If you’re a fan of goaltending, then Saturday night’s tilt between the San Diego Seals and Ottawa Black Bears was for you. The stage was set at Pechanga Arena, and the two brightest stars were the men with the most pads. Christopher Origlieri and Zach Higgins combined for 77 saves on 88 shots. Basic math tells us that there were only 11 goals scored in the game, tying the least amount scored in a game in league history. But, who won? Drumroll please. The Seals snuck away with a 6-5 win over the Black Bears, becoming the first team in history to win a game with only six goals scored. Both Origlieri and Higgins had career-defining performances, all while pitching a shutout in the fourth quarter. To the action we go.
The first quarter featured every other type of scoring, with two goals per side. Ben McIntosh opened it up for the Seals, but was quickly answered by Nathan Grenon on the power play. Rob Hellyer followed that up, but a minute later Taggart Clark had the response. 2-2 after one. The showcase of the goaltenders was on full display right from the jump, as both fellas were sparkling.
San Diego rattled off the first two goals of the second quarter, and if you rewatch this, it definitely felt like those two goals could have been the difference. They were scored by Graydon Bradley and Matthew Wright. Kudos to the Black Bears for showing some moxy and not rolling over. Ottawa proceeded to go on a three-goal run and what was just said about San Diego taking control, now swung in the favor of Ottawa. Scorers during that Ottawa run were Jay Thorimbert, Jeff Teat, and Jacob Dunbar. Dunbar’s goal was at the 7:02 mark, so that means there is more credit to be given to the men between the pipes for their stout play the rest of the way. 5-4 Black Bears at the break.
“It felt good”, said Dunbar at the break about his goal in his return to San Diego. “I wasn’t shooting the ball good until that shot, I just have to keep finding lanes.”
The interview finished with the question of what they needed to do to keep up the momentum and Dunbar’s response was as simple as they come. “Just hit our shots.”
Allow me to give you some numbers to show how good the goaltenders were in the first half. Origlieri stopped 13 of 18, while Higgins stopped 24 of 28. As you read at the beginning, the stout play from both of them continued, so much so that not a single goal was scored in the fourth quarter. Don’t let Origlieri’s five goals given up fool you, he completely locked it down in the second half, shutting Ottawa out completely.
The third quarter saw two goals scored, both from the same guy. Wesley Berg scored twice, one at the 14:20 mark, and the other at the 13:22 mark. Let’s do some math again (sorry, I know we all hate math). Dunbar’s goal was at the 7:02 mark of the second quarter, so 7:02+30 (the entirety of the second half) = a 37:02 scoreless streak for the Black Bears. Remember when I said Origlieri locked it down in the second half? Sheesh. Your final from Pechanga, 6-5 Seals.
Players of the game for San Diego were Berg (2+1), Hellyer (1+2), and McIntosh (one goal). What’s left to say about Origlieri? He was absolutely sensational, making 31 saves on 36 shots. As for Ottawa, Dunbar, Grenon, and Teat all had one goal. Higgins has absolutely nothing to hang his head about, as he had the game of a lifetime as well. He made 46 saves on 52 shots.
“It was one of those games where we were fortunate the D played that well and Rigsy (Origlieri) played that well,” said Berg after the game. “He (Origlieri) won’t take any credit for how he played tonight, we don’t win a game like that without him.”
San Diego (3-2) is back in the win column and looks to build a streak. Their next contest is this Friday at 10pm against the Vancouver Warriors (2-1). Ottawa (2-2) will try and get back to their winning ways, as well as find some offense in the process. Their next game is on the road this Friday at 7:30 pm against Georgia (4-1).
