Wow, now this is fun. Two teams, tied in the standings, tangle tonight on the blue surface for sole possession of second place. For the Red Army, a win coupled with a Cryptic Stench loss vaults them into first place. But let's not get ahead of ourselves (plus, the Caps play the Flyers on Tuesday, and if Mother Russia earns the #1 spot they will play on Tuesday, and not Thursday). What it boils down to is an excellent challenge before embarking on a post season journey.
What's important about tonight? Well, for one, that winning streak can reach 10 tonight. You know the standings in baseball, where each team has the "Last 10" record. Well with a win tonight, the Soviets would have a big fat "10-0" in that column. That my friends, is baller status. Still, win number 10 will be no cakewalk. Prestige Worldwide is boasting a five game winning streak of their own. These two teams both know how to win, and have identical 10-2-1 records. I'm sure PW would love nothing more than to re-defeat the Red Army and send a message before post season play begins. Mother Russia's Boys want to show PW that they are a far different hockey team than five weeks ago. This is going to be fun.
I thought this would be a good opportunity to reflect back on just how special this season has been. Back in early September I wrote a story detailing what would qualify as a successful season. The article was written mostly tongue in cheek, as I was still grieving from a disappointing summer season that ended all too early and had little faith that this fall team could compete as well the summer team did. I set aside 5 goals (most of which I thought at the time to be unattainable) to aim for in order to classify this season as a success or a failure. Here they are:
1: A winning record. I figured with some luck, maybe a few overtime losses, and more luck, we could maybe squeak out a 6-5-3 record. After our 1-2-1 start I did not expect us to surpass the .500 mark again. It wasn't that I had little faith, it just seemed that early in the season we were losing the close games, something that has plagued this franchise for the better part of a decade now. Little did I know that with the return of Ben, the emergence of Pat, the Vezina-like performances of Andy, and Hoefers' attitude for winning, that we would gel as a team and no longer wilt in the third like we always did. The winning streak was born, a winning record clinched (four games before the end of the season), and the first goal accomplished. My tongue was exiting my cheek.
2: Puck possession. It seems that we were always chasing teams in seasons past. That directly led to our final frame collapses, as we were tired and couldn't keep up and would allow far too many odd man rushes. Such is not the case anymore. With a solid defensive corps of Ben, Ryan, Jerrod, Hoefer, and Andy, the outlet passes are crisp, there isn't as much panic with the puck, and the Red Army has the puck more than the opposition. A lot more. I give this goal a very thick check mark. One so thick, it is discernible from outer space.
3: Faceoffs. Hoefer was Dave Steckel before moving back to defense this season. Steve, before his injury, also was dominating the dot. Ryan has proven that he can take the occasional draw in the defensive zone, and Pat and Tony have been winning the majority of their draws as well. What's most impressive, is the communication on faceoffs. Even on losses, assignments are picked up and people covered. There are few lapses in the Soviet game. This subject I also give an enthusiastic check mark to.
4: 5 Ten goal scorers. This is a tough one. According to the statistics, the Red Army only has 3 (Mark, Pat, and Ryan). Though, because of an error in Ben's jersey number, his stats were not recorded, so he makes #4 unofficially. If Steve's injury hadn't happened, he most likely would have cracked the ten goal plateau. Even without the stats to prove it, this team can score. 94 goals through 13 games... that's over 7 goals a game. I'd trade in the 5 ten goal scorers for a team scoring 7 a game any day. Check.
5: Third round or bust. Well, well, well. I don't have to say it. We've never been there. After tonight, regardless of the final score, we will be eagerly awaiting an opponent in the second round. One win and we accomplished every goal this season and we can call it a success, right?
No.
Expectations change when you win 9 in a row. Expectations change when you beat the one seed in a thrilling come from behind overtime game. This season, to be a success, ends with a championship. After tonight, there are four more wins to get. We've been winning for over a month now. Let's keep it going into November.
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