SUNDAYS #4 vs. RED STARS:

(vol. 20S, no. 4; newsletter by k.r.)
Could it be that the Coastal Pirates are crossing that bridge from a “B” team to an “A” team? In a game against the “A” division's Red Stars the Pirates would go down 2-1, but one of those goals was a shorthanded fluke. The Pirates dressed nine skaters for the match: up front was Russ, Chris, Scott LeMatty, Dan DiPierro, Ralz and the ever-popular Roger Weiss (making his second appearance in the Sunday/Wednesday 2005 season). The back line was a rotation of Scooby, Keith and Bob Currao (don't forget to shop at the rink for all your hockey needs).

The game began with a fast pace and the Pirates were able to overcome the clutching and grabbing and skate along with the Red Stars. Looking back now it would seem that we should take all the interference that they were running as a compliment. This tactic did not go unnoticed by the one referee on the ice and the Pirates would be awarded four powerplays during the evening. It was on the first powerplay that the only goal of the 1st period would get scored — unfortunately it was a shorthander for the Stars.

Three more powerplays in the final period would not help the Pirates either. An errant clearing pass with about 9:00 minutes remaining would give the Stars a 2-0 lead, but Ralz narrowed the gap when he capitalized off a rare, bad defensive zone play to make it 2-1. The Pirates landed their final powerplay of the evening with 2:00 minutes remaining; although it added to the excitement, it didn't produce the game-tying goal. Although the outcome was not in the Pirates favor, they can hold their heads high and realize that they hung around for an entire game with a solid Eastern division team. Roger was impressed with the progress of the team since his regular days — in fact, he was heard uttering the same words that the NHL players are saying to the owners during this lockout: “Just let me play.” On a side note: The Stars were without #74, Bob Downey, who is to be sidelined for a while with a medical condition — a little prayer from us all couldn't hurt.