Chill: One Brick Short of an Igloo

When the Keane Chill realized just prior to the start of last Wednesday's game against the Keane Fire that they only had four players (including their goaltender), they had to make a decision. Should they forfeit the game, thereby saving the wear and tear on their bodies, or should they play shorthanded, attempting the impossible.

Chill players Richard Pickering, Odin Ortiz, Jason Foster and backstop Michael Griffiths made the decision to fight on.

After falling behind by five goals after the first period, the Chill remarkably started mounting a second period comeback, cutting into the deficit. And by the time the third period had started, the Chill had managed to pick up an alternate, Cory MacLellan. At one point in the third period, the Chill even managed to take a brief lead. But the Keane Fire, playing with no substitutes themselves, were not to be denied on this night. Led by perennial Fire sniper Kevin Haddad's 11 goals (tying him for 4th place for most goals in a game), the Fire eked out an 18-15 victory.

The victory propelled the Fire into a tie for third place with the ADC Lynx. If the season finished today, the Chill would face the Fire in a quarterfinal match-up.

In week four's Tuesday night game, the first place LAN Hackers faced the ADC Lynx in what was a highly anticipated match-up. However, the Lynx were missing several key personnel including rookie sensation Blaise MacPhee. As a result, Lynx captain made several lineup changes, including the replacement of himself in nets with alternate Kenny McCormick. Perhaps the most notable lineup change for the Lynx, was the addition of one-time Hacker Greg Foran, who was coaxed out of retirement by his close friend Bleichert. The Hackers, although also missing several players, had all of their big guns in the lineup including the new scoring leader Shawn Currie.

The game proved to be a chippy affair, with emotions running high. Currie again proved to be the go-to man for the Hackers, tallying 9 goals and adding 4 assists. Hacker John Price, still visibly hampered by a sore ankle, was still able to notch 6 points. The Lynx were unable to match the Hacker's firepower despite a valiant 6-goal, 4-assist performance from Foran. The Hackers prevailed easily 17-12, but many league insiders are predicting a closer contest when the Lynx floors their full squad.

The final game of week 4 saw the Lite-Sabres face the winless Sunnydale Slayers. Unfortunately for the Slayers, the game marked the return to the Sabres' line-up by super-sniper Steve Chiasson. Chiasson scored early and often, en-route to a record breaking 13 goals. The Slayers, much weaker after the loss of Jason Royal, were never able to convert on their scoring opportunities. When contacted in Boston, Jason had this to say about the Slayers' performance: "I'm not surprised they're losing without me. Kenzie (Royal) is only half the player I am - and that's on his best day."

The victory by the Lite-Sabres sets up next week's marquee match-up between the second place Sabres and the first place Hackers. In their first meeting of the season, the Hackers dominated the Sabres in an 11-7 victory that was not as close as the score indicates. Also playing in week 5 will be the rematch of expansion teams when the Chill face-off against the Lynx, and a battle of old rivals when the Slayers meet the Fire.