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Perseverance prevails

For Pig Farming Goalie and his mates, perseverance prevailed.

Having squandered a 17-13 lead they built through a monster third period, the beleaguered backstop and his floundering forwards fought to regain their focus just in time to extend the game to a pair of overtimes before Cowboy Bill banked a shot off Lak Attack's foot to seal a 22-20 win.

Playing on a dry court for the first time in three weeks, Sunday's game was one of momentum shifts. After spotting their opponents the early advantage, Pig Farming Goalie and his mates seized control of the game, scoring five straight goals and threatening to run away with it.

"Clearly we had the momentum and there was a lot of thought that we'd just push right through," said Pig Farming Goalie, who's limited his play this season to dry-weather games to diminish the risk to his fragile knees.

But Smith and his mates had other ideas.

"it was a gutcheck for sure," said the feisty forward of his side's scramble to regain control of the game.

That's when Colonel took command. With his early departure from the battle imminent, the veteran centerman scored two quick goals and nearly netted a third to lead his team back into the game just as he left it.

"He scored a couple of big goals on that shift to get us back in the game," said Smith of his linemate's inspired play. "He puts his money where his mouth is."

And his mates were quick to cash in, taking back the lead for the first time since the game's earliest moments, 18-17.

"All of sudden they started to work hard, they used their speed against us and put themselves back into the lead," said Cowboy Bill.

"We were a little bit weak on defense, but they were also just better on offense at that point," said Pig Farming Goalie.

But the long road back had exacted a toll, as tired forwards faltered on the backcheck or got caught upcourt pressing for the insurance goal. Cowboy Bill and his mates sensed their own opportunity to wrest back the game's momentum.

"We started to backcheck better, take control of the loose balls and win some of the battles in the middle of the court that we'd been losing," said the power-shooting pointman.

"I was able to make some good saves and give my team the chance to win," said Pig Farming Goalie. "We just had that little extra perseverance at the end."

And it paid off when Cowboy Bill chopped a seeing-eye shot from behind the net off Lak Attack's foot and past his befuddled goalie, Gump.

"It was just good to bear down and pull out the win," said the play's hero.

"That's just how it happens, you never get the pretty goals in overtime," said Smith of the ignominious end. "This was a really tough game to lose."

The roadsters were stunned mid-game when fellow founding father, Wink, dropped by, his first appearance at the road hockey courts since his off-season achievement of officially sanctioned sex. He was dressed in civvies; it was a social call. And while the outspoken defender was coy about his playing future, he did say, he's "not retired."
Wink hasn't played since late last season, missing the entire Stanley Stick championship series, and has been mysteriously absent despite recently moving only blocks away from the Sunday Morning Road Hockey court.

Lak Attack's inadvertent game winner, a deflection off his foot that eluded an aghast Gump wasn't the first time his team's goaltender was beaten by one of his own mates; earlier, Living Legend scored on his own net when a centering pass careened off his stick as he was checking a prowling forward. Were it not for those two "own-goals," the game would still be tied.

Posted by jaysuburb at November 4, 2007 06:26 PM