10/23/97
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The Flyers edged out the Calgary Flames on Thursday by the score of 4-3. If you missed this one, don’t worry, at least the Flyers won. Both teams played the opposite type of games as their records represented. And the goaltending was horrific. Many Flyer’s fans are not happy, myself included, with Coach Cashman’s decision to start Garth Snow instead of Ronny. You couldn’t ask for a more physical game as both teams combined for 67 hits.

If you wanted a physical game, you got it in the first period as both teams combined for 29 hits. There were also 2 fights in the period. By the offense was not an absence. Only 5:59 into the first period, Gratton found Brind’Amour breaking into the zone. He slid the puck between Calgary goalie, Dwayne Roloson’s legs putting the Flyers up 1-0. The physical aspect was back in full swing only a few seconds after the goal as Kordic dropped the gloves against tough guy, Sandy McCarthy. The fight was short, but sweet with both players (more Kordic, though) getting in their share of shots. After the scuffle, the next 10 minutes was dump and chase hockey that went nowhere, except back and forth. The only excitement was a ruckus stirred up by Luke Richardson, and former Devil, Mike Peluso. Both players, again, landed only 1 solid shot. It ended with Peluso falling on top of Luke and both of them were given 5 for fighting and 10 for unsportsmanlike-conduct. Unfortunately, the Flyers couldn’t hold their lead, but that didn’t happen much this game anyway. With just over 5 minutes left in the period, little Theoren Fleury put the puck by Snow, but the goal went under review. The goal stood to tie up the game at 1. I expected not much goaltending this game by this point. Which explains the rest of the period. Not even two minutes later, Marty Mcinnis put his team up by one with an ugly goal that was poked in on a rebound. But, rookie Colin Forbes came to the rescue to tie it up with his first goal of the year. Forbes was assisted by Gratton and Brind’Amour, who both racked up their second points of the game. Thankfully, that period ended tied at 2. The Flyers were expected to devastate the Flames and, at this point, it wasn’t happening.

The second period was the same thing. The Flyers, again, came out and played sluggish. This period was the strongest for goalies. Only 2 goals found there way in. Not many penalties either, but the hitting was still there. Early into the period, Trent Klatt scored off a pass from Shjohn Podien. Marty Mcinnis also picked up his second goal of the game. Theo Fleury had an assist on this one too, giving him a point on every Calgary goal this game. The scoring was nowhere to be found until late in the 3rd period.

The third was a different period. The hitting picked up even more and the goaltending got worse. Even though only one puck found it’s way in the net only once, the goalies made bad decisions playing the puck and making saves that just trickled wide. The whole period was this way until the final 2 minutes. The Flyers brought it in and put big pressure on Roloson. Stickless, Roloson dove after a loose puck in the slot, but he couldn’t reach it. LeClair swiped it from him and put it in the empty net. The Center let out a sigh of relief. The final minute was probably the most exciting part. The Flames pulled their goaltender in a desperate attempt to tie it up. LeClair could have easily put it in the empty net, but unselfishly gave it to Prospal, who barley missed the pass. Vaclav later came into the zone on a 2 on 1 with Eric, but was just offsides. The final buzzer sounded ending this one at a score of 4-3 in favor of the Flyers.

The game was, as I said, a lucky win. The Flyers couldn’t pick it up when they needed it almost losing to Calgary. Cash said in the post-game conference that the Flames have played alot better than their record shows. He was happy with the Flyers performance tonight. At least someone was.


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Scoring Summary
                           1st  2nd  3rd   TOTAL
Calgary                      2    1    0       3
Philadelphia                 2    1    1       4



Scoring and Penalty Summary

First Period
  Scoring: 1, Philadelphia, R Brindamour 3 (Gratton, Therien), 5:59. 2, Calgary,
  Fleury 3 (Morris, Stillman), 14:06. 3, Calgary, Mcinnis 3 (power play) (Hulse,
  Fleury), 16:33. 4, Philadelphia, Forbes 1 (Gratton, R Brindamour), 17:17. Penalties:
  Begin, Cgy (interference), 0:56; S Mccarthy, Cgy (fighting major), 6:59; Kordic, Phi
  (fighting major), 6:59; R Brindamour, Phi (holding), 9:15; Peluso, Cgy
  (unsportsmanlike conduct), 12:28; Richardson, Phi (unsportsmanlike conduct),
  12:28; Peluso, Cgy (fighting major, misconduct), 14:33; Richardson, Phi (fighting
  major, misconduct), 14:33; Lindros, Phi (Obstr hooking), 16:02; Zalapski, Cgy
  holding), 18:47. 

Second Period
  Scoring: 5, Philadelphia, Klatt 2 (Podein), 2:40. 6, Calgary, Mcinnis 4 (Stillman,
  Fleury), 3:10. Penalties: Fleury, Cgy (roughing), 3:10; Zalapski, Cgy (holding), 6:13;
  S Mccarthy, Cgy (roughing), 9:50; Mcinnis, Cgy (holding), 13:32; Cassels, Cgy
  (slashing, misconduct), 20:00.

Third Period
  Scoring: 7, Philadelphia, Leclair 9 (Prospal, Lindros), 18:07. 

Shot Summary
                           1st  2nd  3rd   TOTAL
Calgary                     10    5    8      23
Philadelphia                11   12   11      34

Goaltending
  Calgary: Roloson saved 30 of 34 (0-2-1)
  Philadelphia: Snow saved 20 of 23 (2-3-0)

Power Play
  Calgary - 1 of 2
  Philadelphia - 0 of 5

Officials
  Referee
    Faucette
  Linesmen
    Mccourt, Nowak

1st- Rod Brind'Amour (Flyers)
2nd- Theoren Fleury (Calgary)
3rd- John LeClair (Flyers)