Tigers eat Zombies for Div. Championship

Tigers vs Cadavers
Stanley Cup Division
Summer Championship
Monday September 15th
Dedham 9:00pm

5-2 Loss

Another season, another chance to take home some hardware, and another chance to play our formidable division rival the Tigers. Last night both teams went into the Championship game with 3-0 records and a good streak of playing, and the Zombies knew they would have thier hands full. There was almost 100% attendance with only George subbing in for Matt Elliott/Kilroy (there were 14). So the Dead in Red started off with 13 on the roster but only 12 skaters to start the game.
Turns out Sully was late due to a flat tire in the Friendly's parking lot. Sully quick found a service station that had some air, pumped it up and made it to the game, just over the 1/2 way point. Kudos to Sully to keep after it and make it to the game, but by the time he took the ice the outcome was well on the way to being decided. We skated with 3 wing sets, and 2 centers until he got there.
Here was how things broke down with a full roster.
D Pairs: Campbell - George, Valenti - Pearlman
Offense 1: Sully, Parker, Reynolds
Offense 2: Roman, Jeff, Capraro
Offense 3: iJosh, Ken, Scott

This was really so similar to so many of the games we have played against the Tigers. The Red came out strong in the first period. There were lots of chances and good strong short shifts that resulted in a bunch of time being spend in the Cat's end. Pete Capraro would break the ice after he took a pass from winger Mark Reynolds that sprung him on a breakaway. Using the pattented Sega NHL '96 "The Move" Pete worked the goalie across the crease and tucked it away for the 1-0 lead with about 2 minutes left in the period. The Red stayed strong and worked hard, Lizzy threw in a couple of good stops and at the end of the first it was 1-0 good guys.

Then the Red would continue the good momentum and Kevin Parker would bury a hard work effort (unassisted) and the Red would take the dreaded, infamous, ominous 2-0 lead over team Tigre about 3 minutes into the 2nd. About a minute of playing time later Pearlman would be whistled off for a trip. The Tigers wasted no time and scored after a bang bang play to get on the board with a power play goal.
Up 2-1 but with the Tigers starting to press the Red seemed to lose much of the early momentum. A mistake in our own end popped the puck from our D to their forward right in front and the Tigers would tie the game 9 minutes into the second. The Red would further compound the problem with ANOTHER turnover in our end that put the puck right on the Tiger forward's stick and then in the net for a 3-2 lead. This one was actually another power play goal toward the end of the period when 77 had been called for a trip. To the 3rd, down 3-2.
I wish I could tell you all about a glorious comeback, about the grit and determination of Zombie Pride and a great effort in the third... but I can't. It didn't happen. Whatever the Red had in the first, they went further away from it instead of closer to it as the game went on.
The Tigers would score again right off the faceoff on Lizzy's right aobut 3 minutes into the third. That would put them up 4-2 and the Red had some serious work cut out for it. There were chances, by the scoresheet the Zombies took 9 shots (most of the game) in the third but it didn't seem like the Tiger keeper was really that challenged as time wore away. There was one more penalty (77 again) and the Tigers would put the capper home just as it expired to take the game 5-2 and win the division championship.

It was a tough night for the Dead in Red, but lets give it up for the cats. Those guys played hard all night and clearly deserved the win. Those guys are a good group and always give us a run for our money. So no summer championship for the Cads but.....

in the nightcap game the Ingwood Jacks put a hurting on the Sitniks and may have just landed the Beercan's in a rematch with the Scapegoats for the Olympic Division Championship on Thursday night. Stay tuned to blog and email for details!

Big Props go out to the guys with Jules on the jersey for "helping out" the Schlitz make it one more game!

"Mmm that IS a tastey burger..."