June 7, 2002.
CheckMeOut Vs Ethnics
Final Score: 3 - 4
Attendance: 13
CheckMeOut Squad: L. McDonald (G) - #0, L. Ashby - #8, R. Davis - #20, C. Roussos - #5, M. Templer, A. Watson - #7
Scoring Summary:
CheckMeOut: 1st Half - Roussos (3)
;
2nd Half - Davis (12), Davis (13)
Goaltending:
| Name |
Mins |
Shots |
Saves |
GA |
S% |
G |
| L. McD - #0 |
30 |
19 |
15 |
4.00 |
.789 |
0 |
| Asian Guy |
20 |
7 |
5 |
3.00 |
.714 |
0 |
| Green Stripes |
10 |
3 |
2 |
3.00 |
.666 |
1 |
Summary:
It was billed as the game that if CheckMeOut won, they would win the whole championship, but it wasn't to be that way.
A very strong display by one of the better teams in the competition, Ethnics, disallowed CheckMeOut the opportunity to pull out to first place in the league.
The league leading offence of CheckMeOut was unable to break past the goaltender in the first half, apart from a shot from Sos which, through a goalie error trickled into the back of the net. On the flipside, Ethnics were fast out of the blocks and took a 1-0 lead in the first minute of the game.
After another good play, with McDonald out to attempt to pick up the ball, the second goal was slotted, with the assistance of the nearside goal post, from a very sharp angle. A free kick in the midfield which was stopped by McDonald signalled the turning point of the offensive game. CheckMeOut then took the next 4 shots, one of which the goal from Sos, then that was pretty much the productive play in the first half.
The second half began on a good note, with Croft back after a ball to the face caused a slight amount of blood loss. The first goal though, as in the first half went to Ethnics, with CheckMeOut facing yet another 2-goal deficit. But two goals by team leading goal scorer Davis, produced a tied game which was fought out for the next tense 10 minutes.
In the precious stages of the second half, Ethnics clawed back the lead when an off balance McDonald failed to cut the angle down enough, producing a lovely backwards somersault, but unfortunately, no save. Davis' last minute shot missed (as it tends to do), and the game was in the bag.
Overall, a fantastic display of skill, and sportsmanship with just two penalties called. This writer shows his respect for Ethnics.
Three Stars:
Third Star: L. McDonald - In the conditions, with a very slippery ball where control was quite difficult, asserted his authority and was instrumental in the attempt to preserve CheckMeOut's tied ball game.
Second Star: R. Davis - Picks up two thirds of CheckMeOut's score in the second half, but didn't really present himself until the second half.
First Star: C. Roussos - The solitary first half goal for CheckMeOut and the number one reason Ethnics didn't get more shots than they did. |
