ATD #10 René Lecavalier Quarterfinals. NewHaven Nighthawks (5) vs Montreal Maroons(4)

[MXD]

That might be the funniest thread of em all, when all is said and done.

New Haven Nighthawks​

GM: VanIslander
Coach: Art Ross

Aurele Joliat - Jean Beliveau (C) - Harry Hyland
Gaye Stewart - Vyacheslav Starshinov (A) - Boris Mayorov
Alf Smith - Frank McGee - Billy Gilmour
Marc Tardif - Tommy Smith - Marty Walsh
extra: Andre Lacroix

Raymond Bourque (A) - Ching Johnson
Babe Siebert - Gennady Tsygankov
Viktor Kuzkin – Harvey Pulford
extra: Alexander Gusev

Johnny Bower
Riley Hern

Power play units:
PP1: Tommy Smith - Jean Beliveau - Harry Hyland - Raymond Bourque - Babe Siebert
PP2: Gaye Stewart - Vyacheslav Starshinov - Frank McGee - Ching Johnson - Viktor Kuzkin

Penalty killing units:
PK1: Marty Walsh - Aurele Joliat - Raymond Bourque - Gennady Tsygankov
PK2: Jean Beliveau - Marc Tardif - Harvey Pulford - Ching Johnson


VS

Montreal Maroons​

GM: Murphy
Coaches: Don Cherry, Roger Neilson

Sweeney Schriner - Nels Stewart - Punch Broadbent
Craig Simpson - Mark Messier (C) - Glenn Anderson
Brian Sutter (A) - Brent Sutter - Duane Sutter
Wendel Clark - Bill Hay - Shane Doan
extra: Stan Jonathan

Earl Seibert (A) - Alexei Kasatanov
Carol Vadnais - Craig Hartsburg
Barry Beck - Mark Tinordi
extra: Kevin Hatcher

Ed Giacomin
Rogie Vachon

Power play units:
PP1: Schriner - Stewart - Broadbent - Seibert - Kasatonov
PP2: Simpson - Messier - Anderson - Vadnais - Beck

Penalty killing units:
PK1: Duane Sutter - Brent Sutter - Seibert - Kasatonov
PK2: Messier - Brian Sutter - Hartsburg - Tinordi

Click to read more...

 

[Murphy]

I think Ching Johnson is going to miss his partner Earl Sebert this series.

 

[MXD]

I think Ching Johnson is going to miss his partner Earl Sebert this series.

Not to contradict you, but I think it's more Seibert that might miss his old-time partner, considering who their respective partners are...

 

[Murphy]

Overflow Crowd Expected at Lac Des Castors​

Montreal The scrappy bunch of Maroons who have won over the hearts of the saturated Montreal hockey market expect a record setting crowd of over 85,000 at their outdoor rink. After distributing 10,000 free tickets to underprivledged families demand has soared. General Manager Murphy is pleased but not surprised at the demand. "We're the underdog, always have been in this market. I guess its struck a chord with more than just a few in this city." "The fact that we play a physical brand of hockey also seems to have helped the working class identify with this team."

"I can't believe I'm finally going to see my favourite team, and my whole family can come with me", quipped one young fan. When asked who is favourite player was the young fan says he loves them all but singled out "Old Poison" Nels Stewart. "he scores every game." "My younger brother likes all the Sutters."

Coach Don Cherry implored the crowd to bring the noise. "The Maroon Flue is very real and has worked to our advantage throughout this season, no reason it can't work for us even moreso throughout what we expect to be a tough series"

The club has set up over a dozen outdoor video screens for this event. The outdoor fire ban will be in affect for this event. Park gates open at 5:00pm, puck drop is at 7:00pm.

 

[Murphy]

Not to contradict you, but I think it's more Seibert that might miss his old-time partner, considering who their respective partners are...

C'mon now, Ching was the personality and got the press, but we know who the real player in that tandem was.....

and are you dissing Kasatonov? I'm sure as soon as Van I wakes up we'll soon hear how wonderful and comparable the early soviet era players were. At least Kasatonov played and excelled against the best of the best.

 

[MXD]

C'mon now, Ching was the personality and got the press, but we know who the real player in that tandem was.....

and are you dissing Kasatonov? I'm sure as soon as Van I wakes up we'll soon hear how wonderful and comparable the early soviet era players were. At least Kasatonov played and excelled against the best of the best.

Actually, I was comparing Bourque to Seibert and Bourque to Kasatonov. And, well, Bourque wins both comparisons. Nobody learns anything here...

 

[raleh]

Overflow Crowd Expected at Lac Des Castors​

Montreal The scrappy bunch of Maroons who have won over the hearts of the saturated Montreal hockey market expect a record setting crowd of over 85,000 at their outdoor rink. After distributing 10,000 free tickets to underprivledged families demand has soared. General Manager Murphy is pleased but not surprised at the demand. "We're the underdog, always have been in this market. I guess its struck a chord with more than just a few in this city." "The fact that we play a physical brand of hockey also seems to have helped the working class identify with this team."

"I can't believe I'm finally going to see my favourite team, and my whole family can come with me", quipped one young fan. When asked who is favourite player was the young fan says he loves them all but singled out "Old Poison" Nels Stewart. "he scores every game." "My younger brother likes all the Sutters."

Coach Don Cherry implored the crowd to bring the noise. "The Maroon Flue is very real and has worked to our advantage throughout this season, no reason it can't work for us even moreso throughout what we expect to be a tough series"

The club has set up over a dozen outdoor video screens for this event. The outdoor fire ban will be in affect for this event. Park gates open at 5:00pm, puck drop is at 7:00pm.

haha, I love it. 85,000 people on the top of Mount Royal to watch a hockey game.

Just hope your crowd doesn't fall in love with Beliveau half way through the game...

 

[Murphy]

To start, the Maroons are built to be very hard to play against. Not neccessarily defensive specialists but more in the mold of a bunch of hard workers who aren't above paying the price to make a play. Not many in this lineup are afraid to get their hands dirty and at the end of the game I expect the Nighthawks to be a sore bunch heading off to their dressing room.

The Maroons employ two top lines a #1 & #1a. I think the Maroons have a pretty substantial edge up front both in terms of top level talent and offensive depth. Coach Cherry isn't going to be worried much about line matching with the only exception being to contain Beliveau & Joliet. That matchup will fall to Seibert & Kasatonov. Neutralize them and I think the Nighthawks offense can be stymied. The overall plan though will be to attack, attack and attack.

The Nighthawks do have an impressive top three on defense and I think they'll need them at their best. I think with a relentless attack using the offensive advantage is going to keep them on their heels. Bourque & Seibert will be more worried about defending than providing much in the way of offense.

Bower is the best goalie in the series but it should be interesting to see how he reacts to crease specialists Stewart & Simpson constantly in his face and the crease crasher specialist in Anderson causing havoc. Bower is a bit scrappy himself and I expect alot of fireworks happening in and around his crease. Enough to rattle him most definitely.

 

[Murphy]

When is Van I going to wake up? No fun arguing with myself......

Another point to make. There is a serious size mismatch up front. While the old time era & soviets are not shrinking violets by any means, I can't see how they'll stand up in a physical series being so small up front. We're talking average height of what? 5'8" among the Nighthawk forwards. Take out Beliveau and its probably closer to 5'6"

 

[God Bless Canada]

So much for the expectations of this being the most over-talked thread in the draft. Hope VanI is okay. Usually he doesn't miss out on something like this...

I said that Beliveau is the best intangibles guy in the draft. Best leader. Tremendous playoff performer. Oozes character. With the exception of a four-year stretch in the 60s, when Beliveau took time to adjust to being The Guy in Montreal, Beliveau's playoff record is simply "incroyable." (MXD, did I spell that right?) Beliveau-Joliat guarantees the Nighthawks will have one of the best, and most physically tenacious, first lines in the draft. Let's all line up to see more Joliat vs. Broadbent battles.

It's rare that a team has the best forward, the best defenceman and the best goalie in a series. But that's the bottom line for this one. The 3 Bs: Beliveau, Bourque and Bower.

I think VanI has a big edge in net. Especially now that it's playoff time. This is Bower's time of year. Bower will steal a game. I don't think Giacomin or Vachon will do the same, but the question is: will they have to steal a game?

VanI's trading gave him an excellent top-end, but it also left him lacking in depth. Starshinov and Stewart would be (very) bottom-end second line forwards. And this might not be a favourable match-up for the Silver Seven line, who have never faced anything like Earl Seibert.

Fun match-up to watch: Ching Johnson vs. Nels Stewart. They're big. They're tough. They're outstanding in the corners. And both are poor skaters.

Other fun match-up: Babe Siebert vs. Mark Messier. One of the fastest-skating blue-liners ever vs. the model for power skating.

Edmonton has scoring from all four lines. The Messier line is playoff proven. All three guys had a knack for post-season success. And all three have excellent grit.

I'm not sold on Broadbent as a first line winger - outside of one year, he wasn't a big offensive producer, and that big year came before goalies could leave their feet. I don't have doubts about Schriner and Stewart's ability to produce.

Ironically, I think the Beliveau line's best chance for success could be against the Sutter line, for no other reason than I think that Joliat could really take advantage of a match-up against Duane Sutter.

I thought long and hard about picking Bill Hay for no other reason than I wanted him out there against Beliveau. Hay's mobility and smarts would make him an ideal guy to play against Beliveau. But I think Murphy will want Messier out there. Go power for power.

Edmonton's defence is scary. It's menacing. It's intimidating. I don't think it's the best in the draft, but few are tougher to play against. All of them are physical and aggressive. They have pretty good mobility. If there's a weak link, it might be Tinordi, who gets selected in this thing a lot due to his performance in the 1991 playoffs, but has nothing else in the resume to suggest he should be in the ATD. (Injuries played a role, but nothing ever came close to his performance in 1991).

I think Grapes and Neilson mesh well together, but I do see one big hurdle for the Maroons: the Roger Neilson-Mark Messier reunion. Those two do not like each other at all. Well, Mark doesn't like Roger. I think Roger liked everybody. Except for Harold Ballard. ("Harold said that where he's at, paper bags don't last very long.") But anyways, how long can those two work together?

Incidentally, did VanI drop PJ Axelsson?

 

[seventieslord]

I don't think VI dropped PJA, I think that wherever MXD got his roster from, wasn't fully updated.

As for Broadbent: GBC, that comment caught my eye. Yes, Broadbent is guilty of having one big year. He wasn't so great aside from that. But to blame it on the prevailing rules is unfair. Everyone else was shooting on goalies who couldn't leave their feet too, right? And he did outscore them all, if just for that one season.

 

[VanIslander]

I don't think VI dropped PJA, I think that wherever MXD got his roster from, wasn't fully updated.

Believe me, I update quickly. You guys just didn't bother to read my post on the regular season results thread:

Nighthawks finish fifth
a shakeup of the tarnished Silver 7

Coach Art Ross is livid that his champion-laden Nighthawks finished in the bottom half of the division with an unnoteworthy special teams play despite legendary pp and pk play by Beliveau, Bourque and Bower. On a team deep in fast, talented, clutch performers, some receive the blame more than others for a puzzling, controversy-filled regular season everyone wants to put behind them.

The Silver Seven core is singled out, some say unfairly, and McGee's line heading into the playoffs has been cut to no more than equivalent third line play, both T. Smith and Hyland find themselves off the top powerplay unit despite decent numbers in an attempt to wake up expectatons for this team, Joliat added to Beliveau's left side and two-time stanley cup champ WHA legend 6'1 Tardif added to the powerplay and on the regular roster, bumping Tommy Smith to his regular position of center and versatile Walsh to the right side in place of the now disappeared Axelsson, the only non-champion on the roster whose defensive play isn't faulted by the organization but his lack of playoff experience has apparently seen him listed as not dressed for the first round of the playoffs. Tardif takes his spot on the second pk unit alongside Beliveau, a potent duo for plenty of shorthanded goals, as they are accustomed to.

The blueline has morphed during the regular season, with S7 stalwart Pulford ending the season as the number six in ice time, no longer on Bourque's pairing, instead relegated to defensive zone face-offs and the penalty kill, his athleticism and physical strength deemed too much of an asset in what is expected to be a hard-fought postseason series in the first round. Gusev is pencilled in as the team's extra skater with Lacroix only available in cases of injury.

New Haven alternate captain Alf Smith openly protested the coaching decision to cut the role of the Silver Seven core and so it came as no surprise when he was stripped of the 'A" and it was given to the now second line pivot Starshinov, whose line has been beyond reproach, the Soviet great forward's line getting more ice time along with Tsygankov and Kuzkin moving up in minutes, with Pulford going down and Ching moving up to add a lot of mustard on the Bourque top pairing, though Babe Siebert will rotate in and out of that slot, The Big Three expecting to handle heavy minutes on the blueline.

So the Nighthawks line-up, as of the end of the regular season, is changed to:

Aurele Joliat - Jean Beliveau (C) - Harry Hyland
Gaye Stewart - Vyacheslav Starshinov (A) - Boris Mayorov
Alf Smith - Frank McGee - Billy Gilmour
Marc Tardif - Tommy Smith - Marty Walsh
extra: Andre Lacroix

Raymond Bourque (A) - Ching Johnson
Babe Siebert - Gennady Tsygankov
Viktor Kuzkin – Harvey Pulford
extra: Alexander Gusev

Johnny Bower
Riley Hern

Power play units:
PP1: Aurel Joliat - Jean Beliveau - Marc Tardif - Raymond Bourque - Babe Siebert
PP2: Gaye Stewart - Vyacheslav Starshinov - Frank McGee - Viktor Kuzkin - Ching Johnson

Penalty killing units:
PK1: Marty Walsh - Aurele Joliat - Raymond Bourque - Gennady Tsygankov
PK2: Jean Beliveau - Marc Tardif - Harvey Pulford - Ching Johnson

Please update the special teams MXD (or a mod) on the first post of this thread.

Good lucky murphy and I'll leave this team in the hands of the voters. I have said all that needs saying about this team and its strengths and character, though I'm sure half my posts about it were not read by many, obviously.

See you all in the new year.

 

[Nalyd Psycho]

Offence: New Haven bleeds offence. While they have resposible forwards, all 12 of the starters are offence 1st. And Bourque and Siebert are probably the best offensive d-men in the match.

Defence: Conversely, Montreal is built to grind out 2-1 and 3-2 wins. Better defensive d-men. Tougher forwards. Great to see Clark finally in a 4th line role where he can do his thing best.

Goaltending: New Haven has THE MAN. But Montreal has options.

Coaching: Montreal has an interesting team, tactician and motivator. Art Ross had more success, but he can be a bear, but New Haven's old school flavour may like that.

Intangibles: This is an interesting match-up. I mostly throw toughness out the window because New Haven seems unlikely to be intimidated. But the size difference may be relevant. For New Haven the key is for the scorers to be willing to sacrifice offence for the greater good. For Montreal, it is the centers. Nels Stewart is an elite scorer who can dominate, but seems to lack passion. Kent Nilsson can tell you how Messier feels about scorers without passion. If Messier can motivate Stewart to play like he did in '26, then Montreal can match New Haven's offence.

 

[VanIslander]

And this might not be a favourable match-up for the Silver Seven line, who have never faced anything like Earl Seibert.

Won't Earl be too busy with the Beliveau line to face the New Haven third line? Ted Lindsay thinks Beliveau was better than Gretzky or Mario because Big John thrived in a much tougher era physically. Earl will have his hands full.

Edmonton has scoring from all four lines.

You must mean what you say, Edmonton, because Montreal in this match-up has a Sutter line that isn't potent offensively in an all-time context. New Haven has four scoring lines too. Your statement suggests otherwise (who is the lawyer in the ATD who claimed GBC is a master of implying instead of stating things?).

Offence: New Haven bleeds offence.

Having two retro-Hart NHA stars and a WHA superstar on the fourth line doesn't hurt, the wingers on that line known for play at both ends of the ice.

Edmonton's defence is scary. It's menacing. It's intimidating. I don't think it's the best in the draft, but few are tougher to play against. All of them are physical and aggressive.

That style of play is nothing new to the Nighthawks. Mayorov and his centreman loved to play a rough and tumble style, and neither he nor Alf Smith could be best characterized as offensive-first. The Silver Seven were the best team of the first decade, winning the Stanley Cup against all comers several times, with great skill and violence, very physical:

There was no judge of play and this fact made it easier for the Ottawas to get their well-known rough tactics... masters of tripping and stick punching...

http://kenorathistles.com/shop/history.php

Following a particularly rough match between the Ottawa Silver Seven and the Montreal Wanderers on 12 January, assault charges were brought against... Alfred Smith ...Alf Smith attacked Hod Stuart: "Smith skated in from centre ice and smashed the Wanderer cover-point across the temple with his stick. Stuart went down in a heap.... When Stuart was lying helpless on the ice, Smith was heard to remark, 'Did you get that one, Hod?' Then he skated away chuckling" (2)... found guilty of assault... required to pay a $20 fine and $19 in costs, and the judge warned that similar offences would not be treated so leniently in the future

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa3683/is_/ai_n17186604

Defence: Montreal ... Better defensive d-men.

No. Hell no.

Bourque. And definitive defensive defensemen in Ching-a-ling, penalty killin' 1972 Team Canada-checkin' Tsygankov and strong, three-time running back football champion as captain, praised HHOF defensive defenseman Pulford.

For New Haven the key is for the scorers to be willing to sacrifice offence for the greater good.

Joliat, Mayorov, A. Smith, Tardif... each line has one, and with the leadership of Beliveau and Bourque, sacrificing for the team is beyond doubt, on a squad built from day one to be all about chemistry and teamwork. If you want to look at selfish players, Montreal's Wendel Clark can make or break games.

 

[nik jr]

as far as i know, babe siebert was not fast as a d-man. he was fast as a forward, but he was moved to D late in his career, after he lost a step or 2.

And so, in the twilight of his career, Babe returned to Montreal. His speed was gone, so Hart wisely put him back on defense, where he was just as effective as ever.

http://www.legendsofhockey.net:8080/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/LegendsMember.jsp?mem=p196403&type=Player&page=bio&list=ByName#photo

 

[VanIslander]

as far as i know, babe siebert was not fast as a d-man. he was fast as a forward, but he was moved to D late in his career, after he lost a step or 2.

Yet AFTER he moved to the blueline he got a Hart trophy and three NHL all-star team selections, captaining the Canadiens. His speed went from legendary to average, all other tools still sterling.

And let's not forget that mild-sounding name "Babe" was a bad-ass player who gave Eddie Shore a bloody beating Eddie never forgot nor forgave Babe for.

The Nighthawks blueline is as tough as Montreal's.

 

[Sturminator]

And let's not forget that mild-sounding name "Babe" was a bad-ass player who gave Eddie Shore a bloody beating Eddie never forgot nor forgave Babe for.

So the story goes, Siebert beat on Shore while another player held Eddie down. I dunno if the Babe could really take Eddie Shore in a fair fight, but he was certainly tough. Also, I doubt Shore ever forgave anyone for anything.

 

[seventieslord]

So the story goes, Siebert beat on Shore while another player held Eddie down. I dunno if the Babe could really take Eddie Shore in a fair fight, but he was certainly tough. Also, I doubt Shore ever forgave anyone for anything.

...and that's a shame, because Bailey forgave Shore.

 

[nik jr]

Yet AFTER he moved to the blueline he got a Hart trophy and three NHL all-star team selections, captaining the Canadiens. His speed went from legendary to average, all other tools still sterling.

And let's not forget that mild-sounding name "Babe" was a bad-ass player who gave Eddie Shore a bloody beating Eddie never forgot nor forgave Babe for.

The Nighthawks blueline is as tough as Montreal's.

i think he's a great player, i was just pointing out something.

but something is wrong.

siebert was 1st AS in '36, before he played for the habs. so it wasn't cecil hart who moved him to D.

::

seibert was a 1st AS in '35, before siebert moved to D. siebert displaced seibert from the 1st AS team 3 times ('36, '37, '38).

 

[VanIslander]

i just want to congratulate murphy on a great second line and for putting Clark on the fourth line where he belongs

 

[raleh]

Game 1

Jean Beliveau finds Vaccine for Maroon flu

In a blustering snow storm atop Mout Royal, the Montreal Maroons played their first game against the New Haven Nighthawks last night. Before the game Maroons GM Murphy was his usual self, playing to the camera at every opportunity. “How do they think they're going to win this game? Home ice advantage is huge with our outdoor rink†boasted Murphy, “I predict they all come down with a terrible case of Maroon flu.†Nighthawk GM VanIslander was quite to the point with his response “half of our ****ing line up has in important outdoor games. And they had to walk there. Uphill both waysâ€.

In the first period it looked as though Murphy's prediction might come true as the Maroons kept the Nighthawks hemmed up in their own zone for what seemed like an eternity. Johnny Bower was the difference as he turned away shot after shot. The momentum turned suddenly at about the midway point of the second period as Punch Broadbent was thrown headfirst into the boards by a Ching Johnson hip check. Ray Bourque scooped the puck up and hit a streaking Aurel Joliat just as he entered the Maroon zone. Joliat dangled the puck in front of Carol Vadnais, then changed gears and burned him to the left almost knocking Vadnais off of his feet. He beat Giacomin with a quick snap shot on the short side that most people at the rink thought should have been saved.

Mark Messier would tie it up late in the second with a shot at the top of the left circle and Wendel Clark and Nels Stewart would hit iron twice but that's as close as the home team would come. Ray Bourque picked up another assist as his slap shot from the point was tipped in by Jean Beliveau and Beliveau would add an empty netter in the last minute to ice the victory for the Nighthawks. “I think they thought they were just going to push us around†said VanIslander after the game “as if we were planning on having some kind of figure skating contest.

New Haven Nighthawks win game one 3-1

 

[raleh]

Controversial goals knots series

The antics before game one were nowhere to be found as both teams came out all business. The roles were reversed in this game as the Nighthawks seemed to have more jump than the Maroons early in the game. Less than five minutes in Beliveau fed Hyland on an odd man rush who beat Giacomin five hole using Kasatanov as a screen. Later in the first Starshinov converted on a Gaye Stewart feed.

The Maroons cut the lead to one in the second period as the fourth line came out banging and pinned the Nighthaw defense in their own zone. Harvey Pulford was thrown to the ground by Shane Doan behind the net and Wendel Clark jammed a wraparound in with Bill Hay sitting on top of Bower. Starshinov tried to protest the play, but the referee allowed the goal after a quick video replay.

The third period was a back and forth game with neither team really producing much offense. Babe Siebert crunched Glenn Anderson along the boards which seemed to get a rise out of the Nighthawks, but it was the Maroons that would respond on the score sheet. On his next shift, Anderson took a pass from Vadnais breaking out of his own zone, flew around Ching Johnson and stuffed the puck between Bower's legs. The game seemed destined for overtime, but Nels Stewart scored on a rebound off of an Alexei Kasatanov point shot with Tsygankov in the box. A livid Johnny Bower chased the ref across the ice, pointing at the tobacco in his eyes, but the goal was allowed. The teams now head to New Haven tied at one game a piece.

Montreal Maroons win game two 3-2
Series tied 1-1

 

[raleh]

Game 3

Hockey Game breaks out at fight in New Haven

The series took an unfortunate turn in game three in New Haven.

“Things just got dangerous out there†said Nighthawks coach Art Ross, “I'm not quite sure what Cherry's telling them over there, but he's acting like a real *****.â€

Ross was speaking of an incident that will likely be talked about for the remainder of the ATD playoffs that marred an otherwise uneventful 1-0 win for the visiting Maroons. Much the same as game two, the Nighthawks came out flying. The Silver seven line especially seemed hell bent on putting their mark on the series and silencing critics that thought their back to back to back selections were unwarrented. Billy Gilmour hit the post early in the first period, the puck ricoched to Sweeny Shriner who started to move up ice. He was intercepted by Ray Bourque who easily poked the puck away and fed a pass to Frank Mcgee. Mcgee made a quick circle and began to charge for the Maroon net when he crumpled to the ice, blood pouring out of a gaping cut just above his bad eye. Nels Stewart had sliced him open for 15 stitches on his blind side. Mcgee never saw it coming. Stewart stood over him smiling and said “that'll learn ya Cyclops.†When Stewart returned to the bench Cherry was seen smiling and laughing with his players, patting Stewart on the back.

The game turned messy from there as line brawl after line brawl marred the event. Beliveau proved once again that he is the best leader in NHL history as he got the better of Stewart when the pair squared off late in the second. Finally, Mark Messier scored the game winner half way through the third period and finished his celebration with a thorough drubbing of Ching Johnson. Other than the Beliveau- Stewart fight, the brighest aspect of the game for New Haven was the fantastic checking from Gennady Tsygankov on the Messier line, which limited Anderson to only one shot all game.

Cherry, Stewart, and Murphy were all fined after the game, but Stewart and Mcgee are both expected to dress for game four.

Montreal Maroons win game three 1-0
Maroons lead series 2-1

 

[raleh]

Game 4

Nighthawks Open Floodgates

Game four in New Haven was as tense as could be. Maroon coach Cherry seemed bent on making a statement as he put the Clark-Hay-Doan line on the ice to start the game. It turned out to be a bad move. Hay won the draw and the puck was immediately dumped into the Nighthawk's zone. Shane Doan flew in to recover it but was met with a thundering body check by Harvey Pulford. While Doan struggled to get off the ice, Aurel Joliat scooped up the puck and went end to end on a beautiful solo rush to take a 1-0 lead. The Maroon fourth liners skated solemly back to the bench.

From then on it was the “Big John showâ€. Beliveau scored a natural hat trick in the second period and made a statement of his own as he made a gesture to Cherry on his way past the Maroon bench after his third goal.

In the third period, Earl Seibert caught Gaye Stewart admiring a pass and laid him out as he entered the zone. That would be the only moral victory for the Maroons in this game. Frank Mcgee would assist on a Billy Gilmour goal late in the third with Nels Stewart on the ice for Montreal which sent the Nighthawk's fans into a frenzy.

New Haven wins game four 5-0
Series tied 2-2

 

[raleh]

Game 5

Hyland puts New Haven within one

The series returned to Montreal tonight for game five with the momentum clearly in New Haven's favour. The referee seemed intent on keeping the game as clean as possible and was calling penalty after penalty. The New Haven powerplay went to work early in the second period to open the scoring with Tommy Smith tipping in a Ray Bourque point shot. Beliveau also drew an assist on the play. The Maroons responded with Mark Tardif as Craig Simpson jammed in a Mark Messier rebound.

The third period saw the Maroons swarming, but to no avail. Ray Bourque was an absolute rock in his end, playing some of the most flawless defense the series had seen up until now. Any shots that did make their way to Bower were seen easily by the China Wall and smothered. Bourque was even prepared to oblige to the physical element the Maroons wanted to bring, pinning Punch Broadbent against the boards and holding him there for what seemed like an eternity.

With overtime looming, and the Sutters on the ice for the Maroons, Bourque again found himself in control. He stopped behind the Nighthawk's net and surveyed the ice. He then fired a laser of a pass right onto the tape of Harry Hyland who split Vadnais and Hartsburg and picked the top corner on Giacomin with less than 20 seconds left to play.

Coach Cherry was livid after the game, pointing to his third line saying “Man, I guess those boys weren't raised the way I thought they were.â€

Mark Messier was very to the point in the dressing room after the game. “We will win game six.â€

New Haven wins game five 2-1
New Haven leads series 3-2