Playoffs, The Finals (Game 2): Mark It Zero vs. Nice Marmot
Made a few more signs for this one:
In the hours leading up to the game, Justin emails us saying we’re going to be short on personnel for this game. Juke’s birthday was that night, and Ben was watching U. Arizona beat Duke in Anaheim. Both are suspect excuses (basketball being awful) when contending for a BEER LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIP, something people will be talking about for generations to come.
I would get an opportunity early on the first shift as we stormed into their end on fresh ice. Todd, playing right wing since Miller was relegated to defense for this game, forced the puck through the slot area and it went un-touched as I rushed to get to the left post, where the biscuit was headed. I got a good shot off from in-close but the goaltender was equal to the task, after this it was all Marmot for a while.
Feller returned this game from his mysterious absence and wasn’t as dominant as we expected him to be, but he didn’t need to be. Marmot got out to a quick lead and we were staring at an 0-4 tally by the time the second period arrived. Marmot was playing sound defense the whole game, and did a great job of limiting shots. Andy had a few looks from the point, two of which Darren got great wood on for deflections, but they went over the crossbar or wide of the net.
This was a frustrating game for any Mark It Zero player or fan to watch. People were out of position defensively all game, allowing odd-man rushes galore and a couple breakaways. Justin actually did a fantastic job keeping this one somewhat within reach as we would make a 3rd period run of sorts. He would stop the first, second, third shots, but we would somehow leave a player open and he would score. Sometimes, on the backcheck, I would cover a man, and realize that there wasn’t a 2nd defenseman back, and that guy was open. It was like this all game.
We would finally get on the board in the late 2nd period. Gorski gained possession in their zone and had looked my way. I weaved into the slot and Gregg fed a pass over which I one-timed into the top left corner. Sounds filthier than it actually was. I didn’t get good wood on the shot, so it acted as more of a change-up flutter shot that found the twine. Whatever, we’re on the board. A quality pass by Gorski, who is playing very well of late.
A conversation was had during the 2nd intermission about Steve being put back to forward, perhaps even at the expense of me playing D, but we simply didn’t have enough guys to shakeup the lines.
Early in the 3rd period, we sensed that we had the momentum and that Marmot was becoming stagnant. Taking the puck into their zone and into the left corner, I made my way around the net bringing it to my backhand, freeing up my right hand to protect it. A Marmot defenseman aggressively poke-checked (read: slashed/speared) and I caught his stick with my right hand and threw it back in his direction. Ryan M. would later tell me that his stick went flying out of his hands. I found Miller at the right point and he let a shot go that went off the goalie’s pads and into the right corner. Being on that side already, I gathered the puck before the goalie could get positioned and threw a low shot at the net just inside the right post. I was amped up. As I turned to the fan section. Severi was looking right back at me from the other side of the boards - absolutely fired up. It was 4-2, the whole fan section was alive, and our team found new life as well.
But the mistakes - oh the mistakes. Justin would do all he could to keep us in this game, but Feller would end up scoring on a shot from the high slot (I know Justin wants this one back, and it really was his only mistake), and a couple more boneheaded goals were scored as well.
This loss falls on our atrocious team defense. We’ll be ready for Game 3.
STATISTICIANS:
