Pirates Surprise Pirates With 6-1 Victory Over Loch Monsters
2006-12-04: Mighty Pirates 6 at Loch Monsters 1
The Loch Monsters were the second most surprised team on the ice last Monday night after 32 minutes of good, hard, and by-and-large clean hockey at Rinx 3 against the Loch Monsters. The most surprised were the Pirates themselves, finding themselves on the winning end of a 6-1 game against their perennial rivals and TNHC mates. The Loch Monsters have a lot going for them as a team. They are well-balanced, with both the most goals scored in the Coors Light Division this year and a strong defense. In fact, they were coming off a stunning 6-1 upset just the previous week against the first place Red Army, and were also tied for first in points, though second as a result of penalty minutes. Alas, they are also the most penalized team in the division, but this was not a part of their game that they exhibited against the Pirates. They also boast a strong cadre of fans, who come out game after game to cheer on their heroes. And they have been a real enigma for the Pirates, who have struggled to find a way to solve them, with your heroes sporting an all-time record of just 1 win, 5 losses and 3 ties. And lest we forget, some of those losses were heart-breaking, season ending playoff losses.
On the other hand, as Howie pointed out last week, this is a newly awakened Pirate team, one that seems to have firmly embraced the spirit of Pirate Brand Hockey®, with a focus on defense and strong team play, but also with a strong dose of humility. Scoring in this brand of hockey comes only as a result of hard work and fundamentals, not one-man heroics or fancy stunts. And the Pirates' view of each game is that it must be played with discipline, calm and with the understanding that the way they play does not depend on which opponent is on the ice with them. It's the quick line changes, hard forechecking and backchecking and good communication among the players that will make good things happen — along with Sager's mantra of "shoot, shoot, shoot!"
However, unlike last game, when the Pirates send all 16 active skaters and a goalie out, for this game, the Pirates were seriously short-handed. Besant was unexpectedly sidelined by a twisted ankle, Leggett and Perri were scratched as a result of family obligations, and Kwinter was (once again) out of town. Captain Mola chose to go with two defensive lines (Matusek with Jezioranski, and Mintz with Klein), two centres (Gallivan and Mutch) and six wingers (Turner, Sager and Sturgeon on the left side and Phillips, Mandell and the captain on the right).Lella as usual was in goal.
As the first period began, the Pirates immediately put pressure at the Monster end of the ice, hitting the post (yeah, right — that puck was in!) just seconds in.Moments later, Gallivan tipped the puck back to Jezioranski on the point who zingged a shot that Mandell tipped up and over the Monster goalie to make the score 1-0 in favour of the ebony and gold. As the clock ran on, the play ranged back and forth. Both goalies played well, with blocked shots and smothered pucks.
The goal did not seem to phase the Loch Monsters, however, and the second period saw the Monsters applying plenty of pressure against the Pirate defense. However, the Pirate centers were conscientious about coming back to help the defense, and the attacks were foiled by the acrobatic saves and cool demeanor of goalie Lella. That held up until 3:37 into the period, when a breakdown in the defense allowed a 2-on-1, and the boys in blue did not miss the opportunity to tuck the puck past premier defender Klein and a sprawling Lella to tie up the game. It was disheartening to the Pirates, but not unlike the last game, they did not lose their cool. On the contrary, the tenor of the game remained totally consistent. Then 2:42 later, the capitano himself capped off a brilliant 2-on-1, taking a perfect pass in front of the net from a charging Mintz who had carried the puck up, and Jonathan "On the Spot" Gallivan, who had started the play in the Pirate zone, putting the puck home to give the Pirates back the lead, which they never again relinquished. Two minutes and ten seconds later, while the Loch Monsters were serving the first penalty of the game, Klein threaded a pass up to Mandell on the right side, who in turn dished it up the middle to Gallivan, who put in the goal for his third point of the game on the power play. And two minutes later, Mandell did it again, on assists by Mutch and Jezioranski, to make the score 4-1 at the end of the second period.
With the drop of the puck for the third period, the Pirate onslaught continued. Nearly one minute in, Mutch chalked up a goal, working with Matusek and Jezioranski, and two minutes and 23 seconds later, Jezioranski (capping a four point night) himself bent the twine with more help from hard-working and hard-skating Matusek and Sturgeon. That capped a five goal outburst in 9 minutes and 40 seconds! It caught everyone, including the Pirates, off guard, but it clearly represented the best of the best that this team can accomplish. Unfortunately, the scoring then ended abruptly, as the Pirates were called for three straight penalties, with the first coming with 4:42 left on the clock, which was running as a result of the Pirate 5-goal lead.
In the end, the Monsters were good-spirited about the outcome (though we doubt it was their intention to pay for the Pirates' bar tab, as the confused waitress in Howie's thought at the post-game press and beer-and-wings-and-pizza conference). No doubt it was a shock after their previous week's success, but in the mind of this correspondent, it seems to have reinforced the feeling that the Coors Light Division is now well-balanced, with any team able to notch a victory if it plays well enough. In an adult beginner non-contact recreational hockey league, what more could you ask for?
One thing the Pirates can ask for and do in fact possess, of course, is a great website, and it was reported to yours truly that the wives and fans of some of the LMs were raving about PirateHockey.ca to others of the Pirate fans in attendance. As a result, compliments are certainly in order to our webmaster, Jonathan Gallivan, for his skill, talent and commitment in keeping the boys in yellow at the forefront of hockey cyberspace! In addition, kudos also go out to Dave Turner, who had the fans out in droves as a result of his big five-oh birthday, and to Vito Mola, whose friends and neighbours showed up with banners and signs and raucous cheers every time their hero touched the puck — and of course, touched the puck he did aplenty. Heck, even the refs got into it whenever #24 took off down the ice, cheering him on and keeping him out of the sin bin! Keep up the community relations and the great gate receipts, mateys. It all goes to the Swashbucks bottom line, after all.
In the meantime, Wednesday Night Pirate Skate™ continues (with or without Dave Turner!). There is no other more rigorous training regime in professional or amateur hockey. If you want to see your game improve by leaps and bounds, be at Fenside every Wednesday at 10:30.Pirates, Former Pirates, Old Pirates and Friends of Pirates are welcome.
And of course, next up are the Scorpions, just two points behind the MPs in the Coors Light Division standings. The puck drops at 10:10 p.m. on Rinx 2 on Monday night. Be there to catch all of the swashbuckling excitement.
GO PIRATES!!!VIVA LOS PIRATAS!!!
Howie
