The third period was EPIC. Insanolord was trying desperately to feed Eric Lindros the puck in order to put me away (too bad Lindros can't take a check to save his life), while I was simply trying to tie things up. I hit the post with 6:40 left, and there were definitely some close calls for me defensively with about 4 minutes to go. However, things really picked up when Insanolord accidentally used his goalie to give the puck away to Messier at point-blank range, and I scored the tying goal on an open net with 3:11 to go. By this time we had attracted a crowd, and things were getting INTERESTING.

The next few minutes were filled with some wicked checks on both sides. Neither one of us were giving an inch until I grabbed control of Mike Gartner (No. 22, a.k.a. "The Gartner Snake"), laid out Rod Brind'Amour (No. 17), and skated into Philadelphia's offensive zone. I looked off the goalie with a classic Zig-Zag move, pocketing a BEAUTIFUL goal in the top-left side of the Philly net to go ahead 4-3 with a mere 32 seconds on the clock! Cheers erupted throughout the PAX East crowd, as Insanolord slammed the table in frustration!

Unfortunately, his slapping of the table changed the course of sports history. The game froze as a result, and the visual of my Rangers players raising their hands in victory remained indelibly etched on the TV screen for all eternity. We'll never know how those lost 32 seconds would have played out, but I remain confident that Messier and the Rangers would have reigned triumphant in the end.