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After extensive contract negotiations, the Mighty Pirates organization is extremely pleased to welcome back Howie for another season of insightful, amusing, and extremely addictive commentary! Yes, Howie tells it like it is!

You'll find links to each and every Howie Report right here after each game.

Bingham Remains Scoreless After Two
2004-09-27: Mighty Pirates 4 vs. Peter North Stars 5

The big news out of Monday night's epic battle between your Mighty Pirates heroes and the York Wolfpack (inexplicably wearing green Northstars jerseys - are they the York Northstars? the Green Wolfpack? the York Wolfstars?), who dogged the Summer Mighty Pirates throughout the 2004 summer season. As expected, the game was a real battle of similar style hockey, with similar results. Alas, the game ended in a 4-5 loss for your heroes, but it was, by and large, a game that the boys in yellow and black could be proud of, and one that bodes well - so far, at least - for the competitive nature of the TNHC Monday Night Dry Division.

Two more Pirates, Jim Jezioranski and rookie Todd Kitchen, turned up than last week to make their seasonal debut, so your heroes had the luxury of sporting twelve skaters and their stalwart back-up goalie, Tim "Super-Sturgeon" Sturgeon, there to replace regular keep Matthew Lella, who was in the midst of delivering yet another future Mighty Pirate, one Francis Alexander Scarth-Lella (for which congratulations are due!). Captain Vito Mola turned to the two Jons, John Mutch and Jonathan Gallivan, to carry the centering duties, and three pairs of wingers to fill out the wings in Dave Turner and Jim Jezioranski, Mark Sager and Auby Mandell, and Vito with Nick Perri. Defense was provided by Todd Kitchen with Les Klein, and Shaun Leggett with Rob Kwinter.

Playing in ever-colourful and historic Rinx 1 (complete with the day-old vomit decor in the penalty box, for which MP management has to decide whether to thank RINX or TNHC) at the ungodly hour of 11:15 P.M., the good guys started off the game on a much more positive note than the last one, by scoring early on the Wolfpack's massive and agile goalie (who sported the lowest GAA in the TNHC Monday Summer Canadian Division in 2004), with John Mutch deflecting the puck past red line off a shot by Todd Kitchen (assisted in some mysterious way by Les Klein). Alas, in a pattern that was to be repeated often that night, the 'Pack came back just 13 seconds later to tie it up, and followed up 36 seconds later with another. Not to be outdone, with just 1:20 remaining in the first period, Todd Kitchen pulled a trick out of the Mid-Ice Crisis playbook and lofted a perfect pass from the Pirates' end to Jonathan Gallivan's stick behind the 'Pack defenders, and JG went off on a break-away to put the puck in the back of the net and tie up the game. Alas, just SIX second later, #27 of the 'Pack broke through the Pirate lines off the face-off and took the lead back with a puck tucked under "Always Working" Sturgeon. Was that enough action for you? And that was just the first period.

The Wolves added another goal with 6:14 in the second period, and looked to run away with the game. But Pirate Brand Hockey® is not to be outdone, and Jim Jezioranski made his presence felt by powering one goal past the blocker at 5:42 in the second, assisted by John Mutch, and repeated that feat just 36 seconds later to tie it up at 4-4. The third period marked a strong defensive battle, with control passing back and forth and scoring opportunity after scoring opportunity foiled by stellar goal-tending at both ends. Of particular note were two:

1) After a mad scramble in front of the Pirate net, Sturgeon found himself facing a 'Pack shooter at point-blank range right in front of him with both defensemen and the centre well out of the play. The shot, high on the glove side, should by rights have found the net easily, but Super-Sturgeon nabbed the puck out of mid-air with lightning reflexes and smothered it to his body before the astonished gasps of players on both sides.

2) Having worked his way through two forwards and two defensemen all by himself with his notorious dipsy-doodling skating style, Mutch found himself face to face with the 'Pack goalie to his right. He faked to the left and then the right, the goalie went down - but when he finally took the shot, it fluttered harmlessly into the chest of the dumb-founded keep.

In the end, the ever-dangerous Wolf #27, who was followed all night by Pirate forwards and defence to limited effect, managed a final goal (his third of the game) with half the period left to go to take the lead, which the Wolfpack would not relinquish, and all of the efforts of the energized Pirates couldn't get the game-tying goal past the score line.

In the end, no Pirate was dissatisfied with the overall play of the game, wherein the Pirates showed the mettle required to remain competitive in the Division (so far, anyway), and questions at the post-game Howie beer (no wings) press conference kindly kept away from the "might have been" theme of the locker room banter before. The Pirates and their fans (where is Superfan anyway?) now have next Monday evening to look forward to, where they will take to the ice at 9:00 p.m. in brand-spanking new RINX 3 (can't wait to see the decor in there...) against The previously unheard-of Buzzards. Will the Bucs eat carrion or be carrion?

Plus there will be the added excitement of John Mutch's chasing the all-time modern-era Pirate points leadership, currently held by the legendary Mike Stein. Check out the Mutch Watch at http://PirateHockey.ca to see how he is doing. And with Mutch and Jezioranski hitting the magic 50 career goal mark as well, this should lead to interesting contract negotiations for their renewal. MP management could be looking at a multi-year deal! Be there and check it out...

Oh, yeah, I almost forgot. Former Captain Richard Bingham, although officially listed on the Mighty Pirates roster, has been AWOL for both games this season. This absence is cause for worry on the part of MP management. Not having played summer hockey, is he taking the time to get back to mid-season conditioning before making his appearance? Or is he taking seriously the challenge of going for the Mike Caron Mysterious Total Non-Appearances Award? No one knows, and his absence is leaving a huge hole in the defensive lineup, not to mention that he has not yet notched a point for his records, which may affect his contract negotiations for future seasons. In case you were wondering, he is fully up to date with Pirate Savings and Loan, so that is not the issue...

GO PIRATES!!! VIVA LOS PIRATAS!!!

Howie