Soviets Tie Series; One Win from Third Straight Title

It was the nine man effort the Soviets were looking for. There was puck possession on offense, stingy defense, and stellar goaltending. It was a three headed monster. Yes, there were let downs and gaffs at times, and yes it was close, but the Red Army played well enough to win, and that's what matters. Ten notes about Thursday's contest, one which forced a decisive game three on Sunday:

• The Iron Curtain. Andy Schram was phenomenal. He out-dueled Chris Celenski in net and absolutely stood on his head at times. He was a sponge, swallowing up loose rebounds in the crease and absorbed shot after shot into his glove. His normal weak spot, the breakaway, was a strength, as he shut the door numerous times on Shocker odd man rushes. Make no mistake about it, he was the number one star, and it wasn't even close.
• Drew Kelley played his best game as a Comrade. He had a goal and an assist and was a force in the defensive end. He refused to let Shockers by him easily and upped his physicality. He also picked his shots wiser this game, and the Motherland reaped all of the benefits.
• Drought over! Mark Hendricks finally scored his first goal of the playoffs early in the first period. Then he scored his second later in the middle frame. His first goal was a sight for sore eyes, as he finagled a loose puck through a defender's legs, then took the puck to his backhand and out waited Celenski before potting one upstairs. His second was less pretty, but equally valuable, as he corralled a rebound and fired one seven hole. Both goals elicited celebrations by a man who had been frustrated for too long.
• #57. Pat King did exactly what he needed to do for the Red Army to be victorious. He was the benefactor of a fortuitous bounce after he threw the puck to the net, as the puck ricocheted off a defenseman and snuck five hole. He added an assist on one of Mark's tallies, helped in shutting down Loges, and had a beautiful shot block late in the second period. Picking up the slack when a guy like Scott Hoefer is out of the lineup, Patty Cakes was a monster. Though, he did hit Mark with a slap shot to the shoulder. Those two need to stop taking each other out with friendly fire. Stop it.
• The Captain. Steve Hand played like an inspired leader tonight. He fore-checked hard, back-checked hard, skated hard, and drove the net hard. Him and Neal Hendricks put on clinics in the offensive zone for long stretches of time, and the Cap'n even buried a rebound with a roofer. Surprise, surprise... it ended up being the old GWG.
• Jamie Simek stepped up his play big time tonight. He was a solid defenseman who could be trusted to stay back. He chose when and where to join the rush wisely and he was seldom beat. You just can't get enough of that in a series like that. If he happens to miss Sunday's game, he will be sorely missed.
• Benny Boy continued his usual antics, factoring into a few goals and registering a goal and an assist. He also was part of "Operation Stop Loges" and picked up where he left on on Tuesday night, racking up four penalty minutes.
  
• Beege was also a solid defender, and though he all know he has a great offensive upside, he opted to play the more defensive game tonight, and it was to the Shockers' dismay. Beege out-muscled players in front and used his speed to break out the puck. Despite always lobbying to play offense, he seems to know how to help the team win.
• And his twin brother Neal, well, he has the performance many were waiting for. He was confident with the puck and quick on the trigger. He was a monster in the corners and dominated possession at times. He still has the tendency to over-pass at times, but if he plays like that again on Sunday, I like the Red Army's chances.
• Let's see, there's got to be one more important thing to note here. Hmmm... oh wait, yes, yes I remember. One more win and it's a dynasty.