Lynx Break Hacker Jinx with Six Goal Outburst

The ADC Lynx outscored their LAN Hackers 6-0 in the first period Monday night, en route to a surprisingly comfortable 12-6 victory in their semifinal match. The win marked the first time in five previous playoff meetings that the Lynx were able to overcome the Hackers, with three of those prior losses coming in championship games.

The rapidly improving Lynx forward Pierre Martin paced all scorers with three goals and four assists. Perhaps most importantly, he factored in on the first three goals of the game and was presented with the game's second star. Roger Keating was also an offensive force for the Lynx, notching four goals and assist, and was a threat every time he touched the ball.

Starring in nets for the Lynx was Martin Kane, who although was not tested early, shut the Hackers down when they turned on the pressure in the second and third periods in an attempt to tie the game. His 90% save percentage was enough to garner the first star award for the game

But since the 3-Star awards are calculated strictly on statistics, special kudos must be given to the Lynx defensive core of David Blandford, Tim Long and Richard Wanamaker, who managed to limit Hacker sniper Scott Mulcahy to only four goals and one assist. During the regular season, Mulcahy averaged 7.5 points per game.

With the win, the Lynx sweep their three games with the Hackers in 2005A and advance to the final where they will meet the winner of Tuesday's semifinal between the Sunnydale Slayers and the Keane Chill. News reports were trickling out of Sunnydale late Monday night that they will not only be missing their primary goaltender Mike Burfitt for the semis, but also their backup goaltender Peter Rankin, who signed a two-month contract with a Richmond, Virginia team shortly before the playoffs.