The Northwood playoffs wrapped up this afternoon and what an afternoon. The 'Best of the Rest' game saw a 3-1 final in a closely contested battle, but nothing like the Championship game. Scoreless through 3 periods. Our overtime sees each age group get one shift and then it's sudden death after that. The eventual winners score in the second shift before sudden death. A rare penalty probably saved a goal for the winners. As the penalty was being served a goal is scored to tie the game with 3 seconds left before the man advantage ends. In the sixth period a player who I can't remember ever even having a shot scores with 17 seconds left in his shift. It was a wild scene. The lights in the Gardens dimmed in one end during the fifth period. The parents were screaming and people who were coming in for the junior game after were getting into it. We've had OT before but nothing like this. I'm just thankful that it was a clean goal, nothing to argue about. Lots of tears in the losing dressing room but all of the kids have experienced the wildest finish in Northwood history.
I was looking over the Best of the Rest trophy as this will be the end of its use, 20 years. The first winner in 1990-91 was the Beavers, the team Mike played for in his first year of hockey. I can't say I'm sorry to see that old piece of hardware retired. The damn thing is huge and a real pain to lug around or store.
1 comment:
In a 15+ year of reffing, that was is probably the craziest and most exciting game I've done. Shame that one team had to lose for that to end. I cringed every time a first-liner got a breakaway - always seemed to be a stick at his ankles ready to trip them up and force me to call the dreaded overtime penalty.
Even with a bank of lights out at the Gardens, it was still lit better than First Nations 2...
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