Adam Blossey had no real idea where he was.
The defenseman was gassed, out of position, but saw the puck slide inexplicably to him through a weave of players. With his momentum carrying him away from the net, he flicked a shot over his left shoulder. The puck went in, and that goal gave the Park City Pioneers the Utah Senior Elite Division Championship.
“It was just a lucky bounce off the boards there, and I just happened to catch it with a backhand,” said a smiling Blossey. “It caught the far post. I was pretty shocked that it did. But, hey, that’s all you need is a bounce.”
The Pioneers defeated the Utah County Blizzard 5-4 in overtime Saturday night at the Park City Ice Arena with the grit of a veteran team and a miracle backhanded no-look shot by a defenseman to wrap up a state title. Park City had defeated the Blizzard 6-5 Friday night in the first game of the best-of-three series.
On Saturday night, Utah County made a statement in the early going, scoring in the first 30 seconds of the game to put the Pioneers on their heels.
Park City looked tired and couldn’t keep up with the free-skating, more youthful Blizzard.
“We definitely didn’t come out with as much energy as we intended to,” said defenseman Aaron Dufford. “It was kind of a wake-up call. They put us right behind the eightball to start.”
Less than two minutes into the second period, Park City found itself down 3-0 on its home ice and looked to be on the wrong end of a rout.
However, forward Mike Adamek finally got Park City on the score sheet late in the second period when the Pioneers were on a power play. A goal from defenseman Scott McKay followed less than a minute later.
Suddenly, Park City was one goal away from wiping the slate clean.
But Utah County answered 40 seconds into the third period after a giveaway by Mark Adamek led to a one-on-one goal, making it 4-2 in favor of the Blizzard.
Then, when Park City went on another power play with 10 minutes left in the third, Dufford’s long-range slap shot took a couple deflections and slipped through into the net.
With less than two minutes left, and with the Pioneers still trailing 4-3, Dufford looked back at goalie Kyle Gover and stuck a No. 1 in the air with his right index finger, telling his goalie all the team needed was one more goal.
Gover turned away a slew of Blizzard opportunities throughout the final 30 minutes to keep the Pioneers within striking distance.
Blossey said that’s nothing new.
“Gover kept us in the whole game,” he said. “He’s always a great goaltender for us. It’s pretty standard. We rely on him heavily. But whatever works, I guess. I guess we just expect that out of him.”
Park City pushed for an equalizing goal, and that time would come at the 1:22 mark as a loose puck eked past the Utah County goalie. Pioneer fans erupted. The bench hopped up and down.
The game went to a five-minute overtime period where Blossey’s sensational backhanded flick won it for Park City with 2:57 left.
“That was a little too exciting for me,” David Imonti said. “Little too much stress there, but it was a good game. (Blossey’s) the hero of the night.”
When asked to summarize the game, Dufford said, “In hockey, it’s not always pretty. A lot of times it’s ugly and sometimes you just have to throw the puck at the net and see what happens. If you don’t shoot, you can’t score.”
Imonti and Dufford, both part of the Pioneers’ front office, were particularly pleased with the outcome. Two years into the club’s existence, they brought Park City a state championship.
“We kind of set out to be the best, and if we couldn’t, then it wouldn’t be worth it,” Imonti said. “It’s good to show up and prove that we are the best in the state and show people that we’ll be causing problems for years to come.”
Dufford followed, saying, “It’s been interesting. We’re starting to get some loyal fans, which is kind of cool. Last year, it was kind of hit-or-miss, but this year we started to see some consistency. Seems like a lot of people are starting to have pride in the team, and that’s what we’re looking for. We want Park City to embrace us as Park City’s team.”
Players embraced fans in the lobby of the Park City Ice Arena afterward, then raised their state cup and took victory sips out of it.
Dufford said he owed Blossey something for ending the game when he did.
“I was just tired and glad it was over,” he joked. “We were tired. I skied today. It was a powder day. I used whatever energy that was left.”