Franchise Hockey 6 Pioneer 5
Gilroy 6 Franchise Hockey 4
Playing without Myles Rowland, Brian Reich, Ray Cleverly and Robby Merk for both games, Franchise Hockey barely fielded a team for its doubleheader. However, it jumped out to a 2-0 lead early against Pioneer, a team the Franchise had lost to in all three prior meeting. Pioneer came back to tie the game at two, but King scored his second of the game in the second period. Taking a breakaway feed from Sheraj Ragoobeer, who finished with a combined seven points over both games, King deked the goalie and was hooked from behind. While falling to the ground, he lifted a backhand shot top-shelf and went head-over-heels on a memorable finish.
Pioneer tied the game, but Josh Capelle, who scored three goals and added five assists over both games, put the Franchise back in the lead with a quick wristshot.
Then, things got crazy. Entering the last two minutes of play, Franchise Hockey had a 4-3 lead. However, the team took a bench minor for too-many-men. Seconds after the Pioneer power play began, Cam Rowland deflected a puck in the air past Mikey Stanzler and into his own net. Off the faceoff, King marched down and scored his hat trick goal on a wristshot top-shelf.
Rowland and the Franchise celebrated, but the team was fishing a puck out of its net seconds later on a long wristshot that trickled past Stanzler. Having given up the lead twice, King put the Franchise ahead for good with fifteen seconds remaining. He drove down the right side, cut to the middle, and powered home his fourth of the game.
The team was free to celebrate this time, as the Franchise was ecstatic to win its first tight game. A clearly outmanned squad, that lost Chris Cornelius for the second game, did not fare so well in the Gilroy game.
Ragoobeer scored his first tally of the year to pull the team to within two. Unfortunately, a Gilroy team with a full bench was too much for the Franchise to handle. In a losing cause, Capelle scored twice, while King added one more.
With a 3-1 record, Franchise Hockey will head into a bye-week on a high note. Unfortunately, Coach David King and Stanzler will not be available for the team's May 12 game against Sobrato.
Box Scores:
Game 3:
1st Period:
King 6 (Capelle, Ragoobeer)
Anderson 3 (King, Capelle)
2nd Period:
King 7 (Ragoobeer, C. Rowland)
3rd Period:
Capelle 1 (Anderson, Ragoobeer)
King 8 (Capelle, C. Rowland)
King 9 (Capelle, Ragoobeer)
Goaltending:
Stanzler 2-0 (5 GA)
Game 4:
1st Period:
Capelle 2 (King, Ragoobeer)
King 10 (C. Rowland, Anderson)
3rd Period:
Capelle 3 (Anderson, Ragoobeer)
Ragoobeer 1 (C. Rowland, Capelle)
Goaltending:
Stanzler 2-1 (6 GA)
Captain's Thoughts:
People ask me why I have so many gray hairs. It's probably times just like the final minute of that Pioneer game that age me. What a stressful sequence.
You had Cam putting a puck into his own net. Then, our quick response and untimely celebration. Then, a defensive lapse that tied the score again. And then, our answer.
It was a gutsy effort from everyone on the roster, without a doubt. If anything, we can learn a happy lesson from that final ninety seconds. Happy because it didn't end up costing us.
As for that loss to Gilroy that broke up our three-game winning streak, I was actually probably more proud of our effort in that game than our effort in the first. We learned that the teams in Division 4B can play. They can really friggin' play.
But you know what? So can we.
See you at practice.-
Your Captain
#37