Kelly's OT Goal Beats Stingers 6-5

Glastonbury, CT November 15, 2005. ZRink - Killingworth Guppies Fall 2005 season.

 

November 15, 2005 - In a game that meant little in the standings, as teams got geared up for the B League playoffs. The Guppies and Stingers faced off in a final game for both teams. The Guppies were wrapping up a season in which the team struggled and missed the playoffs for the first time in their history. However, the Guppies saved their best for last and Tuesday night the Guppies seemed to right the wrongs of an entire season. Things started off poorly for the Gupps as the Stingers scored on their first shot on net (that's another 30-pack on Linskey) only .29 seconds into the game. Things were going from bad to worse as the Stingers scored another three goals in the first six minutes of the game. Down 4-0 the Guppies seemed to have mailed the game in, but Rob Murphy (2-2-4) got some water into the Guppies gills when he scored the Guppies first goal of the night......they weren't dead yet. Down 4-1 the Guppies tried to build on the momentum of Murphy's goal, however, the Stingers regained the 4 goal lead with just over 11 minutes remaining. There was some sense in the arena that this might be an early night for the Guppies as the Stingers looked to be heading for a mercy win. Marc Crayton (1-1-2) stopped the bleeding when he fired a rebound past the Stingers goaltender. The remainder of the first half was filled with great saves by both netminders. At the half the Stingers were in control up 5-2!

In the Second Half the Guppies came out looking to chop away at the Stingers lead however, they were denied at every turn. Meanwhile, Linskey was keeping the Stingers off the board with some great saves as the Guppies defense started to give him the help he needed. "Joe was solid tonight in the second half. During the halftime Joe asked us (the defense) for more help" stated Guppies defenseman Mike Halle. The defense delivered and Linskey took it from there. Murphy would score his second of the night midway through the half to cut the Stingers lead to two. The Guppies would go on the power-play shortly after Murphy's goal but they were unable to score, despite having a two man advantage for over a minute. With time running out and just 3:48 remaining in the Second half Mike Halle was called for roughing. For many of those in Guppies Nation it looked as if their hopes for a Guppies comeback were gone. However, someone forgot to tell Brian Mulcahy (1-0-1) that "Was it over when the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor?" stated Mulcahy.  Catching a long pass from Murphy he walked in on the Stingers net. Mulcahy made the most of his opportunity as he scored the breakaway goal on a high shot to the upper right corner of the net. The Fish had new life!! The Guppies but Jason Zito, Brian Kelly, Keith Millen, and Murphy out on the dek for the final minutes of play. The Guppies controlled the puck well and had it deep in the Stingers zone. Finally with just 1:45 remaining Zito (1-1-2) would take a pass from Murphy and snipe a shot to the short side. Game tied at 5-5 the teams would skate into overtime.

The Guppies controlled the Overtime period but still couldn't score the winner. Then, with just over a minute and a half remaining Kelly (1-2-3) would pick up the puck in the low slot and fire a shot that just beat the Stingers goalie for the Win. It was the first time all season that the Guppies came from behind to win a game. The Fish had been victims all season to losing Second Half leads and games. "It was great to finally be on the right side of a comeback" stated Guppies forward Keith Millen "Hopefully we'll see a lot more of this next season".

 

SIDENOTES:

- Jon Steveson was a healthy scratch- he was last seen swimming with Dolphins somewhere in Mexico

- With Tuesday's victory the Fall 2005 Guppies avoided setting a new record for losses by the team in one season. They do however, share the record for most losses (6) in a season with the 1995 and 2001 teams.

- The Guppies have several free agents on the market that they will look to sign during the off season. They're only a few spots on the roster which will make this off season very interesting. Current free agents are Dan Pequita, Keith Millen, Jon Stevenson, Tim Poulin, and Sean Howley.

- New Look? The Guppies are debating a change of jersey's for their 2006 campaign. No decision has been made at this point.

- Thanks to all the Guppie fans out there in Guppies Nation for your support this season! We'll see you in the 06

BOXSCORES:

First Half:

19:29 - Stingers - Goal - Babcock (McGinnis)

16:10 - Stingers - Goal - McGinnis (Corvino)

15:13 - Stingers - Goal - McGinnis

14:08 - Stingers - Goal - Babcock (McGinnis)

13:17 - Guppies - Goal - Murphy (Kelly)

11:17 - Stingers - Goal - McGinnis

10:59 - Guppies - Goal - Crayton (Zito)

6:36 - Guppies - Penalty - Armenia (Tripping)

Second Half:

10:19 - Guppies - Goal - Murphy (Crayton)

8:24 - Stingers - Penalty - McGinnis (Holding)

7:25 - Stingers - Penalty - Babcock (Tripping)

3:48 - Guppies - Penalty - Halle (Roughing)

2:07 - Guppies - Goal - Mulcahy (Murphy, Howley)

1:45 - Guppies - Goal - Zito (Murphy, Kelly)

Overtime:

1:29 - Guppies - Goal - Kelly

 

Shots on Goal:

Guppies: 41

Stingers: 27

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