Halifax Floor Hockey League
Although the LAN Hackers and the Lite-Sabres both finished the 2001A regular season with identical 8-1-1 records, the Hackers were widely considered the favorite to win their 5th consecutive championship last Thursday. The Sabres had given the Hackers their only loss of the season, but it was tainted by the absence of many Hacker superstars (John Dulong, Steve Schumph, and Blaise MacPhee). Captain Dulong brought his full arsenal of talent to Thursday's final, in pursuit of his 5th straight trophy.
The Sabres, on the other hand, had been a more stable team this season, winning many close games and rarely blowing teams out. Team captain and goalie Chris McMaster planned on bringing his standard 8 forwards to the game, with the only questionable player being Scott Wilson.
Excitement was in the air during the pre-game warm-up as a record-setting attendance of 7 people came out to watch a glimpse of history. When referee Rob Sasco finally dropped the ball to the flash of a digital camera, Wilson had not yet arrived at the arena.
The first period was a cautious one as both teams felt each other out, fearful of making the first mistake. It was the upstart Sabres whose patience paid off first, as they scored the first two goals of the game, much to the delight of the pro-Sabre crowd.
To make matters worse for the Hackers, Wilson arrived, giving the Sabres two complete lines. His impact was felt shortly thereafter, as low scoring Sabres defenseman Richard MacMillan pinched in from the point, and roofed his first goal of the playoffs, giving the Sabres a 3-0 cushion.
With time winding down in the fist, the Hackers weren't ready to let the game get out of hand. Applying furious pressure on the Sabres goal, MacPhee let a bullet go from the point that McMaster could only get a sliver of. The shot hit the post, and while some argued that the first shot was in, Hacker defenseman Mark Smith whacked in the rebound to erase all doubt, and close the gap to 3-1 with 6 seconds left in the first period.
The second period continued in the same manner as the first. The Sabre' tenacity seemed to frustrate the high-flying Hackers, limiting their 2nd period scoring to a solitary John Price goal. The Sabres on the other hand, were making good use of their scoring opportunities, scoring 3 more 2nd period markers to open up a commanding 6-2 2nd intermission lead.
In the break, the Sabres were reminded of last season' final by Lynx captain Chris Bleichert -- a game in which the Hackers fought back from a two-goal deficit to win the title. It was later revealed that Bleichert had wagered one of his soon-to-be-born twins on the Sabres, unbeknownst to his pregnant wife. The tough-nosed Bleichert, who is best known for showing less respect for his own body in the hockey gym than Paul Reubens in a movie theatre, denied the accusations.
As expected, the Hackers came out flying in the third as scoring champion John Price was left alone to beat McMaster stick-side to close the gap to 6-3. Total elapsed time in the 3rd period: 30 seconds.
Fearful of a famous Hacker outburst, the Sabres plugged all defensive leaks and began using the clock to their advantage.
The Hackers pressed on, but in doing do, opened up defensive gaps that led to two more Sabres goals, giving both Wilson and Rookie of the Year Candidate Dave MacKenzie each hat-tricks.
Try as they might, even the Hackers could not rebound from the 8-3 deficit. Late markers by Smith and Chris Rafuse were academic as the Lite-Sabres upset the LAN Hackers 8-5 to claim their first ever ADCFHL championship.
McMaster was mobbed by his jubilant teammates after the game, as most of them seemed in shock at what thy had accomplished.
Sabres sparkplug Chad Griffin was thrilled despite being thwarted by goalposts for most of the evening. "I must have hit 5 goalposts out there," said the Sabres leading regular season scorer. "But I would have traded all my goals in for goalposts if it would've meant we'd win the cup," wept an emotional Griffin.
McMaster, named the game's First Star (by a formula he devised....go figure), reported suspicious network prolems when arriving at work the next morning. Network adminstrator John Dulong was unavailable for comment.
Members of the victorious Lite-Sabres will be making public appearances with the Keane Championship Cup throughout the off-season. Pictures and autographs will be available for nominal fees.
[ Chill 9 Lynx 8 ]
"Rankin's Revenge" (Coming Soon)