Our Week Eight cover team hit the court first, as Captain Bao Nguyen’s Green set out to secure vital points in their cut line chicken fight with idle Red. Nguyen & Company did not hate the matchup with Captain Bryan Ossa’s Brown, a team sitting at 2-3-1, but one that had struggled mightily prior to a Week Six tie with an understaffed Orange and an 8-5 slugfest decision over the aforementioned Red. A win would not only vault Green over Red and into playoff position, but would also allow them to control their own destiny in their regular season finale against Orange. For Brown, a playoff berth was (just BARELY) assured coming in, but an honest effort against one of two teams still fighting to get into second season play, a chance to even their record at .500, and (of course) personal points and pride were sufficient drivers. Jenna Chercoe broke the scoring seal at 7:16, completing a nifty passing play to notch her second of the season (Jackson Tomaszewski & Ty Pereira), but Mark DeGraffenreid would equalize for Brown exactly three minutes later (Greg Wirth). Tomaszewski recaptured the lead for Green with his first (!) of the season at 4:07 (Pereira), and doubled the lead with his second at 3:34 (Chris Tran & Pereira). Tomaszewski switched from his scoring hand to his helping hand in the second, providing the lone assist on Chris Tran’s goal at 7:53 to push Green’s lead to three. Leah Gonzales buried her second of the season at 7:22 (Vance Morra & Josh Wirt), and combined with her five assists to this point, Gonzales now sits just one point back of Sadie Hellstrom for the female scoring lead. Newcomer Alex Rockhoff was next to act, restoring Green’s three goal advantage with his second of the season at 6:23 (Jason Olver & Tran) before DeGraffenreid made good on a perfect attacking zone draw from Wirt to slice it back to two with his second of the game at 5:05. Brown would get no closer, thanks to our POTW, Gabe Davenport (18/21). A second Rockhoff strike at 5:02 in the third (Olver & Shawna Hamon) and a buzzer-beating-empty-netter from Jordan Pynn (Pereira) made the final score a bit harder on the eyes for Brown, but Davenport deserves a good deal of the credit for providing his team with calm and confidence with his first winning performance of the season. CONGRATULATIONS, GABE! Mason Holcomb (23/29) was very, very solid, as always, but Brown will need to sort their defensive zone play out if the hope to help him help them make a serious playoff push. The 7-3 for Green jumps them above the cut line, and even a draw with Orange will give them what they need to book playoff passage. Only a loss to Orange AND a Red win over Grey in the final game of the regular season can break the glass slipper for this Cinderella squad.

The second game on the Week Eight slate felt like a dress rehearsal for Saved By The Bell (shout out, Don Tran), with Captain Carl Vankoughnett’s Neon tussling with Captain Lena Amelang’s Pink. I’m not sure which team was playing the role of ‘preppy’ and which ‘jock’, but this was a ‘good episode’, by all accounts. Both teams sat comfortably in playoff position coming in, but with twin 3-2-1 records, this would serve as a good ‘measuring stick’ match. Well, perhaps a not-perfectly-calibrated measuring stick, given the absence of Joel Gattey and Scott Wieland for Pink and Joe Malki and Parsa Mostafavi for Neon. At the very least, it was another opportunity for Brennan Abel to protect his perch at the top of the scoring charts, and he did not waste much time adding a seventh goal to his season total, putting Pink in front first at 7:37 in the first (Emily Bennington & Rob LaVigne). Gary Peters brought Neon level with a point blast at 1:12 (Vinny Santora & Chris Malki), sending both BRIGHT sides to their benches for the first break on even footing. That footing remained level through a scoreless second, in spite of Pink holding a 7-2 edge in shots, and while Neon flipped the shot script in the third (11-8, in their favor), it was Pink who would do the only damage. Rob LaVigne scored his first of the season in short-handed fashion on an Abel assist at 6:15, and another strong effort from Chuck Bender (18/19) forced Neon to pull Don Tran (18/20), which ultimately led to a Steve Goncalo empty-netter to seal it at 0:34 (Abel). The 3-1 win moves Pink into sole possession of second place at 4-2-1, with no chance to catch Purple, but ample opportunity to tumble a spot or two, depending on a number of Week Nine results. Abel’s 1 and 2 effort has the Young Canuck™ scoring stud at nineteen points (7 and 12), just two points north of Purple Captain William Teglia and a Brown’s surging sniper, Josh Wirt. So, while there may be little beyond improved playoff position at stake this Sunday, there is certainly a fair amount of individual intrigue left to unfurl.

It has been something of a Tale Of Two Seasons for Captain Eli Schonbrun’s Blue. After racing out to a 3-0-0 start, with three straight six-goal efforts in wins that saw them outscore opponents 18-9, Blue limped and languished through a 1-3-0 stretch that included a shocking 4-3 loss to Red, and a skin-of-teeth 2-1 win over Green. If you’re going to have a feast or famine regular season, you really want the famine early and the feast late, but Blue would settle for anything to settle the butterflies in their collective playoff stomach as they turned to face Captain Jeremy Copp’s 2-3-1 Orange. Jason Lee led the charge for Blue, finishing a breakaway chance at 6:38 (Adam Schindler & Jason Northrup), but Orange would charge back on the strength of goals from Justin Hepler at 6:03 (Chris Fiore) and Captain Copp at 5:22 (Hepler & TK Mason). A scoreless middle frame set up a for-all-the-marbles third, and Justin Stege made his third marble of the season count at 4:05 (Fiore) to plump Orange’s lead to 3-1. It was Lee again at 3:44 (Kyle Snyder) to keep Blue hustling and hopeful to the end, but Matt Henderson (10/12) would shut the door and seal the 3-2 win for Orange. John Kushneryk (16/19), now once again able to devote his time and attention to the SDFHL after much World Cup globetrotting, would shoulder a second loss in three outings. With Blue now sitting at 4-3-0, this means that Non Kushneryk efforts (3-1-0) have outstripped John Kushneryk efforts (1-2-0) by a considerable measure…I think we have discovered the weak link 🙂 The win evens Orange’s ledger at 3-3-1, and while they could slide up or down the seeding scale in their finale, the more important Week Nine role they will play is potential spoiler for Green/savior for Red. If Orange should defeat Green, it would leave the backdoor to the playoffs open for Red, who would then be in with a win over Grey in the late game.

Captain William ‘Big Willy T™’ Teglia’s Purple had staged a very impressive run to the top coming into Week Eight, bouncing back from an under-gunned 3-2 loss to Brown in their season opener to rattle off six straight wins and find themselves untouchable in the top playoff spot with twelve points. Their Week Nine bye feels a bit poetic and appropriate now, giving the front-runners time to rest on their considerable laurels this Sunday, with nothing left to play for/prove in the regular season. Well…there is always the scoring race, and this tilt with Captain Zach Siemer’s Grey would represent young Captain Teglia’s last chance to add to his impressive fifteen point total coming in (7 and 8) to catch or pass Abel and Wirt in said race, For Siemer & Company…a chance to prove themselves against the top seed, and (perhaps more importantly) prove that they could survive and even thrive in the absence of their superstar, Kalen Hunter. Kalen had accounted for eleven of the sixteen Grey goals in their first six outings, with just one other player on the roster having scored more than one (John Kushneryk…a total of two). His absence posed an obvious challenge for Grey, and Purple is not a team that leaves gifts on the table. Sadie Hellstrom rattled off two goals early in the first…her second of the season at 9:37 (Trevor Vick), and an unassisted third of the season at 7:24. Will Heinl (18/18) remained perfect through two, and Big Willy T posted his first of the game at 6:44 in the second (Hellstrom & Owen Perks) to give Purple a commanding 3-0 lead heading into the third. Captain Teglia would add a second at 6:53 in the third (Chad Goins), and while the two goal effort would leave him short of his first career scoring title with seventeen points (9 and 8), his regular season run was nothing short of great, and Purple’s 4-0 win makes them nothing short of overwhelming Cup favorites as they head into their bye. Hellstrom’s 2 and 1 earned her first start of the game honors, and (as noted in the earlier recap) keep her one point clear of Brown’s Leah Gonzales for the regular season female scoring crown. Chuck Bender (16/20) once AGAIN stayed late to cover for Jon Cima, absorbing what felt like an inevitable loss, especially with Young Kalen elsewhere. Purple will sit by the pool sipping lemonade this Sunday, while Grey carry the important role of playoff jury/executioner in the final game of the regular season against the only team not currently parked in the playoff lot, Red.

Summer SDFHL seasons are notoriously plagued by attendance issues, with vacations leaving vacancies in rosters, and shifting otherwise matched matchups into a skewed state. For Captain Zach Siemer’s Grey, the Week Seven vacancies were voluminous…Craig Russell, John Kushneryk, Kalen Hunter, Kevin Hunter, Kristin Sigler, and of course, the out-for-the-season Jon Cima. Only Leah Gonzales coming on as a substitute for Sigler spared Grey the fate of ZERO bodies on the bench. Meanwhile, Captain Carl Vankoughnett’s Neon were fully staffed, with Jenna Chercoe in for Wendy Enright, and Chris Tran in for long lost cousin, Don. Savvy as ever, Chris made clear to the officials before the opening faceoff that he intended to play the ball as much as possible, negating icings and otherwise avoiding stoppage to keep the short-benched Grey huffing and puffing. The result went to the Tran plan, with Grey’s lungs and legs stretched to the brink in perhaps one of the fastest/shortest games in league history (finishing ten minutes to the hour with ease). Captain Vankoughnett was first to act, depositing his fifth of the season to lift Neon to a 1-0 advantage at 4:38 in the first (Ryan Karns & Vinny Santora), and Parsa Mostafavi doubled the Grey deficit at 2:03 (Chris Malki). Selfless super sub, Chuck Bender (22/25) kept the skeleton crew six in the game throughout, with a lone second period strike from Joe Malki at 1:35 (Jenna Chercoe & Karns) the only Neon receipt from an 18-6 shot edge purchase through two. The lone third period goal actually belonged to Grey, with Sean Kelly snapping a beauty of a backhand over Tran’s shoulder at 4:23 (Mark Chercoe) to break the shutout and add a touch of tension to the final minutes of play. Neither side could manage to narrow or widen the two goal gap from there, though, meaning Neon would reap the full benefit of those vital Grey vacancies in a 3-1 win. Chris Tran (8/9) secured the win in Don Tran’s stead, boosting Neon into a tie with Grey in the standings at 3-2-1, and officially stamping playoff passage for Vankoughnett & Company. The loss is a fairly easy write-off for Siemer’s side, who will hope to have their ranks replenished when they take on a potent Purple after the holiday break.

Captain Bao Nguyen’s Green have been gripping the cut line guard rail from season’s start, and while still very much alive after a massive Week Six win over Red, Baoser & Company came into Week Seven play with no hope to survive without at least one more point in their final three games. The once mighty 4-0-0 Blue came in losers of their last two, with the extra twist of the knife for Green coming with a shocking upset loss to Red the week prior. This result alone kept Green languishing in last place, but also provided a glimmer of hope that they too could stage a Blue coup, take two, and leap frog back to playoff safety going into the final playoff push. The aforementioned specter of summer absence loomed over both sides in this one, but Green was particularly haunted with both Jordan Pynn and Nick Vacchio out of uniform. Blue would have to make do without Schindler, Northrup, and Jew, and would put their trust in Mason Holcomb with netminder John Kushneryk minding team Canada’s World Cup match, instead. Jenna Chercoe gave Green the lead at 6:49 (shoutout to a loyal front page reader), with Dorothy Kline and Ty Pereira collecting helpers. It took less than a minute for Kyle Snyder to respond…an unassisted goal at 5:53 that I did not see, but would imagine was an end-to-end blur through all five Green players. Jason Lee put Blue on top for the first time with his second of the season at 4:53 in the second (Shawna Hamon & Josh Tran), and when an apparent Chris Tran point shot equalizer was waived off later in the period, it started to feel like deja vu blues all over again for Green. Indeed, Green would not find a second, and in fact would muster ZERO shots (to Blue’s ten) over the final frame, which by old math and new meant a 2-1 win for Blue. Mason Holcomb (16/17) backstopped his surrogate team to a skid-stopping win, but Gabe Davenport (18/20) was the bigger story, recording one of the best outings of his career and collecting first star of the game honors in spite of the loss. Blue are now locked and loaded for playoff action, but cannot hope to rise any higher than their current position in second. The loss is not a death knell for Green, but with a seemingly resurgent Brown, and a well-overdue-for-offensive-outburst Orange standing between them and missing the playoffs, it will take Super Gabe™, Pynn, Vacchio, and all the king’s women and men to put this season back together again.

If you’ve been watching as much World Cup as I have, you have likely had more than your fill of ‘nil’, and are otherwise expecting to see no more than two or three goals in any given game. Week Seven was mostly an eerie reflection of the massive global event, with finals of 3-1 and 2-1 in the first two games, and (spoiler alert) 2-0 in the night cap, but there are exceptions to most rules and trends, and the 7:00 slot was an offensive orgy that very nearly filled every slot on the scoring section of the sheet. Captain Bryan Ossa’s ‘Dookey Kong’ began the season on what in hindsight is a dizzying high, topping the otherwise undefeated Purple 3-2 (never mind that the now juggernaut was without the services of Owen Perks and The Vick Boys™), but had since dropped three straight, and mustered a mere tie against another toothless tiger (Orange…without Hepler and Cooney). Captain Rob Gaudio’s Red had also managed just three points coming in, but a still minty fresh 4-3 stunner over Blue the Sunday prior had them hoping for greener pastures clear of rival Green and paced away from a playoff pitfall. So…a big game for both sides, with the winner pushing closer to mid-pack safety, and the loser lingering a week longer on the ledge. Brown’s go-to guy, Josh Wirt, entered with nine points (but just one goal) on the season in five games, and with ‘The Megician™’ patrolling the pipes for Red, it seemed rather unlikely that this game would see the scoring levee break for the perennial scoring chart stud. <INSERT SOUND OF LEVEE BREAKING> Wirt from DeGraffenreid and Captain Ossa at 9:38, Wirt from DeGraffenreid and Nagy at 8:05, Leah Gonzales from Wirt at 5:32, then finally an unassisted response from Red’s Dan Jurgens at 2:35…only to be followed by Wirt unassisted at 2:27, and Wirt from Ossa and Gonzales at 2:06. FOUR goals and an assist for Wirt in a 7:32 span! Chris Koziol made it 6-1 Brown at 9:08 in the second (DeGraffenreid), and heads were shaking on both sides in disbelief at the absolute onslaught. Captain Gaudio stopped the bleeding for Red at 7:46 in the second (Jurgens & Darin Cerasuolo), but Matt Rogers finished a sneak attack run from the point with a nifty backhand to restore the five goal lead for Brown heading into the second break. With Jurgens going down in the second with what appeared to be a rather serious injury, Red’s already steep path to points was now iced over and greased up. Undaunted, Cerasuolo took the first step in Red’s comeback climb, notching his fifth of the season at 6:40, and Captain Gaudio followed with his second of the game at 5:41 to cut the lead to three (Wasif Hussain & Cerasuolo). Wirt finished his FIFTH of the game to stabilize the situation for Brown at 3:48 (DeGraffenreid & Wirth), rendering Gaudio’s hat trick capper at 1:00 little more than a point of personal pride and window dressing in a chaotic 8-5 loss. It’s safe to say that neither Mason Holcomb (15/20), nor Nick Meglich (17/25) will be adding this game to their pantheon of pleasant SDFHL memories, but honestly it just seemed like one of those games where any shot that could find a way in did. The win is big for Brown, who improve to 2-3-1 with a chance to lock in a playoff spot after the holiday break against Green. The loss leaves Red very vulnerable, particularly with their bye week up next, but if Brown hold even half the scoring swagger against Green that they did on this night, Red can rest relatively assured of maintaining their precarious playoff perch whilst watching House Of The Dragon.

Early summer days mean late summer sunsets, and while the night stars were slowly pulsing into view above, some of the biggest SDFHL Summer League stars were set to shine on the court below (Poet Laureate nominations, please and thank you). Pink’s Brennen Abel entered Week Seven play at that top of the scoring table with sixteen points (6 and 10), with Purple Captain William ‘Big Willy T™’ Teglia trailing by just one point with 7 and 8 on the season. With both team’s sitting comfortably in the upper reaches of the standings, the final game of the night held few stakes beyond such personal production measuring sticks, and an opportunity for Purple to clinch the top playoff spot prior to their final regular season game on July 12th. The stars above did shine, and there was even a very-nearly-full moon to add extra glow to the firmament, but…neither super nova below would offer so much as a twinkle as the Sunday slate turned back to fútbol form in a low-scoring goalie duel. Tim Vick potted his first of the season at 7:11 in the first (Trevor Vick), and that would be the only goal for either side through the remainder of the first and a scoreless second. Vick’s goal very nearly stayed lonely the rest of the way, with both teams pressing hard as time wound down in the third. Dwarf star, Grant ‘G-Dub™’ Goins, finally added a second with just 1:03 to play (Sadie Hellstrom), as Will Heinl (20/20) collected his fifth win and THIRD shutout of the season in Purple’s 2-0 triumph. I’ll be the first to admit that I was unaware of Heinl’s ascent to the Summer League goalie throne…his .950/1.00/3 SO line has him on top of the pile by a country mile…perhaps the REAL star that Purple are wishing upon as the playoffs near. Chuck Bender (27/29) was outstanding in his own right, after standing out for two hours between his sub stint for Grey and his second game of the night for his actual team. Once again, if you have not given Mr. Bender thanks for all of his selfless subbing this season (really every season, but particularly this one), you should. As mentioned, the win puts Purple at twelve points, and while they can be still be caught in the points column by Blue, they cannot be unseated at the top with the head-to-head tie breaker in hand. The loss is a mere minor setback for Pink, who had already booked a playoff spot based on earlier losses from Green and Red.

While still far from formally flushed, a three game slide had Captain Bryan Ossa’s ‘Dookey Kong’ feeling sad and swirly coming into Week Six play. Captain Jeremy Copp’s ‘Coppa Troppas’ had fared only slightly better, with their stunted scoring ability the primary limiting factor in a 2-3-0 start. While neither team was ‘desperate’ for a win, two points at this point in the proceedings would go a long way to providing some playoff comfort. The Brown bench certainly brimmed with plenty of comfort and confidence on discovering that Orange would be without the services of Justin Hepler and Aaron Cooney, with the former having accounted for four of Orange’s six total goals coming in, and Cooney certainly well overdue to crack open a can of contribution to the cause. Orange would FINALLY get some scoring from players other than Hepler and Fiore, with ‘The Other’ Justin (Stege) slipping home a tough angle shot at 7:25 (Gordon Schmidt). Captain Ossa would find the equalizer at 1:04 in the first (Mark Nagy & Leah Gonzales), but another impressive pressure play led to a late second goal from Stege to wrest the lead back for Orange (0:06 from Gordon Schmidt and Kristin Sigler). Brown would rebound in the second, with a point shot from Captain Ossa leading to a sublime tip in tally from super sub, Pat Gladstone, to knot the score at 2-2 (Josh Wirt with the second apple). It was anyone’s game heading into the final ten minutes of play, but Orange was doing more with less, and felt destined to pull off something of a coup as the second break wrapped. Mark DeGraffenreid gave Brown some confidence to the contrary at 7:31 in the third (Wirt & Gonzales), finally solving Chuck Bender (26/30), who was once again in fine fill-in form in the first of yet another tending triple header. Jim LaGrossa would respond for Orange at 5:45 (Chris Fiore), and defensive-dust-collector-turned-power-forward, Gordon Schmidt, put the Troppas back on toppa with 3:00 to play (Captain Copp). Brown were down, but Mark Nagy made sure they were not out, ringing a post-and-in point shot home with Mason Holcomb (11/15) pulled to set the score level once again at 0:39 (Wirt). So…a 4-4 draw…a ‘not too shabby, all things considered’ result for a short-benched Orange, and a ‘well, we technically snapped our losing streak, at least’ shoulder slumper for Brown. While Green remain the odd team out at this point at 1-4-0, Brown’s Week Seven throwdown with fellow-three-pointers, Red, is certainly a ‘big game’ for both sides. Orange slide into their bye week in mid-pack position, with the holiday off week giving them plenty of time to rest and ready themselves for their final playoff push in mid-July.

Both Captain Lena Amelang’s ‘Kirby Enthusiasm’, and Captain Zach Siemer’s ‘Puck Hunt’ found themselves on the cusp of officially clinching playoff passage with twin 3-1-0 marks coming into the marquee Week Six match. I interrupt this recap to relay a ‘The More You Know‘ moment…Captain Zach’s last name is pronounced SEE-MER! I have pronounced is ‘SIGH-MER’ from day one, and I am still recovering from this revelation…not sure I can adapt, at this point. Anyway, potato, tomato…back to the action. Eric Willard’s eighth of the season had Pink in front at 5:14 in the first (Scott Wieland & Brennen Abel), and the matching half dozen shot total from both sides seemed an indicator that this ‘mirror match’ would indeed be close throughout. I interrupt this recap to remind you all that Scott’s last name is pronounced ‘WEE-LAND’, not ‘WHY-LAND’ like the famous frontman. That one I did know, but…just passing that along. If I am butchering anyone else’s last name out there (aside from Tomaszewski, because…I concede defeat) please let me know. Anyhoo…back to the action. Kalen Hunter posted the lone goal in the second, pushing Grey even at 6:50 (Sean Kelly & Captain SEE-MER). and with once again dead even shot output (five a piece, this time), the stage was set for a tight third. The first half of that third was too-tight-to-tally for either side, but Abel finally broke through to push Pink to their second lead of the game with 4:49 to play (Willard). Exactly two minutes later, it was Hunter’s second of the game to again draw Grey level (Kristin Sigler & Sean Kelly), and while Pink enjoyed an 11-7 edge in shots over the last ten minutes of play, the one-to-one scoring meant a two-to-two tie. Mason Holcomb (20/22) was sharp in a sub stint for the injured Jon Cima, adding a second tie on the evening to his personal ledger. It was just another strong showing for Chuck Bender (16/18), playing his second of three, with this point counting for his actual team. It’s beyond safe to say that neither team needed a win in this one, and (outside of honoring the World Cup with a second straight draw) the stalemate adds a bit of spice to the storyline for a possible second season meeting between these two clear Cup contenders.

Two teams at opposite table termini took to the court next, with Captain Rob Gaudio’s 0-4-1 ‘Red Joshi’ looking for their first win, and Captain Eli Schonbrun’s 3-1-0 ‘Blue Schelbies’ looking to rebound from their first loss. With fellow struggle bus riders, Green, having dunked on them the Sunday prior for their first win of the season, Gaudio & Company found themselves alone below the cutline. With their Week Eight bye week yet to come, and their closest rival holding a head-to-head tie breaker, it is safe to say that there was some additional heat on the Red ranks, however pleasant and breezy the dusk conditions may have been at 7:00. Captain Gaudio wasted little time cooling any concern for his mates, scoring just 1:06 into the first to give Red the early lead (Will Heinl). Darin Cerasuolo (who expressed exasperation on learning that he would be facing nemesis netminder, Chuck Bender, AGAIN) was quick to double the damage at 8:11 (Ramsey Ksar & Hima Joshi), serving notice to Blue that Red was all in for the win in this one. Brendan Jew would answer for Blue at 5:46 (Josh Tran), but Cerasuolo’s second at 2:49 (Sean Bathgate) restored the two goal edge and (I’m sure) also restored Darin’s faith in his ability to best Big Bad Bender™. When Dan Jurgens made it 4-1 at 9:18 in the second (Heinl), Red’s humble redemption bid began to look more like a ‘statement’ body slam. A powerplay conversion from Jason Lee at 6:02 stopped the bleeding for Blue (Jew & Shelby Shattuck), but Nick Meglich (33/36) was not about to let another monster effort go to waste. Meglich was VERY busy from start to finish, and nearly finished the job without another blip, but a Kyle Snyder strike at 0:31 (Lee) had the Megician™ and his hatful of Red rabbits gasping and grasping to the bitter end. At long last, that end would not be bitter for Red, with their first win of the season coming in 4-3 fashion over a very strong Blue side. Meglich earned first star of the game honors for his sparkler, and the two points moves Red back ahead of Green and above the cut line with two games remaining in their season slate. Chuck Bender (13/17) finally suffered a loss in his third of three games on the evening…if you pass this man at the rink, be sure to give him HUGE thanks for helping us all out so much this season! As noted in the opening recap, this Sunday is another big game for Red, as they look to make it two wins in a row against their three point neighbors, Brown. A two game slide would give any team the blues, but Blue are still in a very healthy place in the standings, and a bounce back win over 1-4-0 Green this week would officially push them into late July pastures.

I was recently approached by a pair of threatening young lads who, for privacy’s sake let’s call them William T. and Grant G….no, that’s too obvious…let’s say W. Teglia and G. Goins. These two punks more or less demanded to be ‘glossed’ (to pull a very old Jim Rome term)…they were unimpressed that I had never given them proper nicknames. So, I know these kids are violent, and have pretty extensive underworld connections, which left me no choice. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome ‘Big Willy T’™ and ‘G-Dub’™ to the league! Captain Big Willy T’s Purple came into Week Six play already at the top of the pile – the first team to officially clinch a playoff perch, and the Pink v Grey tie, and the rather stunning Blue loss left the door open for Purple to create even more space in the attic. Captain Carl Vankoughnett’s Neon entered in relatively safe playoff position at 2-1-1, but an upset win over Purple would move them into a three-way tie for second with Pink and Grey heading into their final three games. A scoreless first saw Neon hold a slender 9-8 edge in shots, and when Captain Vankoughnett stuck bright at early in the second (9:27, unassisted), it looks like Neon may just find their way to that upset win. Owen Perks adjusted those expectations with his eighth of the season at 3:57 (G-Dub™), Big Willy T™ dampened Neon’s spirits further at 1:47 (G-Dub™), and a second strike from Big Willy T™ at 1:04 (Perks & Sadie Hellstrom) had the top dogs on top by two through two. It was…who else…Big Willy T™ to open the scoring in the third, capping his hat trick at 7:37 (Chad Goins & Owen Perks) and pushing Purple lead to three. The elder Goins wrapped the streak of five unanswered goals for Purple with 7:15 to play (Big Willy T™ & Tim Vick), and a late solo strike from Parsa Mostafavi did little to soften the blow of the 5-2 Purple push past Neon. Chuck Bender…did NOT appear in this game! It was Will Heinl (22/24) collecting another Purple win at one end, and Don Tran (22/27) absorbing the loss for Neon at the other. Now at 5-1-0, it will be no easy task catching Purple, but Grey and Pink both have a game in hand on the front runners, and (as the ever-mischievous SDFHL scheduling gods would have it) Pink and Grey stand as Purple’s final two opponents. Neon also have Grey and Pink up next, just in reverse order, and while they are technically still cut line vulnerable, it really seems like the fight to stay out of that last spot will be decided in the Red/Brown/Green trenches.