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jumpSeat · 10-21-2022, 07:42 PM

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Episode One: It was the best of times, it was the worst of times! Heart

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Game Seven. Ask any fan and they'll tell you, these two simple words are perhaps the most exciting in all of professional sports. Seventh heaven represents a venerable tradition, where countless hopes and dreams had been either fulfilled or shattered in tense games just like this, with tonight guaranteed to be no exception. The Colorado Raptors and the Yukon Malamutes, (two of the finest teams in the JHL), were about to square off in the ultimate showdown, to determine who would take that all important first step toward the Four Star Cup!

As the hometown Colorado fans filed into the building, there was a curious mixture of both excitement and nervous energy forming in the air. To every last man, woman and child, the Raptor faithful were all hoping for the best but also cautiously fearing the worst. Having followed their team closely all year, the fanbase had a strong emotional investment in the fate of their team and as such they were desperate to avoid a crushing demise tonight.

From the opening drop of the puck, the game was hard fought and evenly contested in both ends of the ice. With their entire seasons hanging in the balance, both teams dug deep into emotional wells that ran far deeper than many had previously realized. There's a special motivation that comes from knowing everything is riding on this one game, and on this occasion, both teams played as though they were all too aware of just that. Being in the stands was no different. It was like riding a roller coaster of emotions, ranging from joy and jubilation to bitter agony and despair.

So long as the final outcome remained uncertain, the only true certainty was that no one watching would be spared the full intensity of every twist and turn...

After forty minutes, the visiting Malamutes were ahead three goals to two. For the Colorado fans it was an uncomfortable position to be in, nevertheless, most still had faith in their team's ability to come back, so nervous hope remained alive and well as the prevailing emotion in the stands. With nothing left to lose, a number of players on both teams stood out by posting great individual performances.

Among these were: Dimitris Chrysanthos, Tiberius Kane, Marty Sanderson III, Billy Blazes, Bandit Heeler, Lucas Percy and Oles Kobliska for Yukon. While Colorado received tremendous games from: Isaac Forty-One, Adrian O'Rugg, Casper Nilsson, Hendrik Stahlberg and John Norgaard.

Then with the stage set, at eight forty into the third, with Yukon still clinging to a one goal lead, Marty Sanderson III was assessed a two minute minor for tripping. The call was not without controversy, as there was a great debate over who's stick actually led to the trip, but for the beleaguered crowd, this was the opportunity they'd long been waiting for. And thankfully, they didn't have much longer to wait. Only twenty one seconds later, with the first power play unit still on the ice, Casper Nilsson scored his fifth goal of the playoff on a beautiful setup from Kotv Kochan (6 A) and Isaac Forty-One (4 A). Needless to say, the crowd erupted in joyous relief!!

The Raptors were back on even terms, and once again it was anybody's game in this all important seventh and deciding contest. While the happiness in the building was clearly off the chart, as fate would have it, it was destined to be short lived. Only two minutes and forty two seconds later, the Malamutes scored what would prove to be their biggest goal of the entire season!

It all started out as a fairly innocent play, with Lucas Percy carrying the puck across the Colorado line while backing up the right defense. Lucas stick handled beautifully to freeze the defender with a skillful fake to the inside. But instead of turning in, Percy turned out and by so doing, he was able to penetrate to the top of the circle. From there Percy made a gorgeous drop pass back to Theodor Larsson who just as quickly went right point to Tiberius Kane. This allowed Percy to sneak in to the side of the net while Larsson drifted in to the top of the circle.

Kane took a quick look at the situation before placing a perfect return pass through two defender's skates and right onto the tape of Larsson's stick. With the defense now scrambling to cover this fast developing threat, Larsson found Lucas Percy in space at the left edge of the crease. From there Percy executed a perfect backhand to forehand deke to pull the goalie toward the middle before pulling it back to score high on the short side!

It was a goal Lucas Percy and the Yukon Malamutes may never forget, and one the Raptor crowd wishes it could!

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Stay tuned for more playoff action...

Quote:855 Words

***NYR73*** · 10-21-2022, 07:48 PM

It's true, I am hoping to forget that.

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