The Lakers take Game #1 in exciting fashion by winning in overtime with a great 6 point effort from S Pryce!!!
The Lakers came out of the flying with excitement for the playoffs to begin but found themselves in a hole mid way into the 1st period down 2-0, but Crowley broke the ice for the Lakers with a beauty wrist shot beating the goalie glove side, set up from Weber and Pryce, which was some foreshadowing of things to come later. The Lakers dominated, outplayed and out chanced the Rangers but had nothing but goal posts and a few puck marks on the Rangers goalie's mask to show for it as the score board had them down 5-2 heading to the 3rd, on a goal by Leis as he banged in Hotson's rebound set up from Robinson.
At the break the faces were long on the Lakers but the coaching staff predicted the "greatest come back in Lakers history" was going to happen tonight, " we don't quit, not tonight!" and the 3rd period was turned over to Sheldon Pryce as he put the Lakers on his back and scored the next goals beginning at 2:46 to start the 3rd set up by Weber, at 7:20 he answered again from Hotson and McNaughton, but with less than 1 minute left and now down 6-4 the magic began with the goaltender pulled Pryce capped off the natural hat trick from McCann and Schooley to bring them to within 1 with :45 seconds left. After a quick time out to draw up a play the Lakers went on the attack once again resulting in Hotson scoring the tying goal set up from Pryce and Schooly with only :23 left in the game to send it to OT.
With the momentum the Lakers tried to finish it off on the 1st shift of OT but it would take a hunch as the Lakers called on more late game heroics from Lucky # 7 Weber as he pushed home the winner half way through the OT period, and in on the goal once again was Pryce to cap off an amazing finish with his 3 G 3A performance followed by Hotson and Weber each with 1 G and 2 A as the Lakers squeak out game # 1 based only on the "we won't quit" fight they had in them today.