A Comeback for the Ages

Donnie Bailey’s 9th goal of the game with 4:15 remaining in the third period gave the LAN Hackers a 14-9 lead over the Sunnydale Slayers in Monday night’s semi-final, and the conversation in the Needham Centre stands turned to what would be yet another Hackers-Lite-Sabres FHL final. Instead, the fans who remained were about to witness something never before seen in League history.

Slayers sniper Tony Joyce scored twice in 30 seconds to bring the Slayers within 3 goals with exactly 2 minutes remaining. The time of the goal was quite significant, as by League rules the clock was stopped, as it would be for each remaining stoppage of play. Just seven seconds later captain Gian Scalet knocked in a rebound of a Jason Fitzgerald shot, and the Slayers were within two. Upon gaining possession off the ensuing faceoff, the Slayers charged into the Hacker end and pulled goalie Graham Dodge for an extra attacker. After the Hackers withstood some more pressure they attempted a clearing shot that was picked off by pinching defenseman Brennan MacDonald, who rifled a shot by Jim Bain to make the score 14-13 at 14:23. The incredible comeback was completed when Joyce, covering back to prevent a shot at the empty net, slid a pass to MacDonald who from the left side beat Bain through traffic to tie the score.

The trip to the final would be settled by a shootout. Scalet chose MacDonald to shoot first, and the man with the hot hand put his shot by Bain to give his club the edge. Dodge denied the first 3 Hacker shooters, including Bailey and Jeff Shute, who had scored a hat trick in regulation. Then defender Jason Fitzgerald became an unlikely hero by scoring on a hard wrist shot. Captain Terry Davison kept the Hackers alive with a goal, but Joyce, who had counted 8 goals on the evening, deked Bain to the backhand and put it home, sending the Slayers to their first ever final.

After the game, the Slayers struggled to put their accomplishment into words. “Unbelievable” was the consensus opinion. And though he wasn’t in the building, the words of baseball philosopher Yogi Berra rang true on this night “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over!”

Notes

The last semi-final to go to a shootout took place between the Chill and the Lynx on December 6, 2001. That game also featured a player scoring twice in the final minute of regulation to tie it, the Chill’s Rob Tyrrell scoring with 10 seconds left. Fitzgerald then scored the winner for the Lynx…The Slayers appearance in the final will leave the Chill as the only team never to play for the championship…The fourth-seeded Slayers become the first team seeded lower than 3rd to advance to the final. The Hackers loss leaves them as the only #1 seed not to play for the title…The Slayers and Lite-Sabres will play for the fourth time in the post-season, with the Sabres winning all 3 previous meetings. The teams played the first playoff game in League history on May 18,1999, the Sabres winning 10-8. Current Sabres goalie Chris McMaster is the only player still active who played in that game. McMaster played forward and scored one goal.