Return to Game Results Page

Result: Lost 1 - 3

Our second matching found us up against the first place JFC team.  This was basically the reincarnation of the young and skilled (and ROUGH!) skaters from the 2000 Season IceMen. The IceMen had split in 2001 into two teams - the lean mean JFC team and the older/steadier IceMen.  [Rumor has it that the best players rotate back and forth depending on schedule (and who's watching!)]  

JFC had beaten the Knights 4-1 during the season in what was actually a hard fought and close game.  This time the Knights promised to be ready - AND WE WERE!!!!  

The Knights came ready to play - with a full roster - no ringers - just the same Friday Knights that had been the champions in the Spring of 2000 (of course minus one very small detail - Marty Pavelich ... but we vowed to win one for Marty!). The Knights and JFC both started the game cautiously - the game was pretty much back and forth for most of the first few shifts - but Pat Granowicz decided to change all that by taking a loose puck, putting on a few moves and letting one rip! His shot found the net and the Knights were up 1-0 for the rest of the first period.  

By the second period, JFC was starting to get frustrated and were starting to play a little rough ... out of frustration a JFC defenseman teed up a high slapper from the red line a Phil quickly and easily fielded the shot with his glove hand - but as luck would have it - BAD LUCK, the puck slipped out of the glove and into the goal.  That tied it up 1-1.For the rest of the period JFC tried taking shot after shot - but Phil stood tall in response - defending the 1-1 tie.   

It was the third period that would tell the tale for the Knights - here they were, tied 1-1 with the first place team and keeping them pretty much at bay ... all it would take would be one of Benninger's hustle goals or one of Dharte's slappers or one of the Production Line's patented 3-on-2-stuffs or one of Krause's razzle-dazzles or maybe a Kinlin cannon or a Boice "trick shot" ... heck - we would've settle for one of Scotty's goalie-screened dribblers! Anything to get the lead and break the JFC spirit as it almost was in the first period.  

But that goal never came - instead JFC got two quick goals at 10:54 and 7:00 in the thired period and the Knights found themselves needing three goals in six minutes to stay alive in the playoffs.   

The game took a decided turn for the worst when strapping defenseman and all around good-guy Tommy Partain lost his tooth on a helmet to face encounter in the corner - miraculously he found the tooth and kept on playing without so much as an icepack! (Tommy's tooth gets the game star - even in the loss!). Photo's to follow!  

With Tommy showing this much heart, the Knights were inspired, dug deeper and took it to the next level - the pressure was on! JFC found themselves reeling back from wave after wave of fresh legs and rested attackers - the Knights were changing on a blistering 25-35 seconds per shift basis and were starting to get the upper hand. A JFC roughing penalty followed by a JFC hooking penalty a few seconds later and the JFC team was shorthanded AND SCRAMBLING!  JFC took it up to the next level - but were also playing extra ROUGH! Unfortuneately for them they picked the wrong team to play rough with.  The Production Line was on the power play and dominating play when at 4:11 out of utter frustration, a JFC defenseman tried to tackle Mike Macaskill and Mike didn't take it sitting down. When Mike pushed off the defenseman and went for the puck - the JFC player started swinging with frustration and a scuffle ensured ... luckily assistant coach McDonald was right on top of the play to come to Mike's defense - but did so with a little too much "gusto" for the ref's liking  and within a second or two a full brawl erupted and the gloves and the helmets were flying .... as Pete and Mike and the JFC defenseman were being assigned game misconducts - Pete thought it would be a good time to comment on the intellgience and officiating skills of the referees and what Pete thought about them - this gave Pete game misconduct number 2 ... with this new information, Pete thought it might be a sensible time to inquire about the potential male-male sexual encounters between the linesman and the entire JFC team that Pete was sure was scheduled for after the game in the JFC locker room.  Upon this line of questioning, Pete found the linesman and the referee BOTH signaling Pete to the locker room and assigning him yet another game misconduct. Pete ended up with 4 game misconducts and the game's last 4 minutes ran out with the officials trying to fit all of the penalties on the scoresheet (THEY COULDN'T!) and figure out who got which game misconducts. Not a pretty way to be eliminated from the playoff finals - but certainly colorful! Plus - the Knights learned that if they are ever ahead in a closely contested game and find them selves with their backs to the wall - they can simple start a fight to use up the last 4 or 5 minutes of  the game!  

Well - all we can say is : "Just wait until next year!" In the mean time, there's one last grudge match left with the IceMen to end the season and of course we'll have to practice extra hard from Sep-2001 thru March-2002 to come back and re-take the Troy Cup!