Zig Zags Drag Pirates Down (get it?)
2003-12-08: Mighty Pirates 2 at Zig Zags 6

You have to hand it to the Zig Zags, they play their game very well and very consistently, and their talent is spread throughout their lineup. This solidity has earned them the right to sit atop the TNHC Monday Canadian Division, sharing that spot with Slowety in Motion with identical records of 8-1-1 and 17 points. They play a good, clean game (with a total of 26 penalty minutes, only 6 more than the division-leading Pirates) and they are consistent. So, when they took the ice last Monday night at 9:00 p.m. against the Pirates in RINX 2, though mindful of the close 6-5 victory they eked out in the last minutes of their previous meeting, they stuck to their game plan and persevered.

All in all, the game was a much closer affair than the final score of 2-6 suggested. There were numerous defining moments on both sides, though when it came to converting chances to goals, the Zig Zags were just that much more successful. The Pirates, as the game analysis clearly shows, could have made the score much closer, and indeed, some commentators feel that they could have taken it away from the 'Heads. After all, the boys were wearing their home "yellows" (although with the change in NHL policy this year, there is a sudden lack of clarity these days as to whether the yellows or the blacks are the "home" uniforms) , and had the added advantage of Captain Vito Mola on the bench. The captain made a number of key decisions in the locker room, most notably to use the troops at hand to organize three full forward lines and two defensive pairs. With Matthew Lella once again between the pipes, the three forward lines were made up of John Mutch centering Shaun Leggett and Les Klein; Jim Jezioranski centering Nick Perri and Dave Turner; and Rob Kwinter centering Auby Mandell and Mark Sager. The defense consisted of Brian Vandenberg, Michael Levine, Blair Dimock and Jonathan Gallivan.

Even further, the game started on a very positive note for the Buccaneers, as less than two minutes into the contest, Auby Mandell, in just his second game back from the DL, showed for the second game in a row why he is such a key to the Pirates' success. He blocked a Zig Zag attempt to dump the puck into the Pirate zone at the Pirate blue line, and using his forward momentum, went on a break-away and put the puck past a surprised goalie. Celebrating broke out on the Pirate bench, along with a strong resolve to stick to their plan, the world-renowned Pirate Brand Hockey®. This resolve held the ZZs in check for another four and one half minutes, until a scramble in front on the net resulted in the tying goal sneaking through. Alas, that led to a sudden loss of focus by the Pirates, as their well-organized opponents took advantage of this momentary disarray, and managed to score three more times in the next five minutes and 41 seconds, twice more in the first period and once in the second. In fact, however, that was the only scoring in the second period altogether.

After the shock of that blitzkrieg, the Pirates settled down again, and began to focus on the task at hand. It was back to the basics, clearing the puck from the Pirate end, charging the puck in the Zig Zag end, forechecking and backchecking. Defence was once again Job One, and the scoring again happened when opportunities arose. In fact, the scoring could have gone very much the Pirates' way, with a few lucky bounces, a goal post that doesn't get in the way of a fine shot from the slot, and the ability of certain forwards (most notably yours truly) to pull the trigger when in front of the net. In light of that inability, an appeal was made to the coach on the bench to please add some firepower to the forward line, and Jonathan Gallivan bravely agreed to join the John Mutch/Shaun Leggett line, leaving Klein to fend for himself (ably propped up by Brian Vandenberg) on defence. The move did eventually bear results. While the Zig Zags put another goal past the Pirates two minutes into the third, it was the self-same Gallivan who took a give and go from Leggett and Mutch to score the Pirates' second goal with 3:26 left in the game. And even though the Zig Zags put the icing on the cake with 26 seconds left in the game, the end result was viewed by sports analysts as one that could still have gone either way. This was ackowledged by the Zig Zags as they came off the ice, where the "Nice game" comments seemed to be heart-felt. Indeed, without the aforementioned 5 minute, 41 second blitzkrieg, the game would have ended in a 2-2 tie! This was indeed another one that the Pirates and the hockey gods let get away from the Mighty Pirates.

As noted above, however, let nothing be taken away from the Rolling Papers. Their six goals were scored by four different players, lots of other names showed up on the scoresheet with assists, and their goalie also put on a show, stopping several great scoring opportunities. Their passing is virtually flawless, and they play their positions well. Furthermore, this was a clean game, with only one penalty being called in the whole 32 minutes. So, despite the outcome, a good time was had by all who played. The post-game Howie press conference and beer-and-wing-fest seemed to be unanimous that the extra power that is brought to the ice by Peter Toth, Kapil Khatter and Richard Bingham, not to mention Captain Mola, was missed in tight contests like this one.

But let's face it — all of the games of this regular season seem to be close, even when the score does not suggest this. So the Pirate strategy is not being changed. Wednesday Night Pirate Hockey™ continues each and every week, and this week's workout was especially gruelling, by those privileged to have witnessed it. The teamwork focus is taking shape, and all eyes are on the next three Mondays, which represent the last games in 2003. A great deal will ride on who will be able to make the games over the holiday period. But the next game, scheduled for 6:15 p.m. on Monday, December 16 against the other first place team, Slowetry in Motion. Once again, the Pirates will face a test, having fought the Slow Ones to their only tie all season, a 3-3 score in their first historic meeting. Will they be able to muster the lineup that can give these guys another run for their money? Be there to catch all the action, but if you cannot, get the highlights on PirateHockey.ca, with the Captain's Log, the "official" Game Sheet and yours truly's Howie Report.

GO PIRATES!!! VIVA LOS PIRATAS!!!

Howie