OMG, Did You See David's Butt?

minor I-league

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

Pointstreak is again, very difficult to follow. I am assuming that this game was a casualty of the aforementioned schedule change. According to what I see here one team was out of the loop, along with me, as only the Snipers showed-up. Both teams played later in the night, the Diggers more specifically early Sunday morning, I'm not sure though if the Snipers got any credit for their punctuality.

LSI (2-2-0) 2
Smashed Pumpkins (1-0-0) 6

Karen Powell makes her first I-league goal in months, since she finally found a baby sitter, putting her LSI team in front. Peter Case scores late in the first for the two-nothing lead, but turncoat ringer Gabe Rivera leads the Pumpkin counter assault cutting the lead in half before the period ends. James Macha manages to find the back of the net and Cody Patten makes the third Pumpkin goal seizing the lead in this civil war. Rivera strikes again in the final minute of the second and opens the third with his hat trick. Patten ends the evening with another tally leaving Gallagher wondering how he lost his prospects to an upstart organization like the Pumpkins.

Stickmen (3-1-0) 5
Mutineers (2-2-0) 2

Jesse Henderson has been back from his knee injury for a while now, but tonight he shows the leadership that the Sticks have lacked in his absence, the first goal is his. It takes until the middle of the second period before the Mutes can surmount his lead and John Swartzbaugh takes the mantle. The Sticks however, regain the lead with a Lynne Young goal and add to it with the bold stroke from Ken Halford. The Mutes refuse to go quietly and deliver a goal from Erick Ahlstedt to close the period down by one. In the final frame, the Sticks stymie the Mutineers, even while on the kill, with smothering presence at the offensive blue line, out shooting the Mutes 32-21, and gaining two more goals: Jeff Thomas, Julian Castillo. The Sticks look ripe for the repeat.

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

Vanessa Walkerton guards the net for the Brewzers in this display of sibling rivalry, but she surrenders Lee Miller's shot for the early Sniper lead claiming it as a birthday gift for the opposing center. Jeff Vaughn finds a lucky screen from the point to make a two goal lead, then he opens the second with a drive to the net cleaning-up the rebound of Raul Gilbreath's shot. Mika Hyytiainen puffs out his chest with a four to nothing Sniper lead after popping the rebound overtop of the sprawling Vanessa. In his first game back from knee injury, Jamil Jabri gains the sole Brewzer goal, I am not sure how to interpret this nugget- Brewzers still lose.

Grave Diggers (1-4-0) 2
LSI (2-2-0) 9

For their second game of the night, Gallagher kicks A. J. out of the net, installing himself instead. The Burns boys take their cue that no one's position on the team is safe and combine for four goals in the opening period. Phil Pratt does his best to fulfill the incentive-based contract and scores a second period goal for his fearless leader. Robert Burns scores his fourth of the game and sets-up Ken Lentz a few seconds later. Cody Woodward makes the eighth unanswered goal, and the mountain before the Diggers was immense, but Tim Rivers takes the first step in that climb, hoping to inspire the Digger bench to greatness. Peter Case is inspired to score another LSI goal. In the third, the Diggers struggle to keep their tempers under control, killing one penalty and winning the period with the only goal- a la Randy Chappel. The game goes easily to the Imports leaving them at .500 for the night, or I should say, weekend.

EU MAJOR I

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

The Pats are just snake bit- or in the case of this contest Spider bit. They can't seem to find a winning rhythm despite goalie changes, defensive line instability, and league swapping. Steve "Coast-to-coast" Benefield, creates his own opportunity and a Patriot lead. Bryan Couture cancels it in short order. Jeff Eagle reclaims the Pat lead, but Evan Callahan erases it this time. The Pats escape the first with the lead when Greg Durante makes someone happy. The fragile lead holds through the third period when Andrew Patti sends it to overtime, and the ensuing shoot-out. Ice rookie netminder Jacob Fulghan stands tall for his Pats dispatching the first three shooters, but so does his counterpart, veteran Jeremy Brown. The fourth shooter was too much for Jacob- Heather Gray gains the victory for her Spiders.

Blue Devils I (2-4-0) 0
Shockers (6-0-0) 1

The main event: in this corner in the black trunks the undefeated Shockers and in the opposing corner, wearing very low-slung trunks, the aging champs, the Blue Devils. The two teams pace about the ice for two periods, sizing eachother up, looking for weaknesses. And, in the third the Shockers find it, Danny Arnold scores the only goal in the first minute. The game would get very tense in the closing minutes. Shocker Nick McMacken had already been in trouble in front of the net with a goalie interference call in the first period, but after Gloria Buell of the Devils turned things up a notch, he turns loose his anger with abandon while crashing the net. The incident at 11:41 of the third amasses twenty-two minutes of penalties among four men. And, it was captured on video, subjecting us all to the horrors of David Blubaugh's butt cleavage. The game does play-out and the Shockers maintain their undefeated status. Saturday night fever?

Soul Patch (3-1-0) 6
Puckers (3-3-0) 4

Last session's runners-up are looking better than ever, dismantling the agile Patrick Donaghue and the Pucker defense, right from the beginning- Soul Patch scores first with a Ron Demers goal. Ginger Parker, haven't heard much from her in a while, ties the game, David James takes the Pucker power play lead. The Patches wrestle back to the top in the first period with goals from Brad Aho and James McClelland. The Puckers control the middle frame with Guy Riggs, unassisted and Chris Kirton starting a point streak. But the Puckers lacked the wind to survive the third as the Patches lay it on with John Shannon's back-to-back goals, they take the lead and build on it with a Brian Lochkos tally- a three goal period with none against.


Whalers (0-5-0) 2
Smashed Pumpkins (3-0-0) 6

This game just finishing now, the Whalers looked to be in control, Richard Walter scores the first Whaler goal shorthanded and the puck possession Whalers take the two goal lead in the first minute of the second with a shot from Paul Thurston. But the momentum shift was looming and dramatic- James Macha ends the middle frame with the Pumpkin's first goal and Tom Burns evens it up in the third. Macha strikes again for the lead just seventeen seconds after the Burns goal and Robert Burns follows that on the power play. Cody Patten collects the fifth Pumpkin goal and Kate Levesque brings-in the sixth before the buzzer sounds, while Matt Walker gently weeps.

Laborious Pointstreak

Well we survived a weekend without hockey, at least you did, I picked-up a cool little gig in Grapevine on Saturday afternoon. Tom Yockey has updated your schedule for this weekend on Pointstreak,, so check your game time, now!

Also, if you want an angst ridden rambling on the hockey season ramping-up, feel free to visit WhereHockeyHappens.com

Thank you for your courage!
jon-jon

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