Over the past three seasons, the Buffalo Sabres have implemented a variable pricing formula for single ticket sales, assigning a “gold”, “silver”, “bronze” and “value” designation to each of the games on the schedule, depending on night of the week and the quality of the opponent, among other factors.

For the casual buyer, the difference between a gold game and a value game can be substantial… for example, in our 100 level II seats in section 114, in ‘07-’08 a value ticket went for $48, while a gold ticket fetched a hefty $161.

Last season eight games earned the “gold” designation, and early on the Sabres got bit in the ass, as a weeknight game in October against Toronto fell 400 patrons short of a sellout. I remember Kevin Sylvester making this remark to me in the media room after the morning skate that day - “Well I guess we’re finding out what our price breaking point is”.

I kinda sorta agree with Bfloblog and Kevin’s take on the schedule, which isn’t all that inspiring. Back in the 70s and early 80s, Sunday nights was a big thing on the Sabres schedule, and I remember doing the Bills/Sabres doubleheader on a couple occasions. But Sundays really isn’t a busy night in the NHL anymore, and the Sabres have gone to Friday nights as their marquee nights out.

So anyways, here is the Sabres schedule, and here are my picks. I also invited Pete to make his selection, which appear here as well, and we will have one of our “soda bets” to see who nailed this one, once the Sabs release their single ticket information.

Who do you think will win? Chime in if you wish, unless you’re Matt Pearl. We don’t need Matt to muddy the waters around here, seeing he took exception to MY commentary on the “hallowed” Anchorman’s challenge.

Andrew’s gold games:
Fri Oct 10 - Montreal
Fri Nov 28 - Pittsburgh
Fri Dec 12 - Toronto
Fri Jan 9 - NY Rangers
Wed Feb 4 - Toronto
Fri Mar 20 - Philadelphia
Fri Mar 27 - Toronto
Andrew’s sure fire value game - Mon Dec 1 - Nashville

Peter’s gold games
Fri Oct 10 - Montreal
Fri Nov 28 - Pittsburgh
Fri Dec 12 - Toronto
Fri Jan 9 - Rangers
Wed Feb 4- Toronto
Fri Feb 6 - Montreal
Fri Mar 27 - Toronto
Peter’s sure fire value game - Thu Oct 30 - Tampa Bay

-Andrew Kulyk

So says the club today, as they announced that 97% of their season ticket base has re-upped for the 2008-09 season.

500 tickets will be made available to the season ticket waiting list, which at this point is at about 1000 names requesting 2500 seats. It will be interesting to see how much of that list the Sabres will burn through to reach their maximum threshold of season tickets.

If the Sabres hold true to their single ticket pricing matrix of the past two years, then Sabres season tickets will remain a big big bargain.

The team also announced that their 2008-09 schedule will be released at 12 noon on Thursday (although we will get a sneak peek at some of the games today.) We are setting our sights on some USRT adventures, so we will be pouncing on the data as soon as it is out!

It’s coming down.

For old farts like me, the site of one of my childhood’s biggest heartbreaks - watching The Dead Fat Woman lumber out on the ice to croak out her song, then seeing her ‘Bullies roll over my beloved Buffalo Sabres in the ‘75 Cup Finals.

The Flyers organization, primarily through their AHL affiliate Philadelphia Phantoms, will have a season long celebration commemorating this building and its rich history. A possible regular season Flyers and 76ers game in the old venue is one of the ideas under consideration.

Here is a web site outlining all the plans for the final season, and even a place for fans to post their good thoughts and memories.

I’ll be nice and hold my tongue.

-Andrew Kulyk

Driving through downtown Hartford on the way to New Britain, we decided to check out the Hartford Civic Center XL Center, a former NHL venue which once was home to the Hartford Whalers, and is now the home for the AHL Hartford Wolf Pack as well as the UConn Huskies.

When we visited here in 2005, the adjacent shopping mall was being demolished, to be replaced by a “mixed use” development of retail and a high rise condominium. The whole street and facade was one big construction mess.

Well, it’s all done, and the place looks pretty nice, although still lots of leasable space available for retail use. Inside the main lobby is a nice pictorial tribute to Hartford Hockey. We took a few snaps to share, and then continued on towards New Britain Stadium for a 1:35 PM start.

The Celtics had everything go their way in Game 2. Officiating was somewhat one sided if you believe the free throw shooting stats(38-10). Paul Pierce played on his (allegedly) injured knee and scored 28 points. And a huge off the bench contribution from Leon Powe helped mightily in stretching a late nine point third quarter lead to an early fourth quarter gap of twenty four.

Powe provided for Boston what any club needs to win a title….a big contribution from a player not expected to be in such a situation to assist a club’s big guns(big 3 in Boston’s case) and provide ample rest for them that will keep them fresh as the series goes on. Powe’s burst of 21 points on this night seemed to be the boost that would allow Boston to coast to an easy Game 2 win.

But it didn’t.

It simply set the stage for the best player in the league to stage a Laker comeback which fell just a bucket or so short of becoming lodged in the annals of history. Kobe chipped in eleven points and the Lakers knocked down four three pointers in cutting a twenty four point lead with eight minutes to go down to just two with under fourty seconds left.

Later with the Lake Show down four, the disappointing Sasha Vujacic launched a lame three that missed badly and sealed a 2-0 series lead for Boston as the teams head west for the next three games. (Yep, they change the travel format for the finals only, time to ditch this I say.)

Only three times has a club trailed 2-0 in the Finals and rallied to win, last being the ‘06 Heat(fluke, just sayin’). And that Miami team is the only home club to win the three middle games(3,4,5) since the NBA went to the 2-3-2 format in the early 80’s. Not that I want to crown the Celtics now, but history shows that it’s not looking good for LA right now.

But I will say this now, LA will bring it back to Boston. Time will tell if there will be one or two games there.

Other random thoughts on my mind(hoops related or otherwise)…I really bitched out the Celtics pyrotechnic crew for their lame pre game video. The fine folks of ESPN/ABC are at the opposite end of the spectrum with their goose bump/spine tingling/near tear jerking intro to the Finals. Major goose bump moments when hearing the voices of the late Chick Hearn and Johnny Most.

Dominik Hasek retired??? Should we start a pool to see when he changes his mind? And added bonus for what team he suits up for?

Seriously though, this was the greatest player to wear a Sabres jersey(Note: I didn’t say greatest player that was also very exciting to watch - #11 fans). Only player in franchise history EVER to win an Hart Trophy/MVP, not to mention several Vezina Trophies. The man was the biggest reason that the Sabres were a consistent postseason team and Cup contender.

And the fact that he did this during an era of severe league financial instability in which teams like Buffalo had no real chance to bring in any real assets to assist them in competition only adds to his legacy.

Hopefully the bad blood between Hasek and the Sabres and fans will dissipate soon(It’s. Been. SEVEN. #@$%ing. years.) so that he can have his rightful spot in the HSBC rafters with the French Connection, Patty La La, McAdoo(hey, he’s in MY HSBC rafters) et al.

Bills are over 52K in season ticket sales?? Two thoughts:

1. Yuck Fou Toronto.
2. Nice to see that people picked up on my idea. Just sayin’.

The Belmont - the most predictable two minutes in sports. Boy did we get suckered in to thinking we’d actually see a Triple Crown winner. Frank Robinson and Carl Yastrzemski are probably sipping champagne to celebrate the moment.

-Peter Farrell

The Buffalo Sabres held a press conference this afternoon to introduce the newest addition to their stable of young guns - and it was none other than South Buffalo’s own Tim Kennedy, who signed a two year entry level contract with the team, after completing his junior year with the Michigan State Spartans. The 22 year old Kennedy was originally drafted by the Washington Capitals in 2005, but his rights were then obtained by the Sabres via trade that same day.

Kennedy grew up a Sabres fan, admitting that his favorite player that he wished to emulate was Detroit’s Steve Yzerman. But from the Sabres? “Around here it was hard not to like (Alexander) Mogilny and Pat Lafontaine.”

Ask where he would fit in on the team, Kennedy replied, “I like to think I’m an all around player. I can score if I need to. I can be a 3rd or 4th line player. I will do whatever it takes.” Kennedy can play center or left wing.

Recalling draft day in 2005, Kennedy thought that his friends were playing a practical joke on him when he first learned that his rights were acquired by the Buffalo Sabres. “But then a person who works for the Sabres called me to tell me it really happened. Then a half hour later I get a call from Mr. Regier and he confirmed that I had been traded and I thought it was awesome.”

General Manager Darcy Regier seemed very pleased with the work accomplished in the past month. “We’re very excited. Tim, Nathan Gerbe and Dennis Persson. It’s a nice crew that will fit together very nicely here.” Talking about the upcoming training camp, Regier responded, “I think it will be very interesting. These are good players. They will push our forwards. We have a lot of forwards. So I think that we’ll have some decisions to make and they will be good decisions.”

Regier stated that Persson will remain in the Swedish Elite League this coming season before coming to North America, as will Philippe Gogulla, who participated in last year’s training camp. Regier also revealed that an announcement regarding the Sabres’ American Hockey League affiliate will be forthcoming. “We’re moving closer to announcement. I don’t have an exact date” said Regier. “It won’t be weeks away, it will be days away probably.”

We have been trying for years to schedule a trip to see Le Colisee in Quebec City, a former NHL venue which was once home to the Quebec Nordiques. The QMJHL Quebec Remparts now play there, and since we’re doing the Grey Cup in Montreal this November, what better a time to finally tie in that visit.

The Q posted their 2008-09 regular season schedule today, and the frikkin’ Remparts are on the road both on Friday and Saturday that weekend. Their home date? SUNDAY, at the same time the Grey Cup is on, no less!

So as far as our ongoing tour of QMJHL venues, we’re not going to let this trip be a total loss… Friday night we will catch Montreal’s newest Q team, which is relocating from St. John’s, Newfoundland. They will be playing at Verdun Auditorium, which is a short subway ride from our hotel. (Betcha Kevin Jordan hasn’t been there yet we might actually beat him to a CHL rink!)

On Saturday we will take the 60 mile ride out to Drummondville to see the Votigeurs. It’s an afternoon game too so that will get us back to Montreal in plenty of time to check out the party/drinking scene on Rue Ste. Catherine on the eve of the Grey Cup.

And who will be the road team for both those games? Yep the Quebec Remparts! The cruelest of ironies.

UPDATE The 2008-09 schedule might not have been formally released after all. That link above now references last year’s schedule, and the tab for next year is gone from the Q web site. But I DID SEE IT. I am not crazy.

-Andrew Kulyk

It is official! The Spokane Chiefs beat the Kitchener Rangers 4-1 this afternoon at the Kitchener Aud, host venue for this year’s Memorial Cup. The Chiefs were a perfect 4-0 in Kitchener during the tournament, and now can claim supremacy in all of CHL junior hockey.

So shouldn’t we be dancing in the streets and showing the red-white-and-blue pride? Is this not a great day for America? Americans baby!! The Memorial Cup comes south of the 49th parallel… as it should be! U.S.A.! U.S.A.!

I am, of course, being silly here. But as much as I love Canada and Canadians, I always snicker how they carry on about their hockey teams… burying loonies in the ice at the Salt Lake City Olympics, fans from just across the Peace Bridge coming to our arena and cheering for every Canadian based team who opposes the Sabres. Aren’t suicide hotlines across Canada still ringing after the Canadians crapped in their hat and lost to the Russians in Quebec City earlier this month?

Right after accepting the Memorial Cup trophy, Chiefs captain Chris Bruton dropped the Cup, and it broke into two pieces, eliciting gasps from the crowd who stayed to watch the ceremony. The players didn’t miss a beat, and skated around with both pieces. Absolutely hilarious!

-Andrew Kulyk

I just caught this article out of New York about some logistical problems holding up a potential “Ice Bowl” sequel at Yankee Stadium.

The last paragraph just floors me: “There’s some concern that there would be water damage to the Stadium if the pipes burst, with use in the winter,” Trost said. “But we don’t believe that’s a legitimate danger.”

Ummm…..the joint is being blown up shortly thereafter…does it really matter if pipes burst and such???

Chicago’s Wrigley Field(or Stadium if your name is Jeff Gordon) is the alternate site if things don’t come off in New York.

-Peter Farrell

Critics panned the design for the Pittsburgh Penguins’ new arena, now under construction in downtown Pittsburgh, as “too cold and uninviting”. So the team and their architects, HOK Sport, came back with a revised exterior look which will feature a more inviting, brightly lit exterior. The plans received approval from the Pittsburgh City Planning Commission this week.

The arena is scheduled to open for the 2010-11 season.

Here are some renderings of the new design -

I’ve got to admit that I was really entertained watching Channel 2 sports reporter Matt Pearl and Niagara Gazette Sports Editor Tim Schmitt go at it making their picks and prognostications for the first round of the NHL playoffs.

It wasn’t so much what actual picks they made, but the witty sarcasm and trash talk that surrounded this epic battle.

Schmitt:

(In best Cosell) “Down goes Pearl!”

Pearl:

Now I refuse to be bullied by a man whose profile photo shows him leaning against an imaginary chair.

Funny stuff!

Round 1 is in the books, and looks like Matt is the clear winner. Which I knew was gonna happen… “Sens in 6″… sorry Tim but what were you thinking?!

Now the boys move on to Round 2 and have posted their picks just in time for play to begin tonight. Here are Matt’s picks. Read on then, because Tim makes his selections here. Sprinkled in are a good dose of snarky comments, and they are clearly in disagreement over the eventual winners.

Good luck guys!

Oshawa’s General Motors Centre is a great new addition to their gritty but improving downtown

For part 2 of our Sunday roadie, we visited Oshawa for game 3 of the playoff series pitting the Niagara Ice Dogs and homestanding Oshawa Generals.

Oshawa’s got a brand new venue in General Motors Pla….errr..Centre. There was probably a time when Oshawa was a separate city that was kind of “out there” but no more, as Toronto’s white hot growth and sprawl has just about enveloped this community 30 miles or so to the east of Metro. Their downtown is a bit rough around the edges, but clean and things are looking on the upswing as far as renewal and development, with the new hockey venue a centerpiece of it all.

We would call the arena nice digs, your basic prototype, modern OHL venue with about six thou in seating and a single concourse above the seating bowl. A two level restaurant with panoramic views spans one entire side of the sidelines, with a press gondola perched above that. Another “Canadian Thing” is the mammoth signs on each wall of the seating bowl displaying the side of the street you’re on. Kind of cool actually.

The Gennies won 4-1 to take a 2 game to 1 lead in their best of 7 quarterfinals series, and as a result the fans got free fries from Mickey D’s (for four goals).

We have to mention the great Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame in the building, with much of the memorabilia donated by former players and members of the community. Lotsa cool stuff, we spent almost 45 minutes doing the tour.

We got reintroduced to poutine, good stuff but could have been put in the nuker for thirty more seconds to melt the cheese. The rest of the concessions fare offers the typical ballpark dreck, although the Pizza Pizza and the cheese steaks looked pretty decent.

This team is one of the flagship franchises in the OHL, with a long history and plenty of tradition. Lindros and Orr played here, team won seven OHL titles in the WWII years, and the banners for this and the four Memorial Cups that they’ve won all hang proudly.

Three years ago we got to see Sidney Crosby play with the Rimouski Oceanic when we did the roadie to Lewiston, ME, and we knew right then and there watching him play that Crosby was the real deal. The same can be said of future #1 NHL pick John Tavares of Oshawa; he does it all - kill penalties, hit, skate, always two steps ahead of everyone else. Tonight he had two assists in the win.

So that about covers our cool one day USRT to the North - a perfect sundrenched Sunday in Canada; some great baseball and intense hockey; checking out the sights of awesome Toronto. We wrapped up the ride home by stopping into a local Pizza Pizza in Oshawa and redeeming our ticket stubs from earlier in the day for a free slice, thanks to the Jays striking out 7 Bosox hitters.

That’s what we call the Toronto gastronomic trifecta - Shopsy’s dog, Poutine and Pizza Pizza. Ain’t life great!

The Oshawa Sports Hall of Fame and Museum is a MUST visit, located right off the main concourse

For a smaller arena, this place has a real “big league” feel and atmosphere

After pigging out on college hoops and practice baseball this past week and more, what a refreshing switch to get back to some hockey. Today the Ultimate Sports Road Trip rolled into Norfolk, Virginia, and a visit to the Norfolk Scope, home of the American Hockey League Norfolk Admirals.

First of all here’s the skinny on Norfolk - this is one clean, gleaming and beautiful city. The downtown core has plenty of shiny office towers, a massive shopping mall in the center of it all, historical buildings and old homes lovingly restored into museums, a nice waterfront with hotels and attractions, Harbor Park, a nifty minor league venue that’s home to the AAA Tides. And on the north side of downtown sits the Norfolk Scope, a 70s era venue with about 9000 seats and home base for their AHL franchise.

The architecture of The Scope is sort of reminiscent of “Socialist Realism”, like something you would see in a Warsaw Pact capital. Large, sterile plazas and oversized pillars surround the entire complex. The building is unlike anything we’ve seen in the AHL, sort of an upside down saucer.

But don’t let that scare you - the venue is a neat throwback to old time hockey. One single main concourse wraps around the entire building, with plenty of glass and natural light and stunning views of the impressive downtown skyline abound from all angles. The seating bowl is broken into two levels, with the only premium seating arranged box style along the glass in each of the corners. The “light bright” scoreboard, a no frills dot matrix type, is scheduled for replacement with a high tech video board for next season.

The crowd on this night numbered only about 3000 (announced 4155), no surprise considering it was sunny and 82 in Norfolk today. Plus the team is having an uncharacteristically bad season, and will miss the playoffs for the first time since 1989. It didn’t get any better tonight as the Monarchs took care of business, beating the Admirals 4-0.

The Admirals have a couple of Buffalo connections - Norm Milley, who spent parts of three seasons with the Sabres and Rochester Amerks, is one of the team’s stars. Tonawanda NY’s Kevin Quick just recently signed with the Admirals, and is best remembered as a standout with the University of Michigan. Unfortunately both players were sidelined with injuries on this night.

Here’s another useless USRT stat - Jonathan Quick was in goal tonight and earned a shutout for the visiting Manchester Monarchs (the affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings). So this makes the second time this season we have seen Quick play, the first time being that game we covered out in L.A. when Quick made his first ever NHL appearance, and stonewalled the Buffalo Sabres in an 8-1 win at the Staples Center.

We were also invited onto the Norfolk Admirals radio broadcast to do an interview during the first intermission. Play by play announcer Pete Michaud and I talked sports road tripping. By the way, his broadcast partner is former NHL referee Pat Shetler, who worked in the league in the late 60s and early 70s and remembers the old Aud very well. I joked with Pat that I probably booed him as a kid while sitting in my orange seats.

Special thanks to Admirals PR honcho Keith Phillips. as well as broadcasters Pete and Pat, who showed the USRT a good time and a big welcome on our visit. Thanks guys!!!

After the game we headed over to Norfolk’s Waterside Marketplace, a neat waterfront shopping, restaurant and nightclub complex to catch a late bite and enjoy the ambience of this humming city. Tomorrow we point the car back to Charlotte, for the Elite 8 matchup between UNC and Louisville. Can this awesome road trip finally be winding down? Say it ain’t so!

The exterior of the Norfolk Scope

One of the many nice public spaces in downtown Norfolk, hugging historical buildings, many from the 1700s

An interior shot of the arena

The USRT on the air! Andrew talks hockey with play-by-play announcer Pete Michaud

Just one month after returning to my roots in Horseheads I find myself heading back, and once again for a hockey game. One where the stakes are high and involving the club with the area’s best and longest history of success on the playing surface as Saturday night would feature an NCAA D-III Quarterfinal at the Murray Center(aka “The Domes”) between Trinity College and the hosts at Elmira College.

(Note:Trinity College is not the school whose football team pulled off that wacky multi lateral play last fall. That would be Trinity University, but I digress…..)

For over three decades Elmira College’s hockey team has been one of the top D-III programs in the nation on a consistent basis. Since the program’s inception as a varsity sport back in 1974 the club has amassed an impressive resume of accomplishments including the following….twelve All-Americans, eight conference titles, twelve trips to the NCAA tournament with six appearances in the Final Four. Many players have gone on to play professionally either here or overseas.

Their history of coaches isn’t too shabby either. Tune in to any Sabres game and you’ll see a former EC coach(’81-87) in Brian McCutcheon. Ditto in Phoenix as Barry Smith(’75-’81) is another who once stood behind the bench at “The Domes”.

Ahhh…yes, The Domes. Hmmm….how to describe the home venue. Built in the early 70’s, the Murray Athletic Center is Elmira College’s major athletic venue and in some ways is Elmira’s version of “why the heck did we build UB out in Amherst?” Imagine a small school of less than two thousand students in a small town having its athletic facilities built ten miles away from campus at a location that makes the middle of nowhere seem like Times Square and you get the idea. Smart move huh???

The hockey arena is very large by D-III standards seating over three thousand mostly on wooden bleachers and is barely heated if at all. The joke has been that at times it’s warmer outside during a hockey game than inside(I can tell you that on some nights in which I was there that may have been fact). And when a big crowd there it’s a pain to get to and from, as there’s only one well travelled two lane road(Rt. 14) to get you in or out of the venue. D-III’s version of Foxboro more or less.

But it’s homey, and if you’re a fan of the Soaring Eagles The Domes is a place that will grow on you. For the locals it certainly has as they have frequently reached attendance figures that many D-I programs would love to have, though in recent seasons it has dwindled a bit with the presence of the ECHL Jackals saturating the market. And for my money, it’s the site of the greatest, most exciting, and exhilirating sporting event that I’ve ever been to. EVER! But that’s for another post(See next post down).

Oh yes, the game…..Elmira ran roughshod all over Trinity for a decisive 6-1 win that really wasn’t that close.(though Trinity certainly appeared to have scored another goal in the eyes of all save for the goal judge.) Elmira scored the first five goals of the game and kept the Bantams off the board until about seven minutes left in the game. And the nearly two thou in attendance went home happy knowing that Elmira would be headed for Lake Placid and its seventh Final Four in program history.

And maybe this time, they’ll finally come home with that elusive hardware.

“The courage and desire they(Elmira) displayed on Saturday night will not soon be forgotten by the Murray Center crowd of 4,000 which witnessed the Eagles’ gutsy performance.”
Ed Weaver - Elmira Star-Gazette(3/10/91)

How prophetic Ed turned out to be.

It’s been seventeen years since I was in The Domes on that night. Since that time, I’ve witnessed hundreds of sports events from from all corners of the continent. Saw the euphoria of a playoff series winning overtime goal at home, personally witnessed the heartbreak of the Music City Miracle, of No Goal. Seen three pointers at the buzzer to win, walkoff homeruns, four home runs in a single game by one player…hell, I’ll add the Sharpie and Strahan’s record breaking “sack” to that list.

But ask me today what sporting event, what one game stands out to me as the game? The one that stands out above all others ever seen live in the span of my lifetime?

Mercyhurst @ Elmira, NCAA Division III Hockey Quarterfinal, Game 2
March 9, 1991

Surprised? Just read on and see why this small college game ranks above all others in my book.

This best of two miniseries would be the fourth and fifth meetings between these two rivals in the ‘90-1 season. Elmira was in the midst of another glorious season in which they had won twenty six and lost only three. Yet two of those three had come at the hands of Mercyhurst, who had gone 18-6 against non Division I teams. Despite the presence of four players who were or would become All American’s Elmira was clearly Mercyhurst’s bitch.

Game one of the miniseries went to Mercyhurst 5-4 as Elmira fell behing 3-0 and never recovered. Under the best of two playoff format, all Mercyhurst had to do was get a tie in Game Two the next night to win the series. An Elmira win would force a fifteen minute “mini-game” immediately afterward to determine a series winner.

Win or you’re done against the last team you could possibly wish to face. Such was the scenario for the Elmira fans headed inside the Murray Center on that night. Nervous, on edge and yet charged up. The joint was ready to help energize the Soaring Eagles onto victory.

And at the end of the first period the score was 5-1!!!

Mercyhurst 5, Elmira 1.

For the first twenty minutes, Mercyhurst went and b*tch slapped Elmira around like the puppies they had been all season long against them. And obviously as a result the boisterous pre game energy was shot and “The Domes” had become more like a tomb on this night. A tomb for the 1990-91 Eagles season to be precise. I went out into the concourses to grab some grub and drink and be generally ticked off.

I’ll never know what exactly was said in the Elmira locker room during that intermission, were they threatened with deportation? To be kicked off scholarship? Sentenced to a Turkish prison if they lost??

Whatever it was it worked like a charm as the Eagles stormed back with four goals in the first nine minutes of play of the second period to tie the game at five, and a venue that had had all the atmosphere of a morgue in the first period had transistioned into the euphoric state of a madhouse at this point. Elmira appeared to go ahead late in the period but the goal was waved off as a crease violation and the second stanza ended tied at five.

Of course Mercyhurst would strike just seconds in the third to retake the lead. Now remember, no overtime, and a tie was effectively a loss here so again the venue was deflated, very deflated. Yet Elmira struck back just a minute or so later, and then would take the lead for the first time in the game on a goal with about thirteen minutes to go. I remember thinking….don’t stop….we gotta score again…too much time left!

That’s when EC’s Tom O’Brien stepped in, he made save after phenomenal save including a season saver without his stick in the final minutes of play. Amazingly enough, a game with thirteen goals thus far would go scoreless through the final thirteen minutes. Game Two Final: Elmira 7, Mercyhurst 6…..bring on the mini game!!!

A little backdrop before I go on. While fans were excited to see the night continue, the minigame concept brought back bad memories for many from just a year prior. In 1990 EC was the #1 team in the land headed into the quarterfinal series against SUNY Plattsburgh at home. The two teams split and in the minigame Plattsburgh scored early and held on win in front of a stunned silent Domes.

So guess what happens on this occassion? You got it, Mercyhurst lights the lamp in the first couple minutes and again the collective oh s*** groan comes over the audience.
On a positive note however, Elmira had clearly taken over the momentum of the game otherwise as Mercyhurst was just being peppered with shots and constantly in their own end. They held the onslaught off until EC finally found the back of the net with two minutes on the clock to tie the mini game. Season saved again!!!! From there it would be off to ooooooovertime(ten minute periods).

It would take a full sixteen minutes and then some to determine a winner. Once again, Elmira was taking the action to the Lakers and it would be Elmira’s thirty third shot(compared to the Lakers twelve) of the mini game that would bring the contest to its conclusion as Scott Doherty would slap a rebound into a wide open net and his name into the lore of EC hockey. His goal came at approximately 11:42 PM(7PM start) and ended the longest night of hockey in the history of the facility(And still is).

Euphoria. Hysteria. Insanity. You name it, this was the state of things in the stands in the aftermath. The high fives with people you can’t stand otherwise….hugging people you’ve never seen before in your life….and so on. The exhiliration was mind blowing.

There was also this for me and others….exhaustion.

I started to head down the steps, and my body was shaking from head to toe. The mood swings, the celebrations and depressions of the long night had left me emotionally and physically shot. I had to hang onto people until I got to a railing and just stood there, needing screw my head back on, trying to make sense of what I had bore witness to. One thing was that they’d actually won and another was that I didn’t think that I’d ever seen a game quite like that in my life. Never that long, none with that many swings in momentum, none where a team had to rally from a huge hole like that to win under such important circumstances. None where I had left a venue almost needing physical assistance to leave just from the intensity of the game and all of its manifestations.

And above all else, that last point is part of why, even now in another stage of life, and have been fortunate enough to witness what I have. When I think of all the highs, the lows, and in between that the world of sports hath wrought, in the end I keep coming back to a mid March evening in a small town hockey rink far from anywhere. What I saw, experienced, felt….

It has yet to be matched. Seventeen years later.