‘The Grape Ones’ moved north of the playoff border in Week Seven after mounting a big second period to push past the ‘Mounties’. Meanwhile, Gold is still struggling to secure safe passage to playoff pastures, while Blue has all but officially been bounced, as we enter the penultimate week of play…

Captain Chuck Bender and his Blue crew have had a tough go of it this season. Lava is hot. With examples of gross understatements out of the way, we turn to review the tilt between two teams on opposite poles of the SDFHL standings. Blue entered Week Seven with no wins, and nothing but sheer desperation at their disposal, while White brought losslessness, and the league’s (runaway) leading scorer, Zach Salt. Weston Nawrocki touched off a career night with the first goal of the game for Blue, but White Captain, Tomáš Jankovic, would not allow Blue to escape the first period with a lead. The captain followed his last minute first period tally with the primary assist on Shelby Shattuck’s first of the season early in the second, and the ‘proper’ pecking order was reestablished, with White on top 2-1. Nawrocki’s noteworthy night picked up at that point, as the veteran converted a pair of John Boddy passes into parts two and three of a heroic hat trick to put Blue back in front, 3-2. To say ‘that lead would be short-lived’ would be the third gross understatement of this recap, as Zach Salt brought White back to even footing just 0:13 later. The third period wore on, with Blue pushing for the season-saving win, and White calmly rebuffing the challenger. Math being what it is, it was just a matter of time before White delivered the devastating knockout blow…Zach Salt again…1:10 to go…White over Blue, 4-3. That same unforgiving math has Blue all but officially eliminated from post season consideration. If they win their remaining two games, and get some help, they may have hope, but…yeah…not going to happen. The win has White in sole possession of first with two games to play. They face their closest competition in the Battle Of The Salt Bros™ this Sunday.

The stars shone brightly on both sides of the ball in the second game of the Week Seven slate, as eleven shots found twine in a wild and wonderful monochromatic match between Grey and Black. Alexis DaCosta put Grey on the board at 3:24 in the first, and (clock be damned), THREE more goals were scored between that strike and the buzzer. Brennan Abel notched his first of four on the night to level the score, but a pair of Eric Herrmann hammers at 2:12 and 0:38 had the underdogs on top 3-1 through one. Abel’s second early in the second cut the lead to 3-2, but newcomer, Tim Helmbrecht, potted a pair (to match his pair of first period helpers) to build the lead to 5-2. Abel’s third made it 5-3, but…DaCosta and Herrmann again…7-3, through two. Abel found a fourth in the third, but he and his mates were un-Abel to undo the DaCosta/Herrmann damage…7-4 Grey over Black. If you’re scoring at home (or, if you clicked on the link to the box score, that’s: Herrmann 3 & 2, DaCosta 2 & 4, Helmbrecht 2 & 2, and Abel 4 & 0. I’m not sure either goalie wants a shout out on this one, but Nick Meglich (31/35) did best Chris Tran (28/35) to help his team to an important third win, which all but assures them a playoff berth. Captain Ian Crooks and Black have dropped two in a row, but remain firmly entrenched in the playoff picture at 4-2-1. They face another big test in Red this Sunday, while Grey have the ‘bye week that still earns you points’ against Blue in Week Eight.

Captain Matt Rogers and ‘The Grape Ones’ (I got tired of waiting for a name), will likely look back at Week Seven as the Sunday that saved their season. Entering at 0-4-2, and facing a tough and talented Navy side (3-1-2), it was crucial that Purple find their way to at least a point heading into the final two weeks of play. A scoreless first, and a 5-1 shot total in their favor, had Purple standing tall, in spite of a very short bench (missing Russell, Balderas, Northrup, Wirth, and Winstead). Navy was missing players, too…their two biggest weapons in Josh Wirt and Nick Vacchio, but they were not missing Jim LaGrossa (not too shabby as a ‘third weapon’) ], who put Navy on the board first at 5:56 in the second. Enter Kalen Hunter, the Young Canuck™ star who has carried the goal scoring torch for Purple this season. Hunter evened the score just 0:13 after LaGrossa’s goal, then made it 3-1 Purple, after assisting on Captain Rogers’ game-winner. Joe Nguyen capped the three and a half minute scoring flurry to leave the ledger at 3-2 Purple through two, and a lonely Joe Malki empty-netter was the only other action in the 4-2 upset win…Purple over Navy. Chris Malki (9/11) earned his first career win in nets (CONGRATULATIONS!), while Alex Theis (25/27) ate a rare loss in the face of a lopsided shot count and a motivated opponent. Purple are not out of the woods yet, with a MASSIVE game against cut line cousins, Gold, on the slate for Week Eight. Navy are already a lock for the playoffs, but will look to maintain (or improve) their playoff standing in a showdown with ‘Celine Neon’.

It was ‘Marquee Matchup’ time, as 5-1-0 Green strutted to the surface to face the 4-0-2 Red in Week Seven. Both teams have the record and the resources to go all the way this season, and this first meeting will not likely be the last. Gary Peters made Red pay on the powerplay, scoring his second of the season at 1:11 to give Green the early edge. Brian Sheptycki dulled that edge at 3:44 in the second, but Eric Willard sharpened it back up to put Green ahead 2-1 through two. Jon Salt doubled the lead with his dirty dozenth of the season, before Captain Rob Gaudio brought the margin back to one less than a minute later. Josh Tran sealed the deal with his first of the season with 3:50 to play, and Chuck Bender (13/15) would hold on the rest of the way to earn his surrogate side a win. Don Tran (17/21) absorbed the 4-2 loss for Red…their first of the season. Both teams are high and dry in the playoff standings, both with ten points, and both with a chance of snatching the top spot with a good showing in their final two games. Green will face White in the Battle Of The Salt Bros™, while Red will hope to keep pace in the top seed race against a slumping Black side.

Captain Mostafavi has had to watch from the bench as his team struggles to survive the regular season. With their only win coming against a woeful Blue, they cannot be brimming with confidence against the other eight teams in the league. Still, they entered Week Seven with the playoff door still very much open, and with an opportunity to make a major leap in the right direction against ‘Celine Neon’. A win would have them at 2-4-1, out from under the cut line, and holding an important head to head tie breaker over Neon with just two weeks to play. A loss, and their path to the second season would be that much further in peril. Captain Luke Wolmer drove a short handed dagger into Gold in the first, and Chris Grote’s career first (CONGRATULATIONS!) made it 2-0 heading to the second. Jon Zygelman cut the lead in half with the only goal of the second period, and the scene was set for a heroic, come-from-behind finish for Gold…or not. Will Heinl drained any lingering drama with a goal at 1:21, as Neon snuffed out Gold (possibly for good), 3-1. The win, backstopped by a stellar sub turn from Don Tran (22/23), moves Neon to playoff safety at 3-3-1, while the loss, suffered by Chuck Bender (18/21) in Mostafavi’s stead, pushes Gold to the brink of elimination with two games to play. The silver lining for Gold…they will get their captain back this Sunday, and they control their own fate in a serendipitous showdown with Purple. A win will not completely lock them in, but suffice it to say that the stakes are elimination-caliber in this one for both sides.

Last week’s cover team kept the hits coming, and the heat on, moving into a tie with Red for the top slot in the standings with a wet and wild 3-2 win over Grey. The ‘wet’ came courtesy of Mother Nature, who up and decided that the area needed roughly seven minutes of rain after two periods of play. A sizable delay featuring plenty of sopping and squeegeeing brought the court back to a usable state. To that point, White had built a 2-1 lead on the back of…who else, Zach Salt. Salt scored midway through the first (from Andrew Wong), and again at almost the very same time in the second (from Justin Stege). Phil Nguyen responded for Grey late in the second (from Kevin Dinino and Pat Gladstone), then the skies opened up. Unfortunately for Grey, the rain delay swept away their leading scorer, Alexis DaCosta. Play resumed, and White reassumed their two goal lead on Justin Stege’s third in as many games. Tim Helmbrecht, who joined Grey to replace the injured Matt Gottfried, paid immediate dividends, cutting the lead back to one less than a minute later, but super sub, Chris Tran (15/17), kept White winning, and left Grey high and (mostly) dry. Nick Meglich (23/25) soaked up the loss, which leaves both his personal record and his team’s at 2-4-0…just hovering above the cut line with three games to go.

Captain Arnold Gonzales and Navy came into Week Six having lost their first game of the season to White the week prior. Black strutted in with an empty loss column, having finally discovered some scoring depth and diversity the week prior in a 6-2 punishing of Purple. The two dark sides put on quite the display in the first period of their meeting, with usual suspects, Carl Vankoughnett and Brennan Abel, putting Black up 2-0 in the opening minutes, and Navy roaring back to snatch the lead with Josh Wirt scoring first and third, and Nick Vacchio providing the creamy middle. Alex Theis (23/25) kept Black at bay the rest of the way. while Joe Nguyen and Jim LaGrossa added to the winning cause, as Navy sailed away with a big 5-2 win. Chris Tran (20/25) maintains very impressive numbers, in spite of the five spot L, and Black certainly still pass the eye test as a top competitor. Still, it is an impressive bounce back win for Navy, and something of a statement to the teams above them in the standings. Black will look for their own bounce back win against Grey this Sunday, while Navy hope to further sink Purple’s playoff hopes.

Blue v Gold….the Battle Of The Basement. Two winless teams, hoping to make their way out of a no win situation. Conventional irony would have this one end in a tie, but, alas…not the case. Gold came in having scored just THREE goals in FIVE games, but a game against Blue will cure even the most desperate scoring drought, and that meager total was doubled within one period of play. Ryan Karns and Harsh Wanigaratne scored 0:27 apart to put Gold in front 2-0, before the first of two Vance Morra top shelf laser wristers cut the lead to one. Karns closed the period with another, leaving the score 3-1 in his team’s favor through one. Wanigaratne struck again to build the lead to 4-1 early in the second, but Blue mounted an inspired late period comeback, with a breakaway conversion from Mark DeGraffenreid, and the second top shelf laser wrister from Vance Morra drawing things close at 4-3. Jordan Pynn’s first of the season (let that sink in for a bit) off an offensive zone draw built the lead back to two, and a Mark Ennsmann empty netter meant that ‘My Harsh…’ would ‘…Gold on…’ to their first win of the season, 6-3 over Blue. Combined with Purple’s loss in the night cap (spoiler alert), the lone win (along with their lone tie) is enough to move Gold above the cut line. The loss finds Blue in dead last, with just three games left to play. It is going to take A LOT for Blue to find their way out of this mess, and a Week Seven meeting with first place White is not helping that cause. Gold will hope to preserve their momentum and knock off Neon this Sunday. A second win should put them free and clear, while a loss could spell trouble, as they face standings neighbors, Purple, in Week Eight, and standings toppers, Red, in Week Nine.

Captain Jon Champine and ‘JOntario’ (Green…I know their name has nothing to do with their shirt color…directions are hard) swung into Week Six off the sturdy vine that is a game against Blue. The 8-0 Week Five romp had the offensive juices flowing throughout the ranks, and history tells us that you need your scoring punches popping if you hope to KO the netminding legend that is Sean Kelly. Enter Jon Salt…tucking two past Da Kid in the first period (both primaries to Eric Willard), and completing the hat trick in the third. Justin Ker notched his first career goal in the second (CONGRATULATIONS!), and Silas Perks recorded his second straight shutout win as Green ghosted Neon, 4-0. Kelly (20/24) was not not sharp, but still suffered the loss, and Neon still find themselves safe-ish at 2-3-1 going into the final third of the season. A win over Gold this Sunday would almost certainly punch their ticket, but even a loss would not be deadly, what with Purple and Blue still wallowing in the depths of the standings. The win propels Green into a striking distance of the top spot at 4-2-0, and (amazingly enough), they can pass their Week Seven opponent, Red, should they find a way to prevail for a third straight week.

Captain Rob Gaudio was north of the border in Week Six, but his ‘Robby Reddy Piper’ took care of business against Purple in his absence. Fellow Canadian, Brian Sheptycki, put Red on the board first in the first, but Young Canuck™, Kalen Hunter, struck back with just 0:24 to go in the period. It was Sheptycki again on the powerplay (from Joe Gaudio) to regain the lead in the second, then an early third period strike from Dan Jurgens to account for the game-winner. Kalen Hunter’s second of the game provided that ‘game-winner’ designation to Jurgens’ goal, and Jurgens added an empty netter at 0:22 to seal the deal, 4-2 Red over Purple. The loss is especially hard to swallow for Purple, as it lands them below the playoff cutline at 0-4-2, sharing that sad space with the only other winless team, Blue. Purple has Navy this Sunday (ouch), and Green in Week Nine (ouch), but Gold in Week Eight (hmmm). That game may be their only hope at playoff redemption. Red, meanwhile, have already booked playoff passage, and will use their final three games, starting this Sunday against Green, as a tune up/test to preserve their lofty seed.

Red continued to ride high on brotherly love in Week Five, as The Gaudio Boys™ carried the day yet again in a 4-1 win over Neon. Joe struck on the power play to open the scoring late in the first (from Rob and Bao Nguyen), then it was Captain Rob fourteen seconds later (from Joe and Andy Strathman) to give ‘Robby Reddy Piper’ a 2-0 lead, all in the final minute of the period. Captain Luke Wolmer responded for Neon in the second, but it was another bro fest in the third, as Joe rebuilt the two goal lead (from Janine Ulloa and, of course, Rob), and Rob capped the scoring with a late empty net marker (from Joe, of course). The twin 2 and 2 efforts have the brothers sitting (fittingly) in a tie for second in the scoring race with twelve points each. Don Tran (19/20) kept himself and his team spotless in the L column, while Sean Kelly (10/13) suffered his second loss of the season (*gasp*). If The Gaudio Boys™ can keep it up, and Tran continues to hold the fort at the other end, Red would have to be considered one of the Cup favorites, as we slope down into the playoffs.

There was a bit of a ‘blowout’ theme to Week Five, and Black set aside their penchant for low scoring ‘efficient’ wins in favor of taking part in the trend. Having scored just seven goals in their prior four games, Captain Ian Crooks & Company racked up a six spot against Purple, and (finally) started veering off the ‘Carl or bust’ scoring schema. Ryan Loughran recorded his first career SDFHL goal (CONGRATULATIONS!), putting Black on the board at 7:49 in the first, Brennan Abel followed suit minutes later, and Sadie Hellstrom rounded out the rally with the game-winner late in the frame. Carl Vankoughnett DID NOT SCORE in the period, although he did assist on the Abel and Hellstrom strikes. Vankoughnett DID score in the second to make it 4-0, and Abel’s second of the night made it 5-0 through two. The Purple comeback started early in the third, with Captain Matt Rogers solo effort, but unfortunately for Purple, it ended with a goal from Aaron Cooney’s replacement, Steve Goncalo. Vankoughnett snatched another goal in the waning minutes to bring the final damage to 6-2…a romp for the front runners, Black, over the precariously-perched Purple. Chris Tran (14/16) was steady as ever in the win, running his league leading numbers to 4-0-1/.935/1.00/2 SO in five games…wow!

The only non-blowout in the Week Five books belonged to the ‘marquee matchup’ between White and Navy. Both teams entered without a loss, and both teams planned to keep it that way. Zach Salt broke the scoring seal with ONE second remaining in the first. White’s lead would be short-lived, however, as Joe Nguyen answered at 9:36 in the second. If you thought Vankoughnett or The Gaudio Boys™ had a monopoly on their teams scoring, you should check White’s team page. It was Zach Salt again to regain the lead for White in the second, then Salt again early in the third to make it 3-1. Mark Nagy would respond for Navy to keep things tight and tense to the end, but Chris Tran (23/25) stood in for Matt Henderson, and stood tall to preserve the 3-2 win for White. So, outside of an (obviously fluky) hat trick from Steve ‘Fat & Old’ Linke, there has been very little secondary scoring for White. Salt (the good one) leads the league in soring with 11 and 5 in five games, outstripping The Gaudio Boys™, and willing White to hang around in striking distance of the top spot. The loss is hardly devastating for Captain Arnold Gonzales’ Navy, as they remained safely tucked in the middle of the pack at 2-1-2. With the likes of Wirt, Vacchio, LaGrossa, and Theis in the mix, I think it’s safe to say that Navy will have a chance to avenge this loss sometime in November…

You can always count on Blue to bring the blowout back. There is not a lot to say about this game…it could barely even be considered a game. Captain Jon Champine opened the scoring for Green, then Jon Salt, Kerri Sevenbergen, Gary Peters, and Kim Hernandez piled on to make it 5-0 after one period of play. Eric Willard made it 6-0, then Salt and Hernandez each scored a second time to bring the final to 8-0, Green over Blue in a boat race. Rookie John Hwang racked up FIVE assists in the beat down to put him just one of the league lead in that category with seven (David Schlatter leads with eight). Silas Perks (13/13) was hardly tested in the win, and really, this game wasn’t even as close as the ridiculous score suggests. Blue has A LOT of work to do if they have any hopes of salvaging their season. If they can beat basement buddies, Gold, this Sunday, they have a chance. If not, then they are well and truly fucked. Green look to be a lock for the second season, but face a nice challenge in Neon in Week Six…a team that sits just one point back of them, and a team that is hungry to avenge the 4-1 loss that Red put on them in Week Five.

The other blowout magnet, Gold, capped the evening by…getting blown out. Grey, a team that has faced their share of struggles this season, seemed to exorcise any inadequacy demons in this one. The first period was actually rather quiet, with Phillip Nguyen’s early tally (from Eric Herrmann and Pat Gladstone) standing alone. Captain Brandon Olsen notched the game-winner unassisted early in the second, with Harsh Wanigaratne’s goal three minutes later standing as the only measure of pushback for Gold. From there, it was the Eric & Alexis Show™, as DaCosta rattled off four goals, and Herrmann added a goal and two more assists to grind Gold into a fine paste, 7-1. Nick Meglich (18/19) was as cool as the other side of the pillow in the win, which moves Grey a safe distance (for now) from the grey area along the cut line at 2-3-0. They face a tough challenge this Sunday in White, while Gold enter a do or die battle with Blue in the Toilet Bowl™, with redemption or resignation handing in the balance.

You can’t spell ‘the blues’ without ‘blue’, and Captain Chuck Bender’s ‘Blue’ knows has been singing a sad song from the start this season. A Week One blowout, a stirring, come from behind win-turned-tie in Week Two, then another losing laugher in Week Three…not a lot of high notes to hit. Neon rolled into Week Four with the proverbial ‘sample platter’ (1-1-1) to show for three weeks of play, and with super sniper, David Schlatter, in the lineup, and super stopper, Sean Kelly, between the pipes, the stage was set for Blue’s blues streak to continue. Captain Luke Wolmer put his team in front first in the first, and added a second later in the frame, both with a little help from the aforementioned Schlatter. Blue are no strangers to falling behind, and they drew on their Week Two resilience to mount a second period comeback. Kyle Prior continued his strong play, scoring his first career SDFHL goal to cut the lead in half, then John ‘Dr. Dangles’ Boddy brought the ledger level with just 0:04 to play in the middle period. Alas, that would be all the counter punch Blue could muster, and Neon had saved some punches for the third period (when it hurts the most). It was Nik Thompson’s turn to pop a pair, with a game-winning solo effort in the first half of the third, then an empty-netter in the waning seconds to seal Blue’s fate, 4-2. Schlatter collected a third assist on that insurance tally, bringing his totals to 3 and 7 through three games, good enough for second on the scoring slate. Sean Kelly (20/22) was cool as ever in the early afternoon heat, while Captain Bender (22/25) was solid, but not sufficiently supported in yet another loss. The time to panic is now for Blue. They enter into a midway battle with Green with pure desperation pulsing through their collective veins. Neon hope to continue their standings climb, as they face upstairs standings neighbors, Red in the Week Five opener.

Our cover team, Navy, remained afloat as one of only four teams without a loss this season after a tight, tough tussle with Captain Jon Champine’s Green gang. Goaltending has been the real anchor for Navy this season, and a Week Four fill-in turn for Chris Tran (19/20) was no exception. Jon Salt was the only Green player to clutter Tran’s clean sheet, netting his sixth of the season in the second to tie the score at 1-1. Josh Wirt had Navy to a lead in the first, and he put them back on top for good at 4:23 in the third. A late non-empty-netter netted Wirt a hat trick (along with POTW honors), and ran the final score to 3-1, Navy over Green. Silas Perks (13/16) and Green dropped back to 2-2-0 with the loss, and find themselves in the muck at the middle of the standings as we come to the midway mark. Not to insinuate that all Green’s eggs are in one basket, but Salt has now scored six of his team’s seven goals. Navy’s scoring is a bit more balanced, with Jim LaGrossa and Nick Vacchio both doing their share of damage, even when Josh Wirt isn’t hammering home a hat trick. Vacchio was the only non-J player to make the score sheet in this one, collecting a second assist on the game-winner (Joe Nguyen, John Hwang, and Jim LaGrossa represented J Nation™ with one assist apiece).

If ever there were an enigmatic front-running force, it is Captain Ian Crooks’ Black. The team has scored just seven goals in four games… no more than TWO in any game, and yet…3-0-1. Of course, the math here requires gaudy defensive numbers, and they have indeed allowed just THREE goals through four games. So, while their match with first half foils, Gold, was perhaps a bit too close for comfort, it’s no surprise that they shut the challengers down and out to maintain their lofty standings perch. Silas Perks (18/19) was suited up as a sub for the injured captain, Parsa Mostafavi, and both he and Chris Tran (9/9) made this one a scoreless stalemate through two. Young Canuck™, Brennan Abel, became just the third different scorer for Black with his career first early in the third (from Sadie Hellstrom and Captain Crooks), and that would hold up as the game-winner. It was back to the usual suspect, Carl Vankoughnett, for the empty net icing at 0:27 (from Abel and Hellstrom), and Black walked off with another win, this one a 2-0 wiggle past Gold. Black will look to continue their success, and keep Purple on the struggle bus, while Gold face Grey in a very important meeting that could either see them finally escaping the basement, or bottoming out even more than before in Week Five.

White are part of the lossless elite nipping at the heels of Black, and unlike Black, their scoring pace to date is second to none. Zach Salt has half of his team’s leading total of sixteen, but four other teammates have scored at least once…even the very fat, very old Steve Linke. Justin Stege made his season debut, and promptly potted a pair (with primary assists to Salt, of course), equalizing Chuck Russell’s opening salvo in the first, then putting White on top (very) early in the third. Maureen Ruchhoeft restored equal footing for Purple at the 4:09 mark, but Salt shook that off with his seventh of the season less than a minute later, then added an empty net nail to produce the 4-2 final. Leah Gonzales earned her first career SDFHL point with a helping hand on the final goal, and Don Tran (20/22) secured a surrogate win for White in place of the still-injured Matt Henderson. Purple face top dogs, Black, in Week Five, and a willful win would go a long way mending their meh mojo. White face standings-mates, Navy, in what is certainly the game of the week…possibly the game of the season, thus far.

Captain Rob Gaudio and his ‘Robby Reddy Piper’ rode into Week Four as one of four lead horses in the standings, while Grey crawled in, gasping and grasping for grip in the standings after back-to-back losses. Captain Brandon Olsen put the underdogs on top just over a minute in, but Andy Strathman converted a Dan Jurgens pass to put Red on track, then handed the baton to the Gaudio Boys™ to do the rest. Captain Rob made it 2-1 Red (from brother Joe, and Brian Sheptycki), then it was Joe from Rob (and Joel Gattey) to make it 3-1 early in the second, and Rob from Joe 0:22 later to build the lead to 4-1. Eric Herrmann responded late in the period for Grey, but neither Nick Meglich (21/25), nor Don Tran (16/18) would yield in the third, and Red cruise controlled their way to a 4-2 win. The Gaudio Boys™ sure seems to love playing together, as both brothers have eight points through four games, good enough for a share of third place in the scoring race as we hit the turn. Red faceoff with Neon this Sunday in an intriguing Week Five duel, while Grey have a should-win/must-win meeting with Gold on the books. Grey will need to hope for better attendance (I am looking at you, Gottfrieds), and increased scoring (six goals, so far…second worst in the league) if they hope to right the ship and sail on playoff tides.

Two of the four lossless teams coming into Week Three left lossless, and remained in the lead pack after a tight, thrilling tilt that ended in a 2-2 tie. Carl Vankoughnett remained the top story for Black, having scored all of his team’s goals coming in. He got his team on the board first in the first (with the assist to his right hand man, Brennan Abel). Captain Tomáš Jankovic responded for White with just 0:21 to play in the period (from Steve Linke and Zach Salt), and Rich Shane flipped the lead in White’s favor with his first career goal (from Sally Jackson and Linke). Chris Tran (21/23) would batten down the hatches for Black from there, while Matt Henderson (16/18) ultimately ceded the equalizer to…Sadie Hellstrom (NOT Vankoughnett!) midway through the third. Of course, Hellstrom was assisted by Vankoughnett and Abel (those two just HAVE to be involved), but it is a positive sign for Captain Ian Crooks & Company that somebody…ANYBODY else on the team is capable of scoring a goal. As noted, both teams entered and left the meeting without a loss, though Black still find themselves on top of the pile at 2-0-1, while White have proven to be competitive, but not quite closers at 1-0-2.

Purple entered Week Three still in search of their first win, while Neon looked to double their double-U’s coming off a 4-0 romp over a short-benched Grey. Both benches were lacking in this match, with Cooney, Northrup, and Winstead out for Purple, and Captain Wolmer and Nik Thompson out of the lineup for Neon. The biggest guns were geared up, though, and this one was a battle from start to finish. Chuck Russell kicked off the scoring with 3:27 remaining in the first, then, less than a minute later, THREE more goals were scored in the span of FOURTEEN seconds! First came an answer from Neon’s David Schlatter, a Purple pushback from Kalen Hunter, and yet another response from Schlatter. The 2-2 tie held until midway through the second, when Joe Malki put Purple on top, but Tom Darlington (from Schlatter) equalized again at 6:48 in the third. Captain Will Heinl gave Neon their first lead of the game at 2:23, and it looked like Captain Rogers & Company would surely suffer their second loss in three tries. It was Joe Malki to the rescue, tucking home the game-saving goal at 0:49 to knot the score for good at 4-4. Chris Malki (15/19) moved his personal record to 0-0-2, with special thanks to his boy for bailing him out, while Sean Kelly (23/27) hit a rare rough patch in allowing more than a goal or two in the draw.

Grey and Green both entered their match with 1-1-0 records, looking to take a turn for the better it what was expected to be a close contest. It was close, but no cigar for Captain Brandon Olsen and his crew, who have been bitten by the poor attendance bug so far this season. Jon Salt was in attendance for Green, and he had the first and last laugh for Green. The first came at 9:19 in the second, with assists to Josh Tran and John Hwang. Captain Olsen would even the score himself later in the first, and both Silas Perks (10/11), and Nick Meglich (20/22) remained sharp and stingy through two. It was Salt again early in the third, this time from Captain Jon Champine and Eric Willard to boost Green to a 2-1 lead that they would not relinquish. The win has Green one of (surprisingly) only two team with two wins over the first third of the season. Grey will look for better attendance, and better results going forward, starting with a showdown with a tough, and tenacious Red side this Sunday.

Sometimes, you make the paper for all the wrong reasons. Such is the case with our cover team, Gold. Captain Parsa Mostafavi and ‘My Harsh Will Gold On’ have struggled to score, and struggled to prevent scoring to this point, with a 2 GF/11 GA/ -9…not a winning string of numbers. Add to it the fact that Mostafavi is now injured, and you’re looking at an uphill climb every week. That climb looked to be reaching a promising peak in Week Three, as Silas Perks (12/13) held the fort against the Naval attack, and Mark Ennsmann finally struck Gold against Alex Theis midway through the second. Theis (25/26) was otherworldly in this one, but the hockey gods seemed to have other plans for him and Navy…or maybe not. A frantic and furious final frame reached a crescendo, with Nick Vacchio found a will and a way to put one past Perks to even at 1-1 with just 0:17 left on the clock. Gold, who would have been the ones to win, settled for a woeful 1-1 waffle, and have to be wondering what, when, and how they are ever going to overcome. They now sit at 0-2-1, sharing basement floor space with the beleaguered Blue, and running (captain-less, again) toward a Black brick wall. Navy, meanwhile, continue to compete (to the bitter end, clearly). finishing the first third of the season without a loss, and looking to improve their standing in the…standings in a marquee matchup with Green in Week Four.

Did someone say (write) ‘woeful waffle’? Blue began their season-long deflated death march with a 7-3 Week One thrashing, could not stick the comeback landing in a 4-4 Week Two tie with Purple, and…thrashed again in Week Three, this time at the hands of Captain Rob Gaudio’s Red. It was the captain himself opening the scoring (with the assist in the form of his brother, Joe). It was Joe’s turn in the second (from Sheptycki…who of course made his season debut in time to face Blue), then Dan Jurgens to make it 3-0 at just over the half way point. Vance Morra deflected home a Kyle Prior shot/pass to account for Blue’s token tally late in the second, but any hope of a comeback was snuffed out just fourteen seconds later with another Rob-from-Joe production. Red’s captain would complete the hat trick in the third (this time from Andy Strathman), and Don Tran (15/16) stood tall to the end to preserve the 5-1 win. The win is Red’s first, after opening the season two hard-fought ties. Blue…they will need to figure something out if they hope to save their season. The scoring is there (eight goals in three games), but they have surrendered a league-leading sixteen…math is a cruel mistress…