The Red Army has been in their fair share of nail biters the past few seasons. Games have come come down to the wire numerous times, with frantic rushes and scrums playing out until the final horn. The Soviets had seen it all, with last second victory and last second defeat. Then last night happened and a whole new chapter in the book of impossible had to be written.
Let us start from the beginning.
The Grenades and Red Army shared identical records prior to faceoff on Tuesday night. Both teams sat near the top of the Bronze Division standings at 7-1-1. The Red Army was riding a six game win streak while the Grenades boasted the most goals in the division as well as the fewest allowed. The game more than lived up to its expectations.
The Grenades scored first on the first shift of the game. A low wrister snuck five-hole on Andrew Jenkins, who was filling in for fellow Andrew, Andrew Schram. Moments later, the Soviets would tie it. A Grenade shot was blocked and Ben Breiterman gained control of the loose rebound. Mark Hendricks cut straight up the middle and called for the pass. Breiterman zipped a hundred foot tape to tape pass that hit Hendricks in stride. Two dipsies and one doo later, it was 1-1.
"That pass was incredible," Mark Hendricks said. "For him to look up, see me, and then fire the puck right onto my stick is amazing. Few guys can make that play. Must be the Hanukah magic."
The tie was broken by the Grenades on the ensuing shift. Again, the Soviets wasted little time in their rebutle. Steve Hand forechecked a Grenade defenseman, causing the turnover. The Captain stole the puck near the top of the circles and skated in along on the goalie before firing one home and wiping out on a rogue banana peel.
"I guess there was a fruit sale before the game or something," Hand said. "There was banana peels everywhere. Right guys?"
The Soviets took the lead when Neal Hendricks, returning to action after his Virginia Tech semester ended, jammed in a rebound from a Breiterman shot.
"I felt good out there," Neal Hendricks said. "It was good to be back with my Comrades. At Virginia Tech they preach democratic hockey. I missed the Soviet style, though the tech food is better."
After taking the lead, the Red Army stopped skating and gave up not one, not two, not three, but four consecutive goals. In the blink of an eye, the 3-2 advantage became a 6-3 deficit.
The first period was not done though, as two late goals, one by Neal Hendricks on a roof job and one by Ben Breiterman on the doorstep brought Mother Russia's Boys back to within one. After one period, the score was 6-5 in favor of the Grenades. One minute was not a long enough intermission for people to catch their breaths.
"It was a good and bad period," Pat King said. "On one hand, we just scored 5 goals in one period against a team that rarely gives up five goals in a game. On the other hand, we just stopped playing defense at the end of the period and that's why we were behind. But as the saying goes, when you're behind you just gotta (sic) thrust".
The second period provided one of the prettiest goals of the year. On a delayed penalty call, Odell gathered the puck while Jenkins raced the length of the rink to get the extra attacker. Odell skated around the goal as Neal Hendricks hopped on for the vacated net minder. Scott Hoefer, realizing his shift was running long, hopped off as Ben Breiterman replaced him. It was organized chaos. Breiterman skated into the offensive zone, Neal Hendricks opened up for the pass, and Steve Hand, unnoticed, infiltrated the offensive zone as well. From afar, the movement must have resembled wolves hunting. Odell fed Neal the puck, Neal skated towards center before firing a pass to Breiterman. Breiterman, who was planted in front of the goal, redirected the puck onto the blade of the Captain, and Hand fired the biscuit home. Tic, tac, tic, tac, toe, 6-6.
It would be the only strike for the Comrades of the period. The Grenades struck twice more to make the score 8-6 going into the final period.
"It was a high scoring game," Tony Horton said. "We knew we were going to get chances but we had to limit their odd man rushes. Crack down. Be disciplined. As a German, you know I love discipline." Jenny smiled, wryly.
"I'm not great at sledding," Lotocki said.
With the life sucked out of the Grenades and Uncle Mo's good fortune riding with Mother Russia, Mark Hendricks and Horton lined up for the ensuing face-off after the game tying goal. They were not able to continue the success. The two forwards got their signals crossed and both dropped assignments. A Grenade was left open for a one timer and he made no mistake about burying. A line change was made, and it was deja vu. A dropped defensive assignment and a Grenade goal. The Red Army seemed doomed to die by what had plagued them all game: giving up goals in bunches.
Hendricks brothers Neal and Mark skated a long shift on offense and generated multiple scoring chances with Breiterman and Lotocki, but the foursome's efforts was to no avail. The well had run dried it seemed. With the puck deflected out of play and less than two minutes remaining, a time out was called. The Red Army regrouped on the bench. They were down, bloodied and battered, and their win streak was on life support.
"The morale on the bench was high. We believed," Breiterman told reporters. "I think every guy knew it was possible. Still, two goals in 90 seconds is a tall order. That's like trying to find a half Spanish half Asian hooker the night before Christmas. You have to order ahead."
Jenkins was pulled and five skaters embarked on the comeback of the calendar year. Mark and Neal Hendricks, Scott Hoefer, Ben Breiterman, and Ryan Odell lined up for the face-off. The puck was dropped. The 90 seconds soon became 60, and the score remained the same. Shots were being thrown on net but the rebounds went to the corners and the Grenades wasted no time in clearing. With 30 ticks remaining, Mark Hendricks took a bouncing feed from Lotocki at the point. The forward settled the puck and fired a slap shot which struck Hoefer square on the pelvis. Hoefer wasted no time in firing a no look backhander that beat the goalie just inside the post.
"I got a backhander in the air!" Hoefer said, as him and Mark Hendricks engaged in the gayest of celebrations.
Still, the win streak was 28 seconds from being snapped. Jenkins remained on the bench and the five miracle workers remained on the rink. The puck was dropped.
28, 27, 26, 25, 24...
After a face-off win, the Hendricks' raced into the offensive zone with a head of steam. Mark's shot was turned wide and the shot ricocheted around the boards where a Grenade gathered it and raced towards the empty net.
23, 22, 21, 20, 19...
Lotocki caught up to the Grenade and collided with him. The falling Grenade was not able to get the puck deep and instead Lotocki gathered the puck and fed Mark who was streaking into the zone again. He shot into the haze of bodies in front.
18, 17, 16, 15, 14,...
The puck caromed around the mass of bodies but went wide. A fight for the loose rebound sent the puck into the far corner.
13, 12, 11, 10, 9...
Mark retrieved the puck and went to fire a turn around slapper, but stopped when he saw the traffic in front of the goal. He looked and saw Odell across the rink at the other point. Odell's angle, and slap shot, were better than Mark's. Mark sent a saucer pass over a pressuring Grenade's stick to Odell.
8...
Whack! The shot was shanked, but the fluttering biscuit made its way past the legs, arms, skates, and torsos of the players in front before landing in the back of the net.
7...
Dog pile.
The last seconds were played and the teams went to overtime. Somehow, someway, like the Soviets always seem to do, they refused to go quietly into the night (or early morning).
Brian "Beege" Hendricks set up his older brother Mark early in overtime in what 9 times out of 10 would have been a goal, but the Grenade goalie made a remarkable save on the leading Soviet scorer. Jenkins returned the favor on the other end by squeezing a low shot between his pads.
King and Hand replaced the two Hendricks brothers on offense and Lotocki and Odell replaced Breiterman and Beege on defense.
Play resumed, and a few seconds into the shift a simple play was made that sprung a Soviet 2 on 1. Hand chipped a puck along the boards ahead to Lotocki, and him and Odell raced in on the odd man rush. Lotocki's low shot was saved, but Odell stuffed in the rebound, blowing the roof off of the Plex.
"Game over man, game over," Odell said, signing autographs as he spoke to reporters. "The game tying goal, the game winning goal. My back is going to be sore tomorrow for sure."
"From carrying the team?" a TSN reporter asked.
"No, your daughter is heavy," Odell responded.
THREE STARS:
3: Scott Hoefer
2: Bren Breiterman
1: Ryan Odell
#3... Always a special place in our hearts.
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