Mighty Pigs 6
Iceholes 0


The first round of the playoff round robin is underway and it was a first period that the Holes would like back. A few too many defensive breakdowns in the first left the Noir, Blanc et Rouge in a hole down 4-0. All lines tightened up defensively in the 2nd and 3rd but the hill was a bit to big to climb all the way back. Bobby P scored off a rebound in the 3rd to disappoint the Hogs fantasy of free beer and the Hogs " substitute" goalie made some key saves at the right time. Time for the Icehole's to rebound next week. 
Considering this was Superbowl weekend and a few of our players could barely stand on their skates, and with only 10 skaters. This win feels good. Mark played well when he was called upon, the forwards moved the puck nicely and the defense played well, they moved the puck up ice all night and kept the front of the net clear, as Mark had very few rebound shots to deal with. This win puts us in a tie for third place with the Mighty Pigs in the league standings.
The first shot on the first shift of the game set the tone of this game. Rob scorched a blistering shot from the slot past a hapless Pigs goaltender (Well not so much, but it sounded good). In our own end Mark was his usual stellar brick wall.(Well not so much in the first period as I think his head was still out in his truck looking for it's usual pre-game pep) But at the start of the second period all the Icehole's were playing a solid game both with the puck and without, as the game went on the Pig's reverted to their typical chippy BS, but we kept our head and stayed out of the box. Make the final, Icehole's a solid 6 and the Pigs 3.
With Mark at home tending to his Halloween maze, Ron played net for the first time this year. He did a pretty good job but I know that he wanted a few of those goals back. In the end the Icehole's had to beat two team on this night the Pigs and the Stripes. four penalties all of which were marginal at best had the Icehole's shorthanded most of the night. Final score was 4 to 4.
It just wasn't meant to be. The Iceholes played hard all game, but did not play well as a team and only managed 15 shots on net. Mark played a great game in net and did everything he could, but The Iceholes could not overcome a 2 goal differential. Then an empty net goal late in the third put a nail in this one.
Solid game by the Iceholes in this one, they wouldn't let the bigger Pigs push them around. As a result the Pigs took 5 penalties which resulted in three powerplay goals for the Iceholes. I (Lance) manage to not get any penalties for three seasons but for a goon pig that has a mental lapse and decides he needs to punch me in the head a few times. Good news is that he was tossed from the game, bad news is that somehow I received a fighting major even though I never through a punch. Next time if I'm going to get a fighting major anyway, I may as well drop the gloves and actually fight. You live and learn, but I guess I should practice my fighting skills first, oh and pick a smaller and more mentally stable opponent.
With a full roster the Icehole's played there best game of the year. From the drop of the first puck in the first, to the final whistle at the end of the third, the Iceholes out played the dirty Pigs in all aspects of the game. With the Pigs down a couple of goals in the third period they started to get chippy but Scott did his best to put an end to that crap.
This was one of those games that when you look back on, was one that you know you should have won. The Icehole's just didn't play well enough to win against a much more physical team in the Pigs, and yes they do play like pigs, they are a very dirty team. The Icehole's showed good composure in coming back from a 2 goal and a 1 goal deficit, only to come up a goal short at the final whistle. In the final few seconds of the game with the goalie pulled, but with a penalty (too many men) the Icehole's had three good scoring chances, but unfortunately were denied the tying goal. Make the final 4 o 3 for the Pigs.