Storm Hang on for Win Against Vudoo

Sunday, September 16, 2018

The second game of the Fall/Winter season for each of the combatants, the Storm and Vudoo, would see them continue their longstanding rivalry, as they both looked to bounce back after opening season losses. The Storm at least found the net in their 3-2 loss to the Bulldogs, while the Vudoo were shut out 5-0 by the Archers, but the PTAHL is an unpredictable league, so who had any idea what would happen in this one?

The Storm got off to a great start when Stew Ahern finished from Rich Woznick, then Artie Gouveia doubled the lead by netting from Beemal "The Killer Bee" Visani. Lloyd Lisk, the Captain of the Storm, was pleased thus far, but the Vudoo began to take the momentum from the Storm when Tom Thrun nearly tipped in a slap shot from Ray "Ziesse's Peanut Butter Cup" Ziesse. Rob Imbriaco was there to kick it away last minute, but the game went from firmly in the Storm's grasp, momentum wise, to the Vudoo turning it around. Luckily for the Storm, they managed to get out of the first period with their 2-0 lead in tact, but this game would be anything but easy in the final two periods.

Night and day this one, the Storm woke back up and began to go on the attack. Mark Ruscitto and Jim WIlson executed a lovely give and go, but they could not beat Pete Peterson, who dove to keep them out, preventing the Vudoo from falling behind by more than two. The Vudoo were on their heels and eventually were scored on again when The Killer Bee was the recipient of a Woznick pass, scoring from the high slot. Just a little more than minute went by before the Vudoo got on the board to immediately cut into the Storm's lead, with Grace "The Ace" Dimock and Ziesse's Peanut Butter Cup assisting Tom Godon, who was able to put one by Imbriaco with a rifle. Dan Scerra would quickly help Godon get another goal when he weaved through the Storm, freeing up space for his teammate, and letting Godon do the rest after he got it to him. The Storm were on their heels once more, but Chuck "Chuck D" Dunster Brought Tha Noize when Ahern assisted him for a 4-2 Storm lead. The Storm could now breath a little, but Ziesse pipped one back before they could exhale, to get it to 4-3, which meant the third period would now begin with the Vudoo that much closer, and now on the front foot.

The third began with the Vudoo as the aggressor. This kept up for nearly four minutes until they were finally rewarded with a Mark Schwanda goal from Scerra and Grace The Ace, to tie it up. Anyone's game now, the Storm regrouped to stave off the Vudoo, especially because Imbriaco was able to freeze the puck a few times to buy his men some rest. Riding this, the Storm slowly began to improve their play, which culminated in The Killer Bee scoring from Woznick to get the Storm up. 3:05 was left when the Storm regained the lead, but it was a long journey to the three point victory, and after a scrum in front, Imbriaco had to make a highlight reel save to preserve the lead. It would get harder for the Storm when, with 1:57 to play, Tim "Bones" Jones' hook put them shorthanded. To go up 6-on-4, the Vudoo pulled Peterson with 54 seconds left, but could not get the equalizer, and instead, surrendered into the empty net when Eric "Jelly" Gleie finished off the Storm's 6-4 win.

Click header to sort. Ledgend: GP: Games Played; G: Goals; A: Assists; PTS: Points; PIM: Penalties in Minutes; GWG: Game Winning Goals; GTG: Game Tying Goals; PPG: Power Play Goals; SHG: Short Handed Goals; SOA: Shoot Out Attempts; SOG: Shoot Out Goals; MIN: Minutes Played; GA: Goals Against; AVG: Goals Against Average; W: Wins; L: Losses; SOW: Shoot Out Wins; SOL: Shoot Out Losses; SO: Shut Outs; Saves: Saves; %: Save Percentage.