News / Sports
Anaheim Ducks Hoist First Stanley Cup Trophy with 6-2 Victory Over Senators
For the Anaheim Ducks there were no pre-game jitters that carried over onto the ice, no nervous energy that caused unnecessary penalties; there was nothing but the best team in the NHL putting a pounding on an opponent that had no chance of fighting back. And in the end it was the Ducks trumping the Ottawa Senators 6-2 to take the NHL title in five games and hoist the Stanley Cup trophy for the first time.
It didn’t take long for the Ducks to set the tone as Andy McDonald scored on a power play 3:48 into the opening period. Coming into game five Ottawa players had assured anyone that would listen that they would play relaxed and confident; they insisted that the pressure was on Anaheim. Well if that was the case the pressure shifted to the Senators after Rob Niedermayer found the back of the net with less than three minutes remaining in the first and Anaheim had a 2-0 lead.
The first half of the second period both teams looked strong defensively but Ottawa’s only offensive threat throughout the series, Daniel Alfredsson, finally put the Senators on the board with eleven minutes past. Anaheim countered four minutes later with a Travis Moen goal to re-establish the two goal differential but Alfredsson netted his second goal, a shorthanded effort, less than two minutes later to cut the Ducks lead to 3-2. It looked as if Ottawa would carry some momentum into the third period but with less than two minutes remaining in the second Francois Beauchemin scored on a power play for Anaheim and the Ducks were up 4-2.
Anaheim came out in the third period determined to put the game away and Travis Moen did just that with his second goal of the game four minutes into the final period. The Ducks never allowed the Senators a real chance as they dropped back on defense and allowed just five shots on goal. With three minutes left on the clock Corey Perry netted the final goal of the Ducks season and sent the packed house crazy in anticipation of the final horn as Anaheim capped an incredible season and brought the Stanley Cup to Southern California.
