It's Not Always Sunny in Philadelphia

[KaleebtheMighty 1,420]

It's fitting that today in Philadelphia brought about a cloudy, wet, and cool day. The mood around the city is grim. People seem to shuffle around their lives without that pep in their step from a week ago. Not a smile was seen for miles around. It almost seemed like no one wanted to process what happened last night, the terror on the ice.

"The Line Change", as it is now known. The dark reality of an unfortunate circumstance.

Game 7 of the Semifinals between the Philadelphia Reapers and the Saskatoon Wild was a battle. Period after period the two juggernauts of the VHLM battled until it went into overtime. One goal separated either team from advancing to the finals. One opportunity. One dream. Until a powerplay put Saskatoon into a prime spot to take advantage of overtime. For the most part, the Reapers held them off. Multiple shots were fired, but none found their way into the back of the net. And it seemed like the Reapers were going to be able to escape without giving up a goal. But as time expired on the powerplay, the unfortunate happened.

"We killed penalty, and I was told to change by the bench," Victor Grachev of the Philadelphia Reapers said. "I skated to bench, saw puck go into their zone. And suddenly I heard yelling, and they scored." It was that moment that was burned into the minds of many Reapers fans. The puck had been recovered by the Wild and moved up into the neutral zone when the penalty expired, causing the 2nd Penalty Killing unit of the Reapers to be exchanged for the 3rd Normal Line. And right there, that decision to change, may have cost them. While the Reapers were changing, Kazimir Komarov skated unopposed into the Reapers zone, fired a shot, and scored. Most of the fans in the arena failed to get up out of their seats for minutes after the game had ended. They couldn't believe it.

"We had them!" a disgruntled fan yelled when leaving. In fact, the Reapers nearly did. Halfway through the contest, the Reapers held a 3-1 lead over the Wild. "We just let them back," Grachev continued. "We played well, had the lead, and then stopped playing well. I don't know why..." Even the Reapers defense-man seemed off and distant throughout the post game interview. Whether it was over confidence or fatigue that got to the Philadelphia Reapers, most fans can now tell you exactly where they were when "The Line Change" occurred that knocked the Reapers out of the playoffs with no hardware to show for it. With such a star studded team bolstered by trades leading up to the deadline, the Reapers were seen as the #1 team in the power rankings and destined to win it all. But that's what makes the playoffs so incredibly special. It's a war between organizations that brings out the best and worst in each player. And last night, it brought about "The Line Change" for the Philadelphia Reapers.