Bang, Zoom, Straight to the Moon

Here we are, one game to become a champion.  The Astros vs the Wolverines, Norm Gallant vs Jeff Snow, one of these Captains would see their name engraved on the trophy for the first time, and both wanted it to be them.

 

The Astros entered the playoffs in 4th place, a slide down from where they had been earlier in the season where they had been as high as 2nd.  The Wolverines finished in 7th, and they had spent most of the season at or near the bottom, but were surging at the right moment.  The Astros defeated the 5th and 3rd seeded teams to reach the finals, while the Wolverines road was through the 2nd and then 1st ranked teams.

 

After a season series split, this final was anyone’s game.  We started off the hop with Ryan Boucher coming down the right wing and zinging a shot just over the Wolverines goal.  Jeff Snow picked it up in the corner and chipped it off the boards to Rohan Dempsey who went up the right wing with speed, burning Justin Langille and then going in basically uncontested with Jonathan Webber blocking any passing route in the middle.  Rohan took the shot and Jared Worth made the left pad save, kicking the rebound to the corner.  The Wolverines maintained puck possession in the Astros zone and got a couple peripheral shots, nothing great, but they did draw a penalty.  Justin Langille, still singed by Rohan’s burn, took the penalty and the Wolverines were looking hopeful.

 

On the power-play the best chance came at the very end, just 14 seconds left.  Ryan Clarke took the feed in front and one timed the puck just wide of the goal.

 

Norm Gallant was feeling motivated to get his first Nomad Hockey League title and he moved into Wolverines territory with the puck, but he went all David Lacey and missed high and wide, but the Astros kept possession, and Landon Miron tried the wraparound at 12:45 of the first, but Joey Richard came over and shut that shit down with authority.  The line of Landon Miron, James Harrison, and Ryan Boucher kept coming.  This time it was Landon passing to Bouch and the Cole Harbour kid took the feed and sent it on goal, but just could not beat Ashton Speight who had clearly done his pre-game stretches.

 

The Astros zone time would end when Langille’s point shot got gloved down easily.  The Wolverines wouldn’t get a break though as Ben and Sam Ross (no relation probably, they don’t look even remotely alike), were playing the ultimate grind game.  They threw in some offensive flair too.  Ben forechecked his ass off and won the race for the puck just as he crossed the blue line, and he quickly chipped it over to Sam who was free and clear.  He deked to the backhand and Ashton Speight slid across in the full splits (see stretches referenced above) and made the big right pad save with 11:30 to go.  The chances were coming for the Astros, but they were without anything to show for it.

 

At the other end, an errant pass was sent into the air and Jamie Richard gloved it down to the left of Jared Worth.  He fanned on his first attempt at the puck then, stil with some time, he tried to wait out Worth as he came out cutting down the angle.  Jamie’s shot went off the inner elbow of Worth and up and just over the net.  Still tied at zeroes with 11:00 left to play.  The game was exciting and the nervous energy was elevating.

 

James Harrison blocked a point shot and was nearly on a breakaway but Noah Joncas recovered and kept the puck in.  On the next shift, Sam Ross found Ben at the side of the goal in what should have been an easy goal, but Ben cocked it up, the game remained scoreless, and the sleepless nights were awaiting Ben should he not find some sort of redemption.  It wouldn’t be Ben, but the Astros would find redemption just 40 seconds later, and it came from an unlikely source.  With no goals in the regular season, and none in the playoffs to that point, it was Captain Clutch, Norm Gallant himself, blocking a Mike Bourgeois clearing attempt and taking a point shot from the point.  It went into the top of the net and we knew that to that point in the game, when you talked about the scoring, it was “Everything from 88”.

 

Carter Nickerson nearly had a breakaway just after the Astros goal, but it was Big Gally making his presence felt again as he caught and then shut down Nickerson.  Then at 4:40, Jeff Snow caught a rut in front of his bench as he cleared a puck and went down awkwardly.  After a knee injury in game 1 of the playoffs, it looked like he may be done for the night, but he wasn’t feeling that energy and kept himself in and contributing, but first he needed a line change and a rest.  With him in the bench, the Astros were back in the Wolverines zone.  Josh Beaudreau stopped an errant pass and took a shot from the point which Ryan Boucher tipped from the ice to up and over the glove of Speight who had no chance.  Landon Miron was busy screening and getting high sticked in front, but the delayed penalty was nullified by the 2-0 goal.

 

With 3:34 left in the first, the Astros were starting to look like they were wearing the Wolverines down.  The white team was missing Isaac Pelley on Defense and Rowan Ayers up front, so they were not the team they could have been, and they were running just 3 D to give their lines up front some consistency.

 

With 2:20 left, the Wolverines caught a break.  A pass to a Norm Gallant at the point, took a big bounce and got past the East Coast Beast, and Josh Stevens started spinning those little legs like the Roadrunner.  He moved quickly and he got the puck at centre and no-one would catch him, and then no-one would catch his shot as he beat the glove of Worth to break the shutout and give life to the Wolverines who were looking deflated.

 

It was 2-1 heading into the second and the Wolverines were playing a more determined game.  Jamie Richard took a shot 2 minutes in that was kicked out to the left of Worth.  Andrew MacDonald was going to the right spot, but Justin Langille was there to clear the crease and prevent a game tying goal.  Like early in the first, the Wolverines then kept possession in the Astros zone, but failed to generate anything of consequence.  

 

A few minutes later, Jeff Snow fed Rohan Dempsey again and Rohan enter the Astros zone and cut across the middle.  He fanned in his first shot attempt which put Worth out of position, and as the second shot came, some space opened up between the goaltender’s legs, but he fought the shot off as the puck went under his pad and stayed there.  The Astros then nearly had a goalie/player misstep, but luckily for them, they sorted it out before the Wolverines could capitalize.

 

Ryan Boucher found the cherries were in season and was picking those things so high up that he was above the tree.  The only problem was that the gap was closed on him far too quickly and he got nothing out of it.  A minute later, Same across and Rohan collided in the Wolverines zone.  Dempsey just watched Ross bounce off of him as he exited the zone, but then he dumped it in and the Astros regained control.

 

It was the Astros game to lose at this point and they were playing to win.  Alex Murphy however, got the puck with a lot of open net looking at him and he could not beat Ashton whose legs were making beauty saves as he worked his ass off for the team, and their chances of coming back remained intact.  Though with 10 minutes left to play, they were getting anxious.

 

Penalty trouble then showed up.  After a penalty in the opening minute, none had been called until Joey Richard got a double minor for slashing with 6:28.  The 3 D for the Wolverines was now 2, just Mike Bourgeois and Noah Joncas.  Scott Stewart and Josh Stevens went back to help.  Norm Gallant tried a sneaky low shot from near the goal line, almost putting it through the five hole.  Landon would find James Harrison in front and Harrison put it off the mask of Speight.  That was the closest the Astros could come on the extended power-play as they failed to find insurance.  

 

Back to even strength, Jeff Snow shortened the bench and tried to get his team back to level.  They pulled Speight and the Astros iced the puck twice as they tried for the empty net goal.  Then the Wolverines took another penalty, and that was it, the Astros with the man advantage sealed the deal, and as the clocked ticked down to zero on the Wolverines Cinderella run, it was the Astros launching into the history books as the newest Summer Champions in the Nomad Hockey League.

 

With their brand new blue champions hats on, the trophy was presented to champion captain Norm Gallant who was thrilled to be immediately embraced by a large group of sweaty men.  It took 6 season in the league, and 2 heartbreaking finals losses, but Gallant’s name will be the next to be engraved on the trophy.  That will come in the near future.  For now, we expect Big Gally to be sleeping beside his trophy and having some cereal out of it in the morning.  Then he’s going to get his ass to the gym because champions want to stay champions, and Norm knows better than anyone that if you put in the work, you can become the person you want to be.

 

Congratulations Norm, you deserve this, enjoy it.  Congratulations to the rest of the Astros as well, you had an incredible season, and you earned this.