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.

Captain William Teglia’s ‘Willuigis’ are doing their Nintendo namesake proud and turning L’s upside down. Their latest W also handed a (right-side-up) L to the only remaining undefeated team in the league in Captain Eli Schonbrun’s Blue. The win not only has them at the top of the standings at 4-1-0, but also makes them the first Summer League team to clinch a playoff spot.

Captain Bryan Ossa’s Brown opened their season with a 3-2 win over our Week Five cover team, Purple, but the ‘Willuigis’ have been wiping up since, and it has been a steady flush since for ‘Dookey Kong’. The consolatory thinking for Brown after losses in their second and third matches of the season…the combined incoming record for their three opponents so far…4-0-0. Considering Purple’s 3-1-0 record since that initial outing, it was clear that Brown had faced the steepest of schedules to start, and could expect a better chance to improve their playoff stance through the balance of their season. The first such ‘beatable’ opponent came in the form of Captain Carl Vankoughnett’s 1-1-1 Neon. Neon came off a Week One bye to pluck their three points in the standings from Green and Red…teams with a current combined record of 1-8-1. A narrow Week Four loss to Orange had them looking to bounce back and shovel more dirt on a struggling Brown side. Joe Malki wasted no time executing that plan, putting Neon in front with an unassisted effort at at 8:49 in the first, and an early second period pair of strikes (Ryan Karns from Captain Vankoughnett and Parsa Mostafavi at 8:19, and Captain Vankoughnett from Vinny Santora and Pat Gladstone at 7:45) had the Brown burial well underway. Chris Koziol’s third of the season halted Neon’s plot (see what I did there) at 6:53 (Vance Morra), but three late second period tallies from Chris Malki at 2:01, Karns at 1:22 (Vankoughnett), and Joe Malki at 0:36 (Wendy Enright & Chris Malki) had Brown six goals underground (well, technically five, but that sort of ruins the turn of phrase) going into the final ten. With the game well out of hand, Brown’s approach was to look to win the final period and restore some faith in their ability to compete. Mark DeGraffenreid tucked home the rebound from a Josh Wirt shot to make it 6-2 at 6:25, and when DeGraffenreid returned the favor on Wirt’s strike at 5:57 (Leah Gonzales with the second assist), it started to feel like the ‘just win the period’ mantra might have morphed more to ‘just tie this game’. Alas…math…time…the enemies of such lofty aspirations for Brown. Don Tran (21/24) would settle in the rest of the way and seal the 6-3 win for Neon, while SUPER sub Chuck Bender (16/22) would swallow the loss in his first of three games on the night (on his bye week, no less). The win keeps Neon in the middle of the pack at 2-1-1, while the loss drops Brown to 1-3-0, far too close for cut line comfort heading into a Week Six showdown with Orange.

Two two-win teams looked to tack on a third, with Captain Zach Siemer’s 2-1-0 Grey taking on Captain Jeremy Copp’s 2-2-0 Orange. While the teams’ incoming records were similar, and while their goals-against numbers matched exactly at nine, Grey’s ten goals-for in three games stood double that of Orange’s five goals-for in four games. So, if there would be any true trajectory in the established scoring trends for these two teams, Grey came in as a clear favorite. Making matters worse for Orange…2/5 of their scoring output to this point would be elsewhere, with Chris Fiore out of the lineup. That left the other 3/5 of the Orange offense-to-date in play, and Justin Hepler wasted VERY little time adding a fourth to his personal season total, stuffing home some crease debris at 9:17 (Aaron Cooney & Steph Palomo Schmidt) to give the underdogs the early upper hand. The remainder of the first wound down without another notch, and Kalen Hunter would score the lone goal of the second at 5:03 (Sean Kelly & Captain Seimer) to draw the teams level going into the second break. The time of possession, scoring chances, and shots (18-6 in Grey’s favor, through two) all told a tilted tale, and Kalen Hunter would finally pen the expected end, scoring at 8:48 in the third (Captain Siemer & Steve Linke) to push Grey in front for the first time. That aforementioned scoring ‘trajectory’ would hold true for Orange, with no further citrus conversions forcing a pulled Will Heinl (23/25, in a sub stint for Matt Henderson), and an empty net icer from John Kushneryk with 0:18 to play (Craig Russell). If you’re scoring at home, that’s now just SIX goals for Orange through five games…four for Hepler, two for Fiore, and ZERO for the remainder of the roster. They’ll certainly need to score more if they hope to avoid a loss to an increasingly desperate Brown this Sunday. Chuck Bender (9/10), earned the win in relief of a now out-for-the-season Jon Cima, braving the heat in his second sub stint of the evening. The 3-1 win moves Grey to 3-1-0, very close to clinching a playoff berth, and very much still in the hunt for the top playoff spot as they enter the second half of their summer schedule.

Our Week Five cover team was up next, with Captain William Teglia’s Purple looking to run their win streak to four, hand Captain Eli Schonbrun’s Blue their first loss of the season, and surge into the top spot in the standings in the process. Neither team came in a stranger to scoring (Blue leading the league with eighteen tallies in just three games, and Purple with fifteen over their first four outings), and at a combined 6-1-0 record, the penultimate game on the Week Five slate was certainly the ultimate ‘must-see’ tilt. I mean…definition of spoiler alert, what with the headline and updated POTW widget, but Owen Perks and Purple would make the most of their opportunity to snatch the gold ring, starting with Perks’ first of the game at 8:59 in the first (Captain Teglia). Blue would recover from the early strike, with Brendan Jew equalizing at 2:24 (Captain Schonbrun), but that most devastating of demons, a late period goal, would put Blue behind once again through one. It was Perks with that gut punch strike, bookending his early marker with his second of the game at 0:18 (Captain Teglia & Tim Vick). A scoreless second gave Blue hope of a late leveling, but it was more from Captain Teglia (unassisted at 6:40) and Perks (unassisted empty-netter at 1:13) to add a ‘convincing’ label to Purple’s big win over Blue, 4-1. Perks secured POTW honors for the hat trick heroics, and Will Heinl (16/17) was stout in earning his second straight ‘three stars of the game’ inclusion, this time in support of his actual team. John Kushneryk (25/28) was no less steady, but was ultimately undone by The Perks & Teglia Show™ in Blue’s first loss of the season. Purple’s fourth straight win is all the more impressive when considering that it was managed in the absence of young scoring stud, Trevor Vick. Now officially the hottest team in the league, Purple can also now boast having punched the first official playoff ticket as they stride into a Week Six meeting with Neon. Blue are hardly the worse for wear with the loss, dropping into a three team second place pack at 3-1-0, and looking forward to a (presumed) rebound against 0-4-1 Red.

If the 7:00 game was the ‘must-see’ tilt at the top of the table, the nightcap was the ‘must-win’ match for the two teams at the very back of the pack. The lone point earned by Captain Rob Gaudio’s 0-3-1 Red coming in was all that separated them from Captain Bao Nguyen’s 0-4-0 Green. A win for Red would not only keep them ahead of Green, but would vault them over Brown and into relative safety with three games to play. A loss would sink them below the cutline, dead last, and also bereft of a potentially vital head-to-head tiebreaker with their lower ranks rivals. For Green, a loss heading into their Week Six bye would be nothing short of devastating, leaving them at 0-5-0 and definitely in ‘must win’ and possibly ‘must win and get some help’ territory heading into their final two matches with Blue and Brown. As miserable looking as a combined 0-7-1 record is for the two coming in, it is also very safe to say that both teams had been a bit snakebit. Barring the ugly irony of a potential tie, one team would finally see some relief from their season slide…and…that team was Green. Jason Olver delivered his first goal of the season at 1:25 in the first, and with Green outshooting Red THIRTEEN TO ZERO over the course of the first frame, it was once again an out-of-his-f’ing-mind Nick Meglich keeping his team breathing into the first break. The shot totals settled considerably in the second (10-8 in Green’s favor), and the scoring was also level. Alex Rockoff returned from a grisly injury the week prior to score his first career SDFHL goal at 4:59 (Jenna Chercoe & Jordan Pynn), and Dan Jurgens finally furnished an answer for Red with an unassisted tally at 3:17. CONGRATULATIONS, ALEX! The shots fell back out of alignment in the third, with Green making the most of their 11-2 edge with goals form Pynn at 4:30 (Nick Vacchio & Chris Tran), and a powerplay strike from Tran at 0:42 (Kline). So…finally…Green pulled the pointless monkey off their backs and promptly suplexed the unsuspecting primate with a 4-1 win over Red. The winning goalie…take a wild guess…Chuck Bender (9/10), of course…doing the duties of the absent Gabe Davenport, and appearing in his third game in one night for the second time this season. Nick Meglich (30/34) and Red now fall to 0-4-1, below the cut line, and well overdue for their own stroke of better fortune as they turn to face a very tough Blue side this Sunday. With just two games left for both Red and Green, and only Brown (with game in hand) in striking distance otherwise, it will well and truly come down to the wire to find the final seat in the playoffs over the coming weeks…

Week Four opened with Captain Jeremy Copp’s Orange taking on Captain Carl Vankoughnett’s Neon, with both teams looking to add a second notch in the win column and prove the brighter highlighter as we move into the middle third of the season. Copp & Company came into Week Four play with just TWO goals to show for nine periods of play, having been shutout in their previous two outings to drop to 1-2-0. With even the woeful and winless sides at the bottom of the standings boasting at least triple that total, Orange knew they would need to find their scoring form, or soon find themselves in league with those beleaguered cellar dwellers. Justin Hepler was on the case, and his first of the season at 3:59 in the first (Aaron Cooney & Andrew Wong), then second at 0:48 (Gordon Schmidt & Chris Fiore) gave Orange a 2-0 lead, and matched the team’s entire scoring output (Fiore’s scoring output, to be precise) from the last three games, combined. Hepler would complete the trick at 7:04 in the second (Fiore), padding the lead to three, and (more importantly) instilling some confidence in his Orange mates that the scoring punch had finally arrived. Captain Vankoughnett would cut the lead back to two with his second of the season at 1:38 in the second, leaving the score at 3-1 in Orange’s favor heading into the second break. Matt Henderson (15/17), FINALLY benefitting from some offensive support, held strong against the push to equalize, but would ultimately concede a second Neon strike to Ryan Karns with 2:57 to play (Joe Malki & Gary Peters). That would be the final answer from Neon, who would suffer their first loss of the season to POTW Hepler and Orange, 3-2. Don Tran (21/24) absorbed the loss for Neon, who will look to bounce back this Sunday against Captain Ossa’s Brown. It’s something of a miracle that Orange find themselves at 2-2-0 heading into a showdown with Captain Siemer’s Grey…they will certainly need more heroics and Hepler, Fiore, and…heck, maybe even another player or two in the Orange ranks if they hope to repeat the winning feat in Week Five.

Captain Bao Nguyen’s Green entered Week Four play as the only team without a point in the standings. With only one of nine teams missing the playoffs this season, a rather meager point total could get the job done, but even Captain Rob Gaudio’s 0-3-1 Red know that a ticket to the second season is already in hand if Green can’t find a way to straighten out that not-so-nice round number. Captain William Teglia’s Purple warmed up at the other end, hoping to keep that fine-by-us round number in place for Green and extend their streak in the opposite direction to three in the process. Grant Goins put Purple on the path to doing just that at 8:29 in the first (Captain Teglia), then added his second of the game and fourth of the season at 9:51 in the second (Teglia) to double the lead and quadruple his career high for goals in a season (granted…no pun intended…this is just his second SDFHL season). When Trevor Vick made it 3-0 at 7:23 (Tim Vick & Chad Goins), and Owen Perks padded the lead to four at 0:14 (Chad Goins & Tim Vick), an already down and deflated Green side had to be feeling ready for this game (if not season) to be over. Sadie Hellstrom struck the lone strike in the third at 4:10 (Perks), and Will Heinl (21/21) would stand strong to preserve the 5-0 shutout win, keeping Purple paced with the six point lead pack, and one step closer to punching a playoff pass. The loss, of course…one step closer to elimination for Green. If ever there were ONE game that Captain Nguyen & Company NEED to win, it is this Sunday’s showdown with Red. A win would not only sow some much-needed confidence, but would actually push them above the cut line for the first time all season heading into their Week Six bye.

Valentine’s Day in June! Captain Rob Gaudio’s Red would love to find a way to a first win of the season, especially the week before a hot date with Green, while Captain Lena Amelang’s Pink would love nothing more than to keep the win column kisses coming, having racked up two straight smackers coming in. In a Thanos-free Summer 2026 season, Brennen Abel has assumed the throne at the top of the scoring charts. The Young Canuck™ stud added another goal to his total with an unassisted strike at 5:22 in the first to put Pink on top, but even-Younger-Yank stud, Darin Cerasuolo, would answer at 2:52 to knot the score at ones heading into the first break. Abel would not score in the second, but he would provide the lone assist on the lone goal of the period…Steve Goncalo at 8:54 to push Pink back in front. Alas, for a Red team desperate for that first taste of victory, Goncalo’s goal would stand as the lone goal of the final two periods of play…the game-winner in a 2-1 Pink win. Chuck Bender (21/22) continued his crushing crusade (both for his team, and in stand-in stints), while Nick ‘The Megician’™ Meglich (17/19) suffered another very tough loss at the other end. Now at 3-1-0, Pink sit comfortably in the upper reaches of the standings as part of the aforementioned six point pack, while Red fall to 0-3-1, just one point north of the cut line heading into the big ‘Week Five Battle To Survive’™ with out only team below that cut line, Green.

The only two remaining undefeated teams finally found each other in the Week Four nightcap, with Captain Eli Schonbrun’s 2-0-0 Blue facing off against Captain Kalen Hunter’s 2-0-0 Grey. I don’t mean to suggest that the man is lucky charm, but John Kushneryk (proud member of last season’s wire-to-wire-loss-free Cup champions, Black) is on the roster for both Blue and Grey this season. If you ignore his ‘other team’ from last season, Gold, this means that JK has not lost a game in a long time. Barring a tie in this one, he would collect one more yin win, but also (at long last) a yang loss. Chuck Bender (who else…the man is a machine this season) was suited up in Kushneryk’s stead for Captain Schonbrun & Company, while Kushneryk manned the blue line for Grey as play got under way. Kyle Snyder was first to act, snapping home his seventh of the season at 7:30 in the first (Brendan Jew), and a trio of unanswered Blue goals would follow. Captain Schonbrun made it 2-0 at 6:02 (Josh Tran & Jason Northrup), Tran padded the lead to three at 5:22 (Schonbrun & Shelby Shattuck), and Schonbrun’s second of the game capped a blowout first period for Blue at 2:18 (Northrup & Snyder). Captain Hunter finally found a response for Grey at 6:24 in the second (Steve Linke), but a second for Snyder with just 0:48 to play before the second break restored the four goal edge, and Snyder’s third at 6:25 in the third put this game well and truly out of reach. Fittingly/ironically/whatever-adverb-fits-best-here, it was Kushneryk who would take the last scoring action, slipping home his first goal of the season with 4:42 to play (Zach Siemer)…ultimately a meaningless strike for his Grey team, and a meaningless strike against his Blue team. The (very) convincing 6-2 win for Blue came with no major attendance asterisks, and really has them looking like the team to beat this season now at 3-0-0 on the tippy top of the table. If you’re scoring at home, Bender (20/22) is now 3-0-0 as a sub this season! Jon Cima (22/28) was the latest HomiSnyde™ victim, with Kyle’s hat trick heroics vaulting him into first place in the goal scoring race. The loss drops Grey to 2-1-0, good enough for middle of the pack, but with a game in hand on the two six point teams ahead of them in the standings, including their Week Five opponent, Orange.

Our Week Three cover team was well rested coming into their matchup with Captain Bryan Ossa’s ‘Dookey Kong’, powering past Pink in Week One, surviving a harrowing bye week that no one enjoys the following Sunday, then doubling down on the downtime with a long holiday weekend. Ossa & Company opened their season with a narrow win over a Purple team that was without much of their punch, then became another Kalen Kasualty™ in a 4-2 Week Two loss to Grey. A bounce back win would keep them in the top half of the standings, while a loss would flip them to the shallow end of the slate (or deep end, depending on your preferred metaphor for struggle/peril, here). Brendan Jew put Blue on the board first, converting a defensive turnover into offensive paydirt at 8:20 (Captain Schonbrun), but Vance Morra was quick to respond for Brown, wristing home the equalizer at 7:12 (Chris Koziol & Mark Nagy). Blue racked up a staggering 20-7 edge in shots over the first two periods, and just as Brown was enjoying a brief respite from the onslaught with Jason Northrup off for holding, Brendan Jew notched his second of the game shorthanded at 5:19 (Josh Tran). Mark DeGraffenreid blasted his team’s second off the far post and in with 2:44 to play in the middle period (Josh Wirt), and while the shot totals and ‘Mojo Meter™’ had Blue way ahead in this one, the score remained knotted at 2-2 through two. The call and response scoring pattern continued in the third, with Shelby Shattuck blasting home a point shot to wrest the lead back for Blue at 6:58, and DeGraffenreid finishing a two-on-one rush with Wirt to bring Brown level once again at 5:52. The already absurd shot disparity widened in the third (ending with a 32-10 advantage for Blue), and while Mason Holcomb had been breakdancing and head-standing all game to keep his team alive, the levee finally broke in the final half period of play. Kyle Snyder shifted into ‘enough is enough’ mode, steering into the attacking zone and depositing the game-winner at 4:06 (Captain Schonbrun), Jew completed his hat trick and broke the game’s ‘scoring pattern’ at 3:51 (Jason Lee & Shattuck), and Snyder added insurance at 1:58 (Josh Tran), turning a tense, tight tilt into the convincing win that the shot totals would have you suspect, 6-3, Blue over Brown. Holcomb (26/32) was nothing short of heroic in the loss, while John Kushneryk (7/10) enjoyed what would ultimately be a nice rehab start in his first action of the season as Blue’s last line of defense.

The next match on the slate was…a major mismatch, with Captain Rob Gaudio’s Red powered down in the absence of Darin Cerasuolo, Dan Jurgens, and Sean Bathgate, and with Captain Carl Vankoughnett’s Neon fully assembled and ready to replicate their Week Two winning effort and keep pace with the other ‘perfects’ in the pack (Grey and Blue). This game was certainly something to behold, and the real spectacle was our POTW, Nick Meglich. In a season without the ‘big name goalie’ likes of Perks and Kelly, Meglich has certainly proven to be a, nay…THE game-changing goal-stopper in the game. As good as he has been in recent seasons, this was another level, entirely…to the point where every player from both teams was pausing to marvel/comment on the Megician™ and his sublime slight of glove and blocker. Neon outshot Red THIRTY-SIX to FOURTEEN in this one, and yet the game would end in a 1-1 tie! What’s more…the lone goal Meglich would allow was at least as controversial as it was crushing for Red (at least at the time). Scoreless first and second periods saw Neon carrying the play to the tune of an 18-9 shot advantage, but Meglich carrying the day, and keeping his team primed for their first win (indeed, first point) of the season. At 4:39 in the third, a Vinny Santora shot struck Meglich’s glove and produced a loose ‘popup’. Wendy Enright collected the ball out of the air with a clean touch, then swept it into the net to finally break through for Neon with what looked to be a surefire game-winner. Dissent and discussion bubbled from there, with Red asserting that Enright had made contact with Meglich’s glove, thereby interfering with his ability to pluck the loose ball from the air and complete the save. The officials deemed the goal valid, and Red looked like certain losers for a third straight game to open their Summer League campaign. With time winding down, Red’s desperation deepened, and somewhere in that final fighting flurry, Captain Rob Gaudio found the ball on his blade, and snapped it past Don Tran (13/14) to tie the game and send a ripple of relief through the Red ranks. Neither goalie would concede a second goal, and Meglich’s 35/36 night would finally steal a point for Gaudio & Company, now sitting just one point free of the cut line at 0-2-1.

A battle of two 1-1-0 sides was next, with Captain Jeremy Copp looking to rebound from a loss in their last outing, and Captain William Teglia’s Purple looking to match their latest winning effort and push into the top half of the table to wrap the first third of regular season play. Mason Holcomb had killed an hour, and was now suited back up to fill in for Orange’s Matt Henderson. He was likely hoping to avoid being subjected to an all-out shooting barrage for a second time in the same evening, but Purple had other plans. SUPER slanted shot counts of 13-1 and 13-2 proved just how potent Purple’s offense is, even in the absence of young scoring stud, Trevor Vick. It would be equally fair to suggest that this gross shot disparity speaks to the anemia of Orange’s attack, especially given that all (non-goalie) parts were present and accounted for in this one. Holcomb certainly held the fort as well (or better) than could be expected, but Captain Teglia tallies in the first (3:13 from Sadie Hellstrom & Owen Perks) and second (6:30 from Janet Goins and Perks) had Purple on top by two through two. The shot count settled and leveled significantly in the third (just a 5-4 edge for the ‘Willuigis’), but Orange would come no closer to clawing back, as Will Heinl’s 8/8 effort was enough to seal the 2-0 shutout win. Holcomb (28/30) would need an ice bath and an ice cold beer (or three) after facing SIXTY-TWO shots in sixty minutes of Week Three SDFHL hockey. Orange will look to bounce back in a Week Four ‘Citrus Bowl’ match with the lossless Neon, but will definitely need to muster more offense if they have any hope of securing a win. Their TWO goals in three outings technically has them in a tie for the league’s lowest output with (as fate would have it) Neon, but Neon has played just two games, and (see above) was just subjected to something of a miracle Meglich performance. The second straight win for Captain Teglia’s team has them at 2-1-0, in solid position in the top half of the standings, and primed to push higher with a meeting with 0-3-0 Green up next.

The Week Three nightcap matched the opener as a high-scoring bookend to two low-scoring middle matches. High scoring is already a trademark this season for Captain Lena Amelang’s ‘Kirby Enthusiasm’, having averaged four goals a game over their opening loss to Blue and rebound win over Orange. For Green, the story has also been high-scoring, but sadly high-scoring against, having allowed nine goals in their two losing efforts coming into Week Three play. With just one team missing the playoffs this season, it is WAY too early for ‘must wins’, but at 0-2-0, a victory would not only vault Captain Bao Nguyen’s side over Red into (at least temporary) safety, but would also go a long way towards instilling confidence in a slump-shouldered Green huddle. The big story in this one was Eric Willard, starting with his opening goal at 0:34 in the first (Brennen Abel), and a (very) quick second just six ticks later (Abel). Nick Vacchio managed a response with ONE second remaining in the opening period (Ty Pereira & Alex Rockoff), but Green still found themselves in a sadly familiar state, down going into the first break. Willard wasted no time completing his hat trick, striking at 9:09 in the second (Abel & Joel Gattey), meaning that he technically scored three goals in 85 seconds of play…wow! Ty Pereira’s first of the game for Green at 7:26 (Rockoff & Vacchio) cut Pink’s lead back to one, Willard’s fourth of the game would restore the two goal Pink edge at 6:46 (Gattey), and Pereira’s powerplay second would close the gap again at 1:50 (Chris Tran & Jackson Tomaszewski). When Tran finally brought Green level at 9:01 in the third (Tomaszewski), it looked like the Winless Wonders may finally shed the adjective on that moniker, or at least come away with a hard-earned point. Nope…more Willard. Willard’s FIFTH of the game with just 0:52 to play (Abel) would stand as the game-winner, and an empty-net SIXTH at 0:20 the icer as Pink proved that where there’s E-Will, there’s a way to a devastating 6-4 win over Green. Willard’s monster game would have made him a lock for POTW in just about any other week in league history…but THAT’S how good The Megician™ was against Neon. As impressive as Willard’s six pack was, it was also (appropriately) a gut punch to an already reeling Green side, who remain the only team without a point in the standings now at 0-3-0. While again it is way too early to count any team out, this Sunday’s meeting with Purple, and the subsequent showdown with cutline neighbor Red will be crucial for Nguyen & Company’s efforts to say ‘hello’ to a playoff spot in advance of their Week Six bye…