roadhockey.net

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.

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

Posted by jaysuburb at March 30, 2008 05:33 PM