Okay, the above statement is more of a paraphrase than a direct quote, but that was the message to the boys after Saturday's
less-than-stellar practice. In fact, all week long the team has been rather unfocused both on and off the ice. Would the threat
of running around the parking lot with all of their equipment on help get their minds back on hockey? Let's find out.
Sunday
morning the Ventura Mariners Bantam Killer Bees took on the San Diego Jr. Gulls. The 9:00am start time seemed liked the late
afternoon compared to our other ice slots. From the beginning it was clear our boys came to play. They jumped all over the
Jr. Gulls. The second line set the tone with a monster first shift. They kept San Diego hemmed in their zone for nearly two
minutes generating quality chance after chance. Taking feeds from Niko Utash, both Tyler Serianne and Killian Anderson pummeled
the goal with rubber. Killian had a few great shots that defied the laws of physics to stay out of the net. The third line
also put on the pressure. Led by Shawn Wentzel's hitting and EJ Frank's hustle, Josh Donovan was able to attack the net frequently.
Something
weird was going on though. The Mariners were doing everything right, but the puck wouldn't go in the net. The first line finally
struck with what could best be described as a pinball play. The puck bounced around between the forwards several times and
then AJ Zavitz slipped it under the goalie. Whether it was deliberate or not is up to debate, but it sure looked cool. The
boys would continue to attack, but the Gull's netminder was a tough nut to crack. Hey look I made another rhyme.
On
the defensive side of things, the Mariners were rock solid. Brad Kreigel had his best game yet, scrapping in the corners and
clearing out the crease. Patrick Gibson made some great poke-checks and timely hits. Bruisers Zach Marshall and Tom Dobrokhot
let the Gulls know they should always skate with heads up. Tom got the hit of the game when he rearranged a kid near the boards.
The defense also contributed offensively. Blake Burlew snuck in on several occasions giving the team a forth prong of attack.
The aforementioned Mr. Kriegel surprised us all with his lethal slap shots. Even Tom managed some credible shots from the
blue line.
On the rare occasions that the Jr. Gulls broke through, new addition Timor Katsnelson
was there to make the stop. In his first SCAHA start ever, the Mariners goalie performed beyond our expectations. He had a
magical toe save in the first period that pumped the whole team up. The puck came in and he stopped it, but the traffic in
front caused it to go to the side. A Gulls player grabbed the loose puck and had a wide open net to shoot on. In a stretch
that actually made me grimace, Timur thrust his left pad over and just got enough of the puck to send it wide.
In
the early stages of the second period, the Mariners surrendered a goal just as a penalty expired. It was unfortunate, but
there was no panic. The boys were in control of the game and they kept pressing. As the period wore on it became apparent
that they weren't facing an ordinary goalie. The kid from San Diego was in possession of some otherworldly goaltending powers.
If our boys went high, the glove got it. If they went low the butterfly took it away. If they had traffic in front, the goalie
was always in perfect position. If they passed across he was already at the other post waiting. I don't know if the boys were
getting frustrated, but wow, that goalie was good.
Midway through the third period the Gulls capitalized
on a turnover and actually took the lead. Was it time to panic? Yeah, maybe a little bit. They cranked up the attack, but
it was the same old story: shot, save, shot, save... With less than two minutes left in the game it really looked like the
Mariners were going to suffer their first defeat of the season. Then Conrado Gesauldi pulled another miracle out of his bag
of tricks. The top line was swarming the net. Brian Zacchia ripped a nice shot that resulted in a meaty rebound. Conrado was
in the right place and put it back on net. It looked to me like he partially fanned on the shot and the "change-up" took the
Gull's goalie by surprise. The puck rolled under the pads and settled in the back of the net. The Mariners got the equalizer
and would finish with a 2-2 tie.
Again, this was kind of a weird game. The Mariners dominated zone
possession. They had the lion's share of shots and chances. They were the better team, yet came off the ice with only one
point. How is this possible? Well, for one the other team's goalie was superb. Also, much like the game against the Jr. Kings,
they collapsed all five guys in front of the net. There wasn't anything to shoot at. The pucks weren't making it through.
The boys did everything they were supposed to do. They set up and executed the way they had been taught. There was no lack
of effort. I'm proud of the way they played. Hey, sometimes these things happen. They say a tie is like kissing your sister.
I've never really understood this phrase. I imagine in West Virginia they don't consider this to be a bad thing.
As
we walked off the ice, Coach Sergey had a little smirk on his face. He had threatened the team with full gear drylands for
the rest of the year if they lost, but the boys pulled out a tie. He thought it was funny that they had just barely avoided
that fate.
Shout Out
I understand the Killer Bees fan base has expanded to the Sunshine
State. I'd like to give a big Mariners "howdy" to Patrick's Grandma in Florida.
Triple A
For
those of you that are interested, Devin and I are starting a roadside assistance program. For just $14.95 a month we will
provide jumps, tows and tire changing. We accept cash or credit, but prefer to be paid in 12-packs.
