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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.

'Keep records shutout and an assist!
2005-01-03: Mighty Pirates 4 vs. Tigers 0

It seemed like some kind of whacky holiday tournament, with the Mighty Pirates playing three games in just eight days, and the team certainly didn't want to look back on it as a Trilogy of Losses. After losing 1-2 to the Loch Monsters and 5-8 to the Original Chiefs to close out 2004, the Mighty Pirates needed to start 2005 on a more positive note.

Captain Mola looked down at his roster for the final chapter of the trilogy and realised, yet again, that something big was missing. Indeed, all-star defenseman Klein would be out of action for the third consecutive game! And, with the "Barrie Boys" out as well, the Captain was down to just 50% of his entire defensive unit.

Mola plucked Gallivan from the front-lines to team up with Dimock, as Kwinter & Bingham formed the other defensive pairing. Mutch & Perri took centre duties, while an impressive collection of winger pairs included Turner & Jezioranski, Sager & Mandell and Mola & Leggett.

Cue the Tigers, a team holding on (albiet, now barely) to second place in the Monday Coors Light Division standings.

The game got off to a hectic pace, as many did expect, with both teams skating well with the puck. At the same time, both teams seemed prepared to defend their own bluelines. Can you say, dump-and-chase hockey? Well, with both teams willing to skate, why not? That pretty much sums up the first half of the first period. A whole lotta skating goin' on. Into the second half, while the Tigers has little luck generating any scoring opportunities, the Pirates did find a few ways to break through the clogged-up neutral zone.

The Pirates first chance came when Gallivan, forgetting he was supposed to be on defense, crossed the right-side blueline and slid a pass to a streaking Mola. He got away a wicked snapshot to the top-right corner, but miraculously, the Tiger's goalie responded with a lightning-quick glove save to keep the game scoreless. Moments later, Bingham worked hard along the right-side boards to dig the puck away from two Tigers. The puck was received by Jezioranski who proceeded to fly in solo from the blueline and deposit his division leading 13th goal of the season into the top-right corner, or as Klein might say, "Where bubbie keeps the hamantashen!"

Into the second, with the Pirates now holding a 1-0 lead, the Tigers started to lose a little steam. While they did start getting some shots towards the net, 'keep Lella, looking well rested from his bout of cabin fever, was there to shut the door. However, most of the chances came from the outside, as the Bucs continued with a committed game of Pirate Brand Hockey®.

At the other end of the ice, the Mighty Pirates were now starting to apply periods of solid offensive zone pressure. In fact, mid-way through the frame, the pressure was so good that the Tigers' goalie, who did everything he could to keep the game close, had to succumb to it. Turner nearly got on the board with a booming spin-o-rama shot, but a Tiger defender just managed to block it. On the following play, the puck found it's way to Mandell deep along the boards. With two Tigers pouncing on him quickly, he expertly fed Perri in front with pass. Perri shot quick and low, but the goalie got a pad on it. And, who do you think was standing in the slot, as usual, waiting for the rebound? You got it! The 60-year old super-weapon, "Jaromir" Sager! Waiting patiently for the netminder to make the first move, Sager lifted the biscuit over all the sprawling defenders for his first goal of the season. If he was on the bench, he would have yelled "BANG!" just before it left his stick. 2-0 Pirates.

Less than a minute later, Lella took hold of a Tiger dump-in behind the net, and fed Dimock with a solid pass. Dimock, rushing out of the zone, spotted Captain Mola streaking down the wing, and hit him with one of his patented break-out passes. As he hit the top of the left-circle, the Captain wound up and blasted (and, when I say blasted, I mean like an ultra top-secret military-grade blast!) home a shot that was so fast we don't even know where it entered the net! 3-0 Pirates.

The Tigers nearly closed the gap moments later, but the back-checking wizard Kwinter dove to knock the puck away from a Tiger on a partial breakaway. Top-notch defense, without a doubt!

The "Play of the Game" came early in the third on the power-play, as a line of Leggett, Mola and Mutch glided out of their zone with all the grace and swiftness of an eagle in full flight. Mola pierced the blueline first, immediately finding Leggett, who was perfectly positioned cross-ice on the left-wing. Drawing a defenseman towards him, Leggett proceeded to place a gorgeous pass onto the stick of Mutch, who was then streaking down the centre towards his prey. No goalie could have stopped his snapshot to the opposite post. 4-0 Pirates, and that's the way the scoring would end.

Playmaker Leggett is red-hot, and now has assists in five consecutive games. Coming through with big-time assists in the past, like Turner's first goal and Mutch's 98th and 100th points, it was great to watch him net his 50th career assist as a Mighty Pirate!

Full credit should be given to the Tigers, who didn't let the four goal deficit get them down. In fact, their best hockey came mid-way through the final frame when they hemmed the Pirates in for nearly a minute and a half. But, Lella, now leading the division with three shut-outs this season, was unbeatable. A shutout AND an assist in a single game ... now, that's goaltending!

With his third period goal, Johnny Mutch became the first Mighty Pirate in history to record career 100 points. Surprisingly, there wasn't much fanfare on the bench, or even in the stands ... in fact, there only seemed to be one player that even made a mention of it, and he was on the opposing team! In an unusual ceremonial gesture near the end of the game, he did some kind of a grunt, a little dance, and raised his hands and stick in the air. Unfortunately for him, it had nothing to do with hockey, so the refs tossed him out.

Next up, the Mighty Pirates face the Komets for the second time this season on Monday, January 10th, at 10:10pm on Rinx 2.

GO PIRATES!