One down, another tonight. The game was the most physical, ruthless game I've seen in a while. SMU was the aggressor on a lot of the hits. Not a lot of shots again in this game as both teams were kept to the outside to a certain extent. Peters made several great saves to keep SMU in and Mosher was no slouch either. SMU made an effort to dump the puck and then pound the Acadia defenceman. Penalties were almost even at 7-6 with SMU getting the extra 2 min ( I'm not counting the end-of-game stupidity). Many calls were not made, however, as the refs were content to let the teams hammer each other. Owens was back for Acadia after going hard into the boards on Friday night. Schemitch left the game after a hard check by Grant. He was down for several minutes in the Acadia end and was attended to by a host of training staff from both teams. He also was hit hard on Friday night and wobbled his way to the Acadia bench. I commented at the time that he looked "concussed".
I'm NOT questioning the Acadia training staff, just making the observation. I certainly hope he is OK 'cause I like his game.
For Acadia to win the series tonight they have to match the physical play of SMU. The Huskies have Bloodoff, Tipoff, Johnston and apparently, Grant who can make hits. Doornboch attempted several open ice hits but didn't connect. Gaynor and Anderson with Jenner on the back end are the only Axemen, IMHO, who can dish it out. Trask is a consideration but does not get the same minutes as the SMU guys. Jenner gets a lot of "bad" calls on his checks probably because of his size.
A large contingent of Acadia fans made the trek to Halifax and were vocal all night. I hope they can get back tonight as they certainly bring life to the rink.
