On paper before the game started, it looked like David vs. Goliath. Prep Blue was 18-1-1 and Millard North White was 5-14-1. But the Mustangs had been improving game by game and the last time the 2 clubs met a few weeks ago, the score was 1-1 going into the third period. Prep scored a couple of power play goals to put the game away. Millard North White didn’t let the record or the outcome of the last game intimidate them tonight!
A minute and a half into the game Kyle Conway sent the puck into the Prep zone for a line change. Mick Bayne saw an opening and broke free after the puck. He caught the Junior Jay defensemen sleeping as he swooped in on the loose puck and broke in for a shot on goal. Prep goalie Tom Otten made what appeared to be a nice blocker save on the hard shot but the puck went straight up into the air and fell into the goal behind him. The lead was VERY short lived as on the ensuing faceoff Prep winger Nick Lanspa took advantage of a defensive miscue at the blue line and broke into the Mustang zone 2 on 1 with John Borman streaking for the net. Lanspa made a really pretty pass across the front of the net and Borman slammed in the tying goal. The Mustangs would regain the lead with 2:46 left in the 1st period on a text book play. As they pressed towards the goal, one of the Mustang forwards slid a pass out to Chris Brownell at one point. He heard his partner Adam Reese wide open on the other side of the rink. As he passed the puck over to Reese, the forwards converged on the net and Reese rifled a hard wrist shot towards the goal through a mass of bodies and into the back of the net. A nice way to celebrate his 18th birthday with his second goal of the season. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! That’s the way the first period ended 2-1 Millard North. The saves for the first period were even at 5 apiece for Orehek and Otten.
Almost 8 minutes went by in the 2nd period before the Mustangs would add to their lead. Alex Forehead made a nice shot on goal and Otten came up with the initial save only to have Billy Koons swoop in and knock in the rebound to put the Mustangs up 3-1. The teams traded power plays with neither team cashing in on the man advantage. Alex Forehead would get his goal as he scored on a nice pass from Mike Dotson to give the Mustangs some breathing room at 4-1 with 2:12 to go in the middle frame. Prep hadn’t won 18 games by rolling over and they weren’t going to on this night. With 15 seconds left in the period the Mustangs had iced the puck. On the ensuing face off Brad Kucera took a pass from Alex Pekelder and let go a rocket that found its way thru a sea of bodies in front of goaltender Chris Orehek to pull the Jr. Jays within 2 at 4-2. Mike Luchtel came into the game 1/2 way thru the period and was called on to make 5 saves while Otten was only called on to make 1 save before his departure. Orehek in the other net came up with 7 saves, allowing just the blast from Kucera to get by him.
The third period was time for Prep to kick it up a notch and they fired 15 shots at Orehek who only allowed one puck to sneak by him with 4:20 to go in the game. In the locker room the guys awarded the game puck to Orehek who had to come up with many key saves to preserve the win. On one play, Kucera broke into the Mustang zone right in front of the MN bench and let a hard snap shot from the face off circle fly towards the far upper corner only to have Orehek snatch the puck out of the air with his glove. Kucera could only shake his head, because he knew tonight belonged to the Mustangs. Alex Forehead iced the win with 36 seconds to go as he intercepted a Prep pass at center ice and broke in on the unattended goal (Prep had pulled Luchtel for an extra attacker). With a Junior Jay defensemen draped all over him, Forehead muscled his way towards the goal and floated a soft backhand shot into the empty net for the 5-3 win. All told Orehek stopped 26 of the 29 shots on net, many of them the were of the “WOW” category. It was also noted that Orehek had the largest fan club in attendance with close to 20 of his church senior high youth group in attendance to cheer him on. And what a game for them to see. (They have been asked to return for the rest of the games this season!) The Prep goalies combined to stop 17 of the 22 shots that the Mustangs threw at them.
“All three lines played exceptionally well!” said Coach Orehek. “The forwards dropped down to block shots and they hustled hard on both the forcheck and the backcheck. The defense played well in their own defensive zone and moved the puck up to the forwards.” “Everyone played a complete game tonight,” added Assistant Captain Adam Reese. “The forwards did their job in Prep’s zone and they hustled back to help us (the defensemen) out in our zone and Chris (Orehek) saved our butts when we messed up!” What a nice birthday present, huh Adam!
