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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.

The "Howie-Les" Report!
2017-01-30: Mighty Pirates 4 vs. Highest Puck 3

In their last meeting, the Pirates (5-8-3) stormed back for three unanswered third period goals to steal a 5-4 victory over the first place Highest Puck (8-6-2). Last night, it was a different story.

As the puck dropped, the game got off to a fiery start, with both teams eager to get possession. Perhaps the Pirates heard the cries from news and social media outlets calling for a greater effort... to prove they were capable of competing at the über-athletic level demanded for Monday Gilmour Division action. If so, they responded!

Captain Sousa was out again with his recurring back injury, while a slew of other Pirate heroes were also sidelined: J. Besant, L. Klein, S. Klein, Lella, Mandell, Rosenberg (Groin), M. Sager (Calf) and Weber.

With some serious nagging, it would be former Captain Mola filling in to create the lines, and he set Phillips and D. Turner on left, Gallivan and Mutch at centre and J. Sager on right, with himself and Leggett sharing duties on both left and right. Jezioranski teamed up with T. Turner on the blueline, along with the pairing of C. Besant and J. Klein.

Mutch scored a beauty on a superb feed from J. Klein in the latter stages of the first period. However, that would be nothing compared to his second goal of the game in the middle frame.

Receiving the puck from Leggett, Mutch accelerated past one of the Highest Puck forwards. At the blue line, he dashed in, around and between the two defenders like a zig-zagging fiend. And, with both defenders on his back, he still managed an expert deke on 'keep Pacitto, sliding the puck home. It was truly one of the greatest Pirate goals of ALL-TIME! If you spent all weekend studying the best NHL All-Star goals from Simmonds, McDavid and Horvat, you still couldn't put together a goal as beautiful as this one was.

Less than a minute later, Jezioranski would send a stifling shot towards the goal. The puck careened off Pacitto's blocker into the top corner giving the Bucs a 3-0 lead halfway through the game. Magnificent.

It wound't have been 3-0 without some solid goaltending from the Sturgeonator, and the defence core was absolutely brilliant in timing their blocks, and getting into the dirty areas. It was a great effort on the part of all defenders throughout.

However, in this match, it would be Highest Puck that would mount a three-goal third period comeback. As the third period wound down, the Pirates couldn't fully contain the HP attack, and their opponents would find ways to have an extra man in deep and unattended.

In fact, if it wasn't for T. Turner making a self-sacrificing block in the final minutes with the game knotted at 3-3, this game could have had a very different outcome.

Nonetheless, J. Sager would find room along the centre-ice boards in the final seconds. Drawing a defender to him as he crossed the blueline, he threaded a pass through the other defenceman, finding Gallivan cross-crease. With nowhere to shoot, and still a bit tender from missing on a breakaway on his previous shift, he seemed out of options. But, Leggett smartly covered on the blueline allowing J. Klein to burst into the slot like a runaway train. Gallivan hit him on the tape, and J. Klein tapped in the winning goal with 49 seconds on the clock!

Highest Puck did threaten with the goalie pulled, but the Bucs finished off the game with vigour, securing their first two point game since last December with a 4-3 victory... and a spot in the top three of the Monday Gilmour Division standings.

We'll have to give a star to every Pirate in this thriller. Way to go boys!