Never Say Die-landers

Journeying through the the great city of New York, the Men of the Island made their way to the marshlands of Jersey. With Satan (Miroslav) on their side, on Easter Sunday no less, they faced off against the mighty Devils. Losing this, the final game of this NHL season, was not an option. A loss to the veteran New Jersey squad would have meant an end to their season of strife, of blood sweat toil and tears. A victory meant a playoff berth -- life in the post season.


It looked good for the Men of the Island, as they built up a 2-0 lead into the third period, courtesy of an unlikely source. The "Godfather of Seoul," Korean-born Center Richard Park, benefited from being placed on the top line between Jason Blake and the Captain, Alexei Yashin. The Jersey Devils mounted a comeback, pushing the Islanders to the brink with two goals from John Madden, including a stunner with less than a second remaining to tie the contest at two.

The Islanders were without the services of star goaltender Rick DiPietro, who suffered two concussions in the past few weeks. Instead, the team turned to young Wade Dubielewicz, making only his 17th NHL appearance between the pipes. "Doobie" did not disappoint, making 22 saves in the game and overtime period that followed.

In a nail-biter, it came down to a shoot-out. Miroslav Satan and Viktor Kozlov scored for the Islanders on the first two tries, and "Doobie" shut the Devils down to nail it for the Isles. Although New Jersey fans may disagree, it was a fitting end of an era. This game was probably the last Devils' regular-season contest in the Continental Airlines (nee Brendan Byrne) Arena. Construction of "The Rock" (aka the Prudential Center in Newark, N.J.) is scheduled to be done in time for the start of next season.

Despite the snow in April, this win warmed the heart. There is hope this spring. The records are all even now, the slate is clean. The Islanders are in the playoffs, Lord Stanley's Cup is within reach. The dream is alive -- hope springs eternal.

/R