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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!

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When a tie feels like a win!
2011-10-03: Mighty Pirates 4 vs. Road Warriors 4

Guest Report supplied by The Leggett News Network

The Mighty Pirates (1-0-1) jumped into first place of the Monday Day Division and all they needed to do that was a hard-fought tie.

What drives the fast and skilled Road Warriors (0-1-1) is youth and size — well, everyone is young compared to the Mighty Pirates — but what drives the Mighty Pirates? On this night, it was Captain Mola. Not only did he actually drive his linemates, Mutch and Leggett, to the rink, the Captain opened the scoring and then assisted on the next three goals scored by the Pirates for a four point night.

This reporter isn't sure what is more impressive, the Captain's four points or the fact that those next three goals were a natural hattrick scored by Mutch.

Things seemed good for the Mighty Pirates when Mola surprised Hartin from the high slot with a quick release to put the Pirates up 1-0. But the Road Warriors are fast and evenly skilled team. A relentless forecheck saw the Warriors capitalize for the next three goals of the game as they pushed the Pirates back on their heels and effectively swarmed the net, scoring on a wrap around and digging another puck out from under Sturgeon in the slot. It looked like Warriors were going to have their way with the Pirates on this night but the rallying cry of "defense" on the bench got everyone settled down.

The defense corps kept it steady and the forwards got organized in the Pirates end. First they staunched the bleeding and then slowly extracted themselves from their end of the ice. Midway through the second period, Leggett chased down a Warrior trying to clear his zone and was able to strip the puck from him along the boards. A backhand pass along the blue line found Mola who crossed the line and dished to Mutch who skated through a defender and then put it by Hartin to put the Pirates within one. The confidence on the bench came flooding back. Four minutes later, Mola broke over the blue line and leaned into a heavy slapshot. Mutch was there to pound the rebound past the netminder to tie the game.

Pirate Brand Hockey® took over as each of the forward lines pressured the Warriors and backchecked hard, blanketing the point and helping the defense corps to keep the front of Sturgeon's crease free and clear. Just past the midway point of the third period, Jezioranski hit Mutch at midice with a clean breakout pass. Mutch went cross ice to Leggett who carried it over the blueline to the top of the circle and passed it through a defender to Mola. Mola's backhand centering pass was on Mutch's tape for the go ahead goal. Tic-tac-toe and then some.

Unfortunately, the Warriors weren't done and there was a reason they'd gone up in the game to begin with. Pressure in the offence zone allowed Tom Dobbin to wind-up from the point and let a boomer go. Lucky for Sturgeon, the post took the force of the shot but Dobbin was even luckier. The puck bounced up and off Sturgeon's stick to wind up in the net. As Sager always says, "Shoot, shoot, shoot!"

A classic of a game, fast and furious, but totally clean and gentlemanly. Deservedly a tie.