-Columbus, Ohio
The stage is set. The ultimate prize in the IHL is up for grabs tonight in Nationwide Arena as the #4 Barons take on the #7 Arenas. The Barons earned their birth to the championship match by beating the #1 seed, the Nordiques, in a very tough 5-3 Semifinal.
“Once again we won on a total team effort,” said Forward Josh Samuels. “ The Nordiques are a hell of a team, they matched us goal for goal, but we stuck together and weathered through the storm.”
“We got redemption and it feels great,” commented Forward Erik Yost, t o which forward Nic Sanders added, “my balls are still tingling.”
It certainly was a game for the ages as the teams traded goals until Forward Andrew Bickell put the Barons up for good and Defenseman Andrew Schwepfinger hit a late empty-netter to seal the deal. "When the opposing goaltender is on the bench, it is much easier to score goals,” added A. Schwepfinger. “I kept that in mind, and, what do you know, it worked out"
“A hard fought game, two elite teams,” said Captain Ryan Schwepfinger. He also achoed a sentiment that the Barons have been saying all postseason, that the seeding was wrong. “It’s a shame that the bracket lined up the way it did because that game clearly should have been played in Nationwide for the t-shirt. Everyone on the Barons did his or her job again and we're thrilled to be moving on.”
Now, the Barons shift their attention solely on the Arenas. Coming in as the #7 seed, they had to earn their way to the championship game the hard way, defeating the #2 and #3 seeds. They did win their division, with a record of 2-2, leaning on their strong defense throughout the season. In fact, they have yet to let up more than four goals in a single game. This is in stark contrast to the Barons who are scoring over 6 goals a game.
The Barons are ready though, having gone through the fire this postseason, emerging as the team to beat in the league.
“We need to finish what we started,” said R. Shwepfinger.
The Barons have that chance tonight. One shot to win the shirt, and bring home eternal glory.
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