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Alright… picture a crisp September night in Edmonton… The lights shining brightly at Rogers Place… the crowd — 39,048 strong — buzzing with that unmistakable playoff electricity.
And as we get underway, the Oilers waste no time. A solo shot in the first, then… oh, how quickly it can turn. In the second inning, Adrie Sijtsma — who’s hit a few meaningful home runs in his day — turns on a fastball and sends it soaring. A three-run shot that seemed to float through that prairie night air like a feather caught on the wind.
Colorado, of course, is not a team that folds easily. In the third, they string together a rally of their own… a couple of doubles, a well-timed swing from Sal Calixtro, and just like that, the game is alive again.
But baseball — and hockey, and life itself — often comes down to moments. And in the bottom of the fifth, with a man aboard, Sijtsma digs in once more. The count runs even… and then crack! A majestic arch into left-center. His second home run of the evening. If the first was impressive, the second was pure thunder. Edmonton leads 11-4, and this crowd can feel it.
Colorado would not go quietly — Calixtro again, in the seventh and the ninth, showing why he’s one of the most feared hitters around. Two home runs, six runs batted in… a night he won’t soon forget, even in defeat.
But on this night, it was Edmonton’s turn to shine. Eighteen hits. Five home runs. A crowd that never sat down. A series now tied at one game apiece.
And somewhere in that cool September air, you could almost hear the game whispering to itself…
“This,” it said, “is why we play.”
Oilers 11, Avalanche 9. The next stop: Denver.
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