Could the Falcons get out of the First Round?

The Falcons entered the playoffs as the top team for the second year in a row, and were looking to make it to the second round this time after a crushing defeat to the 8th place Wolfpack in 2024.  Standing in their way were the Sable, and underperforming team, whose abilities far exceeded their results.  In net was Trevor Pate, the same goalie to shut down the 2024 Falcons in round 1.

It was a decent start for both teams but an early Falcons penalty sent the Sable to the power-play, and while they couldn’t score, it gave them a massive momentum swing.  The Falcons had only a few shots in the first 10 minutes, while Josh McCarther was shutting down everything sent his direction in the Falcons goal including some acrobatic saves.

It was a Sable penalty that led to our first goal.  Josh Flemming picked up a loose puck as he walked in from the point.  He sent it through a crowd and low to make it 1-0 for the Falcons.  

The game was moving quickly.  Short shifts were the name of the game, save for when the Sable would hem in the Falcons, but they resisted until Cole Stewart took a short side shot that went off the post and in with less than a minute to play in the first.  

Penalty trouble for the Falcons made it hard for them to get chances while the Sable’s assault was on.  The 5 on 3 power play was leading to chances, the best of which went to Brennan Ware in the slot with Josh McCarther down and seemingly out.  McCarther elevated and threw up the glove for a beauty save, the best one of the playoffs without question.  

Unfortunately for Josh, he wasn’t going to stop them all, and Cole Stewart did it again, this time a wrister from the ringette line through a pair of legs, went low, just off the ice.  With 12 minutes to go, the upset was looking possible.  

Jory Uhlman was taken down on a breakaway with 11:31 to play and the penalty shot call was emphatic.  Jory stepped up and made the move on Pate as he came in, moving left to right, but Pate got the left pad on it to keep his team in the lead, ready to upset.

When the game began, the Falcons had 10 players.  Kyle Ervin was running late and forgot his skates, so it was ages before he got out on the ice, and when he did, he let the team know the Kyle Lucas was also in the room, having mistaken the game for a 7:45 start instead of 7:15.  Ervin’s defensive presence was a welcome one, and Lucas’s speed and hands were immediately felt when he stepped on the ice.

With 8 minutes left, the Falcons were getting a nervous feeling.  Dustin Hall was seeing visions of 2024 in his head, so he did something he rarely does, he shortened the bench.  It had immediate effect.  Hall got the puck at the hash marks and shot the puck to the left of Pate, it went off the inside of the post and back out the other side behind Pate.  Then Joe MacDougall entered the zone and pushed through 3 checks, shooting from the slot low and just to the side of the pad of Pate for the goal.  The game was tied with 6:37 left.

There was no quit from the Sable, their chances kept coming, but Kyle Lucas got in deep and as a player tripped (was tripped?) behind the net, Lucas quickly wrapped the puck around the net and it rung around the bottom of the net like a bullet with 3:24 to go.  Many Sable players argued that the puck had not gone in, but the ref was in good position and was sure it had gone in.  The teams lined up at centre and the Falcons made their way away from danger, but the Sable turned up ice.  They got possession in the Falcons zone and threatened to score.  After a whistle, the Sable called timeout and put their best players on the ice.  Jake Rankin nearly put in a rebound, but instead he drew a penalty with 1:48 to go.  The Falcons just needed to hold out to avoid collapse.  McCarther had to make 7 more saves in those final 2 minutes.  Brennan Ware knicked the crossbar with a shot with 30 seconds left.  Kyle Ervin, wearing no jockstrap, blocked shots and cleared the puck, and the Falcons held on, in what was another incredibly exciting game.