~ Six Years ~

It's been six years since the boys closed out a winning series on home ice.  The city was buzzing all day.  The crowd starting building outside the arena hours in advance.  Every where you looked you saw blue and gold.  Flags flying, folks wearing their favorite garb.  Smiles were plentiful and you didn't pass a person without a smile and a hello.  Oh, lets not forget the 'Go Sabs'

 

The first fifteen minutes of the game was back and forth and nail biting. You want something so bad you can focus on nothing else, but the fear of the unknown, the fear of disappointment grips you.  It took just over the 15 minutes for the Sabres to get on the board.  Drew Stafford scored his first playoff goal ever.  The smile on his face as he lifted his arms in celebration said it all.  He came up from the minors about half way through the season because of injuries.  His hard work and play made it hard to send him back.  At the very end of the season he had to go down for 2 days because of salary cap restrictions when the injured players came back.  It was heartbreaking, but we all knew he'd be back.   Tim Connolly was the injured player that came back, and today he was instrumental in Drew's goal.  The first period ended with the boys on top 1-0.

 

The second period started and took only 39 seconds for Jason Pominville to find the back of the net.  The population in Pominville went up by 1.  My son has a sign, or should I say banner outside his house that says 'Welcome to Pominville'  there are bars and drinks named after him.  It's a hoot.  One time during the season after he scored, our local announcer was so excited he said he needed birth control.  I about spit my drink all over.  Later when they told Jason what was said you could see the redness start at his neck and go to the tip of his ears.  About eleven minutes later Derek Roy pounds one home after some hard work in front of the net.  Maaaaaxie gets an assist.  Roy and Max had been called out in the media the past couple days for not getting involved with goals so this was huge for them.  Get the monkey off your back!  Period ends 3-0

 

Third period starts and I just pray for time to run out.  One might think it safe at 3-0, but it's the playoffs and anything can happen.  About five minutes in Satan scores for the Isles.  GRRRRRRRR  He's playing with a grudge.  He played for Buffalo a few years ago and was known for lazy play and floating around the ice instead of giving it his all.  He scored goals, but to be honest most came when they didn't matter.  Empty netters at the end of the game, or when the score was so out of hand.  When we needed him to show up he didn't.  He was a star, ya know?  Well tonight he played with every ounce of his being.  I had to double check to make sure it was him.  He was pretty invisible in the beginning of the series but tonight in our building he wanted to show the fans as they booed him each time he touched the puck.  Two minutes after his goal, Max scored.  YEAH!!  Monkey off the back.  With any luck it's a fire under his butt that will stay lit.  So the score is 4-1 and there is about 14 minutes left in the game.  A win and we move on, a loss we go back to NY for game 6.  Ten minutes left and the Isles score, 4-2.  Seven minutes left the Isles score, 4-3.  The boys got lazy.  They sat on the lead and let the Isles hang around.  Not trying to take anything away from the Isles, they lose and their season is over so they fought, and fought hard.  I was just a bit aggravated with some of the boys play.  The Isles had hope.  They played harder, the came faster, they hit more, they looked like rabid dogs hunting meat.  With 13 seconds left in the game Ryan Miller was the savior.  The Isles comes down the ice and Satan has a wide open side of the net.  He shoots.  I hold my breath, NOOO don't let him be the one that ties the score and sends thing into OT. Miller sprawls across the goal whips his arm out and knocks the puck away with his glove.  Yashin is behind the net and tries to bank it in off Miller's mitt.  No go, Ryan was able to grab it and cover up.  Breath,,, breath.  It was an unreal save and will surely be highlight film.  After the game Ryan was asked about the save.  He could have said anything, but he was brutally honest.  'I panicked. I didn't want the game to end like that, we didn't want to go back to NY.'   Time runs out and the boys hold on for a 4-3 win.  The will move on to round 2 and play either the New York Rangers, or Tampa Bay (depends on the winner of the TB/Devils series) 

 

The crowd is on their feet, yellow and white pom poms fill the air.  Screams, whistles, and cheers.  Over 18000 inside the arena, almost 4000 outside.  The teams line up and center ice and shake hands.  Each and every time I get chills.  In today's professional sports, the NHL is the only one that has this as an organized event.  Reminds me of all the little loop football games my son was at.  A sign of sportsmanship after the battle is over.  Hugs, good wishes, and pats on the back.  The war is over and forgotten.  Awesome!!   Congrats Boys.. get some rest... it gets tougher next round.