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Waiting for the goals

They say good things come to those who wait. Sunday, Elvis and his mates waited out their depleted opponents to score three straight goals late in the game, eking out a 21-19 overtime victory.

With only one spare player on each side, neither could afford to lose a man to injury. But that's just what happened midway through the third period, when Beetle Boy left the court with a twisted ankle after he slipped on a patch of frozen slush. And the countdown to his side's demise was on.

"I think fatigue was an obvious factor," says Elvis, as his side pressed the play late in the game to construct their comeback from a 19-18 defecit.

"They didn't have any subs, they just got tired towards the end," says Bird.

"We just didn't have the endurance," says Unabomber of his side's shorthanded shortcomings. "The tank was empty, we were left walking around too much, nobody had the energy to backcheck."

Although, at first, it seemed Beetle Boy's retreat might actually spark his team, who seemed to play with renewed intensity and purpose after he left the game. Wink crashed the boards and even snuck behind the defense to create scoring opportunities. Nibs' rediscovered his rapier shot. Their lead at match point was actually their first of the game.

"We knew we had to pick it up and compensate," says Unabomber. "Losing a two-way guy like Beetle, and the fresh pair of legs, we knew we'd be gassed if we went the distance."

"They knew in the long run, it was going to be a tough game for them, so they wanted to try to get ahead as much as they could" says Elvis. "But we weren't having any of that."

With their backs against the wall, Elvis and his mates refused to panic. Billy Idol, making his first goaltending start of the season, overcame a shaky start to shut the door, repeatedly robbing Nibs as he roamed through the crease. And with an explosive forward like Kid firing the offense as the wily veteran, the Living Legend, distracted diminished defenders, it was only a matter of time before they prevailed.

"You could tell the Kid really benefitted from Living Legend's decoy ability," says Bird.

"We knew we had to keep the ball moving around, and they wouldn't be able to keep up," says Elvis. "We were lucky enough to be able to keep the goals going."

Posted by jaysuburb at December 28, 2003 04:25 PM