Unfortunately for WWGRD, the Sundance Kids also wanted this one, and they showed it as they came out flying. With a shorter bench than WWGRD, the Sundance Kids were able to get out to an early lead. They scored two goals before the zamboni was even turned off and WWGRD faced a do or die moment. They could roll over and take the beating that the Sundance Kids were more than willing to dish out, or they could fight back. What the fuck do you think Gary would do in this situation?
It was a pair of brothers and one of the bearded wonders on WWGRD that brought the team back into it. After a long shift where they kept the Sundance Kids hemmed in their own zone, the line of Seaner and Mark Micelli along with Dylan Berthiaume found themselves hacking away at a scrum in front of the night. The loose puck wiggled just free enough for the silky-haired A-cap Micelli to pounce on and it toss it in the back of the net, sending the WWGRD bench and sold out crowd to an eruption. The relentless WWGRD forechecking was only beginning to make its impact on this game however.
With a defender attempting to bring the puck out his zone, the forecheck proved too much for him to overcome as Seaner took control of the biscuit and found himself on a brief 2 on 0 on the Sundance tendy. Micelli, as expected, made the pass to his open teammate as he set up everyone's favourite whipping boy, No Finish Djordjevski. The Macedonian Menace chose a fucking clutch moment to shake his Swedish roots as he found the back of the net to bring the score back even.
With the score tied at 2, it was Johnny's turn to shine. The Woodslee Wall stood on his head, turning away everything the Sundance kids threw at him. After the first two goals that he had little to no chance on, JT was able to shut the door on the very talented skaters of the Sundance Kids, giving WWGRD a chance to find some magic and lock up their spot in the semis.
With around 5 minutes left in the game, the WWGRD forecheck kept up their pressure on the tired and worn down Sundance defenders. As a loose puck bounced up in the air, the 6'3" Sean Micelli leaped up to grab it before placing it down at his twig. He managed to get the puck in slightly deeper where it sat in a dead zone. Cappy Marc Berthiaume stretched out to poke the loose puck down low to his younger brother, where WWGRD history was made. The younger Berthiaume brother was able to pull the puck around the defender before making a beauty move to his forehand, laying out fully stretched and guided the puck into the back of the net to give his team the lead. Micelli tackled the hero of the moment before the captain came sliding on his knees to join the celebration. WWGRD had the lead, now they had to protect it.
After laying out to block a cross-ice pass, Marc Berthiaume did what he would later refer to as the "dumbest thing I've ever done in my career." With the puck loose around the front of his net, Berthiaume grabbed the puck and tossed it behind the net, earning himself a spot in the box for the remainder of the game as time was dwindling. It was now up to the Woodslee Wall and the PK unit to seal the win for WWGRD.
The PK unit kept their poise, didn't rush any decisions, and never selfishly went for the empty net as they simply got the puck out when they could. After an earlier attempt at the net was blocked, Douggie Lambier carried the puck through the neutral zone with a chance to ice the game. He controlled the puck as long as he could, ensuring he wouldn't miss the net, and once he was close enough put the cherry on top as he gave WWGRD a two goal lead. He slid across the ice on his stomach in celebration as his teammates were losing their shit on the bench. With time still left on the clock, Johnny made some huge saves to hold the final at 4-2.
Members of the media caught up with Dylan Berthiaume after the game and asked him about his heroic game winning goal. "Biggest goal of my life. Some might say I've scored nicer, some might say I've scored more important goals. To me though, this one stands out above the rest. To be able to come through not just for myself, but for all the guys in this dressing room was really special to me." He then went on to offer a possible explanation for it, saying "To be honest I think the only reason I was so determined to get that puck to the back of the net was simply because I don't wanna stop playing with these guys. It's too much fun, too exciting, and I'm just not ready for it to end. I think all the guys in here are with me on that one. It's been a special run we're on and we're all enjoying it."
We caught up with Dylan again today, and asked him what the team will need to do to get the win tonight in their semi-final match-up, and he told us, "Tonight we just need to stay focused on the job at hand. One game at a time, focus on the little things, all those clichés. We need to do what we do best and play our game. If we execute and succeed in our gameplan there isn't a team in this league that can beat us, tier 1 or 2. We've got a lot of confidence heading into this one and I think our play on the ice is going to reflect that. I'm excited." Dylan then asked the member of the media who they were even playing tonight, and when he was told it was the SoupAStars, he seem confused and replied with, "Who's that? Oh shit, BG's team. Fuck em, we ball."
Puck drop is tonight at 11pm at Adie Knox. Winner advances to the finals. Another sell-out crowd is expected to pack the stands of the beloved Windsor arena.
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| First Star - Johnny Tracey - Got the Dub, made some huge saves |
.JPG) |
| Second Star - Dylan Berthiaume - 1 Assist, GWG |
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| Third Star - Seaner Micelli - 1 Goal, 2 Assists |
.JPG)
