In the silence of their souls, each member of the Hopslam team asked himself (and herself) one simple question: How did this happen?
After falling behind 0-2 half-way through the second period, the team fought back to tie the game up with goals from Dexter Benda and Keith Kotimko.
“We won that period,” said defenseman Al Johnson. “I felt good about our chances.”
Unfortunately, the IceMen turned it on during a power play, scoring with nine minutes left in the game. They kept the pressure on, scoring two minutes later.
“Should we pull the goalie?” asked center Scott Coates.
“No,” said defenseman Mark Woods.
“Really? We’re only down two goals. Why wouldn’t we?”
The answer came with the IceMen’s fifth goal. “Never mind,” said Coates.
But, the question remained. How did this happen? The team (3-2) had been hand-picked to beat long-time rivals the IceMen. Spirits were high, if not chilling in the cooler, ready for a victorious celebration. How could this happen?
“I’m blaming this entirely on Shawn Lopez,” said Matt Schaefer.
Lopez was reportedly at a wedding in Chicago, and could not be reached for comment.
Blame it on Lopez. So simple. So indefensible. So perfect.