CWR finds cure for Plague

The Oberlin ice hockey team suffered a heartbreaking 7-5 defeat against Case Western Reserve University in its final game of the season Friday. A classic case of overconfidence, a team bout against influenza and a spree of incredibly stupid penalties combined to sicken the Plague.

The team came into the clutch-cargo season finale riding high off a two-game winning streak on the road, which included a 6-2 shellacking of Case Western. Like any team, the Plague assumed that they would easily beat those very same opponents a second time without having to do anything except show up.

Wrong they were, and by the end of the night, the fate of the Plague was eerily reminiscent of the fate suffered by Mike Tyson when he stepped into the ring with Buster Douglas.

Case came out of the box first, scoring early in the first period. The Plague answered quickly with two goals. The first goal was netted by senior forward Greg Scranton, who fired a shot from the slot beating Case's goaltender in the upper corner of the net. Shortly after, junior forward Ben Bernard gave the Plague an early 2-1 lead as he crashed the net to bang in a rebound. Case tied the game by the end of the first period. Although the Plague had more depth than Case, the Yeomen's fatigue was evident by the second period. Sadly, the nasty flu epidemic that has taken Oberlin by storm preyed upon the immune systems of many valuable team members.

In the second period, the Plague had a tough time staying out of the penalty box. Case Western capitalized, scoring two power-play goals and one even-strength goal to take a 5-4 lead by the end of the second. The scoring for Oberlin in that period was provided by Scranton and junior defenseman Matt Winstanley.

In the beginning of the third period, Oberlin came out hard to tie the game. Junior defenseman Dan Bourque rifled a slap shot from the point which blazed by the screened Case Western netminder.

Despite his heroic efforts, however, Case went ahead 6-5 with four minutes left. The Plague dug deep but unfortunately could not bring home the win. With a minute left and the Plague shorthanded once again, the team decided to pull senior goaltender Ralph Cuseglio in order to get an extra forward on the ice. Case capitalized on the empty-net situation, hammering the final nail into Oberlin's coffin with 20 seconds remaining in the game.

Despite its disappointing conclusion, the game did have its bright moments. For one, the team witnessed the return of former head coach Fernando Bretos. Bretos flew in from Washington, D.C. exclusively for the occasion of the Plague's season closer.

It was certainly a nostalgic night, especially for the graduating members of the Plague who have dedicated three and four years to the team. Without a doubt, the brightest spot of the evening was the culmination of an entire season's worth of unconditional love exuded by the Plague's loyal fans.

Any member of the team would agree that the thing that made this season more exciting, fun and enjoyable than any other in the past was the fans. On behalf of the team, I would like to thank everyone who came out and offered their support. We hope to see you next year.

Jon Gonnelli is a member of the ice hockey team.