A game to be proud of….

Going up against the top penalized team with a short bench used to spell disaster for the “CuppaJoe Grinders.”  Our competitive Grind and short tempers would goad us to respond in kind.  ( poetry!)

But sound logic is rearing it’s wizened head   In the dressing room before game time the boys declared an oath to stay out of the box against this team, and simply skate away; let the refs look after the cheap shit. Guess what…it worked.  The cheap shot grinders ended up with 16 min in penalties, two game ejections and we got the 5-2 win and a free pitcher of beer!

The CuppaJoe Grinders had 10 skaters - three of them Spare and got a solid effort.  Jason Clarke opened the scoring in the first period beating the goalie on a breakaway. Yes, Jason scored on a breakaway - a feat that usually demands both speed and skill.  His 4th goal of the season….a career high?.  The other Grinders quickly replied to send it to the intermission 1-1.  Falling behind in the 2nd period we quickly responded on the power play as Goat’s rifled home a bullet from the slot fom Troy and thinchick.  The second period would end like the first, tied, this time 2-2.

Into the third, the Good Guy Grinders took over.  James Teddai moved to center for Rob and with three minutes in, corralled a breakaway stretch pass from Gord Schmidt to put them up three two and they never looked back.  Just 42 seconds later, Jeff Triggs playing stellar on the point all night, wires a shot top corner from the point.  A final talley from James on a wrap around put the game out of reach while two Bad Boy Grinders worked Gord over on front  with a pathetic display of unsportsmanship as they took penalty after penalty, including two game ejections.  In the dieing seconds, Guy was driven into the boards and responded like the proverbial bull as if channelled by a combination of Dave Tanchak and Rowdy Roddy Piper! He challenged anyone in his way, refs, or any of the two grinder teams on the ice.  So intense and out of character was his ire that upon his return to the bench the team had cowered to one end.  One team member was driven to tears…..?

All was forgotten after the game when the next calamity was realized…no beer!  To the rescue came Beer man extraordinare Dave Tanchak with a cooler at the ready in his car.

After a four-game losing skid the Grinders faced off against the first-place Albino Crackers and emerged victorious with 3 goals over their meager 2. The Grinders first goal came on almost the first shift of the game with Santa’s blast careening off the end boards, and then something happened, it either bounced off the back of the goalies legs or Rob tipped it in. Jury is out on that one. The second goal was a purty one. Father Williams loaded up at the point and out of shear terror Jason tipped the oncoming puck away from his rib cage and into the net.

The game winner, contrary to scoresheet, came from Gordie ho planted himself on the edge of the crease and awaiting the perfect pass from PSP. Gordie’s shot went right through the legs of the keeper for the final tally.

[GORD’s EDIT]Close….me from andy and paul. Andy headmannned it to paul who took it into the zone, circled the net and passed it in front to me for the one-timer. They actually screwed up all the goals so I have sent the changes into Dave. I had a goal and an assist and don’t think they credited me for a point!

Guy had lots of chance to break out of his lone point for the season, but had no luck again. That was a great game by us eh? Quick shifts, everyone skated hard and got back….fun to play.

For that I present to you, Snowflake… (Albino, white, snowflake… gawd my Google foo is hawsome)

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