Sometimes a Tie Feels Like a Win, Sometimes It Feels Like a Loss - This One Felt Like a Tie
2004-02-09: Mighty Pirates 2 vs. Venom 2

Howie is back from a lovely weekend of skiing in the Eastern Townships, ready to turn his attention back to the excitement that is Pirate Hockey. When we last left our heroes, they were seriously in the doldrums, having gone 100 minutes and 4 seconds without scoring a goal. If this trend was to be reversed, it would have to be against their fellow cellar dwellers, the Venom, whom they faced on Monday, February 9 at the ungodly hour of 11:00 p.m. at RINX 2.

Notwithstanding the time and the unpredictable weather, the Pirates saw 13 skaters and goalie stalwart Matthew Lella come out with game faces on. Though the Pirates were missing the services of defencemen Peter Toth and Brian Vandenberg, power center Rob Kwinter (dining on pate de foi gras in Paris) and injured captain Vito Mola, they went on the ice with four defencemen: Blair Dimock (back from a nagging upper body sprain), Richard Bingham, Shaun Leggett and Michael Levine. The forward lines consisted of centers Jim Jezioranski, John Mutch and Jonathan Gallivan, left wingers Dave Turner, Mark Sager and Les Klein and right wingers Nick Perri, Kapil Khatter and Auby Mandell.

The Venom, in stark contrast to the well-balanced Mighty Pirates, is a team with one superstar, one strong supporting player and the balance a team with a range of lesser skills. The key to Pirate success in this game was therefore to keep the superstar to the outside, and to play position against the balance of the team to maximize scoring chances and minimize the possibility of a structural breakdown which could result in scoring chances for the opponents. Amazingly, this strategy was well-understood and executed throughout most of the game.

While fans held their breath, the puck was dropped and the "scoreless clock" ticked on, and on, and on. While the first period was surprisingly rife with scoring chances for both teams, the defence and especially the goalie acrobatics of Matthew Lella, held the Venom and the Bucs off the scoreboard, until with 1:54 remaining, rushing defenseman Richard Bingham took the rebound off a resounding shot from Jim Jezioranski, and potted the first goal of the game, breaking the goal famine at 108 minutes and 8 seconds, and giving the Pirates a 1-0 lead. For those who revel in statistics, this was the first time the Pirates have enjoyed a lead since they scored the first goal against Slowetry in Motion on an almost identical play (Bingham off the rebound from a Jezioranski shot) seven games and 231 minutes and 4 seconds before! Nearly another period of even hockey would pass before the lead would disappear, when with 1:45 remaining in the second, the superstar and his supporting player managed a breakaway to go two on none against Matthew and tie up the game. The Pirates were not about to let this one go without a fight, however, and they regained the lead in the third just 4 minutes and 8 seconds in as Mandell deflected a booming slapshot from Bingham, after a crisp pass from the corner from Klein. Then, just when a W seemed finally within reach, the Venom managed to score once again on an ugly scrum in front of the net and turned the W into a T.

So, it was a seesaw battle which saw good things from the Pirates and a spark of life from an offense that has been much challenged this season. Observers who attend both the Monday night games and the fabled Wednesday Night Pirate Skate™ consistently shake their heads that the loose and energetic play that characterizes the boys in yellow at Baycrest on Wednesday nights seems to dissipate with the tentative and hesitant moves that appear at RINX on Mondays. They suggest that, given the outcome of most of the games, the Pirates have nothing to lose by loosening up a bit and trying some aggressive plays at both ends of the ice, while keeping in mind the fundamentals.

The Pirates and the press also continue to struggle with the issue of the uneven refereeing that has characterized TNHC Monday Night hockey this year. While trying to avoid the moniker of "whiners," the Pirates do feel that they have been made to bear the brunt of some questionable calls, while their opponents take full advantage of the leeway shown them by the men wearing the stripes to hack, push, check, obstruct and generally interfere with the play of the Pirates with relative impunity. What to do about this is a prime concern of senior Pirate management as they look forward to the playoffs, which start in a precious few weeks.

In the meantime, the Wednesday Night Pirate Skate™ continues, and is a source of both pleasure and improving skills for those who make the effort to come out. There is nary a complaint about ice time to be heard on those nights, as the line changes are quick and there is plenty of opportunity to play any position you would hope for. Check it out for yourself!

And this coming Monday, the Pirates will shake off the cobwebs from a week off to face their perennial rivals, YTV, a team against whom the good guys currently sport a winning record this season. The Pirates are 2-1-0 this year against the guys with the funny creatures on their shirts, and the most recent game was only lost by a score of 3-2. So, for solid head-to-head hockey, head to RINX 1 at 9:15 and catch the game that all the media will be watching!

In the meantime,

GO PIRATES!!! VIVA LOS PIRATAS!!!

Howie