I'm late, Don't Worry, It's Not Yours

Eu minor I

Silverwings (1-2-0) 4
Grave Diggers (1-2-0) 1

Are the Diggers feeling the effects of the Bob Sirkis hex. . . or is it just the typical slow start? The Silverwings knock-in two late in the first- Will Hinton squeezes in the first and Troy Ramsey follows-up. A. J. DiBenetto spends the intermission trying to cut the net out of the back of the goal, but mistakenly attacks the wrong end of the rink. The Wings get a free pass on goals against and score one more for, this one belongs to Wing charter member Bryan Brookman. After much complaining by DiBenedetto during the next intermission, the Ref's restore the net in the back of the goal that A. J. would now occupy for the next thirteen minutes. Cody Patten snipes one from the corner for the Wings and Sergio Castillo arrives late on the scoresheet for the floundering Diggers.

Stickmen (2-1-0) 4
Snipers (0-1-1) 0

The minor champs are on track to repeat, leaving many to ask, "What is the spirit of I-league, minor?". Karyne Prevatil scores the game winner in the fourth minute of the game, but the scoring was far from over. The Sticks' Steph Trapp launches the next Donaghue befuddler, Ken Halford joins the frenzy in the third. "Big" Joe Tomme, shows his frustration getting the Snipers on the record with an interference call, a few minutes later Prevatil shows him up with her second tally of the contest. The Snipers get shut-out, out shot by 150%. It's a tough thing.

Mutineers (2-1-0) 4
Brewzers (3-2-0) 3

Finally, the "true" I-league offers-up a competitive match, not that the score matters in "true" I-league, right? Brewzers stomp onto the ice first with a goal from Steve Daniels, but Donaghue loses the lead for the second time on the night when the Mutineers send Nathan Hamilton to the net. Early in the second, Nathan Swartzbaugh reverses the Brewzers' fortune taking the lead for the Mutes. Steve #2 (Collyard) will have none of it and re-ties the game. In the meat of the third period, the Mutineers fire two across the bow- the first goal from the finesse-power-forward Chris Kirton, the cushion from Doug Hackett. The Brew crue get a little help from the Mutineers with a power play opportunity and Collyard executes, cutting the lead to one. . . Five minutes rolled-off the clock. Donaghue suffers his second loss, only this time he is on the weak side of the shooting differential- four goals on fifteen shots! Time for some cardio, old man.

EU MAJOR I

Blue Devils I (2-3-0) 1
Shockers (5-0-0) 5

The Devils started the game in their typical measured fashion, feeling-out the opposition looking for weaknesses, then the second period. Shocking! Eric Yepez breaks the Blue Devil method over his knee with a Shocker goal, before the period ends, Nick McMacken joins him for the two-nil lead. Martin Berryman, finally fires-up the Devil offense but the Shockers snuff-it out with their repeat offenders- Yepez (1X), McMacken (2X). Blubaugh attempts to break his stick over the crossbar, only to realize the McMacken has already obliged him with his last shot. The BD locker room was reported to FEMA.

Spiders (2-3-0) 0
Smashed Pumpkins (3-0-0) 5

Today is the greatest, the Smashed Pumpkins deliver a wallop to the Spiders. Searching for some stability in net the Spiders roll-out Jeremy Brown this week, Cody Patten figures him out in the third minute of the game. The second was worse, Phil Pratt gains the second Pumpkin goal and Patten collects hats from the ice before the intermission. In the first minute of the final frame Cody Woodward delivers the final blow, the Spiders collect their pucks and go home, don't heap it all on the net minder, the Arachnid offense only generates sixteen shots. David Jackson gets the pedestrian shut-out.

Whalers (0-5-0) 2
Puckers (3-2-0) 3

The Hamster, again, leads the way for the Whalers, but just as the crowd settles down- Chris Kirton strikes again! A rare two goal outing for the gentle giant. Rob Constantine contributes his goal to the Pucker efforts, gaining the lead, and Steven Niekamp sends in another for what would prove the insurmountable two goal lead. The Whalers bring the emotion, but expend much of it in the penalty box spending six minutes of the third down a man. They manage to overcome with a shorty from Mike Canzoneri, but can't get to the top. Third times the charm for Patrick Donaghue, his heart lies with the Pucker Nation.

Guess Who's Back? Back, Again.

Your weekend. . .

I-league Major

Whalers (0-4-0) 1
Patriots (1-3-0) 4

The Whalers hoped to turn their season against the flailing Pats and Hamstra obliges with the first goal of the contest. But, the Pats had this one marked on their calendar also and twenty seconds later Butch Hutchinson ties the game. With a power play opportunity the Pats take the lead with Jeff Eagle's swift stick. Another Eagle goal and a dominant penalty kill for a shorty from John Newell, the Pats have found someone they can play with.

Soul Patch (1-1-0) 0
Smashed Pumpkins (2-0-0) 3

The Punkins show up with an army of blade-footed Smashers, and the play on the ice was demonstrative of it. Gabe Rivera leads the charge for the Pumpkins and Cody Patten drives in the second assault. A shift toward the defensive end allows Will Hinton to extend his save percentage to seven for seven, then the final goal from Tom Burns sinks the Soul Patch's battleship, is this the same team that played for runner-up in the Keg?

Puckers (2-2-0) 0
Blue Devils I (2-2-0) 5

What looked to be a good match-up devolved quickly into an unwatchable mess- this of course implies that Euless I-league is generally a watchable mess. . . That may be a bit much to assume, anyway. Poppa Neal Wacker drills the game winner just past the five minute mark, setting the table fora Mark Millard goal and Val Kuntz on the power play- that was just the first period. Martin Berryman strikes next and Wacker claims his second then convinces the officials to call the game so that he can get to bed on time.

Shockers (4-0-0) 4
Spiders (2-2-0) 1

Netminders were in high demand for this all-nighter. The Spiders drew the short straw. The Shockers never gave the Spiders a glimpse starting the night off with a goal from Nick McMacken and concluding the period with a goal from Eric Yepez. A game of freeze tag erupts in the second and McMacken ends it in the third with another Shocker goal in the third. Stephen Dowling caps the Shocker offense. To dash Jesse Gonzales' hopes of a shut-out, Spider Mike Reeves gets the late goal. It coulda been worse, Jesse- the Spiders could've drew you.

I-league minor

Stickmen (0-1-0) -
Silverwings (0-1-0) -

I don't know if this was a practice or if we have decided to play minor games without keeping score- is this the true spirit of I-league. The way I see it both the Sticks and the Wings are winners! And, me too- I didn't have to watch it. . .



If you like golf, hockey and charity, be sure to check-out: http://www.hoffenfoundation.org/golf/golfRego.html

Fun With a Purpose

Maybe I'm just a little immature, hanging-on to my youth with this hockey gig, but their are moments when I can justify my participation in more substantial ways than a healthy, recreational workout. A large part of the life affirming feeling that I get is from the charitable associations that present themselves in such a close community as ours. Another one of those opportunities has come to my attention just this week.



Tim Zemens has been giving back to the greatest sport on ice for quite awhile, in the thankless pursuit of ref-ing. But a deeper calling came to him about seven years ago when he was diagnosed with cancer. Specialized treatments were necessary, and available in only two spots in the country at the time. He chose his home town of Detroit. The ensuing family reunion was bittersweet with the reminders of his family's losses to cancer. But Tim fought hard and was blessed with a full recovery. He re-directed his life toward awareness and caregiving to those in similar situations, and received an even more harrowing lesson when he sat helpless watching his son undergo brain surgery after a traumatic car wreck. The outpouring of humanity from family and friends in both of these calamities focused his own feelings of compassion into the forming of the Hoffen Foundation, a multi-faceted charity aiming at the assistance of children in need, you can read more about it at http://www.hoffenfoundation.org/aboutus.html.

Read the rest of this article at WhereHockeyHappens.com

Minor Changes

Minor I
Warriors (0-2-0) 3
Brewzers (2-0-0) 4

Minor's opening weekend was a modest one, just the one game, the Brewzers were prepared at puck-drop. John Parker puts the Brewzers in control with two goals and Eric Johnson closes the all Brewzer period. In the second, the Warriors flip the flop- Chris Dolbee scores two and then, oops. Eric Johnson claims his second goal to bolster the Brewzers and Derek Tillemans scores for the Warriors in vain, giving his best episode III Darth Vader impersonation.

Major I

Whalers (0-2-0) 2
Shockers (2-0-0) 4

David Jackson's debut in net with the Shockers is a "good thing". After surrendering two goals to the Whalers in the first period (Paul Thurston and Josh Monaco) he settles in, locking-out all of Hamstra's heroes for the remainder of the game. The Shockers take-up the gauntlet immediately tying the game before the first intermission with goals from Thomas Mathias and Nick McMacken. Matt Rusel wins the game in the second and McMacken drives home one more in the third for good measure. Shockers, undefeated, can this hold-up?

Spiders (2-0-0) 3
Blue Devils I (1-1-0) 0

Just enough offense and great netminding make for a Spider win. Freddy Gilbert arrests the lead early for the Spiders and finally in the third Period Roger Taz joins him on the board. David Blubaugh his forced to abandon the net in the closing minute of the game but the desperation offense backfires and Evan Callahan beats the buzzer for the empty-net tally.

Patriots (0-2-0) 1
Puckers (1-1-0) 2

The Patriots had a disastrous session in SND and responded by changing leagues, but the disappointment continues. The frustrated Puckers find their way into the net with a goal in the middle of the second period from Mike Ahlstedt. Jason Arias builds a Pucker lead with his tally in the middle of the third before the Patriots manage their first goal of the game- Greg Durante claims the goal in the losing effort. The problems may not be goaltending or defense for the Pats. . .

SND

These are the scores from SND, since the inclusion of so many teams to Saturday night play, I have decided to return to the roots of this blog with a focus onI-league. My time is becoming too valuable. . .

Ice Bats (0-2-0) 5
Komets (1-1-0) 7

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

Warriors D (2-0-0) 9
Canadiens (1-1-0) 5

Episode XXVI a New Hope

Just last week in an ice rink in Euless the champions were crowned for both the I-league and the thinly veiled SND. We all had a pretty decent time, I even got the opportunity to do the introductions and sing the anthem for the Keg game, much to the chagrin of the referees on watch. The pictures. . .





There are more on my Facebook. You may also notice on my "wall" that Frank Casperson is recovering well from Joey's follow-through.

So this week things got underway for the new session with its two I-league divisions and SND in tow, some were only practices. I know that no one believes me that I won't be playing on Saturdays, and I did play this weekend, true, but that's it. I will be harder to find than a pair of Team Zissou Adidas Rom's from now on. Here's a good-bye pic from this weekend-er. . .

On to the games. . .

I-league

Blue Devils I (1-0-0) 6
Patriots (0-1-0) 1

Jacob Fulghan receives a rude welcome to the ice, his first time to play on the slick surface, replacing me in the Pat's net. He allows his first to Ed Vogel on the power play his next a shorty to Clint Tippett. Tippett gets another before Aaron Smith finally puts the Pats on the board. That would conclude the Patriots' offensive output as the Devils tack-on another three: two from Daryl Weiland and one from Matt Weinrich. Things are looking bumpy for the Patriots, again.

Shockers (1-0-0) 2
Puckers (0-1-0) 1

Patrick Donaghue is, once again, the force to be reckoned with in Pucker red, but the Shockers have a weapon of their own: Wil Dobson. Dobson drills home the first Shocker goal, late in the first and it happened in the third. . . Ginger Parker ties the game. Is this an error? Anyway, it goes for naught as the Puckers fail to contain the wiry Dobson who scores the crushing blow.

Whalers (0-1-0) 2
Spiders (1-0-0) 4

The Whalers salute themselves when Hamstra drains the first goal of the game, but the lead is relinquished when Bill Wessel and Evan Callahan both collect Spider goals. Dave Svoboda rallies with a Whaler equalizer but the Spiders have found a league they can play in, Mike Reeves wins the game and the Spiderweb defense holds-on allowing an empty net opportunity for Wessel.

SND

Privateers (1-0-0) 6
Ice Bats (0-1-0) 3

The Bats build on their last victory with the opening goal from, eh hmm. . . Hong Kong Kim, the 'Teers tie the period with a Patrick Haley goal (I guess beating me in Friday night D-league wasn't enough). Randy Perry takes the 'Teer lead for a moment, Chris Dolbee evens it up. Then the Privateers open the throttle- Chris Perkins and Tony Finazzo score. Ice Bat, Bruce Davis, interrupts with his tally and the 'Teers finish off with Joel Bush and another Perkins.

Komets (0-1-0) 2
Canadiens (1-0-0) 5

The Canadiens ruled the first frame, more specifically, Gabe Rivera did, with four goals. The second, however, was all Komets with goals from A. J. DiBenedetto and. . . well, that's it, just the one. Wil Dobson looked to be turning the momentum in the first minute of the third, cutting the Can lead in half, but Rivera snaps in another, whilst snapping the Komet nation beneath his skates. Gallagher blames a new stick on his lack of production.

Blue Devils (0-0-1) 1
Warriors D (1-0-0) 2

In the end of the first period, Clark Sandlin claims the tentative Warrior lead, it holds-up for the remainder of the frame and all of the second, but in the early third the Warriors' anemic offense sees its lead vanish with stickwork of Jake Reynolds, and the game would rest with the goaltenders from then on. Thirty shooters later Chris Dolbee makes it through the exhibition again and scores the winner for the Warriors. Michaelides survives the marathon puck-stopping experience making 37 stops in play and 14 more in the shoot-out.

The Stanley Keg is in the Building

I-league

Brewzers (2-9-1) 1
Mutineers (4-7-1) 3

We all know how hard a time Raul Gilbreath has putting pucks in the net so perhaps he should try keeping them out, makes sense, right? Wrong. The Brewzers make the first goal of the game hoping that a Steve Daniels' lead offense will balance out the lack of experience in the net. The Mutineers make adjustments for the cherry-picking and tie with a goal from John Swartzbaugh, win with Nate Hamilton's bold stroke, and top-off the season with a power play goal from Kyle Boltz. Ryan Haley is raring to get off the DL, and reclaim her position in the Mutineer net but who will push Gilbreath out of the Sniper crease?

Grave Diggers (1-6-4) 6
Silverwings (5-7-0) 8

Another odd fit in net- the Diggers debut Chilly. Stephen had a little trouble finding a rhythm in the opening minutes, Troy Ramsey finds the back of the net first and Silverwing-wingman Sergio Castillo goes next. On the power play Justin McCullough cashes in and Scott Alcon makes it four unanswered Wing goals. Billy Quinn comes to the Digger rescue with two goals but Chilly allows another to Ramsey. Quinn responds with a hat trick, McCullough cancels, and Quinn goes fourth. Castillo jumps on the teeter-totter followed by a Digger push from Tom Edwards. Bryan Brookman swings it back toward the Silverwings and the final goal is a digger tally from Tim Rivers. Close, but Chilly's slow start is too much for the Diggers to overcome in this underdog match-up. Bruce Frankel can't complain about the loss in Euless, just happy to be back where he belongs.

Snipers (6-4-1) 5
Puckers (6-5-1) 4

Another face from the past, Lee Miller, makes his presence felt with two early goals for the Snipers. The lead evaporates with goals from the Pucker elite: Rob Constantine and Jason Arias. The Snipers slip the hold with a goal from Eddie Vogel and another from Jeff "the Red Plug" Vaughan (I think the name has something to do with his hair and defensive skill). Arias makes a hat trick and ties the game late, setting-up a staring competition between the two grizzled veterans between the pipes, Michaelides for the Snipers, Donaghue for the Puckers. Donaghue blinks thirty seconds later and David Counce wins one for the Big Red Machine.

LSI (6-5-0) 8
Spiders (6-5-1) 1

The Spiders hit the ice with six skaters and a goalie, that's fourteen legs- impressive for one spider, not so much for a hockey team. Ken Lentz leads the way for the LSI, then the Spiders start their two minute shifts in the box, rest was hard to come by. Catherine Levesque has the first power play goal, Cody Woodward strikes at a nominally full strength opposition. Carina Manalo claims the lone Spider goal, and quickly retires to the sin bin. The Imports resume their onslaught with a Matt Dever goal and two power play goals from Ken Lentz, a hat trick. Danny "R" piles-on and Lentz makes his fourth I-league goal of the night.

Whalers (8-4-0) 3
Blue Devils I (8-2-2) 1

The Whalers missed their opportunity for the Keg but find no challenge in BDI, Paul Thurston takes the lead and who else but the Hamster should claim the game winner? Well, that was more or less a rhetorical question, it was Brian Hamstra. The Beady Eyes get their only goal from Mark Millard and in the third period Thurston beats Blubaugh again, sending the netminder into a emotional spiral for the night.

Warriors (6-4-2) 1
Shockers (8-3-1) 4

It was crazy! Josh Rooker and Justin Driscoll score enough goals to win the game for the Shockers in the first period, but the Phil Brown goal gives the Warriors a glimmer of hope. The third was where the universe began to collapse upon itself. Eric Yepez scores another Shocker goal early in the frame and Tillemans responds with a hook, putting the Shockers on the advantage. Thomas Mathias commits a double before that one expires and Chuck Dolbee seeing his son at the receiving end takes himself out of the game with fifteen minutes worth of penalties and plenty of expletives. The Warriors never regain their composure and a total of twelve more penalty minutes pass before the game ends. Nick McMacken grabs a goal in the midst, somehow at even strength, for the Shockers. And, once again, the Power Puff Girls save the day!

Soul Patch (7-3-1) 2
Stickmen (9-2-1) 3

The KEG!

After a lengthy introduction, the teams finally take the ice for an epic battle of I-league powers. Clint Tippet is the only one to penetrate in the first period and it comes in the final minute, surely defining the tone of the second period. But the Soul Patch bucks the trend scoring the equalizer early in the period with a shot from Kenneth Watkins. The Sticks reclaim the lead with a Kyle Rybak goal tenaciously holding the one point lead until Jesse Henderson figures-out his role and supplies the security of a two goal lead with only five seconds left in the second. The Patches struggle to hold-off the Sticks and come up with a goal in the middle of the final period from Brian Lochkos but fail to tie the game. The Stick offense was too much for the Patches, they spend too much of their time in their own end getting outshot 30 to 18. The Sticks hold on for the third Keg win, but the Soul Patch could be back next year, like the Penguins and the Oilers before them, a dynasty can begin with a heartbreaking loss. . .

SND the bastard league, will it make it another session?

Canadiens (4-7-2) 6
Blue Devils (7-5-1) 10

The original six match-up for third? The Ringer ho-down rolled back and forth, end to end with neither team taking any real advantage with scores from the likes of Chase Hannah, J.T. Macha, James Barber, Casey Jenkins, Ken Lentz, Chris Gallagher, Charlie Heine, and Scottie Haman. The third period is where the Devils finally took the upperhand ending the period with a 4 to 2 differential. Both teams were complaining about rosters afterward, a wash?

Patriots (2-10-1) 2
Ice Bats (5-6-2) 9

The once great Patriots knew they were unlikely to make an impact, they were right. The Bats lined-up on the midway trying to win giant stuffed animals for their girlfriends, Joel Blixt is the first to knock over the milk bottles, but can only do it on the power play. Corby Antropik dusts off his stick, after a couple years on the shelf, Chuck Dolbee was next. John Newell breaks things up with a Patriot goal, but Frank Casperson returns things to normal with two goals for his Bats. Andy Latham rings the bell at the top of the pole, Danny Grimes beats Ellis to the angle, and Kendall Bernard adds one more Patriot tally! Chuck gets his second and just misses on the sweet feed for the hat trick. Stanley Kim finally puts one behind the Patriots net minder to end the night. The score never seemed to affect the emotion of the game much which for the most part was positive and fun. In a zealous play on the puck behind the net, Joey Otsuka catches his own defenseman, Casperson, just below the eyebrow with his stick on the follow through. Last I knew he was headed to the hospital, hoping to hear good news about this situation.

Komets (9-3-1) 5
Privateers (12-0-1) 6

The Championship game looked to have nothing on paper, the undefeated in regulation 'Teers versus a strong, but fallible Komets squad, but what the Komets lacked in talent they made up for in charisma. The 'Teers started things up on the scoreboard as expected with a goal from Tony Finazzo, and another from Brian Zientek. The Komets end the first with a power play tally from Graham Dunlap. The Komets can't carry the momentum into the second suffering another Privateer assault from first Matt Taylor, then when the Komets take the man advantage they watch as first Zientek claims a shorty, then Joel Bush- a five to one Privateer advantage. The Komets make more late period heroics finally capitalizing on the power play with a Billy Ashman goal. The Komets review their strategies in the second intermission deciding their hopes rested on the shoulders of one man- Graham Dunlap starts the third with two goals completing his hat trick. The Privateers answer with Zientek's hat trick, so Dunlap one-ups him- unfortunately it's in the final second of the game, meaning the Komets fall short by one goal of forcing overtime. What would that really mean against a team like the Privateers? Who knows, that's why we play the game. Congratulations to the Privateers on a hard fought victory.