Best Buy chokes in 5-4 OT loss.

Best Buy played shutout hockey for two and a half periods sporting a 3-0 lead, but that's when a hobbling Mike Saia stepped up for the Lowes team to set up two quick goals.

"It brought back memories of Kirk Gibson hitting the home run for the Dodgers, then hobbling around the bases," said Jim Wilkinson. "Saia especially sold it when he fell to the ice after we won and pretended to need everyone's help to get to his feet. It's like he collapsed from exhaustion just to help the team."

Yeah we were all gagging too.

Best Buy got a first period goal from Mike Cormican to take a 1-0 lead. Bill Osbahr would set up Ed Coughlin in the slot, and Steady Eddie snapped one past Rollie into the top corner. Two to Love Best Buy.

Tripp then dumped one in to the Lowes zone, and Rollie the Goalie found himself out of position as Andy Long took the bounce off the backboards and scored into a practically open net for a 3-0 lead. Lowes had a goal in the 2nd, but it was waived off because Saia was in the crease.

This score held up with Rene posting the shutout until midway through the third.

Tired of everyone else getting the attention, Saia first took a penalty, then flew out of the box to assist on two Lowe's goals in a 1:21 span.

After a shot hit Al Peterson and went in to give Best Buy their two goal lead back, Lowes pressured Best Buy heavily in the final few minutes to tie it again.

Mark DeFellipis slid a sweet pass to the Good Neighbor who was all alone with the open net. His shot hit the far post, but did go in to cut the lead to 4-3.

"This guy must be new, nobody else would pass up a chance to score and give the puck to someone else," said Wilkinson.

Then in the dying seconds, some hard work by Steve Sullivan while Jon Morin watched, led to a goal by Dan McCarthy, and the game was tied with 11 seconds left.

In OT, each team played their token C player for the first ten seconds, then made a change. That would benefit Lowes, as Sullivan and McCarthy had a 2 on 1 break with Cormican the lone guy back.

It quickly turned into a 2 on 0 with Sullivan scoring on the pass from McCarthy.

"We've already clinched first, so we don't have anything to play for," noted Tripp.

With all the attention Saia attracted for himself, nobody even noticed that Tony Onello was playing for the first time since he heard his back.