Underdogs steal stunner

The media was getting into position to capture the moment of victory. Colonel was packing up his equipment in frustration, and resignation. Elvis, sidelined for a number of shifts with vision problems, girded himself for his first Stanley Stick loss in his Sunday Morning career. With the score 19-13 for the winners of last week's Stanley Stick opener, the championship was only one defensive miscue, one chip shot through the five hole or lucky deflection away.

But the underdogs weren't buried yet. Unabomber and Doo scored four quick goals in one shift to ignite an incredible 18-4 run, earning their team a comeback win in the decisive mini game after they had tied the series with a 21-19 thriller in overtime.

It was as incredible and incredulous rebound the league has ever seen. Even as they sipped cheap champagne from the silver trophy, the winners grasped to comprehend what they'd just achieved.

"I'm still pretty stunned and amazed that our team had the resilience to pull it off," said Elvis, who scored the championship-winning goal in his team's 10-4 win in the decisive mini game to extend his personal Stanley Stick streak to seven titles. "It was the most amazing comeback I've ever been a part of."

"There's never been anything like this, ever," said Unabomber, whose pad-piercing slapshot and timely goals earned him MVP honors. "This was absolutely the most unbelievable game that I've ever been a part of. I actually still can't believe it."

"They thought they had it in the bag, they thought it was over, but our guys just went out hard, there was no quit in this team," said Gump, who took over netminding duties from Game One starter Nibs. "We wanted it more."

For Sunday's losers, who squandered their series advantage and their six-goal lead just when the championship was within their grasp, their collapse was confounding.

"I don't quite know what happened," said Beetle Boy. "Once we got up 19-13, for whatever reason we just stopped playing defense, we weren't getting any shots on net; whether we thought we had it in the bag or not, I don't know. We just fell apart."

"It was a bitter loss because we were inches away," said Lak Attack, whose addition to the lineup of the series' leaders after he missed the opener seemed to give them the firepower to propel them to a championship sweep. "That one last goal was just eluding us and that was our nemesis in the end, we just couldn't finish off the game."

In fact, the script for the championship sweep seemed to be going according to plan in Sunday's finale. Coming off their dominating 20-12 win in last week's opener, the addition of Lak's speed, scoring touch and defensive prowess gave his team two formidable lines that overwhelmed their overmatched opponents.

"We were just getting into a groove," said Beetle Boy.

But an injury to their shotstopping stalwart, Billy Idol, derailed their destiny. With the game well in control, he was felled by a Unabomber slapshot that caught him flush on the goal mask, caving in the protective wire mesh and making a mess of his right eye. The backup's backup, Lak Attack, was pressed to put on the pads, changing the dynamics of his team's offensive attack, and of the game.

"I think there was a momentum shift when Billy got injured," said Lak Attack.

"We were getting into a groove and when we lost Lak, the offensive power in our lines just fell apart," said Beetle Boy.

"It was tough on them because they lost a pretty skilled player on offense," said Gump. "I think that opened up some space for us."

Enough to find the goal scoring touch that had eluded them for most of the series. Suddenly rebounds that had skipped harmlessly out of reach found their way past the beleaguered backup's outstretched pads and into the back of the net.

That's when Unabomber and Doo turned the series on its ear.

"That was a shift to remember, to be sure," said the sinister slapshooter of the dynamic duo's four straight goals. "It was like divine intervention, all the bounces went our way, everything seemed to go in."

"Unabomber and Doo took the team onto their shoulders," said Elvis. "When they put in those goals, we sorta started to realize that maybe it wasn't impossible after all."

And when a team is playing desperate hockey, hope can be a powerful tonic. Colonel unpacked his gear to follow his mates' heroics with two quick goals, sending the game into overtime, then added another to give them their first lead since its earliest moments. The team doomed to be swept had become a team of destiny.

"I think at that point we had found our groove," said Unabomber. "We had the other team back on their heels. We didn't get cocky. We didn't sit back. We just kept going."

"The fact we came back and tied it up gave us so much adrenaline and the other team looked like they were in quicksand," said Gump. "They were stuck."

"Scoring eight straight goals to win is pretty inspiring," said Elvis. "We knew if we kept doing the same things we were doing that got us back into the series, we felt we could win it."

That's just what they did. Relentless forechecking and tight defense shut down opposing snipers like Kid, Paul One and Scooby, giving them little room to move and even less opportunity to get their sticks on the ball. In fact, Kid later admitted he didn't get a single shot on goal in the decisive mini game.

"Clearly on paper we were outskilled, so we had to win it on heart and hard work," said Unabomber.

"It was all about not letting them take the game to us," said Gump.

"We really got the forecheck working and we shut them down before they could get anything going," said Elvis. "We capitalized on everything we could."

At the other end, their opponents couldn't overcome their shell shock. Their will to win had abandoned them.

"We were definitely deflated," said Beetle Boy. "We thought we could do it, but the other team was just rolling. They had that spark, they were outhustling us. They put the pedal down and it cost us."

"They had the desire to win," said Lak Attack. "Every year it comes down to one simple ingredient in the Stick; it doesn't matter who you have on your team, it's the team that desires the most to win."

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Sunday's finale got off to a controversial start when Gump replaced last week's starting goalie for the underdogs, Nibs. Some players on the leading team protested; they said it was their understanding Billy Idol and Nibs would be the starters for both games.
But the underdogs were adamant they could make their own decisions about their starting goalie and with Gump in their lineup after missing the series' opener, they'd be crazy not to use him at his best, and most familiar, position.
"I think it was pretty obvious after the first game that we had to make a goalie change if we wanted to have a competitive team," said Elvis. "He gave us confidence and we knew when a key save had to be made, he could do it."
Gump responded, shaking off the cobwebs from last week's inaction to make some key saves late in the game that allowed his mates to forge their miracle comeback.
"I think there were some timely saves by Gump and we just decided to stay focused," said Unabomber.
"It's do or die," said Gump. "I knew if I let in one more goal, it's over, it's done."

The four-and-a-half hour marathon was as much a battle of attrition, as each team had to overcome injuries. Aside from Billy Idol's ugly purple and red shiner, Smith missed most of the decisive mini game when a deflection caught him in the left eye, sending him to the sidelines with blurred vision.
The underdogs also lost Elvis for a number of shifts when he was stricken with a migraine. But his respite paid off, as his rested legs injected newfound speed and tenacity into his side's exhausted roster.

Unabomber was awarded the Conn Stick trophy as the series' Most Valuable Player by his side's vanquished opponents, who recognized his steady, inspiring defensive play all series, and ability to score timely goals in the finale with his big slapshot. But it was a close vote with his linemate, Doo, who elevated his game to unprecedented levels on Sunday.
"Doo played really tough for them," said Lak Attack. "He was the biggest difference, he was making plays happen and that got their team inspired."

The underdogs' victory ended Living Legend's Stanley Stick drought after seven years and continued Elvis' unblemished string of championship success.
"I was pretty resigned to the fact the streak was gonna end," said the feisty forward who's never lost a championship series.
But as his team fought its way back to tie the series, then win in it in the mini game, he admitted the road hockey gods may have been smiling on him.
"I felt more like a rabbit's foot this year."

Sunday's stunning comeback was only the second time a team had managed to battle their way back from a loss in Game One to win the championship in the decisive mini game. Last year, Kid used his superior sliding skills to lead his team to a mini game win on a rain-slicked court after tying the series earlier the same day.

Unlike the last two seasons, when rain dampened the court for the season finale, Sundays games were played in perfect conditions with cool temperatures and a dry surface that presented no advantage to either side.

Half game effort enough to win

The Stanley Stick will be won by the first team to play a complete game. Well, one team is going to have to play two complete games.

Sunday, neither side seemed so inclined. It almost cost one team their advantage, while the other paid a steep price. Smith and his mates overcame a mid-game lull, during which they squandered their five-goal advantage, by outscoring their opponents 9-1 through the game's second half en route to a 20-12 win and the upper hand in the two week championship series.

After spotting their feisty foes a quick 1-0 lead on a seeing-eye shot by the Living Legend that found the gap between Billy Idol's leg pads, Smith's side of speedsters took control of the neutral zone, and the game, opening an advantage that grew to five goals at one point.

"We tried to create some good intensity on each line," said Smith of his side's balanced attack that utilized their speed advantage to weave past sluggish defenders and create scoring opportunities on their defensive miscues.

"It's an intensity game that you've got to play from beginning to end," said Paul One. "If you try to float, you're going to pay the price."

They almost did.

With the game going their way, they started to get sloppy as rebounds off Billy Idol's pads found their way back to the point where Unabomber was able to tee up his fearsome slap shot and spark a run of four straight goals. Suddenly, the romp was an 11-11 nailbiter.

"I think we committed that cardinal sin that when you have a bit of a lead you think you can ease off a little bit," said Paul One. "I think we got a bit lazy, we started challenging for the ball a little less, and we stopped hustling."

"We stopped finishing," said Smith. "We lost a bit of intensity and they came out hard."

Energized by their unlikely comeback, the underdogs pressed to take their first lead since the game's earliest moments. But Billy Idol closed the door, and his pads, repelling shot after shot, smothering rebounds from prowling opportunists, and when he was caught out of position, teammates joined the fray to clear the ball.

"Idol had a little more help at times clearing the ball away from the net," said Elvis of his team's mid game frustration. "He had a lot of guys in front of his net taking away the rebounds."

Unable to cap their comeback by wresting the lead, the Colonel and his mates seemed to sag as the tie dragged on. A gargantuan goal by Beetle Boy, who carried the ball out the corner, crashed two defenders and then stuck with the rebound to knock it past Nibs broke them.

"I think we were really really into the game emotionally up until we got it tied 11-11," said the Colonel. "After a couple of balls went in the other way, we seemed to lose a little bit of pride in what we were doing out there and quite a bit of aggressiveness, and they took advantage."

"They kind of blew their load when they scored four straight to get back to us," said Smith. "After that, we came out hard and buried them."

"Sometimes the battle to tie it takes too much out of you, and you can't take it home," said Paul One. "You fight so hard to get it back to even and that seems like the end of the road until you realize you've got to keep going."

And play a full game, said Elvis. "We're not out of it yet, but we do need to come up bigger next week."

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Each team will have their lineups next week bolstered by additional players; Lak Attack, who missed Sunday's opener to run a marathon, will join the leaders as determined by a pre-game card pull, while Cowboy Bill and Gump are expected to join the underdogs.
The roster changes could change the dynamics of the series, said the Colonel.
"We're adding a couple of big bodies who can bang and crash, and the more you're banging and crashing, the more you're wearing down the other team."
"It gives us Gump, who's a tenacious defenseman and he does have a scoring touch," said the power forward. "It gives us more defense, it gives us another big shot."
Meanwhile, Paul One and his mates are looking forward to Lak Attack's two-way skills.
"The style of play we had today will suit him perfectly."

Sunday's Stanley Stick opener lived up to its billing as a battle between back-up goalies as second string shotstoppers Nibs and Billy Idol struggled with consistency.
"It's what you get when you have two goalies who aren't Luongo and Brodeur out there," said Smith. "Billy started out great but he struggled in the middle and Nibs hit a great streak through the middle of the game when he shut down everything on us."

The underdogs endured a bit of a scare late in Sunday's game when the Colonel crumpled to the concrete after wrenching his knee while battling Smith for the ball along the side boards. After much writhing and genuflecting, the battling forward hobbled off the court to assess the damage. He didn't miss a shift.

If the underdogs come back next week to tie the series, the championship will be decided by a 10-goal mini game.

Nibs' tune up hits sour note

If Nibs wants to win his first Stanley Stick as a starting goalie, he's going to have to put Sunday's disaster behind him.

The neophyte netminder, who played himself into a starter's role after opening the season as the third-string backup, faltered in the second half as his side's defense squandered a five-goal advantage to lose the final tuneup before next week's Championship opener, 20-14.

His potential teammates are hoping it was only a speed bump in his otherwise remarkable emergence as a solid shotstopper. The absence of former stalwarts Lobsterboy and Pig Farming Goalie through mush of the season's second half opened the door for Nibs to climb the depth chart. For the most part, he's responded.

"I've just been playing more, and that's built my confidence a little bit," said Nibs, before Sunday's game.

"He's getting better and better," said Paul One. "He's got a lot more confidence and that's what he has to do, put the nerves aside and start playing with confidence right from the opening draw."

"His work ethic is a lot better than it used to be," said Gump, who unstrapped the pads to give his successor apparent an opportunity to hone his game heading into next week's pressure cooker finale. "I think he's in better shape. It used to be when he played in goal he'd be great through the first half and then he'd get tired."

But Sunday's second half collapse wasn't his fault, as his defense abandoned him and the ball luck which had kept juicy rebounds off opposing forwards' sticks early suddenly turned, fates that are unlikely to be repeated when road hockey's biggest prize is on the line.

"You know your defense is gonna be amped up," said Cowboy Bill.

And his mates will be looking to Nibs to turn the heat up as well.

"He's gonna face some intensity and scrutiny like he never has before," said Cowboy Bill. "It's different than playing in the regular season."

"It's extremely competitive out there," said Unabomber, who played only his second game since returning from a knee injury that sidelined him for six weeks. "Everyone is working way harder than they have for any other game in the season, mistakes can't be made, everything has to be stopped."

"He'll have to make an adjustment to the pace and intensity of play for sure," said Paul One.

A tall order, but one he's ready for, said Nibs. "It's a bit of pressure. I'll just play hard."

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Nibs' opponent at the other end of the court will be another backup-turned-starter, Billy Idol.
With Pig Farming Goalie apparently retired to help around the house after the recent birth of his daughter, Lobsterboy mysteriously AWOL, and Gump only available for one of the two games, the roadsters faced a difficult decision to determine starting goalies for the Stanley Stick. A proposal by Colonel to recruit ringers was roundly rejected. So the pads have been passed to the backups, who've steadily improved through the season and seem equally matched.
Gump will play forward, a role he seemed to relish in Sunday's prelude, with a gritty performance on the forecheck that created a number of scoring chances for his victorious team.
Lobsterboy, after twice backing out of verbal commitments to play in late-season games, will be out of luck. If he bothers to show up.

Other roadsters expected to miss the first leg of the championship series are Lak Attack and Cowboy Bill, both of whom will be honing their fitness for the finale by running a marathon. They'll be included in the card draw and distributed to their respective teams accordingly.

Nibs treats team

Just two weeks away from the Stanley Stick, Nibs is making a case to be an opening day starter for the big game.

Backstopping his team to a 20-15 victory in Sunday's game, Nibs is starting to show some poise, since the baby blues hit the league's goaltending core.

According to Colonel, “I think Nibs was the better goalie today”. “He stoned our opposition all day today, and Gump looked pretty shaky”.

Comments well deserved to the netminder who continuously stacked the pads across the crease to shutdown his opposition.

“If I were to chose a goalie for the stick, it would be Nibs”, added Colonel.

Although, there are some that still think a veteran or an outsider should be brought in for the stick. The word’s still out on Lobsterboy, and it looks like PFG is on the shelf. Which is leaving the fans wondering, what happened to Ottoman, Couch, and Frosty the State Puff Marsh Mellow Man? Either way, it looks like backup goalies will be required for the Stick, which should make next week's performances all the more meaningful.

Old flames burn bright

The old flames of Sunday Morning Road Hockey are far from extinguished. Sunday, Lak Attack, Paul One and the Living Legend sparked their team with a ferocious first shift that netted them three goals and launched their mates to an easy 20-11 rout of their stunned opponents.

With a dry court and mild temperatures, the wily veterans stormed deep into the offensive zone with aggressive forechecking that flummoxed bewildered defenders into coughing up the evil orange plastic ball, creating scoring opportunities that were too easy for even the Legend to miss. He scored twice, while Lak Attack added another, and the game was pretty much over before it even began. The other 17 goals were just padding.

"I think it put them on their heels right off the bat," said Paul One of his line's stunning success. "We had some jump and I think that's what we needed to do; it got them turned around to play defense more than they were thinking offense."

"The older guys went out and showed 'em who was boss," said Smith, who anchored the squad's second line, with young snipers Scooby and Doo. "It's a huge mental advantage for us right off the bat."

"Unfortunately, they set the tone right from the start, and we put ourselves in a hole with no chance of getting back out," said Beetle Boy, who's own four-goal effort was swallowed by his team's ineptitude. "We just let ourelves get down way too fast."

Cowboy Bill was less charitable.

"We can't let the old line score like that," said the veteran defender who witnessed the carnage from the sideline as he awaited his first shift. "We were just standing around letting those guys run around us. What are we, three toed sloths out there?"

Or maybe armadillos. Because once they got down, they seemed to just curl up in a ball and let the game get away from them as the margin mounted to as much as 10-4.

Energized by the example set by their veteran teammates, Smith and his young linemates contributed a solid two-way effort, shutting down opposing snipers like Elvis and the Colonel.

"We threw in a couple more goals, a couple more daggers," said Smith.

Meanwhile, their opponents panicked. After trading away the late-arriving Scrappy so they could maintain two set lines, they started to juggle combinations looking for any formula that could stem the slaughter. But that strategy only seemed to brew a toxic stew of discord.

"We just couldn't put anything together," said Beetle Boy.

"You couldn't have got six guys to play worse together," said Cowboy Bill. "We never played well together, we didn't communicate together and that's what cost us the game."

"I think the damage was done in the first shift," said Paul One.

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Fine finale for Farmer

Pig Farming Goalie ended his season, and possible his Sunday Morning career, on a high note, leading his team to a 20-14 win in Sunday's game.

The victory was a sweet swan song in an otherwise sour season for the stalwart shotstopper, who stormed off the court a month ago in disgust after his defense disappeared in front of him in a tough 10-3 loss. After the game he indicated that with a new baby due this week, he'd be unlikely to return for the Stanley Stick, if ever.

The agrarian goaltender has been growing increasingly frustrated with the roadsters' tardiness and lack of commitment, a sentiment that wasn't salved by his solid play in Sunday's win.

"I think it's pretty sad for road hockey, the lack of commitment," said Pig Farming Goalie, still sombre despite his victorious performance. "When guys don't show up, there's less at stake for the game. It's hard to stay super motivated for these games."

But his motivation hardly seemed in doubt when he robbed Kid on a breakaway with a head first save early in the game, setting the tone for his mates who responded with a responsible defensive effort by clearing rebounds and picking up their checks.

"It's really hard, especially when you're shooting on a goalie like PFG, you've really got to work hard," said Scooby of his side's scoring futility. "We just couldn't get the goals when we needed them."

"You can never count on getting a cheap one on (PFG)," said Paul One, who also returned to the courts after an extended absence. "You have to really earn all your goals and you pretty much have to be perfect to get them."

In the game's earliest moments, it was Pig Farming Goalie who was perfect, as he made a number of key saves to allow his mates to storm ahead by as many as six goals. But as rain started to fall, concrete courts slicked up, the scoring momentum shifted.

"When the courts started getting wet, the transition game became critical, and they were able to take advantage of their speed and our inability to keep up," said PFG. "It's pretty tough for the defense to turn around, and they got some fast goals."

Not enough to shake the veteran netminder from his resolve, though, as he never let the margin shrink to less than three goals.

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Just Doo it

Doo got it done. Almost.

The neophyte netminder stood tall in only his second career start, giving his team a chance to win a game in which they twice battled back from big deficits. But the burden was too much for his skinny legs to bear as he was beaten by a lightning passing play and then a low screen shot by Kid to succumb, 20-18, in Sunday's marathon match.

For three periods, Doo seemed an unlikely hero, as his team slipped behind by three goals, and then five, 15-10, going into the final quarter. But then he found his glove hand, denying opposing snipers time and again.

"Doo shut the door, and they started to outwork us," said Smith of his side's sudden scoring drought.

"He was huge," said Beetle Boy of his side's slim shotstopper. "He was giving us a rallying point when we were struggling."

With the tide turning, Lak Attack took control, swooping in from the side boards, crashing the crease and sparking his team to a furious six goal comeback that culminated their first lead of the day, 16-15.

"We relied on our core group of players, and after a couple of goals, we had our focus back and we were rolling," said Doo.

"They just started to get to the ball before we did, and they started to get some lucky breaks," said Gump, who battled jet lag most of the game after he arrived home from a two-week vacation in the wee hours before Sunday's game.

After trading the lead, including a showcase play by Scrappy, who undressed the Colonel along the boards before swooping in to lift a shot over Gump, the teams deadlocked at 18 in a struggle neither side seemed capable of winning as exhaustion took its toll.

"It was tough, it was a battle out there," said Smith.

While his mates battled the boards, Doo fought to stay on his game, ignoring the late game pressure.

"I just didn't want to blow it," said the young goalkeeper. "You can't think about your own play, you just have to think about winning the game."

He almost did. Scooby fed a cross-crease pass from the corner to Smith, who ripped the shot past Doo before he could react, and then, moments later, KId fired a low roller through a screen, beating the rookie rearguard low on the stick side.

"I thought Doo played fantastic," said Beetle Boy. "It was a heartbreaker to lose."

"I think they were just impressed to be tied at 18," said Gump.

"It was 18-18 for such a long time, it was just heartbreaking to lose it," said Doo.

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Easter lull

When the roadsters decide to take the day off, there's no rest for Billy Idol.

So many players stayed away from Sunday's game, the stalwart backup was forced to strap on the big protective pads for both teams, blocking a deluge of shots in a spirited three-on-three battle.

His gain is the absent roadsters' loss, said the creaseminding curmudgeon. Especially in the critical weeks leading up to the Stanley Stick championship series.

"These guys should be out getting their practice before the Stick," said Idol, who won, and lost, both of Sunday's game, 10-6 and 5-2. "If you're only showing up three times a year, you're gonna look like you only show up three times a year."

And that's not a pretty sight, said Elvis. "You miss a few games, you're gonna be a step behind mentally and physically. It's a pretty competitive, fast-paced game out here and if you miss a few games, you can sure tell when you come back."

Sunday's attendance lull stalled the momentum the season had been gaining from a string of brisk, hard-fought games in recent weeks.

"it's a bit of a letdown, for sure," said Scrappy, who's gearing up for his first Stanley Stick.

"Today is just a big down," said Idol. "It seemed like we had some nice momentum going, we had some nice games."

"These are the critical last few weeks," said Elvis. "The games were more competitive than they've ever been all season, and then you get a dry patch like this; I think a lot of guys take for granted what they have here."

But for the players who persevered, the rewards of their Sunday sacrifice could be reaped in the weeks to come.

"Going down the stretch here to the Stick, it's prime time to be getting into game shape," said Elvis.

"We're still out here getting some exercise, honing our skills," said Scrappy. "We'll see when the Stanley Stick come around who's got their skills together."

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Wild threes

Bad things come in threes. So do bad leads.

Sunday, each team squandered a pair of three-goal leads and countless two-goal margins before Doo was able to finally put the adage to rest, scoring on a breakaway to win the game for his side, ironically by three goals, 20-17.

It was the final exclamation point to a seesaw game in which his team had stormed back from a three goal deficit in its earliest moments with six straight goals, then blew their own advantage at least twice.

"It was definitely a momentum game today," said Elvis, as his team of power forwards reclaimed their three goal advantage midway through Sunday's game, only to lose it again at 16-15. "It wasn't uncommon to see three, four, five goals in a row being scored. I guess it was just a matter of time before somebody swung the game in their favor."

Unfortunately, it wasn't his squad, as Billy Idol recovered from his early difficulties to make some huge stops, including a larcenous snag with his trapper that denied Elvis of a sure goal.

"I let three in early, so I knew from then on in I just had to keep my head down and not let in any more bad goals," said Idol.

"It was just one of those games where it was tough to get a lead and hold it," said Paul One. "There was no dying on either side, both teams just kept going no matter what the score was."

But it was the team with the younger, speedier legs of Scooby, Doo and Kid that went the distance.

"Maybe at the end of the game, they have a bit more gas in the tanks than the old guys," said Idol. "We had some speed."

"They had pretty good fire power on their team," said Paul One.

And more than a little ball luck.

"It was just a matter of a couple of bounces going this way or that way, that was the difference," said Elvis.

"It's so close and if your goaltender lets in a couple of lousy goals, that sucks the life out of you," said Paul One.

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No maas for PFG

For Pig Farming Goalie, the day went from bad to worse to "no maas."

Already disappointed by the poor turnout in perfect playing conditions, and feeling the pressure from a season about to be truncated by impending fatherhood, the fiery shotstopper stormed off the court when his side of spry speedsters were no match for the passing and playmaking of their veteran opposition, who romped to a 10-3 rout in Sunday's first of two games.

The agrarian goaltender's sudden departure left both sides reeling.

"Obviously he was a little upset," said Elvis. "He's a pretty competitive guy, and for him to get blown out like that pretty quickly, he's gonna react."

"We shut him down, we made him quit, we made him say 'no maas, no maas,'" said Lak Attack, who earned the victory despite taking his position between the pipes with a hodgepodge of protective equipment when most of the other regular goalies failed to show.

With a number of roadsters apparently caught off guard by the change to Daylight Saving Time, Sunday's match was a showdown between the Mystery Machine lineup of Scooby, Doo and Scrappy against a roster of oldsters who relied on pinpoint passing and hard-nosed forechecking to stake an early advantage.

"The veterans really know how to position themselves well, press the forecheck hard," said LakAttack. "It shows you the young guys still have something to learn from the old guys."

"I think we had the advantage of experience and chemistry, because obviously we've been playing together for a long time," said Elvis.

The late addition of Kid hastened the youngsters' demise, who continued to struggle in the offensive zone despite the addition of Nibs' powerful point shot.

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Coming off last week's marathon barnburner, Sunday's poor turnout was especially discouraging.
"I don't think disappointing is a strong enough word," said Pig Farming Goalie, before his day went completely awry. "You're ready to go but there's not enough guys and you're sitting there thinking what is this game going to be like. It's hard to get up for a game when you realize it's not going to be much of a game."
"It's frustrating because you get that great momentum going," said Smith. It's almost as if the guys just want the desert, they don't want to put in the hard work."
"it takes the wind out of the sails a little bit, " said Cowboy Bill.
But Sunday's slump may have been little more than a perfect storm of unfortunate circumstances, as a number of players seemed oblivious to the switch to Daylight Saving Time.
"I don't know if you can take it too seriously," said Elvis of the lackluster attendance. "You just have to look at it as more of a fun day."

The youngsters atoned for their dismal performance in Sunday's opener by taking advantage of their speed and stamina to run circles around depleted defenders. With a virtually identical lineup, plus the addition of Cowboy Bill's defensive prowess, they stormed to an easy 15-6 win in the consolation mini game.

The two-game Stanley Stick will open May 4 and conclude the following week, May 11. Players who are unavailable for the first game, will be placed on teams for the finale.

Idol smiles

The biggest smile at the end of Sunday's game belonged to Billy Idol.

Snakebit in every one of his starts between the pipes so far this season, his side finally prevailed, eking out a 23-21 nailbiter in triple overtime. It was his first win. And it wasn't easy.

After digging themselves into an early 6-1 hole, his mates battled back furiously to take a five-goal lead of their own, 16-11. With their opponents' veterans struggling in the furious pace, they seemed on their way. But then the young snipers, Scooby and Doo, took control.

Wheeling and dealing from the corners, pressing the play with determined forechecking, they shifted the game's momentum in their favor.

"As a goalie, seeing those guys streak in from the center line has got to be one of the scariest things," said Billy Idol. "You know they're going to pick a corner, you know they're really fast, and they pass really well."

Well enough to put Billy Idol's squad on the precipice. But they weren't going to tip over easily.

"Near the end, it seemed like we were gassing out while the other guys were coming on," said Elvis. "We were pretty lucky to be able to turn it around."

"We were really trying, and the goals came from hard work," said Beetle Boy, of his side's desperate attempts to seal the victory. "Nothing really tipped the scales one way or the other."

"There were a lot of momentum shifts in this game," said Elvis. I think both teams wanted it pretty badly."

Battling for every loose ball, charging the net for every loose rebound, three times they evened the game in extra time.

"Our team never gave up," said Idol.

"It just seemed like a real grudge match," said Elvis. "Each team was fighting for one point at a time, goal for goal."

Nobody more so that his side's goalie.

"I think we were due for that," said Idol, relishing his first win of the season. "I was tickled pink because I won one finally."

FOR A PHOTO GALLERY FROM THIS WEEK'S GAME,, CLICK HERE

The Commissioner's Office is considering two possible scenarios for the two-game Stanley Stick Championship Series. One would begin the finale on April 27, with the conclusion the following week, May 4. The second option would follow the same timetable as last year, starting the series on May 4, concluding May 11, which also happens to be Mother's Day.

No court for old men

On Hollywood's biggest day, the dry court was no place for old roadsters. Instead, the game's young guns atoned for last week's humiliating setback with a resounding 20-7 win.

Led by the Kid, Scooby and Doo, the speedsters let it be know there would be blood early and often, storming to a 6-0 lead before their aging opponents could respond.

"We had good legs out there today, a lot of speed, a lot of good movement, a lot of good ball control," said Elvis as even his usual robust play was overshadowed by his quicker linemates.

"We're getting into Spring and it really helps having the young guys because they can just run and run," said Gump, who rebounded from last week's loss to post the Sunday Morning shutout be limiting opposing shooters to less than ten goals.

While last week the veterans were able to use their experience and guile to forge a dramatic comeback against a similarly youthful opposition, this week there would be no rebound, on the scoreboard, or on the court.

"We weren't getting any of the lucky bounces you need sometimes," said Beetle Boy. "Speed is just about everything in this game; we were just out run. They had it all over us today."

"They were just a bit quicker," said Lak Attack. "The younger kids can get to the ball quicker, and that makes a big difference in a game like this when the courts are dry."

And when the veterans did get to the ball, they seemed unwilling to pay the price, said Elvis. "It seemed like they just didn't rise to the challenge. They had some of the more defensive players in the game, but they just didn't seem up to the task today."

Indeed, it was hard for the veterans to stay motivated after their first period struggles, said Cowboy Bill, who arrived at the game already winded from an 8 km run. "It didn't look like we were ever going to get any momentum going our way. It's really easy just to want to pack up and get out of Dodge."

FOR A PHOTO GALLERY FROM THIS WEEK'S GAME,, CLICK HERE

Turning back the clock

Paul One and the Living Legend turned back the clock. Then they turned on the goal light.

On a day tailor-made for the young speedsters, it was the wile and guile of the pair grizzled veterans that teamed up to seal a hard-fought 20-15 comeback win. Chasing down the evil orange plastic ball in the corner, Paul One, making only his third start of the season, spied his aging linemate taking advantage of defensive indifference by streaking into the slot. His pass was pinpoint. All the Legend had to do was tap it past a hapless Billy Idol.

"That was a combined 90 years teamed up to score that goal," said the Colonel, no longer a spry slapshooter himself. "The cagey vets don't come through every week, but this week they absolutely did."

In fact, it was veteran experience that set the table for their game-winning heroics.

With a lineup long in the tooth and short on speed, Sunday's victors had to battle back from a 10-5 deficit at half time as they struggled in the game's early-going to keep up with their young rivals who capitalized on the dry conditions to exploit their their speed advantage, pouncing on rebounds and creating havoc at the edge of the crease. A team meeting at the break helped turn the tide.

They were down, but they weren't out. They may not have been able to run with their rivals, but they could still outfox them.

"We had faith in our guys that we could do it," said Lak Attack. "We knew we were working hard out there, and we knew we just needed to get the next one, just take it one goal at a time."

"(The veterans) know the game, they know where to take advantage of opportunities because they can see them develop," said the Colonel. "They're quick to make the other team pay."

That cool-headed reserve rubbed off on their young teammate, Doo. He roared up the court with new found confidence, lifting shots under the crossbar instead of dishing off half-hearted passes.

"We just had to start getting some shots on net because you can build your confidence after getting a couple of rebound goals," said the sophomore sniper. "It's all about the shots."

His veteran mates sensed the shift in momentum.

"With veteran guys, they know the game can change quickly," said Lak Attack, as his team outscored their opponents 15-5 in the game's second half. "They don't waver much in their confidence, they know they've got to work hard out there."

"They know no lead is safe," said Beetle Boy. "You just can't rest on your laurels and we maybe let up a little bit and then we were in trouble."

FOR A PHOTO GALLERY FROM THIS WEEK'S GAME,, CLICK HERE

Scooby snacks on Idol

Scooby scored one of the niftiest goals in Sunday Morning memory to lead his team to a hard-fought 20-18 win in Sunday's game.

The young speedster undressed Paul One, deked out Billy Idol, going forehand to backhand to lift it into the net.

"It was a thing of beauty," said linemate Beetle Boy.

Despite being played in the driest and mildest conditions in more than a month, the game was hobbled by the absence of two stalwart starting goalies, Gump and Pig Farming Goalie, as well as fellow founding father, the Living Legend, who missed the game with a cold.

Frozen tundra fails to ice game

Hell may have frozen over, but that wasn't going to stop the roadsters.

With the road hockey courts buried under a moonscape of snow, frozen slush and Kid-sized chunks of ice the prospects for a game seemed bleak.

"The Inuit have 400 words for snow, but we have one - hell," said Pig Farming Goalie, as he assessed the task it would take for the game to go on.

Even the roguesters, who've persevered through rain and snow to maintain their game in the neighboring court even as the roadsters cowered, were discouraged.

But the roadsters have been in this situation before. In fact, said PFG, it's rising to challenges like this that have built the game.

"It's just the love of the game," said the agrarian goaltender. "What it's really showing is who are the men and who are the boys; the men are showing up and the boys are staying home."

"It's important to keep having a game on Sunday morning," said Smith. "If it's consistent, you're gonna keep going. As soon as you start missing a couple, it's easy to stop showing up."

Getting the court in game shape wasn't going to be easy. In places, the ice and frozen slush was six inches deep, fused to the cold concrete, no small task for the ragtag assortment of plastic shovels and spades wielded by the determined players. Doo chipped at the ice with a hammer. PFG employed a tire iron. Scooby hoisted icebergs over the fence one by one. A trio of players merged their shovels to plow vast swaths through the tundra.

"It's basically the continental ice shelf out there," lamented PFG.

"I saw glaciers," said Smith.

"There was a lot of ice chunks," said Gump.

It was a big job, but the roadsters remained resolute.

"We'd hoped this had all melted, but apparently not," said Smith. "You just have to dig in."

Gump was philosophical. Instead of loosening up with blistering slapshots to his chest, he lifted ice with his red shovel.

"It gets you fired up," he said.

Gump's frosty warmup didn't really reap any benefit, as the veteran keeper struggled to maintain his positioning in the slippery crease, costing his team an early deficit from which they were unable to recover, succumbing 20-14.
"It's a problem because sometimes you slide too far," said the sliding shotstopper.
Powered by the surefooted mobility of Kid and Scrappy, the opposition was quick to take advantage of the keeper's positioning problems. Even the Living Legend cashed in for four goals.
"They had a lot of weapons," said Gump.

S'no denial

Pig Farming Goalie was aghast. Paul One was pessimistic. Smith was stranded in a snow drift.

But on this strangest of Sundays, when a freak snow storm seemed to save its frosty fury specifically for the road hockey courts, they were all undaunted, resolute in their determination to play on.

Seven of them did, mustering a marathon half-court scrimmage on the hard-pack snow, ice and slicked concrete as big fluffly flakes continued to plummet from the ashen sky.

"This is absurd," said PFG, who, as the day's designated goalie, faced an unrelenting barrage of shots from both teams.

"Apparently there's global warming going somewhere, but not here," said Paul One, who ventured through the storm to make only his second start of the season. "I was a little bit disappointed when I woke up this morning and saw the conditions, but I decided to come anyway, and it only got grimmer the closer I got."

"We shouldn't be playing today, but we are," said Gump, who rode to Smith's rescue when he happened upon his stranded mate en route to the courts. "This is what the love of the game is all about."

And it took a lot of love for the game to keep it going in Sunday's blizzard. It may not have been an artistic triumph, as players slip, slid and tumbled, rarely completing a pass or counting quality shots, but it was a good time.

"This is perfect hockey weather," said Pig Farming Goalie.

"It's more like old time hockey," said Paul One. "It's kinda fun."

Thirst for victory

Pig Farming Goalie earned his Monday morning hangover.

The agrarian goaltender overcame a headache and dehydration, the consequences of his Saturday night excesses, and his mates battled back from a six-goal deficit to win Sunday's Six Pack Challenge, 20-16.

For the veteran shotstopper, the victory over his nemesis, the Colonel, was sweet indeed. Especially as his side seemed down and out as they trailed 10-4 at the game's half time break.

"The game started brutally," said Pig Farming Goalie, as he waited for the Colonel to deliver the spoils of his win, a six pack of Corona beer. "They scored on their first shot and then they scored on a ricochet off the back boards. I was fighting the ball quite a bit in the beginning."

It didn't help that his side's offense couldn't seem to figure out how to get the evil orange plastic ball past Lobsterboy, making his first start of the season. Time and again offensive rushes and cross-court passes ended with shots being launched ineffectively into the comeback creaseminder's equipment.

"It was definitely bleak," said Pig Farming Goalie about his side's struggles.

Then Gump found his scoring touch. Displaced from his usual place between the pipes by the return to the court of Lobsterboy, he'd spent much of the game's first half wandering aimlessly along the boards, unsure of what to do in the offensive zone. But a team meeting during the half time break seemed to set his head straight; he exploded for three straight goals, giving his mates confidence, and hope.

"Gump was instrumental, he was a catalyst for his team," said the Colonel.

As the margin diminished, so did the holes around and between Pig Farming Goalie's equipment. Through the game's second half, he held opposition shooters to six goals, while his mates scored 16.

"My guys in front, they stepped up," said Pig Farming Goalie. "We worked hard after the break. They were able to start getting some good pressure on Lobsterboy, we started getting some lucky goals, and I was able to get some composure in the back."

"Good things happen when you're running hard, and their whole team ran hard," said the Colonel. "They had better legs than we did, especially down the stretch."

TO SEE A SPECIAL VIDEO REPORT ON THE SIX PACK CHALLENGE, CLICK HERE

Sunday's Six Pack Challenge was the result of a confrontation in last week's game, when Pig Farming Goalie was checked into the boards by the Colonel as they chased down a loose ball. Angry words were exchanged, and, as the incident simmered in the road hockey media, the Colonel issued the challenge.
But it almost didn't happen.
With both players having a history of knee injuries, the slippery, snow-covered court that greeted the roadsters on Sunday almost scuttled the sudsy showdown. The snow was quickly cleared by a shovel brigade while a feeble sun and cold wind made short work of the lingering slippery patches.

The ale grudge match overshadowed the return of Lobsterboy. The veteran goaltender made his first start after missing the season's first half because of the onerous demands of his exploitive employer.
But to opposing shooters, it was as if he'd never been away, as time and again he stifled scoring chances and smothered rebounds.

Nibs left the game when he injured his arm after taking a tumble on a slippery patch. The Living Legend and the Colonel also suffered wipeouts that sent them to the sidelines, but only briefly, as they continued.

Sunday's game was the first real epic of the season, lasting almost three hours from the opening faceoff.

Sweet vengeance

Victory is the best vengeance.

Pig Farming Goalie recovered from an awkward hit by the Colonel to shout down his nemesis, shut down their scoring and lead his team to a hard-fought 20-16 win in Sunday's game.

With little to choose between two evenly-matched sides, neither was able to open up more than a two-goal lead. Until the flare-up between the two formidable foes.

As Pig Farming Goalie ventured from his crease to clear the evil orange plastic ball from his zone, the Colonel shouldered him, catching him off balance. The belligerent ballstopper teetered awkwardly into the fence. They exchanged angry words, even as the play headed to the opposite end of the court.

But Pig Farming Goalie was nonplussed. He knew he had to keep his head in the game.

"You count to ten, you breathe deeply, you have a bit of water, you make a good save, and that helps," said the barn slopping shotstopper. "After that whole flare up, I was just focussed on making that first good save and not letting them get in there and get any ammunition."

It was the turning point in a game that turned time and again. After taking an early 4-2 lead, PFG and his mates found themselves in an uphill battle from behind a series of two-goal deficits, thanks largely to the uncanny scoring touch of fellow founding father, Living Legend, who netted a season-high five goals and dominated Smith in faceoffs.

"He owned me on the draw," said Smith of his ageless rival. "It's a lot harder when you don't have the ball because you're losing every draw."

"Legend had Lemieux-like hands today," said PFG.

"The line that Legend was quarterbacking got a lot of good progress early in the game, they were scoring goals, everyone was contributing," said Cowboy Bill.

But as fatigue took its toll in the marathon match, line combinations disintegrated. The goalies took control. More importantly, PFG stayed in control, allowing his team to ride a 5-1 run in the final period to victory.

"You don't want to give up that next goal, so you've got to stay focused," said the agrarian goalkeeper.

"I think at the end there, both goalies decided they didn't want to get scored on," said Smith. "We just got a couple of hard-working goals that we buried on second, third and fourth rebounds."

"We worked real hard all game and at the end, it just slipped through our fingers," said Cowboy Bill.

Shrimp Ring sets table

Sunday's Shrimp Ring Bowl has set the table for the second half of the Sunday Morning Road Hockey season.

Traditionally a celebration of the first game of the new year, the shellfish showdown also marks the beginning of the run-up to the Stanley Stick championship series, only four months away.

"It marks the kickoff of the second half," said Cowboy Bill. "It's just one of these longstanding traditions in the game."

"It's kind of like the all-star break for us," said Paul One, who chose the celebratory match to make his season debut after being shamed for his first half sloth by the road hockey media and many of his fellow players.

"This is what the game is built on," said Lak Attack.

After a rough start in snowy, slippery conditions, the roadsters rose to the occasion. Especially Smith, who scored a career-high 13 goals to lead his team to a hard-fought 20-15 win.

FOR A SPECIAL VIDEO REPORT ON THE SHRIMP RING BOWL TRADITION, CLICK HERE