Then the game ended.
One could argue that if the game was a few minutes longer, it's likely that the comeback would have been completed. That even with the Lame Ducks fielding a full roster, and the Soviets running on less than fumes, the Soviets were controlling the play in the final frame, and eventually would have taken control of the score as well. Yes, the argument has merit. But the simple rebuttal is this: why wait so long to start the comeback?
Ten more notes on a game that was as concerning as it was encouraging:
- Let's start with the biggest negative: team attendance. A major problem for the Comrades this season has been showing up. Only two of the team's 11 players have made all seven games. So far, the Soviets have lost 28 man games. It's obviously impossible to get mad about it, because people's schedules are busy, we just wish they wouldn't get busy at the same times. Here's hoping the second half of the season sees a big drop in the popularity of Comrades! Or at least no more company trips to China.
- It's tough to win a game with only five skaters. You would think getting a power play would be a great opportunity to score a goal. Well, the Comrades had three power plays on Sunday. They had zero power play goals and allowed two shorthanded goals. That is just terrible.
- Let's get one more bad bullet in before getting to the positives, so this bullet will be about the officiating. Yeah, I'm throwing the refs under the bus on this one. From putting faceoffs at the wrongs spots on the rink to missing blatant slashes and trips, I think the refs botched this one a bit. Not that it was the difference, but the Lame Ducks had a pretttttty long leash.
- Jamie Simek played another strong game in net. It's unfortunate he ended up getting the loss in this one, considering he was the only one playing well for the first thirty minutes.
- Dan Merold had his first two point game of the season, notching two assists. It's still unclear what position he will play when the Soviets have a full roster, but we're pretty sure whichever position it is, he'll play it well. He's been playing solid hockey for a few games now.
- Mike D'Ignazio avenged his first period ill-advised slashing penalty by scoring a goal and dishing out three helpers. Him and Mark Hendricks may be clicking at over 90% on 2 on 1's.
- And Hendricks was up to his old tricks, factoring in on each Soviet goal. His one time rocket to make the score 6-5 with 18.5 seconds left was a thing of beauty. The chance he got to tie the game off of the ensuing faceoff was also nice, except for the part where it rang iron. So close to being oh so sweet.
- Steve Hand could have had a few helpers tonight, but when he set people up, they didn't finish. That isn't to say the Captain didn't play well though. He was creating chances and up to his old crease crashing antics. For someone who spent the night in a cottage, he seemed to have his legs too.
- Pete Collis
loves seesawstore a ligament in his knee during the game. It's uncertain if it will cause him to miss any time, but it will definitely affect his ability to text Cyrillic messages to Hendricks that resemble emoticons. - For now, the Red Army must share the top spot in the division with the Lame Ducks. But hey, half way through season with a 5-2 record ain't bad. It ain't bad at all.
Stats:
Goals:
FIRST PERIOD
None
SECOND PERIOD
1. Hendricks (D'Ignazio, Merold)
THIRD PERIOD
2. Hendricks (unassisted)
3. D'Ignazio (Hendricks, Collis)
4. Hendricks (D'Ignazio)
5. Hendricks (Merold, D'Ignazio)
Penalties:
D'Ignazio (slashing) two minutes
THREE STARS:
3: Mike D'Ignazio
2: Mark Hendricks
1: Jamie Simek
1 comment:
It was a good power play. That #11 kept shanking one timers though. He is a teenage heartthrob though.
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