Sabre's Win Game 5 in Ot

I know this isn't the type of subject that I write about normally, but after my beloved home team won that amazing game last night I had to say something.

I've lived in the Buffalo area my entire life, and I've watched and loved the Sabre's since I was a small child. I can still remember going to games with just my dad or with my mom, dad, and younger sister as early as being just a couple of years old. Of course like any other Sabre's fan I want to see them finally win the Stanley Cup. Although, unlike a lot of Sabre's fans I'm not a football fan, so I don't buy into the whole idea that Buffalo teams are cursed because what happened with the Bills. I firmly believe that the Sabre's can win this year.

Anyhow, that game last night was great. I was wonderful to see the Sabre's back to their old selves. They played a fantastic game. It was frustrating to see that they couldn't get a goal after the amazing effort they were putting in and all the scoring chances, but I held on and kept faith in the team.

With only 3:19 left in the third period the Rangers scored the first goal of the game. This was an awful feeling, especially after the tremendous effort the Sabre's put in. Sadly, I saw some fans leave the auditorium at that point (shame on you!). The auditorium, which had been loud all night fell silent, and you could tell that a lot of people thought it was over. It was a terrible fearful feeling. I think before that goal most of the fans thought that we'd go into OT 0-0 and win it, or that we'd get a goal before the third was over.

Maybe we were in a "dreamworld" at the time (as one article said), but my husband and I still thought they would win. We've seen them do it before. I thought back to a game a bit earlier this year where the Sabre's pulled a goal to tie the game with 6 seconds left. One thing I will admit was that I was upset before the game tying goal because I thought Lindy Ruff should have pulled Miller sooner, and should have called time out sooner, but I was wrong. With 7.7 seconds left in the third Chris Drury was amazingly clutch, and scored a goal to tie the game.




Chris Drury after he tied the game.

Picture from Buffalo News Mark Mulville.
At this point you get really excited because you're still in the game, but then you remember that you still have to win it. Well we did, and it couldn't have been better. I really thought that I was going to be sitting up for at least another an hour watching OT, but it was ended quickly; less than five minutes in. What's even better is that Maxim Afinogenov scored the winning goal. He sat out for game 4 Lindy Ruff said so he could watch a game. I felt bad for him because he's been such a great player on the team and our local media, and a lot of local fans weren't too kind when speaking of him during the first four games of the series. There couldn't have been a better scenario than to have him get the game winning goal. That's certainly a triumphant come back.



A picture of the game winning goal made by Max Afinogenov.

Picture by David Duprey AP.
It was the greatest thing to see Afinogenov go sliding across the ice, and the whole team run up and jump on him.



Afinogenov about to do his celebratory slide! Picture By Jamie Germano .







GO SABRE'S!!