roadhockey.net

Exorcising ghost of Sticks past

With his team leading 15-6 in Sunday's Stanley Stick finale, Elvis gathered his team to remind them nothing was impossible. After all, just last season he'd been part of the greatest comeback in championship history, when his side battled back from the brink of elimination to win the series in a decisive mini game.

But there would be no miracles on Sunday.

Three quick goals by Scrappy just before the break snuffed out what little momentum their overmatched opponents could muster, as Elvis and his mates rolled to an easy 20-7 win, sweeping the championship in two straight games.

"Those were huge," said the veteran forward of Scrappy's decisive scoring outburst that truncated a brief rally that closed their opponents within six goals. "They righted the ship a little bit and gave us some legs again."

Not that their ship had ever really floundered.

After struggling to a 20-18 in the series' opener last week, the champions dominated Sunday's game as few teams before them. From their goalie out, they stuck to their game plan with fierce resolve, shutting down their opponents at every turn.

"We played strong as a team," said Billy Idol, who suffered through Sunday's game with the lingering effects of sore ribs. "We played our game well, we kept one guy back, one guy along the boards and one guy in front of the net; that was kind of our strategy from the beginning of the game and we never strayed from it."

And their opponents had little to answer with.

"Nothing was going right for us," said Beetle Boy. "For whatever reason, we just didn't have it."

On those rare occasions when they were able to complete a pass or execute a decent scoring opportunity, they ran head on into the hot hand of Twizzler, who played one of his steadiest games of the season to earn the Conn Stick award as the series Most Valuable Player.

"He was just solid," said Elvis of his side's rookie rearguard who bounced back strongly from a mediocre effort last week when he was reportedly weakened by the flu. "He's a good goalie, he's big in the net."

"He had really good rebound control," said Scooby, " but we also just weren't getting the shots, we were just trying to go for the pass and we got picked off a lot."

More often than not, those intercepted passes converted to scoring chances the other way.

"We capitalized on a lot turnovers and got some odd-man rushes going," said Elvis.

"We had some defensive breakdowns," said Scooby. "You don't know who to blame because everyone was just running around leaving their mad open."

Which opened the way for Elvis to win his eighth consecutive Stanley Stick title.

Compared to last year's raucous, emotional finale, Sunday's celebration was muted. That's likely because the end result was never in doubt.
"You don't want to celebrate a shutout win too heavily," said Elvis. Limiting a team to less than ten goals is the road hockey equivalent of a shutout. "Winning the Stick is a big deal, it's what we play for all year."
Meanwhile, the losers hung their heads in shame.
"It was pretty embarrassing to be shut out like that," said Scooby. "I don't really know what to say."
"It's a crappy way to end the season," said Beetle Boy. "It's going to bug me all summer."

Each team's lineup was bolstered by players who hadn't been available for the first game. By the luck of the draw, the winners added Lak Attack, while the underdogs added Cowboy Bill and Gump. And while none of the additions proved decisive, Lak's solid defensive contribution gave his side the impetus to take advantage of all their offensive opportunities.
"Getting Lak on our team was a huge addition to the back end," said Elvis. "He gave us a lot more defense and we were able to really shut down the other team."

A surprise visit by three legendary roadsters who've been mostly absent all season, Wink, Lobsterboy and Paul One, may have been a bit of a distraction to the winners as they faltered slightly in their drive to victory. It was also an inspiration for the Living Legend, who scored both of his goals while he was being cheered on by his aging contemporaries.
At least two of those legends, Paul One and Lobsterboy, indicated they'd renew their commitment to the game next season, while Wink was noncommittal.

Meanwhile, Elvis indicated his eighth Stanley Stick may also be his last, as he may be moving to a far away city by next Spring.

Posted by jaysuburb at May 13, 2009 09:56 PM