The first round of the playoffs are now complete. Despite a disappointing loss to the Dufferin Steelers, we have some good news to announce: The Bullets have qualified as the wildcard team and advanced to the semi finals.

 

Benji Lightstone and the rest of The Bullets will get a chance for some very sweet revenge as they will be facing the GT Express, who ran over them 12-3 a little over two weeks ago.

 

While The Bullets feel that beating the GT Express is a challenge, they also say it is not an impossible hurdle to get over. And with the embarassing defeats of the last two weeks still in their minds, there is every reason to suggest that The Bullets will be fierce opponent and have a shot at glory.

 

The 12-3 score is not reflective of the difference of skill level between the two clubs. Against other opponents, both teams have fared pretty similar - which clearly shows that the teams are more equal in skill than may be suggested.

 

That said, this opponent will not be a cakewalk by any means. Each and every Bullet needs to have a beyond-exceptional game if The Bullets want a chance to compete for the ultimate trophy this season.

 

Puckdrop will be on August 10th at 5:00pm. See you there and. . . GO BULLETS GO!   

 

 

 

 

 

Father time finally caught up with The Bullets - in the worst possible way. After sweeping the season series against the Dufferin Steelers three games to none, The Bullets fell 4-3 in overtime in the most important game yet.

 

The game was full of drama and intensity. The first period was dominated by The Bullets. The second belonged to the Steelers. While in the third, both teams took turns controlling the play.

 

The Bullets took the lead first on a beautiful give and go between Matt Ockrant and Dave Preston. Linemate Tyler Cohen headmanned to Preston, who broke in to the offensize zone and crossed it to Ockrant. After dangling the puck for a moment, Ockrant made an incredible pass at the very last second back to Preston. He made no mistake in burying his fifth goal of the season.

 

In the second, the Steelers were in control, as they scored twice. The first goal was a rocket slapshot from the point off the rush which deflected off Stroll's glove and into the net. The second goal was also scored on a slapshot, however this time the shot deflected off defenseman Bruce Mackenzie and went into the net.

 

Down by one early in the third, The Bullets found themselves shorthanded. After gaining control of the puck, Joey Evans iced the puck and chased after his own dump-in. The Steelers goalie played the puck and attempted to fake Evans out by pretending to smother it, however the trick fell on deaf ears. As always, Evans was relentless in his attack and eventually managed to steal the puck from the goalie. After a couple of whacks he wired the puck into the net, scoring The Bullets third short-handed goal of the season and tying the game up.

 

Building on that momentum, it took only two minutes for The Bullets to strike again. Defenseman Mike Adelson took the puck from behind the net in the defensive zone and rushed end-to-end before roofing the puck. After crossing over the blue line, he cut towards the centre of the ice and essentially out-waited the goalie. The Steelers defenseman was tied up with a Bullets forward, and after the goalie showed an opening, Adelson made no mistake and put The Bullets in the lead.

 

The high The Bullets were experiencing came crashing down faster than the Germans did in 1945. The Steelers tied the game on a giveaway, which ended up bouncing off Adelson's shin pad right to an open forward who tapped it into the cage.

 

Even though they continued to play decently, things would only get worse. Both teams sat back for the final few minutes and the Steelers successfully forced overtime.

 

Early on in the first extra period, a fairly innocent looking Steelers rush became deadly against The Bullets. A three-on-three rush somehow turned into a two-on-one, and after a mediocre cross-ice pass was made, the receiving forward skillfully played the puck and managed to bury the game winner with very little room to do so.

 

Dustin Stroll once again was very reliable in net. He stopped fifteen of nineteen shots in the game. Of the four goals against, he can only be faulted for one. Had a bit of better luck went The Bullets way, this game could have easily been a 3-1 victory, largely thanks to Stroll.

 

Despite the loss, The Bullets playoff and dreams of being league champion are not necessairly over yet. To have any chance at advancing at this point, The Bullets must hope that the other games played Sunday evening were more one-sided than their own. Because The Bullets forced overtime, they are in a good position to advance, even with the loss. However, nothing is guaranteed as the format for selecting the wildcard has not been released to the public.

 

Be sure to check back to the site soon for information about the next game!

 

 

 

For the third time in as many days, The Bullets would like to send out warm wishes; this time to forward Ben Ashkin.

 

Whatever you do to celebrate your 19th birthday, we hope it's unforgettable and that you recover from your illness soon!

 

 

 

The Bullets will take on the Dufferin Steelers in the first game of the 2008 playoffs.

 

The Bullets are in a must-win situation, as the playoffs are single elimination games.

 

"We look forward to the challenge", said forward Joey Evans.

 

Here is a brief recap of the season series between the teams:

Puckdrop will be at 10:00pm. We can't wait to see everyone there!