Hitmen lose Game 5

Hit of the Game

Hitmen shutdown defenceman Zak Stebner wallpapers Joey Frazer into the boards just inside the Hitmen blue line in the first period.

Shift of the Game

Hitmen Co-Captain Ian Schultz killed off a penalty in the first period as he single handily took on four Tigers deep in the offensive zone to help tick valuable seconds off the clock, and then drew a tripping penalty. The ‘Dome faithful gave Schultz a standing ovation.


Post -Game Comments

Tigers Head Coach Willie Desjardins

Talk about the game

“That 5 on 3 we didn’t play very well and I thought we would have no trouble over coming that. The guys played hard, you could tell maybe half way through the game we started getting some life after they didn’t score. Our penalty kill did a great job tonight.”

“It was easier for us tonight, if we didn’t win, we are gone. So it was easier for us to make sure we didn’t give up at all tonight. I think our 20 year olds did a good job. For us we were really happy with the win, we probably got a few breaks to get it.”

Did you feel like you won going away?

“We didn’t win it going away, but we had a real strong kill. You know, sometimes its hard on the pp too, they are out there all the time, they don’t get rest and they get frustrated a little bit. They got a good team and we were fortunate tonight.”

What’s next?

“We are happy to be back home, that’s all we wanted was to get back home. We weren’t worried about game 6. Now we’ll start worrying about it.”

What did you think of your goalie Tyler Bunz?

“He was unbelievable. Start of the second he was incredible. They could have gone up 5-1 and the game was over and he made some really, really big saves in that stretch.”


Giffen Nyren – one goal, one assist

What happened?

“I think we took our foot off the gas pedal a little bit there, but I don’t think for any minute we thought it was going to be easy. We just kind of got off the game plan once pucks weren’t going in the net for us and we found ourselves battling back at the end of the game.”

Human nature to think it would have been easier to be done?

“Of course it is, we would have loved to be going home tonight and sleeping all day tomorrow and resting but that’s not the way it is. It’s playoff hockey that’s why there’s seven games right.”

Good game for yourself?

“The opportunities presented themselves, I had a little bit of space and I rolled with it. Once you get down a couple of goals, that green lights definitely there more or less romt he coaches aspect. More or less take chances and I guess that’s the kid of play I bring to the table.”

What did they do well to score so many goals?

“I can’t even remember there goals, I cant even think about there goals but they got pucks to the net like we tried to do all game and some of theirs went in.”

How did you feel coming into the third tied?

“It’s tough, it’s definitely tough but we came in 3-3 going into the third and we tried to come out and respond but it got away from us.”

Ian Schultz – Hitmen Co-Captain

You did not bury the game when you had the chance

“Absolutely, our coaches have been preaching about bearing down on our chances and turns out tonight we didn’t and it comes back to haunt us. We put one or two of those in and the game probably goes a different way. But we don’t, we kick ourselves when we look back and reflect. We can’t take it to heart. We got to keep a short memory and go back into their barn and have a good game.”

“We let our foot off the gas. We played a solid 20 minutes at the start, kind of set the pace, set the tone of how the game was going to go and then we let off. Good teams find a way to fight back and that’s exactly what they did.”

Talk about the fore-check

“We kind of wanted to get in on them early. Make them hear footsteps every chance we can. Like I said we got away from that and that’s our game plan. When you get away from it, the outcomes not that pleasant.”

It’s never easy, is it?

“No never. It’s never easy especially when you got a chance to win the series and have a little bit of time off to rest the body. It sucks but we will just use it as motivation to go into their barn to play a full a 60 minutes.”

Hitmen Head Coach Mike Williamson

Talk about the crucial turning point in the second period

“We worked hard up to that point and worked hard to earn those power plays. We just didn’t have the intensity both on those power plays and even strength after that. We backed off. Our fore-check wasn’t as aggressive and we weren’t jumping on things. We were on our heels a little bit and same as (in) our d-zone. We were collapsing.”

Talk about Nyren’s game tonight

“He showed a lot of desperation, you could tell that he wanted to go out there and make a difference. There are times he tried to do a little bit too much but at least he was a guy that was doing something.”

These are just teenagers, what message do you relay to them now?

“It’s important to realize every situation is dire and important. We knew that team wasn’t going to quit. It’s a proud group of players over there and a good group of hockey players and they battled hard and I thought we just relaxed a little bit and we cant relax, we have to play desperate and intense and hard and simple and all those things and we got away from that and when we did, that allowed their talent to take over.”

Matt MacKay – two goals, on assist, first star of the night

Talk about playing in the ‘Dome

“We have a bunch of character guys in that room and our backs were up against the wall. Playing in this building is so hard, especially against this team. Their record speaks for themselves.”

What did you think of your goalie tonight?

“Tyler Bunz was unbelievable tonight. It was all 20 guys going for each other and selling out. It was something special and hopefully we can build off that. I think that kick save he had on Broda where Broda went across the crease there, it was an unbelievable skilled play on his part. For Bunzy to get his pad over there like that, that sparked our whole bench and everyone jumped right up there. You could see the life on our bench starting to get built.”

What about Hitmen goalie Martin Jones?

“Jonesy’s an unbelievable goalie and you know if you don’t shell him you’re not going to get anything on the board. I thought Bunz really stepped up for us tonight and played right with him. We got some traffic in front of the net, which we’ve been needing to do and it kind of went for us tonight.”

Tyler Bunz – Tigers Goaltender, 35 saves

Talk about going home

“It’s huge. Any time you can play in front of your home crowd in Game 6, it’s definitely something you want and we wouldn’t ask for anything better. Our fans our like a seventh man out there and they help us out a lot with the noise. It’s just a great atmosphere to be playing in. Hopefully we can get the win for them in Game 6.”

Talk about Martin Jones

“It’s kind of the challenge that I’m up for. We talked about with my goalie coach that Martin Jones has obviously got a resume on his hands - Worlds Juniors and a lot of league records. For me to outplay him in this game and the other win we got is definitely something I need to keep doing to win this series. We’ve just got to keep firing pucks at him and get bodies in front of him. He’s a big goalie and for us to get bodies in front of him, a goalie can’t stop what he can’t see. We’ve just got to keep doing that.”

The Tiger offence really provided great support

“It was kind of frustrating. The guys in the dressing room were frustrated as well. We just kept positive. It’s a 60-minute hockey game. For us to battle back in that 20 and get two more goals in the third was definitely huge. Congrats to our guys for battling back and not giving up down 3-1.”

What was your mindset when you were down 3-1

“I was trying to stay pretty calm. I knew that if we lose this game, the season’s over. I thought I just had to be the hardest working player out there in the second period. That’s what I thought I did and made some saves that I needed to, but also the guys played real hard in front of me. They were blocking shots, getting pucks out and getting pucks to the net on Martin Jones there in the second and third.”