Fins Flail without Backstop (11/4/07)
No GodFather - no problem.
No Teacher - no lessons lost.
But without a NetMinder, the Blue Fin’s were merely fish in a barrel to the attacking Badgers.
The Badgers, like their brethren Car Salesmen - had no class Sunday night. Even without a goalie, the Badgers took aim and sent many-a-slap-shot in on the Blue Fin’s net. The Fin’s traded victims between the pipes - nearly three-fourths of the team took their turn.
But with hard, chest-high slap shots, the Badgers held nothing back. It’s one thing to blast a shot when the goalie is fully protected, but when it’s a skater with a fraction of the pads - there is no excuse. With as little class as these shots, they celebrated after every goal.
After the first period, the Fin’s were down 6-0. The Badgers offered up their cross-eyed goalie, but Captain Mike McGee doesn’t ever give up a game - and politely refused.
In a hard fought 2nd period, the Fin’s notched a point on the board, and more than that in respect. Mike Meehan’s power-play goal gave the Fin’s the period by a score of 1-0. The various netminders for the Fin’s did an admirable job of holding the Badgers.
In the 3rd period, the Fin’s held the Badgers to just 1 goal - but the Fin’s were running on fumes.
Always displaying leadership - Captain Mike McGee stood up for his team after a completely blown call by referee Brian “Hellen Keller” Linzer. With bad positioning, eyesight, and lung capacity - ’Shrek’ as he is fondly known - called Wes ‘Faceman’ Gyure for an interference minor, right in front of the Fin’s bench. After the call was made, McGee approached ‘Dopey’ and complained about the call - resulting in McGee’s ejection from the game.
Captain McGee is by no means a hot-head. Always displaying a wealth of hockey knowledge, restaint, and interpersonal savvy, he leads by words and by example. In this case, the referee knew he made a bad call. When McGee complained - the referee was too embarrassed to be a man and retract the call.
The Fin’s lose a tough game - one which they should have won. It was their largest margin of defeat.
Although Joe Durant wanted to be there, the Fin’s don’t blame their goalie - he tried his best and it couldn’t be helped.
What else doesn’t help? Well….the goals were tallied against Durant, as if he was there himself. (That will help pad the stats……)