Game Summaries - Fall 2002
Playoffs

Chris Reeves registered two goals and Saxon Brack turned aside 20 of 22 shots, as the Knuckles defeated the Crease Lizards 4-2 to win their second straight championship.

The Lizards jumped up quick, at 1:28 with a trickler through Brack for a 1-0 lead.

The Moose bounced back strong, holding the edge through most of the first. They were finally able to cash in when Chris Reeves picked up an errant deflection from Ron Leverock on Mit Morgan's point shot. Reeves attempted to center the puck, but ended up hitting the sliding Garrod Tyler in the skate, with the puck trickling across the goal line. The goal knotted things at one.

Late in the first, the Moose worked the puck deep, with the payoff coming as Glenn Baker smacked a rebound in from Don Pinter, giving the Knuckles a 2-1 lead.

The Crease Lizards stepped it up a notch in an even second period. The tying goal came at 2:40 when Sean Hogan pinched from the point, blasting a shot through the five hole of Brack.

The second period would end tied at two.

The Moose took complete control of the third for the second game in a row, as Chris Reeves tallied his second of the night, this time from Steve Klosinski and Kevin Holt. It was Reeves' second of the game in his first game back at forward since game 2 of the semifinals.

The Moose would lock down and go to the dump and chase for the remainder of the third.

Brad Schneider would come up with the needed insurance goal at 4:14, from Reeves and Holt. It was Schneider's team leading fifth of the playoffs.

With a 4-2 lead, the Knuckles continued to apply the pressure, preventing the Lizards from mounting any type of sustained attack for the remainder of the game.

The Moose finished things off in typical Moose fashion, taking the game 4-2, the series 2-0, good enough for their second straight championship.

Saxon Brack turned 21 shots aside and a physical Knuckles D kept the Lizards at bay in a 2-1 win in game 1 of the 2002-03 PIHL finals.

The Lizards dominated most of the first period, maintaining deep pressure most of the period, however, they were unable to slide anything past the aggressive Brack during the stanza.

The Moose struck first when late in the first, Bryan Leach held a clearing attempt at the point, releasing an ice level shot through Lizards' goalie Garrod Tyler for a 1-0 Moose lead.

In the second, the Lizards tied it with a goal by Mike Warren after a failed clearing attempt in front of the Knuckles' net.

The Knuckles quickly gained the goal back when Brad Schneider beat Tyler to a loose puck, sliding a near impossible angle shot into the open net for a 2-1 lead. It was Schneider's team leading fourth goal of the playoffs and second straight game winning goal.

In the third, the Knuckles continued to frustrate the Lizards' offense.

For the final ten minutes of the third period, the Knuckles dumped puck after puck deep into the Lizards' end. The tiring Lizards' defensemen had a hard time breaking the ensuing forecheck without finding a waiting Moose defensemen at the redline ready to throw the puck right back in.

With 40 seconds remaining and Tyler on the bench, the Lizards attempted to mount one last attack, but were unsuccessful as the Moose took game 1 by a final of 2-1. The Moose are now 5-0 against the Lizards in regular season and playoff games.

Brad Schneider blasted a slapshot past Jokerit goalie T Silkala with 3:59 remaining to lift the Moose into the finals for the second straight season, with a 4-3 win over rival Jokerit in game 3 of the PIHL semifinals.

Jokerit came out hard in the first five minutes, sustaining pressure deep in the Knuckles zone for much of the first five minutes of the opening frame. However, Jokerit could not work the puck inside for sufficient scoring opportunities.

Weathering the initial storm, the Moose dominated the remaining ten minutes of the first, outshooting Jokerit 8-4 in a scoreless period.

Five minutes into the second, Ron Leverock hit Jim Burns up ice on a one-on-one. Burns worked deep, feeding Bryan Leach who moved it out front to Kevin Holt. Holt's shot skimmed through the legs of Silkala for a 1-0 Moose lead.

With S Hall in the box for tripping Bryan Leach, the Knuckles powerplay went to work. Leverock worked the corner and fed Leach behind the net for a quick wrap around past a surprised Silkala. It was Leach's 19th goal of the season, but more importantly, his first goal against Jokerit in 6 games.

With a 2-0 lead, the Knuckles looked to go for the kill. In a strange turn of events, Jokerit forward C Reid dumped the puck in on Saxon Brack. The puck took a bad hop and jumped over the shoulder of the Moose netminder, bringing Jokerit within one.

Later in the second, Veli Peka Vesala took off on a breakaway. Jim Burns, hustling back, locked up with Vesala in what appeared to be a take down by the Jokerit forward. Burns, however, was called for tripping, putting the Fins on the powerplay.

Just 50 seconds in, the Knuckles were once again victimized by a questionable call as a Jokerit forward barrelling through the crease, tripped over an outstretched Brack. Chris Reeves was called for a trip on the play, putting the Moose down a deuce.

On the ensuing two-man-advantage, Jokerit defensemen J Gerrits deflected a puck past Brack to tie the game at two. The third period would be the last regulation period for one of the teams this season.

The Knuckles answered the bell first, when Paul Worthley tossed a knuckleball past Silkala at 1:01 of the third, giving the Moose a 3-2 lead. Chris Reeves and Glenn Baker assisted on the go-ahead goal.

Jokerit still wouldn't go away.

A skirmish in front of Brack led to the net coming off the magnetic moorings. Without a whistle, play continued until Vesala stepped up to a loose puck, putting it home past a defenseless Brack, knotting things at three.

Things went up and down until Brad Schneider carried the puck up the right wing and blasted a slapshot over the left shoulder of Silkala for the game winning goal.

Jokerit pulled the net in the last minute, but the Moose were able to withstand the pressure, holding on for a 4-3 win to take the series 2-1.

Veli-Peka Vesala scored on a breakaway and assisted on two other goals to lift Jokerit to a 3-2 win over the MooseKnuckles in game 2 of the semifinals.

The Moose got off to a slow start as Jokerit squashed every attempt to put on pressure in the offensive zone. Jokerit outshot the Knuckles 12-9 in a scoreless first period.

The Knuckles went on the powerplay at :31 of the second when Hall was called for tripping. The resulting powerplay amounted to the first sustained pressure of the evening, as the Moose were able to hold the puck deep. However, they were unable to punch it through.

The forecheck swelled for most of the second as the Knuckles outshot Jokerit 10-3 in the frame. Jokerit weathered the storm and jumped up 1-0 when Vesala stripped Jim Burns of the puck just inside the Knuckles' blue line, skating in and beating Saxon Brack over the left shoulder.

The Moose continued to chip away in the third, but could not get the puck past the 'Iceman'. With 4:34 remaining, the line of Brad Schneider, Kevin Holt and Chris Reeves was finally able to punch one through. Schneider took a pass from Holt from behind the net and beat Silkala inside the right post to even things at one.

Immediately following the goal, Jokerit took a timeout.

They responded with their top line and a quick 3-on-2. The right defensemen, S Suni, jumped up the right wing to join the play, and took a feed from J Paksuniemi, rifling a shot past Brack for a 2-1 Jokerit advantage.

Brack was pulled with 1:22 remaining and the faceoff deep in the Jokerit end. But, a turnover at the blue line gave Hari Hakkanen an opportunity to put the game away with a clear shot at the empty net. With 0:32 remaining Jokerit was in command, 3-1.

The line of Schneider, Holt and Reeves didn't make it that simple. Holt scored, unassisted with :03 remaining, to put the Knuckles within one.

Brack was pulled for a second time.

The Knuckles won the ensuing faceoff, but Brad Schneider was unable to get a shot off as time expired.

Ron Leverock deflected Josh Ahlberg's point shot past the Jokerit goalie for a powerplay goal with 2:46 remaining to lift the Knuckles to a 4-3 win over Jokerit in game 1 of the PIHL semifinals.

The Knuckles dropped behind at 3:04 of the first when Paksuniemi beat Moose goalie, Saxon Brack after a fierce flurry, giving Jokerit a 1-0 lead.

The Knuckles responded at 5:13 when Mit Morgan rifled a point shot toward the waiting Paul Worthley, who deflected the shot past a defenseless Jokerit goalie, knotting things at one apiece.

Jokerit came right back when Moose center Kevin Holt made a rare mistake by attempting to clear a puck up the center of the zone, only to find a lurking Veli Peka Vesala, who quickly gave Jokerit a one goal lead at 2-1.

Late in the first, Scott McBrayer managed to tie things up at two, when he one-timed a pass from Glenn Baker through the five hole. Mit Morgan also assisted on the play.

Things tightened up in the second stanza as the Moose attacked the puck with greater urgency. Chris Reeves created a turnover, feeding Brad Schneider who walked in on the right wing, firing a shot past Silkala to give the Moose a 3-2 lead.

For the next 19:30, the teams battled to a scoreless tie, until Jokerit defensemen K Pohlman sniped a shot off the glove of Brack, into the Knuckles' goal, cinching things at 3-3.

The battle continued deep into the third period. The tide turned as Josh Ahlberg, playing a puck in the defensive zone, had his feet taken out by V Jokitulpa, resulting in a tripping minor against Jokerit.

The Knuckles powerplay unit of Bryan Leach, Worthley, Leverock, Ahlberg and Steve Klosinski responded by working the puck deep and maintaining control. Leach hit Klosinski with a beautiful cross-ice pass, which was moved across to Ahlberg for the slapshot. Leverock, stationed directly in front, deflected the puck through the five-hole of Silkala, for the game winner.

Jokerit pulled the goalie with 1:01 remaining, but was unable to sustain any threat against the Knuckles, as the Moose pulled out a 4-3 win in game 1.

Regular Season

Bryan Leach netted his second hat trick of the season and five players each contributed two points in a lopsided 7-2 win over the rival Avalanche.

Bryan Leach got things started with a shot from the left faceoff circle that beat Avalanche loaner-goalie, Don Pinter, for a 1-0 lead. Paul Worthley set the play up. For Leach, it was his team leading 16th of the season.

The Avs managed to tie the score when Pat Baglioni put in a rebound of Pius Coles with 2:03 remaining in the first.

Saxon Brack made several huge saves during the remainder of the first and through the first few minutes of the second until the offense got things in gear.

The Knuckles answered with 11:41 in the second when Ron Leverock hit Paul Worthley up ice for a one-on-one drive. Worthley's shot was kicked out by Pinter to a waiting Leverock who put it over the shoulder for a 2-1 advantage.

Just over two minutes later, Leach tallied his second of the evening on a rebound from Josh Ahlberg's point shot. Chris Reeves set up the play with a pass to Ahlberg.

Brad Schneider jumped into the scoring column with 6:21 remaining when he beat Pinter with assists from Ahlberg and Leach. It was Schneider's 8th goal of the season, second on the team.

With 8:25 remaining in the third, Steve Klosinski hit Ron Leverock at the blue line, who in turn saucered a pass to Leach for a 2-on-1 break with Worthley. Leach looked high, but slid the puck five-hole on Pinter for a 5-1 Knuckles lead. It was Leach's third of the game and 18th of the season.

Chris Reeves added a sixth goal just 26 seconds later on a pass from the newly engaged Kevin Holt. It was Reeves' third of the season.

Brad Schneider finished things off with a goal on a 2-on-none with Leverock. Schneider's 9th of the season gave the Knuckles a 7-1 lead. Mit Morgan sprung Schneider on the breakaway.

The Knuckles gave away a second goal with 21 seconds remaining as Craig Deacon was left alone in the low slot, converting on a pass from league-leading goal scorer Tom Granese.

Saxon Brack notched his second shutout and a new look Moose offense had no problems scoring in a 6-0 win over the hapless Savage.

Mit Morgan started the boxscore with his first goal of the season, a blast from the right point, through traffic and past the Savage goaltender. Jim Burns and Bryan Leach provided the setup.

Chris Reeves, playing his first game at forward for the Knuckles, wasted no time in scoring when he put in a pass from Kevin Holt and Ron Leverock for a 2-0 lead.

Paul Worthley, playing his first game at wing collected a pass from Glenn Baker and put it in the backdoor for a 3-0 advantage. It was Worthley's seventh of the season.

The attack continued...

Chris Reeves, driving down the left wing was taken down for a delayed call. He continued the play and fed the puck out front to a waiting Ron Leverock who put it home for a 4-0 lead.

And continued...

Steve Klosinski - a key part of the Knuckles defensive solidarity, skipped a puck from the red line past a frustrated Savage goalie for a 5-0. Kevin Holt fed the puck off the opening faceoff of the third for his second assist of the night.

And continued...

Brad Schneider finished the scoring out by driving the puck up ice, putting a shackling move on a twisted Savage defensemen, ripping a shot off that Scott McBrayer cleaned up on.

Brack finished things off for his second shutout of the season.

Chaos star Scott Prusha came to life late in the third period to single-handedly defeat the lifeless Knuckles' offense, 2-1.

The first period moved at a furious pace as both teams rushed up and down the ice without significant sustained pressure. The first period came to an end with the Knuckles holding an 8-4 shots advantage, but a goose egg on the scoreboard.

In the second, the Knuckles mounted several strong attacks, most significantly when Bryan Leach scored from Brad Schneider and Mit Morgan, to give the Knuckles a 1-0 lead.

The Moose continued to whip up on Chaos for the remainder of the second with continuous one minute or longer possessions in the offensive end, however, they could not put the puck past the Chaos goaltender. The Knuckles outshot Chaos 9-5 in the second.

In the third, the game pace became sloppy as both teams appeared tired from the rigid pace of periods one and two. Scott Prusha was the lone exception as he inally got involved by picking up a loose puck on a delayed penalty, roofing it over a diving Saxon Brack, knotting the game at one.

The game appeared headed for a tie when Prusha struck once again. Coming into the zone 2 on 2, the Chaos forward without the puck kicked the feet of Moose defensemen Jimmy Burns out, leading Prusha in alone for his second tally of the game.

For the second week in a row, the Knuckles pulled Brack, but this time they were unable to score, dropping their second straight. The loss puts the Knuckles in a must win situation to make the playoffs in a tight five team race.

The Knuckles' lack of goal scoring came back to haunt them in a 3-2 loss to rival Jokerit. The loss gave the Fins a clean three game sweep of the Moose during the regular season.

The Moose came out strong in the first, dominating most of the play in the Jokerit end. Yet, they were unable to cash in on their few chances. Jokerit, sustaining the attack responded by quickly gaining the lead with 1:47 remaining in period one when #25, an unknown player, lifted a point blank shot over Saxon Brack.

Less than two minutes later the Fins struck again when #90, another unknown player, broke in off the opening faceoff of the second period and whipped a shot from the faceoff circle just inside the right goal post, for a 2-0 lead.

The Moose were unable to generate any sustained pressure in the second as they could not pass the puck up ice. The offense finally came to life when Brad Schneider put in a feed from Don Pinter to cut the lead to one.

#90 of Jokerit came back early in the third with his second goal of the game, giving the Fins another two goal lead.

The Knuckles continued to have problems mounting an attack for the remainder of the third until Ron Leverock was hauled down with 56 seconds remaining, giving the Knuckles a powerplay. With the net empty and a 6 on 4 advantage, the Knuckles wasted no time as Brad Schneider put a rebound in from Bryan Leach and Paul Worthley, cutting the lead to 3-2.

Brack remained on the bench as the Knuckles vehemently attacked for the equalizer, however Jokerit held its own for the remainder of the game, taking the 3-2 win.

Saxon Brack stood tall during a lengthy Knuckles' slump and the Moose finally awakened to steal a 3-1 win against the Crease Lizards.

The Knuckles extended their three week vacation an extra 26 minutes as the Crease Lizards dominated every phase of the game. Saxon Brack, however, showed that one player can take a game over as he provided highlight clip after highlight clip during a first period free-for-all on the Knuckles' netminder.

The Lizards continued their attack into the second as the Knuckles simply could not maintain possession against the Lizards' trap. Brack was again tested numerous times, answering the call over and over again.

The Moose finally came out of hibernation late in the second as Brad Schneider blasted a centering pass from Chris Reeves past Lizards' goalie Garrod Tyler. It was Schneider's sixth of the season and couldn't have come at a better time. The goal appeared to completely deflate the Crease Lizards. Kevin Holt started the play with a rush to the puck opposite Tyler who vacated the net temporarily.

With the Lizard's reeling, the Knuckles jumped on the board a second time, just two minutes later, as Bryan Leach deflected Josh Ahlberg's point shot into the back of the net for a 2-1 Knuckles' lead. It was Leach's team-leading fourteenth tally of the season.

The Knuckles played a strong possession game in the third as the Lizards were unable to maintain a sustained attack for the remainder of the game. Scott McBrayer provided the insurance goal when he charged the net in front of a Paul Worthley slapshot. The puck hit McBrayer in the groin and trickled through a startled Tyler for a 3-1 lead. Holt picked up his second assist of the game on the play.

Bryan Leach continued his offensive dominance with his first career hat trick and Saxon Brack stopped 21 shots for his first shutout as a Knuckle in a 5-0 thrashing of the Tuaca Shooters.

The Moose dominated from the opening faceoff, controlling the offensive and neutral zones for most of the first period. Scott McBrayer started the route with a breakaway goal at 5:32 of the first. McBrayer blocked the point shot and was off to the races, deking forehand and beating Shootes goalie Don French with the backhand for his second of the season.

The flood gates opened in the second as Leach took a pass from Brad Schneider, snapped a shot on French, picked up his own rebound and cashed it in for a 2-0 lead. It was Leach's 11th of the season, also assisted by Don Pinter.

Just two minutes later, McBrayer rushed the offensive end, picking up a loose puck behind the Tuaca net, setting up Josh Ahlberg for a screened point shot. Ahlberg's goal was his second of the season.

Three minutes later Leach took the draw in the offensive zone, chipping the drop directly past the startled Tuaca netminder for a 4-0 advantage.

Ron Leverock had joked with Leach about netting a hat trick for his 29th birthday. In the third, Ron Leverock took a pass from Chris Reeves and set Leach up for his third of the night. For Leach it was his first career hat trick.

The only outstanding order on the table was to finish off the shutout for Brack. The continued pressure was too much for Tuaca to handle as Brack earned his first shutout as a MooseKnuckle.

Bryan Leach scored twice and set up two others as the Knuckles grabbed a share of first place with a 6-3 drubbing of the Canadiens.

The Knuckles came out quickly against the Habs, yet were unable to reap the benefits of their aggressive first period play. Despite outshooting the Canadiens 15-7 in the first, the Knuckles found themselves down for the 3rd game in a row. This time, 1-0 at the break.

After a sluggish last five minutes of the first, Steve Klosinski got the engine running with a point shot that banked in off the crossbar, evening things up at one apiece. Josh Ahlberg provided the assistance.

Three minutes later Leach fed Brad Schneider from behind the net. Schneider blasted a slapshot off the left post and in for a 2-1 Moose lead. It was Schneider's fourth of the season.

With 2:32 remaining in the second, Ron Leverock peeled J Margelese off the puck for Paul Worthley, who picked up the remnants and snuck a wrist shot through for a 3-1 lead.

Kevin Holt and Scott McBrayer provided the most gut-wrenching antics of the nights when McBrayer's stick caught Holt in the mouth, cracking his tooth and lip in half. Holt returned to action immediately after.

Twenty seconds later, Leach popped his team-leading ninth goal of the season through for a 4-1 Moose lead. Don Pinter and Klosinski each added assists on the play.

The Moose continued to roll into the third as Leach picked up his second of the night on a goal disputed by the Canadiens. The tally was unassisted and gave the Knuckles a 5-1 lead.

The Knuckles appeared destined for their first blowout of the season, but the Canadiens had other plans. The pressure stepped up and resulted in a goal by captain Mike Smith at 6:42 of the third.

Just minutes later, W Govinchi stripped Josh Ahlberg, adding his second of the night, cutting the Moose lead in half at 5-3. The Leach, Pinter and Schneider line jumped back out and settled things back down as Pinter jammed a pass from Leach through for a 6-3 final.

Kevin Holt scored twice and Bryan Leach added two assists as the Knuckles overcame a 2-0 deficit to tie the rival Avalanche 3-3.

For the second game in a row, the Knuckles found themselves down 2-0 in the first. This time it was the Avs taking the lead at 10:29 of the first. With Steve Klosinski off for tripping, Cook put in the rebound of Craig Deacon, just 9 seconds into the advantage. The Avs outshot the Knuckles 8-5 in the first.

The Avs jumped up 2-0 when the Knuckles turned the puck over at the blue line and could not regain possession of the puck. Tom Granese finished the onslaught.

The Knuckles finally answered the call at 10:17 when Kevin Holt banked a wide angle shot through Avs goalie, Josh Gipson.

The Avs appeared to have regained the 2 goal advantage when Craig Deacon drove the net 1 on 3, crashing into Saxon Brack, but the Knuckles netminder held the puck in his goal pads which remained outside the goal line.

A few minutes later, Holt added his second of the evening, cashing in on a pass from Bryan Leach. Holt's fourth of the season came from an all too familiar off-ice position for the Knuckles forward, on his knees.

Just over a minute later, the line gave the goal back up as the Avs maintained pressure similar to their prior goal, shelling Brack with 4 shots in less than a minute. Jeff Lister picked up the last rebound to put the Avs up once again.

Down 3-2 in the third, Chris Reeves took the puck up ice, blasting a shot past Gipson to tie the game at 3. It was Reeves' first of the season, assisted by Leach. The game would get ugly at that point as 7 penalties for a total of 30 minutes were called in the remaining seven minutes.

The Knuckles' best chance at taking the win came on a short-handed breakaway by Leach, who cut across the crease without getting a shot on net. Avs forward Doug Mefford was called for tripping on the play, evening things up until the last minute when the Knuckles went on the power play. The Knuckles were unable to cash in on a couple of chances, ending the game in a 3-3 tie.

With a Controlled Chaos win, the Knuckles find themselves in a second place tie at 6-3-2, still two points behind Jokerit.

Glenn Baker tallied his first goal of the season and Kevin Holt scored with 2:51 remaining to lift the Knuckles to a 4-3 win over the winless Savage.

Things got ugly rather quickly for the Knuckles in the first as Justin Tcheng, hot off a 68 point season in the Fellowship Elite league, fired a wrister past goalie Saxon Brack for a 1-0 Savage lead.

Four minutes later Tcheng drove the net again, taking three Knuckles players with him. He dropped a pass to M Harrison who walked in unmolested, putting the puck behind Brack for a 2-0 Savage lead.

The Knuckles regrouped and cut the lead to 2-1 when Scott McBrayer blocked a shot at the point, picked up the bounce and jetted in on a breakaway. The shot was stopped, but Jim Burns was in perfect position to pick up the rebound, putting it home with 1:10 left in the first.

The Knuckles continued to apply the pressure through the second, mounting several shifts with sustained pressure in the Savage end. Glenn Baker picked up his first goal of the season at 9:32, finishing off the strong effort of Bryan Leach.

With the game knotted at two, Tcheng once again drove the net with speed, beating the defense and giving the Savage a 3-2 lead with 8:22 remaining in the third. The lead did not last long as Paul "Snail Tracks" Worthley picked up Glenn Baker's garbage just 12 seconds later, squaring things up at three. It was Worthley's fifth of the season.

With 4:19 remaining, Savage winger D Friedburg was called for roughing, putting the Knuckles on the power play for the fourth time. Kevin Holt drove the puck coast-to-coast, slipping it through the legs of Savage goalie Kai Axford. It was Holt's second of the season, unassisted at 2:51.

Savage pulled the net with 1:20 remaining, but were stonewalled by Brack and the aggressive Knuckles defense. A big hit by Jim Burns on Tcheng at the blue line stalled a final rush as the Knuckles held on for the 4-2 win.

The win puts the Knuckles in second place with a record of 6-3-1, 3 points behind front-runner Jokerit and 1 point ahead of both Controlled Chaos and Tuaca Shooters.

Exceptional positioning, smart puck control and a brick wall in net were just what the Knuckles needed to grind out a 3-1 win over the second place Controlled Chaos.

The Knuckles looked flat for most of the first, fielding a roster of only nine skaters, including three players skating in their second game of the evening. Chaos put some pressure on early in outshooting the Knuckles 12-7 in the first period. Saxon Brack stood tall and stopped everything thrown his way in the first fifteen minutes.

Twenty-nine seconds into the second period, Chaos broke the deadlock off a Knuckle turnover deep in their own end. The Knuckles responded three minutes later with a power play goal by Kevin Holt. Chaos was called for too-many men, resulting in the first Knuckle power play of the evening. Holt picked up Bryan Leach's centering pass and slid it in past Chaos goalie Bob Weingartner, tying the game at one apiece.

The Knuckles would control most of the second period, with strong penalty killing and a stiff trap that rendered Chaos star Scott Prusha useless. Saxon Brack came up with two huger breakaway saves to keep the Knuckles deadlocked.

Onto the third, the Knuckles stuck with the defense-first mentality, holding the puck deep off of a strong forecheck and rock solid point control by the under-manned defensive trio of Josh Ahlberg, Steve Klosinski and Chris Reeves. Bryan Leach picked up the game winner off of a breakout pass from Ahlberg. Leach skated up the right wing and sniped a wrist-shot over the left shoulder of Weingartner, giving the Knuckles a 2-1 lead.

Just 1:24 later, Glenn Baker hit Paul Worthley with a centering pass in front of Weingartner. Worthley slammed it home to give the Knuckles a two goal advantage.

From there, the Knuckles worked the dump and chase for the remainder of the third.

The Knuckles move to 5-3-1, one point behind second place Chaos. The two wins give the Knuckles the tie-breaker over Chaos in the event the teams end up tied during the regular season.

Jokerit punched two goals past Knuckles' goalie Saxon Brack in the last two minutes to steal the first place showdown in a 4-3 contest.

The Knuckles came out full force, grabbing a goal at 11:06 of the first when Ron Leverock's shot deflected through four players and through Jokerit goalie Siikala for a 1-0 Knuckles' lead.

Jokerit answered with a goal of their own when Veli Peka Vesala shot up the gut on a breakaway, stuffing the puck through the legs of Saxon Brack to even the game at one. Vesala came through with his second of the night at 9:16, giving Jokerit the one goal lead. Forty-one seconds later, Don Pinter responded with his first of two goals on the night off a nice feed from Brad Schneider and Chris Reeves, evening things up at two.

The battle continued into the third, where Don Pinter notched the go-ahead goal at 4:20 off a pass from Bryan Leach. The play was made possible by the brilliant effort of Chris Reeves, who held the zone on his knees.

The Knuckles appeared to be in the driver's seat until the last 1:53. Vesala completed the hat trick at 1:53, tying things up at 3. 1:09 later, Jokerit took advantage of a Knuckles' miscue to steal the game 4-3.

Brack was pulled with 25.9 remaining, but the Knuckles were unable to knot the game, despite strong pressure.

The loss drops the Knuckles into fifth place at 4-3-1. Jokerit remains undefeated at 7-0-1.

Bryan Leach, Steve Klosinski, Ron Leverock and Chris Reeves each kicked in two points as the offensively challenged Knuckles finally came to life in a 6-4 win over the Crease Lizards.

The Knuckles appeared to be on their way to a route when they grabbed a 3-0 lead in the first on a quick flurry of goals in a span of 3:17. Bryan Leach started the scoring spree with a wrister that deflected through Lizards' goalie Garrod Tyler to make it 1-0. Chris Reeves picked up the assist on the play. Just over two minutes later, the Knuckles picked up a power play tally on a screened point shot from Steve Klosinski. The one and only Jimmy Burns provided the pass on Klosinski' goal. 59 seconds later, Paul Worthley took a slapshot from outside the blue line that somehow found its way to the back of the net, making it 3-0. Klosinski had the outlet pass.

The Crease Lizards rounded the wagons at the end of the first, taking control of the Knuckles' inability to clear the puck. They answered with two goals in 1:10. Steve Herman and Mike Warren put open shots past Knuckles tender Saxon Brack, both after he made the initial save on point shots.

The Knuckles got their act back in gear in the second. At 7:18, Paul Worthley's forecheck caused Lizards' defensemen J Bickler to blindly throw the puck across the middle where a waiting Ron Leverock picked up the puck and whipped a shot that was deflected high over the left shoulder of Tyler. Five minutes later, Brad Schneider deflected a shot from Chris Reeves through Tyler for a 5-2 Knuckles lead heading into the third.

The Knuckles sloppy play in the third cost them twice in a 25 second span, as the line of M Lafleur, L Mcdonald and K Daniel burned the Knuckles twice on open rebound shots on the backside of Brack. The game was now 5-4 with 11:03 remaining.

Brack held off numerous scoring opportunities over the next few minutes. The Knuckles were able to regain control and held the puck inside the Lizards' side of the redline for most of the remaining 8 minutes.

Bryan Leach broke through with the insurance goal at 1:31 off a pass from Ron Leverock in the corner. Kevin Holt, rejoining the team after a long cocaine binge, started the play after holding the line and throwing the puck down to Leverock in the corner. It was Leach's team leading seventh goal of the season.

The Lizards pulled Tyler with 1:10 left, but were unable to cash in on the advantage.

In a mistake filled contest, the Tuaca Shooters, behind a hat trick from Dave Wachal, defeated the Knuckles 5-3 Monday night.

The Knuckles jumped up early on Bryan Leach's fifth goal of the season, assisted by Ron Leverock and Don Pinter. Tuaca answered at 4:44 when Dave Wachal picked up a turnover by Pinter in front of the Knuckles net, knotting the game at one apiece.

The Knuckles struck again at 10:14 of the second when Leverock batted in a pass from Don Pinter to put the Knuckles up 2-1. Bryan Leach picked up the other assist on the play. Tuaca once again tied the game when Knuckles' goalie Saxon Brack made a kick save on a hard shot from Wachal. Jim Burns' clearing attempt was juggled and picked up by B. Byker, who put the puck up over the defenseless Brack.

Tuaca took the lead on a short-handed breakaway by G. Griffon. Josh Ahlberg's point shot was blocked by Doug Tracy, who fed the puck up to the breaking Griffon. Griffon beat Brack high on the glove side for the 3-2 lead.

The Knuckles answered when Don Pinter picked up his first of the season, unassisted, to knot the game at three. However, Tuaca quickly regained the lead on a deflection goal by Wachal. The Knuckles pulled Brack with 1:30 remaining, but were unable to get the equalizer. With 2 seconds remaining, Wachal completed his hat trick with an empty netter.

The loss drops the Knuckles to 3-2-1, one point over the fifth place Tuaca Shooters.

Bryan Leach sparked the Knuckles' top line with 2 goals and Saxon Brack turned away 21 of 23 shots to push the Knuckles to a 3-2 victory over the (1-4) Canadiens.

The Knuckles jumped up at the 6:28 mark when Brad Schneider, Don Pinter and Bryan Leach combined on a beautiful passing play in which Leach put the puck home for a 1-0 Knuckles' lead. It was Leach's third of the season. The Knuckles maintained the pressure for the next few minutes and scored their second goal of the evening when Jim Burns cashed in on Glenn Baker and Brandon Wolff's assists. The goal came at the 4:46 mark and was Burns' third of the season.

The Canadiens came back when an uncontested point shot resulted in a big rebound. Canadiens winger J Margele put the puck through the legs of the sprawled out Brack, bringing the Canadiens within one at the end of the period. Shots were 10-10 in the first period.

The Knuckles maintained possession for much of the second, but were unable to score until Josh Ahlberg took advantage of a poorly timed Canadiens' changeand hit a wide open Bryan Leach at the Habs' blue line. Leach walked in all alone and snapped a blast past the overmatched Canadiens goalie. It was Leach's second goal of the night and fourth of the season.

The Knuckles play got a little sloppy towards the end of the second and they paid when with five seconds remaining, a turnover deep in the zone resulted in a 2-on-1. J Stevens was able to beat Brack to make it a 3-2 game. The third period saw up and down play. The Knuckles found themselves with a 2-man advantage at the 5:25 mark, but they were unable to capitalize on the power play, leaving themselves to defend a 3-2 lead with the Canadiens net empty for the final 1:04. The Knuckles stood strong and walked out with the win, putting them at 3-1-1.

Final shots were 23-21 in favor of the Knuckles. Next up, a rematch against the only team the Knuckles did not defeat during their championship season, the Tuaca Shooters, this Monday October 28th at 10:20pm

Four Knuckles scored a goal each and Saxon Brack and the Knuckles' defense held the high-powered Avs to 19 shots and 2 goals in a 4-2 triumph Monday night.

The Knuckles jumped up early when Paul Worthley smacked home his first of the season on a beautiful set-up by Brad Schneider and Glenn Baker. It was Worthley's first of the season.

The Avs knotted the game at one when A Beike picked up a rebound and put it top corner over defenseless Knuckles' goalie Saxon Brack.

The Knuckles answered with 24 seconds left in the first when Steve Klosinski slid down to take a pass from Brandon Wolff, beating Avs goalie Josh Gipson top shelf, giving the Knuckles a 2-1 lead. For Klosinski, it was his first regular season goal as a Knuckle. The Knuckles finished the period with a shot advantage of 11-6.

Midway through the second, Brad Schneider tallied with what could be considered the strangest goal in Knuckles' history, as he cleared a puck from his own blue line on an Avalanche power play. The puck bounced off of the Avs netminder and found the back of the net, giving the Knuckles a 3-1 advantage.

The Avs stormed back with a goal by Craig Deacon at 6:47, bringing the Avs within 1. Knuckles defensemen Jimmy Burns came back with a great drive down the ice, slipping a puck past a helpless Avs goalie, giving the Knuckles another two goal lead at 4-2. The Knuckles played dump and chase the remainder of the third, closing things out with the 4-2 win.

Final shots were 29-19 in favor of the Knuckles. Next up - the Canadiens, Monday October 21st at 9:10pm

The Knuckles' offensive woes continued as they were only able to manage a single goal by Bryan Leach in a 1-1 tie against the Savage.

Saxon Brack and the Knuckles' defense stood tall, allowing only a single goal on 22 Savage shots. The forwards, however, continued to experience problems putting the puck home, as 43 shots on the Savage netminder yielded only a single tally.

Bryan Leach scored the only Knuckles goal of the evening when he took the puck up the left wing and fired a wrist shot over the right shoulder of the Savage goalie. Assisting on the goal were Jim Burns and Brandon Wolff.

The Savage answered in the second when a scramble in front of Brack resulted in a goal by T Imai.

The tie left the Knuckles in fourth place at 1-1-1.

Behind a strong performance by goalie Saxon Brack and two points each by Bryan Leach and Jim Burns, the Knuckles dropped Controlled Chaos 3-2 in a penalty infested match.

The Knuckles scored early as Scott McBrayer cashed in from Leach and Jim Burns just 2:02 into the game. It was McBrayer's first of the season. Just 1:51 later, Brad Schneider tallied his first of the season from Jim Burns. The Knuckles outshot Chaos 13-7 in the first.

Chaos came out firing in the second, laying the rubber on Brack 14 times. Scott Prusha beat Brack 1:48 in, bringing the score to 2-1. Then, penalties took the game over. Each team had two power plays in the second. The only scoring came on a hard-earned, unassisted, short-handed goal by Leach, his first of the season.

Down by two and with three power plays in the third, Chaos tried to mount a comeback. With 8:08 remaining and Brad Schneider off for high-sticking, Chaos pulled within one. However, a hot clock for the remainder of the third and strong physical play by the Knuckles were enough to hold off any last minute comebacks.

Final stats included a 30-25 edge in shots for Chaos and 22 minor penalties, 12 of which were for roughing, and two 10-minute misconducts.

The Knuckles take on the Savage this Monday night at 10:50 PM.

Knuckles Drop Opener

Despite a strong debut performance by Knuckles goalie Saxon Brack, the Knuckles dropped their opener against Jokerit by a score of 3-2.

The Knuckles never held a lead during the game and were outplayed much of the night as a long layoff for most of the team translated into costly mistakes and lack of hustle.

Jokerit came out on the attack, shelling the Knuckles new goalie, Brack, with 17 shots in the first period. Brack turned all but one aside as Pohlman trickled a shot over his shoulder with 1:45 remaining to give the Fins a 1-0 lead. The Knuckles posted 11 shots in the first.

The second period once again belonged to Jokerit as they outshot the lifeless Knuckles 11-7. Brack stopped everything to keep the Knuckles in the game heading to the third. Just 3 minutes in, Savusalo beat Brack to put Jokerit up by two. The Knuckles came to life under a minute later as Ron Leverock put in a rebound of Robin Pittsley's shot from the left point to put the Knuckles within 1. Glenn Baker picked up the other assist on the play.

The Knuckles continued to mount heavy pressure in the Jokerit zone for the remainder of the third, but without merit. Jokerit answered with an insurance goal with 4:18 left as Suni and Jokitulppo came in 2-on-1. Suni cut inside and snuck the puck past Brack for the 3-1 lead.

The Knuckles didn't quit as with 2:39 remaining, Leverock was taken down driving to the net. The Knuckles went on the power play and scored just 24 seconds in as Josh Ahlberg drove the right side and fired the puck through the crease, catching a favorable bounce off the stick of the Jokerit center, once again bringing the Knuckles within one.

The Knuckles pulled Brack, but were unable to knot the score up, beginning the season in the same fashion as last spring, with a 3-2 loss.

Next up for the Knuckles, a Monday night showdown with Controlled Chaos.

View Game Summaries from Spring 2002

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