Filling Big Brother's Shoes

Final Score
Shockers 7
Decepticons 3

Last night the Shockers took on the Decepticons, which in the past, has always been a good hockey game to watch. Last season, almost every encounter went back and forth and most of the time ended in a shootout. This season, with both teams doing relatively well, it could have gone either way.

Shockers stepped up to the plate with two of their regulars out of the line-up. Steve Diabo, the big baller, shot caller, was out with a groin injury and flu-like symptoms while Gary McDermott was out with lacerations to the face sustained from a friendly game in another league. Jon Sante back in the line-up and was assigned to retain his spot on center. Andrew Stevens was sent to go on wing to replace the ailling Steve Diabo. Chris DiSensi was moved to center replacing Alain Godard who jumped back on D.

On to the game, and the Shockers knew they had to turn their recent slide around. So much so, that fellow defensive dive bomb, Francois Hamelin, proposed a round of beer on him if the Shockers pull off the 'W'. As soon as the word 'beer' left Hamelin's lips, Donald Toohey rushed out on the playing surface with a raging semi, but his anxiousness did not infect the rest of the as the game didn't start off as well as planned. The Decepticons got on the board first when Francois Montanesse beat the down-and-out Giancarlo Capaz and then Charles-Antoine Marcoux netted a softy to make it a 2-0 game. Toohey was losing wood quick but that would soon change.

Chris DiSensi showed that he belonged up front when he buried a Donald Toohey feed to the stick. Godard also picking up his first assist as a defenseman for the Shockers on DiSensi's goal. Three minutes later, Chris Diabo who looked to step up his game and fill his big brother's shoes rifled one passed the goaltender and then just 40 seconds later Andrew Stevens laced one off the post and in to give the Shockers a 3-2 go-ahead.

The second period kicked off with a jump as DiSensi would bang home his second of the game from Stevens and Diabo. Toohey, started to smell the sweet smell of malt and barley! The Shockers were looking comfortable on a two-goal cushion but would be stirred up when Seb Brosseau snuck one past Capaz. Capaz, shaken but not stirred, made a messenger-bag full of saves throughout the period as his team-mates looked almost out of gas. However, just as everyone thought the period was over with 19 seconds, Diabo blasted another one top-shelf past the padded obstacle to give them a two-goal lead again.

The third period opened up with Capaz making more big saves to bail out his boys in black and giving Toohey a harder rock. Shockers woke back up with about 5:00 left in the game when Steve Towell wizzed in a short-handed goal and then a 1:46 left, Diabo completed the hat-trick from a Ben Ducharme feed.

Chris Diabo finished off the night with 3 goals and 2 assists and Francois Hamelin was about $45 in the hole.

"It was like the little brother filling in his big brother's shoes," said Francois Hamelin with a twinkle in his eye.

"I don't need to fill in anyone shoes!" grumbled Chris Diabo.

Next game is Monday, April 20th @ 9:30pm against the struggling Bulldogs. The Bulldogs are dead last in the Full Throttle division going a staggering 0-8 which includes just 18 goals for but 63 against. Last night the Bulldogs were bulldozered by the Huskies 10-1, a game where their leading point getter Aaron Carpman (6G-5A) was a scratch. All in all, should be an easy win for the Shockers brigade.