- Win, lose or draw,
the ‘Bulldogs’ found out prior to Monday’s game that
they were mathematically eliminated from the playoffs.
With nothing left to lose, they were playing for pride
and a chance to double last season’s win total. In the
end, they were badly out-shot, out-hustled and just
downright out-played by the ‘.45’s,’ 6-1.
The ‘Bulldogs’ came into the game with a total of 15
skaters (all of their starters and two reserves). They
also received word that goalie Alex Martinez would be
playing with a strained ACL he suffered the night before
in a pickup game. Meanwhile the ‘.45’s’ (By far the
biggest team in the league) dressed only 11 skaters.
Having already clinched the final playoff berth, they
didn’t just show up to breeze through the final game,
they came to play.
Things began ambiguously for the ‘Dogs’. The ‘.45’s’
pressed hard against the ‘Bulldog’ defense, creating
many shot opportunities from all angles. Remarkably, the
injured Martinez stopped all of their shots. On the
other hand, the ‘Dogs’ couldn’t find the rhythm to get
anything going offensively.
Less than three minutes into the second period, the
‘Bulldogs’ scored first. Kurt Swanson snapped in a
rebound to give the ‘Dogs’ the 1-0 lead. Mike Mancuso &
Brad Cornis were credited with the assist.
Unfortunately, that goal would be the highlight of the
evening. The ‘.45’s’. scored six unanswered goals in the
remaining two periods, to finish off the hapless
‘Bulldogs’.
"Our play in that game was just like a hooker in the
Philippines" said Dan Ayotte. "Real ugly and real
sloppy." The ‘Dogs’ shouldn’t have had an excuse for
this one. They were playing a poor shooting and slower
team. "We deserved to lose that game" noted Maher Karim.
"They [the ‘.45’s’] are living proof that a team doesn’t
have to be the most talented to win. They proved it
tonight as well as throughout the season. They are a
team in sync with one another that move the puck well,
hustle, and use their size to their advantage. We could
learn a lot from a team like that!"
Martinez agreed "We just need to practice". "We have
a couple of superstars on this team, but were composed
mainly of complimentary and inexperienced players. If we
can just get some practice going, like we did before as
a roller hockey team, we would see a substantial
improvement."
The ‘Bulldogs’ complete their sophomore campaign with
a 3-11 record. Although they had a miserable season,
there were some bright spots. Their defense was good and
their ability to kill over 90% of their penalties was
outstanding. Missing the playoffs, however will be a
hard pill to swallow.
