Game 8. Brew City Blades (A) (L)

[Due to the Scrabble-laden post of Game 7's review, this post has no Scrabble content.]

Game 8. Brew City Blades Blue

The Pettit Center, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Ah, the Petit Center, site of my home/away games when I was the net minder for The St. Pats.  I checked how the old boys were doing this season and was not too surprised that they were pretty much how I had left them, just under .500.  "Leave the campsite as you left it."  I try to follow that motto at all times.

The Pettit was abuzz with activity: kids from 1 to 92 speed skating, folks in shorts jogging on the outer ring (having paid $7 for the privilege), kids selling Krispy Kreme donuts and hot chocolate to raise money for their speed skating team, a guy shooting off the starter's gun (and clearly getting off on it) to, well, start races.  General mayhem. 

I bought a donut and went to watch the Lightning play the Brew City Blades Blue, ready to sit back and enjoy the carnage.  The Lightning had shutout the Blades 8-0 a month ago.

But I did not witness hockey carnage.  I did not witness a much-hoped for Amanita Ovechtrick (definition: 9 consecutive scores in an athletic competition).  I witnessed the unwitness-able: The Lightning were held scoreless in the first period!  Sure the team was missing Snutch, MJ, The Bearcat, and Deren, but to not score in the first period?  Unheard of!

Props should be given to the oft-beleaguered Brew City Blades goaltender, who was making some Original Six style saves. 

But the wall came crumbling down in the 2nd period.  The line of Nicole's Friend and Vito, centered by Amanita came through with two quick goals.  The first scored by the opportunistic Vito, who top-shelved a rebound from a hard shot by Nicole's Friend.  This was rise-out-of-your-seat stuff!  It was then that I decided to put down that donut and take out my video camera to hopefully get some action.   This is what I got:



Afterwards, Vito, Timbers, The Scoot, and I went to Corazon Cafe to get some Mexican grub in Riverwest, my old stomping grounds.  During the car ride over, I told Vito that she was going to get the game puck.  She protested, saying that it belonged to Nicole's Friend, who also had two goals and assisted for at least one of the other goals.  But her protests fell on ears deafened by love and desperation.  "Take the game puck, Vito!  It isn't often you get a 2-goal game." 

Puck taken.

Notes: Next Sunday, the 8-0 Lightning face the Madison Meteorites of the Red Division.  That's the top division in the WCHL.  It'll be the Lightning's first major test of the season.  Vegas currently has the puck line at a remarkable Madison Meteorites -1.5 +120 / Madison Lightning +1.5 / -130, and that's on the rumor that The Bourbon Wall is going to be in net for the Lightning.  The over/under, by the way, is 5.5.  Call your bookies!  This is going to be a hot one.