Apologies…still a very busy time for me, so…stripped down recaps this week…back to full power next time, complete with plenty of riffs and reference to The Office…

The new season got off to a low gear start, with Captain Steven P Linke’s Red and Captain Mark Nagy’s Purple slogging to a 0-0 stalemate. This was perhaps as lopsided a draw as this league has ever seen, with Red generating twenty-six shots to Purple’s FOUR. Folks, Purple did not produce a single shot for the first two full periods! Meanwhile, Chris Tran (26/26) put on a ridiculous POTW performance, making several circus saves, and frustrating Red’s resident goal scoring machine, John Boddy. Elyse ‘Sweepy’ Shattuck was a standout for Purple’s defense, which was overworked from start to finish. A point is a point is a point, and it looks as though Purple will need to steal all the points they can get if they are going to survive the next nine encounters with their playoff pass intact.

Mostafa Azab finally broke the season scoring seal with 0:26 remaining in the first period (from Ryan Karns) to give Captain Geoff Downes’ Orange a 1-0 lead over Captain Sean Bathgate’s Neon. Weston Nawrocki answered on the powerplay at 2:44 in the second (from Shawna Hamon and Carl Vankoughnett), and as the clock ticked past the midway point in the third, this game looked destined to be a deja vu deadlock. Glenn Pinto had other ideas, circling behind Neon’s net and depositing a rather weak wrap around waffle past Chuck Bender to give Orange a 2-1 lead that would hold as the final score. Matt Henderson (13/14) was steady and solid as ever in the season opening win, while Chuck Bender would have little time to lick his wounds before stepping back in nets for this third game of the night…

The pace of play, intensity, and goal scoring finally hit stride in the middle match, with Captain Rob Gaudio’s Black squaring off with Captain Luke Wolmer’s Green. Both teams flashed their speed and flexed their skills throughout, with Jim LaGrossa (from Rob Gaudio) opening the scoring for Black, and Matt Rogers (from Chris Malki) responding to close the first period book at one apiece. Erick Zawislak made his (hulking) presence felt early in the second, converting a Joe Malki feed to give Green their first lead, but Kyle Snyder (speaking of hulk) responded for Black less and a minute later (from Mason LaGrossa). Both teams had their share of great plays and glowing chances, but it was Captain Luke Wolmer who found the game-winner on the power play with 5:06 to play in the second (with Rogers collecting a begged-for assist). A scoreless third was icing on the 3-2 winning cake for Sean Kelly (13/15), while a tired and tested Chuck Bender (17/20) absorbed the loss for Black at the other end in Jimm Reifsnyder’s stead.

The low scoring parity party continued into the 7:00pm showdown, with Captain Kyle Prior’s Grey grappling with Captain Kaitlyn Brusso’s Gold. This was an ugly one for all involved, with EIGHT penalties called…nearly triple the number of goals scored…yikes. Jordan Pynn had Grey in front just one minute in (from Alexis DaCosta), but Andrew Jacobsen equalized later in the first (from Alan Razoky and Zach Siemer). There were SIX penalties in that first period alone, and amazingly enough…neither of the goals was on the PP/PK. A scoreless second was also a kinder, gentler second, with just one penalty posted (super goon, Leah Gonzales, with a roughing penalty…naturally), and the third period saw one more penalty, and one more goal. The penalty belonged to Mr. Razoky (his second roughing minor of the night), and the goal belonged to Zach ‘Don’t Draft Me As A Defender’ Siemer. Siemer’s game-winner came courtesy of a Jacobsen feed with 1:32 remaining, and Don Tran (16/17) and Gold walked away from SDFHL’s best impression of WrestleMania with a 2-1 win. Nick Vacchio (15/17) battled hard, but ultimately took the hard luck loss in a fill-in roll for Cory ‘Mayor Of Halloweentown’ Brin.

The penalty box remained empty, but the offensive flood gates finally opened in the Week One finale, with Captain Jon Salt’s Blue taking on Captain Rob Lavigne’s Brown. It was Captain LaVigne himself leading the charge for Brown, notching two solo strikes in the first. Those strikes with interspliced with a pair from Kalen Hunter (the first from Captain Salt and Mark Ennsmann, and the second an unassisted effort), leaving the score knotted at 2-2 going into the middle frame. Captain Salt (from Ennsmann) gave Blue a one goal lead, and Hunter completed his hat trick and doubled that lead (from Salt and Joe Nguyen), putting Blue well in command with ten minutes to play. It was Salt again to balloon Blue’s lead to three with 9:28 to play, and a too little, too late response from Brennan Abel (LaVigne and Leah Gonzales) to bring about the 5-3 final, Blue over Brown in game that equaled the total goal scoring output from the first three games on the slate combined. Nick Vacchio (16/19) rebounded from his sub duty loss to record a win for his team, while Nick Meglich (19/24) was left digesting a very bitter, very salty meal in the debut loss for Brown.

While most of us had a week (or two, or three, or four) to begin putting the Summer League 2023 in the ‘better luck next time’ mental file by the time the ides of October rolled around, Captain Geoff Downes’ Red, and Captain Sev Brown’s Purple were pumped and primed for the Final. The questions: Would Red hold serve and finish their postseason run with one Cup and no losses? Would Purple push the play to a second game, and maybe even edge the favorites in a double upset Cup coup? Which of the Salt Bros™ would have bragging rights at the Thanksgiving table? The answers: Yes. No. Jon. Captain Geoff Downes gave Red a 1-0 lead at 3:59 in the first, hammering a Matt Rogers’ point pass past the outstretched pad of Syd Costello, but neither goalie would allow anything further until late in the third. Unfortunately for Captain Brown and Purple, the ‘anything further late in the third’ came courtesy of Jon Salt, who converted a lead-doubling dagger on the power play with 1:37 to play in regulation (from Captain Downes). If you have somehow missed the memo…a two goal hole (especially a late two goal hole) is not something you climb out of with Silas Perks patrolling the perimeter. ‘The Silencer’ was perfect, stopping 22/22 to seal Purple’s fate, while Costello (22/24) was very sharp, but ultimately undone at the other end. Matt Rogers added an empty netter at 0:37 to (super) seal the deal, and Red finished what they started, dismissing the upstart six seeds, and capturing the Cup with a really well-played and well-earned 3-0 win. Congratulations to our Summer League 2023 champions, and congratulations to Purple for an inspired postseason surge that just came up short.

I’m really sorry, gang, I am completely out of time and energy for recaps this week. Here are the short and sweet recaps:

Nick Vacchio continued his torrid summer campaign with a goal in the first and a second in the second, but Zach Salt and Luke Wolmer scored less than a minute apart in the latter half of the third, and Salt cashed in the game-winner just :32 into OT to complete the comeback coup and send Captain Tyler Winstead’s Olive to the elimination bin, 3-2.

Knocking off the two seed was stunning enough, but Purple would not rest on their lofty laurels against top-seeded Teal. It was POTW Zach Salt again to give Purple a 1-0 lead late in the first, and (incredibly enough) that was ALL of the scoring in this one. Chris Tran (17/17) was a fill-in phenom, recording the shutout, and outdueling Sean Kelly (17/18) to make the 1-0 lead the final score and send the Cinderalla six seeds on to a date with Red in the Summer League Final.

You had to know that Captain Tyler Winstead’s Olive was going be a race car in the red in Week Three, after being (Salt) shaken off in a 4-3 OT loss to (aptly-colored) rival Red the week prior. Captain Carl Vankoughnett’s Yellow served as the first curve in Olive’s road to redemption, and the second seed took that curve at high speed, and handled like a dream. Wendy Enright (from Chris Tullio and Greg Wirth) hit the ignition for Olive at 9:22, but Mason LaGrossa brake checked matters with a solo effort three minutes later. Captain Winstead wrested the lead back for his crew on the power play (Vacchio) at 1:26, and Kyle Snyder cashed in at 0:50 to give the favorites a 3-1 lead coming out of the first. It was Snyder again on the power play late in the second to build the lead to three (from Enright), before Captain Carl cashed in at 0:23 to make it 4-2 through two. That would be the last ball past super sub Chris Tran (28/30), who did his long lost cousin, Don, proud and kept the road paved for more fast and furious Olive action in the third. Nick Vacchio continued his monster Summer 2023 campaign with his first of the playoffs at 7:21 (Snyder), and Craig Russell dissolved any remaining thread of Yellow hope with an empty-netter at 1:04 (Tullio and Winstead) to cap the 6-2 win for Olive, and send Yellow to the playoff pits. Captain Winstead’s crew must now complete a daring drive through both Purple and Teal to keep their checkered flag dreams in gear.

Captain Karns’ Teal lost just once in the regular season (a Week Nine WTF shocker to White), but a bounce back win over Olive to clinch the top seed, and a successful pair of playoff outings since had them on the verge of taking what seemed like their rightful and destined spot as the sitting team in the Summer League 2023 Final. While Teal’s roster is obviously (over) loaded, attendance has been a bit of a hitch, and the absence of Alan Razoky and John Boddy was definitely cause for concern coming into a match with a fully-staffed and steadily stout Red. Captain Geoff Downes’ had to feel good about his team’s chance of an upset, especially while taking warmups on his goalie, Silas ‘The Silencer’ Perks. If Sean Kelly (in nets at the other end) is the SDFHL goaltending GOAT, Perks is almost certainly the GOAT-to-be, having absolutely dominated in his short SDFHL span, including a .959/0.86/3 SO regular season line over the summer months. Something had to give in this titanic tilt, and Jon Salt gave his team a 1-0 lead at 5:19 in the first (from Captain Downes). Maureen Ruchhoeft doubled the lead later in the period (Salt and Justin Ker), and a 2-0 lead is typically a death sentence when facing The Silencer. A scoreless second bled into a scoreless third, as Perks did indeed punctuate that death sentence with a 21/21 shutout effort. Kelly was stellar (27/29) in his own right, allowing only the first period strikes, but you can’t win if you can’t score, and Red did all of the scoring in a tight 2-0 win for the three seed to send them on to the Final. Teal are now down, but they are far from out. Karns’ & Kompany will await the (tired and sweaty) winner of Olive v Purple, and they will be fully focused on bringing their flight to the Final to fruition, with the lure of revenge over Red providing any extra motivation they may need.

The Week Three slate shifted smoothly from blowout, to overtime thriller, to (spoiler alert) scintillating shootout showdown, as the lowest two remaining seeds sought to stave off elimination and get glass slipper shopping in earnest. Captain Sev Brown’s sixth-seeded side survived an upstart White in Week Two, after suffering a Salty loss to Red in Week One. Captain Zach Siemer’s Grey wiggled a win out of wild one with Yellow in their opener, then succumbed in the shootout after a nil-nil nothing burger run of play against Teal. With Syd Costello in her customary ‘anywhere but in nets for my SDFHL team’ position, it would be up to super sub Chris Tran, Zach ‘The Other’ Salt, and…perhaps a surprise hero(ine) to carry the day for Purple. Grey’s bench was nearly completely bare, with Bao Nguyen, Payam Sazegar, Tom Darlington, and Eric Willard all MIA, but where there’s a Kalen Hunter, there’s a way (as they old saying goes). Lo and behold, it was Hunter exerting his will, and leading the way for Grey at 6:27 in the first (from Dan Soar and Captain Siemer). Zach Salt would respond for Purple at 3:38 (from Ty Pereira), leaving things as tied as they were at the start going into the second. Captain Brown continued his incredible playoff scoring pace with his third of the postseason to give Purple a 2-1 lead at 3:08 in the second (from Salt), and the underdogs held that one goal upper hand into the third. First year standout, Dan Soar, evened the score at two apiece at 5:57 in the third, and neither Tran (17/19) nor the considerably-less-tested Matt Henderson (7/9) would allow anything more through regulation and overtime. On to the shootout, where a fourth round lamp-lighter from Rob LaVigne looked to have things signed and sealed for Grey. Enter Erin Plone, the afore-alluded-to Purple heroine. Plone was feeling it…to to the point where she reportedly called her shot to teammates before strutting to the line, striding in, and ripping the game-saving strike past Henderson! Janice Darlington channeled her AWOL husband, Tom, failing to match Plone’s effort to ice it for Grey, and Salt would not miss his second attempt in a sudden death sixth round. Captain Siemer had one last chance to keep his team alive, but Tran was equal to the task, and Purple (once again) found a way to prevail, this time in a 3-2 shootout scrape past Grey to move on to Week Four. Captain Brown’s brood face a near impossible double dare this Sunday, facing the top two regular season teams in a back-to-back gauntlet that will take everything they have and more to survive…