ALEXANDRIA BAY, NY – The captain of any team is usually the man (or woman) who is the leader – the heart and soul – of the squad. Take the captain out of the equation and his team is missing a huge emotional component.
Akwesasne Warriors captain Patrick Deraspe was not supposed to play Saturday night in game two of the FHL North Division finals against the Thousand Islands Privateers. Instead, an administrative decision allowed him to play and he
Akwesasne captain Patrick Deraspe had two assists to lead his Warriors to win Saturday night (PHN photo by Wendy Hull)
The opening of the game was delayed a few minutes but it had nothing to do with any kind of ice issues. Deraspe, who was suspended on Friday by the league for his cross-check on Thousand Islands’ Harry Mahesh in game one, was reinstated by the head of officials in Canada (the league uses Canadian officials for games on Cornwall Island). The news came as a surprise to not only the Privateers but the league as well – in fact Deraspe’s name was not on the original lineup card given to the official scorer. After a long discussion, Deraspe was allowed to play and his name was added to the lineup.
Once the puck was dropped, Thousand Islands tried to set the tone early by buzzing toward Warriors goalie David Plouffe. Less than a minute in, Plouffe had to thwart a foray which ended with the net minder being run over and losing his mask. Each team had a chance on the power play but Plouffe and Privateers’ goalie Richard Sillery held the fort. The best save of the stanza came when Plouffe robbed Thousand Islands’ Adam McAllister by diving across to block McAllister’s attempt to stuff a rebound home. The Privateers controlled most of the period, out-shooting Akwesasne 15-9, but the scoreboard read 0-0.
Both net minders were under fire as the second period began although Sillery was the one facing the more difficult chances. He had to be quick as Warriors’ forward Miguel Delisle turned a Privateers turnover into a scoring opportunity that Sillery stopped. A few minutes later, another steal led to Deraspe getting the puck on his stick in front but the Thousand Islands’ goalie was equal to the task, keeping the puck out of the net even after it had squirted past him.
Akwesasne then turned the ensuing face-off into a score. Off the draw, Deraspe fed Darick Ste Marie who was in the slot. Ste Marie fired on net and Sillery got a piece of it but the momentum of the puck sent it into the net to give the Warriors the lead.
The margin doubled two minutes later and once again Deraspe was right in the middle of it. Following a save by Plouffe, Chad Bazin sent an outlet pass to Deraspe, setting up a two-on-one break. Deraspe drew the defenseman over and fed Desmarais who faked Sillery to the ice then drew the puck around the prone goalie and slid it into the open net. Desmarais added his second of the contest with less than a minute left in the period as he converted yet another Privateers turnover by pulling the puck out of a scramble and sliding it past Sillery.
As the third period began, fans of the Privateers had to be thinking that they had the Warriors right where they wanted them after Thursday’s stirring comeback at the Turtle Dome. On this night, however, Akwesasne was not in the mood to blow another three-goal lead. 3:02 into the final stanza, Dan Tessier and Daniel Sauve combined to set up Ahmed Mahfouz for his first post-season goal and a 4-0 lead for the visitors.
At the other end of the ice, the Privateers were getting chances as they tried to open up the game. Problem was that the shots they were getting were either missing the net or being stopped by Plouffe. The Warriors continued to play solid defense and wait for chances to score while taking time off the clock. The strategy worked to perfection, especially when Addison Pelkey scored on the rebound of a Terry Watt shot with just under three minutes left and Miguel Delisle popped one home 24 seconds later to complete the scoring for the game.
Game Notes: Plouffe made 39 saves to record his first shutout of the season and the first ever FHL playoff shutout. His counterpart Sillery made 27 saves in taking the loss…Attendance at Bonnie Castle was announced as 1,487…With its 0-4 performance in game two, Akwesasne’s league-leading power play is now 0-7 in the playoffs. Thousand Islands’ man advantage unit isn’t much better at 1-6…Game four of the series will be played at Bonnie Castle next Friday, March 4th. If necessary, game five will be played on Saturday, March 5th, also at Bonnie Castle.
Contact the author at don.money@prohockeynews.com
You must be logged in to post a comment.