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Result: Lost 1-4

The Knights dug deep in this one! Despite losing 4-1 to JFC, the Knights were in the game up to the final minutes of the game.  

JFC (an assortment of ringers from the IceMen-2000) moved the puck well both up close and at the points, and kept the puck in the Knights end (and bouncing off of Phil Ruff's goalie's pads!) for most of the game - but Phil came up with save after save to keep the Knights alive.  

JFC scored VERY early, about 40 seconds into the game, but after that wake-up call the Knights took it up to the next level and kept things even thru the rest of the first period and half-way into the second period. JFC kept the pressure on, but the Knight managed a few breakaways and quick shots, but nothing went it.  

JFC finally got on their 2nd goal with 9 minutes to go in the second, but a few minutes later PJ Macaskill came up with a loose puck, passed it over the Peter Kinlin and Peter fed it on to Steve Benninger for our first (And only) goal.   The game stayed 2-1 into the third period, with Phil Ruff keeping the JFC in check despite the high number of high-point slappers and "change of pace" shots from the same spot.

Steveie B almost tied it up on a stolen pass break-away but was about 3-4 inches from scoring as the goalie and Steve got to the puck at about exactly the same time (there was a minor collision and guess who got the worst of it?!?). 

Mike Macaskill also nearly tied it up wth a hard shot right into the goalie's belly ... but it was not to be ..   Unfortuneately, much of the third period was tied up killing penalties (Successfully I might add!) by the Knights.  That was enough to keep the score at 2-1 going in to the final few minutes of play in the game.   Then, with about 4 minutes left in the game, it looked like the momentum was finally turning our way, when Tommy Partain rushed the blue line picking up a tipped pass and fired it on goal. The rebound bounced out and while Tommy went behind the goal and circled around, the puck bounced loose out front and Tommy got a second shot off - this time a back-hander that hit the post at ice level and bonced free. ("What would've happened IF that shot had gone in and we had tied it up??" That's the question we'll be asking ourselves for a while. No doubt the final 4 minutes of the game would've been one wild ride.)  

As it turned out, JFC put in two more goals in the final three minutes of play - one a simple 1-on-0 nicely picked corner when the puck bounced free in front of our goal and a JFC player found a gift-horse on his stick and Phil was left out to hang. JFC's final goal was a very respectable zero-degree angle shot from the end line that found it's way miraculously thru a small slit between the goal post and the goalie pads. Marty would've been proud of that one!  

So despite the 4-1 score - it was a pretty well-fought battle against a team that was basically the core team from the 2000-IceMen - a pretty decent team ...   It got a little rough, but that was no problem. The refs could've called a better game, but that probably wouldn't have changed the outcome ... JFC worked the puck well and got off a LOT of shots! Thanks to Phil and the defensemen for blocking/stopping them! We'll have another shot at these guys in the playoffs and I think it'll be too late for them the next tie they play us before they know what hit 'em!    Star of the nite honors again are split between Steve Benninger (goal and boundless hustle) and Phil Ruff (for stopping just about everything! and getting in the play all around his crease!)... Honorable mention to Tommy Partain for his solid D and his 34-second "power shift" where he almost got us back into the game and the JFC back on their heels! (WHAT IF ?????!?!?!?!? ....)  

Good Game Knights! Well, we've met the "team to beat" (besdies US!) and it looks like they're definitely "beatable"! Bring 'em on NEXT TIME and LOOK OUT!