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Sens vs Whalers, Games 1 and 2


Ranatoro

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HARTFORD (AP) -- In front of a raucous, record breaking crowd of 16,334, the Whalers and Senators treated fans to the rarest of events- a playoff double header. The Civic Center was rocking as the Whalers played their first postseason game in nearly 13 years. It was a special evening, and the hockey lived up to the billing.

Game 1 got started off in a flash as the Senators took the opening faceoff and Bure flew down the ice and netted the first goal a mere 16 seconds into the game. The crowd went silent and Coach Ranatoro could be heard muttering something about a "goddamn AIM error message." Two minutes later, Mogilny gave the Hartford faithful reason to cheer by wristing the puck past an out of position Bill Ranford. 1-1 and the Mall was rocking yet again.

But game 1 was all about the Senator's resiliency. Bure scored two more to claim a hat trick 2 minutes into the second period and put the Sens up 3-1. Larmer cut it to 3-2, but the Sens answered right back with an Al Iafrate slapper to make it 4-2. Still the Whalers continued to fight. Mogilny came back with a goal to cut it to 4-3 heading into the third period. The crowd was back in it once again.

Yet Pavel Bure refused to be denied. He scored his FOURTH goal of the night as the Sens took a 5-3 lead

early in the third. The whalers scratched and clawed through an ugly third period, but just couldnt seem to get the puck in the net, until finally defenseman Chris Chelios hit the back of the net with a mere 45 seconds to go. Some people had headed for the exits, but all of a sudden it was a 5-4 game! Could the whalers tie the game up and somehow get this thing into OT??

Sadly, no. Valery Kemensky scored the icer with just 30 seconds left, as the Senators took game one 6-4. Hard fought game, but every time the Whalers got it close, the Sens had an answer. "It was a tough game," said Whalers star Alexander Mogilny after game 1. "We had many chances to tie but just couldnt get it done. Now it's time to put this one behind us and get ready for game 2."

The Hartford crowd, having just experienced the roller coaster of game 1, now turned their attention to game 2, which many were calling a "must win" after the Whalers dropped game 1.

Denis Savard reminded everyone of his abilities early in game 2, notching two goals to give the Whalers a 2-0 lead heading into the second. The crowd was going nuts as the Whalers looked poised to at least win game 2 and head back to Ottawa with a split.

Yet, as they had done earlier in the evening, the Senators fought back behind the powers of their star player. Pavel Bure, who had killed the Whale with four goals in game one, scored another pair here in the second period, tying the game at 2 goals apiece as the game headed to the all important third period.

There is no sugarcoating it: The third period was ugly on both sides. With their season potentially on the line, it seemed like the Whalers simply could not complete a single pass. They at least managed to play good defense. In fact, the Whalers only faced a single shot on net all period long. They didnt do much better on offense, getting only three shots on net all period. Some how, some way, with 2:30 left to play, their MVP, Alexander Mogilny, found an opening through the defense. He deked near post, went far post, and deposited the puck into the back of the net, giving the Whalers the decisive 3-2 lead as the crowd went bonkers, registering 103 on the decibal meter. The Brass Bonanza blared as the Whalers held on, winning 3-2, getting game 2 after it looked like the Senators were poised to break their hearts. The Whalers now head back to Ottawa tied at 1 game apiece, with the series set to resume Sunday night.

"Sometimes, you just happen to be in the right place at the right time," said a modest Mogilny of his game winning goal. "That was definitely the biggest goal of my career, because, as you could tell from our fans, we needed that game badly. We didn't want to go up there [to Ottawa] down two-nothing. This game was huge for us, and hopefully we can build on it and win game 3."

Mogilny stepped up when it mattered the most here in Hartford. If the Whalers are to advance to round two, they will need more of the same in Ottawa.

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