Bonus Update, SND

Well, fed-up with the unfair commentary on my lack of devotion to the Blog, I return with a purely gratuitous update on a Saturday Night D-league set of games. Not even I-league, as the Blog is chartered- but my love for you guys and hockey exceeds my call to duty.

All of you "I-leaguers", be patient, the wait is almost over- and the ice is still cold.

Euless SND

Komets (8-2-1) 6
Privateers (10-0-1) 8

The Komets are in the post season, with an eye on the. . . trophy? But, tonight they tumble for ya', the nearly unstoppable 'Teers post a first period shut-out and get goals from Tony Finazzo, Joel Bush (pp), and the volatile Matt Taylor. In the second the Komets tie it up with goals from Billy Ashman, Brian Panice, and A. J. DiBenedetto. Komets fearless leader, Wil Dobson, goes to the box for the second time and the game that could have been was lost when the Privateers resume the lead (a la Jonathan Horton) and the second tying effort from his team mate Graham Dunlap would prove only a death throe when the 'Teers rattle-off four more: Kim, Finazzo, P. Haley, and Horton. There were more Komet goals, but what did they matter. Can anyone stand in the way of the Duncanville D-bags, and their march toward the championship?

Blue Devils (6-4-1) 3
Ice Bats (4-5-2) 1

The Devils show their mettle in another close game. Andrew Latham takes the Ice Bats to the early lead, but Nate Hodges throws a temper tantrum on the bench and Chase Hannah pacifies him with the tying goal. Throughout the second period Hodges demanded the rapt attention of the entire rink concerning the value of his time and how he just can't afford to lose any of it on a losing team. The Refs, of course, ran the clock during his oration and it would take until the third period before the players could regain the ice. Casey Jenkins wastes no time, winning the game in the opening minute- hard to believe that Jenkins would show any urgency on a Saturday, I know. When the Bats go all out with the extra attacker in the final minute, Val Kuntz pads her personal stats with an empty net goal, can she score any other way? Both goalies play well, Blu saves twenty eight with a 1 GAA.

Patriots (1-9-1) 4
Canadiens (4-6-1) 7

My woes were known by many names, but the one that figured the biggest was Gabe Rivera. He scores on a delectable breakaway, then cleans-up a rebound with a chip-in over my outstretched stick. The Pats offense showed promise, tying the game with goals from Butch Hutchinson on the power play and Brad Allen. Justin McCullough receives a great pass from Scott Haman (off my pads) for the Bat lead and Rivera looks for hats on the surface a couple minutes later. The storied Jeff Vaughn drills one low to the glove side through a perfectly engineered screen to bring the Pats within one but the Cans expose the week's worth of rust on my glove and role-off three, Rivera leading the charge, followed by Haman's quick hands, and finally James Macha "Macha Man" knocks the monkey off his back, receiving a stern talking-to from Olsen about his "trash talking". Vaughn collects another on the power play, but it goes for naught- worse, the Patriots goalie in waiting, Doug Phillips, leaves the game in the third with a broken leg. The league is atwitter with questions- will this delay my retirement from Saturday night play?