Another Shootout Loss for Aeros

And the hero of this combat was.....Leland Irving, the Heat netminder!

No really, any honest hockey fan will have to concede that Irving was spectacular, he stopped all shots the buzzing Aeros threw at him... a total of 34 sogs.

While Hackett wasn't shabby either, and had two (at least) really fantastic saves.

One I just call.."if I can't stop it face on, I'll just  turn around and SIT on it" -
and so he did!

Twice McIntyre skated like the devil with the puck only to miss the net!
And on the way, or so it seemed to me, he tried hard to cause a penalty on the Heat :-)!

At almost the last 6 minutes of regulation a Heat player did his utmost best to choke the air out of an Aeros. But no penalty was called for that.
Maybe the Ref did not quite see it as that..just a brotherly hug ...
I think not!
but whatever, no penalty on Heat player was called.

Despite the  number (7 for Aeros - 4 for Heat) of PP opportunities, neither team managed to score.

Two fights broke out!
Bagnall vs Bouma (and rightly so for Bouma kneed an Aroes player) with Bagnall 'bagging' his man.
Kassian vs Ivanans was less happy-Raitis Ivanans subduing the Kassassinator.
Raitis..is that Lithuanian? Or Latvian?
But I digress.

And at the end Chenoway got in the way of some hot HEAT,
and again no penalty called - below:

Overall I found it a very exiting game.
A fluid game.
A Game of good forechecking.
Passing was better by the Heat, but Aeros acquitted themselves honorably.

 A Heat sandwiched between 2 Aeros lol?

Aeros started out furiously with 10, then 15 Sogs during the first 2 periods.
But energy levels dropped in the third to just 6 (Aeros 6, Heat 3, Sogs)
and to only 3 each in OT.

Maybe it just shows that both teams' defense was in overdrive.
And that, to me, meant the goalies did yeoman's work.



And whenever I snapped a picture there was Di Salvatore..

seemingly ubiquitous:-)

Dustin Sylvester got the winning SO goal on Hacket
and
thus ends the Aeros vs Heat Game 1-0!

Both teams put great effort forth in this the third of 3 back to back contests.

Now, I am sure adoring Kolanos fans were deeply
disappointed not to see him skate. 

For died-in-the-wool Aeros fans that may have come as a relief.

WITH Kolanos the Heat may have trounced the Aeros in regulation.
WITHOUT Kolanos, the Aeros carried away ONE piont!

Ah well. it is just a game, eh!