Feb 07, 2015 | Todd McIver | 225 views
Win and We're In!
In a game Blue needed to win in order to get through to the play-off round, the coaches were worried the same Team Blue from earlier in the day would show up! It was a relief for all watching when each Blue player seemed to come out skating fast and with a chip on their shoulders.
When the ref dropped the puck to begin the game, Blue immediately moved it deep into the London Purple end and kept it there for what seemed like an eternity! The only time Purple looked like they had any offence was when a bouncy puck eluded one of our defenders at the Purple blue line and it ended up in the Team Blue's zone. The game was much faster than the morning skate but towards the end of the frame Blue looked like they were slowing down a little. On a power play with only minutes left in the period, Blue would notch the first goal of the game on some very good passing between our D just inside the London blue line and a heads up play by a Blue forward.
Going into the second period with a 1 goal lead was not going to be enough and each Blue player knew it. London pressed hard to get the equalizer and it payed off as the lazy monster reared its ugly head and 2 lost races to open pucks ended in a scramble in our end and the puck in the back of the net! The feeling was that the wheels were beginning to fall off and a little panic set in on the blue bench amongst the players and coaches! This was short lived when a good pass sprung a Blue forward and he made no mistake potting the go-ahead goal. The period would end with Blue maintaining a 2-1 lead and momentum in their favour.
The beginning of the third frame was a back and forth battle but Blue once again got on the board with a power play goal even though Purple had the edge in shots on goal and time of puck possession. Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with 6 minutes left in the game, some Blue players decided to take their feet off the gas pedal and London took over with an aggressive forecheck and great passing. Like in many games lately, Blue began to look tired and slow but managed to run London out of time and sealed the victory. Our ticket was punched to the semi-finals! Fridays game was a complete team effort but the two games this day were up and down. Hopefully THE Team Blue would show up Sunday!