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StamkosFan · 10-13-2018, 06:21 PM

St. Louis Scarecrows vs Detroit Falcons: Round 2, Game 4: A Closer Look

As the clock wound down on the Jumbotron overhead, the Detroit Falcons assembled for one final rush. The scoreboard proclaimed that 30 seconds remained in the game. While the players already bore the look of defeat, they did not want the embarrassment of a shutout. It had been a lackluster effort, with the Falcons only mustering 18 shots, all of which had been shouldered away by Aleister Cain.

“I tip my hat to Cain. He made some great saves and he earned the shutout. But still, I feel like we could’ve done more,” said Ola Wagstrom, speaking to the media after the game.

The Falcons top line was ushered over the boards, their coach barking frustrated orders. St. Louis was already preparing to mob their netminder, ears perked for the sound of the horn. Wolfhard Richter chipped the puck against the boards, and it ricocheted to Muhammad McLovin. With tired legs and a disheartened spirit, the winger lobbed it into the Scarecrows zone and meandered after it.

“Not the outcome we wanted for sure, but it’s a best of seven.” Wagstrom inched closer to the sea of microphones leveled at his face. “It’s all tied up now. One bad game doesn’t decide a series.”

The Scarecrows collected the puck and drifted back up the ice. The Falcons observed the ease of their passes, as if they were instinctual. Airi Yamaguchi to Jax Aittokallio. Aittokallio to Bernard Freeman. The digits above morphed into zeroes as the graceful relay proceeded, and the caterwaul of the horn sounded. The players on the bench leapt onto the ice and engulfed their teammates in joyous hugs.

“The question we are asking now is, ‘What went wrong?’” Ola Wagstrom’s face contorted into a disappointed frown. “I don’t know the exact answer to that, but we need to figure it out between now and Game 5.”

Perhaps what went wrong was the 3 early tallies by the Scarecrows. Not even one minute into the game, Lil Manius snatched a loose puck and put it past Cedric Robinson. Nicky Pedersen doubled the lead in the fifth minute with a laser of a slap shot, putting the Falcons behind the eight ball. Whatever momentum Detroit had from two consecutive wins was sapped. To make matters worse, Goku Muerto scored his first playoffs goal on the powerplay, 11:29 into the period. In hockey, a 3 goal lead can seem insurmountable, and in this case, it was. The Falcons looked sluggish and out of sorts for the most part, and it showed in the final 4-0 score.

“We won’t dwell on this game. It wasn’t our night. There’s no sense crying over spilled milk. But you can bet we’ll be out for blood next game. So, St. Louis, watch your backs; you just might see #66 behind you, closing in for a hit,” said Ola Wagstrom.

The series is currently knotted up, as each team has won 2 games. Game 5 will take place this evening.

Word Count: 620 Words