By Stephen Dafoe
Morinville – Dressed in their red jerseys the Morinville Titans took to the ice for a road game on home ice Tuesday night. Scheduling placed the second game of the series, which should have been played in Edmonton, in Morinville. But while the Titans goals were recorded on the visitor’s side of the Ray McDonald Sports Centre scoreboard, those lamps lit in the Titan’s favour, a 4-2 victory that evened the field for the titans and their opponents, the Edmonton Ice.
The contest was a stark contrast from the sluggish game the Titans played Saturday night, an effort that ended in a 9-6 victory for the visiting Edmonton Ice.
“Definitely a different game,” said Titans Coach Jeff Montina. “The biggest difference – we skated a lot better tonight. Still a little too many penalties, but the effort was great. Goaltending was stellar again.”
The Titans dominated the play during the first period, giving the Ice a 3-0 deficit to start the middle frame. Although the Ice finally pocket one during the period, it was answered by the Titans to give Morinville a 4-1 lead heading into the final period. As had been the case in the middle frame, each side picked up a goal, giving the Titans a 4-2 victory and driving the series to a third and deciding game.
Montina said he felt part of the problem in Saturday’s contest was the rust that accumulated on the team while they sat out the first round bye the Titans earned for their fourth-place finish during the regular season.
“Sometimes a bye is great to get a little rest if you’ve got injured guys, but it can also kill you,” Montina said.
The Titans travel to Edmonton Saturday night to see if there season ends or continues to the next round of playoffs. Game time is 6:30 p.m. at Confederation Arena.
