Franchise Hockey 3 Gilroy 1
To win a closely-contested struggle with Gilroy, which snapped their nine-game winning streak, it took everything a shortened Franchise bench had left. Early in the first period, it seemed Gilroy had a clear advantage. Outskating and out-stickhandling the Franchise, Gilroy was kept off the board only by several huge saves by Stanzler. Stanzler denied Gilroy's top players time and time again.
The Franchise's stellar goaltending would pay off as King stole a puck in front of the Gilroy net. After taking several swipes, King finally deposited his new Franchise record twenty-third goal of the season.
Franchise Hockey settled in to what would be an epic battle late in the first period. It began to generate offensive pressure, and the defensive pairing of Ragoobeer and Rowland continually frustrated the dynamic Gilroy forwards. Playing on the run, Capelle gave the Franchise a 2-0 lead midway late in the second period. Capelle found room to beat the Gilroy goaltending with a quick wristshot top-shelf.
Before the end of the second, a long slapshot deflected past Stanzler to cut the lead to 2-1. In a hard-fought third period, the Franchise managed to keep its defensive lockdown in place. With Stanzler at his strongest, the Franchise kept Gilroy at bay. Midway through the third, Capelle made the score 3-1 with another wristshot from the high slot. As his teammates mobbed Capelle, Gilroy began to lose its composure.
With precious time ticking off the clock, Gilroy's best player took a penalty with three minutes remaining. The powerplay sealed the deal for the Franchise, as Gilroy was never able to generate a comeback.
And as the clock hit zero and the team embraced in front of its net, an incredible dream had become reality. In the final game for its seniors Rowland, Capelle, Kris Anderson and Brian Reich, Franchise Hockey won its first Rollin' Ice championship with a courageous victory over top-seeded Gilroy. In knocking off the number-one seed and shocking the hockey world with a three-game championship, Franchise Hockey completed its journey- from the top of the YMCA League, to the bottom of Rollin' Ice, all the way back up to a championship.
Box Score:
1st Period:
King 23 (M. Rowland)
2nd Period:
Capelle 19 (Anderson, M. Rowland)
3rd Period:
Capelle 20 (Anderson, M. Rowland)
Goaltending:
Stanzler 9-2 (1 GA)