Playoff Round #1: Road Warriors 6, Vineyard 5

Crusaders conclude the season with a heartbreaking 6-5 loss to the number one seeded Road Warriors. After a gritty, defensive first period where the Road Warriors took a 1-0 nothing lead, the second period was almost completely owned by the opposition, and they skated to a 5-1 lead. Third period brought renewal to the Vineyard squad, and we narrowed the margin to a goal just under the two minute remaining mark. However, we couldn't nab the tying goal to send the contest to overtime. And I feel terrible about a goal allowed while I was on shift, in the third period, as I failed to break up a 3 on 1.

As far as the goal scoring breakdown, I don't have the exact numbers to report, but know that Colin snagged a couple and Scott scored on a huge slapshot that just lifted our spirts and revitalized our chances for victory. The game was marred with some physical confrontations, including a ten minute misconduct for an opposing player who, as he was departing, called us "fags".

Thanks, everybody, it was a joy to skate with you all. Hopefully, I will see everybody in uniform for next season. I probably will create another blog site if we do indeed change our team name.

Stay tuned for some updates in the coming days regarding new uniforms and new web home.