Quarter 1

In front of the enormous crowd gathered at the USC pool for the biggest of the game of the season,  the Cubs won the opening sprint and ran the shot clock all the way down on the opening offensive possession. The Wolverines responded by throwing the ball straight into the hands of Mueller the keeper leading to a poor turnover by the home team. An excellent press by the Cubs on the other end of the pool proved too much for the Wolverines as they turn the ball over. The Cubs fail to show their ability on offense as a miscommunication leads to a wasted possession. But great defense leads to offense as Agliozzo converts the first goal of the night on a skip shot to the right side of the net. The Wolverines respond by winning a rather weak penalty call straight after the goal. The call gives the Wolverines an equalizing goal. The two crowds are competing to see who can outcheer the other fanbase as cheers of “Let’s go Cubs!” erupt from the stands. The Cubs defense proves too much for the Wolverines as they proceed to take poor shots on goal. Unfortunately, the Cubs are having trouble on their own end as they fail to score as well. A Cubs steal gives the offense a chance to attack, but the team ends up using up the entire shot clock without registering a shot. The Cubs fall asleep on defense and give up a great shot but the bar keeps the Wolverines from scoring. The Cubs return with a great chance of their own which is saved by the Wolverine keeper. On the rebound the Cubs only get a deflected shot without much of a chance which the Wolverines parry with a last-ditch effort at the end of the quarter from midpool.

Score 1-1

Quarter 2

The Cubs take the sprint for the second time on the bounce but can’t get a shot off before the shot clock expires. Defense is a different story for the Cubs, though, as they steal the ball yet again. The steal leads to an offensive foul on the Cubs, but the Wolverines throw the ball out of bounds. Kranz produces an excellent shot that unluckily clangs off the post. The Cubs again steal the ball but this time the Wolverine keeper saves the play as the shot hits him directly in the body. On the other end, the Cubs concede for the second time of the game off a poorly marked man. Reynolds responds immediately to the “Let’s go Cubs!” chants and equalizes. A save from Mueller on the other end ends up in the Cub net after the rebound, though, and the Cubs go back down a goal. The Cubs respond to the goal with an effort that hits the post and flies out; their second chance ends up doing the same. The Cubs recover well from a blown coverage with a a defensive possession that forces the Wolverine pass  to end up out of bounds. The Cubs don’t improve on the offensive end, though, as they commit another turnover and earn an exclusion. After a brief confusion between the refs, the Cubs earn a two-man advantage with only twenty seconds on the clock to utilize the edge. Unfortunately, the Cubs fail to use the temporary advantage as the shot they produce ricochets off the bar and out of bounds.

Score 2-3

Quarter 3

The Loyola fans perform the triple L at the tail end of halftime, but the Cubs lose the first sprint of the second half. Time runs out on the Wolverines chance on goal, though, and the Cubs come down the other end and force the Wolverine keeper into an uncomfortable save. The one constant for the Cubs remains, the defense, as they come up with a steal. The offensive woes continue as the Cubs again fail to convert. Mueller comes up huge with two saves that were 3 on 1 and 1 on 1 situations in favor of the Wolverines. The Cubs go down a man, and the Wolverines waste no time using the advantage to double their lead to two. As a response, the Cubs take another ejection, this time on the offensive side of the ball. The Wolverines again make quick work of the 5-man defense and take a three-goal lead. A prayer of a pass finds Altmayer who muscles one past the Wolverine keeper for the Cubs’ first goal of the second half. Head coach Erik Healy receives a yellow card as the Wolverines score their sixth goal on a shot that was arguably a push off by the offense. The Cubs haven’t been able to get the offense going all night and the trend continues as they turn the ball over twice. A steal gives Kranz a chance with only the keeper in front of him which he puts between the keeper’s arms.

Score 4-6

Quarter 4

The Cubs only trail by two, but a comeback seems to be a tall task with an offense that has looked stagnant all night long. Another triple L aims from the Cub crowd aims to get the team back on track, and the Cubs use the extra energy to win the final sprint of the game. The offensive possession leads to a penalty for the Cubs which Vavic coolly converts to get the Cubs within one. The Wolverines come up with another goal off of a rebound that was otherwise an excellent defensive possession. On the other end, the Cubs give the ball back straight away with an offensive foul. The Cubs get out quickly and Kranz converts again to bring the team back within a score. The Cubs nearly concede again with a shot off the post and follow the showing up with an ill-advised shot that goes wide, giving possession back to the Wolverines. The Cubs suffer an ejection but come up with the crucial stop. On the other end, the Cubs produce a good chance but get fouled and are forced to reset the offense. Coach Healy calls a timeout to give his team some rest as many of the players have taken on heavy minutes this game. The Cubs use the man advantage to equalize as Agliozzo finds the top corner with three minutes and thirty seconds remaining. A controversial call goes against the Cubs as they go down a man but come up with an enormous stop. Mueller comes up with an amazing save that keeps the Cubs from a sure goal. Offensively, the Cubs force an exclusion but have their shot attempt blocked before taking an exclusion themselves on the way back down. The Wolverines squander the man advantage as the Cubs come up with another stop. Unfortunately, the refs miss a rather obvious call on the Cubs’ offensive possession that leads to a Wolverines shot with only the goalie to contest. The Cubs concede for the eighth time with a minute and forty seconds to play. The Cubs use a timeout to run a play but don’t get the foul call they ask for and fail to score. They win the ball back, force an exclusion, miss a shot, win the rebound, and call a timeout all within the remaining time to give themselves a chance to score with 5 seconds left on the shot clock and 25 seconds left in the game. The Cubs tip the ball into the net on an amazing play call by Coach Healy to equalize with twenty-one seconds left in the fourth quarter. Kranz comes up with some late-game magic to even the score late. “Let’s go Cubs!” rings throughout the arena as the Cubs come up with a big block to end regulation.

Score 8-8

Overtime

The Cubs begin the six-minute extra period by losing the opening sprint after a tussle. The Wolverines earn a penalty off a weak call by the referee. Two minutes and forty-five seconds remain in the first half of overtime. The Cubs waste their opportunity as they turn the ball over. The Wolverines miss a lob attempt, and the Cubs miss their own attempt in response. Hale comes away with a steal on the opposite end but waste the chance with a shot sent wide. The Wolverines score with a mere two seconds left on the clock to end the first half of overtime.

Score 8-10

The second half of overtime commences, and the Cubs force a jump ball. Eventually, the Wolverines come away with the ball and send a shot to the post that had no chance. On the other end, the Cubs get a break with a shot that rattles in to bring the Cubs within one. The Wolverines hit the bar on their next shot, and the Cubs come within inches scoring. The Wolverines extend their lead to two with only 45 seconds left. The Cubs send an awful shot over the bar and leave themselves only 28 seconds to score twice. The Wolverines manage to run out the clock and take home the victory on the final possession of the game.

Score 11-9

The story of the game was the team’s inability to convert in 6 on 5 man advantages. The Cubs went a poultry 1 for 8 in situations with a man advantage that ultimately left a sour taste in the otherwise stellar performance produced by the Cubs. The team fought hard but didn’t get the result tonight. The two teams will likely face off again in the playoffs in two weeks.