Our boys were game-ready bright and early on the final day of the tournament. The Pirates had assured themselves a berth in the championship game to be played later in the day with their two earlier victories. The team and parents came out firing for the scheduled 6:50am contest at the cavernous Hershey Center Arena, the former home of the prestigious Hershey Bears, an elite AHL franchise. Our group needed no wake up call for the first drop of the puck against the hated in-league opponent, the Bedford Bears. The same could not be said for a certain older fan who needed a 4am wake up call to be able to function at this ungodly hour! Hoarse voiced fans were ready to counter any obscene Bear chants with "Who cares for the Bedford Bears" as a chorus of their own. With Liam McCullough back between the pipes our Pirate troop was able to turn back every onslaught made by a gritty group of nine Bears who did all in their power to reverse their two earlier in-league losses to the Pirates. With Anthony Margiotta giving up his body and pinching on the boards, with Ciaran McEnroe supporting Liam effectively in the crease, it was only a matter of time before a Pirate break through against their under manned, leg weary opponents. The Pirates earned a hard fought 3-0 shutout on the strength of the mucking in the corners by Dillon Krok and Brian Quinn. The skating efforts of Ryan McLinskey, Dolan Ocasal, and CJ Greco dominated the second and third periods. Assistant Coach Ray Krok summed it up best in his post game comment to the news media. "Our boys spent more energy with this morning's super effort than I spent in cash at the chocolate factory yesterday. And damn, at least I will get to enjoy this one!"
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