Battle of Alberta Rages On
The second game in a week between provincial rivals went down in Calgary early Saturday evening. The highly anticipated event comes soon after the most recent brush up in Edmonton last week where fists were flying but Edmonton took the upper hand on the score chart. This time around, fresh off a locker room lashing from the GM, Calgary came out with some heart that Edmonton matched early.
Barely two minutes into the game Phaneuf and Moreau picked up from where they left off last game and dropped the gloves in a brief but spirited tussle. That was only the beginning of rough stuff as the good ol fashion Battle of Alberta seems to have returned.
Two minutes after the Phaneuf dust up all five players decided to take a run at each other after Robyn Regehr literally pick up Ales Hemsky and through him into the end boards. Matthew Lombardi picked up his first major ever in the process (we think, we’re just as surprised as him I’m sure.)
Zack Stortini acted as aggressor Monday but played little factor in this game. Godard dropped his gloves early, not with Stortini who shies away from contact with Godard, but with Matt Greene. No major damage done.
After all the fighting delays the teams went back to playing hockey. Calgary dominated the zone play and hemmed Edmonton deep in their zone for most of the night. Their forecheck and traffic in front of the net paid off as Owen Noal scored off a Phaneuf deflection that went off his crotch.
In the second period Phaneuf would score his own off a fluttering puck that took a dip before Garon could catch it. Nolan would later pot his second of the game with a blast from the sideboards that caught Garon surprised (he was falling after catching a rut moving across the goal crease).
Kiprusoff was twice saved by goal-line clears from defencemen, but otherwise played stellar. People were talking shutout but that was all for not as Robert Nilsson scored with 4 minutes remaining. Jarome Iginla potted the empty netter.
Notes: Primeau, Nilson, and Warrener sat out for the Flames. The team now heads off for a 5 game road trip and won’t return home for almost two weeks.
