Nordiques fall to bear attack

Published Sept. 30, 2010
By John Stuart
Tinker Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- They say bear attacks are relatively seldom, but the odds were not in the Nordiques favor Sunday. In their second game out of the gate of the fall season, the Grizzlies matchup should've gone in Tinker's favor. Though winning or tied for most of two periods, the Tinker hockeyeurs fell 4-3 to a Grizzlies goal in the final minute of play.

But there's still plenty of time, plenty of games left in the season for the talent-heavy squad. For several Canadians, it was their first time on the ice in a long time.

Captain Jim McCarron is fresh off the boat from a stint in Southwest Asia -- "a four month, paid training camp in the desert," McCarron said.

And Will Natyczyk is back in action as well. Both couldn't be happier to have hockey back in their lives, McCarron said, relating the fact that he was ill for several days when first deploying -- typical hockey withdrawal symptoms. The players appeared in such good shape they even garnered comments from their own bench.

"Did Will lose weight?" Chris Beatty said, almost dismayed by what he saw.

Both Canadians and Americans wasted no time in facing the Grizzly attack. The Grizzlies scored first in the opening period, but Tinker answered back in due fashion.

At 6:30, Natyczyk took a shot from the left hash and teammate Clark McClay put it in off the rebound. But the Grizzlies wouldn't be stopped. They sank their teeth in again with 2:00 on the clock against stand-in goalie Craig Sears. But Tinker was just getting warmed up.

Kyle Bostic and McCarron exchanged an impressive series of passes to set up their first goal of the second period. With some blue-line stick work they pushed past two Grizzly defenders as Bostic got the goal at 14:45 on a rebound at the crease.

Bostic was at it again a few minutes later at 7:50, with a goal at the crease, on an assist from Miguel Lopez. The Nordiques clipper was sailing high. But the third period spelled rough seas.

In typical Nordiques fashion, they closed up offensive shop in the final period, for reasons unknown. A solo Grizzlies goal at 16:30 tied things at three and most of the remaining period was a defensive stalemate.

Finally with :57 on the clock the Grizzlies called their offense in for dinner -- making a goal on a chancy one-timer from the crease.

Despite a final six-man rush by the Nordiques they couldn't put one on the board to tie it and it was the Grizzlies' game.

"I'm not really concerned with people missing a shot or a pass here or there," McCarron said of the team. "People are getting in position and more than that it's just a good group of guys."