"When opportunity knocks...."

"Our team opens the door," said a smiling Dillon Krok to Nana Lucy as the Pearl River Pirates left the Palisades Ice Rink with an impressive 3-2 victory over the Clarkstown Capitals. Our fiery band of 14 Squirts brought their "A" game to this contest. The Pirates parlayed an aggressive fore check, timely back checking, and extraordinary goal tending from Sammy Coughlin into a well earned and particularly satisfying defeat of a perennial Rockland County powerhouse. An opportunistic Griffin Welsh opened the scoring midway through the first period slamming a rebound off a Ronan James blast that net minder Chin made the initial kick save on. Equally impressive was the defensive hustle exhibited by Ryan McLinskey in thwarting a breakaway opportunity late in the period that kept the score 1-0 at the first intermission. CJ Grecco leading the "Kid Line" of first year Squirt players of Dolan Ocasal and Luke Myers sparkled in the corners in the second period forcing a turnover behind the goal line, then dishing the perfect pass to Luke Myers lurking in the slot. Myers wristed the biscuit into Chin's short side in a nanosecond, 2-0 Pirates. To their credit the Capitals responded with their first goal on the next shift spoiling Sammy's near perfect day. When the teams returned to the ice for the third period with the Pirates holding a scant 2-1 lead the game could have gone either way. The Caps were by no means dominated in this game and had more scoring chances than the Pirates. Coughlin in goal, McLinskey, Quinn and McCormack on "D" were just a tad better. Kyle Javier's rocket from the right circle after a Capital turnover gave us that needed insurance goal 6 minutes into the third period and turned out to be the game winning goal, as the Capitals scored off a scramble in front of the net 20 seconds later. The final four and one-half minutes were pressured packed. The Caps poured on the offense using six attackers. The final frantic 50 seconds was played entirely in the Pirates end of the ice. One hooting Pirates fan was heard telling the disappointed Capital backers, "You know these guys are not the Pittsburgh Pirates. Even though our boys 'throw a little CHIN MUSIC now and again."