The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Town league playoff action is now
The Bacchanale was fresh off their first win of the season last week and looking to close the regular season with a two game winning streak as they took the ice Tuesday night to face the Eldo in the last regular season game of the 2011 town league hockey season.
“We’re just starting to gel as a team,” said player/owner Sneaky Pete Nichols.
But the Eldo had other plans.
Last year, Guy Cuilla was the Eldo’s leading scorer. This year, he put on the pads and got in net and it’s been a bit shaky at times. But Tuesday night he proved his ilk in net and the Eldo could be onto something with postseason play opening on Thursday, February 10.
After four minutes of complete confusion, the Eldo settled into their game plan and scored as Paul O’Connor found John Hickey open in the slot for a 1-0 Eldo lead. Cuilla denied shots by Tom Collins and Adam Chater and the Eldo held their slim lead the rest of the period.
The Bacchanale recovered during the break and scored in the first minute of the second period. As the Bacchanale defense clamped down, Collins dangled in neutral ice and broke free with the puck to slip it past Cuilla to tie the game 1-1. But the Eldo combination of O’Connor and Hickey connected again as O’Connor dug the puck off the boards and fed Hickey for his second goal of the game.
O’Connor followed a minute later with a solo effort and the Eldo seemed comfortable on a 3-1 lead.
Nathan Lacy rallied coast-to-coast two minutes later to pull the Bacchanale back to within one and the two teams traded off shooting flurry’s as both Cuilla and Bacchanale goalie Shawn Harrington pulled off a succession of saves.
O’Connor added to the Eldo lead with a whirling dervish backhand strike and the Eldo were back on top by two goals with one period left to play.
A period of wide-open hockey ensued with the two teams trading off assaults and goals.
Matt Cahir broke loose for a one-on-one with Harrington. Harrington made the save but Bob Piccaro followed the play and finished the rebound.
The Bacchanale responded as Chater fed Willy Coburn in traffic for a goal pulling the Eldo back to within two with three minutes left in the game.
But playoff seedings were on the line and the Eldo took over in the waning moments of the game netting two more goals. Pete Curvin scored off a pass from Niki O’Connor and then the two traded roles on the final goal sealing the Eldo’s 7-3 win.
Playoff action kicks off Thursday, February 10 with the championship game scheduled for Thursday, February 24 at 7 p.m.
