Truckstop Honeymoon plays a DAM concert Wednesday night at Ska Brewing

Miracle on sod, Brothers Vaughn and Truckstop Honeymoon

by Chris Aaland

I watched something as riveting as the 1980 Miracle on Ice unfold last Sunday, drama that neither Shakespeare nor Sylvester Stallone could top. I saw the U.S. women’s soccer team snatch victory from the jaws of defeat mere seconds before the final whistle in the World Cup quarterfinals against Brazil and Marta, the five-time FIFA Player of the Year and the craftiest forward in the world regardless of gender.

Angered by clueless referee Jacqui Melksham to the point where I was certain the fix was in, I sat stunned after the U.S. advanced in penalty kicks. Melksham had previously whistled a foul against the Americans on a 50/50 ball in the box, awarded a penalty kick, red-carded U.S. defender Rachel Buehler, then awarded a second penalty after Hope Solo stuffed Brazil’s Cristiane. Her assistant referees missed an obvious offside call on Marta’s overtime goal, giving Brazil a seemingly insurmountable 2-1 lead while playing with a one-woman advantage.

Enter Abby Wambach and Megan Rapinoe. The latter launched a 30-yard rocket from the left flank that the former smashed into the Brazilian goal on one of the fiercest headers in soccer history. Game tied. PKs forthcoming. Solo makes the save of her career. Bye-bye, Brazil. KMA, Jacqui.

After trouncing France Wednesday, the U.S. women cemented a spot in history. The World Cup final is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. Sunday. Hopefully you’ll be raising a pint for the red, white & blue shortly thereafter.

There’s no doubt that Durango is a soccer town, as evidenced by the hundreds who poured into the Irish Embassy Pub last Saturday night for a fund-raiser for a popular local soccer couple. But if the beautiful game ain’t your cup of tea, consider the following musical offerings for your entertainment this week:

Legendary blues guitarist Jimmie Vaughan plays the Abbey Theatre at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday. A founding member of the Fabulous Thunderbirds, he recorded seven albums with that seminal outfit from 1979-89, many of which are considered classics. He later recorded the album, “Family Style,” with younger brother Stevie Ray Vaughan in 1990 – one that, sadly, was released mere days after Stevie Ray died in a helicopter crash. Since then, the four-time Grammy winner has released six solo albums while appearing alongside the likes of B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy and more.

Truckstop Honeymoon plays a Durango Acoustic Music concert at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Ska Brewing World Headquarters. The duo of Katie Euliss (doghouse bass, vocals) and Mike West (guitar, banjo, vocals) punks out bluegrass and alt-country with tender-loving irreverence. Their story is one of triumph: Katrina wiped out their home and recording studio in New Orleans’ Lower Ninth Ward. They spent the next year touring nonstop with their children in tow, no home to return to. The late Kirk Rundstrom of Split Lip Rayfield convinced them to relocate to Lawrence, Kan., a community that embraced them as much as the Big Easy had. Last year’s DAM members and those who want to join for the 2011-12 season get two free tickets at the gate; all others pay a minimal $5 charge.

The Philadelphia Boys Choir & Chorale does a family friendly affair at 7 p.m. Friday at the Community Concert Hall. It’s billed as a silver & gold celebration of Fort Lewis College’s Centennial and MITM’s 25th anniversary.

There are countless other local happenings that can be found in the Telegraph’s events calendar this week.

On Sunday’s SportsCenter, ESPN listed its Top 10 most dramatic finishes in sports history. Wambach’s game-tying header in extra time ranked No. 5. Along those same lines, this week’s Top Shelf recalls the most dramatic finishes in Colorado sports history:

1. The Drive. John Elway drove the Broncos 98 yards in 5:02 to force overtime in the AFC Championship on Jan. 11, 1987. Denver ultimately prevailed 23-20.

2. The Miracle. Kordell Stewart’s 64-yard Hail Mary to Michael Westbrook as time expired lifted Colorado over Michigan 27-26 on Sept. 24, 1994, at Michigan Stadium.

3. The Fumble. Jeremiah Castille stripped Earnest Byner of the ball on the Denver 3-yard line with 1:12 remaining in the AFC Championship on Jan. 18, 1988. The Broncos won 38-33.

4. The Raspberry. Matt Holliday scored on a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the 13th to lead the Rockies to a 9-8 win over San Diego in a one-game playoff to determine the National League Wild Card on Oct. 1, 2007. Holliday famously skinned his chin on the play, leaving him with an ugly raspberry for the remainder of the playoffs.

5. The Cup-Winner. Uwe Krupp’s shot from the point 4:31 into the third overtime capped a four-game sweep as the Colorado Avalanche beat Florida 1-0 on June 8, 1996, to win their first Stanley Cup.

6. The Helicopter. Facing a third-and-six on the Green Bay 12 in Super Bowl XXXII on Jan. 25, 1998, Elway scrambled through the defense and dove for a first down. Clobbered by two Packers on the play, he spun through the air like rotors on a helicopter. Elway’s heroics inspired Denver to a 31-24 win.

7. The Walkoff. Dante Bichette hit a three-run bomb into the left field seats to lead the Rockies to an 11-9 win over the New York Mets on April 26, 1995, christening Coors Field in the process.

8. The Leadoff. Eric Young led off with a home run against Montreal on April 9, 1993, in the first-ever home game for the Colorado Rockies. A Major League record 80,227 fans witnessed the 11-4 win.

9. The Upset. The Denver Nuggets became the first No. 8 seed to defeat a No. 1 by rallying from a two-game deficit to shock the Seattle Supersonics. The image most remember is Dikembe Mutombo clutching the ball in joy after Denver’s 98-94 win at Seattle on May 7, 1994, in the deciding fifth game.

10. The Penalty Kill. The University of Denver survived Maine’s six-on-three skating advantage in the final 90 seconds to preserve a 1-0 win on March 26, 2004, in the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey championship. n

I’d walk 10 miles on my hands and knees? Email me at chrisa@gobrainstorm.net.