Eight is Enough

The much-anticipated game eight was everything the fans and media had been waiting for and when it was over Blue skated away with the 2012 championship. Blue fans celebrated late into the night. Things did get ugly however when a group of disgruntled Green fans overturned cars and lit fire to the boat house. Several arrests were made. "These were just a group of Concord anarchist who don't care about hockey", said Tom "TC" Carroll of Green. Fans were on the edge of their seats all night as the pivotal game eight unfolded. The banners that hung around the Capitol City all summer that read: "ICW4G8!" were an indication of how important this game was to the city and to fans of the NAHL all over the world. It was broadcast in fifty countries world-wide including such places as the Figi Islands and Rumboogie. The game did not disappoint. It writes another chapter in the storied history of these two rivals. Netminder Andy "Gump" Doherty was awarded the Stonely Cup as tournament MVP. He stopped two penalty shots in the third period to preserve the victory for Blue.

Blue had a 4 to 3 lead when Green captain Joe "Joe" Farrelly was awarded a penalty shot after Alexander Rudulov hauled him down. Coach Gary "Toe" Blake sat Rudulov for the rest of the game. "It was a case of lazy hockey", said Blake. "Gump" Doherty came up large when he flashed the pads on Farrelly's wicked wrister. "That gave us a huge momentum swing", said Dave "Motor" Carlson (who was the first guy to pay his player union fees for the upcoming season). Late in the third with Blue still only up by a goal, referee Phil "The Whistle" Lacasse awarded yet another penalty shot to Green. This time it was Tom "Berg" Bergault who had the opportunity to tie the game, but Doherty came up huge again by robbing the always dangerous "Berg". "What a lift that save gave us", said rugged Blue defenseman Chris "Brownie" Brown. With just over a minute to go, Green pulled goaltender "Kenny" in favor of an extra attacker, but speedy winger Tom "Philby" Philbrick grabbed the puck that was chipped out to center ice and went in all alone on the vacated Green net, head down all the way. " I was trying to decided whether to shoot or deke", explained Philby. "I made up my mind to shoot and that was the right choice". "The Doug" erupted when Philby buried the shot and players on the Blue bench began to celebrate. "What a feeling!", exclaimed Mike "Little Cum" Commorford. "We have to put it behind us now and focus on the upcoming season", said a disappointed Mike "Hipshake" Farrelly. Next week starts the new season and the Blue banner will be hoisted to the rafters before the game. It promises to be another exciting season in the NAHL.