Sunday, April 18, 2004

SLIGHTLY EDITED TO INCLUDE ACTUAL FACTS

It says Sunday, but for me it’s still Saturday night. I just got home. I felt like I had to write a little before I sleep. We had quite a battle with CU earlier tonight, a new and much improved version of the Buffs, I might add. We only led briefly in the game, but won 8-7.

CSU 8 CU 7 Rocky Mountain Showdown – Under the lights at Shea Stadium and in front of more than 2000 lacrosse fans. That alone (attendance) blows my mind.

We trailed 2-0. As the Buffs gained momentum, we gathered injuries and questions. We clawed, and it was 4-2 for C.U. at the half. When I tried to put my finger on things at the break it was hard because C.U. was a big part of our problem. They were playing great and making plays. We were almost a step slow from the get go, and we shot ourselves in the foot trying to make too big of a play or just committing unforced errors. This was not a tactician’s game. This was a struggle, a test of wills. The Buffs were saying they could match our will on this night. We were two teams going toe to toe.

We never quit. We just kept pounding. Dave Clark (#14) was huge for us on face-offs and that was helping us get a leg up on the second half. I think we tied it at 4-4 or 5-5, I can’t remember. The Buffs would go up, we would tie, and then again. We tied it for the last time at sixes, and then Plonkey (#17), safely tucked back in at Long Stick Middie, got a loose ball from a CU clear we scrambled, and found himself a Plonkey path to the goal. He dunked #7 and I knew then that we were going to get it done.

Sometime thereafter, Pat Bird hit the top of the net with the eighth and the eventual winner, and we hung on, as did the crowd, until it was finally over. It must have been fun for the fans.

That freshman, Pat Bird (#1) was all over the field tonight, and he found time to score three goals as well. Freshman Adam Schnirel (#34/36) was our long pole "Johnny on the spot" tonight, filling whatever hole in the defensive dyke that was about to gush. He was chosen The Player of the Game for us. For C.U. it went to their fantastic senior goalie, Chris Bluse.

Perhaps the biggest moment of the game from our perspective came from yet another freshman. At some point in the third quarter Pete (#3) our goalie had to come out. He probably shouldn’t have played in the first place, but he did. He re-injured his thumb and when he came out I assumed he was done. He wasn’t, and ended up finishing.

At that moment, however, in came Kurt Bisnett (#5). He only played a few minutes, but he made this incredible foot smothering save on a great shot definitely headed for net. Kurt did this with no warm-up or notice. Just Boom, as John Madden would say. This one save was no joke. I had seen nothing like this since the mystical days of Tommy Kay way back in the 70’s (way too obscure to go into). The game literally turned on this fearless kid’s ballet split save.

As a team we showed true grit, though, because we were thoroughly tested (again) tonight, and to coin an oldie but a goodie, "We are still standing".

Good night, and I have not been up this late since…well, I don’t think I want to say when. I have been to two bars. I haven’t a clue when I last did that, but it was sometime before I had three kids.

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