Twenty-First Verse, Same as the First
The twenty-first season of Geek Hockey came to a close a couple of weeks ago, with a 4-0 Win that didn’t matter in the least.
The Geeks managed to lose their first game of the playoffs, and given the bizarre nature of the three-team play-down, the Geeks found themselves in a situation where it didn’t matter what they did in this game. Since the Geeks had a bucketload of penalty minutes this year, their goose was cooked – penalty minutes were the first tie-breaker.
So, as is usually the case, the Geeks played stellar hockey when it didn’t matter a damn bit.
The game had some interesting sub-plots. Croteau decided to put on a bit of show with some Montreal Canadien-style razzle-dazzle (which, as I write, the Habs could use a bit of – down 4-3 at the end of the second in game five – UPDATE – they are toast – maybe next year).
The Geeks had the special teams working this night as well, scoring shorthanded, and on the power play. On top of this, the Geeks were relentless in their forechecking, their historical strength. Notice I didn’t mention backchecking in that sentence.
The rookies clearly still need some seasoning – Ryan Hoy blocked a shot, with a four-nothing lead, and with under two minutes to go, when nothing mattered. Well, someday he’ll learn. Higgins even played the puck – causing some nausea among his teammates, but he managed to do it successfully nonetheless.
Steve Macleod had a bit of attitude this game, earning himself two penalties. But he was cool as a cucumber while a wild-eyed Marchand yelled at him to “Just shoot it back in!!” while Steve calmly waited for some laggard (probably Butch) to clear the zone.
As is often the case, the post-game activity was as interesting as the in-game play. Don Higgins was quick to note that he is now ahead of such veterans as Tom Finan and Scott Wilke (of ‘The Line’) in lifetime points.
There are some clear contenders for a spot on the Gut Line as well. Although gross weight (tonnage) has been the usual measure, we now have Croteau in hot pursuit based on Molson Export consumption (which can also help in the gross weight department), and Erik Parnoja trying out based on net worth. We’ll keep you up to date on developments on the former first line.
One final concern. Woolley now seems to have a WHOLE lot of spare time on his hands due to a, uh, reorg at his former place of employment. This could be good (Woolley spends a lot of time getting back into shape) or bad (Woolley spends a whole lot of time trying to micromanage the Geeks). The jury remains out….