www.coastalpirates.com

SUNDAYS #4 vs. FLUKES:

(vol. 7S, no. 4; newsletter by j.c.)
Things were a blur this Sunday, Babbitt had been up drinking till 3 am and started work winterizing the house at 6am. Later he cooked a huge meal of Eggplant ravioli and Fettuccini Alfredo for his extended family. He wondered if he should invite them to the game. Nah he thought, we are playing the Flukes and we are going to get spanked. Probably 7 to nothing. The humiliation would be just be too much to bear. Babbitt gathered his gear, loaded his car, and carved his way like a tornado through a trailer park, slicing through the steel parking lots of the turnpike and parkway. Upon arrival at Wall Babbitt was greeted by Roger. Now we have two. Many injuries and AWOLs have weakened the pirates, and there was some doubt whether there was to be a game. Do we have goalies? Yes. And so it began, with the Pirate army straggling in, one by one like lemmings headed for the cliff.

The mood was somber and the quiet was deafening. Having been out scored 16 to 8 in the first three games the once mighty Pirates, feared in all circles of Wall, were heading for exceptional mediocrity. But then the puck dropped and from no where, like a ghost possessed them, the Pirates attacked the Flukes with a close checking game not seen since the days of Jacque Lemaire. All Pirates were contributing by beating the Flukes to pucks and applying offensive pressure in the first period. As has happened many times before, hard Pirate work in the 1st period has gone without goals and the opposition gets one break and puts it in. The Flukes being real and not flat fish, scored on their chance. Usually this is where the Pirates sails go flat and you can hear the "here we go again" echoing in Pirate skulls. But this time Scott LeMatty, Glenn Farkas, Chris Goione, Dan Dipierro were an iron pan holding the Flukes to the fire. And after a Pirate flurry again in front of the crease (* see below) Scooby got the puck and deeked, pulling the defenseman in front of the goalie, and then wristed a laser through a small opening between the two (assist to Scott). Pirates tie the score 1-1.

And the hard work continued, the Pirates would not yield. Russ (** see below) wound up at the blue line. Babbitt said, I'm gonna screen that son' bitch goalie. The puck drove waist high like a tomahawk missile, Babbitt moved right and it glanced off his hip deflecting past the goalies reach (assist to Scooby, goal by Rusty). Pirates lead 2 to 1. After that the Pirates continued the close defensive battle, but a Fluke slipped by our nets and tied the game 2-2. We had more pressure at the end, but the winner didn't go in. Babbitt thought, I should have brought the family, this was as good a game as the Devils/Rangers playoff Game 6, 1994. A great effort against a great team.