Post by Old Bucks Admin on Oct 20, 2011 5:48:37 GMT -5
Week 5 was a marquee matchup with both teams back to full force. Red had Bob Freiling and Mike Robbins and Blue had the Barrett boys and two foreign mercenaries: Paul Egan and a nameless ringer—both from Canada. Benches were packed and house goalies present: Marty in Blue and Kenny G. in Red. We were late so we missed the opening bell in what was the first rubber match of the season (both teams knotted at two wins apiece). We got to the Blue bench with Red already leading 1-0. We inquired who scored for Red but no one knew. Such is “the fog of war”.
Diaz tied the game at ones by threading the puck between the near post and Kenny’s chin strap—and from an impossible angle to boot. His sharp aim was no accident—he got his hair cut. But Red struck back as Doug Rendell got caught flat-footed at the blue line, allowing Eddie the breakaway and the score. Moments later Bob Freiling got behind Doug for another breakaway and another score. Doug, finding himself the object of impudent stares from the Blue bench, made amends the only way he could—he got off the ice.
Meantime Paul Egan, having discovered a fellow Canadian on the bench, talked him up about the old country. We tried to eavesdrop on their conversation but they had lapsed into their Canadian patois which is unintelligible to Americans (apart from small bands of yokels in remote parts of Maine). This player was much younger than Paul and to accentuate their differences even more, knew how to skate. In fact, his next shift he scored, cutting Red’s lead to one goal, 3-2. But Red countered with a Tim White goal; somehow Tim had escaped the notice of the nearest Blue skater, Jim Heffern, who was probably eyeing the neutral zone with intent to sneak off quickly and “hang”. Red was not done scoring. Jonathan Millen, from behind the Blue net, set John Lupisella up beautifully; in fact, John was so alone out front he had time to take two practice swings before wrenching one into the corner.
Relations grew strained on the Blue bench. Andrew Bassert—the Hotspur of the Barrett boys—spewed invective at whomever he felt fell short of his standards, and this pretty much encompassed the entire team. This spurred brother Dave to score and Blue was down 5-3. A rowdy game ensued with much trash-talking between the two teams. Humorously, Red got a 4-on-1. That’s four skaters all abreast bearing down on one lone defenseman, Fred Diaz. Naturally, as this is Old Bucks, the play was bungled badly. Eddie controlled the puck and opted to shoot rather than pass. He shot right into Marty’s breadbasket, squandering the chance to score, or even the chance to feign teamwork. Tim White came off the ice fuming. “That Eddie is such an egotist,” he said. “He’s always thinking about himself instead of me.”
Prompt action on the part of Jason Millen gave Red another three-goal lead, 6-3. Mark Herr left Blue at this time, having persuaded himself that a Red victory was a foregone conclusion. No one on Blue thought the worse of him; indeed, his absence was more compensatory than harmful, making up for his numerous miscues at both ends of the ice. Blue showed new signs of life. First Jim Heffern got Kenny hugging a post and flipped the puck out front where Paul Egan was able to punch it in the net. Then Paul’s Canadian countryman scored (number two on the night), whittling Red’s lead down to one, 6-5. But the game’s seesaw nature continued unabated. Dave Major, who’s like a time bomb with a fuse of uncertain length, finally exploded, drilling one the point that Marty never saw. Then Greg Wright, so shifty down low, banged in a rebound that made the score 8-5 Red.
Back came Blue. Diaz outmaneuvered Eddie in front of Kenny’s crease and punched one in whereupon Eddie, in a fit of pique, drove him to the ice with a crosscheck. No stranger to dropping the mitts, Diaz would have kicked Eddie’s butt but he didn’t want to be rung up on charges of “elder abuse”. Jim Heffern followed suit, scoring and narrowing Red’s lead to one. Blue seemed poised to tie it, but one chance factor decided the game, that of John Lupisella getting his second goal. Blue picked a bad night to let the perpetually grinning Italian gloat over a twofer. It was the game winner. In the game’s final moments Rich Cerbone was able to score and do it in style, sending Kenny’s water bottle cartwheeling through the air, but Blue came up short, losing 9-8.
Diaz tied the game at ones by threading the puck between the near post and Kenny’s chin strap—and from an impossible angle to boot. His sharp aim was no accident—he got his hair cut. But Red struck back as Doug Rendell got caught flat-footed at the blue line, allowing Eddie the breakaway and the score. Moments later Bob Freiling got behind Doug for another breakaway and another score. Doug, finding himself the object of impudent stares from the Blue bench, made amends the only way he could—he got off the ice.
Meantime Paul Egan, having discovered a fellow Canadian on the bench, talked him up about the old country. We tried to eavesdrop on their conversation but they had lapsed into their Canadian patois which is unintelligible to Americans (apart from small bands of yokels in remote parts of Maine). This player was much younger than Paul and to accentuate their differences even more, knew how to skate. In fact, his next shift he scored, cutting Red’s lead to one goal, 3-2. But Red countered with a Tim White goal; somehow Tim had escaped the notice of the nearest Blue skater, Jim Heffern, who was probably eyeing the neutral zone with intent to sneak off quickly and “hang”. Red was not done scoring. Jonathan Millen, from behind the Blue net, set John Lupisella up beautifully; in fact, John was so alone out front he had time to take two practice swings before wrenching one into the corner.
Relations grew strained on the Blue bench. Andrew Bassert—the Hotspur of the Barrett boys—spewed invective at whomever he felt fell short of his standards, and this pretty much encompassed the entire team. This spurred brother Dave to score and Blue was down 5-3. A rowdy game ensued with much trash-talking between the two teams. Humorously, Red got a 4-on-1. That’s four skaters all abreast bearing down on one lone defenseman, Fred Diaz. Naturally, as this is Old Bucks, the play was bungled badly. Eddie controlled the puck and opted to shoot rather than pass. He shot right into Marty’s breadbasket, squandering the chance to score, or even the chance to feign teamwork. Tim White came off the ice fuming. “That Eddie is such an egotist,” he said. “He’s always thinking about himself instead of me.”
Prompt action on the part of Jason Millen gave Red another three-goal lead, 6-3. Mark Herr left Blue at this time, having persuaded himself that a Red victory was a foregone conclusion. No one on Blue thought the worse of him; indeed, his absence was more compensatory than harmful, making up for his numerous miscues at both ends of the ice. Blue showed new signs of life. First Jim Heffern got Kenny hugging a post and flipped the puck out front where Paul Egan was able to punch it in the net. Then Paul’s Canadian countryman scored (number two on the night), whittling Red’s lead down to one, 6-5. But the game’s seesaw nature continued unabated. Dave Major, who’s like a time bomb with a fuse of uncertain length, finally exploded, drilling one the point that Marty never saw. Then Greg Wright, so shifty down low, banged in a rebound that made the score 8-5 Red.
Back came Blue. Diaz outmaneuvered Eddie in front of Kenny’s crease and punched one in whereupon Eddie, in a fit of pique, drove him to the ice with a crosscheck. No stranger to dropping the mitts, Diaz would have kicked Eddie’s butt but he didn’t want to be rung up on charges of “elder abuse”. Jim Heffern followed suit, scoring and narrowing Red’s lead to one. Blue seemed poised to tie it, but one chance factor decided the game, that of John Lupisella getting his second goal. Blue picked a bad night to let the perpetually grinning Italian gloat over a twofer. It was the game winner. In the game’s final moments Rich Cerbone was able to score and do it in style, sending Kenny’s water bottle cartwheeling through the air, but Blue came up short, losing 9-8.