NAHL team wins 20-round shootout on night after owners quit (Video)
In any other season, the marathon 20-round shootout between the Keystone Ice Miners and the Johnstown Tomahawks in the North American Hockey League would have blown up, in a “leading off SportsCenter” kind of way.
Alas, it happened in the shadow of the 20-round, NHL-record shootout between the Washington Capitals and the Florida Panthers. Which is a little like opening an indie film about an obscure superhero on the same day as “The Avengers: Age Of Ultron.”
But this shootout from Saturday night in the junior league had its virtues.
About eight minutes in, during Round 11, there’s some great drama. Cameron Smith of Keystone puts on a brilliant move – forehand, backhand, forehand and boom, into the net. Only it’s waved off! The only thing we can figure is that he didn’t have forward motion through the move, but still, tough one to see get erased.
About 14:40 into the clip, Smith gets justice. The Ice Miners needed a goal, and he converted, sending everyone into hysterics.
In Round 20, Jacob Coleman, who was stopped back in the seventh round, put the puck home and kicked off a massive celebration for the Ice Miners in their 2-1 win. Not every chance was Datsyukian and not every save was Hasekian, but it was still a tension convention.
Because this is minor league hockey, the game had its own bittersweet undercurrent from frustrating off-ice economic news. From the Ice Miners:
The North American Hockey League (NAHL) Board of Governors has announced that Hat Trick Hockey, Inc. the parent company of the Keystone Ice Miners, has elected to voluntarily resign and terminate its NAHL membership effective immediately.
The NAHL staff and Executive Team has mobilized a plan in order to work with Keystone Ice Miners staff and volunteers in the Connellsville, Pennsylvania community to ensure a successful completion of the 2014-15 season. The team will continue to play as usual throughout the remainder of the regular season and playoffs, if necessary.
Back on May 9th, the Ice Miners announced their relocation from Port Huron, Michigan to Connellsville, Pennsylvania. The team currently plays out of the Ice Mine, which is a 4,000-seat, multi-purpose arena located 45 minutes south of Pittsburgh.
Learning that your owners have pulled out of the team and that the League and an army of volunteers will work together to keep the lights on through the season, and then winning a 20-round shootout?
That’s hockey for you.
