Playoff opponents are hard to gauge using regular season experience especially in sudden death series. The Grip Pro Bullfrogs were no difference. At their last meeting, the Red Liners beat them 7-1 but they did not expect it to be as easy. But after an initial hiccup, the guys in red rolled over the Frogs for a repeat 7-1 victory.
The first period had the Liners jumping out with puck fired at the Frog netminder who deftly blocked them. It would take the Liners going after rebounds to get their first score. Pauley dropped passed to Baby in the offensive zone who them wrist shot it. Pauly backhanded the rebound into the empty net.
The second period started out with the Liners getting caught in a long shift on a penalty kill, and the Frogs threading a puck through traffic to tie the score after one minute. But then it was all Red Liners for the rest of the game. Toe would get the scoring rolling by pickpocking Frog defenseman of the puck and wristing over the goalie’s glove. Pauley got his second by wristing B’s pass along the goal line and just behind the goalie. MK made up for his early wiff by one timing Bleecher’s cross ice pass from the point and through the five hole. To close out the period, B-hole would notch one after being the goalie with a loose puck wrister.
The third period became defense time for the Red Liners. But they did not completely hold back. MK got his second after clogging up the puck near the Frog goal. He popped a loose goal line puck over the sprawled goalie. Bleecher would cap off the scoring with a blistering slapshot from the far point that made its way through traffic.
The Red Liners will meet up with Uncle Puck on Wed, April 8th at 9:10pm. Uncle Puck won in a shootout against the Centurions. In their only meeting this regular season, the Liners beat them 6-2. However, Uncle Puck was missing its top scorer in that game. The boys in red expected a tougher game than in the past two matchups. They hope to be at top shape by then.