Near the midway mark of overtime, Mark Hendricks collected an outlet pass from Tony Horton at the top of the Soviet defensive zone. Hendricks raced down the right wing and tried to beat the last remaining defenseman along the boards, but was interfered with while trying to work to the inside, resulting in a delayed penalty call. As goaltender Kevin Durkin raced to the bench for the extra attacker, Mike D'Ignazio retrieved the loose puck to continue the offensive thrust. D'Ignazio skated toward the slot to unleash a slapshot, but was hit as he shot, managing only a weak, low shot that was kicked out by Trailside's goalie Chris Celenski. The referee, deeming that Celenski had not controlled the puck, allowed for play to continue. With D'Ignazio and the Trailside defender both tangled up, Hendricks swooped in and picked up the rebound, taking a step to the side of the outstretched Celenski before firing the puck into the back of the net to end the game, the series, and the season.
The Soviets were once again Tsars of the division.
"I thought that whistle was going to blow," a euphoric Hendricks said after the game. "I mean, I thought their guy actually touched the puck before Digs shot it. Then when Celenski stopped it, I thought it was going to be blown. But, you always play til the whistle, so I kept going. When I had that puck and I was in alone, I don't know, I knew he robbed me earlier on the same play, so I took it a bit wider. I knew I had to end it there. When it went in, I don't know... I just jumped. I think I tried to tackle Odell."
"It was like jumping into a lover's arms after you hadn't seen them in six years. And, there had been a world war that had separated you," Odell said. "No homo though. I talked about war. It was manly. A manly hug. God damnit it felt good."
The celebration was brief though, as D'Ignazio was still lying on the rink, not in a state of euphoria, but in a state of fogged delusion. The forward's collision with a member of Trailside's defensive corps was no fender bender.
"I remember getting that puck and trying to shoot," D'Ignazio said after the game, sporting an ice pack on his head. "Then I remember just looking up and getting crushed. Then, a bright light. My great grandparents were there. They were motioning to me. They were waving me in, and I was floating. I was floating toward... a Chick Fil A... "
"Hold still Digga," Captain Steve Hand interrupted D'Ignazio's story to grab a few ice cubes from the ice pack to put in his Apple-Tini. "Annnnd all good. Hey, who read the latest Vogue?!?"
The Soviets scored the first goal of the game, as they did in each one of their five playoff games this summer, about ten minutes into the first period. Jason White made a smart pinch in the offensive zone to keep the puck alive, and passed the puck to Hendricks who was waiting at the top of the right face-off circle. Hendricks received the pass and cut to the slot, unleashing a backhand shot that nicked the right post and crossbar before landing in the back of the net.
"I saw two guys pressuring me, so I knew [Hendricks] would be open," White said. "It was a good way to cap off that shift, we we're owning the puck that shift."
Continued White, "I don't always show up on the score-sheet, but when I do, it's against Trailside in the playoffs."
Red Army continued to carry the play as the period progressed, but the Comrades were unable to establish a two goal lead. D'Ignazio and Hendricks both missed on back to back golden opportunities, and before long, on a counter-attack, Trailside had evened the score at one.
"Just had a bit of a breakdown there," Jamie Simek said. "We were running around in our own zone and they made us pay. Still, going into the first period tied at one, I think we were happy. I know I was, there were sillies galore upstairs and very few trifling ones. Oh sure."
In the second period, the teams again traded chances, but it was the goaltenders who shined brightest. Both Durkin and Celenski were tested, but neither would budge. Durkin was bailed out by Pat King late in the middle stanza when a high shot ricocheted off of the back boards and back in front of Durkin. King swatted the puck out before a Trailside forward could jam the puck home.
"We're going to need a bigger boat," King said.
Asked to expand on what he meant, King responded, "Hash tag shark week. Now grab a dummy seal and get in my shark sled!"
The Red Army reclaimed the lead in the final two minutes of the period, on a broken, and very lucky, play. Two Trailside players criss-crossed at the top of the offensive zone. D'Ignazio challenged puck carrier who was not expecting the defense. The Trailside player tried to make a pass but D'Ignazio deflected it a few feet away from the two of them. Hendricks abandoned his defensive assignment and sprung toward center, anticipating that D'Ignazio would win the race and feed him the puck for the breakaway-- a risky play the forward would admit later. D'Ignazio did win the race and did feed Hendricks the puck though, and Hendricks made no mistake on the breakaway, scoring on a backhand shot to the roof to give the Soviets the 2-1 lead.
"I knew right when I left my man it was a risky play," Hendricks said. "If Digs hadn't gotten it, it's a 4 on 2 the other way. But, if he did get it, it was a breakaway from center. You have to take chances if you're going to win, and you have to have guys that can let you take those chances. I've been lucky to play with guys that I can take more chances than other guys," Hendricks then paused, and said, "but I swear I'm defensively committed! I swear! I had like, four blocked shots this season!"
With the lead going into the third, the mantra on the bench was to not deviate from the game plan. Fifteen minutes of good hockey and the team would be champions again.
They relinquished the lead on the first shift.
"Not exactly the way we drew it up," Horton said. "In fact, it was quite terrible. The nation of Germany hasn't even done something that terrible."
Horton then loosened his collar and looked around briefly before continuing, "I'm of course joking... we gave David Hasselhoff way too much fame."
Things went from bad to worse with four minutes remaining when Hand was whistled for a roughing penalty. The Trailside power play, which had been lethal all playoffs, went to work. King, Simek, and Horton killed the first minute, selflessly throwing themselves in front of shots to keep the pucks from getting to Durkin. When the shots did get through, Durkin steered them to the side or out into the meshing. It looked like the Comrades would survive the late scare until a failed clearing attempt with ten seconds left on the penalty was kept in by Trailside. A point shot was deflected en route, landing perfectly on the blade of a Trailside forward positioned to the side of Durkin. Before Durkin could scramble over, it was 3-2 Trailside with a bit more than two minutes remaining.
"No panic," D'Ignazio said when asked to describe how the bench felt after that goal went in. "We were resilient. All season long we've thrived in one goal games. We were within striking distance, they got a bounce, we could get a bounce too."
And they did. But first, they got a power play.
Hendricks was tripped near center, giving the Comrades their first power play of the game. They stacked the unit, keeping Hendricks and D'Ignazio out there, but adding Odell and Aaron Duda to the point. The unit went to work and maintained good puck possession, but couldn't generate shots. With a little more than a minute remaining in the game, Hendricks took a pass from D'Ignazio on the goal line to the right of Celenski. Hendricks attempted a pass through the crease to Duda who was crashing the net back door, but the puck hit a defenseman's skates and trickled through Celenski to the back of the net.
With just over 60 seconds remaining in their season, the Soviets had rallied to tie the game.
"I felt like the guy in Shawshank Redemption when that went in," Hand said. "Or the lead singer of Dashboard Confessional."
In overtime, the Soviets actually had a power play opportunity to win the game, but were unable to capitalize. Durkin made several key saves to prolong the extra frame, but the best play came from Duda, who made a diving poke check on a breakaway.
"One of the many advantages of being eight feet tall is my reach," Duda said. "And, I can ride any roller coaster."
Shortly after that poke check, Horton threw the puck around the boards where it landed on Hendricks' stick, and the rest is, well, history.
"You always remember your first," D'Ignazio said.
"Dude," said Simek, "That's kinda gay."
THREE STARS:
3:
2:
1: Pete Collis, Mike D'Ignazio, Aaaron Duda, Kevin Durkin, Steve Hand, Mark Hendricks, Tony Horton, Pat King, Ryan Odell, Jamie Simek, Jason White
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