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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.

Crisis? What Crisis? Oh, That Crisis!
2006-09-25: Mighty Pirates 2 vs. Mid-Ice Crisis 7

The Mighty Pirates (0-2-0) had a lot on their minds last Monday night as they prepared to take the ice at the ungodly hour of 11:15 p.m. against their perennial rivals, the Mid-Ice Crisis (1-1-0). This team, in its various iterations, has been responsible for the Pirates' ignominious exits from the playoffs both in the 2005-2006 regular season and in the summer 2006 season. So there was some honour as well as a "W" on the line that night.

But let's face it — the TNHC preseason (especially the full fall-winter-spring season) is always a strange one. First of all, there are new players to integrate into the tightly wound and finely honed machine that is the Mighty Pirates offence and defence. Secondly, the league is feeling its own way through the motley collection of teams they have assembled to try and arrive at a modicum of parity. Thirdly, there are always scheduling issues, this year including Yom Kippur (the Jewish Day of Atonement) — which will sideline at least seven Pirates for their upcoming game on October 2 against the Venom (2-0-0) — and Thanksgiving on October 9, on which there is no game. So try as you may to figure out your strategy for the season, it is often four and five games into the schedule before you even know who you are and where you stand.

Add to these challenges facing General Manager Roger Jolie and Captain Vito Mola, is the situation of individual Pirates. Jim Jezioranski, perennial play-maker and flexible defenceman/forward/center, is still on the DL from a fractured collarbone suffered during his independent league summer hockey season playoffs. Rob Kwinter. also a perennial play-maker and flexible defenceman/forward/center, was scratched on Monday due to international trade negotiations with which he was playing a pivotal role (as though the GDP can compete in importance with the PTS in the Mighty Pirates stats table!). Newly-signed perennial play-maker and flexible defenceman/forward/center Evan Mintz, who has yet to take the ice wearing the yellow and black, found himself double-booked and unable to answer the whistle. And Dave "Tower of Power" Turner, Pirates all-time leader in games played, was inexplicably absent, no excuses or explanation given!

What's a captain to do? El Capitano shuffled the lines again, and went with two strong centers, Jonathan Gallivan and Nick Perri; three pairs of wingers, John Mutch with Mark Sager, Auby Mandell with Allan Phillips, and Tim Sturgeon with himself, and two pairs of defensemen (Shaun Leggett and Chris Besant, along with Paul Matusek and Les Klein). Once again, it was understood that what would be required would be Pirate Brand Hockey®, with a focus on strong defense and taking advantage of openings provided by the opposition.

Alas, it did not quite work out that way. It being late at night already when the game began, it was no surprise that the focus just was not there. And while the Mid-Ice Crisis had their own issues with a very short bench, it became obvious early that the Crises that came were the cream of the crop — at least the four players who were responsible for almost all of the goals and assists on the scoresheet. So while they racked up the ice time and the score, the Pirates were hard-pressed to keep up.

The first period remained scoreless until the midway point, when the Crisis took advantage of pressing Pirate defencemen and managed two two-on-one rushes to pot two goals in a period of 16 seconds of playing time. That served as a wake-up call for the Pirates, who managed to regroup and hold off the onslaught until midway through the second period, when the Crisis added one more goal to make the score 3-0. However, this still respectable showing was due in no small part to the spectacular and calm play of goalie Matthew Lella, who seemed at times to be the only Pirate fully aware of what was happening on the entire ice. At the other end, rush after Pirate rush was broken up at the Crisis blue line, and the chances that were created through the hard work of the centers and wingers were turned away by skilled responses from the Crisis goaltender.

The MIC added two more goals in the first two minutes of the third period to make the score 5-0, and the game changed for the Pirates to one of rescuing a semblance of honour out of the contest. It took the efforts of Nick Perri at center and a blistering low shot along the ice from El Capitano to finally break onto the scoreboard for the Pirates with 9:01 left in the third, and (for the moment) put off the threat of the running clock. Alas, nearly four minutes later, the MIC added another one, before Jonathan Gallivan, working with his linemates Vito Mola and Tim Sturgeon, roofed a shot on the third rebound to make it 6-2. But with the clock running down, the Crises added yet another goal with 4:04 to go, and no amount of effort by the Pirates was able to stop the running clock. Indeed, the Crisis seemed to play as though contract negotiations were on the line as they pressed until nearly the final buzzer, in an attempt to run the score even higher.

Take nothing away from the Crisis, who managed to keep up a blistering pace through the entire game despite the lack of substitutes on their bench. But the Pirates had their chances, as well. A breakaway by Jonathan Gallivan, one by John Mutch, another by Paul Matusek all were turned away. Tim Sturgeon and Nick Perri both had repeated great chances, only to find the target on the goalie's chest with their shots. The Pirates pressed, but there was precious little contact with the back of the Crisis net to show for it.

Are the Pirates in the wrong division? The verdict is not yet in, but if the schedule and previous records mean anything, next Monday night's game against the Venom will likely be another tough challenge. Set aside the fact that the Venom are already 2-0 in this highly skilled division, and that the Venom lead the historic face-to-face record (dating back to 2001) 3-2-2. The Pirates will themselves be highly challenged on the bench, as at least seven regulars will be sidelined by the dreaded Shofar Fever due to Yom Kippur, and Jim Jezioranski is not expected off the DL for a number of weeks. Plans are being made to try to draw in some former Pirates to suit up for the game, but a default is within the realm of possibility for the first time ever in Mighty Pirate history. Captain Mola and the rest of the crew will have to dig deep to find the wherewithal to fight this battle.

If you can stand the thought and can bring yourself out to support your heroes, get to RINX next Monday at 6:10 on RINX 2 and cheer them on. It will be your last chance for two weeks, as the Monday Night TNHC divisions then take a break for Thanksgiving (Columbus Day for all of you Yanks) and return to play again on Monday, October 16 at 10:00 p.m. against the Coprap Cobras (2-0-0). But that is far into the future.

In the meantime, and right now,
GO PIRATES!!! VIVA LOS PIRATAS!!!

Howie