Bronze Medal Game – Portugal vs Scotland

They sometimes call it the “kiss your sister” game but it feels more like a cousin by marriage when you’re actually playing it.

Scotland looking for some redemption after coming OH SO CLOSE to the Gold game in Round 5 against the born again Portuguese who have found a spring in their step these playoffs after a lackluster regular season. After looking up in the standings all year to — well, everybody, the Lisbonites wouldn’t mind chewing on some bronze while winking at the Scots and Romans as they finish without medals. But of course, Scotland had other plans.

Patty Sharp opened the scoring for Portugal with a patented Patty snipe but Brad Stoll restored order in the Scottish house to end the period.

Jeff Boulton then put the Scots ahead while saluting the King but before you knew it, Patty Sharp drew his pistol and WHAM, it’s 2-2 again.

Both teams battled back and forth but this one would not be solved in regulation. OVERTIME!

More battle back and forth but then OVERTIME would solve nothing! The tension was off the hook! Who would take home the Bronze???

Time for a shootout to answer that question. And I’m not going to name names. But the first two rounds solved NOTHING. And then. Who’s that guy who talks about the regular season being a 20-game pre-season?

That’s right. Uncle Leo won this game for the Portuguese in classic Leo fashion. The long-suffering Portuguese finish the season as medal-winners. Huge kudos to both goalies.

Patty Sharp and John Annan take the Honours for this year’s Bronze Medallists – PORTUGAL!! Stuart Henderson plays the pipes for Scotland with a great season.

GOLD MEDAL GAME

This was it, folks. The time had come. After seven months of competition, it boiled down to the seemingly unstoppable Irish team against the definite underdog Slovenians with their spiritual leader, Mike Rukavina, looking to win his first championship in TWENTY-SIX YEARS in the league.

Do you know how long ago that was? The World Trade Center still stood. Monica Lewinsky was a young, impressionable intern who had never smoked a cigar.

This is what cars looked like:

This is what Rukavina looked like:

You get the picture.

The game started out tight with both sides feeling eachother out and both goalies making strong saves early on. But it would be the underdogs who struck first. No surprise here, it was their sniper Stephen Davis beating Tony Cioffi to put the Slovenians up 1-0.

And then Davis struck again. Could it be? Were the Slovenians beating the unbeatable Irish, who hadn’t lost in 13 games?

Rush after rush, minute after minute, the vaunted Irish offence took runs at Slovenian veteran netminder Arty Senkowski, but came up empty-handed. Breakaways, the heavy shot of Riopelle, net-front scrambles, but no goals.

Then rookie Ciro Napolitano put the knife in. 3-0 for Slovenia as the game waned. The Irish pressed, but Arty pressed back harder.

Do you believe in miracles? YES!!! THE CURSE WAS OVER!!!!

FINAL SCORE, SLOVENIA 3, IRELAND 0 !!!

Huge kudos to both netminders, and both sides for a fantastic game, great sportsmanship, and a huge toast to Mike “Maybe This Year” Rukavina.

The long wait is over.