POSSIBLE

It was another (very) easy, (very) dominant win for Captain Carl Vankoughnett's Neon, 7-1 over Captain Jeremy Copp's Grey. I've (over) shared already to this point with my editorializing on this Neon team (one player in particular, really)...the parity in this league has been fully compromised, and I don't have the energy (nor the good humor) to muster anything beyond a rote recount of the goals, assists, and saves in any and all Neon v Hopeless Opponent game from here out. Scott Wieland scored his second of the season at 9:05 in the first (Captain Vankoughnett & Alex Giummo), and while Mark Daquipa provided a prompt response from Grey at 8:50 (Jordan Pynn & Rob Gaudio), that would be the one and only tangible resistance offered by the underdogs. Giummo restored Neon's lead eleven seconds later (Vankoughnett), and Gordon Schmidt made it 3-1 at 2:59 (Giummo & Vankoughnett). Giummo's second of the game came at 9:37 in the second (Vankoughett), followed by Vanklughnett's third of the season at 1:54 (Steve Pugliese & Giummo). It was another pair of Neon strikes in the third (Giummo from Pugliese at 7:40, and TK Mason from Matt Drake and Giummo at 3:29. Nick Meglich (11/12) notched another ho-hum win, while Jon Cima (23/30) and Grey became the latest to see their 'auto loss' Sunday come and go with...a loss.

Back in actual league play...in a game where both sides have an actual fighting chance, Captain Dorothy Kline's Teal staked their undefeated 2-0-1 mark against Captain Shawna Hamon's 1-2-0 White. The loss column total for White certainly came with equal parts asterisk, as Hamon & Company would barely muster a full team in a wild and controversial 4-2 loss to Grey in Week One, before checking their own 'auto loss' off the schedule with a 5-1 Neon beatdown in Week Two. Their 3-0 bounce back win over Brown was perhaps our first glipse of 'the real White', and most savvy pundits predicted a close encounter between these two sides, in spite of the stark difference in their respective bottom lines. It was indeed a close encounter...a clean, close, well-played clash from start to finish (imagine that). Josh Tran has really solidified his title as 'Kounterpunch King'™ this season, with a clearly developed and refined penchant for turning turnovers into tallies, and he was first to act on the counterattack for Teal at 7:32 (Jackson Tomaszewski & Adam Schindler). White was doing most of the 'punching' throughout in this one, and Ty Pereira finally landed one for White at 3:37 (Andrew Becker & Eddie Zuniga) to push White back to even footing going into the first break. Teal dialed up their shot count a bit in the second, and Tran's second of the game at 4:12 restored Teal's one goal edge before Adam Schindler doubled the difference with his SIXTH of the season at 2:05. I would just like to pause for a moment and recognize Schindler for an absolutely bonkers breakout season. In 49 prior career games, Schindler had recorded just five goals...he has now more than doubled that career total in the span of four games this season! CONGRATULATIONS, ADAM! The third period nearly came and went with no further ado, but a late tally from Luke Wolmer (0:18 from Pereira & Chris Fiore), meant an appropriately tense climax to a genuinely great game. Chuck Bender (23/25) looked anything but tense once again, and his trademark 'Nonchalant Netminder'™ antics would carry Teal to another win...3-2 over White...and would keep the old vet perched atop the goalie stats table with a (very) impressive 3-0-1/.929/1.50/1 SO line. John Kushneryk (14/17) was sharp at his end, as well, but there seems to be some kind of magic mojo in this Teal lineup, and that magic was manifested once again in keeping Kline & Kompany loss-free heading into the midway point in the schedule.

That 'midway point in the schedule' (AKA Week Five) is a logical place to take stock in your team's progress/playoff prospects/all things existential, and for young Captain Grant Goins and Maroon, rolling into the checkpoint with an 0-4-0 record would make the evaluation of all items on that hypothetical checklist 'null'. So, not an ideal point in the season proceedings to faceoff against Captain Mason Holcomb's Pink, with a highly-motivate Kyle Snyder powering a potent office to back-to-back boat race wins coming in. Even a single point in the standings...really anything BUT another loss could be the boost the Goins Group would need to take a turn for the better this season, and Justin Ker had the underdogs on top first at 5:10 in the first (Joe Malki & Leah Gonzales). John Kushneryk brought Pink back to level with his second of the season at 1:19 (Sean Kelly), wrapping a quiet first that would give way to a B-A-N-A-N-A-S second. EIGHT total balls found twine in the middle frame, starting with a trio of Pink tallies (Snyder from Kushneryk at 5:31, Kushneryk from Just Stege and Craig Russell at 4:53, and Stege from Snyder at 4:41). This would typically be the point in the game when Maroon's willpower and morale would mutter 'check, please' and exit the scene, but a take-THAT triad of Malki markers (Chris from Captain Goins at 3:19, Joe from Leah Gonzales at 2:25, and Chris unassisted at 1:03) brought the twisting plot back to a 4-4 knot, and proved that this fight was far from over. Late, absolute gut-punch responses for Pink from Kelly at 0:44 (Kristin Sigler & Kushneryk) and 0:18 (Stege from Kushneryk & Kelly) seemed to signal the proverbial banana peel for Maroon, but the winless wonders could certainly draw some hope from the wide open nature of this wild one. Jon Zygelman fed that hope with his second of the season at 8:50 (Ker & Captain Goins), and it was Captain Grant himself delivering another tying touch with 7:09 to play (Ker). Both Captain Holcomb (22/28) and Gabe Davenport (15/21) were surely over all of this offense at that point, and (as if the two tacitly willed it so), the twelfth tally of the game would be the last, leaving a 6-6 tie a fair prize for both sides in a ballistic barnburner of a middle game. That aforementioned 'single point in the standings' was enough to raise 'Maroonraker' off the basement floor, but the asterisk in the room is that the only team below them, Green, has a 'game in hand', after their tilt with Charcoal was postponed in the late going. Still...CONGRATULATIONS to Captain Goins and Maroon for getting off the mat (twice) in this one and wrestling a point away from a tough team at a crucial point in their season.

The skies threatened rain all the more as the Week Four slate wore on, but the surface stayed dry as two 1-2-0 teams warmed up for a big 'Crossroads Clash'™. Captain Ryan Karns' Blue opened the season with their 'auto loss', then blanked Green 3-0 to even their record before getting blasted in the face by Pink in Week Three. Brown made light work of Maroon in their debut, but came in having been shutdown in two straight shutout losses (6-0 to Charcoal, then 3-0 to White). Suffice it to say that both sides were anxious to get back on track, find a steadier scoring form, and ease into the middle of their season slate with a middle of the road 2-2-0 portfolio. Josh Wirt got the party started for Blue at 3:10 in the first (Mark Chercoe), but Brennen Abel showed what he could do for Brown at 1:59 (Benjamin Meza), and the two sides ended where they began after ten minutes of play. A scoreless second was owed in large part to the heroics of Matt Henderson, who deflected every Brown shot he faced in period that saw Captain Hussain's crew outshoot Blue 8-1. Brown would muster just half that shot total in the third (to Blue's six), but as fate would have it, three of those shots found a home. Abel's second of the game at 9:33 pushed Brown to their first lead, Captain Hussain's second of the season at 9:02 widened the gap (Vinny Santora), and after Jason Olver registered a response for Blue at 6:21 (Wirt & Jenna Chercoe), Abel would cap his hat trick with the short-handed-game-winner at 5:32 (Captain Hussain). Josh Wirt's second of the game at 1:34 (Mark Chercoe) heightened Blue's hopes and tightened jaws on the opposing bench, but Will Heinl (8/11) would hold on to preserve the 4-3 win for Brown. Henderson (16/20) was stellar, but stung by that early third period stretch, sinking his personal mark to 0-3-0, and leaving Blue JUST above the cut line with two point (1-3-0) heading into a tough match with Charcoal.

Our intrepid Weather Czar™, Carl Vankoughnett, takes his job very seriously...seriously. His preoccupation with 'making the right call' each week is truly something to behold, and his research, charts, graphs, hot tips, and obsessive sky watching very, very rarely fail to avail. Week Four certainly tested the limits of even the most proficient precipitation prognosticator, however, and the ball dropped on the nightcap between Captain Bryan Ossa's Charcoal and Captain Emily Bennington's Green with spits and mist that hinted at a possible problem. The game would (cautiously) commence, and the first period came and went with a bone dry scoresheet and a dry-enough-to-play-on playing surface. Eric Willard gave Charcoal the first lead of the game with an unassisted strike at 8:07 in the second, but Weston Nawrocki would draw Green back to even footing with his second of the season at 6:42 (Vance Morra & Kalen Hunter). With the third period underway, the clouds strained all the more, and more moisture began to materialize. The teams would play on, and Erin Plone's first of the season put Charcoal back in front at 7:23 (Owen Perks). Kalen Hunter would level the ledger once again at 5:43 (Morra), and it was at this time that the teams and officials decided to call it a night...the rains had finally come in earnest. So...neither a win, nor a loss for either side...at least not yet (make-up slated for 8:00 of Week Nine), but...a narrow, crushing loss for ye olde Weather Czar...you can't win 'em all, Carl...I mean, you can with Neon, but...Mother Nature is legit the GOAT when it comes to 'the bigger picture'.