January 6th 2018
Manglerud Star vs Storhamar 2-4 FINAL
(1-1, 1-2, 0-1)
The first period in Oslo was a roller coaster seeing both teams having offensive spells. The start and the end of the frame was dominated by the home team, mostly thanks to powerplays, while Storhamar were the better team in the middle phase. Patrick Thoresen sent the Yellows ahead when he faced Kristopher Joyce from the side, and Storhamar’s captain found the far corner. The visitors could have scored more after some heavy pressure in the O-zone, but a warm Joyce kept his net free of more rubber. Then, five minutes before the end of the inning, Matthew van Voorhis tied the game by beating Oskar Östlund on a penalty shot given after a failed counter attack due to a slash. It wasn’t deserved, but nobody dressed in green cared about that. MS fed off the buzz after the goal and created another huge chance, but Östlund was at work and saved it at the goal line. It ended in a powerplay though, and the Storhamar netminder had to come up big a few more times to keep it all square at the buzzer.
The second act continued in the same fashion. Storhamar were the better team and should have scored many. But – as so often this season – the 2nd, 3rd and 4th lines simply cannot – and couldn’t – find the net often enough. Huge chances were wasted, so it had to be the 1st-liners who did the job. And Patrick Thoresen did exactly that by scoring a pair, the first in an early 5 on 3 powerplay and the second at the half way point when his snapper beat Joyce on the blocker side. Thoresen thereby had scored a hattrick, and the hats were flying from the away team fans. MS also came up with a counter attack every now and then, so Östlund had to be sharp as well. He was beaten once though, when Jesper Hoel picked up the blue crease garbage on the doorstep towards the end of the period, after a Christer Simonsen shot in another 5 on 3 advantage for the home team. So it was just a one goal game before the third.
Storhamar were the better team in the third and played solid in all areas. MS could never really challenge the Yellows for the win. And when Robin Dahlstrøm scored in a powerplay in the eight minute, the home team had a mountain to climb. Dahlstrøm was fed by the Thoresen brothers and beat Joyce from the back door. Storhamar closed the game after that, and MS never came close to coming back in it. Joyce kept on his show though to keep it at 2-4.