Pond hockey at it's best

Adam Tambellini (Steve Hiscock)

With just 3 games involving New York Islander and New York Ranger prospects on the schedule for Wednesday, the quiet night wound up being one of the best comebacks of the season. Adam Tambellini (NYR 2013 3rd) is going to be the featured Ranger prospect in the next issue of the Blueshirt Bulletin and I have to give him credit for having a great sense of timing.

As I was transcribing his interview, Tambellini and his Calgary Hitmen teammates fell behind the Victoria Royals 5-1 midway in the 2nd period. The Hitmen had to be scoreboard watching as well because as they fell behind like they did, the team that the Hitmen were chasing in the standings the Edmonton Oil Kings were winning their game and a loss by the Hitmen would have dropped them 7 points behind along with Edmonton holding 2 games in hand.

Cue the comeback as Tambellini teamed with his best friend Greg Chase to set up Jaynen Rissling at 14:06 of the 2nd period to make it a 5-2 game. The Hitmen would add another goal to cut the lead to 5-3 going into the 2nd intermission. In the 3rd period, the Hitmen would give up a goal to make it 6-3 and just about killing any momentum that the Hitmen had.

But Calgary would respond quickly scoring less than a minute after the Royals had scored to cut the lead to 6-4. Tambellini himself would add a goal to make it a 6-5 game when he converted a power play chance for his 5th goal. Calgary would eventually get the tying goal and would score the game winning goal in the overtime period.

Tambellini was 1-1-2 -2 as he improves to 5-10-15 and helped the Hitmen remain just 5 points behind the conference leaders in the standings. Tambellini improves to 5-10-15 in 13 games with the Hitmen.

Griffin Reinhart (NYI 2012 1st) and his Edmonton Oil Kings were in Kamloops taking on the Kamloops Blazers and on paper this game was supposed to be no contest as the Eastern Conference leaders were facing the Blazers who had the 2nd worst record in the WHL. Someone forgot to tell the Blazers that as they made sure Edmonton was in a game keeping the game close for most of the game.

If the Blazers had a power play then they might have pulled off the upset but going 0 for 8 on the power play and giving up 2 shorthanded goals at the end of the period was too much for the Blazers to overcome and they fell 4-1. Reinhart was scoreless with minors for roughing and hooking. The Oil Kings won for the 9th straight time.

Ryan Pulock (NYI 2013 1st) had a secondary assist on Brandon's 1st goal of the game but it was not enough as the Brandon Wheat Kings fell 3-2 to the Medicine Hat Tigers. Pulock is now 16-29-45 on the season as the Wheat Kings failed to use their games in hand to increase their lead in WHL's East Division.