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Home  Articles 96/97 Season Drillers off the Rockers
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Written by Joanne Ireland
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Saturday, 29 March 1997 |
DRILLERS 7
ROCKERS 4
They glanced at the clock, watching the minutes disappear.
They looked at the faces of their foes, and saw the determination in the eyes of the Detroit Rockers.
This was not a night for the faint of heart. Not a night for the Edmonton Drillers to back down. So they dug a little deeper, kept pressuring the Rockers rock-solid defence.
It was 4-3 Detroit with six minutes remaining -- and so much on the line. A win before the enthusastic hometown crowd of 9,136, and the Drillers were off to the playoffs. A Detroit loss and the Rockers were out of the playoffs.
The clock was running. Something had to give. Somebody had to step up.
It was then that Domenic Mobilio decided to try the free kick, a shot he had been trying to perfect for weeks. Around it went, curling past the wall, past goalkeeper Bryan Finnerty, onto the post, and into the back of the net.
The Drillers were up 5-4 with just under six minutes to play.
``When I saw it hit the back of the net, I knew,'' said Mobilio. ``I knew we could win it. I've never been on a team like this. They don't get intimidated by anybody. The last 10 games of the season, our backs were against the wall, and we responded.''
Minutes later, with Finnerty on the bench in favor of a sixth attacker, Rick Zenari scored an insurance marker, right-footing a shot past Jimmy Harkness.
The crowd erupted. The Drillers still had to hold off on the celebration, protect their 7-4 lead.
``It was just repesentative of the whole year,'' said Zenari. ``Everybody busting their chops, everybody stepping up. I just got a lucky bounce and it took the pressure off. We'd been putting away the goals but they didn't give us anything.''
Zenari was on the bench watching the clock. So was Mobilio. They watched the seconds run down.
They looked at their foes, and saw the desperation.
When the buzzer finally sounded, the Drillers had posted a 7-4 victory.
``It's a little bit of a euphoric feeling,'' said Martin Dugas, ``but I was so exhausted, the cheering took more out of me than I thought it would.
``You know I said to Domenic early that it was going to be his game. He was calm, biding his time, and then he put it away.
``That was a big time play, but he's a big time player,'' Dugas said.
The Drillers finally let loose after the game, whipping around the field for a victory lap, celebrating with the crowd.
And it was a crowd. The game started 20 minutes late because of the lineups outside of the building.
When the whistle blew, the Detroit Rockers put their game plan into action.
Coach Pato Margetic, who flew into Edmonton in time to catch the Drillers' game against Milwaukee, knew the Rockers had to slow Edmonton down, match them stride for stride. Shut down the counter attack. And they did.
For three quarters, it a standoff.
A defensive showcase.
Edmonton's Scott Hileman stoned the hot-footed Dennis Brose, ranked third in the league's scoring race, on a shootout goal.
Finnerty would punch away one shot, throw out a leg for a kick save.
There were players on both sides throwing their bodies in front of shots. Were it not for whistle-blowers, the scoresheet would have remained blank.
Detroit opened the scoring at 10:40 of the first quarter when Brose knocked in a one-point shootout goal.
It was the first of several penalties awarded, the kickoff to a fine display of tumbling by both teams. Few of the falls went unrewarded.
``There was a lot of emotion out there, we had to fight for every ball,'' said Mobilio, who put Edmonton on the board at 12:52 of the second quarter with a two-pointer.
``But it was do-or-die for Detroit, and I'm sure a lot of guys on this team didn't get much sleep.''
So now they wait.
For an opponent. For a kickoff date. For a chance to get back in action.
IN THE RUNNING
WINNERS AND LOSERS: The Drillers locked up one of two playoff berths in the North Division of the National Conference. The loss eliminates Detroit.
WHERE TO? Coupled with a 17-7 win by Tampa Bay in Buffalo, the Drillers can still finish first in the North Division -- if Buffalo loses again to Tampa tonight. Finishing first would give the Drillers a bye in the first round of the playoffs. Edmonton would open up the playoffs on the road if they finish behind Buffalo, returning home for Game 2 of the best-of-three series.
TICKETS: Tickets go on sale next week -- $12 for adults, $6 for anyone 14-and- under.
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