Welcome to the Majors

The minor I-league sticks with the "instruction" part of I-league and holds the first of two practices, but the Majors (too good for practice, right?) jumped right into the fray. The Majors have added a few teams and the Snipers are not in the division anymore, bringing the total from eight to ten teams. Those who were here last session will be somewhat familiar with the Lone Star Imports (LSI) and the Whalers, both have graduated from the minors. If you've played here for a bit longer than that, you might remember the Spiders, back from hockey limbo, with much the same roster. Tonight there were games of all types. Do you like tight, defensive, low-scoring affairs; high-scoring, lights-out offensive games; dominating juggernauts; or perhaps you prefer the elegant art of the shut-out (ahem)? What's not to like?

Major League opening night:

Blue Devils (0-1-0) 1
LSI (1-0-0) 2

The Devils return with a touch of Keg hangover, the expansion Imports take advantage of all the opportunities that the Pats could not, last week. In the first, "Big Billy" William Kuo, buries the puck behind Blubaugh off the sweet feed from Catherine Levesque. In the second, the Devils put the Imports on the power play on three occasions, but kill them all off, it takes a mental hic-cup on the one Blue Devil power play to put LSI up by two. Who should be the impetus for this development but the all seeing Catherine Levesque. She springs Gabe Rivera for the shorty. The Imports hold down the Devils offense for what would have been a shut-out, last session, but with the extra six minutes of play, Charlie Heine finally spoils the night for David Jackson, with a Blue Devil's consolation goal.

Ice Bats (1-0-0) 3
Komets (0-0-1) 2

There may have been some dispute about the addition of Chris Gallagher to the Komets roster at the beginning of the game but a late roster addition by the Bats proves to be the real story of the game. A.J. DiBenedetto fills the net for Komets and turns away all the shots in the first period, Rodney Forehand secures the early lead with a Komet goal, scored strangely enough on the forehand. In the second, the Bats apply the pressure and tie the game with a goal from Scott Hunton. A few minutes later, Mike Bierwiler retakes the Komet lead, but sees it vanish when Danny Grimes scores with only twenty-seven seconds left in the middle frame. In the final period, neither team can come up with the winner, the Komet defense puts the clamp on the Bats limiting them to single digit shots for regulation but in overtime, the Bats find their way through the coverage and it's Catherine Levesque, apparently unhappy with her two assists for the Imports, who scores the winner for the Bats, no doubt she burned Gallagher in the slot.

Whalers (0-1-0) 1
Spiders (1-0-0) 6

Tony Marra, got his win for the night in net for the Ice Bats, but when he takes the ice against Josh Ayala (fresh up from the Chiefs in the minors) and the Spiders, he takes a whoopin' of the highest order. The Spiders have been out for a while but they waste no time in their return game, just twenty-six seconds into the game, Pete Clarke puts his arachnid teammates up on the board, by the time the first was over the Spiders had a three to nothing lead with the fine work of Bill Wessel and Evan Callahan. For some reason the Spider's forwards decided to take a nap in the second period, resulting in a scoreless thirteen minutes, but they got back into it in the third. Andrew Patti tallies the fourth unanswered Spider goal and Brian Couture lengthens the lead to five, from the point. In the closing of the game, Pete Clark scores again. At this point the conditioning of the Spiders then comes into question, with only eleven seconds left in the game, the Whalers come up with the pride point, a goal from Richard Walter. Josh, you suck!

Brewzers (0-1-0) 0
Patriots (1-0-0) 3

The Pats had their only multi-goal lead against the Brewzers last session, but Mike Moore hadn't forgotten. Shots for the Brewzers were few and far between, only six shots on the board through two periods. While at the other end the Pats piled-on shot after shot without reward. Mike makes save after save, until late in the second when stretching across the goal line to cover a rebound, he pulls his quad. He manages to hold-off the onslaught for the remainder of the period, but can't make it through the third, Jeff Eagle scores the first Patriot goal, and Travis Lehr follows suit. The Brewzers double their efforts on offense, inspired by their netminder, but the twine eludes them. The Brewzer spirit was broken, when a pass from behind the net bounces off Mac Miller under Moore for the third goal.

DFW Titans (1-0-0) 5
Stickmen (0-1-0) 3

The Titans scrape together a roster, just before the Zam leaves the ice, and they choose wisely. Pete Clarke and Mike Kirkland score the only goals of the opening period, both for the Titans. In the second, the Titans start it up again, with a goal from Jamil Jabri, but the Stickmen wouldn't lay down and die, clutch striker, Alex Eysermanns collects the first Stickmen goal, Mike Kirkland erases it before the buzzer ends the second. It take half the third period to get to the next goal, but Kirkland makes it worth the wait, and the hat trick is his. The Sticks make a push for overtime: a goal from Brian Listman, and a power play goal from Ken Halford pull the Sticks to within two, but even with the new longer periods, time runs out. Steve, did I say "clutch", what was I thinking?

Good times, only one more week of practices and the minors will be underway.