Game Comments :
Game 3: White vs Green
The fans were on their toes! Would this be the game? They have to win sometime, don’t they?
1st Period. If you were watching the game, it looked really good for White, as they were moving the puck, clearing the zone, and Jeff Zyrek was making some spectacular saves, but, as it turned out, so was Joe Balmas who was really on his game. With 4:20 left in the 1st, Tom Nikkila, on a pass from Larry Huck, finally put it past Zyrek. White took it in stride and carried the game back to Green, but, Green’s D was up to the test and kept White off the board. At the end of one, Green 1, White 0.
2nd Period: Early in the second, Green gets caught on a questionable line change read perfectly by Rob Stempien who took off all alone up the ice. Nothing Balmas could do was going to stop this one as the water bottle announced to the fans behind the glass that it was 1 – 1. We have a hockey game now! But Green answered less than a minute later, as Larry Huck got the puck to Mark Duane, Duane to Pyc, who made a great move and shot. 2 - 1 Green.
3rd Period. It didn’t take long. With less than 30 clicks gone from the clock, Nikkla spotted Bill Jackovich drifting through center ice and fed him the puck. Jackovich made a couple of great moves, followed by a great shot, and it’s 3 - 1. Still no quit from White, as they were all over the ice, and certainly carrying the play. Then, Joe Balmas, who looked like he was sleeping on his way across the ice between the 2nd and 3rd periods, just stole a goal from Doug Camper. The fans behind the glass could not believe he made the save as Camper’s shot was headed for the upper corner and then, all of a sudden, it wasn’t. Still no quit from White. Omand, had a great opportunity from the left side when he fired a low shot destined for the far corner, but again Balmas was there. The game was all White. The action was so intense, that Green ended up taking a penalty. During the PK, Green got a break when Tim Mulcahey spotted Mark Duane on the weak side. Duane cleared the zone and Al Pyc jumped onto the loose puck, a quick pass and shot, and it’s 4 – 1. You’d think it was done. No way! White was playing like it was a tie game, with no quit all the way up to the final buzzer. If White continues to play like they did tonight for the rest of the way, look out come playoff time. White played a great game and could have won this one. Balmas has been called in to the Royal Oak Police department for questioning regarding Grand Theft of a Hockey Game, still looking rather sleepy.
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