The Comeback Trail, Part V
Close Encounters of the Third Kind

Late in 2006, in the previous episode of this saga, I had said that my comeback trail would lead West, toward Dave Kraehling and Greg Peden. And sure enough, on January 30, 2007, I found myself at the Las Vegas Coleco Classic. Following two strong performances in NYCTHA league dates III and IV, the pundits had seeded me #2 in Vegas. The #1 seed was Dave Kraehling, a formidable Canadian player who finished third in the 2006 Sherbrooke tournament, trailing only Carlo and Gino Bossio in that talent-laden event. He had previously defeated Gino Bossio in a 2005 series. Dave is a force to be reckoned with. Prior to Las Vegas, I had a lifetime 0-2 record against him, having lost round-robin games to him in both Montreal and Sherbrooke. So I had my work cut out for me.

Dave and I greeted one another and warmed up on AJ’s impressive array of well-maintained Coleco Classic #5380 boards. Someone remarked that this was probably a prelude to the day’s final. But first, a lot of table hockey had to be played, among thirteen determined players who had ventured to Vegas to joust for the title. I knew that Dave was taking me seriously, because he continually approached me for updates during the round-robin. Dave had an early tie against Rob Meer, while I won a good many games in a row. Then our turn came to face off, head-to-head. Our game was tied 2-2 for a long time, and in the final minute we traded late goals. So this, our third encounter, finished in a 3-3 tie. It was an omen of things to come.

It was also my first-ever point against Dave, and I was glad to have it. Dave subsequently dropped a 4-1 decision to John Power, who can be explosively dangerous at any time, while I tied 1-1 against AJ, who stymied my offense until the last minute. My most satisfying win of the round-robin came against Ryan Downton, who led 3-0 until the last minute or so, when I summoned enough reserve to score 4 unanswered goals.

So I finished the round-robin undefeated, at 10-0-2, while Dave came in second at 9-1-2. He had scored many more goals than me, but my defense had been marginally better. It was a satisfying round for me, to be sure. I felt like I had a chance to win it all – famous last words in Las Vegas, I suppose. But I was #1 seed going into the playoffs, and that probably sent a wake-up call to Dave.

Dave swept his quarter-final and semi-final opponents, Len Mecca and Jim Rzonca, in straight games. I dropped one quarter-final game to a determined Kevin Rafferty, and swept Greg Scoma in the semi-final. Greg had scored an overtime goal in game four, but a video replay showed that he had held the puck for six seconds. So his goal was disallowed, and I managed to score in resumed OT. That set up the predicted final.

Dave won the first game in OT, 3-2. I replied by winning the second game in OT, also 3-2. Then Dave elevated his play, and blew me out in game three (7-2) and game four (4-0). Game five saw Dave jump out to a 2-0 lead. Trailing 3-1 in the series, and down 2-0 in game five, some spectators probably wrote me off. But others were cheering for me, and they helped lift my spirits. I scored three unanswered goals to take game five 3-2. I scored an early goal in game six, and held Dave off the scoreboard to win 1-0. That set up game seven. So here we were, tied 3-3 in games, presaged by our 3-3 tie in the earlier round-robin. I was one game away from a major breakthrough on my comeback trail, but I was to be denied on this day. Dave stiffened his defense, and shut me out 3-0 in game seven – a not-so-close encounter of the third kind. He won the title, and he deserved it.

Even so, I believe I earned Dave’s respect. It is no disgrace to lose a seven-game series against a top-ranked player. Anything can happen in a seventh game, and that includes prevailing over Kraehling. Many players on the circuit have seen my game improve noticeably since September 2006. Back then, at my first tournament on the comeback trail, Kenny Dubois swept me in a four-game final. Four months later, in Las Vegas, I forced game seven against Dave, a higher-ranking Coleco player than Kenny. The moral? Success is sometimes measured by failure at a higher level. If I can continue to improve, I will force future seventh games, and will eventually win one.

Lou Marinoff (finalist) and Dave Kraehling (winner)

Meanwhile, thanks to Jim Rzonca and Ajit Sarma for organizing the Las Vegas event, and congratulations to Dave Kraehling for winning it. Congratulations also to the NYCTHA contingent – Len Mecca, John Power, Greg Scoma – who acquitted themselves admirably against the field, demonstrating that the table hockey is alive and well in the Big Apple. My next tournament, and next destination on the comeback trail, is April’s Johnny Goodguy event in Brampton.

Read Other Episodes of The Comeback Trail