Prestige Worldwide Adds a New Tuxedo to Their Repertoire

The first installment of the battle of the Soviet Tuxedo did not disappoint. Despite a frantic third period comeback, the Soviets ran out of time when needing a second, and after forty five minutes of excellent hockey, Prestige Worldwide added a trophy to their trophy case and the Comrades searched for answers.

"What can you say? It's tough," Captain Steve Hand said after the game. "Games like this, especially against [Prestige Worldwide] always mean a lot. It's tough. It's real tough."

His line mate Neal Hendricks also rued the day.

"We had so many chances to score, and for some reason or another, we just didn't. Statistically when you throw forty something shots on goal you are going to get rewarded more than five times. But not tonight, it was just one of those nights."

The highly anticipated game resembled more of a goaltending duel at the start. Both Sean Hanley and Andy Schram steered everything aside for the first ten minutes. The Prestigious Ones struck first with a few minutes remaining in the period on a broken play. After a puck ricocheted off of the end boards, a forward for PW outraced Hand to the puck and fired home a low snap shot from almost zero angle.

Moments later the deficit was two, after a failed odd man rush for the Red Army resulted in an odd man rush the other way. The Worldwiders connected on the two on one and carried a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.

"The way I saw it was we were outplaying them, but they were converting on their chances," Mark Hendricks said. "We probably had nine or ten shots in that first period, but if Hanley sees it, he'll stop it. The goals we allowed were just careless plays on defense, mental lapses really. So I was pleased with the effort but frustrated with some of the mistakes. Against PW, you can't make those mistakes."

The changes Hendricks wanted to see, happened, and as a result, the Comrades played their finest period in several seasons. Bodies and pucks went to the net, shifts were kept short, there was more communication at rink level, and the Comrades experienced total territorial domination. The results were not congruent with the efforts though, and the middle frame only saw the Comrades score twice, while also surrendering one. Hendricks scored to make it 2-1, but a poor shift change a few minutes later allowed PW to strike back. Drew Kelly scored a power play goal late in the period to close the gap to one goal again.

The third period, with energy levels low and skating speeds high, yielded to more mental mistakes. After a poor job back checking, the Soviets were unable to defend another PW odd man rush, and with ten minutes remaining in the game, the lead was two again.

"It was tough with only three defenders," The Beege, who finished with a career high 9 shots, said. "The three of us are all really skilled, but this game was a really high tempo game, and the legs were burning. Sometimes it wasn't a mental mistake or a dropped assignment, it was just too much physical strain on the body to get from A to B."

With the Comrades trailing by two, they got some life when the Labia Line connected. Pat King took a pass from Mark Hendricks in the high slot, and as a defender went down to block the shot, King out waited the sprawling player, deked around him, and passed to Ben Breiterman. Breiterman fired a slap pass back to Hendricks, who had crept toward the goal line, and Hendricks one timed the puck backdoor on Hanley.

"That one was one of the nicest Labia Line goals we have ever scored," King said after the game.

"Throw what you know up!" Breiterman added, before pausing, turning to Neal Hendricks, and saying, "You son of a [gun] missed every shot in beer pong last night. You were the worst player in the world and I am going to murder you after you make me a melkshake (sic) from Ben and Jerry's."

The Labia Line tallied again to tie the game, when Breiterman made a slick drop pass to Mark Hendricks, and the forward cut to the middle and unleashed his patented wrist shot from between the circles. With King setting the screen in front, there was no chance for Hanley, and consequently, mayhem at the Plex.

"That really got the crowd into it," Schram said. "It was so loud I couldn't even hear Maggie. Hey Mark, are those my boxers?"

But, the Achilles heel of the Red Army was exploited, and after battling back to tie the game at four, the work was undone in less than a minute, as on the ensuing shift PW struck twice.

"That was a real back breaker," Kelly said. "That one sucked the life right out of the crowd."

Trailing 6-4 with three minutes left, the Red Army tried to muster one more comeback, and Mark Hendricks was able to score his fourth of the game on a neat stuff attempt move, but that was as close as the Russians would come. An empty net goal with 27 seconds remaining sealed the deal, and Prestige Worldwide was leaving the rink with two points and a new wardrobe.

THREE STARS:
3: The Beege
2: Mark Hendricks
1: Sean Hanley