Creighton Cup Finals, Game 4

In Game 4, the Millionaires had a chance to put that Game 3 clunker behind them and close out this series on home ice in front of their raucous fans. The Thistles, however, entered the game with all the momentum. 

Big players need to shine in big moments, and Barney Stanley came through for his team with an early goal that gave the Millies a 1-0 lead. The advantage proved to be fleeting, as Dan Bain found Alf Smith for a tally just moments later. The first period ended with the two teams deadlocked at one goal apiece.

The prettiest goal of the game came in second period, when Graham Drinkwater set up Duke Keats for a breakaway goal to make it 2-1 for the Millies. Once again, the Thistles rallied to tie the game when rookie Jack Walker buried a pass from Tommy "Tools" Smith. The Millionaires had little opportunity to get back on the attack, as the Thistles managed to provoke the Millies into taking penalties left and right. Harry Westwick alone was penalized twice in the waning moments of the second.

The Millies took the lead for the third time early in the final frame when Jimmy Gardner scored on a feed from Keats. Hugh Lehman did his best to make that slim lead stand up, stopping everything that came at him, in particular a point-blank shot from Bain midway through the third. As the clock ticked toward doom for the Thistles, top center Bain was whistled for a penalty. The Thistles were the most-penalized team in the league this year, so it was only a matter of time before one of their aggressive players took a penalty at an inopportune moment. On the ensuing power play, Gardner scored again for his league-leading fourth goal of the postseason. That, my friends, was the backbreaker. Lehman denied Tommy Phillips with a minute to go, and when the clock ran out, the Millionaires had won their first Creighton Cup championship. The Thistles are now the only franchise in our five-team circuit that has yet to win a title. 

I'm surprised at the outcome, to say the least. Anything can happen in a five-game series, of course, but I was curious about how the Millies pulled off this upset. It wasn't at five-on-five hockey -- their key strength during the regular season -- but rather they won through special teams. In knocking off the Comets and the Thistles, the Millies' power play was 27.27% and their penalty killing was an eye-popping 94.12%. Goaltender Hugh Lehman was also a major factor, and is probably the frontrunner for the Playoff MVP. I need to dig a little deeper into the numbers as I start to determine the Season 5 award winners, but for now I'll put this league aside and return with fresh eyes to wrap up a very enjoyable campaign!