5-1 Win against Thornton #2

NobleKing met the second place Thornton Tigers after a win earlier in the week. This was the first time that NobleKing was meeting Thornton #2 and they were looking to extend their win streak. The team also welcomed Evan White back after recovering from his undisclosed upper body injury.

NobleKing came out with some jump, and were hunting for an opening goal from the start. But for the first half of the opening frame the teams exchanged chances at both ends.  Netminder Curtis Koch was sharp early, turning aside a number of Thornton chances. He played a strong game throughout.

A pair of four minute offsetting penalties at the midpoint of the period settled both teams down and it was NobleKing that struck first.

Grayson Koch pulled the puck out a neutral zone scrum, carried the puck over the Thornton blue-line. Sean Marchand joined to make it a two on one rush. Koch carried down the left side, cutting towards the net. He fired a nice backhand over the Thornton goaltender's pad, putting the Knights up 1-0 with 4:34 left in the period.



The Knights kept challenging the Thornton team in the neutral zone, and were rewarded with turnovers.

Shortly after the goal, the game opened up a bit. Patrick flipped a loose high into the air. It landed in the neutral zone and sent Harknett on a breakaway. But the Thornton goaltender challenged and the puck slid off Harknett's stick.



Thornton tied the game with 2:36 left in the first. Koch made an excellent save on a hard Thornton shot, but the follow-up from the rebound was a change-up and slid in.

It looked like the period might end with the teams tied at one. But the NobleKing defense broke up a Thornton rush, forcing the puck to the left corner. Greg Koncan recovered the puck, and sent a pass off the boards ahead of David Gianfrancesco.



Gianfrancesco got the puck deep into the Thornton zone, and then was first to the biscuit in the right corner. He was bodied off the puck, but Jacques Berman forced the defenseman to hurry a clearing pass up the boards. Koncan backhanded the puck back down, and Gianfrancesco again took possession.

He circled back across the right faceoff dot, and from the hashmarks rifled a shot to the top right corner. NobleKing had reclaimed the lead with forty-four seconds left in the opening period.

The Knights struck again quickly in the first minute of the second. Gianfrancesco sifted his way through the Thornton defense, finishing with a deft move across the low slot and a shot back to the top right corner. The Knights had some breathing room now with a 3-1 lead at 9:03 of the second.

The team had a good rhythm now, and they were glad to have a full bench. Evan White was clearly glad to be back on the roster, getting a number of good chances.



The teams again traded chances as the clock ticked away in the second period. The Knight forwards were backchecking well, and dangerous rushes were quickly broken up. NobleKing took a penalty at 7:17, but successfully killed it.

As time was winding down in the second period, Gianfrancesco carried the puck through the neutral zone and dumped it into the right corner. He won the race to his own shoot-in as Marchand went to the net. Gianfrancesco put the puck out from the low corner, and Marchand snapped a shot to the far side of the goal. The Knights now had a 4-1 lead with 2:22 left in the middle period.



Thornton took a late penalty, and would be shorthanded going into the final frame.

NobleKing wasted no time extending their lead as the third period kicked off. Harknett scrummed the opening faceoff, then tipped the puck over to Patrick Warner on the right wing. Warner and Harknett crossed the blueline two on two.  A quick backhand from Warner to Harknett split the defense, and Harknett fake right, faked left and went right before sliding the puck past the sprawling goaltender. The Knights were leading 5-1 only eleven seconds into the final period. This was a power play goal.

The Knights and Tigers traded penalties in the middle of the third - Nobleking at 10:56, and Thornton at 8:31. But neither team could convert on the power play.



NobleKing continued to get chances to extend their lead. Grayson Koch burst through a crowd of players in the neutral zone midway through the third period, putting a shot just wide of the left post.



NobleKing closed out the game with good pressure around the Thornton net. Strong forechecking kept Thornton trapped in their own zone for extended periods. The final score was 5-1 for NobleKing.



All in all, this was a very solid game for the team. They were taking advantage of their good forechecking, and did not get trapped in their own zone for extended lengths of time. This was also their second win in a row, and the first time Thornton #2 had lost.

Here are the video highlights.




Here are the pictures from the game:

Game 11 - Thornton #2 - 5-1 win: Photos