AOD DOUSES MO’S FIREHOSES

Lewis Center, OH

Your Army of Darkness looked to get back on a winning track this Sunday against Mo’s Firehoses at Chiller North in Lewis Center, Ohio.  These two teams squared off back in June, and like that game, this one was a hard-fought, physical affair, with bruises and hurt feelings on both sides.  But also like that game, the AOD walked away with two points in the standings following their 5-3 win.

Once again the offense led the way.  First on the board was winger Russ Kerscher.  Just a few minutes into the game, the fleet forward won the chase for a loose puck deep in the Firehoses’ defensive zone.  The Mo’s defender dragged him down, but Kerscher was able to chip the puck behind him before crashing into the back boards behind the net.  The puck glanced off the goalie’s skate and slithered past the goal line, giving the AOD a 1-0 lead.

Next, “Old Reliable,” Keith Allenbach, needed all of four seconds of power play time to score his first of the night, converting a too many men on the ice penalty at 3:31 left in the opener into his first goal at 3:27.  “Way to waste a perfectly good power play,” none too bright defenseman Brad Martin was heard to complain afterwards.

First line centerman Matt Thiedt opened the scoring in the second period, putting the Army up 3-0.  The Firehoses got on the board some two minutes later, but Allenbach logged his second goal of the night just nine seconds after that, maintaining the three goal differential.

Frustrations mounted for the in the final frame, with fourteen minutes in penalties logged in the third period alone.  Three roughing penalties were doled out with 10:48 left—two to Firehoses, and one to ever-protective AOD forward Ben Landis, who objected to liberties taken against his goaltender.  Allenbach was able to capitalize on the ensuing man advantage, giving himself a hat trick and his team a commanding 5-1 lead.

Tom Grusz assisted on all but one of the goals by his linemates, Allenbach and Thiedt.

“Watching those guys pass is like watching a highlight reel,” said Harry “Tiny Dancer” Gee, himself no stranger to slick passing.  “It’s almost like they plan it out ahead of time, and then just go and do exactly what they’ve choreographed.  They’re just a whole lot of fun to watch.”

With the clock counting down and a comfortable lead, observers couldn’t help but notice a let up from the AOD in the final minutes.  Indifferent defensive play led to the Firehoses’ second goal, with 5:19 left on the clock, and a third with 22 seconds left to play.

“We got a little careless in the final minutes,” said defenseman Chris Bilek.  “We can’t be sloppy in our own end with time left on the clock.  Just because we’ve got a big lead and it’s late in the game, doesn’t mean we can start thinking about heading for the bar.  You can’t get away with letting teams back in it in the playoffs, and you can’t do it now, either.”

The game also saw the return, however briefly, of Nate “The Bus” Bussey, who rejoined the lineup following a two week layoff after an errant shot broke his ankle in practice.  “A hairline fracture, and it cracked the plate I’ve already got in that ankle,” Bussey reported.  Rested and medicated, the ornery defenseman contributed an edgy double minor penalty; however, Bussey is scheduled for surgery on the ankle this Thursday, and expects to miss 3-6 months.  This correspondent wishes Nate a speedy recovery, and looks forward to having him back and better than ever.

The win gives the AOD 10 points in the session, and keeps them in second place in D-South, just one point behind next week’s opponents, the Yokos.  It’s obviously a game with enormous implications, and it’s going to be contested at 8:30 pm on Sunday, October 24, at the Chiller Easton in Columbus, Ohio.  There’s never been a better time to come and cheer for the AOD!  All CAHL games are always free and open to the public!  Join us, won’t you?  HIGH SCHOOL!

JERSEY MIKE’S SUBS “HEROES OF THE GAME”
1.  Keith Allenbach (AOD):  3G, 1A, 4pts.
2.  Tom Grusz (AOD):  3A, 3pts.
3.  Russ Kerscher (AOD):  1G, 1pt.


AOD LOSE FIRST GAME

Lewis Center, Ohio

Your Army of Darkness failed
to get revenge against the team that knocked them out of the playoffs last
session, dropping a 3-2 decision to the Rox Sunday night at the Chiller North
in Lewis Center, Ohio.  One bad shift
and a period that lasted one second too long spoiled what was otherwise a
reasonably well played game.

As usual, Keith Allenbach got
the scoring started, with a short-handed goal at the 2:31 mark of the first,
after defenseman Brad Martin was sent off for checking.  It was the second consecutive game in which
a penalty by Martin resulted in a short-handed marker for his team.  “Happy to contribute in whatever way I can,”
Martin said afterward.

For Allenbach, it marked his
ninth goal in five games, and extended a streak in which he’s scored at least
one goal in every game he’s played in the blue and green.  The lead would prove short-lived, however,
as the Rox answered with a power play goal with one second left on the clock in the first.

“I sensed a let up from the
guys on the ice at the end of the period, there,” team captain Jim Stiers
said.  “They got the puck deep in their
own zone with eight, nine seconds left, and I guess we thought they wouldn’t
have enough time to move up ice and create a play.  So, that’s exactly what we let them do, and that’s exactly what
they did.”

If the AOD would like to have
that one second back, they’d probably be happy to take the nine seconds between
5:48 and 5:39 of the second, as well. 
The Rox scored a pair of goals in that span; two goals that would spell
the difference in the contest.

It began when an errant puck
skipped over defenseman Stier’s well-placed stick, affording the Rox a lucky
breakaway opportunity upon which they capitalized.  The second goal came right off the following draw, as the Rox
took the puck straight through the AOD defenders and slipped it behind goalie
Kelly Berry, giving them a 3-1 lead. 
Tom Grusz would follow up with a goal of his own some 44 seconds later,
but that would be all the scoring on the night.

The AOD had several
opportunities to score, but the Rox’ number 1 played an outstanding game,
gloving several hard shots and giving up few rebounds.  He wasn’t the only factor in the Rox
victory, however.  Along with
exceptional goaltending, questionable officiating played a big part in the
game’s outcome.

“It wasn’t so much the calls
against us as the calls that didn’t get made the other way.  They got away with a whole lot of
(controversial plays) that didn’t get a whistle,” said Martin.  “Really obvious (controversial plays), too,
right out in open ice.  Seems like
anybody who was paying attention to the game and calling it straight wouldn’t
have missed some of the calls they missed.”

The score sheet would bear
that argument out.  It indicated four
trips to the box for the AOD, and not one for the Rox.  “This was a close, physical game, between
two teams that don’t like each other very much,” alternate captain Brian Gee
said.   “I find it a little hard to
believe they played a clean game.  Wait
a minute; I was out there.  I know they didn’t play a clean game.”

Had the AOD gotten their fair
chances to go on the attack, had the Rox been forced to defend shorthanded
after their various crimes and misdemeanors, might the outcome have been
different?  This correspondent won’t
violate his journalistic ethics by speculating.  He’ll leave it up to the reader to decide.

Whatever might have been, as
it stands now, the AOD find themselves in second place in the CAHL’s D-South
division.  Their next game is Sunday,
October 17^th against Mo’s Firehoses (1-3-1, 3 pts.), once again at
the Chiller North in Lewis Center, Ohio. 
The game is at 5:30 p.m., and free as always, so come on out and cheer
on the Ugliest Men on Earth!  High
School!

 

JERSEY MIKE’S SUBS
“HEROES” OF THE GAME

 

1.  Allenbach
(AOD):  1G, 1A, 2 pts.

2.  Bilek (AOD):  2A, 2 pts.

3.  Grusz
(AOD):  1G, 1 pt.

AOD CLIP WINTERHAWKS’ WINGS

Lewis Center, OH

“The best defense is a good
offense,” Sam Mathoslah said during the Army of Darkness’s game against the
Winterhawks Sunday night at the Chiller North in Lewis Center, Ohio.  He was joking, but the axiom proved true as
the AOD got goals from all three lines and a defenseman in their 5-2 win.

 Keith Allenbach added two
more goals to his rapidly climbing session total, giving him eight in just four
games.  Rob Fitzgerald and defenseman
Chris Bilek each had one, and Matt Oplinger, in his first game back since
sustaining a lower body injury in last session’s playoffs, added one as well.

 Fitzgerald’s tally started
the evening’s scoring at the 10:54 mark. 
That play also set the tone for the physical game that would unfold.  Upon getting a face full of elbow following
the goal, Fitzgerald finished off the play with a facewash for the
perpetrator’s uncaged mug.  “My job’s to
get in there and score,” Fitzgerald said after the game, “if you can’t stop me
from doing that, don’t take your hurt feelings out on me after the
whistle.  It’s not going to end well for
you.”

 The Winterhawks—a club new to
the D-South division but made up of several members of last session’s champs,
the Benders—scored next, and the squads entered the second period knotted at
one apiece.  That frame, however would
belong to the Ugliest Men on Earth.

 Allenbach scored his first of
the night and seventh of the campaign a mere 25 seconds after the initial drop,
and Bilek followed with a short hander a little over two minutes later after
defenseman Brad Martin was sent off for tripping.  Allenbach notched another one with just over a minute left in the
second, giving the AOD a commanding 4-1 lead as the team switched ends before
the final period.

 “Things started building up,
physically, all during that second period,” said Rookie of the Year Boomstick
Award winner Russ Kerscher.  “Nothing
especially dirty, just good hard play.  There
was a feeling on the bench going into the third that things were going to get
chippy.  We weren’t disappointed.”

 Sure enough, the play was
physical right from the start, with the Winterhawks circling up high, and then
trying to use their big bodies to muscle the puck deep into the AOD zone.  They controlled the puck for long stretches,
but the AOD defense, led by goaltender Kelly Berry, stood strong.  For all their efforts, the Winterhawks could
only manage one goal in the third, a tally rendered moot by Oplinger, who
showed no signs either of rust or discomfort in scoring with just under two
minutes to play.

 “They were a good club, and a
lot of fun to play against,” defenseman-for-the-night Britt Crum said after the
game.  “They have a good goaltender
(former AOD reservist Jimmy Ruble) and a lot of good skaters.  I expect they’ve got a few more wins in them
this session.  I wouldn’t be surprised
if we see them again.”

 The win, coupled with a
Yoko’s overtime loss in a tough 1-0 game against FRA, puts the AOD in sole
possession of first place in the D-South. 
Next up for the Boys in Blue: a shot at redemption against the team that
knocked them out of the playoffs in last session’s opening round, the Rox
(2-2-0, 4 pts).  The game will be played
on Sunday, October 10, at 6:40 p.m. at the Chiller North in Lewis Center,
Ohio.  As always, CAHL games are free
and open to the public.  See you there
to cheer on the AOD!

 

JERSEY MIKE’S “HEROES OF
THE GAME”

1.  Keith Allenbach (AOD): 
2G, 2pts., GWG

2.  Rob Fitzgerald (AOD):  1G,
1A, 2pts.

3.  Boss
Hog Cantore (Winterhawks):  1G, 1A, 2
pts.

GRITTY PLAY LIFTS AOD TO 3-0-0

(Lewis
Center, OH)

Three wins into the Fall 2010
session and your Army of Darkness hockey club is really starting to gel.  Despite the absence of three high powered
cogs in the offensive machine, the AOD notched a gritty 4-2 win over Winter
2009 champs BT3 on Sunday, September 26 at Chiller North.

With
Chris Bilek, Rob Fitzgerald, and Russ Kerscher all on ice, the AOD was facing a
tough test, but one they were up for.  A
recent arrival and two old faces in new places accounted for all of the
scoring, with newcomer Keith Allenbach notching two goals, and veteran forwards
turned defensemen Sam Mathoslah and Jim Stiers providing pop from the blueline
with a goal apiece.

Allenbach
got the scoring started with just over three minutes to play in the opening
period, helped along with an assist from Mathoslah, who later added to the lead
with a second period goal of his own to make the score 2-0.

“I’m
really having a lot of fun since the move (to defense),” Mathoslah said.  “It’s a different look from the blueline,
you get to see the whole game, watch it develop.  There’s whole new ways to make a contribution.  I’m glad I could still find a way to score.”

However,
the next two goals belonged to BT3, the last coming with just under nine minutes
to play in regulation.  Before BT3 could
complete their rally, however, goaltender Kelly Berry took control of the
ship.  Slamming his stick into the ice
one time (“Composing myself,” the netminder would say later), he settled into
his crease and refused to allow another piece of rubber past him.

His
gritty play, and the hard-nosed backchecking from the skaters in front of him
were enough to hold the BT3 attack at bay until Allenbach took the puck nearly
end to end, depositing it behind the BT3 goaltender and putting his team ahead
to stay with 6:41 left on the clock. 
Two and a half minutes later, AOD captain Stiers slipped another one by
to make the score 4-2, which proved to be the final.

The
game winner was Allenbach’s sixth goal in three games with the AOD.

“We’d
really like to see more production from Keith,” Stiers laughed after the
game.  “We’ve only gotten ten points
from his line since they joined the team,” the captain continued, referring to
Allenbach and his linemates Matt Thiedt and Tom Grusz.  “We were promised a hat trick a game, and
they’re barely averaging over two (goals). 
Let’s hope they step it up soon.”

All
kidding aside, with the victory the AOD remains in a first-place tie with last
session’s runners-up, the Yokos, at 6 points apiece.  The AOD will once again mobilize at the Chiller North on Sunday,
October 3 at 7:50 pm to take on newcomers the Winterhawks (2-1-0, 4 pts.).  Come on out and cheer the Boys in Blue!  The Chiller North is conveniently located
just off St. Rt. 23 in Delaware County, and games are always free and open to the public.

 

 

JERSEY MIKE’S SUBS
“HEROES” OF THE GAME

1. Keith Allenbach, AOD:  2 G, GWG

2. Sam Mathoslah, AOD:  1 G, 1 A

3. Bickley, BT3, 2G

CAPTAIN PROCLAIMS GROWING PAINS, YET THE TALLY STATES 2-0-0

    "Better. Much, much better," uttered the 40 year old captain of the ARMY OF DARKNESS hockey team of his performance Sunday night against a cantankerous STORM team. Jim Stiers has served as center on this AOD club for the greater part of five years as well as the team captain for the majority of those years but has found himself a journeyman recently in regards to the position and role he plays to the club. "It’s been a struggle the past session or so. Learning a new position. As well as adapting to the management of a rapidly growing club. Luckily, the club is the greatest group of guys I know and they’ve made it incredibly easy most of the time. I’m still humbled to be a part of such a wonderful thing and I hope I can continue to be a part of it for many, many years to come."

   Stiers solely squandered two goals in a matter of twenty seconds during the teams Fall 2010 opener with FRA to cut the games deficit in half. "It was the worst game I’ve played in an AOD uniform," Stiers conceded begrudgingly. "More of a mental challenge than anything. Feeling lost, out of place and steps slower than the budding talent recently brought aboard." The ARMY OF DARKNESS recently required the talents of Keith Allenbach, Tom Grusz and AOD alumnis Matt Thiedt to form a formidable line of offensive prowess. This line alone has tallied eight points in the teams first two contests. "It’s been a gift," noted the captain. "With talent like this we’ve been able to take a look at the roster at whole and make some changes on the blueline that’s going to change the dynamic of AOD hockey tremendously. I have such a tremendous respect for these guys breakout game and I can tell that the feeling on the bench is mutual. We’re all starting to feel the chemistry come together and it’s a wonderful thing."

   The club survived a lackadaisical third period during its session opener to top the FRA by a tally of 8-4. Keith Allenbach notched a hat trick in his "debut in blue" while linemate Tom Grusz finished with a goal and assist. The faithful in attendance also got their first look at forward turned defenseman Chris Bilek registering a goal and two assists on the evening. 

   "Even though we finished up 8-4 on the night and took home two points I just could not shake off the feeling of the way I had played that evening," noted Stiers. "I demand a lot of my guys and I did not live up to my own expectations on opening night. Something had to be done." Stiers and teammates Sammy Mathoslah, Brad Martin and Kelly Berry attended the camp opener of the Columbus Blue Jackets this past Saturday…and took notes. "I’m still thinking about it," informed Mathoslah, also a recent transplant to the blueline. "Fundamentals. I took a lot away from it."

   "I’m not going to say what in particular I’ve been doing wrong," laughed Stiers. "There’s not enough room in the article (laughs). Let’s just say I got the picture and it’s a work in progress. I feel a lot better about the way things went down tonight," the vet said of the second installment in the Fall 2010 session. The club hung tough against a grizzly STORM hockey team to advance in the campaign by a record of 2-0-0 with a 5-1 victory Sunday evening. Harry Gee earned a natural hat trick while wife Sarah and daughter Mina looked on proudly. Tom Grusz tallied yet another two points as the defensive unit of the ARMY OF DARKNESS began to show signs of cohesion and even flex their talents a bit. Harry Gee and Keith Allenbach both notched short handed goals during the contest while masked man Kelly Berry was nothing short of superb.

  "It’s a train picking up steam," finished Stiers. "We’re only going to pick up momentum from here. I’m looking forward to the future with this group of guys. Things are good and they’re only going to get better."

   The AOD return to Chiller North on September 26th as former D South champs BT3  look to shed a little light on the darkness. The puck drops at 6:20 PM and attendance is free.

JERSEY MIKES "HEROES" OF THE GAME
#6 TOM GRUSZ (2G, 3A, 5PTS in 1st two games!)
#7 HARRY GEE (3G, 1A, 4PTS in 1st two games!)
#10 KEITH ALLENBACH (3G in 1st two games!)

AOD READY FOR NEW SESSION

    The leaves are turning, there’s a nip in the air, and the whiff of stinky hockey bags is once again wafting on the breeze.  Autumn is coming, and with it your Army of Darkness are preparing for another session of CAHL-D South hockey action.

   Changes are afoot for the league, and for the team as well.  Defending champs the Benders have taken their rubbery ankles to the D-North division, but have been replaced by their predecessors in D-South glory, returning ’09 winter session champs BT3.  Also departing are lower tier squads the Dragons and Ohio Mayhem.  Their spots have been filled by new entries Cold Rollers I and the Winterhawks.

   The AOD roster will have a new look as well.  Smooth skating forward Jon Liba and hard-nosed garbageman Brad Cady have stepped aside, the versatile Stephen Smith has returned to his ancestral homeland of New Hampshire, and defensive mainstay Greg Dillinger has elected to take a session’s sabbatical.

However, the fall session also marks the return of erstwhile AOD playmaker Matt Thiedt, and he’s brought along a couple of friends in  Tom Gruzs and Keith Allenbach.  This corner’s sources also report that sniper Mike Garner could soon be returning from adventures in Central Asia.  Perhaps old no. 32 might lace ‘em up for a few games, as well?

The new session will also see old faces in new places.  Captain Jim Stiers and four-time defending Prettiest Player Award winner Sam Mathoslah, both of whom rose through the ranks as forwards, are transitioning permanently to the defense, while last session’s new arrival, Britt Crum, makes the jump to forward.  All three players are excited about the new opportunities.

“I played forward on my previous team (E-League’s Columbus Ice Sharks),” said Crum, “and I think I have a better feel for the offensive side of the game.  I had fun playing defense, and I was happy to do whatever the team needed me to do, but I think I’ll be able to make more of a contribution on the wing.  I’m really excited.”

This past Sunday, the AOD held their annual Boomstick Awards banquet, commemorating a year that saw the team make the transition to ice and win its first ever championship.  Held at the world-famous Kapu Cave (formerly the Crossbar) the celebration of all things AOD was a smash hit with everyone in attendance.

“This was my first Boomstick Awards,” said rookie sparkplug Rob Mutchler, “I wasn’t sure what to expect, but now I know.  I mean, I knew these guys were idiots, but I had no idea they were this stupid.  It’s good to know I ought to fit right in.”

Though the last session didn’t end the way the boys had hoped, everyone is fired up now, ready to get back into action, and eager to prove they belong on the short list of contenders in the D-South division.

“Now, we know what it takes to win at this level of competition,” said motivational guru Stiers.  “We treated the playoffs as a bit of a cakewalk last session, and got burned for it.  We’re not going to make that mistake again.  This is a team the other clubs are going to have to take seriously.”

The fall session gets underway Sunday, September 12, when the AOD takes on FRA at 5:30 pm at Chiller North in Lewis Center, Ohio.

BOOMSTICKS BRING OUT THE BEST IN AOD

    The Boomstick Awards, the annual celebration of all things AOD, were held this past Sunday, September 5, on the outdoor patio of the Kapu Cave tiki bar in Columbus, Ohio.  A good time was had by all, and several members of AOD were honored for their achievements in the past year.

The award winners were:

The HART MEMORIAL AWARD is awarded to the team’s most valuable player: Chris Bilek

The JAMES NORRIS MEMORIAL AWARD is awarded to the defense player who demonstrates the greatest all around ability in that position: Nate Bussey

The VEZINA TROPHY is awarded to the team’s best goaltender during the course of the year: Kelly Berry

The FRANK J. SELKE AWARD is awarded to the forward who best excels in the defensive aspects of the game:  Brian Gee

The MAURICE "ROCKET" RICHARD AWARD is awarded to the top goal scorer in the regular season. Voting is not open to the general public:  Chris Bilek

The CALDER AWARD is awarded to the team’s most outstanding rookie player, having played less than three sessions with the team:  Russ Kerscher

MOST IMPROVED PLAYER AWARD is awarded to the player who has most improved all aspects of their performance regardless of statistical information:  Brad Martin

The DEAN YOUNGBLOOD AWARD is presented to the "prettiest" player on the club:  Sam Mathoslah

The LADY BYNG AWARD is awarded to the player who exhibited outstanding sportsmanship & gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing:  Matt Oplinger

The SEAN AVERY AWARD is awarded to the player who most DID NOT exhibit outstanding sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct:  Bryce Meerschaert

The MIKE COMMODORE AWARD is awarded to the player with the best hair through the course of the year:  Brian Gee

The ROSTISLAV KLESLA AWARD is awarded to the player who is most often or the worst injured through the course of  the  year  Greg Dillinger

The UNSUNG HERO AWARD is awarded to the player who is a consummate team player. The "Unsung Hero" goes above and beyond forthe good of the club and selflessly serves as a role model for both his teammates and his community:  Matt Oplinger

The CONN SMYTHE AWARD is Awarded to the most valuable player for his team in the playoffs: 

Winners received fancy medals, spam burgers, and delicious mai-tais.

GET YOUR GEAR ON IN OUR TEAM SHOP!

Visit the official AOD TEAM SHOP at Cafe Press for your last chance to stock up on all your favorite gear for the back to school and fall hockey season!

A.O.D. LOSE: KNOCKED OUT OF PLAYOFFS IN OPENING ROUND

A depleted bench and an unearned sense of entitlement
conspired with a talented, hungry opponent to deprive your ARMY OF DARKNESS of
a chance to add to their championship legacy Sunday night at the Chiller North
in Lewis Center, Ohio.  THE ROX beat the
A.O.D., 5-4 in overtime, in their opening round playoff game.

 

Holes in the lineup were the story heading into the rink, as
the A.O.D.’s captain, their defensive anchor, and two valuable rookies were all
m.i.a.  But the absences of Jim Stiers,
Greg Dillinger, Russ Kerscher, and Rob Mutchler weren’t reason enough to excuse
the lazy play and “been there, don’t need to do it again” attitude that plagued
the team throughout the game.

 

THE ROX set the tone on the very first shift, weaving and
wheeling through lackadaisical defending from all five A.O.D. skaters to start
the scoring just thirty-six­ seconds
into the game.  “It seemed like every
one of us could have stopped them long before that play developed into
anything,” said defenseman Brad Martin, the last A.O.D. player to squander his
chance before the puck was in the back of the net, “but we just didn’t seem to
be in a hurry to try.  I let the
puck-carrier blow by me, around the net, next thing I know the puck’s behind the
goal line.  I got lazy and it never should
have happened.”

 

The next two goals belonged to the A.O.D.’s left wing
extraordinaire, Chris Bilek, and it seemed like things might be settling
down.  However, THE ROX immediately
returned fire, answering back just eighteen seconds after Bilek’s second.  Thus began the back-and-forth that would
characterize the rest of the game.  Rob
Fitzgerald, one of the few bright spots on a dark day for the A.O.D., put his
club back on top with 1:45 left in the second period.  Just a few seconds later, however, winger Brian Gee was sent off
after a controversial hit along the boards near the ROX bench.

 

“I was just trying to keep the momentum going,” said the
hard-charging alternate captain.  “Maybe
I went into the boards a little too hard, I don’t know.  If I’ve got a chance to win the puck, I’m
going to try to win the puck.”  Gee was
assessed a two minute minor (served by Ben Landis) and a ten minute misconduct.

 

The Rox failed to convert on Gee’s minor penalty, but
scarcely a minute later, as in the previous week, a short-handed score from THE ROX bit the A.O.D. in their collective A-S-S (the fourth shorty given up by the
A.O.D. in the last two games), tying the score at three.  A minute and a half after that, THE ROX scored again, and suddenly, a one-goal lead for the A.O.D. had transmogrified
into a one-goal deficit, with but eight minutes to play in regulation.

 

After a timeout intended to settle things down, Fitzgerald
answered the call once again, scoring a power play goal with 7:16 left to knot
the score at four.  However, the A.O.D.
were dealt a serious blow to their chances when super sniper Matt Oplinger was
struck along the boards in a play very similar to the one that netted Gee a
misconduct.  The Rox’ J. Sexton was
given a two minute minor penalty, but a punitive misconduct charge was not
forthcoming.

 

Opie gamely tried to return to the ice, but the necessary
mobility simply wasn’t there (Oplinger will likely miss 4-6 weeks with a
sprained MCL).  He returned to the
bench, hoping his mates would avenge him. 
They were unable to convert the ensuing power play, however, and the
teams entered the final minute of regulation still knotted at four.

 

Like at the beginning of the first, a total defensive
breakdown proved disastrous for the Boys in Blue, as, following a timeout, the
Rox center emerged from a confusing scene around the red line with the puck,
and nothing between him and the goal but netminder Kelly Berry.  Berry was forced to trip the puck-carrier in
order to defuse the breakaway, and was whistled on the play.

 

“It was a good penalty,” said Martin.  “K.B. had to do it.  I would have done it myself, but I’d already
gotten burned, and couldn’t catch up to the guy.  We never should have put Kelly into that position, but he did the
only thing he could to keep his team alive.”

 

The A.O.D. killed the twenty-six seconds remaining in
regulation to take the game to overtime. 
However, once there the Rox needed just 1:13 to pot the power play game
winner, to send themselves to the semi-finals and the Ugliest Men on Earth back
to the dressing room to figure out what went wrong.

 

“We had so many chances to score, and we didn’t capitalize,”
said alternate captain Harry Gee in the post-game post-mortem.  “And we gave them so many chances, too.  The difference was, they made the most of
theirs.  There were lots of times when
we needed to put them away, but we kept letting them back in it.  By the end of the game, they believed they
were the better team, and they wanted it more than we did.  That’s always going to be enough to win.”

 

After the game, Berry admitted to a sense of
complacency.  “I went into this game
over-confident because of the easy time we had of it in the (e-league) playoffs
last session,” he said.  “I think we all
did.”

 

"When you look at our record, and you look at their record, I
guess you could call this an upset,” Berry continued.  “But I don’t want to take anything away from the Rox; they are a
good team and they played better than we did. 
They won.  We lost.  That’s it. But hey, the new session starts
in three weeks, and we know what it takes to win now.   This sure as hell is a team that can win.  We’re going to be
alright.”

 

If it wasn’t the result the A.O.D. wanted, as Berry proved,
they will have the right attitude
heading into next session.  And, for the
rest of the league, that can be a very dangerous thing, indeed.

 

JERSEY MIKE’S SUBS
“HEROES” OF THE GAME

1. Rob Fitzgerald (AOD): 
2 G, 2 pts.

2. Chris Bilek (AOD): 
2 G, 2 pts.

3. #14, Bolyard (Rox):  1 G, GWG

2010 BOOMSTICK AWARDS

The BOOMSTICK AWARDS began in March of 2006. Not as competition but as a celebration of all things AOD and a recognition of outstanding efforts and contributions. Find the BOOMSTICK AWARDS link below on your left and cast your vote in the AOD 2010 Boomstick Awards! Winners to be announced at the awards ceremony August 27th, 2010!