Miracle in the Dust

It was your average Monday night in the ADC-FHL. The second place Fire, coming off of a decisive 8-5 win in the previous week, were looking forward to playing the last place Slayers. Harvey Snelgrove, the Fire's netminder, was on a hot streak after posting a 0.906 save percentage last week. Things looked good for the Fire.

Then things changed. During the pre-game warmup, Snelgrove was nowhere to be seen. As game time rolled around, it became apparent that Snelly would not be there - much to the surprise to the rest of the Fire. To make matters worse, it was discovered that the team bus had been stolen from the parking lot during the warmup and there was no goalie gear available! Was this another Nancy Kerrigan - Tonya Harding story in the making? Did Slayer captain Ian Scott have Snelgrove wacked and the gear stolen? The mysterious observer that attended every Slayer game was missing...

Regardless of the cause, the remaining Fire players had a game to play. And so they did. Playing with five skaters, stay-at-home defenseman Steve Sney found himself staying at home - in the net. While backup goalie Adam Pettigrew frantically called sports stores to find out if they delivered at night, Sney and the Fire prayed for a miracle.

Apparently Fire forward Rob Tyrrell heard those prayers. The Fire shot five times in the first two minutes, eventually scoring off the blade of Kenzie Royal. Tyrrell, with Mike Sasco in tow, then took over. Scoring twice and assisting a third by Sasco, Tyrrell made the score 4-0 in the first ten minutes. Pettigrew, now half equipped in gear, ran into the gym and into the net moments after the ball was dropped. During the confusion, the Slayers were wise enough to take a shot straight at Pettigrew, drawing a call for Too Many Men. Sney went to the bench with a perfect save percentage - 6 for 6. Not done yet and with Pettigrew pulling on equipment while in net, the Fire popped in two more short-handed goals during the disadvantage.

Then something snapped. Or someone that is. Captain Ian Scott rallied his troops and the Slayers awoke, firing three by Pettigrew before the end of the period. They then shook off a small rally by the Fire early in the second and finished the period down by a goal, with a score of 9-8.

With the crowd calling for Sney's return and many wondering if there was any gas left in the Fire's tank, one more player had yet to be heard. That player was eight year league veteran, Trevor Murphy. Halfway through the third, with the game tied at 10, Murphy barreled over an off-balance Slayer defenceman at center and roared towards the net, putting the ball in with sheer will alone. With the game on the line, the Slayers pressed the attack and Pettigrew, finally warmed up and with all of his gear on, answered his critics in the stands. All it took was a couple of highlight reel saves and his forwards did the rest. Each side would score two more each, but it was not enough to defeat whatever the Fire had coursing through their veins.