Blue Fins Crush the Crunch (6/17/08)
Ahhh, the long awaited meeting between the Blue Fins and the Crunch - including Mike and Ryan Twiss. So now the dilemma - how to capture it in print? Should the report exaggerate how the Blue Fins played while criticizing Twiss? Or should this text douse the controversy by not even making mention of it? (It’s too late for that now, isn’t it?)
There was a wide range of expectations on the Blue Fins side of the puck. Some expected a physical game, some expected some trash talking, some expected physical play, others didn’t expect much. One thing was sure - on the other team, the Twiss’s were serious.
Regardless, there were no surprises. Mike Twiss played strong on the puck, Ryan still skates fast. Both of them took some ’special time’ to congratulate John ‘Afternoon Delight’ Probasco on his high skill level. Mike’s wit was as sharp as ever and sent him to the bin for unsportsmanlike comments that had the referee grinning. Was there reason to be surprised by any of this? No.
New man on the sub list - Bob Cwikla - proved his worth right out of the blocks. He got the scoring going with a breakaway and quick shot. ‘Afternoon Delight’ followed this up with an unassisted and shorthanded goal. After this, Captain Mike McGee opened the gun turrets and sent his team out firing. Cwikla scored another goal late in the 2nd period and was really a great asset to the team.
Probasco haberdashed his way to a 3 goal game. On his last breakaway, the puck stuck to his blade like glue. He dipsy-do’d the defender and a quick shot between the legs beat the goaltender cold.
The third goal, and eventual GWG, was scored by Mike ‘The Body’ Hofmeister. Hof bullied his way up the center, kept the puck moving, and made a diving shot just before he hit the ice. Somebody cue the ESPN music, this one’s for the highlight reel.
Keith ‘White Shadow’ Locker had two goals for the game. On the first, he fought off two Crunch defenders and then sent an impossible shot towards the goalie. The goalie fumbled as the shot deflected in. Locker’s second goal was a result of a picture-perfect pass by Adam ‘Van Dam’ Hoover. Hoover skated the puck behind the net, and sliced it up the gut to Locker who one-timed it deep into the twines.
Stephen ‘The Show’ Tsotsoros out raced the rest of the Crunch and scored a sweet breakaway goal. Tsotsoros played a great game both offensively and defensively.
‘Easy E’ E.J. Darisse played a nearly flawless game in goal. E.J. seems to improve every game, and his coolness on the ice is settling to the Fins defense. The Crunch spoiled his shut out opportunity by scoring early in the third period.
A bit of sweet revenge was had by the Twiss’s - when Mike assisted Ryan and scored the 2nd goal for the Crunch.
Matt ‘Wheels’ Pusateri excited the crowd (well, the Blue Fins part) by charging the puck up the left side and firing a laser into the far side of the cage.
In a surprising move, the Crunch pulled their goalie - apparently to add more physical presence at the end. Pusateri took advantage, skated the puck up, and passed to Hoover. Hoover got the freebie to finish off the game. The Blue Fins win 11-2 and bounce back after their previous loss.
Overall, the game wasn’t the cleanest - but it could have been much worse. The Crunch, and the Twiss’s, played good hockey. Mike had some sour, yet warranted, comments for the Blue Fins, but in the end there were ’no hard feelings’.
Either way, the game wasn’t about one or two guys. It was about playing hockey and having fun. Both the Fins and the Crunch did both.
Next up for the Blue Fin’s - The Nailers. June 30th, 7:00 pm.