Chosen 1s vs Rainy Day Kids Club
1st Period:
KID (1-0) – Matt Russo (2) (assisted by Probie) (7:10)
2nd Period:
KID (2-0) – Probie (5) (PP) (assisted by Matt Stabel) (2:41)
KID (3-0) – Matt Russo (3) (SH) (unassisted) (7:41)
3rd Period:
CHO (1-3) – Matt Riegler (2) (assisted by Rob) (5:00)
KID (4-1) – Probie (6) (unassisted) (12:51)
GAME NOTES: Fresh off their first victory of the season against Cup Size, the Kids Club faced off against the Chosen 1s with the #8 seed at stake for the losing team…Russo, generally a forward but lately playing as a converted defenseman due to his all-around hockey talents and massive size, got the scoring started off a deep pass from Probie from what appeared to be an impossible angle…Probie put up the eventual game winner on the power play, assisted by his Mofo teammate, Matt Stabel….after Russo stole the ball at center and put in a shorthanded goal to give his team a three goal lead, the Kids Club entered the 2nd intermission with a three goal lead. The Chosen 1s came out strong for the 3rd, pressing for offense, and were rewarded when Riegler was able to bury a pass from Rob Blandi with exactly eight minutes left in the game to put his team within two. However, Timmy shut the door after that and a late Probie empty netter sealed the Kids Club’s second win in a row…with three points on the evening, Probie would temporarily tie Derek atop the scoring race at 10 points…Russo put up two goals and promptly messaged me to ask if he was eligible for the Leetch Award since he’s recently started playing defense. Official criteria for eligibility is six games on defense on the season. Good try though…with the loss, the Chosen 1s become the first team to finish the season and, as Rich was quick to point out on Facebook, get their moneys worth on the season. The Kids Club move out of the basement for the first time this season and maintain a shot to finish as high as 4th.
THREE STARS OF THE GAME:
3rd – Zisser (1 GA)
2nd – Matt Russo (2G)
1st – Probie (2G, 1A)
My Cup Size Is Stanley vs Goonies
1st Period:
GOO (1-0) – Cherie (3) (assisted by Derek) (0:38)
CUP (1-1) – Gene (3) (unassisted) (3:02)
CUP (2-1) – Gene (4) (assisted by Jake T) (7:51)
CUP (3-1) – Rachel Longley (3) (assisted by Jake T) (8:46)
3rd Period:
CUP (4-1) – Justin (2) (unassisted) (2:56)
CUP (5-1) – Gabe (3) (assisted by Carlin) (7:30)
GOO (2-5) – Cherie (4) (assisted by Derek) (9:15)
GOO (3-5) – Creed (2) (assisted by Cherie) (11:39)
GAME NOTES: This game began on April 23, literally one month ago at the time of this writing. It was so long ago that the Toronto Maple Leafs were still in the playoffs and the Sharks were hours away from getting the first of their many incredible calls in these playoffs…Cherie opened the scoring just 38 seconds into the game on a feed from Derek who padded his lead in the scoring race. After Gene scored two goals and Rachel put up her third of the season, the game was halted when the sky opened up with 6:03 left in the 2nd period…we returned to the action on Friday, May 17 to finish up this contest. Casca was back in net for Cup Size after Zisser had played the first period and a half…no one scored in the 2nd period and Cup Size went into the 3rd nursing the same 3-1 lead. They quickly expanded on that as Justin, sniped from Campbell by Jenn on draft day in a particularly savage move, scored early in the 3rd to put the black team up 4-1…Gabe would put the game out of reach with five and a half minutes left in the game by banking a shot in off Eitan. Cherie and Creed would add two late goals to give the Goonies a shot but it was too little too late…this was the Goonies’ first loss of the season but they had already clinched 2nd at the very worst going into the makeup portion of the game…Cherie extended her all-time point total to 23 and remains #1 on the female leaderboard. She is also the league’s all-time leading playoff scorer.
THREE STARS OF THE GAME:
3rd – Jake Thorpe (2A)
2nd – Cherie (2G, 1A)
1st – Gene (2G)
Goonies vs Hungry Hippos
1st Period:
HIP (1-0) – Spencer (6) (assisted by Ariel) (3:30)
GOO (1-1) – Creed (3) (assisted by Derek) (7:55)
HIP (2-1) – Jack (4) (unassisted) (9:00)
GOO (2-2) – Isaac (1) (assisted by Brett) (11:13)
2nd Period:
HIP (3-2) – Jack (5) (assisted by Cheeky) (1:51)
GOO (3-3) – Brian (1) (unassisted) (4:28)
HIP (4-3) – Cheeky (2) (assisted by Jack) (9:16)
HIP (5-3) – Ariel (2) (unassisted) (10:45)
3rd Period:
GOO (4-5) – Derek (9) (assisted by Rob) (7:05)
HIP (6-4) – Quincy (3) (assisted by Ariel) (10:40)
HIP (7-4) – Ariel (3) (assisted by Courtney) (12:10)
GAME NOTES: There was little recovery time for the Goonies after losing their first game of the season as they had five minutes to regroup before facing the resurgent Hippos…I’m not quite sure what kind of Wheaties and/or steroids Hicks left this squad on his way out of town for the weekend, but they came out flying in this game. Incredibly, one third of all goals the Goonies gave up on the season came in this game…Ariel led the way with two goals and two assists, including the game winner on a slapper from center that seemed to dip and fool Eitan…Jack, fresh off of being deemed a tadpole, played with vengeance in his heart as he picked up two goals and an assist, extending a massive middle finger to his roommate James…Derek picked up a goal and an assist in his final game of the regular season and finishes the spring with a career high 14 points. He’s now #2 in all-time points behind one-time teammate and ski buddy Probie…Isaac and Brian, playing in their first D5 games as subs for the white team, each picked up a goal…with Dave GDR running late, Zisser subbed in for the first 23 minutes of the game. Dave came in right before Ariel’s game winner so he still gets the W on his record…the win moved the Hippos into a tie for 5th with Cup Size, with the two teams playing each other on makeup night May 21. The loss for the Goonies meant they would need Winter Is Coming to lose at least one of their three remaining games to clinch 1st.
THREE STARS OF THE GAME:
3rd – Cheeky (1G, 1A)
2nd – Tadpole Jack (2G, 1A)
1st – Ariel (2G including GWG, 2A)
Hungry Hippos vs My Cup Size Is Stanley
1st Period:
CUP (1-0) – Jake Thorpe (1) (assisted by Mike Wright) (6:09)
2nd Period:
CUP (2-0) – Gabe (4) (unassisted) (1:55)
HIP (1-3) – Carlin (3) (assisted by Spencer) (6:35)
3rd Period:
CUP (3-1) – Gabe (5) (unassisted) (10:02)
GAME NOTES: Two teams tied in the standings at 11 points face off with a chance at 4th, and the play-in bye that comes with it, at stake…Jake Thorpe, fresh off a two assist game against the Goonies, got the scoring started midway through the first off a feed from Big Mike…after Gabe put Cup Size up by two, Carlin (subbing in for bae Sena) cut the deficit to one with a point shot through traffic that dipped and beat a screened Casca. Free agent Carlin strikes again; she now has five points in five games as a free agent, but only two points in seven games for her actual team, the Cheetahs…Gabe put the game away late with a garbage goal off a rebound scramble in front just a second before Sarah was about to lay him out. As it was, he was able to escape unscathed…with the Win, Cup Size clinches the 5th seed at the very worst, but still has a game to finish against the Cheetahs which they start in a 3-0 hole from May 7.
THREE STARS OF THE GAME:
3rd – Zak Casca (1 GA)
2nd – Jake Thorpe (1G)
1st – Gabe (2G including GWG)
The Charging Cheetahs vs My Cup Size Is Stanley
1st Period:
CHA (1-0) – Sweet Baby James (4) (assisted by Carlin) (5:55)
CHA (2-0) – Chris Snell (1) (assisted by Sweet Baby James) (7:43)
CHA (3-0) – Chris Snell (2) (assisted by Sweet Baby James) (11:20)
2nd Period:
CUP (1-3) – DRo (1) (assisted by Gabe) (9:00)
CHA (4-1) – Matt K (3) (unassisted) (12:45)
3rd Period:
CHA (5-1) – Sweet Baby James (5) (assisted by Carlin) (8:27)
CHA (6-1) – Pags (2) (EN) (unassisted) (12:01)
GAME NOTES: This game started on May 7 with the Cheetahs jumping out to a quick and surprising 3-0 lead before rain cause the second half to be postponed…Chris Snell, playing on a line with SBJ in Sully’s absence, put up two first period goals in the first half of this game…after DRo put one past Dave (subbing for deLacy who was running late), Matt K put up his 3rd goal of the season to restore the Cheetahs’ three goal lead…Carlin had a beautiful seam pass to set up James’ 2nd goal of the game with four and a half minutes left in the contest. The goal put the Cheetahs up four and effectively sealed the game…Mike Pags of Poutine fame would put the game out of reach with a late empty netter…this game was significant for two reasons: 1) the Cheetahs making a statement that they are for real, and 2) the season-long roommate battle between SBJ and Tadpole Jack. James came into this game three points behind Jack for the scoring lead, but put up a herculean two goal, two assist performance to climb into the lead heading into the late games. Word is if Jack loses he’ll have to go by SBJ Junior for the entirety of the summer season. No word on what James’ punishment would be…with the regulation loss, Cup Size finishes in 5th and will face Jeff, Rich and the Chosen 1s in the first round.
THREE STARS OF THE GAME:
3rd – Shaun deLacy (0 GA although technically not a SO)
2nd – Chris Snell (2G including GWG)
1st – Sweet Baby James (2G, 2A)
Hungry Hippos vs Winter Is Coming
1st Period:
WIN (1-0) – Mike T (7) (assisted by Mike M) (12:55)
2nd Period:
HIP (1-1) – Ariel (4) (assisted by Courtney) (11:38)
3rd Period:
WIN (2-1) – Susie (2) (assisted by Mike T) (3:01)
WIN (3-1) – AFrey (2) (assisted by Caitlin) (5:26)
HIP (2-3) – Jack (6) (assisted by Ariel) (7:22)
HIP (3-3) – Spencer (7) (assisted by Carlin) (9:46)
Shootout Winner by Courtney Ryan
GAME NOTES: After some delay, the 2nd Fireball Bowl (aka Fire Bowl) finally took place with both sides missing players, but ready to do battle for a bottle of that sweet, disgusting cinnamon liquor…Mike T got the scoring started late in the first period on low slider that dipped last minute and seemed to fool Dave…Ariel tied the score late in the 2nd after Courtney got the ball behind the net and found him in the slot for a quick tap-in past Zisser…in the third, Susie and Alex scored for the blue team to open up a 3-1 lead with just over seven minutes remaining. That lead was short lived, however, as Jack potted his 6th of the season on a nifty redirection of an Ariel point shot to cut it to one before Spencer scored off a netmouth scramble to tie the game at 3…Winter had multiple chances late in the 3rd and into OT, but Dave stood tall, aided by a defense that blocked a number of shots that looked to be on their way to finding the back of the net. Zisser stopped Marcella on an OT breakaway and stopped multiple Tadpole one timers to keep Winter in it as well…the game eventually went to a shootout where the first two shooters per side were stoned by the goalkeepers. Both captains scored in round 3. In round 4, Zisser stopped Ariel and Adam, requesting the shot against his former squad, appeared to score and end the game. The refs went to the replay, however, to make sure he did not move backwards and concluded that he did; thus, the goal was waved off. On the Hippos’ very next shot, Courtney scored on a great last second deke while Dave stopped Mike M, giving the Hippos a victory in their final game of the season…Spencer scored his 7th of the season and is now 2nd in the rookie scoring race, surpassing Stu and trailing only his teammate Jack…speaking of Tadpole Jack, the tip of Ariel’s point shot was not only a beautiful goal he will surely be showing any woman who enters his apartment for the foreseeable future, it also ties him with James in points for the season, with Jack holding the goals tiebreaker. James has one game left to play later in the evening…the Hippos were locked into 6th place after their loss to Cup Size and the Cheetahs victory, but go into the playoffs on a roll, having won 4 of their last 5 games. The loss clinches the President’s Trophy for the Goonies; Winter would need to pick up four points in their final two games to clinch the #2 seed.
THREE STARS OF THE GAME:
3rd – Mike T (1G, 1A)
2nd – Courtney Ryan (SO Winner, 1A)
1st – Ariel (1G, 1A)
Winter Is Coming vs Rainy Day Kids Club
1st Period:
KID (1-0) – Creamy (1) (assisted by Ines) (0:31)
WIN (1-1) – Mike M (1) (assisted by Mike T) (12:44)
2nd Period:
WIN (2-1) – AFrey (3) (unassisted) (4:50)
KID (2-2) – Steve Friedman (2) (assisted by Scott Metz) (6:51)
3rd Period:
KID (3-2) – Creamy (2) (unassisted) (5:48)
WIN (3-3) – AFrey (4) (Mike M) (11:55)
Shootout Winner by Ryan McManus
GAME NOTES: Somehow, on a night where we were trying to get the games over quickly, Winter played two consecutive shootout games…Creamy opened the scoring on the first shift of the game with his first goal of the season. He was a point-per-game player last season but was also playing center as opposed to his role on defense this year…Creamy’s Butchers teammate Mike Mincieli picked up his first goal of the season late in the 1st to knot the game at one…after blue captain Alex and goalie extraordinaire Steve traded goals in the 2nd, Creamy picked up another tally when his point shot found its way through traffic and beat Zisser low to the stick side to give his team the lead. With about 1:45 left, Alex called a timeout and the team pulled the goalie after forcing a faceoff deep in the offensive zone. After almost giving up an empty netter, they went the other way and Alex picked up the rebound of a shot by Mike to send the game to OT, much to the chagrin of someone in the stands who sounds like Carlin screaming “NOOOOO” as the ball goes in. And here I thought we were friends…both teams had their chances in OT but neither could slip one past the goalies. In the shootout, Cheeky hit a post and Probie was barely stopped by a desperation diving effort from Zisser. Alex put in his 2nd shootout goal on the evening, the first time in league history that has happened. Matt Russo almost committed the most shocking shootout error of all time as he nearly ran too far ahead of the ball and lost it, but recovered and slipped one past Zisser. After Ryan went backhand shelf in the 4th round, Zisser got his pad on a Scott Metz attempt and with that, Winter had the comeback win…the Kids Club was locked into the 7th seed either way and will face the Hungry Hippos in the 1st round on Tuesday. Winter still has a game to play against the Cheetahs which will take place during the play-in round as well.
THREE STARS OF THE GAME:
3rd – Mike M (1G, 1A)
2nd – Creamy (2G)
1st – AFrey (2G, Shootout Goal)
The Charging Cheetahs vs Rainy Day Kids Club
2nd Period:
CHA (1-0) – Danny Swersky (3) (SH) (unassisted) (9:02)
3rd Period:
CHA (2-0) – Danny Swersky (4) (unassisted) (8:56)
GAME NOTES: The final game of the evening saw the Kids Club, locked into 7th place, facing the Cheetahs who could finish anywhere from 3rd to 5th place based on the results of this game…it was a tight defensive battle throughout, with a number of battles fought, penalties called and balls hit by stick and balls. In the end, the only shots that eluded either goalie were two breakaways by Danny Swersky. See if you can hear his bench scream “finish them Danny” just before he buries the second one…the Kids Club had a number of great chances and sustained pressure but the Cheetahs employed their vaunted bend but don’t break defense and helped deLacy notch his first career shutout (technically he gave up 0 goals against Cup Size but since he didn’t play the full game it doesn’t count as a shutout)…on the season the Cheetahs gave up an average of 2.00 goals per game, third all time behind the Fall 2018 Cleveland Browns (1.22) and the Summer 2018 Cheetahs (1.33)…Shaun deLacy, who hadn’t consistently played in net in many years, went from a 7th round pick to the league’s GAA champion for the season. Should have taken that field bet at +300 back in March…James failed to record a point in this game and thus finishes the season one spot behind Jack in the scoring race. While both players have 10 points in 9 games, Jack had one more goal and thus wins the roommate scoring race…with the win, the Cheetahs are locked in the #3 seed for the playoffs and will face the winner of the Hippos/Kids Club showdown in the final game of the evening. The Kids Club will face the Hippos and, if they win that, have the opportunity to gain revenge on the Cheetahs later in the evening. Will they be able to do it? Fill out a playoff bracket and let us know…first place gets half off the summer season! See ya in the playoffs.
THREE STARS OF THE GAME:
3rd – Carlin (Shutdown D even if she is a bad friend)
2nd – Danny Swersky (2G)
1st – Shaun deLacy (W, SO)