When a team scores this many goals, you tend to depend on PointStreak to supplement your memory when recapping the game. Unfortunately for us, the start time for this game was 10:45 p.m….thus virtually ensuring a no-show in the Pointstreak database!! But this story should not be about those nine goals….nay, it should instead be about the nine players who actually showed up for this contest against the much maligned Chiefs who were well stocked with players. Our fate was seemingly sealed as soon as Dr. Egan posted earlier in the day that he would not be making the game, but that it looked like we’d have more than enough as it was, anyway. And the jinx was on!!

As the day progressed, fewer and fewer Weevils were logging on to update their status for this season-changing game. The Weevils would enter the game in 5th place out of 8 teams in the league, sitting directly below the Chiefs in the standings with only a 1 point lead in GF…a loss would cement our standing in 5th place, a win would guarantee at least a 4th place spot with a potential for a higher spot due to some of the league leaders playing against each other on this evening. As the workday ended, it looked like it was going to be a struggle to get to the coveted 11 player bench (10 skaters, 1 goalie)…..work obligations were keeping Dr. Egan and Huba from attending, internet specials on local “erotic services” were consuming much of Skatch’s time, INS officials were “interviewing” Vlad in an undisclosed location, and Weber was busy reading Dr. Spock baby books while simultaneously making Meg dinner, washing baby puke off of his leotards, baking hash brownies and Googling “How to be a better Dad while maintaining current blood alcohol content”. A late scratch by Timmy, plus the fact that he couldn’t make the game, left the Weevils with 8 skaters and Ian in net…..not necessarily the makings for a stellar night on the ice, but sometimes the planets align and collectively living well pays off.

In lieu of a period-by-period synopsis of this outstanding contest, thanks to the efforts (or lack thereof) by the Factory’s PointStreak operators, this story will celebrate the individual efforts of those 9 Weevils who came out to battle for league mediocrity on this momentous evening:

1.) Ian - Ian stood on his head once again to polish off his nemesis of a team. Ian even predicted a chippy game earlier in the day, and a full blown slide-tackle in the 2nd period by an errant Chief which had him seeing stars confirmed his premonition!! But he locked down the shut-out, concussion and all, and had us all singing his praises post-game.

2.) Pat - Like a pesky little gnat, Pat played an intricate part in this win with an unrelenting style of play which kept our opponents tired and allowed the rest of us to coast when needed.

3.) Neil - Neil played a Neil-esque game on defense and wore our opponents out from the inside…as in “internal bleeding”.

4.) Zarby - I’m sure Zarb was a scoring threat throughout the game, but without PointStreak data, I can’t substantiate such a claim. But Zarby is Zarby and that’s all that needs saying!!

5.) Char - Char put in another wonderful performance on the eve of her departure for Eastern Europe and her bid for Ms. Octoberfest 2008. Char kept their defense at bay with quick moves, silky execution and an occasional “flash of ‘da goods”.

6.) Cow - Cow showed up straight from his deathbed with, what would turn out to be, strep throat. He proclaimed early that he was only going to be a “shift-filler” on D, but put in a half-way decent performance…even scoring in the third period on a rush to the net for a tap in on a Zarby shot deflection. With that goal, Cow has now pulled ahead of almost all of the Weevil subs in scoring.

7.) Huevos - Todd played a phenominal game and pushed hard right from the start. Even with the huge score differential, Todd found something to bitch about both before and after the game…unfortunately, we all tuned him out by then.

8.) Chris Reed - Chris filled in the other defensive spot with Neil and was instumental in keeping the Chiefs at bay all game and allowing Cow to rest up as long as possible!!

9.) Diddle - Diddle played strong well into the 2nd period where he was cut down by a not-so-errant stick to the elbow. Diddle was penalized on the play for the inital “pat-on-the-back” and sent to the box, but he took the offending Chief with him on a 5-minute retaliation penalty. Diddle had to leave the game before serving his penalty with, what would turn out to be, a hairline fracture. The offending Chief was also bounced due to contributing to the injury.

With Diddle out, this left the Weevil’s with only 7 players to finish the game only halfway through the 2nd. It turned out that that was all we needed, playing the remainder of the game in honor of our downed captain.

Solid play by all who were there and an impressive win given the circumstances. Once PointStreak actually updates, we will be in 3rd place behind the Ringers and Ziggy’s due to this great win and a Vincent’s loss to the Ringer’s. We may need to think about maxing our roster at 10 players in the future given this type of short-handed, “open hockey” style playing ability.

Good job everyone…now, who’s bringing the morphine and antibiodics for the next game??