After seeing their 20 game EAHL unbeaten streak go bye-bye last week, the Dawgs I squad got back on track Tuesday with a surprising difficult 4-3 overtime shootout victory over the 1-8 Skanks.
The Dawgs now have regained their four point lead in the league standings with an 8-1 record, after overcoming possibly the best 1-8 team ever in the Skanks, who gamely fought for the entire contest. The Dawgs were even outshot, by a 39-38 margin.
Dan Pham scored his 12th of the season, Marty Richardson put in his third, and Matt McGarvey his ninth. The Dawgs defense, except for a brief stretch in the first period, was solid all night, doing their part to seal the win.
While the game was very competitive at the start, the Dawgs jumped out to the lead about midway through the first period. Pham lifted a nice backhand shot over Skanks goalie Mark Jacobsen, and the good guys were on their way.
Richardson doubled the lead just a couple of minutes later, again with a backhand off of a shot by linemate Michael Heaton. It looked like the Dawgs were on their way to a romp.
Richardson
Not so fast...
Just a few minutes before the end of the period, Skanks forward Chris Black gathered a loose puck, and fluttered a shot around a screen, and straight for the five-hole of Dawgs goalie Al Sterner. Of course the puck squeezed through and went in the net, and the Dawgs lead was cut in half.
Right after the ensuing faceoff, Skanks forward Eric Allen got behind the Dawgs defense on a breakaway. He deked to Sterner's glove side, and lifted the puck over the ancient goalie's left pad. Sterner got a piece of the shot, but not quite enough to keep it from trickling into the goal. Now it was "game on" going to the second period.
Would have saved it ten years ago
The second period featured no scoring, but the Dawgs had a great chance to take the lead, when they had a couple of five-on-three power plays. But they couldn't get the puck past Jacobsen, who obviously was in better form than the previous week. Nobody on the Dawgs was really to blame for the two failures, and it was 2-2 going to the third.
Well, okay, one person was to blame
It stayed level until there were around five minutes left. The Dawgs were serving a penalty, and the Skanks were pressing to take the lead. Defenseman Mike Abdella got control of the puck, and sent it down the ice to take off some pressure. It was then that he realized that forwards Shaun Hollis and Matt McGarvey were already stationed at the Skanks blue line, having been there since the power play started.
Hollis and McGarvey
Hollis controlled the puck, and came in alone with McGarvey. He slid the puck over, and McGarvey somehow hit the crossbar on the empty net. Fortunately, the puck came right back down to McGarvey's stick, and he put it back in to make it 3-2.
2nd time's a charm
With less than a minute left, the Skanks pulled Jacobsen for an extra attacker, and controlled the puck in the Dawgs zone. They worked it behind the net, and then with less than 10 seconds left found Ryan Connors by himself to Sterner's right. Sterner got a tiny piece of Connors' shot, but again not enough to keep it out of the cage, and the contest was 3-3, and headed straight for a penalty shootout.
The Skanks went first in the ensuing shootout, and wasted no time taking the advantage. Their first shooter went straight for the Carlsbad Cavern that is Sterner's five-hole, and fired it right in.
Not even close...
Dan Pham was the first Dawgs shooter, and was stopped on a nice save by Jacobsen. But Sterner got a blocker on the next Skanks attempt to keep it 1-0.
If it isn't Mr. Five Hole, we're okay
Next, Dawgs defenseman Mike Abdella skated in, put a terrific move on Jacobsen, but somehow missed a gaping net. Still 1-0.
Not enough net, I guess...
The next Skanks shooter lost control of the puck, and Sterner managed to close his legs in time to keep the slow roller out. Next for the Dawgs: EAHL leading scorer Shaun Hollis.
Hollis took a different path to the crease, coming in from the left side. When he crossed in front of goal, it caused Jacobsen to open his legs up maybe a little too much. Hollis easily deposited the puck through the gap, and it was level at one.
Now that there's a five hole
The fourth Skanks attacker was Eric Allen, who had beaten Sterner earlier on the breakaway. Allen made the same deke move to Sterner's glove side as earlier, but this time Sterner stretched all 17 inches of his left leg, and kept the puck out. He strained a testicle, but at his age he doesn't use them anymore. It was still 1-1.
"Ow, my nut..."
Now Dawgs captain and reformed human vacuum Marty Richardson had a choice to make. Who would take the all-important fourth shot; the one that could give his team a huge advantage in the shootout?
He asked the entire Dawgs team for advice, and the answer was unanimous:
Not Matt McGarvey.
Uh...no
So Richardson turned to French-Canadian import Bernie Levesque, who was on the bench taping a white towel to his stick for reasons unknown. He stopped what he was doing long enough to put another great move on Jacobsen, and backhand the puck into the corner to give his team the lead, 2-1.
"Et, le but! Le but!"
The last Skanks shooter saved Sterner the opportunity to choke like he was eating a dick sandwich, when the puck rolled off his stick when he tried to go to his backhand. The Dawgs had their hard-fought win, and another valuable two points.
It gets no easier for the Dawgs this week, when they face off against the Sublixators, who are currently leading the EAHL in most goals scored, and least goals given up. Game time in 9:20.
In other Dawgs news:
Fresh off his big shootout victory, this week goalie Al Sterner signed a contract to be the new spokesman for Michelin Tires.
Do these pads make me look fat?
Dawgs captain Marty Richardson signed a huge deal this week to star in a remake of a popular 70's film:
Dawgs forward Dan Pham celebrated a little too hard after the win this week, and wasn't quite ready for the Xerox promotional photo shoot on Wednesday morning.
"Dammit, smile, Daniel! Aw, fuck it..."
Seeing police after the game, defenseman Rick Zimmat looks for a place to stash his giant bag of weed.
Marty Richardson's wife Cindy gets the reaction she was hoping for after an undisclosed surgical procedure:
