BREAKING NEWS FROM EL ROCO'S PRE-GAME SKATE

I received this breaking news from my esteemed colleague at the GF Herald

"EL ROCO TO PLAY SHORT HANDED"

On the eve of the biggest game of their season, the El Roco announces a very surprising line-up change. Tim Skarperud, the Rocs most lethal weapon, will not even dress tonight as the Roc meets the Red Pepper for the 2nd time this year. Personal reasons have been sited for the decisions, but rumors run rampant. Rumors fueled by the unusual nature of the decision. "This is very uncharacteristic for these guys", said Chad Neppel, Red Pepper utility man. "This is a team known for doing anything it takes to win. In fact, I don't remember this happening ever. Typically when he (El Roco Coach Jay Panzer) wants to send a message, he'll just show'em the pine." Marc Ranfranz agrees. "I can't tell you how many times he dressed me and I didn't see a single minute of ice. It's all psychological. He wants you to go through the process of dressing and making you shower. This is strange" Although we haven't heard anything concrete, rumors range from; his wife wanting to introduce him to his 8 month old son Carson, to speculation about an inpatient rehab program, to violating team curfew. No matter the reason we wish him the best. What does the Red Pepper think of the move? "it's a real shame", commented forward Aaron Smith, "he's a big part of their team. We beat'em even strength the first go around and we were looking forward to doing it again." What you can look forward to is the Red Pepper is coming to play. The puck drops at 6:00PM tonight at the BLC. "I get closterphobic just thinking about it". Panzer said.

GF Herald Staff Writer