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Jan 20, 2012 -
The Ice Pack "thawed" the always formidable Freeze Friday night in a thrilling 1 - 0 win. Sub goalie Melissa Conner was a standout as she toe saved, stick saved and stoned several quality scoring chances. Meanwhile, the Pack defense swept away rebounds, poke checked and interrupted passing lanes in tandem with the forwards who did an admirable job disrupting the excellent down low offensive cycle of the Freeze. The sixth man - staunch, loyal Pack fans - lined the bleachers braving the "freezing" conditions.
The game seesawed back and forth through two and a half periods with both teams getting great scoring chances only to be turned away by stellar goaltending. At one point there was grave concern as Sam Henderson was down for the count after receiving a hit to the "baby maker". But to the relief of all, she was able to skate to the bench on her own power and figure prominently in the eventual win. With about 3 minutes left in the 3rd period, powerhouse center Mary Bonnici and Sweet Melissa skated the puck deep into the Freeze zone. Mary let go a shot towards the goal - time moved in slow motion as the entire Pack watched the puck hit the goaltender - bounce up her left shoulder - and over to trickle into the net. With 2:41 left, the Freeze went into an offensive frenzy and the Pack went into a staunch defensive mode.
As time wound down, the Freeze pulled their goalie and marched into the offensive zone. Several well timed clearings of the zone forced them to retreat back over the blue line. The best chance for the Freeze to tie it up came on a drive to the net by Freeze player Stephanie Balch, #4. She drove in close to the goal and shot point blank on Conner. Conner made the save and lost her stick. However, not to be outdone, the stick made the second save as Stephanie attempted to bang in the rebound but hit the stick shaft instead. With 10 seconds left, the Pack cleared the zone, forcing the Freeze back over the blue line. They sent the puck back in directly to Sam. Rather than blindly send the puck back up the boards, Sam held on the the puck, skating backwards and behind the net. By the time the Freeze realized she was not going to relinquish the puck it was too late - the buzzer had sounded and the Pack had skated to one of their best wins ever.
As seen in the 10/14/11 edition of the FREEP - ICE PACK HOME OPENER TONIGHT.
A pair of powerhouses will collide tonight at Canfield Ice Arena as the Ice Pack hosts the Bombshell's in their home opener at 7:30pm. Some obstructed view seats are still available.
The Ice Pack won their first game of the season, a 3-1 victory when they whipped the Cyclones into a frenzy last Sunday.
"They commented that my gray must be premature because I was skating circles around them" forward Melanie Dunbeck said.
Goals by Sweet Melissa and Valvolina Murray playing on a line with Karen "Way Down Upon the Swan Knee River" as well as a strong Pam Bubenko between the pipes helped the Pack. Another goal by Terry Tocco iced the deal.
Center Stevie Kuroda will be missing from tonight's line up. Reports say she has some sort of bird flu. Bust EE Rhymes is scheduled to start in net tonight.
Coach Ray Bonnici is happy that the home opener did not fall on the same day that Detroit Tiger's were in town. "It would have been very unfortunate to see Comerica Park half empty because of fans flocking to Canfield ice Arena."
Come join the Pack as they celebrate OctoberFest at Yap Daddy's and Marilynn's House.
When: October 22, 2011
When: As early as possible (hey, its 5:00 somewhere)
Where: Marilynn's OctoberFest Garden
Bring a German dish to pass, along with CALB (you know how it is loved by the hostess!) and a portable chair, warm clothes and a hollow leg. Anything I missed? Leave a comment.
Crisp fall evenings are starting to pop up, There is a coolness in the air after some scorching summer heat. School has started, football is in full swing. That can only mean one thing: tailgating season, er, I mean hockey season has started! Our first practice was a wonderful start. It was so great to see Laura's smiling face in the locker room after a decade hiatus (really? that long?). We missed Terri and Heather. A trip to Ann Arbor was taken. Friday night ice could blossom into some Ice Pack capades worthy of legendary status. Or at the very least a few lo-o-o-o-ng evenings.
So...who's bringing the dogs tonight?
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