Needing a tie to clinch a NORCAL playoff spot, the Cougars got exactly that, rallying for two goals in the final period to escape Reno with a 4-4 tie. James Ady scored the game-tying goal with the Cougars' goaltender pulled and only 53 seconds left on the clock. High Sierra battled back from 1-0 and 2-1 deficits, to take a 4-2 lead heading into the third period. But Cupertino pulled out all the stops, playing an excellent final period of hockey, outshooting the home team 17-2. Nonetheless, the Wild hung on until Ady capped the Cougars' comeback with a one-timer off a nifty behind-the-back pass from Dustin Thomas. Daniel Willenborg, Derek Fredericks, and Eric Blumenthal picked up the Cougars' other goals, with Zack Hitchcock pitching in with two assists.While much of this game was played in the Wild's defensive zone, High Sierra did a great deal of damage with their 15 shots on goal. Most of their opportunities were good scoring chances. One of those scoring chances came at 14:17, when a High Sierra player slipped behind the Cougars defense on a breakaway. But the Wild player was unable to get a clean shot off and play continued. Cupertino got on the board first at 9:46. The play started when Daniel Willenborg dumped the puck deep. Derek Fredericks' forecheck kept the Wild from starting a clean breakout. As a result, High Sierra's clearing pass was intercepted by Zack Hitchcock. Hitchcock found an opening and sent a snapshot on net. The goaltender was handcuffed a bit and the puck trickled out of his hands to the ice. Fredericks was positioned in front of the net to one-time the rebound. Cupertino was 6-0-1 when scoring first in NORCAL action, so the goal was a big one. But High Sierra made it seem much smaller when they scored off the next faceoff. After slipping around a forecheck, High Sierra penetrated deep, dishing off in the slot for a nice one-timer goal. At 8:25, Eric Blumenthal made an excellent play on a 2-on-1 High Sierra rush, taking on the player with the puck and preventing a pass to the open teammate Cougars goaltender Addison Lee made a nice save at the post at 6:21 after a Cougars' turnover. At 5:35, High Sierra was whistled for the first penalty of the game and the Cougars power play unit would cash in. After a dump-in, the Wild grabbed the puck behind the Cougars' net. They passed along the boards and through a forechecking Willenborg. Daniel McCarthy took possession just inside the blueline, passing cross-ice to Eric Blumenthal. Blumenthal ripped a slapshot through a Derek Fredericks screen and into the back of the net to make it a 2-1 game. Again, the Wild would respond. This time, they converted on a pass & shoot play similar to their first goal. The difference this time was that Lee made the initial save, but the shooter followed his shot, managing to slip the rebound through a narrow opening between the post and Lee's skate. The Cougars were back on the penalty-kill at 2:53. They weathered the Wild power play thanks to nice plays from Hitchcock, Blumenthal, and Jordan Yindiphol. Lee chipped in with a srong save on a sharp wrister at 0:58. Fredericks' one-timer was stopped at 0:15 and the period ended with the teams tied at 2-2.
What started out to look like a good period for the Cougars, ended up in disaster. Cupertino nearly scored at 13:47 when Devin Ernst sent a shot on goal that produced a juicy rebound. Jordan Yindiphol tried to flip the rebound over the goalie, but it went just over the net. After applying a great deal of pressure on a subsequent shift, High Sierra finally gained possession and moved the puck quickly up the ice. A nice head-man pass found a Wild player behind the Cougars defense and the breaking skater sent a perfect top-shelf shot off the crossbar to give High Sierra its first lead, 3-2. Zack Hitchcock came back with a good effort on a wraparound attempt at 11:03, but his shot and the rebound were stuffed. At 10:35, Addison Lee made a heads-up save at the post, but the Cougars took a penalty on the play. It would be the first of four penalties in a 3:59 span for the visitors. Cupertino escaped a close call at 9:54 when Lee made a save and appeared to hold the puck, drawing the whistle. A split-second later, High Sierra jabbed at Lee's pads and the puck wound up in the back of the net, but the referee immediately waved it off. Cupertino picked up another penalty at 9:24, giving the Wild a 5-on-3 advantage for 52 seconds. Lee came up big during the two-man advantage, making four saves in a 1:02 span to kill the first penalty. Derek Fredericks and Daniel McCarthy each iced the puck as the second penalty wound down. But High Sierra would finally convert, albeit 5 seconds after the penalty expired. The scoring play came after Cupertino lost possession behind their own net and the Wild executed a perfect centering feed for a one-timer goal. The score gave High Sierra a 4-2 lead. It also appeared to get the Cougars fired up. While killing yet another penalty with solid special teams work from Eric Blumenthal and Daniel Willenborg, a key play ensued. The Cougars committed another penalty at 5:33 that should have given High Sierra a 1:04 5-on-3 advantage. But a Wild player taunted the Cougars after the call and picked up his own 2:00 trip to the sin bin, wiping out the 5-on-3. Good penalty-kill work from Hitchcock, Willenborg, and Yindiphol killed off the balance of the one-man advantage. Cupertino nearly got a goal back at 2:48 on a delayed penalty. Derek Fredericks took control of the puck along the side boards and sent a centering pass to an open Willenborg in front of the net. But Willenborg wasn't quite able to get his stick on the pass. Eric Blumenthal nearly connected off the next faceoff, but his slapper was gathered in at 2:45. The period ended with another Wild penalty, but no further scoring.
Cupertino wasn't able to convert on their power play, but nearly scored at 12:36 when Ben Dines' slapshot sailed just wide. At 11:31, High Sierra committed two penalties and they would prove costly. On their first rush with the two-man advantage, Zack Hitchcock took the puck deep, sending a pass back out front to Derek Fredericks. Fredericks whacked a one timer that was saved but the puck dropped behind the goalie, out of his sight. An alert Daniel Willenborg spotted the loose change and swept around from behind the net to make the deposit, narrowing the gap to 4-3. The Wild committed another penalty on the score, so Cupertino still had 1:35 of 5-on-3 hockey left, trailing by a lone goal. Despite applying consistent pressure, Cupertino was unable to net the equalizer during that 1:35 span. They nearly got it as the last penalty expired when the Wild goaltender slid back into the net with the puck under his pads. But the officials ruled that play had stopped before the puck crossed the goal line and High Sierra finished the successful penalty kill. The Cougars chances were dealt a blow at 5:38, when they picked up their seventh and final penalty of the game. Blumenthal and Dines each iced the puck during the first part of the penalty kill. At 5:03, Hitchcock intercepted a pass right in front of the Wild net, but the lanky centerman didn't get a lot of juice on the shot and the goalie made the glove save. Dustin Thomas added a shorthanded shot and Fredericks and Yindiphol each iced the puck to complete the impressive penalty kill. At 2:12, Fredericks collected a pass alone in front of the Wild net, but the netminder made a nice save on the backhander. With just over a minute to play, Cupertino pulled goaltender Lee for the extra skater. The Cougars' energy line of Thomas, James Ady, and Matt Hopper took the ice. Frustrated all day, this line would finally convert and score what might be the Cougars' biggest goal of the season so far. High Sierra cleared their defensive zone with a pass that Thomas gathered in just outside the blueline. Thomas turned and went back into the Wild zone skating wide and drawing two defenders. He spun around just before reaching the side boards, sending a backhand centering pass toward the net. James Ady was ready and waiting and he ripped the one-timer into the mesh to make it 4-4. The game would end that way, giving Cupertino a 9-7-4 record with two games to play.
Cupertino holds the tiebreaker over High Sierra by virtue of its superior goal differential in head-to-head games, and has thus clinched a NORCAL playoff spot. In addition to this tie game, High Sierra has beaten Cupertino 4-1 and Cupertino has beaten High Sierra 7-2. High Sierra has just one game remaining and can finish no better than tied with the Cougars. If that happens, Cupertino will advance to the NORCAL playoffs by virtue of the tiebreaker. Cupertino's tie, coupled with Oakland's victory over Santa Clara, secures all four playoff teams - San Jose, Oakland, Stockton, and Cupertino. Playoff positioning is still up in the air as a single point separates the second through fourth spots heading into Sunday's games.
4, High Sierra, 4
Scoring Summary
Cougars Battle but Come up Short vs. Sharks
