During the regular season, only three teams defeated the Red Army. Of those three, only one had beaten the Soviets twice. That team was Trailside. A team comprised of high end talent, young aspiring prospects, and Chris Celenski, a battle-tested goalie capable of single-handedly stealing games. In their inaugural season, team Trailside competed admirably, closing out the season on a 6-2 run. It would be understandable then, for them to think a match up with the Comrades was favorable for them. After all, as the new guys to the league, they were unfamiliar that the playoff version of Mother Russia is far from the regular season version of Mother Russia.
Well, they know now.
The Comrades defeated team Trailside 9-6 on Sunday night, dismissing team Trailside to play at their namesake. Meanwhile, the Red Army will lace up their skates at least two more times for a shot at their fourth championship in seven seasons. So much for the President's Trophy Curse.
"It's a much different playoffs than we're used to," Captain Steve Hand told reporters after last night's game. "In the past, the division has had eight or nine teams, sometimes even more. So in the playoffs, you get in a roll and are playing playoff hockey for a few games before you get to the championship. This season with six teams and us getting a bye, we had to make sure we played a real good game or else it would be an early exit."
"At my office we call that E.D.," Mike D'Ignazio added. "Wait, I should clarify what E.D. stands for, it's not what you think it is."
No Mike, we get it. We get it.
The Captain was right about playing a good game, but early in the first, it seemed that of the two teams, Trailside came more prepared to play. An early goal for team Trailside put the Soviets behind the eight ball early.
"I had reffed two games earlier in the day, and in both games, the team that scored first ended up losing," Mark Hendricks said. "So I knew we had them right where we wanted them... in the lead."
That lead was short lived. On the same shift, D'Ignazio fired a rising snap shot that hit the back bar and came right back out. There was some confusion over the call, but the referees agreed it was a goal, and in the blink of an eye, the game was tied.
A few moments later, the Soviets would take the lead. A bad line change by team Trailside led to a two on one rush for Hendricks and Hand. Hendricks skated into the zone with the puck, and waited out the defender before sending a back door pass to Hand, who promptly flipped the puck into the upper part of the net.
The period would end with the score 2-1 in favor of the Red Army, and the mantra on the bench was defense and timely offense.
"We had done a pretty good job that period of limiting shots," Jason White said. "It looked like we had everybody on board to playing defense, and when that is happening, we're a tough team to beat."
"Even Hendricks was backchecking!" Tony Horton said. "Has hell frozen over? Do pigs fly? Am I small?"
The Comrades started the second period on the power play and cashed in early. Pete Collis fired the puck along the boards to Hendricks, who collected the puck and raced around the net. The forward then backhanded a centering feed out to Pat King, who one-timed the puck past Celenski for a two goal bulge.
"It's one of those chemistry things," King told the throng of reporters stationed outside his stall, where the forward was receiving his third tattoo. "He went behind the net, and I just found the soft spot. Oh how I love that soft spot. I do most of my damage in that soft spot."
As for the tattoo #57 was getting.
"Winning."
A defensive lapse allowed Trailside back into the game, but after closing the lead to 3-2, the Comrades struck again on the power play. Hendricks slammed home a cross crease pass from D'Ignazio to improve the lead to 4-2. Moments later, Hendricks would strike again. After taking a pass from Horton, Hendricks wristed a shot off the near post and in to push the lead to three.
Trailside would score once more in the frame, but heading into the third, the Soviets were ahead by two, and sensing a trip back to the finals.
"We were just trying to keep things simple," Jamie Simek said. "Very simple. If there was one thing I learned during my twelve year study at Sensei Enterprises, it is that patience is a virtue. You cannot what force what is not meant to be."
Simek then paused before continuing, "That last statement is especially true for date rapists."
The 5-3 advantage was made 6-3 when Hendricks tallied his hat trick marker, this time while shorthanded. Moments after the penalty expired, D'Ignazio scored his second of the game to make it 7-3, and moments after that tally, he struck again for a hat trick of his own to make it 8-3. With a five goal lead, the Comrades were able to rely on something they hadn't had all season: depth.
"We figured we'd rest [D'Ignazio] since he was banged up from earlier," Ryan Odell said. "We had nine skaters and we did a pretty good job using everyone to the best of their ability. Clearly General Manager Mark Hendricks knew what he was doing this season and exercised a very good plan. You can quote me on that. This is Ryan Odell, and not anyone else posing at Ryan Odell, saying again, Mark Hendricks is the greatest general manager on the planet."
Collis would tally for goal number nine, and after that, the final seconds ticked away in team Trailside's season. They managed to make the score respectable after a slew of Soviet penalties led to three straight goals, but that would be all the would muster. The final horn sounded and the Comrades had punched their tickets to the big dance with a 9-6 victory.
Reason to celebrate?
"As the only member of this team to actually have been to Russia, I am allowed to celebrate. No one else is," Collis said. "I plan on visiting the Kremlin tonight. How? Because I am capable of going to any country I want, whenever I want, via a personal rocket ship 'the Collis Express'. And yes, I get frequent flier miles too."
BOXSCORE:
First period:
1: D'Ignazio (unassisted)
2: Hand (Hendricks, Horton)
Second period:
3: King (Hendricks, Collis) PPG
4: Hendricks (D'Ignazio, Odell) PPG
5: Hendricks (Horton)
Third Period:
6: Hendricks (Horton, Simek) SHG
7: D'Ignazio (King)
8: D'Ignazio (Hand)
9: Collis (Hand, Hendricks)
Penalties:
Horton, 2 minutes (roughing)
D'Ignazio, 2 minutes (slashing)
Odell, 2 minutes (cross checking)
THREE STARS:
3: Pat King
2: Mark Hendricks
1: Mike D'Ignazio
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