Acme Liquor eliminates Talk from post-season

“You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here”

How many times have I heard that one. Sitting comfortably in my bar stool with half a Budweiser to go, only to have any one of the numerous bartenders or doormen over the years flip the lights on and yell, “LAST CAAAALLLLL!!!! You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here!”
Good times.
Last call came for the Talk of the Town (I think that’s called irony) as they were eliminated from the town league hockey post-season, losing to Acme Liquors 5-3 on Wednesday night.
Both teams spent the entire season in the cellar, with the Talk winning just one game all year and Acme Liquor finishing the season 0-6-2. Nevertheless, the playoffs are a different beast and while the teams proved hapless during the regular season, they squared off for a good old-fashioned cellar-dweller dogfight in the playoffs.
Due to scheduling, and the way the post-season played out in the opening rounds, it was the third time the two teams met in the past two weeks, with the Talk winning each of their first two match-ups 3-2.
Since then, both squads were undergoing a post-season surge as the Talk nearly took down the number-one-ranked Brick Oven team, losing 4-3 and Acme bounced back from their first round loss to hand the Eldo a 7-4 thumping, sending the Eldo to the Toilet Bowl.
Quick side note: Buy the ice maintenance crew some beer. Recent warm temperatures nearly put the entire town league hockey playoffs in jeopardy. Had it not been for the remarkable work of the Crested Butte Parks and Rec ice rink crew under the guidance of Icetro Pete Curvin, there would be no playoffs. This dedicated crew created a new schedule for ice maintenance to stretch the sheet through the warming trend that includes a resurfacing shift at 2 a.m. every night. These guys are so committed that even Flauschink King Curvin himself tended to his “duties” Tuesday night for Mardi Gras, caught a quick nap, and then returned to the rink to tend to the ice.
“The program’s working,” said Curvin.
We’ve come a long way since back when the broomball sheet was flooded in the middle of the night with a fire hose, only to have the guy, who shall remain nameless, pass out with the hose still on.
Good times.
The Talk opened the game with their A-game intact and their top players on the ice to pin Acme in their zone for the first couple of shifts before Acme regrouped to return the favor, ultimately exploiting the Talk as they pressed hard for the first goal. As the Talk attacked, Ed Dujardin picked the puck off a Talk player’s stick and skated the length of the ice to fire a shot on-net. Dave McGuire made the initial save but Will Dujardin was there for the rebound to push it through, putting Acme up 1-0.
Three minutes later, the Talk tied the game back up as Jeff Black intercepted a pass in front of the Talk net and found Bill Thompson breaking free up ice with a perfect pass, and Thompson skated unimpeded to net and scored.
Black then closed the first period, carrying the puck the length of the ice among a barrage of swinging sticks to score and put the Talk on top 2-1.
Acme opened the second period, tying the game in the first minute when Chelsey Wilson slipped the puck through traffic to Doug Duryea in the slot and Duryea scored to tie it back up 2-2. The Talk attacked immediately off the ensuing face-off to take the lead back five seconds later as “Shane Gretzky” Palmer charged through traffic to find the back of the net for a 3-2 Talk lead.
One minute later, Acme was back at it again as Paul Moscatelli skated through neutral ice to find a seam to the Talk net. Black was there to poke the puck off his stick but Will struck again, following the play to pick up the loose puck and score, tying the game 3-3.
The eventual difference in the game came down to Acme goaltender Andrew Winogradow. Winogradow threw his glove out to pull off numerous big saves in the second and third periods.
Will completed the hat trick in the opening minute of the third period, scoring off an assist from Moscatelli. Duryea sealed the 5-3 win taking a pass from Ed to score to send the Talk of the Town packing.
You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here.
Town league comes to a close this week with the Toilet Bowl between the Eldo and High Country Capital Management on Thursday, March 13 at 9 p.m. and the town league championship game, teams to be determined, on Friday, March 14 at 9 p.m.