Published: Friday, 15th February, 2008 10:00
Blaz gives Jets slender lead
By John O'Sullivan
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Bracknell Bees 3 v 4 Slough Jets
A LATE piece of improvisation from Blaz Emersic gives the Slough Jets a slender one-goal lead after the first leg of their hotly-anticipated League Cup final clash with bitter rivals the Bracknell Bees last night (Thursday).
With the sides locked at 3-3 deep into the third period at the Hive, and with the game seemingly heading for a draw, the Slovenian star produced a moment of magic to give the Jets the edge heading into Wednesday’s crucial second leg.
Just four days after the Bees got the better of the Jets in the league, it was the Bracknell side who were quicker out of the blocks, and they duly took an early lead with just 2.45 on the clock. The Jets failed to deal with a loose puck behind Dean Skinn’s net and, after good work from Peter Jasik, Matt Foord pounced to slot it past the Slough goaltender.
The goal brought the Jets to life and they had to wait less than five minutes to get back on level terms, Head coach Steve Moria, who picked up the MVP award for his dynamic performance, notched a powerplay goal on 7.05 with a precise drive.
For the rest for the first period it was all Slough, but they struggled to find a way past Gregg Rockman in the Bees net. Moria saw a shot from out wide on the left sneak just over the bar, before Michael Bowman broke clear, only to be denied by Rockman.
The Jets pressure eventually told, though, with 1.28 left in the first. Moria was denied by another good Rockman save, but popular import Joe Ciccarello was on hand to fire it home from close range to the delight of the travelling support.
Ciccarello then had a gilt-edged chance to added a third in the dying seconds of the first period, but Rockman managed to smother the puck after the pacey forward had broken clear.
The Bees came out rejuvenated in the second period and Jamie Line should have equalised when one-on-one with Skinns, but he shot tamely at the Jets’ netminder.
Skinns then pulled off a tremendous save to deny Ryan Watt, before Foord went close to doubling his tally for the evening.
The Bees were made to rue those missed chances on 29.37 when the Jets extended their lead through the influential Jan Krajicek. The giant Czech defenceman tried his luck with a trademark slap-shot from centre ice, and the viciously-struck shot found a way past Rockman to give the Jets a two-goal lead.
A moment of real quality from the Bees’ top point scorer in the cup, Michal Kanka, reduced the deficit a minute later on 30.59. The forward, who was voted the Bees’ MVP on the night, had already picked up 16 points in 10 cup appearances this season and he added to that in some style with a superb unassisted effort. Finding himself one-on-one with Skinns, he kept his composure and lifted the puck into the roof of the net on Skinn’s stick side.
With the Jets clearly rattled, the Bees piled on the pressure and restored parity on 34.32 when former Slough stalwart Adam Bicknell, now captain at Bracknell, hit a slap-shot past Skinns.
Thereafter chances were few and far between for both sides before Krajicek fired just wide with another trademark slap-shot with five minutes to go.
The game seemed destined to finish all-square before the Jets really upped the ante in the closing stages. They rained a barrage of shots onto Rockman’s net, and it was from one of these that Emersic produced the equaliser. The puck was deflected over the Bracknell cross bar and landed fortuitously for Emersic, who was all alone behind the net.
The Slovenian instinctively gloved the puck down toward the front of the net and squeezed it past Rockman with a precise swing of his stick.
With only one goal in it the tie is delicately poised going into Wednesday’s second leg, which is sure to be a thriller at the Hangar.
Face-off is at 7.45.
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