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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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The "Howie-Les" Report: What A Team! What A Cup!
2017-04-17: Mighty Pirates 4 vs. Cyclones 3

The 2017 True North Cup was brought to you by the folks that brought you the 89th Academy Awards! It's true... after three rounds of a tense shootout, which the Pirates (4-0-0) were leading 2-1, the TNHC refs gave them permission to celebrate their fourth Cup! The teams even went down the ice to shake hands... except for two very smart Cyclones.

TNHC playoff shootouts have always lasted five rounds, and that is what they were arguing for. And, after conferring with the scorekeeper and the refs for a lengthy time, two more pucks were dropped on the centre ice circle... and the Bucs needed to re-focus.

Did they win? Let's not get ahead of ourselves here.



Rinx was eerily quiet as the Bucs slowly streamed into the building, one by one. Perhaps this further relaxed the club's already seemingly calm demeanour, and it also allowed Captain Sousa to take some meditative time on the ice... perhaps crafting last minute changes into his forthcoming line combinations.

Just prior to puck drop, he announced Mutch would centre Gallivan and Mola, Weber would skate between Leggett and J. Sager, and Phillips would take the middle of the Grind Line, featuring D. Turner on left and L. Klein on right. Defensive pairings were youngsters J. Klein with T. Turner, veterans Jezioranski and C. Besant, and a mixed pairing of J. Besant and the Captain himself. Nice!

When, what to our wondering eyes should appear? The smiling, excited faces of injured heroes Lella, Rosenberg and M. Sager, along with retired all-star sniper Hine #97 and young defensive superstar S. Klein... all there to cheer on the Pirates to glory. The team Morale-O-Meter™ shot up 250%, we kid you not!

D. Turner offered a specific, clinical, no-nonsense strategy talk to help set the team focus. Lella offered two short, yet stern, phrases: "Don't be overconfident!" and "Timmy, don't let pucks go in the net!" All that was left was a shot of Sturgeon's homemade grog, and your heroes were set to hit the ice.

It was one of the biggest crowds we've seen since Doc's birthday bash near the turn of the century, upwards of 14, and Emily McInnes would top up her SuperFan® appearance record to 15 games... wow! And, there was one kid — a Cyclone supporter — that would go on to cheer their heart out for the entire hour. "Let's go Cyclones, let's go! Let's go Cyclones, let's go! Let's go Cyclones, let's go!" Yowzers... we wonder if they'll be able to talk at school today?

It was a perfect start for your heroes, who hemmed the Cyclones in their zone on the first shift... but, after numerous chances, the puck squirted to... who else?... scoring sensation Nyhof, and he took the puck all the way up the ice and buried a five-hole slapshot from the left side. Ack! 45 seconds in... and the Cyclones were leading 0-1.

But, that didn't dampen the spirits of the crowd. And, it didn't affect the Pirates. They would continue on with the game plan, with the rolling of quick shifts being the most imperative rule. Not an easy task in such a tense, pressure-filled game; but, the team was communicating well with each other on and off the ice.

There was definitely some bumping and bruising, but the refs were determined to let the teams battle it out... this was for The Cup, after all! And, you know that's the case when you see Phillips tussling with an opponent at centre ice. Way to stand your ground, Phillips! Linemates L. Klein and D. Turner were also standing tall, and serious forechecking beasts.

As the teams traded chances, few mistakes were being made. However, with 3:20 to go in the first, Gallivan, on the forecheck, forced a clearing pass to deflect off his shin. Collecting the puck in the slot, he fired the puck shortside... and we were tied 1-1!

Hard to believe, the game intensified in the middle frame. This wasn't going to be a cakewalk for anybody. Sturgeon was called on to stop a 2-on-1 and a breakaway, keeping the scoreline intact. There were some nice rushing plays from J. Besant and J. Klein, but the Cyclone defense was having none of it.

T. Turner hit Gallivan with a breakaway pass midway through the second, but Hebert gave him nothing as the Cyclone bench cheered the big save.

As the period wound down, Nyhof would go to the box for tripping. A tremendous shift from Weber, Leggett and J. Sager found the Cyclones baffled and unable to retrieve the puck. Behind the net, Leggett would finally dish a backhander out front, and J. Sager was eventually able to deposit the power play goal with 2:50 remaining. The Pirates had their first (and, officially, only) lead of the game, 2-1.

Into the third, the teams were desperate to find a way to win... but, being a little over-cautious was the modus operandi from here on out.

Veteran defensemen C. Besant, Jezioranski and Sousa kept vigilant watch on the Cyclone attacks, but it wasn't possible to thwart every one on this night.

Sturgeon would make a wicked glove save on Nyhof early on, but midway through the third, his opponent would use his patented breakout move to steamroll down the left side... and bam, out of nowhere we were tied again with 5:02 to go.

Having to kill a penalty minutes later didn't help, and getting a little too overzealous in the offensive zone saw Nyhof go to work again. His blast missed the net, but he somehow collected the puck, unchecked behind the net, and stuffed in the rebound to complete the hattrick. A powerplay goal with 2:50 on the clock, the Pirates now trailed 2-3. Was this going to be the end of Pirate Cup dreams?

Once again, as in the Semi-Final, Mutch was picture-perfect on his faceoffs. This allowed the Bucs to pull the goalie for the extra attacker, and the pressure was on. After two icings and numerous whistles, C. Besant would atone for his recent trip to the sin bin with an excellent "keep in" at the blueline as the seconds ticked down. And, it would be the extra attacker, J. Sager, whose pass from behind the net would hit 'keep Hebert and deflect into the net with 6.8 seconds to go... TIE GAME! The dream was alive!

On to overtime, which was no less frenetic than the dying moments of regulation. The Cyclones would get called for Too Many Men... and later for Hooking... two power play opportunities would yield nothing for the Pirates, and chances at both ends were nerve wracking. Hebert's save off a 2-on-1 from Mutch and Gallivan late in overtime was a thriller. Not only that, Gallivan would hit, not one, but two posts justs seconds later. Aye curumba! We were going to a dreaded shootout.

The worst part about deciding a Cup game in a shootout is that both shooters have to go at the same time. This is a terrible thing to do to the players, and the crowd, as nobody really knows where to look. It's true mayhem!

Thankfully, to the cheers of the raucous crowd, J. Sager would score on his first attempt... but, so would the Cyclones. Mutch made a superior deke, but he hit the crossbar... yet, the Cyclones fail to score as well. Gallivan follows Mutch's lead, coming in wide and then deking wide for the goal... while the Cyclones fail to score. For some... including the refs... the game is over. The Pirates win The Cup!

As the teams are shaking hands, two Cyclones were conferring at the scorekeeper's bench. Of course, the other half of us knew TNHC shootouts are always five rounds. And, much like the confusion during the 89th Academy Awards, the refs drop two more pucks at centre ice and called the teams back to finish the deal as the Pirates are ready to head to the dressing room. Arrrrrrggggg!

Nyhof would even the shootout 2-2 after four rounds, but the next four shooters on each side would be stifled by the goalies. Yet, in the record-breaking ninth round, the dependable playoff sub Weber would confidently roll into the zone and power home the 3-2 shootout winner... and your Pirates officially win their fourth Cup!

Full kudos to the Cyclones, who played the best team game we've seen them play. A shootout is truly an imperfect way to solve a tie... but, for now... that's the way the cookie crumbles.

It was certainly the craziest, action-packed, playoff game in Pirate history... and a great moment to take with them as they launch their 25th Anniversary Season next September. Congratulations Pirates, one and all! One the ice, or in the stands... you were simply magnificent.