WEDNESDAYS #3 vs. MISFITS:

(vol. 13W, no. 3; newsletter by b.n.)
Shock and Awe. That was how everyone thought the night would start. As the Pirates took the floor promptly at 8:00 p.m., simultaneously half way across the world, the countdown for Saddam Hussein to step down expired. If all the news reports were to be believed, there would be some 3000 cruise missiles launched into Baghdad. So with all that hanging in the air, the drop of the puck turned out to be a somber affair. With the impending war some of us had to work, so Harris was a no show with Casey “The Scorekeeper” LeCompte filling in between the pipes. Our game against the Misfits began with the EMiNeM (Evan Miller-#67-Scott Miller) line back in action. On Defense, Sunday night standout Mike Farrell was filling in while the tandem of Scooby and Keith balancing out the “D.”

It would be the combination of Keith to Farrell who would get the Pirates out to the 1-0 lead. Later in the period it was Mike Farrell who passed up to Evan Miller on the far blueline; Evan took the puck into the Misfit zone and buried the puck for the second score of the night. While the U.S. might not have been pounding the crap out of Saddam Hussein at that moment, the Pirates were certainly taking it to the Misfits. The EMiNeM line got it going when #67 picked-up the puck at the center face-off circle and worked it to Scott who was camped-out on the blueline along the near boards; Scotty passed the puck back to the center of the rink and hit a streaking Evan for his second goal of the night.

Things settled down in the 2nd as the line of Glen Chambers-Allen-Wildman worked hard chasing down loose pucks. The ENiNeM line was passing the puck like mad. But nothing was finding its way to he back of the net. Mild-mannered Mike Farrell found himself in the penalty box after his stick deflected off that of Misfit McKerry and up into the face of McKerry. The Pirate defensive core of Keith and Scooby played exceptional and the penalty was killed-off without incident. Just as Farrell popped out of the penalty box, though, he found himself just inside the Misfit blueline with the puck suddenly on his stick; Mike wound up and cranked one in to give the Pirates a commanding 4-0 lead as the 2nd period expired.

Heading into the 3rd, the Pirates jumped back onto the scoreboard when #67 found himself in front of the Misfit goalie with the puck; #67 fired the puck that rang off the far post and slid straight across the goal line. With the Miller Brothers raising their sticks, the Misfits might have let up a little, but just as Scott Baldwin yelled "NO GOAL! LOOSE!," #67 buried the puck for his first score of the night. With a 5-0 lead, our thoughts shifted to those that could not be with us on this night. Poor Harris. As has become customary on nights when he is not there, the backup goalie was on the verge of recording another shutout. All that ended, however, when the Misfits were able to mount a flurry of shots that resulted in one finally slipping past Casey. Unlike the previous week when a 5-0 lead slowly evaporated into a 5-3 nailbiter, it was Mike Farrell who took a shot from the far point that Wildman deflected with a backhand into the upper quadrant of the net. That is how it looked like it would end as the EMiNeM line headed onto the floor for the final shift of the night. It must be noted that #67 was preaching to his linemates to pass the puck all night; so with 2:00 minutes to go and two players perched at the two goal plateau, you would think that #67 would practice a little of what he preaches. But when Mike Farrell banked a long pass off the boards, #67 was able to outskate the Misfit “D” for the puck and break in for a shot on goal — the goalie made the save, but the puck came right back to #67. Did he pick up his head to look to feed either Evan or Mike? No. He just greedily shot the puck for his second goal of the night. Then with under :30 seconds remaining in the game, it was #67 again who was able to poke the puck away from a Misfit defenseman and found himself on another breakaway; #67 would send the puck through the 5-hole to pick up his second hattrick of his Pirate career (but hey, who's counting?)

Final Score 8-1. Shock and awe baby!