Mo’s Magic Moment

Bison 4 Guildford Flames 3

31/3/12

Bison player/coach Steve Moria, the Canadian Colossus, has had his critics this season, but  last night with a Man of the Match performance and the winning goal scored from a penalty shot he showed the doubting Thomases that there is life in the old dog yet. He led his team to yet another home ice victory over the EPL champions – that’s 3 out of 3 or, better still, 4 out of 4 this season if you include a pre-season challenge win.

However, despite outshooting the Flames by 40 to 20, Bison had to work hard for their narrow victory. The 1^st period was the same old story. Bison with 13 shot to the Flames’ 9 still managed to go in at the first buzzer trailing by 2-0. The 1^st goal after 11 minutes had a touch of fortune about it. A lucky break saw Rick Plant pick up the puck. There was nothing lucky about what he then did with the rubber disc. A pass of pin point accuracy across the goaltender found Josef Kohut at the back door with a simple but firm tap in to execute. 35 seconds later Kohut found himself confined to a stretch of solitary for slashing. Only a minute later David Savage and Liam Chong joined Kohut behind bars for coincidental minors for interference. Within 10 seconds of Kohut being granted his liberty Jez Lundin and Rick Plant combined to send Curtis Huppe clear of the Bison defense. He flew in on Stephen Wall faster than a Spitfire chasing an Me109, deked and beat the hapless goaltender off his backhand. 0-2 the period ended.

Bison enjoyed an excellent 2^nd period, pouring in twice as many shots as the Flames and being rewarded with two goals, alas then allowing the Flames to retake the lead within a little more than a minute of their equaliser. Bouncing Czech, Daniel Volrab, opened the Bison scoring account in the 24^th minute. A shot from Craig Tribe was saved by Mark Lee in the Flames net, but the puck broke again to Tribe who passed to the admirable Joe Miller. The Welsh Wizzard’s centring pass was hammered home by Volrab from the slot. It took only a minute and a half for Bison to level the game up at 2 apiece. Viktor Kubenko’s shot was saved by Lee, who was unable to freeze the puck, which then moved through Reynolds and Moria. It eventually ended up on the stick of Liam Chong, who stabbed it in. The action between the Kubenko shot and the Chong score was all a bit of a blur to me and I was hoping for a succinct account from the Bearded Rabble Rouser of Block A in the interval as the goal was scored at his end. Much to my chagrin the Rabble Rouser admitted that his attention had been distracted by the Diminutive Enforcer at the crucial moment and he could provide no further details.

The response from Guildford was instantaneous. Whilst still uncorking the champagne to celebrate the equalising goal, the Bison faithful were dismayed to see a Matt Towe shot from an acute angle sneak in somehow. Assists were given to Savage and Liddiard. The Gooner in the Penguins shirt commented that the good work done to get back on level terms seemed to have been wasted. And indeed it had been. 2-3 it was.

Before a further minute of play had taken place the ever dangerous Canadian goal-a-game man, Nathan Rempel, showed himself to be dangerous in another way. In fact as dangerous as a partially sighted pensioner behind the wheel of a Santa Pod drag racer. He was called for a head check. Referee Dave Cloutman, the Colonel Sanders lookalike, sent Rempel down the steps for a 2 + 10 penalty. A minute later Guildford could so easily have scored a short handed goal. Kohut was in on Wall and about to shoot when scythed down from behind by Marcel Petran. For some reason Mr. Cloutman thought that the misdemeanour was worthy of only a 2 minute minor and, much to the astonishment of the man in the Charlestown Chiefs shirt, the Bespectacled Youth, the Gooner in the Penguins shirt and many others I am sure, gave no penalty shot. The Howling Man must also have thought that it was a let off as he remained uncharacteristically silent.

As the 2^nd reached its conclusion another act of x-rated violence erupted. This time it was Scott Greenfield who high sticked (should that be high stuck?) into the face of Dan Harris. The young D-man crumpled face down onto the ice and, as he recovered, he thumped the ice in frustration, realising that one of his front teeth had been knocked out, as confirmed in the interval by GI Joe and later by the Bespectacled Youth who made Dan grin during the high 5 skate past at the end of the game. Mr. Harris is now able to flash a “hockey smile”, Tosh Redmond and Alex Ovechkin style. The Howling Man at the end of Row E suddenly sprang into action and let his views be known to all. Alas his utterings were somewhat incoherent and the only words I caught were “dressing room”. His sentiments were, however, crystal clear and Mr. Cloutman agreed. Into the slammer went Greenfield, but for only 2 minutes as no blood had been shed during Dan’s dental surgery. He was followed shortly after by Neil Liddiard for “delay of game”. Alas Bison could not take advantage of the 5 on 3 and then the 5 on 4. The best effort came from Joe Miller, whose powerfully rifled shot was brilliantly plucked out of the air by Mark Lee.

6 minutes into the 3^rd and Bison were called for “too many men on the ice”. This was indicated by Mr. Cloutman holding up a load of fingers and thumbs. I couldn’t see the exact number, but it was certainly more than 5. The Gooner maintained that a Bison player had been obstructed while trying to leave the ice. On two occasions during the resultant power play Bison so nearly scored a short handed goal. First Miller found Moria whose high shot disappeared into Lee’s catcher. Then Miller nicked the puck on the blue line, bore in on Lee unchallenged and loosed off a shot which beat the goaltender but not the post. The familiar PING! sound was heard as the puck cannoned away.

Shortly after the Guildford net moved off its moorings yet again. Not that I wish to infer anything untoward but Mr. Lee’s net does seem to do this quite often. Everyone could see it, but the referee didn’t stop the game. The Howling man shouted “Net off moorings” several times, the volume increasing with each delivery until finally Colonel Sanders popped it back on without stopping the game.

Bison continued to threaten and got their reward with just under 5 minutes remaining. A superb diagonal cross ice pass from Kurt Reynolds from the point to the Flames’ blueline (pass of the season maybe) picked out Joe Miller, who killed the puck and skated forward. Viktor Kubenko crashed the net and Lee, doubtless expecting a centring pass to the threatening Slovak, left a gap big enough for Miller to fire through. On came the goal light. It was all square at 3-3. Volrab picked up the second assist and now both he and Miller with a goal and an assist needed only a fight for a Gordie Howe hat trick. They could have fought each other to achieve this I suppose, but thankfully declined to do so.

The final buzzer sounded and the game moved into overtime, Bison dominating. With the clock ticking down to 15 seconds remaining Marcel Petran broke clear, but was forced behind the goal line before he could shoot. He did, however, retain possession of the puck and with Lee floundering on the ice like a beached whale and Bison crashing the net all it needed was a pass out and a saucer shot and the game was Bison’s. Suddenly the Flames net moved mysteriously off its moorings as if by magic, although I didn’t see Paul Daniels on the ice. This time it was not Mark Lee, but Jez Lundin who was the perpetrator of this cynical move. A penalty shot was awarded and Steve Moria was to take it. As he circled like a vulture preparing to take the puck off the centre spot the Desperate Dan lookalike in the Bronnimann shirt (if you’ve never read the Beano you’ll have to Google Image Desperate Dan) signalled his doubt that Mo was going to score to the Bespectacled Youth. The Bison player/coach took the puck forward and we all wondered whether it was to be a clever deke or a shot from distance. It turned out to be the latter. Mo picked his spot and beat Lee high, catcher side, with an unstoppable wrist shot. Had it not been for the net the puck could have flown all the way to Canada. The Bison crowd erupted Vesuvius style. Bison had done for the all conquering Flames once again.