WEDNESDAYS #6 vs. JAGUARS:

(vol. 15W, no. 6; newsletter by b.n.)
Sometimes things go from bad to worse. There I was just sitting in the locker room the other day when Chris Goione walks in and tells Keith Richardson:“You're fired.” Huh? What you might ask? Keith has done a great job writing the newsletter the past two weeks and that's the thanks he gets? What's up with that? And talking about dropping a bomb, couldn't Chris have mentioned it to Keith on the ride over — they ride together in the same car after all? Oh well, the least I could do would be to get the newsletter in on time so I make Chris look like a genius.

Hmmm. There's really not much to be said. The Jaguars, a team that struck fear into the hearts of opponents based on whether there was a vowel or consonant after their name seemed to have lost a little of their growl after a number of their “A” players swore off the white, green, yellow and black and formed the Bruins who, oddly enough, are yellow and black. Or at least that was the story that was circulating before gametime. However as the puck was dropped, the Jaguars bench seemed to be populated by a number of the “A” brethren that supposedly had sworn off the team. Oh well. Chris was also telling everyone that the Jags hadn't won a game all season (a claim that turned out to be incorrect since they were able to beat the Jamokes 3-2 the week before). So with all that said, maybe the Pirates were taking the Jaguars a little lightly. Hmm ... perhaps ... but then again, maybe it was just one of those nights.

Things started out with the Miller Bros. playing alongside the newest writer of the Wednesday night newsletter. Russ and Dave took the floor on “D.” The second line consisted of Allen, Wildman and Chris “You're Fired” Goione with Keith “What Did I Do?” Richardson and Mike Farrell. Things got ugly quickly when Gucci broke in the left wing and was able to squeeze the puck between Harris and the near post. The Pirates would answer back in the 1st period when Scott Miller hit Wildman in front of the net for the slam dunk to tie things up. The Pirates were looking confident as the 1st period ended with the score 1-1.

Sometimes it is hard to believe that Roger Weiss is no longer a regular on either the Sunday or Wednesday roster; the passion and drive he brought to the team is not something that is replaced overnight. On the other hand, his uncanny knack of scoring on his own net is something that Mike Farrell has shown he is more than capable of carrying on. In the 2nd period, it was Mike Farrell once again showing that we don't need Roger around when the time comes to put the puck behind Harris. On perhaps the second most bizarre play of the night, Gucci tried to throw a centering pass in front from behind the net when Mike kicked (he says it just bounced off his skate, but don't believe him — he kicked it) the puck towards the net and the sudden redirection caught Harris off-guard as he was moving to play the original pass; when Harris dropped, the puck banked off his stick and found the back off the net. Before the buzzer sounded and the 2nd period ended, the Jags would be leading 3-1.

The Jags would add another goal in the 3rd before the most bizarre play of the game took place. With the puck just outside the Pirates blueline, the Jaguars flipped the puck on net; according to Scott Miller, the puck caught the inside of his leg, but unfortunately Harris was screened on the play and was unable to get a bead on it until the last second — which was just about a second too late. And that's all he wrote ... almost.

Oh, and one more thing. Keith: “You're Hired.”