Maine’s Zion Green scored a pair of first period goals en route to a 5 – 1 win over the visiting Rebels in game one of this two-game series. The Rebels’ Ruslan Jamaldinov scored his team high eleventh goal of the season. It was the first time in three games this year that the Rebels lost to Maine.
The Rebels went 0 for 4 on the man advantage.
Green opened the scoring just 3:49 into the first period. As Maine’s Cole Estey was bringing the puck up through center ice and into the offensive zone, he was pulled down from behind by Ryan Vaites for the delayed powerplay. As Estey gained the line, he passed the puck to the newly returned Kellen Murphy on his left. Murphy cut towards center ice and made a drop pass to Green who took a wrist shot from the top of the slot that beat Owen Crudale glove side to make it a 1 – 0 game.
Green doubled the Nordiques lead with 8:21 remaining in the first. With play inside the Nordiques zone, Estey brought the puck out of his own end along the near side boards and sent a long cross-ice stretch pass off the far sides boards where the biscuit was picked up by Murphy. Murphy skated behind, around and back towards the top of the slot. As Murphy went to the top of the faceoff circle, he made a cross-ice backdoor pass to Green who redirected the puck past Crudale for Green’s ninth of the season.
Jamaldinov cut the Rebels deficit in half at 6:21 into the middle stanza. Caesar Björk kept the puck in the offensive zone along the far side boards where it was picked up by Jamaldinov who sent it to Bryce Strand at the top of the slot. Strand sent a return pass along the ice to Jamaldinov who redirected the puck past Nordiques netminder Carter Richardson to make it a 2 – 1 game.
Maine had plenty of chances in the middle stanza to break open the game, particularly on an almost two-minute five on three but the Rebels penalty kill helped keep the deficit at one.
The Nordiques regained their two-goal lead at 1:50 into the third period. Maine’s Connor McNaughton intercepted Luke Janviriya’s outlet pass at the top of the slot in the Rebels zone and send the puck up to an open Usko Laaksonen in the crease. Laaksonen took a shot that was saved by Crudale but the rebound came out to Smith, who was to the right of Crudale, and smith tucked it home for his fifth goal of the season.
McNaughton scored at 6:38 into the third to give Maine a 4 – 1 lead when he redeposited an deep rebound past Crudale, and then Joseph Gasperko scored a shorthanded goal with twenty-four seconds remaining in the game to make it 5 – 1 and close out the scoring.
Crudale stopped 29 of 34 shots while Richardson turned aside 27 of 28. Click HERE for the complete box score. Photo credit: Ron Morin
