UPPER VALLEY HOCKEY LEAGUE

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The "WILL-DIQUES" squeak by Leafs ending win streak at 3 on Jan 9th.

Where do I begin? Let me start by saying that the Leafs deserved this win and were the better team from start to finish. Only because of Will Meyer did the Nords stand a chance, and only because of his heriocs did they win. The Leafs are a MUCH better squad compared to the start of the season, and they forechecked and caused turnovers and basically wreaked havok in the Nords end. Joe Hayes started the scoring at 9:54 for the Leafs when he tipped a high point shot downwards from Colin Vernon that Nords D Shawn McDermott had come out to block. McD was on his tip-toes (so that made him at least 4'11" by 4'11") to take the shot in the shoulder when it unexpectedly hit him in the foot and then found its way through JT, who McD risked screening to take the high shot away. Gamble lost, and the Leafs were up 1-0. There was confusion on the play as all Nords thought there was a high stick, but the refs explained post-game that the USA hockey rule was shoulder height, not crossbar level, for a deflection or tip. On the same shift, Kelly Park made up for his D partner's gaffe and netted a backhander past Lallier at 9:35 from Meyer and Mike O'Neil to ruin the momentum of the Leafs by tieing it at 1-1. Leaf winger John Thomas sped down the left wing and rifled an unassisted slapper through JT to put the Leafs back up by a goal at 8:29. Turner still doesn't know how that one got through...

Greg Marsh started the second period entries with a hooking penalty for the Nords at 12:42 when he stopped using his feet and used his stick to retaliate after mixing it up with a Leaf player in the neutral zone. Undisciplined, yes, but Marshy made up for it by tieing the game at 6:10 on a rebound he buried off a Meyer shot and O'Neil pass. This line was everything for the Nords, and with the exception of the Park goal, they combined for all other Nords points. The teams headed for the third period tied at 2-2.

Leaf captain Sean Casavant took a holding minor at 10:39 after it looked like this game was headed for overtime even this early in the third. Both teams were giong back and forth, but the Leafs were pressing and the Nords were just holding them back enough to stay in it. No goals were scored on the ensuing PP, but Casavant must have meditated in the penalty box because he charged to the net and tipped in a goal while crashing and diving in to the slot on a pass out from behind the Nords net after their captain, Tao Smith, left the ice early on a bad line change leaving Casavant free to drop in from the blueline and nobody to help in front. Casavant's goal at 7:31 from Todd Nalette and Dave Fitts put the Leafs up by one, and every Nord could feel the life being sucked out of them on Casavant's 17 second "Yeaaaaaaaaahhh!" once he realized the puck went in with his face on the ice sliding towards the Nords net. Was that it? Was it over for the Nords? I think the only person that didn't think so was Will Meyer. Even after Tom Dakai killed two minutes of a Nords potential comeback with a holding minor at 6:16, leaving only 4:16 of possible even strength time to go, did Meyer go end to end with two wingers in tow and went face-to-face with Vernon, who played it perfectly forcing Meyer outside to the left of Lallier, and then Meyer did the impossible. He let go a wicked shot that fooled lallier up high for the incredible GTG wiht 3:38 left to play. Everyone thought that this time, at least, we were headed for OT. Both teams were deserving of a point, and let the shoot out decide who would get the extra one, right? Wrong! O'Neil fed Meyer at 2:09 for the GWG and the Nords, ahem, sorry, the WILL-diques, stole one out from under the Leafs who came oh so close to a deserved 4 in a row.

However, it wasn't completely over yet. The Leafs, who had been outplaying the Nords all game with the exception of the last two scoring plays/individual efforts by Meyer, pulled their goalie for the extra attacker with just about half a minute left and called a time out. The plan was to go hard to the net and let it happen. It did. Colin Vernon went hard to the top of the Nords crease without the puck in front of JT, and D-man McDermott trailed him to limit the potential chance. Vernon went down hard with McD behind, and the whistle blew. Whaaaat? McD was nabbed for "cross-checking", but Vernon was deemed innocent for diving, european soccer playing, and carpet imitating all at once. McD must tip his hat to Vernon for the incredibly smart play. Vernon parked his toes in the top of the crease, knew McD was racing behind, stuck his rear end out backwards and went down like fat chick on a Tootsie Roll with barely a touch leaving McD looking as guilty as Kobe Bryant standing behind his victim. McD blew a gasket, probably should have had an extra two for unsportsmanlike, and Hatfield howled as his referee partner Barr escorted the protesting McD to the box. Nice play, Colin. It could have been the ruination of Meyer's comeback, but the Nords somehow killed off the 29 second 6-on-4, and O'Neil raced around forcing a Leaf turnover and got the puck out of the Nords end to save the win.

 

Team:	Time:	Type:	Player:	Details:
WHL	00:00	Goal	Hayes, Joe(1)	Assist(s): Vernon, Colin(1)
NDQ	00:00	Goal	Park, Kelly(1)	Assist(s): Meyer, Will(1) O'Neil, Michael(1)
WHL	00:00	Goal	Thomas, John(1)	Assist(s): none
NDQ	00:00	Goal	Marsh, Greg(1)	Assist(s): Meyer, Will(1) O'Neil, Michael(1)
WHL	00:00	Goal	Casavant, Sean(1)	Assist(s): Nalette, Todd(1) Fitts, Dave(1)
NDQ	00:00	Goal	Meyer, Will(1)	Assist(s): none
NDQ	00:00	Goal	Meyer, Will(1)	Assist(s): O'Neil, Michael(1)
NDQ	00:00	Penalty	Marsh, Greg(1)	2 minutes for Hooking
WHL	00:00	Penalty	Casavant, Sean(1)	2 minutes for Holding
NDQ	00:00	Penalty	Dakai, Tom(1)	2 minutes for Holding
NDQ	00:00	Penalty	McDermott, Shawn(1)	2 minutes for Cross Checking

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