SUNDAY, APRIL 25, 2004 • HNA
BEGINNER LEAGUE
PHANTOMS vs. ICEMEN
Phantoms 3 – Icemen 1
ADDISON, IL – For the first time in their fledgling history,
the Phantoms had all 14 players dressed and ready for action.
Alternate captain, and star defenseman, Tedd Vanadilok was originally
put on IR due to a bruised hip and, after some inter-team prodding,
was going to dress like Barry Melrose (complete with mullet)
and coach from the bench. However, following an exhaustive physical,
he was cleared to play.
The talk in the locker room revolved around whether or not the
doctor who examined Vanadilok should have been hit on, even
though she was a friend of his mother’s, and the detailed
scouting report on the Icemen, which had been compiled by Greg
“Ding-Dong, Yo” Rolnick and AJ “Big Daddy”
Brandt.
In order to cut down on Vanadilok’s ice time, and not
put excess strain on his hip, he was moved from defense up to
centering the second line, switching positions with Tido Tongwarin.
Consequently, the “Flying Tongwarin” line was juggled
once again, thus placing Rolnick with his fourth different center
in as many games. While there might have been a bit of trepidation
about messing with good hockey chemistry, those fears were laid
to rest at the six-minute mark of the first period.
Vanadilok moved the puck into the Icemen’s zone and dished
off to V Tongwarin, who circled low behind the net. Drawing
defenders, and the attention of the Icemen’s goalie, Tongwarin
then slid a pass around the back of the net to Rolnick, who
wrapped around and dumped the biscuit in the basket, giving
the Phantoms a 1-0 lead.
The first period wouldn’t see any more scoring, as the
Phantoms had several near misses, and the Icemen were denied
time and time again by the stellar play of Brandt in net.
The second period was filled with a lot of back and forth action,
as neither team seemed to be able to make anything happen. During
a bad Icemen line change, Brandt launched a rocket of a pass
up the far boards to Rolnick. As his feet skittered underneath
him, Rolnick reached out his stick with one hand and tried to
corral the puck. Finally gaining control, he skated in towards
the goal and launched a wrist shot directly into the goalie’s
pads. Brandt could be heard two area codes over screaming about
his blown assist. However, the Phantoms finally added to their
lead when right wing Paul Schultz broke down the boards and
dished off a beautiful cross to Eric Nakamoto, who buried a
one-timer to put them ahead 2-0.
Halfway into the third, Rolnick’s line struck again. Moving
down the right boards, Rolnick threw a puck on net that bounced
out to Tido Tongwarin, who was charging in from the point. In
a bizarre act of hockey physics, Tongwarin’s shot went
over the net, hit the glass, bounced back in front of the net,
and he put his own rebound by the flummoxed netminder. After
giving up on trying to figure out what the hell just happened,
Rolnick celebrated both the goal and the assist he picked up
for it.
A few shifts later, the Phantoms defense decided to pull some
sort of unplanned choreography. As defensemen Dan Phillips and
Mike Steinert were skating backwards, guarding against the Icemen’s
attack, they simultaneously fell, their legs extended towards
the scoreboard hanging above the rink. Luckily, the Icemen were
so surprised at this icecapade gone wrong that they paused for
a second and allowed Tido Tongwarin to swoop in, steal the puck
and shoot it out of the Phantoms’ zone.
With just under three minutes to go in the game, and the Phantoms
leading 3-0, everyone’s thoughts were on the potential
shutout. But, in a moment of hockey agony, an Icemen broke through
the Phantom’s defense and slipped the puck past Brandt.
This time the groans of frustration came from the bench, as
the Phantoms realized they had let Brandt’s goose egg
crack.
Yet, the sadness was short-lived, for when the final buzzer
sounded, the Phantoms had beaten the Icemen for the second time
this season. Up next: a chance for revenge against the Cobras
and a potential move into first place in the standings.
Next Game: Friday, April 30 @ 9:45pm in Wilmette vs. the Cobras
GAME NOTES: The Icemen are still desperately seeking their first
win…Rolnick is the current Phantoms points leader with
one goal and four assists…Brandt dedicated the win to
his unborn child, due this November. |