Disbelief Fills FNHC Hearts and Minds as DarkSide Surrenders in 3rd Period

By Iron Orr on 10/20/2009

Trenton, MI - The LiteSide locker room was icily quiet as the reigning Friday Night Hockey Club champions focused on the game plan for game 2 of the 15th season of Friday night hockey. Meanwhile, the DarkSide locker room air was filled with confidence that they could get back to the top of the standings with a win.

As the teams took the ice to warm up, the DarkSide players out numbered the LiteSide 16-8. The DarkSide was out for revenge, so no one made a move to even up the teams and the LiteSide prepared themselves for a long night. Then, suddenly, with 30 seconds to go before the puck was dropped, four DarkSiders switched jerseys and evened up the teams 12 on 12.

The puck bounced off the ice, the centermen's sticks clashed and the puck was slapped into the LiteSide end. Game 2 was on! With fire in their blood and bad memories of the end of the previous season still stewing in their heads, the DarkSide stole the puck and struck first for a 1-0 lead.

Esposito and Dano stood fast between their respective pipes, stoning shooters in the crease, sweeping low slapshots aside, making blocker stops and glove saves left and right to the delight of the crowd. But halfway through the first period, the two offenses began trading goals and when the horn sounded to end the period the score stood at 9-7 with the DarkSide in front.

"It was a hellacious first period," said Esposito sweating like a whore in church during the intermission interview, "I just hope I can stem the onslaught in the 2nd period."

Both teams tightened up the defense in the 2nd stanza and it turned into a two man offensive battle. ToolTime scored on a slapshot from the slot, but before he could get back on defense Domi took the puck, shredded the LiteSide defense from one end of the ice to the other and scored on a nifty spinnerama lifting the puck over Dano's blocker.

Not to be outdone, ToolTime maneuvered deftly into the DarkSide zone, passed the puck to MailMan and went for the net. Mailman slid a pass under the outstretched stick of Vunderkindt onto ToolTime's tape and he flicked it softly between Esposito's legs. Domi scored again, then ToolTime, then Domi and ToolTime again. Two other LiteSiders joined the scoring fun and at the second intermission, the LiteSide had outscored the DarkSide 8-5 and took the lead going into the third period 15-14.

The two goal-scoring machines were around the puck so much that they finally met in a thunderous collision at the DarkSide blue line going for a loose puck. "It was nice to see Domi on his ass, wasn't it Mo?," chirped ToolTime as he returned to the bench. "It sure was," replied Mo, "especially since he was slicing and dicing us up like so much leftover Spam. But I have to say Domi gave as good as he got on that one."

In the press room during the second intermission Dano summed up the game so far. "What didn't show up on the scoreboard in the first two periods," he observed, "was the fact that we hit the post 9 times and the crossbar twice. If we would have scored half of those goals, the rout would have been on. I feel pretty good about our chances going into the final 30 minutes."

Dano's feelings rang true in the 3rd period as the LiteSide out-hustled, out-played, and outscored the DarkSide. After scoring 4 unanswered goals and expanding its lead to 19-14, the LiteSide was poised to go for the jugular and kill any possibility of a DarkSide comeback.

But before any DarkSide blood could be metaphorically spilled on the ice, the Commissioner - to the surprise of all in attendance - called out: "next goal wins!" The action stopped dead on the ice momentarily as the players looked at each other in disbelief.

Was the prospect of a larger margin of victory too much for the League and the fans to endure? Did the DarkSide really throw in the towel with 10 minutes to go in the game? Could it be!? Either way, it was a moot point as ToolTime unselfishly passed the puck up-ice to Mailman who streaked to the side of the net and dropped a pass across the crease to Pronger who unceremoniously deposited the puck behind a sprawling Esposito for the ultimate deciding goal.

"It was eerie, even ethereal the way the game ended," said the LiteSide captain, "I was still trying to fully comprehend the enormity of the DarkSide surrender, something heretofore unforeseen in 15 years of Friday night hockey at the Ice Box. But the sight of the puck sliding in slow motion through the crease in front of a wide open net brought me quickly back to my senses and I put the DarkSide out of its collective misery."