Here's something different, let's see if I survive.
The economy is in the dumps, and just like with everybody else, the best way to make things better is to spread it around. Therefore the stock market is falling on the Stars. Marty isn't the best goalie in the league as per usual, he's not even the best Marty in the league, despite Brodeur being inactive now. Biron is kicking his arse. It isn't all on Marty, though. How much longer can we go without Lehtinen and Zubov? I really liked the idea of signing of Avery, and it is now obvious that not only would I make a terrible NHL general manager, but so would a couple of other guys. . . Oh my sweet lord, someone please help the Stars!
Are there any good teams in the area anymore?
What about me?
This weekend, I will be burying my head in the sand. After being showed-up by the Privateers, Ice Bats, and for Pete's sake the Chiefs.
I had been looking forward to dealing out a little sumthin'-sumthin' to those Blue Devils, but I just don't think I can show my face in the place.
I am retreating to Lubbock, to sit at the feet of Mike Leach. To learn how to win. The remainder of my free time in the work week will be spent at the Mike Moore Goaltending Clinic. So watch out next week.
Elsewhere. . .
Do you remember how you felt in the weeks after 9/11? There was a feeling of patriotism that permeated the entirety of the country. It cut across racial and political lines. You felt proud to be an American.
Unfortunately, it came at a great expense. And, the intense sadness of the whole event often overpowered the collective embrace. Often, there was an anger boiling-up.
I voted for the first time last week, and I Barack-ed the vote. I felt good doing my part as an American. I didn't start to feel anything as powerful as those seven years ago until last night.
I am only thirty-two and I'm not black, and will never be able to understand the extent to which the American life can be distorted just by the color of your skin, but it is humbling to think of how much has changed in what is only a long lifetime. On the verge of tears myself, I listened to the testimonies of men and women who had endured inhuman treatment, constant oppression, and their overwhelming disbelief, to be at the precipice of such a moment in this nation's history. The unthinkable. A black president.
I certainly hope that no matter your political affiliation that you will realize what a positive moment this is, how much healing and unity can result from this one event. I feel good to be an American, again. It doesn't solve everything. It doesn't solve a lot of things. It is a huge step toward the American ideal, where anyone can go as far as their will can carry them.
I don't know if this will come across the way I want it to, but, this time it is a purer feeling, because it comes without that expense, without the sadness, fear, and anger. The payment is the event itself.
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
Sunday, November 02, 2008
We May Have Something Here. . .
Things are finally getting interesting in the fourth week of the schedule. . . LSI and the Privateers are battling for dominance in the minors: LSI had zero goals against until this week, the 'Teers have (in the three games that I have records for) twenty goals for. One of these teams will be graduating the Minors at the end of this session, should be quite a battle when they eventually meet.
The Komets stand alone atop the Majors, as the Pats fall in the shoot-out this week. In fact all of the major games were very close except for the Komets, who mopped the floor with the misplaced Snipers. The Snipe will have to set their sights on next session when they will be rightly placed in the Minors. Definitely some discretions on Yockey's part for the Major/Minor division, unfortunately the Snipers will suffer the most from this decision.
Minor
Privateers (3-0-0) 7
Grave Diggers (0-3-0) 1
left : Brooks Willhoite, Jon Ellis, Cody Payne (l,r)
Well, I threw down the gauntlet. . . The 'Teers lit a fire in front of the Digger's net and no matter how much gasoline I threw on it, I just couldn't put it out! The Privateer tide rolled in quickly, in the fourth minute of the game, Casey "Bring the" Payne puts one behind me, Bush gets his only point of the game for the assist. In the seventh minute it's Patrick Haley who comes away with the tally. To finish off the first period, Cody "Max" Payne, puts up the third unanswered goal for the 'Teers. The second sees an early goal from Robert Meassengale (pointstreak spelling, AKA Bob-O) and a counter punch from Bruce Davis of the Grave Diggers. For a moment it looked like the Diggers might have a chance. At the other end, Ryan Haley responds to the pressure with timely saves on every Digger scoring chance, crushing their hopes. In the third the Diggers returned to the ice with their heads hanging, breathing through their mouths, with heavy skates they chased the 'Teers as the chasm widened between the two teams. Steve Haley scored first, followed by a goal by Erick Ahlstedt, and Casey scores the final goal of the night. They bested me with their wood, their composite. They bested me with speed. They must have out-played Ellis, and a team that can do that can plan my castle onslaught any day.
Calm down a bit, Willhoite, we're all havin' fun here, right?
Whalers (2-2-0) 4
Puckers (1-2-0) 3
The Whalers got the first franchise victory last week against the hard luck Diggers but prove it was no aberration with the start of a streak. The Puckers, on the shoulders of Patrick Donaghue, get behind in the first minute, as Brad Watson scores for the early Whaler lead. Chris Mosely ties the game half way through the period, only to give back the lead late in the period to Whaler, Kenneth Thomas. The Puckers win the second period with the first goal coming from John Ward. Brian Hamstra, Whaler captain, gains the the lead, but with their second goal of the second period, Steve Niecamp knots the score leaving the third period for the colossal battle between these two Minor power houses. Both teams lock down their defenses until halfway through the frame when Kyle Boltz puts the Whalers on the power play, Captain Hamster finds a way late on the advantage to sink the winner. The Whalers may be figuring this thing out, heck if you work with the stock market 9-5, I-league shouldn't be too hard.
Team Euless (0-3-0) 0
Chiefs (2-1-0) 3
The collection of leftovers, known as Team Euless got on the ice without a goalie, Bob Sirkis made a great stick save on the first Chief shot but could not find the rebound directly between his skates, Troy Clarkson does. . . Ellis arrives to try to stop the bleeding, throws a pass to the wrong color jersey, Bill Broad skates it back in and scores high glove. Team Euless takes a moment to breath, collect themselves, and make it to halfway through the second before Thomas Harnitchek holds Ellis to the post before sending the puck to David Dahms in the slot, who delays then beats Ellis top shelf. The Chiefs play most of the third in the Euless end, but somehow fail to score again. Ayala gets his second consecutive shut-out. Do you smell what the Chiefs are cookin'?
LSI (4-0-0) 5
Silverwings (1-1-1) 4
The last game on the gold rink was a doozy. After nearly seven minutes of scoreless hockey the usual LSI suspects show up on the score board. First, it's Gabe Rivera quickly followed by Katherine Levesque. Sergio "The C-Train" Castillo blazes down the ice to put a dent in the Import game with a late goal. In the second, Castillo hits it again on the power play, and before the Imports can adjust their game plan, he makes the hat trick. In the third, Ryan Kelly puts the Wings up by two but the Imports knuckle down. Just five seconds into their power play opportunity, LSI goal leader, Gabe Rivera, gets his second. And, with only little more than a minute left in regulation, Erik Todd steals the momentum with his tying goal. In over time, A flurry erupts in front of Silverwing net minder Eric Spivey and in just thirteen seconds it all comes to an end: Mark Haman sends it to Linda Mason, Mason finds Ken Lentz, Lentz drills it home for the LSI victory. LSI had no goals against, until tonight, where they proved that they have the fortitude to when in the clutch. The poor Silverweinies find a new way to lose.
Major
Patriots (2-0-1) 2
Ice Bats (2-1-0) 3
The new look Patriots take the ice limiting shooting from the Bats to three shots in the first and scoring on the power play with forward Bryan Brookman. In the second it was more of the same, the scoring this time from Brad Allen. In the third the Patriots dug in to ride the lead in, but the Bats, more specifically Eric Petty, would not go down, on the power play, Petty gets some space and beats Ellis with a quick one over the glove. Petty scores again late in the third with a deflection off a defenseman's skate to beat Ellis on the ice this time for the tie. Over time would not be enough and in the shoot-out, it's Petty again, on the first Ice Bat shot who scores off the cuff of Ellis glove. . . no one else could net a thing. Last session, the first loss for the Patriots proved to be a defining moment, has the team got the character to overcome this time?
DFW Titans (1-2-0) 2
Stickmen (1-2-0) 3
The Sticks pull-out their first win against the hot-and-cold Titans. It's the Sticks who score first with the goal from Lynn Young in the second minute. The Titans strike back with a goal from Lincoln Foster to tie the game. The second was the Clint Tippet show as he scores for the Stickmen two goal lead. Brittany Boisvert brings the Titans within one with her early goal in the third but, despite having nearly ten minutes to tie the game, the Titans fall short. Blubaugh looked less than stellar but comes away with the win.
Blue Devils (2-1-0) 3
Brewzers (1-1-1) 2
In Blubaugh's second game, his offense shows up first with a goal from Devil Jake Reynolds, the only goal of the first. In the second Scott Spellman puts the Devils up by two but sees his efforts erased by the goal from Brewzer lightning rod Joshua Sutton, he would draw on this later. In the third the Brewzers' Nidal Al Jabri draws on the last meeting of these two teams and this time it is he who bests Blubaugh to tie the game. After a deadlocked over time, the shoot-out commenced, and it's Spellman who uses his anger to strike Mike Moore down on the first Blue Devil attempt. But in the last Brewzer attempt it was Nidal's chance again to send it to extra shooters, he slides to Blubaugh's glove side, Blubaugh stacks the pads, Nidal lifts the puck, but it hits the edge of Blubaugh's glove. . . The Blue Devils hold on to tie for second in the standings.
Komets (3-0-0) 5
Snipers (0-2-1) 0
In the final game on the green rink, the Snipers laid their head on the chopping block. The Komets are the talk of the league these days, and without a loss on their record, they certainly deserve to be. This week it would not be another tight one goal lead though, they drill five goals while maintaining a shut-out for long time Komet netminder, Brent Bryant. Wil Dobson gets an assist on Rodney Forehand's goal. After only a few more seconds, Wil gets his own goal, followed by a lull of nine and a half minutes of scoreless grab-ass-ery. After a power nap between periods the Komets come roaring back with another goal, this one from Dustin Nation, Dobson gets the assist. Ram Lavani rams one home to close out the period. Early in the third, Bryan Brookman gets an unassisted goal before the Komets crawl into a shell to finish the game. A three point night for Dobson, it is however, against the Snipers. Maybe things would be different if Matt would wear his business socks.
The Komets stand alone atop the Majors, as the Pats fall in the shoot-out this week. In fact all of the major games were very close except for the Komets, who mopped the floor with the misplaced Snipers. The Snipe will have to set their sights on next session when they will be rightly placed in the Minors. Definitely some discretions on Yockey's part for the Major/Minor division, unfortunately the Snipers will suffer the most from this decision.
Minor
Privateers (3-0-0) 7
Grave Diggers (0-3-0) 1
Well, I threw down the gauntlet. . . The 'Teers lit a fire in front of the Digger's net and no matter how much gasoline I threw on it, I just couldn't put it out! The Privateer tide rolled in quickly, in the fourth minute of the game, Casey "Bring the" Payne puts one behind me, Bush gets his only point of the game for the assist. In the seventh minute it's Patrick Haley who comes away with the tally. To finish off the first period, Cody "Max" Payne, puts up the third unanswered goal for the 'Teers. The second sees an early goal from Robert Meassengale (pointstreak spelling, AKA Bob-O) and a counter punch from Bruce Davis of the Grave Diggers. For a moment it looked like the Diggers might have a chance. At the other end, Ryan Haley responds to the pressure with timely saves on every Digger scoring chance, crushing their hopes. In the third the Diggers returned to the ice with their heads hanging, breathing through their mouths, with heavy skates they chased the 'Teers as the chasm widened between the two teams. Steve Haley scored first, followed by a goal by Erick Ahlstedt, and Casey scores the final goal of the night. They bested me with their wood, their composite. They bested me with speed. They must have out-played Ellis, and a team that can do that can plan my castle onslaught any day.
Calm down a bit, Willhoite, we're all havin' fun here, right?
Whalers (2-2-0) 4
Puckers (1-2-0) 3
The Whalers got the first franchise victory last week against the hard luck Diggers but prove it was no aberration with the start of a streak. The Puckers, on the shoulders of Patrick Donaghue, get behind in the first minute, as Brad Watson scores for the early Whaler lead. Chris Mosely ties the game half way through the period, only to give back the lead late in the period to Whaler, Kenneth Thomas. The Puckers win the second period with the first goal coming from John Ward. Brian Hamstra, Whaler captain, gains the the lead, but with their second goal of the second period, Steve Niecamp knots the score leaving the third period for the colossal battle between these two Minor power houses. Both teams lock down their defenses until halfway through the frame when Kyle Boltz puts the Whalers on the power play, Captain Hamster finds a way late on the advantage to sink the winner. The Whalers may be figuring this thing out, heck if you work with the stock market 9-5, I-league shouldn't be too hard.
Team Euless (0-3-0) 0
Chiefs (2-1-0) 3
The collection of leftovers, known as Team Euless got on the ice without a goalie, Bob Sirkis made a great stick save on the first Chief shot but could not find the rebound directly between his skates, Troy Clarkson does. . . Ellis arrives to try to stop the bleeding, throws a pass to the wrong color jersey, Bill Broad skates it back in and scores high glove. Team Euless takes a moment to breath, collect themselves, and make it to halfway through the second before Thomas Harnitchek holds Ellis to the post before sending the puck to David Dahms in the slot, who delays then beats Ellis top shelf. The Chiefs play most of the third in the Euless end, but somehow fail to score again. Ayala gets his second consecutive shut-out. Do you smell what the Chiefs are cookin'?
LSI (4-0-0) 5
Silverwings (1-1-1) 4
The last game on the gold rink was a doozy. After nearly seven minutes of scoreless hockey the usual LSI suspects show up on the score board. First, it's Gabe Rivera quickly followed by Katherine Levesque. Sergio "The C-Train" Castillo blazes down the ice to put a dent in the Import game with a late goal. In the second, Castillo hits it again on the power play, and before the Imports can adjust their game plan, he makes the hat trick. In the third, Ryan Kelly puts the Wings up by two but the Imports knuckle down. Just five seconds into their power play opportunity, LSI goal leader, Gabe Rivera, gets his second. And, with only little more than a minute left in regulation, Erik Todd steals the momentum with his tying goal. In over time, A flurry erupts in front of Silverwing net minder Eric Spivey and in just thirteen seconds it all comes to an end: Mark Haman sends it to Linda Mason, Mason finds Ken Lentz, Lentz drills it home for the LSI victory. LSI had no goals against, until tonight, where they proved that they have the fortitude to when in the clutch. The poor Silverweinies find a new way to lose.
Major
Patriots (2-0-1) 2
Ice Bats (2-1-0) 3
The new look Patriots take the ice limiting shooting from the Bats to three shots in the first and scoring on the power play with forward Bryan Brookman. In the second it was more of the same, the scoring this time from Brad Allen. In the third the Patriots dug in to ride the lead in, but the Bats, more specifically Eric Petty, would not go down, on the power play, Petty gets some space and beats Ellis with a quick one over the glove. Petty scores again late in the third with a deflection off a defenseman's skate to beat Ellis on the ice this time for the tie. Over time would not be enough and in the shoot-out, it's Petty again, on the first Ice Bat shot who scores off the cuff of Ellis glove. . . no one else could net a thing. Last session, the first loss for the Patriots proved to be a defining moment, has the team got the character to overcome this time?
DFW Titans (1-2-0) 2
Stickmen (1-2-0) 3
The Sticks pull-out their first win against the hot-and-cold Titans. It's the Sticks who score first with the goal from Lynn Young in the second minute. The Titans strike back with a goal from Lincoln Foster to tie the game. The second was the Clint Tippet show as he scores for the Stickmen two goal lead. Brittany Boisvert brings the Titans within one with her early goal in the third but, despite having nearly ten minutes to tie the game, the Titans fall short. Blubaugh looked less than stellar but comes away with the win.
Blue Devils (2-1-0) 3
Brewzers (1-1-1) 2
In Blubaugh's second game, his offense shows up first with a goal from Devil Jake Reynolds, the only goal of the first. In the second Scott Spellman puts the Devils up by two but sees his efforts erased by the goal from Brewzer lightning rod Joshua Sutton, he would draw on this later. In the third the Brewzers' Nidal Al Jabri draws on the last meeting of these two teams and this time it is he who bests Blubaugh to tie the game. After a deadlocked over time, the shoot-out commenced, and it's Spellman who uses his anger to strike Mike Moore down on the first Blue Devil attempt. But in the last Brewzer attempt it was Nidal's chance again to send it to extra shooters, he slides to Blubaugh's glove side, Blubaugh stacks the pads, Nidal lifts the puck, but it hits the edge of Blubaugh's glove. . . The Blue Devils hold on to tie for second in the standings.
Komets (3-0-0) 5
Snipers (0-2-1) 0
In the final game on the green rink, the Snipers laid their head on the chopping block. The Komets are the talk of the league these days, and without a loss on their record, they certainly deserve to be. This week it would not be another tight one goal lead though, they drill five goals while maintaining a shut-out for long time Komet netminder, Brent Bryant. Wil Dobson gets an assist on Rodney Forehand's goal. After only a few more seconds, Wil gets his own goal, followed by a lull of nine and a half minutes of scoreless grab-ass-ery. After a power nap between periods the Komets come roaring back with another goal, this one from Dustin Nation, Dobson gets the assist. Ram Lavani rams one home to close out the period. Early in the third, Bryan Brookman gets an unassisted goal before the Komets crawl into a shell to finish the game. A three point night for Dobson, it is however, against the Snipers. Maybe things would be different if Matt would wear his business socks.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
Playing With Your Mouth
I have never been very good with the minimalist thing, I like excess, indulgence, and if I'm going to have a leisure activity, why wouldn't I want to heap it up with even more of what I want? So, what does it take to motivate you? Do you have such a pure love of the game that all you need is a scheduled opponent? Are you more like me and feel the need to taunt your opponent even as he or she is barreling down the ice right at you? Perhaps you need to lay some money down in order to get your hockey on right. . . so long as there's no "House" on the take, it's perfectly legal. I did recently throw up a hundred dollar price tag on some feat, to someone up in the crossbar the other night. . . Oh well, whatever and whoever that was, I'm sure it was a sure thing.
Competition is my best motivator, and I want my competitor to be as on the spot as I am. Nothing gets it done as well as some off-color trash talk. If you've ever skated around my net, you may have even heard some things being said to you, if not, get your name on the back of your jersey.
It doesn't always work out as planned, I remember last week I was letting Alex Eysermanns have it right up until he scored on me. But, I know he probably couldn't have done it without my special brand of inspiration, besides, he still lost the game.
Some people abhor trash talk, and want everyone to play a stoic, gentleman's game. Like I said this is my leisure time, it's an all you can eat buffet of good time fun and I want all I can put on the plate.
Do you think trash talk is good for hockey or not?
P.S. I missed the first minute or two of "Gay or Not Gay" on Tuesday, did someone send something in about me?
Competition is my best motivator, and I want my competitor to be as on the spot as I am. Nothing gets it done as well as some off-color trash talk. If you've ever skated around my net, you may have even heard some things being said to you, if not, get your name on the back of your jersey.
It doesn't always work out as planned, I remember last week I was letting Alex Eysermanns have it right up until he scored on me. But, I know he probably couldn't have done it without my special brand of inspiration, besides, he still lost the game.
Some people abhor trash talk, and want everyone to play a stoic, gentleman's game. Like I said this is my leisure time, it's an all you can eat buffet of good time fun and I want all I can put on the plate.
Do you think trash talk is good for hockey or not?
P.S. I missed the first minute or two of "Gay or Not Gay" on Tuesday, did someone send something in about me?
Monday, October 27, 2008
A self-indulgent, non-hockey note ...
I'm very bad at fundraising, because I hate to impose. However, I've been so inspired by my wife that I'm prompted to put aside my discomfort and ask you to support her.
Amy is six months pregnant and nonetheless determined to walk 60 miles in honor of her best friend, who died from breast cancer last year. If you are so inclined, go to this link and donate ten dollars to the cause. If you don't support her, consider supporting someone else walking in the Komen 3-day. It's a truly good cause.
Thanks, and sorry for this break in the hockey action.
BC
Sunday, October 26, 2008
I-league in Two Parts
A big week in the majors, the Blue Devils continue their downward slide, the Warriors put on a new face, and the Komets are executing their game plan. In the "lower than I-league" minors, hilarity abounds, I witnessed score keepers and refs alike giggling at one game.
Minority Report
Puckers (1-1-0) 0
LSI (3-0-0) 4
LSI, team ringers?
In Karen "Sparrow" Powell's return to the I-league net, the Ports do her proud, they open the scoring with Gabe Rivera's goal halfway through the first, and open up the can in the second. Goals from Mike Bierwiler, Rivera, and Katherine Levesque went unanswered to finish the period. In the third, the storm subsided, only a penalty from the frustrated Billy Kuo. For his part, Patrick Donaghue, turns away thirty-one shots, just missing the 90% save percentage. Just who are these Lone Star Import-ers, my sources say they won a D-league championship this summer. . .
Grave Diggers (0-2-0) 1
Whalers (1-2-0) 2
Whalers finally win
The Diggers prepared themselves to put up a "W" in the pre-game locker room, but as game time approached the roster appeared to be surprisingly short, seven players and a goalie. The winless Whalers had no aspirations before the game, only to play to the best of their ability. . . In the first period the shots rained down on the Whaler net but rookie net minder Greg Mata, turned them all away. In the final minute, Whaler new recruit, Andy Thomas, draws out the defense and beats Ellis on the break-away. A few seconds later, Whaler MVP Brian "Hamster" Hamstra, looks Ellis off and sets-up Paul Thurston with a sweet pass to the post to put the Whalers up by two. The second was a draw, with more shots coming from the Diggers, but nothing could penetrate the incredible play of Mata, until Steven Culps arrived at his doorstep, knocking home the one timer cutting the lead to one, with nearly three minutes left. . . The Diggers run out of gas, and the Whalers get heir first win- ever? Congratulations, maybe one day you'll be able to score on me yourself, Brian.
Chiefs (1-1-0) 5
Silverwings (1-1-0) 0
The Chiefs rebound in a big way
Goal tender Eric Spivey was bested three times before the halfway point of the second by Chief, Ryan Brett, not a natural hat trick. The Chiefs added to their three goal lead with a goal from Tony Davis in the second and finished the third with their fifth goal of the night from Thomas Harnitchek on the power play just thirty-nine seconds into the period. New Chief tender, Josh Ayala, faced few scoring attempts but deft stickhandling and rebound control proved the wings on his back stronger than the Wings storming down the ice, a shut-out on eleven shots. Brookman, coach of the Silverwings, says, "we just suck!"
Privateers (2-0-0) 10
Team Euless (0-2-0) 2
Euless stumbles in game two
After making a mockery of the Silverwings in their premiere game last week, instant karma comes via the Privateers. Team Euless strikes first beating Ryan Haley (keeping her career on her maiden name) in the 'Teer's net only thirty-four minutes in to the first period. Her forwards strike back quickly, Cody Payne less than a minute later ties it, then takes the lead a few minutes later. Joel Bush puts his on the scoreboard next followed by two from Patrick Haley, both in the last minute. . . of the FIRST PERIOD! Rick Gregory scores own for Euless on the power play to start the second but the 'Teers pour it on with three more: Eric Ahlstedt, Jeremy Boyd, and Ahlstedt again. Randy Shipp scores one for the Privateers late in the third and Patrick Haley gets his hat trick in the final minute of the game. Cody Payne and Patrick Haley both finish with three point games, a stat that may be tarnished by the fact that Team Euless had NO GOALIE. In week two (sort of) this game and all of its details will be lost to history by the time the session ends, get it while you can, right?
The Simple Majority
DFW Titans (1-1-0) 2
Komets (2-0-0) 3
Komet Nation domination?
In the first period on the first Komet shot, Dustin Nation comes up with the first goal, just over a couple of minutes later on the second Komet shot, Nation gets the second goal. In the second Michael Crook scores another for the Komets to put the game away, or so it would seem. But the Titans would not go down so easily, before the second ended, they score one from Kenneth Rawson and one from Brittany Boisvert, putting the pressure squarely on Brent Bryant and the Komets for the remaining eleven minutes. Brent faces twenty-two shots for the night and Ram Lavani puts the Titans on the power play with his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty but the Komets survive. Coach Al says this is the Komet M.O., "we win most of our games by one goal, 2-1 or 3-2. We don't score much. . ."
Blue Devils (0-1-0) 2
Brewzers (1-1-0) 3
Blue Devils lose in regulation for the first time since. . .
The returning back-to-back champs open the scoring before the first minute passes via Todd Smith. But, the fortunes were reversed before the period ended. Jen Leonard (undergoing a hockey renaissance) finds an open Jamil Al Jabri on the opposite post for the go ahead goal. And, Jabri pays it forward with an assist to Ken Thomas. In the second the Devils show their championship gumption and tie the game with a goal from Danny Flinn. In a tight third period, the Brewzers look Nate Hodges square in the eye and show him the loss in the opening round of last session's play-offs was only a fluke, Jamil Al Jabri scores the game winner four minutes into the frame and Mike Moore clamps down the goal mouth for the win. Blubaugh is going through a tough spell here lately, in this game he allows three goals on eleven shots. Gloria Buell takes the only penalty of the game, holding. . . some lucky guy on the end of that one.
Ice Bats (1-1-0) 4
Stickmen (0-2-0) 0
The Bats are warriors
The Sticks have taken a few steps back this session, they hang Blubaugh out for thirty-six shots. The Bats on the other hand, are on the attack. They lost last week but right the ship this week with a goal from father son team Chuck "Hanson" Dolbee scores on the Scott "Mindo" Dolbee pass. Although this would prove to be the game winner, the Bats keep swinging. And, they get more production in the second from the visiting Hamster, Brian Hamstra, and Danny Grimes, putting them up three to nil. In the third, Derek "Tea for the" Tillemans pounds the walk-off home run. The Sticks find themselves in the hole early, alot of things will have to happen if they want to rescue this season. A positive, they did kill-off the penalty.
Patriots (2-0-0) 4
Snipers (0-1-0) 1
Snipers have talent, tough schedule
Pretty good headline, eh, BC? The first period comes and goes, Mike Moore puts on a goaltending clinic at his end, but the Pats just keep coming. In the second, their hard work finally pays off with a Pat goal from Kendall Bernard. A little more than a minute later chaos on the boards culminates in a one on one between Alex Eysermans and Jon Ellis, a shoulder fake from Alex and the five hole opens wide for the tieing goal, and some tasteful trash talk ensues. After twenty-two minutes, Mike's goaltending clinic concludes leaving the third period open for Patriot scoring, which they do: Roy "Soft Hands" Haenselmann, Travis "Smells like a Brewery" Lehr, and Doug "*insert nickname before posting*" Phillips (on a sweet one-timer) bury the Snipers. After last week's performance against the Blood Evils, er Blue Devils, it's hard to say if the talent is with the Snipers or abandoning the Devils.
Minority Report
Puckers (1-1-0) 0
LSI (3-0-0) 4
LSI, team ringers?
In Karen "Sparrow" Powell's return to the I-league net, the Ports do her proud, they open the scoring with Gabe Rivera's goal halfway through the first, and open up the can in the second. Goals from Mike Bierwiler, Rivera, and Katherine Levesque went unanswered to finish the period. In the third, the storm subsided, only a penalty from the frustrated Billy Kuo. For his part, Patrick Donaghue, turns away thirty-one shots, just missing the 90% save percentage. Just who are these Lone Star Import-ers, my sources say they won a D-league championship this summer. . .
Grave Diggers (0-2-0) 1
Whalers (1-2-0) 2
Whalers finally win
The Diggers prepared themselves to put up a "W" in the pre-game locker room, but as game time approached the roster appeared to be surprisingly short, seven players and a goalie. The winless Whalers had no aspirations before the game, only to play to the best of their ability. . . In the first period the shots rained down on the Whaler net but rookie net minder Greg Mata, turned them all away. In the final minute, Whaler new recruit, Andy Thomas, draws out the defense and beats Ellis on the break-away. A few seconds later, Whaler MVP Brian "Hamster" Hamstra, looks Ellis off and sets-up Paul Thurston with a sweet pass to the post to put the Whalers up by two. The second was a draw, with more shots coming from the Diggers, but nothing could penetrate the incredible play of Mata, until Steven Culps arrived at his doorstep, knocking home the one timer cutting the lead to one, with nearly three minutes left. . . The Diggers run out of gas, and the Whalers get heir first win- ever? Congratulations, maybe one day you'll be able to score on me yourself, Brian.
Chiefs (1-1-0) 5
Silverwings (1-1-0) 0
The Chiefs rebound in a big way
Goal tender Eric Spivey was bested three times before the halfway point of the second by Chief, Ryan Brett, not a natural hat trick. The Chiefs added to their three goal lead with a goal from Tony Davis in the second and finished the third with their fifth goal of the night from Thomas Harnitchek on the power play just thirty-nine seconds into the period. New Chief tender, Josh Ayala, faced few scoring attempts but deft stickhandling and rebound control proved the wings on his back stronger than the Wings storming down the ice, a shut-out on eleven shots. Brookman, coach of the Silverwings, says, "we just suck!"
Privateers (2-0-0) 10
Team Euless (0-2-0) 2
Euless stumbles in game two
After making a mockery of the Silverwings in their premiere game last week, instant karma comes via the Privateers. Team Euless strikes first beating Ryan Haley (keeping her career on her maiden name) in the 'Teer's net only thirty-four minutes in to the first period. Her forwards strike back quickly, Cody Payne less than a minute later ties it, then takes the lead a few minutes later. Joel Bush puts his on the scoreboard next followed by two from Patrick Haley, both in the last minute. . . of the FIRST PERIOD! Rick Gregory scores own for Euless on the power play to start the second but the 'Teers pour it on with three more: Eric Ahlstedt, Jeremy Boyd, and Ahlstedt again. Randy Shipp scores one for the Privateers late in the third and Patrick Haley gets his hat trick in the final minute of the game. Cody Payne and Patrick Haley both finish with three point games, a stat that may be tarnished by the fact that Team Euless had NO GOALIE. In week two (sort of) this game and all of its details will be lost to history by the time the session ends, get it while you can, right?
The Simple Majority
DFW Titans (1-1-0) 2
Komets (2-0-0) 3
Komet Nation domination?
In the first period on the first Komet shot, Dustin Nation comes up with the first goal, just over a couple of minutes later on the second Komet shot, Nation gets the second goal. In the second Michael Crook scores another for the Komets to put the game away, or so it would seem. But the Titans would not go down so easily, before the second ended, they score one from Kenneth Rawson and one from Brittany Boisvert, putting the pressure squarely on Brent Bryant and the Komets for the remaining eleven minutes. Brent faces twenty-two shots for the night and Ram Lavani puts the Titans on the power play with his unsportsmanlike conduct penalty but the Komets survive. Coach Al says this is the Komet M.O., "we win most of our games by one goal, 2-1 or 3-2. We don't score much. . ."
Blue Devils (0-1-0) 2
Brewzers (1-1-0) 3
Blue Devils lose in regulation for the first time since. . .
The returning back-to-back champs open the scoring before the first minute passes via Todd Smith. But, the fortunes were reversed before the period ended. Jen Leonard (undergoing a hockey renaissance) finds an open Jamil Al Jabri on the opposite post for the go ahead goal. And, Jabri pays it forward with an assist to Ken Thomas. In the second the Devils show their championship gumption and tie the game with a goal from Danny Flinn. In a tight third period, the Brewzers look Nate Hodges square in the eye and show him the loss in the opening round of last session's play-offs was only a fluke, Jamil Al Jabri scores the game winner four minutes into the frame and Mike Moore clamps down the goal mouth for the win. Blubaugh is going through a tough spell here lately, in this game he allows three goals on eleven shots. Gloria Buell takes the only penalty of the game, holding. . . some lucky guy on the end of that one.
Ice Bats (1-1-0) 4
Stickmen (0-2-0) 0
The Bats are warriors
The Sticks have taken a few steps back this session, they hang Blubaugh out for thirty-six shots. The Bats on the other hand, are on the attack. They lost last week but right the ship this week with a goal from father son team Chuck "Hanson" Dolbee scores on the Scott "Mindo" Dolbee pass. Although this would prove to be the game winner, the Bats keep swinging. And, they get more production in the second from the visiting Hamster, Brian Hamstra, and Danny Grimes, putting them up three to nil. In the third, Derek "Tea for the" Tillemans pounds the walk-off home run. The Sticks find themselves in the hole early, alot of things will have to happen if they want to rescue this season. A positive, they did kill-off the penalty.
Patriots (2-0-0) 4
Snipers (0-1-0) 1
Snipers have talent, tough schedule
Pretty good headline, eh, BC? The first period comes and goes, Mike Moore puts on a goaltending clinic at his end, but the Pats just keep coming. In the second, their hard work finally pays off with a Pat goal from Kendall Bernard. A little more than a minute later chaos on the boards culminates in a one on one between Alex Eysermans and Jon Ellis, a shoulder fake from Alex and the five hole opens wide for the tieing goal, and some tasteful trash talk ensues. After twenty-two minutes, Mike's goaltending clinic concludes leaving the third period open for Patriot scoring, which they do: Roy "Soft Hands" Haenselmann, Travis "Smells like a Brewery" Lehr, and Doug "*insert nickname before posting*" Phillips (on a sweet one-timer) bury the Snipers. After last week's performance against the Blood Evils, er Blue Devils, it's hard to say if the talent is with the Snipers or abandoning the Devils.
Remembering Jeremy Hunkin
Just a quick memorium:
If you remember the Leftovers, then perhaps you remember the Aussie I-leaguer Jeremy Hunkin. While in the States on business, he decided to join up with our league. After three sessions playing with the Leftovers, he had his fill of hockey, and left us with many interesting and happy memories. While his hockey skills didn't warrant much gameplanning, his accent would often draw a double-take from opposing players.
I received the sad news this week that Jeremy was killed in a motorcycle accident back in Australia.
If you have any contact information or just something you would like to share, feel free to use the space below.
If you remember the Leftovers, then perhaps you remember the Aussie I-leaguer Jeremy Hunkin. While in the States on business, he decided to join up with our league. After three sessions playing with the Leftovers, he had his fill of hockey, and left us with many interesting and happy memories. While his hockey skills didn't warrant much gameplanning, his accent would often draw a double-take from opposing players.
I received the sad news this week that Jeremy was killed in a motorcycle accident back in Australia.
If you have any contact information or just something you would like to share, feel free to use the space below.
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