KIRK KIRK KIRK!
GLORY TO THE MIDNIGHT MILE!
C'mon CAPS!

Great run by my Falcons! Hopefully we can use this experience for some more deep runs in the future. Also lol at the Glaciers being one goal away from advancing TWICE and blowing it.

Sina looks scary right now, 8-0 in the playoffs is crazy but 8 shutouts?!? That's insane! I'm gonna be pulling for the Serpents in this one.

1993 Marcotte Cup Championship Finals
1 Kirkenport Captains vs 3 Sina Serpents

An original stalwart of the league matches up with a more recent addition and first-time championship participant as the Captains square off against the Serpents for the 34th Marcotte Cup. The Sina Serpents joined the league in 1983 as part of a two-team expansion and took their lumps as a new team, surviving eight years before finally making three consecutive playoffs starting in 1991. Owned by Fred Winkler, the Serpents play at the EverStar Center in Sina, Galateptra. Meanwhile the Captains are an original team formed in 1960, still owned by the Giordano family and play at the venerable Kirk Coliseum in Kirkenport, Alrene Isles. The Kirk Boys have won three Marcotte Cups and contended for several more as one of the premier franchises in the league.

The Serpents are led by young phenom center Patrick Quinn, entering his third season in the league as an All-Torland caliber player and new alternate captain. He is flanked by wingers Rens Nylund and Stefan Sorensen on a very powerful top line. The Swedish winger Nyland in particular is a very underrated scoring star in the league. Serbian center Stan Milosevic pivots a capable second line. New addition Jan Mikulec is a valuable veteran blueliner with loads of experience, paired with team captain Robbie Lovejoy to form an excellent top tandem on defense. The Serps are served by Nick Casselman in net, a capable veteran with plenty of playoff experience. They are coached by the “Larrys” in Larry Barker and Larry Weatherford.

The Captains are led by reigning League MVP and hometown kid John Roszak, considered by most to be at least a top-3 player in the league. Roszak is joined on a top line by fellow hometown kid Eric Jorgensen and Finnish winger Davi Martikainen. The Captains have excellent depth starting with versatile forward Tony Small and veteran center Fabian Fryer. The blue line is one of the league's deepest starting with Len Rutkowski and Nick Keltgen. The goalie tandem of Vassily Wuopio and Dennis Vanderbloem split starts and each have plenty of experience. The Captains are coached by top boss Gerald Fox along with assistant Roy Singletary.



Game 1: SIN 1 @ KRK 3 – The Kirk Coliseum was packed beyond capacity and the Midnight Mile was absolute bedlam as the 34th Marcotte Cup began battle. The scene escalated to even higher volumes as Roszak whipped home a shot past Casselman in the first minute. Things quieted down though after Stefan Soresen scored a greasy goal a few minutes later to even it up. A third period push with goals from Roszak and Keltgen gave Kirkenport the early series lead.

Game 2: SIN 1 @ KRK 3 – This time it was Sina who scored first, on a shorthander from third pair defenseman Dylan Wiles to shock the crowd. The Kirk Boys regrouped as a point shot from defenseman Levi Gray tied it in the second period before third line center Nic Lengyel broke the tie with a batted shot that was looked at for several minutes on video review before being called good. Roszak added an extra goal late in the third to give the Captains a 2-0 series lead.

Game 4: KRK 0 @ SIN 3 – The Captains seemed sluggish after their raucous start at home as the Serpents were feeling their own hometown energy as the EverStar broke capacity records. Nick Casselman pitched a shutout as Jan Mikulec, Jamie Doyle, and Stefan Sorensen all scored for Sina to get back into the series.

Game 4: KRK 0 @ SIN 3 – The return of captain Robbie Lovejoy from a two game absence gave the hometown crowd an extra jolt as an early gaffe from Dennis Vanderbloem misplaying the puck allowed winger Tony Murray to punch home an easy goal. That seemed to suck the life out of the Captains as Murray scored his second and Mikulec added another to even up the series with a second shutout.

Game 5: SIN 0 @ KRK 1 – Back at the Coliseum, the atmosphere was tense for fans and players alike as a tied series put extra emphasis on Game 5. A second period Sina goal from Quinn was disallowed due to goaltender interference with loud approval from the crowd before a Rutkowski goal was disallowed due to offsides to give them a taste of their own medicine. With both Casselman and Wuopio stout in net, it wasn't until late in the third period that a point shot from Rutkowski wormed its way through defenders skates and found the back of the net to give Kirkenport the win.

Game 6: KRK 3 @ SIN 5 – The game started with no goals but the second period began the craziness with three goals in two minutes as Levi Gray punched home a slapper for Kirkenport while Arthur Steele and Chris Hooker both scored on the same shift on the checking unit. Boyce Betts briefly evened it up for the Caps before Nate Gatlin sauced a softie over Wupio's shoulder. A 3-3 tie going into the third didn't last long as veteran defenseman Fred Karrick scored on a rebound for Sina. An empty netter for Nylund put the game away and sent the series to a deciding seventh game.

Game 7: SIN 2 @ KRK 3 (OT) – With Casselman against Wuopio in net, the game was played at a blistering pace but both goalies stood tall. A powerplay goal from Eric Jorgensen gave the Captains a lead in the second period until a mad scramble in the waning seconds of the period saw fourth-liner Rod Haywood tie it up for Sina. The third period was much of the same, though at a much slower pace as both team became more deliberate. Haywood found his second goal again in a net scramble as Wuopio was out of position as a block attempt from Rutkowski also saw him crosschecked by Ronny Willburn and left him injured and carried down the tunnel. The crowd was incensed and the noise reached all-time levels as the Captains' powerplay was executed beautifully even without Rutkowski as John Roszak punched home a classic one-timer on a Jorgensen pass to bring the game to overtime. Rutkowski returned for the overtime period much to the chaotic delight of the Kirk fans as a breakout pass from Martikainen three minutes into the period was put on the tape of Roszak one-on-one against Casselman and the hometown hero cooly flipped a backhander over Casselman's stick to give the Kirkenport Captains their fourth Marcotte Cup trophy and himself a Series MVP trophy to add to his collection.

1993 Marcotte Cup Champions: Kirkenport Captains (4)