BUTLER (AP) - The Cougars don't need to give goalie "Looks like a Baby but is actually really old" much help these days. A strategical adjustment by 1 mohawk 0 girlfriends (1M0G) and a fortuitious shot provided exactly that.
1M0G's power-play goal early in the third period put the Cougars back in the lead and the Cougars had something to cheer about on a Saturday night for the first time in nearly five years, beating the Playoff snoozer Random Lengths 3-2.
"I'm afraid of grown men so I wear a helmet with a cage" scored the Cougars first goal, then set up 1M0G's game winner about 5 1/2 minutes into the final period with a cross-dek pass that 1M0G one-timed over goalie John Shoup's right shoulder.
"We switched me off the top power play unit because they were taking me away," 1M0G said, referring to a Random Length's defense that collapsed on him when he got the puck. "You would rather have me shooting. They did their homework. They allowed me to shoot the puck a lot and I missed 49 of 50 shots, but I found a way to sneak one in."
Random Length's coach Justin Pott preferred to call it a soft goal rather than a sneaky one.
"They got a lucky bounce and when you talk about soft goals, that was one you would call a soft goal," Pott said.
With Old Man Baby making 30 saves to win his fouth in a row, the Cougars ended a 0-5 winless playoff run since they last won there December 2, 2000.
Carothers returned again Saturday after missing one game with Flu-like symptoms, but was held without a goal for the first game this season.
"We've been trying to get on a roll," Old Man Baby said. "We almost let this team of scrubs beat us tonight. I mean, only 3 of their players play on two dek hockey teams! We can't lose to them. They don't love dek hockey as much as we do," he continued. "Look at our group of guys, there's only 3 guys on our team that DON'T play for 3 teams, and they at least play for two. They must have lives or something, I don't know," he concluded.
Tim Reges deflected a Brandon Fehl shot off of his foot to tie the game in the first, a rarity for a Random Length's team that normally does not score until mid-way through the second period.
"We had some good opportunities and the last couple of games we've been having a hard time finishing," said Length's forward Markie Reges, whose team has advanced past the first round of the playoffs only once. "We're creating a lot but not finishing."
The Length's were short-handed for the majority of the game. They also failed to generate any momentum after Tim Reges once again tied the score, this time at 2, when he converted a break-away late in the second.
The score may make the game seem closer than it actually was. If not for defensive mastery by "Who's this Dave?", Pott, Erock Reges, and Goldie this game could have been a lot worse than it was.
"I just love to play the game," Dave said. "And don't ask me how I keep my hat on my head because most of the time I don't even know. And NO, I do not use Bobby Pins!"
Shoup, who made a triumphant return last week from vacation, made 35 saves and was strong when the Cougars were on the power play. "It didn't go the way I would have liked it to go," Shoup said. "I don't think that's the best I can bring."
The Random Length's players tend to disagree. "He held us in the game when we were playing poorly and leaving him out to dry," Nordy Siljander said. "We continued to take penalties and Shoup stood tall. It would have been a much different game without Shoup backstopping us. Shoup somehow sees the play before it happens, it's amazing," Siljander concluded.
Tim Reges' 10th goal of the season tied the game in the second, and not long after Old Man Baby made the save of the night by throwing out his glove to stop Ryan Gold's shot into what looked to be an open net. Old Man Baby had a 1.92 goals-against average in winning each of his previous three starts, 1 in each league, and 3 just on this day.
1M0G put the Cougars up midway through the third with a wrist shot from between the circles that Shoup barely saw.
Notes: Random Length's leading scorer Curtis Carothers had an estimated 15 beers before the game...The Cougars scored a power play goal for the 18th in 19 games...The combined number of games played for each person on each team for the weekend - Random Length's - 13, Cougars - 76...Siljander, playing with a bruised foot, was also shut out for the game after scoring twice in his previous game.
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