Post by Jim H. on Nov 28, 2021 21:22:34 GMT -5
After spending two hours in the Apple store buying a new computer (the logic board on our iMac “fried” after eight years of service) a little voice in our head whispered “don’t go to Old Bucks. Stay home and relax.” But then a bigger voice asked, “who’s going to fill the hole in Blue’s offense left by Paul Egan?” Indeed, waiting for Paul Egan to return to Old Bucks is like waiting for CBS to create a show called “CSI: Winnipeg”—don’t hold your breath. We got to the rink and wish we hadn’t. It was so cold. The locker room, following CDC guidelines, was as cold as Dr. Fauci’s eyes when he stares down Republicans on Capitol Hill. The rink itself was so cold that lips turned blue, faces red and finger tips the same purply hue that California will be by the time 2024 rolls around.
We sat next to Rich Devlin and recalled the cryptic message he wrote on TeamReach: “29th anniversary today. Play or don’t play.” One question verified that he was referring to his wedding anniversary and not to the anniversary of the Giants losing to the Cowboys 30-3 under Ray Handley. Second question: “How did Week 11 go? Who won?” He shook his head. “Sorry. It’s all a blur.”
It’s all a blur. That pretty much sums up the first ten goals of Week 12 as Red and Blue fought it out to a 5-5 tie. The only detail we distinctly remember is Bob Freiling hanging out in the neutral zone and getting successive breakaways to the tune of several goals on Red’s behalf. Also, at some point, Brian and Marty Urban showed up to watch the slugfest. That same little voice quipped, “Come for the game. Stay for the hot showers.”
Red called for an intermission because Kenny was tired and John Lupisella was out of popcorn. Both teams relaxed except for Kiyoshi and his son who practiced saucer passes the length of the empty ice. The Blue bench entertained visits from both Ed Conrad and Bob Freiling. Vinnie needled Bob: “I got a lounge chair this side of the crease for you to sit in.” “A man’s gotta score somehow,” Bob replied. Joe Bruno, who said he had lost the feeling in his toes, said it was starting to come back.
There’s no way we can do justice to what ensued post-intermission. We can only say there were more lead changes than Talladega and that’s without Brandon Brown driving his No. 68 Chevrolet Camaro. It must have been the super cold, super fast ice that propelled Old Bucks into the stratosphere of scoring opportunities. Blue had leads of both 10-8 and 13-10 based on stellar goals by Rich Devlin and even Mike Valenzano whose days as a concourse-dancing arm-twirling Deadhead stand him in pretty good stead especially when he’s dancing around Kenny with the puck and on his way to scoring. Leave it to Bob Freiling to turn the tables on Blue, scoring three goals in one shift, including one from the lounge chair Vinnie left for him in the crease. Red nursed a 15-13 lead for about ten minutes and then added two garbage goals at the end to cement the 17-13 win.
We sat next to Rich Devlin and recalled the cryptic message he wrote on TeamReach: “29th anniversary today. Play or don’t play.” One question verified that he was referring to his wedding anniversary and not to the anniversary of the Giants losing to the Cowboys 30-3 under Ray Handley. Second question: “How did Week 11 go? Who won?” He shook his head. “Sorry. It’s all a blur.”
It’s all a blur. That pretty much sums up the first ten goals of Week 12 as Red and Blue fought it out to a 5-5 tie. The only detail we distinctly remember is Bob Freiling hanging out in the neutral zone and getting successive breakaways to the tune of several goals on Red’s behalf. Also, at some point, Brian and Marty Urban showed up to watch the slugfest. That same little voice quipped, “Come for the game. Stay for the hot showers.”
Red called for an intermission because Kenny was tired and John Lupisella was out of popcorn. Both teams relaxed except for Kiyoshi and his son who practiced saucer passes the length of the empty ice. The Blue bench entertained visits from both Ed Conrad and Bob Freiling. Vinnie needled Bob: “I got a lounge chair this side of the crease for you to sit in.” “A man’s gotta score somehow,” Bob replied. Joe Bruno, who said he had lost the feeling in his toes, said it was starting to come back.
There’s no way we can do justice to what ensued post-intermission. We can only say there were more lead changes than Talladega and that’s without Brandon Brown driving his No. 68 Chevrolet Camaro. It must have been the super cold, super fast ice that propelled Old Bucks into the stratosphere of scoring opportunities. Blue had leads of both 10-8 and 13-10 based on stellar goals by Rich Devlin and even Mike Valenzano whose days as a concourse-dancing arm-twirling Deadhead stand him in pretty good stead especially when he’s dancing around Kenny with the puck and on his way to scoring. Leave it to Bob Freiling to turn the tables on Blue, scoring three goals in one shift, including one from the lounge chair Vinnie left for him in the crease. Red nursed a 15-13 lead for about ten minutes and then added two garbage goals at the end to cement the 17-13 win.