Grizzly Game Recap - Playoffs Round Two

The Grizz found themselves facing a familiar foe in this match. This is the case during this style of playoff format. The cream has risen to the top and now is churning itself, striving for the championship. On this line in this match-up was a spot at the big dance. A berth in the championship game. But that was not the focus going into this match. Crucial in this one was a quick and strong start because the Grizz were once again facing the Performance Mazda Men. 

As always, PMM came flying out of the gate and contested every position and rushed every pass. The book on this squad is that they explode onto the floor at the opening gun but taper off to a manageable pace as the game trudges on. To beat them you have to batten down the hatches to weather the storm early then convert on the few mistakes they make as the game gets old. The Grizz did this in a effective manner, tallying the first marker. The Beer Guy converted on a broken play. PMM answered right back shortly after. Their surge in effort paying off with an equalizing notch of their own. The Beer Guy wasn't about to let the tight checking slow him down and he snapped his second of the game to put the Grizz ahead by a marker. This only brought another wave of pressure from PMM as they attempted to answer quickly again. We've seen all season that the Grizz don't cower in the face of adversity. They kept the effort quotient high and the aggressive play of PMM resulted in a pair of penalty shots. The Beer Guy was selected to take one after the Grizz captain took a stick in the face but kept his perfect record alive by missing his third of the season. It was only minutes later another infraction was called and the Grizz did convert on the chance to go up two goals. The cushion was short lived as PMM bulged the twine to make it 3-2. The effective duo of Beer Guy and Admiral Bonesaw were in full flight on this night and it was the Admiral's turn to bury one to make it 4-2. The trend of the night continued as the Grizz changed lines and PMM capitalized on the next shift to pull back to within one. This is where there was some controversy. The second unit seemed to have restored the Grizz cushion on a rebound goal that bounced in off a leg in front of the PMM net. The official saw it differently and declared it was kicked in. The shot hit the tender bounced high toward the front of the goal. The on-rushing forward was struck by the ball just above the knee and it caromed into the net. Never have we seen anyone kick with their knee but this official must have. PMM tried to take advantage of the change in momentum but it was the Beer Guy who would be the story in this one. He notched his third tally late in the third to complete his hat-trick. Despite a valiant effort in the dying minutes, the PMM couldn't solve the Grizz goalie who had another solid night. The Grizz led 5-3 at the buzzer and will be taking on the Dekes of Hazzard again, this time for the league championship. Tune in next week for the results!