Jackets fall to Blues in Traverse City settle for fourth
- Updated: September 14, 2011
The Blue Jackets lost to the St. Louis Blues in double overtime in the third place game in the Traverse City Prospect Tournament. It was a normal Blue Jackets-Blue game featuring a lot of hitting, scrums and fights with Mike Thomas taking a hit that drew a game misconduct and Dalton Smith dropping the gloves with Cody Beach.
The first period was scoreless but gave the impression it was gonna be a rough one just five minutes in Tyler Shattock brought a ladder onto the ice and dragged down Jacket’s 6’6″ defenseman Steven Delisle by the neck. Then three minutes later it got real nasty when Mike Thomas was drilled into the glass earning Blues prospect Jay Barriball a game misconduct and Mike a trip to the locker room and a free towel. So the Jackets were given a five minute power play and as with all Jackets five minute power plays it was a whole lot of nothing and to add insult to injury just 18 seconds later the Blues drew another penalty giving the Jackets a full two minutes of five on three and still nothing to show for it.
The second period the Jackets finally solved Blues goalie Jake Allen when a fresh from the box Michael Chaput fed Cody Goloubef who found Ryan Johansen and blasted it past Allen to make it 1-0. Stephen MacAulay made it 1-1 when on a 3-1 rush he tapped a rebound past Allen York. I think Ryan Johansen was ready to drop the gloves with a Blues player and it would of been a safe fight as the kid was smaller that Ryan but then the 6’6″ Cody Beach stepped in to halt it. Kyle Ostrow had a strong second period swarming around the net and even took a elbow to the face but when you’re 5’10” you kinda have to take not getting call for it. Remember Beach well Dalton Smith pulled a Popeye he’d had all he could stand and he couldnt stand no more and dropped the gloves with him actually getting a few good punches in.
The Blue Jackets gave the Blues a five on three in the third and unlike the Jackets the Blues capitalized when Phillip McRae put the puck right over Allen York’s right shoulder to make it 2-1. Ryan Johansen scored his second of the game to make it 2-2 on a great passing play with linemates Oliver Gabriel and Cam Atkinson when the got Allen out of position and he couldnt slide fast enough to make the save. Four minutes later Oliver Gabriel scored when a Cody Goloubef point shot bounced off the boards right to him and he deposited it to make it 3-2. But only a minute seven later the Blues tied it up on a beautiful tic-tac-toe passing play with McRae scoring his second of the game and tournament leading fourth to force overtime.
Overtime in Traverse City is a little different than the NHL they still play four on four but it’s only four minutes. The overtime was back and forth affair with each team getting a few good looks but no one scored leading to a second overtime but now its three on three for four minutes. The Jackets sent out Atkinson, Johansen and the team’s strongest shutdown Dman Dalton Prout to start but a minute twenty four in Prout took a tripping call in the Jacket’s end. Now this made it go from three on three to a four on three and it only took the Blues 27 seconds for Anthony Nigro to score and end the game shooting it over York’s shoulder. The Jackets are probably on the road as I type this for the seven hour bus ride home.
About Jas Chaffin
