About last night
Last night’s Mann Cup game was the most intense game I’ve ever seen—way too close for comfort, from a tie of one all at the end of the first, 4-3 for the Bellies after the second, 5 all after the third, 7 all after the first 10-minute overtime, to ending with a contentious goal about three minutes into the sudden-death OT. Talk about stressful!My daughter’s convinced that Colin Doyle stepped into the crease BEFORE becoming airborne to score the winning goal, and I’m sure a lot of Bellies fans agree with her (can’t comment on the Brampton fans because they’re too few and far between at the Barn). Teddy Jenner of NLL Insider thinks the goal was clean based on Doyle’s being airborne before crossing the line, but perhaps Jenner didn’t look at Doyle’s pre-airborne stance. In any case, I’d be less bugged by that goal if it hadn’t been Doyle’s. I hate giving that guy another reason to be smug.
And speaking of Doyle, when I watch him play, I’m reminded of a certain local city's girls’ lacrosse team of a few years back. They could change the entire tone of the game by convincing refs that minor, clean hits were somehow worthy of penalty. How’d they do it? By embellishing every little hit, every minor infraction. Colin Doyle, a 30-something-year-old man, uses the tactics of a 12-year-old girl—and is known for it. In fact, even his supporters admit that he embellishes injuries (although they try to avoid the using the word "fake"). To each his own, I suppose, but I certainly wouldn’t want faked injuries and melodrama to be my legacy to a sport that’s known for its speed and roughness.
So, let’s look at the effect of Doyle’s antics on last night’s game. In the second period, Kyle Ross and Bubba Westwood got two minutes each (for elbowing and high sticking, respectively), which they likely wouldn’t have got if Doyle hadn’t exaggerated. The result? Brampton scored twice on the powerplay, tying the game at 3 all. At the bottom of the third, Doyle’s melodrama resulted in a 4-minute checking-from-behind penalty to Rory Smith. Harsh as that one was, the Bellies not only managed to kill the penalty but Cliff Smith was able to score. Still, the game might have ended completely differently had the Bellies been playing with the full complement. Why the refs allow Doyle to get away with his cheap and not-so-subtle antics is beyond me. The fans don’t buy it, though. And frankly, if I wanted to watch grown men writhe in pain over fake injuries, I’d watch soccer.
But like I said, it was a thrilling game, and I get a lot of comfort knowing that the Bellies haven’t played their best game yet. Maybe tonight they can tie the series.
Labels: Colin Doyle, melodrama
posted by Barbara K. Adamski @ 9:54 AM
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