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SUNDAYS #10 vs. FLUKES:

(vol. 8S, no. 10; newsletter by c.g.)
“COASTAL PIRATES NAIL DOWN
SECOND STRAIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP”

Allaire (AP) - The Sunday Coastal Pirates made it two in a row this past weekend, triumphing over the once-dominant Flukes.

On an unusually warm Sunday evening at GoodSports Arena, the night was abuzz with anticipation as the Coastal Pirates warmed-up for what is becoming a Pirate tradition in these parts: Championship Sunday. The 1st period started out fast and furious, as the Pirates quickly went on the attack. The line of Farkas-LeMatty-DiPierro got things going, and nearly converted when Dan DiPierro fired a puck just wide from the left side. The second Line of Ralz-Wildman-Ferraro kept the heat on, sending a ton of rubber at the Fluke net. Only the Flukes' hot, young, "kid" goalie (who incidentally had just helped the Jags to the A-division Championship the game before) kept the Pirates off the board. Midway through the 1st, Scott LeMatty's setup allowed Roger to delay his point shot (through a screen) into the far, low corner of the net for a powerplay goal. Things would go back-and-forth the rest of the period with some spirited play by the Pirates' defenseman, and Harris holding back the Fluke attack. End of one: Coastal Pirates 1, Flukes 0.

The Pirates came out looking to build on their 1st period momentum, but try as they could, the "kid" kept them at bay. Everyone was hustling, though the rhythm seemed just a tad off. Finally, the Flukes were able to break through with a goal midway through the 2nd to knot the score at 1-1. But the Pirates roared right back as Captain Russ Nicolosi brought the puck to the point along the left boards and wound up as though he were going to blast one of his patented slapshots; then he feathered a pass through the slot to a wide-open Jimmy Ferraro who beat the stunned “kid goalie” upstairs for the 2-1 lead. The Flukes were not done however, and again knotted the score with under a 1:00 to play in the 2nd period. End of two periods: Coastal Pirates 2, Flukes 2.

The 3rd period had come down to 15:00 minutes to decide which team would wear the B-division crown; whichever team won the period would assume the bragging rights for next season. Both teams battled strongly as the period wore on, with neither team able to convert. Then came “the play”: Harris, obviously amped from the recent Olympics, decided he would pull a Brodeur, and left the crease to stickhandle a pass at the right face-off circle; not getting everything he wanted into the pass, he decided to cover the puck — only problem was he was now along the boards and could not legally cover the puck, so he tried to throw it to a Pirate teammate, but the pass was intercepted as a rogue Fluke swept in and headed for the goal. While all this was ensuing, Scoooby — not showing any signs of last week's rinkside dental exam — sped to the net. As the Fluke player moved in, Scooby stood his ground and then fell to his knees to make a kick save that would have made any goalie proud. Disaster averted. Shortly thereafter, the Flukes — probably stunned by their near miss — allowed Scott LeMatty to once again find a wide open Jimmy Ferraro for the go-ahead goal. The Pirates took a time-out and knew that 5:45 was all that stood between them and the repeat.
The rest was anti-climactic as good team hustle kept any real Fluke opportunities to a minimum. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Pirates had done it again.