ice than Lord Nelson was in Portsmouth, smashed a winning goal with only 19 seconds to go in overtime to the relief of the Bison crowd, who had begun to believe that it wasn’t going to be their night, especially after Daniel Volrab had hammered the puck against the post 2 minutes earlier.

It was a night of frustration for Bison. After cruising into a 3-0 lead by the end of the first period and looking capable of running up a cricket score, that, had the game been played on the sub-continent, may have attracted suspicions of spot fixing, they outplayed and outshot the Phantoms for the next 40 minutes, but incredibly ended the 3^rd at 3-3. All credit to the Phantoms, who could dress only 12 skaters and were one import down. They scored their 3 goals from only 9 shots on goal in the 2^nd and 3^rd. In contrast Bison fired in 34 shots without reward. How did this happen? Well you can keep the Great Wall of China, the Maginot Line, Fatty Foulke and whatever other impregnable object you care to name, Bison came up against the Great Wall of Peterborough, goaltender Stephen Wall who faced a total of 61 shots on his goal during the game and ended up with 0.93 save percentage and Peterborough’s man of the match award. Thanks to Wall, Peterborough snatched a point from a game in which they should have been dead and buried long before the final buzzer.

Bison set the scoreboard ticking in the 7^th minute. Volrab set up Miller whose shot rebounded to Canadian colossus, Steve Moria. The Bison player coach sent in a powerful shot. The man behind the goal put on his red light quicker than a lady of the night seeking business.

3 minutes later it was 2-0. Set up by Miller, the Slovak cannon, Marcel Petran, rifled in one of his explosive slap shots. The jazz hands were raised in triumph. Further joy erupted the 16^th minute as the crowd celebrated 3-0. Jacob Heron became Bison’s third scorer of the night with a well taken unassisted goal. Intercepting a slack clearance out of defence, Jacob took the puck forward, turned and shot. Red light man was working overtime.

A couple of minutes later Wall stopped a shot with his mask. He must have been grateful to Jacques Plante, the first goaltender to wear a mask. Had he not been so protected, he would have ended up looking like someone from a Sam Pekinpah film. Moments later the puck hit referee Cloutman’s hand. OUCH! He really felt that.

The Phantoms needed to pull something out of the hat (maybe not a rabbit) or all would be lost. To the rescue came the classy Latvian import, Maris Ziedins with 2 goals in the first 2 minutes of the period. His first beat Matt Colclough top shelf catcher side, his second was a big slap shot from the point, Petran style. Suddenly the Phantoms were back in it.

Bison had a chance to rattle in a fourth goal 7 minutes into the 2^nd. Bearing down on the Phantoms goal in a 2 on 1, the admirable Viktor Kubenko, set up the Margate marauder, Ollie Bronnimann, who unfortunately fluffed his shot with the goal at his mercy.

On 28 minutes the first penalty of the game was called. Jeff Glowa high sticked into the face of Marcel Petran. No blood so only 2 minutes in the box. Petran stayed down on the ice. It appeared that one or more of his teeth had been loosened. But he was back on the ice before his assailant’s punishment had been completed. And so the second period ended with Peterborough winning it 2-0 despite having been outshot by 6-21.

2 minutes into the 2^nd Kubenko hit the post with a wraparound attempt. The game ebbed back and forth, mainly forth with Bison continuing to pour in the shots on Wall’s impregnable goal. But it was the Phantoms who found the net with a little over 2 minutes remaining. Canadian Jeff Glowa, the man who had tried to rearrange Petran’s dental features, slammed home at the back door for 3-3, assisted by Randall and Bentham. Bison were left wondering how this could possibly have happened.

Petran tried to snatch a winner in the dying seconds with an impertinent effort – a slap shot from behind his own blue line, by George. It was on target and Wall managed to save it with his pads just as the buzzer sounded. How dreadful it would have been for the goaltender had that one sneaked in.

So into overtime and Joe Miller’s winning strike with seconds remaining. Peterborough pushing forward suddenly found themselves in a disastrous 3 on 1. Miller passed to Kubenko. The savvy Slovak could have shot himself, but Wall must have appeared as big as ever in the goal. Instead he chose the better option and delivered an inch perfect centring pass for Miller to hammer home. It was all over. Bison had edged it 4-3.

A word for man of the match Kurt Reynolds, who enjoyed an excellent game in defense, and also for Viktor Kubenko, who was everywhere, repeatedly robbing the puck back on the forecheck, skating imperiously and causing the Phantoms defense all sorts of problems. Had it not been for Stephen Wall, he could have had a hatful of goals and points on the night. His tally of 0 goals and 1 assist did not reflect his efforts.