Day 75: Stillman Stirs PP

Cory Stillman dekes Roadkill netminder Roman Turek for the first of three Rovers power-play goals on the evening.



Iqaluit, NU (CP)

Cory Stillman notched a goal and two assists on the power-play, while Olli Jokinen scored two goals at even strength to push the Rovers past the Waterloo Roadkill 5-1 Saturday evening in Iqaluit. The win extends the team's unbeaten streak to nine games, giving them 12 victories in their past 14 games.

Jokinen opened the scoring just over a minute into the game, snapping home a slap-pass from Chris Pronger for his fifth of the season. He struck again midway through the period for his second of the game, finishing off a lovely three-way passing play with linemates Nathan Horton and Jeff Halpern. Two minutes later with Roadkill defenseman Pavel Trnka in the box for interference, Stillman took a stretch pass from Mark Recchi and deked Roman Turek with a slick backhand-to-forehand manoeuver. The Rovers took the 3-0 lead into the intermission despite being outshot 8-7.

The second period saw the Roadkill press the issue as they carried the play, outshooting the Rovers 10-5 in the frame. However Martin Gerber withstood the barrage to keep the 3-0 lead intact heading into the third period. Then, 27 seconds into the 3rd, the Rovers struck again on the PP as Glen Murray converted a goal-mouth feed from Jokinen for his team-leading 13th of the season. Doug Weight and Recchi exchanged late goals to cap the scoring. Gerber stopped 27 of 28 shots for his 16th win of the season. "Our special teams played real well, and Marty [Gerber] was great again for us", Stringer said after the game. "We could still be a bit more involved at even strength, but Olli's line was really going so we have to be pleased with the effort".

The win kept the Rovers one point ahead of the Mounties for first place in the division as the Mounties had defeated the Capones 4-3 in an afternoon matchup. The Rovers now travel to Saskatoon to meet the Funboys for their third consecutive road meeting. The Rovers took a 4-3 decision in their last game two weeks ago and lead the season-series two games to one thus far.

Notes:
- Defenseman Sean Hill didn't come out for the third period, suffering what team officials are calling an upper-body injury. He will not make the trip to Saskatoon, but expects to be ready for the upcoming pair of games after the Funboys matchup. Rookie John-Michael Liles will replace Hill in the lineup tomorrow night, making his second appearance of the season.
- Defenseman Danny Markov made his Rovers debut, skating 17 minutes primarily alongside Chris Pronger. He was a +1 and completed 9 of 10 passes, and also killed penalties with Robyn Regehr.