WEDNESDAYS #7 vs. JAGUARS:

(vol. 12W, no. 7; newsletter by b.n.)
Somebody has a lot of apologizing to do. Not that he is going to, but if he did, now would be a good time to start. If somebody were to apologize, he would first apologize to the entire Wednesday night team for the fact that this newsletter is a week late. Whoops. Sorry about that. Can you even remember what happened in last week’s game? Well, I sort of can ...

Our game was against the Jaguars. We were coming off an emotional win the previous week against the Geriatrics in a game that could have gone either way. Against the Jags, however, an effort similar to that against the Geriatrics would not be enough to walk away with the win. The game began and we may or may not have fallen behind by the score of 1–0, but later in the 1st it was Russ Nicolosi who picked up a puck and skated down the rink to the goalie’s right; the goalie slid to the post and took away the shot, but Russ continued and just as he passed the goal line dropped a back pass through the legs of the defender right on to the tape of #67 who hit the opposite top corner for the score. Later in the period it was Keith Richardson who took the puck at the left point and fired a shot through a screen that beat the goalie in the same top corner to give us the 2-1 lead at the end of the 1st.

While someone is apologizing, a special apology should go out to Allen Snyder. I am not giving away any secrets when I say that Allen doesn’t score every week, so when he does score the least he could get would be a “real newsletter” that covers his exploits. Whoops. Sorry about that. Anyway, it was amazing. Allen got the puck behind Harris’ net and broke to his left; he weaved in-and-out of a couple of Jag players before he came across the Jag blueline — there was just one Jag “D” between him and the net and he tried to make a head fake, but the “D” did not fall for it. With no other options available (and real estate quickly running out) Allen barreled over the Jag “D” and continued on to the net where his shot rang off the right post and deflected into the corner; Russ chased the puck into the corner while Allen slammed on the breaks and setup shop in front of the Jags goalie. Russ then dug the puck out and fed it right back to Allen who took a shot and then buried his own rebound for the score. Amazing. So keep in mind the score was now 3–1 Pirates.

Later it was 3–2 Pirates. Then it was late in the 3rd. Time was winding down. After the scare the previous week against the Geriatrics (where they scored twice in the last 1:00 minute), you would think that the Pirates would have learned their lesson and prevented the Jags from getting a late goal. But as is the case anytime I say “you would think” — you would be wrong. The Jags were able to work the puck into the zone in the closing minutes with the extra skater, hit Gucci at the far point; Gucci cranked a blast that, according to Harris, may have been going wide but caught a piece of Harris' catcher and deflected into the net to tie things up at 3-3. Was it time to throw the head of lettuce on the rink? According to Russ, on the ensuing face-off he “was hoping (#67) would lose the face-off.” Why would the Captain of the Pirates wish such a fate on his fellow Pirate? Was he trying to jinx his future Sunday night opponent? No, as it turned out, Russ pulled what he called his “Scott LeMatty move”; at the drop of the puck, Russ broke from the right wing and headed on a “crossing pattern.” When the puck hit the floor, there was some muscling of the puck by both the Jag center and Mr Lettuce; the Jag took control of the puck and went to move it to his “D,” but Russ intercepted the pass in full stride and split the defenders who were caught flat-footed and he broke in broke in all alone and picked his spot for the score — and the win.