Brewers win epic Game 1 in Overtime

The first game of the NHSL playoffs ended the only way the NHSL knows – with a bucket load of drama.

Both goaltenders made over 40 saves. The Xtreme staged a two-goal third period comeback. The game went to overtime.

But it was Harley Anderson who scored a highlight reel goal in the sudden death period to give the Brewers a 3-2 win and a 1-0 series lead in the best-of-five championship series.

The goaltenders were nothing short of spectacular. Jeremy Friederich for the Xtreme and Matus Trnka for the Stars both made a long list of sensational saves to give their team every opportunity to win.

They even did it in overtime.

Here’s how the drama unfolded….

The Xtreme had the early jump in the game. They had a high volume of shots but not a lot of A-Grade opportunities. The Brewers managed to weather the storm.

The Brewers swayed momentum from the middle of the first to the middle of the second. After falling behind 11-3 on the shot total, the Brewers led a passage of play where they outshot their opponent 24-9.

They also scored a couple of critical goals in that stretch. The first came from Tyler Leeming off a turnover in the Xtreme end. Leeming used a quick release to beat Jeremy Friederich low and put the Brewers up after one.

Then, midway through the second, Leeming was the recipient of a lob pass. He burned around the Xtreme net, cut in front of the goalie and popped home a backhand to put the Brewers up 2-0.

It could have been more if it wasn’t for a goal-line skate save from Andrew Stapleton.

However, it was the 17-year-old Slovakian goalie that took over.

Matus Trnka made a series of spectacular saves late in the second with the Xtreme pressing for their first goal.

First was a perfectly timed poke check on Joey MacDougall who slipped in behind the Brewers defense. In the same shift he dove all the way across the crease to deny the Xtreme forward with an open cage.

60 seconds later, Matus starred again by kicking away a sharp angle MacDougall shot that had eyes for the net. He made one last one as time ran out.

Xtreme goalie Jeremy Friederich got his chance to shine too. That came in the final frame.

It all started after the Xtreme drew one back. Just four minutes into the third period the Xtreme took advantage of their third power play of the game. NHSL Points Leader Xander Wardlaw finished off a Jordan Geyer rebound that got Trnka tangled up and made it 2-1.

Friederich then made three or four game saving stops in a five minute sequence. The first stretch of impressive play came off two point blank Nic Pau stops. The goalie got down and made two crucial left pad saves.

Then with about 7 minutes to go, Brewers leading point man Steve Best was in all alone with the game on his stick but Friederich stood tall.

Then came the game tying goal on a wild sequence of events. With a little under five minutes to go, Xtreme defenseman David Huxley tured the puck over in his own end. The Brewers had a 3-on-1 opportunity but Huxley dove down, broke up the rush, poked the puck to the neutral zone, got on his feet and joined the attack.

A pretty passing sequence in transition between Joey MacDougall, Xander Wardlaw and David Huxley left Olli Martin all alone at the side of the goal. He batted home the one timer.

Boom. Overtime.

Steve Best had the first glorious opportunity on a 2-on-1 with Tyler Leeming. Friederich stopped the initial shot and the rebound.

Xander Wardlaw had a shot in all alone on the Brewers too but once again Trnka got the pad down and foiled the potential game winner.

About six minutes into OT the Xtreme were desperately pressing. With Trnka down and a skirmish in front of the net, the Brewers scooped on a lose puck and got it to neutral territory.

Harley Anderson picked up the puck, dangled the defense and popped one past Friederich for the game winner down the right side.

Game. Set. Match.

The Brewers win one of the best games South Australia has ever seen.

Game 2 goes in one week.