Back in the Swing of Things

With a practice session interrupting our schedule, and most of us not attending, it's great to be back on the ice again. I was there from start to finish, yeah, even the first game at 6:45. I certainly appreciate the added competition, variety, et al, of our sixteen team league, but it certainly has a few undesirable side-effects, early starts are better than having alternating weeks of play . . . I can't imagine Euless supporting more teams than sixteen.

Here's the week that was, and what a week it was:

Snipers(3-3-0) 3, DFW Titans(3-2-1) 2, OT, Shoot-out

The DFW Titans struggle to fill out their roster but with the addition of their coach they end up with the nice round number of ten and a goalie. However in warm-ups, Miller demonstrates his superior skills by roofing one over his goalie's shoulder and destroying Troy Elliot's water bottle. He toned it down and appears as nothing more than a body on the scoresheet. The first period saw Kevin Cook open up the scoring for the Snipers at the midpoint. The lead evaporated only 33 seconds later with Chris Holder's shot. In the second it was more of the same: DFW Titans' Jake Jordan gets a goal, less than a minute and a half later it's Chris Davis to Sharon Fletcher to Jesse Henderson for the counter punch. The third and overtime periods were deadlocked and, possibly suffering from dehydration, Troy Elliot allows the game winner to Kevin Cook in the shoot-out.

Silverwings(4-2-1) 2, Iceholes(3-2-1) 1, OT, Shoot-out

The Wings had two tasks to accomplish in this game: hold Jon Bird in check and find a goalie. They manage both. In the first period they put their second shot of the game behind Jayson Jones (he looked like he might have been sick) to take the lead, it would be the second of ten total shots on the Hole's net. The real story was at the other end of the ice where David Blubaugh filled the Silverwing net in substantial fashion turning away shot after shot until the final minute of regulation when after turning away yet another Jon Bird attempt, Raul Gilbreath sweeps in the rebound to send it to overtime. Blubaugh holds them off for the ensuing five minutes, accumulating 38 saves, and collects the win with extra shooters when the Silverwings' Chris Arendall (14th shooter) nets the last goal of the contest. Jon Bird, as the Iceholes' only offensive threat, wasn't completely neutralized as he earns an assist and scores a shoot-out goal, but the Silverwings are scored on pass/fail so that's gotta be a pass.

Brewzers(4-2-0) 2, Privateers(4-2-0)1

The Brewzers get a big performance from a fill-in goalie also, as yours truly assembles one of his best games to the frustration of the pre-pubescent Privateer offense. The majority of the game was played in the Brewzers' defensive zone, but the grizzled veterans play with patience and cool confidence, defusing most of the Privateer scoring chances before the can reach the net, and on one neutral zone mistake the Brewzers manage to dirty up the front of the net for the first score, the honor goes to Paul Thurston. The Privateers recollect themselves and with a new vigor attack the Brewzers' zone with stalwart play making and quick, odd man rushes, but all attempts were foiled by the Brewzers and Jon Ellis. In another turn over David Runyon scores from just inside the blue line, giving the Brewzers the cushion, they would need this later. The young 'Teers were beginning to unravel by the time the third came around, watching as their best attempts seemed to be for naught, and the clock ticking down. They pull their goalie with about a minute and a half left in the game and even keep three Brewzers from assaulting the empty net, then with 50 seconds left in the game, Patrick Haley sends in a harmless shot from the top of the circle but Privateer master scorer Cody Payne applies an expert deflection with the shaft of his stick, three feet in the air, and rainbows the puck over Ellis' head and just under the crossbar. The 'Teers erupt in joy and relief, but ultimately fail, unable to conjure another miracle shot. Thank you Lunch Box.

Komets(2-4-0) 3, Chiefs(1-5-1) 1

The Komets have been out done by a team with more problems than their own! In the first period the Komets' incestuous offense scored in the first minute with Nation sending it to Scott Baldree, then Bierwiler and Baldree set-up Dustin Nation half way through the period. Then they had a second period. Finally, with just over a minute left in the third the Chiefs find the twine via the stick of Bill Broad. Soon their after Stillwagon heads for the bench and the Chiefs' extra attacker yields an empty net goal to Mike Gallagher, the assist to Komet fill-in goalie Patrick Donaghue. A big night for fill-in goalies, as Donaghue gains a win for the Komets. I can't even remember how the Chiefs earned their only win, oh yeah, it was against me and the Diggers . . .

Patriots(6-0-0) 5, Moose(0-3-1) 0

Total domination. Do you remember what it was like in I-league a few years ago, I do, and most of the teams looked like the Moose do right now. Everyone likes to talk about ringers and which teams are stacked, blah, blah, blah. If you want to know what an I-league team really looks like, watch the Moose. Euless is virtually made up of ringers (I-league ringers, you know, not good players or anything). This team will have to wait a little longer for their time in the sun, but they have the right attitude and if they can stay together I know that it will happen for them. The Pats, on the other hand, have everything going their way. A well rounded team, whenever one aspect is not working another one covers. Brad Allen collects the hat trick, sure to bring him nothing but grief, and the other two goals are scored shorthanded on the same penalty by Greg Helenbrook and John Newell.

Stickmen(5-1-0) 1, Warriors(2-3-1) 0, OT, Shoot-out

Well, I really do appreciate defensive games and Goalie battles but they sure make for a difficult recap if you didn't witness the game. With only one goal on the scoresheet there isn't just a whole lot of substance to construct a story with. It is David Blubaugh's second appearance of the night and, once again, he delivers a terrific game, in fact flawless, turning away all seventeen shots, Talley and the Warriors match the Sticks step for step until the shoot-out. Jason Bergen wins the game with one shot. Just an aside, do both goalies get credit for a shut-out if the game goes to a shoot-out knotted at zero? I know that the scoresheet for this game incorrectly logs the goal as an overtime goal, instead of a shoot-out goal, and there are no records on how many shooters scored in the shoot-out, but I don't think shoot-out goals are held against goalies the same way as regular play goals are. Let me hear from ya'.

Blue Devils(5-1-0) 6, Grave Diggers(2-3-1) 2

The remarkable part of this game is that the Diggers scored at all. Both teams showed a lot of passion and a lot of penalties were earned and even more weren't. Bear in mind, whom you are bearing witness to, when "dirty play" talk rears its ugly head. The official count is 38 minutes in penalties, 12 to the Devils, the remaining 26 to the Diggers. With Blue Devil goals from Gerard Locke II, Arnie Osuna, Curtis Zoll, Brent Herschberger, Charlie Heine, and Jacob Reynolds, the Digger frustration was understandable, but it is up for debate just how slanted the calling of the game really was. The Diggers need to rally the troops and put this one behind them. Think positive, Diggers, you had a shooting percentage of twenty percent (he said, redundantly), with goals from Billy Quinn and Randy Chappel. The Blue Devils are surging.

Puckers(3-3-0) 4, Spiders(1-4-1) 2

The Spiders (the funnest team in the league) throw everything at the net but Pat Donaghue carries his second team to victory, with ample support from his offense. The scoring started right away for the Puckers, with two goals before the two minute mark, the first for Kent Gordon, then Rob Constantine. The Spiders stave them off for the remainder of the period then with the intermission adjustment, Andrew Patti needs only 18 seconds to cut the lead in half. Gordon scores again to regain the two goal lead before the period ends. Halfway through the third, Gordon completes the hat trick. The Spiders' rally starts with a goal from Mike Reeves but it also ends there, as the Spiders continue the downward spiral. Rumor has it the Spiders are assembling a D-league team . . . how's that working out?

I love this league!

I'll put some picture on soon, promise.