Alexis DaCosta made his triumphant return to SDFHL action, putting White on the board first in the first. The wagering world wondered what took so long for White to secure a lead, but Eric Willard’s response less than half a minute later, and Aaron Cooney’s strike minutes later had the unofficial underdogs officially on top through ten minutes of play. Captain Nagy built the lead to 3-1 early in the second, Vance Morra converted on the game’s lone power play opportunity, and Aaron Cooney laced home an encore to make it 5-1 Lime through two! Cooney was awarded POTW honors, having factored in all five Lime goals (2 and 3) with a full period left to play. The third period was comparatively quiet, with Alexis DaCosta’s second of the game making the final score a touch more respectable, but no more beneficial for White. Chris Tran did not face a lot of orange plastic in his fill-in role for Alex Theis (7/9), while Cory Brin (23/28) was kept busy throughout at the other end in the 5-2 loss. White was without Josh Wirt and Harsh Wanigaratne, and the presence of those two up front likely would have at least made this a closer contest, but the story of this game remains the play of much-maligned Lime, and Cooney’s breakout performance. It will certainly be interesting to see how both of these teams fare the rest of the way…

The Herrmannator™ & The Deputy™ are back for season two of their shoot ’em up series, and Atomic Blue was the first to face the reunited dynamic duo. Herrmann (Eric Herrmann, for those new to the league) scored the lone goal in the first, and Chuck Russell chalked up the game-winner in the latter half of the second period. It was Herrmann again, this time from ‘The Deputy’, Kevin Dinino, to give Orange a 3-0 lead through two. The third saw Herrmann from Dinino, then Dinino from Herrmann within the first three minutes, then (finally) a response from Atomic Blue (Luke Wolmer from Zach Salt and Matt Rogers). Ian Crooks capped the scoring for Orange in the 6-1 rout that had Wayne Wong (11/17) wishing he had stayed home, and Chris Tran (21/22) anchoring his side to an opening week W. Just how far with the Sherriff & The Deputy push Orange this season, and can Captain Chad Goins & Company show the league that this near photocopy of last season’s champs will not fade and fold without a fight?

Parity was certainly not paramount in Week One, as Captain Ryan Karns and his ‘Karnsma Police’ ran in ‘Tranaconda’ 4-1. Three games in…three games decided by three or more goals. This one stayed tight and scoreless until Captain Karns’ point shot deflected off Mark DeGraffenreid’s foot to give Blue a 1-0 lead late in the first. Captain Joe Malki settled the score midway through the second, but Anthony Cerasuolo would respond later in the frame to give Blue the lead back for good. Shawna Hamon added insurance at 4:10 in the third, and DeGraffenreid netted an empty netter to cap the scoring, and remove any semblance of drama from the final minute of play. Chuck Bender earned first star of the game for his 28/29 effort, while Don Tran absorbed a hard fought, hard luck loss with a line of 14/17. Blue is already brimming with confidence, having pulled off an opening week win in the absence of Alan Razoky. They face ‘the other Blue’ in the early game this week. Green hope to bounce back in the late game against Grey, who impressed against Pink in their debut.

Zach Salt is not often held scoreless, but both Salt boys going o-fer is definitely long Vegas odds. If you happened to have that parlay, you would be sitting pretty, as Grey shook off (Jon) Salt, and peppered Sean Kelly in a 4-2 Week One win. Rob Gaudio opened the scoring on a feed from Jim LaGrossa, and returned the favor on LaGrossa’s lamp lighter late in the period. Dan Jurgens had converted a Pat Gladstone pass between the two Grey tallies, making the score 2-1 Grey, after one. Matt DeBerry scored his first SDFHL goal early in the second (CONGRATULATIONS!) but Gaudio’s second of the game (from LaGrossa, of course) came just minutes later to wrest back the lead for Grey, 3-2. With Dan Jurgens ailing on the bench, and Matt Gottfried not in the lineup, Pink struggled to generate quality chances in the third. Grey was careful and calculating…trying to minimize salvos from the Salt cannon, and Jordan Pynn ultimately provided some stability with a late third period goal (from LaGrossa, of course). Parsa Mostafavi was sharp in his SDFHL debut, stopping 22/24 to secure the win, while Sean Kelly (20/24) suffered the loss, and a rare four goal statistical gouge at the other end.

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SDFHL FALL 2021-2022 CHAMPS, ‘PURPLE REIGN’!

BACK ROW L=>R Kyra Forsyth (seen here stealing valor as a sub, replacing Amanda Edmonson…who replaced Nadia Saidi Connolly), Phil Nguyen, Justin Stege, Tom Darlington, Matt ‘I’ll Smile When I’m Dead’ Rogers, Cory Samuels Front Row L=>R Janice ‘The Better’ Darlington, Captain Zach Salt, Alex Theis, Luke Wolmer, Aaron Cooney

The SDFHL Fall League 2021-2022 playoffs certainly lacked the piquancy and parity of seasons past. Coming into the Final, only one game (Week Two’s tilt between Grey and Orange) was decided in extra time, and only a scant few of the other dozen games were close enough to warrant pulling the goalie in the final minutes. Scores of 5-0, 6-1, 7-0, and 8-0 made it feel like their was s definite glitch in the draft matrix this time around. Even the first playoff meeting between top two seeds/Final combatants, Green and Purple, ended with a 4-1 walk over win for the latter.

So, suffice it to say that hopes were not high for a thrilling final act, but….*throat clear*…IT WAS FREAKING EPIC! From start to finish, Green was pressing the pace, controlling the majority of the play, and producing nearly twice as many shots as the top-seeded favorites. Alex Theis was an absolute wall in spite of it all, keeping Purple poised and positioned through two scoreless periods. Nick Meglich was no less solid, though not nearly as tested at the other end, and as the clock wound toward the halfway mark of the third, it looked like the first of the two netminders to blink would take the loss.

The blink finally came, and it was Theis, with Chris Malki lifting a (Joe Malki…Sadie Hellstrom) rebound over his fallen frame to put Green up 1-0. Purple would need an answer, or they would be pushed to the brink themselves in a winner-take-all second game. Enter Matt Rogers (seen above beaming with the pride of a true champion). Rogers flashed through the slot, and provided Purple’s response just a minute later (with assists from Aaron Cooney and Captain Zach Salt). Finally…a game worthy of all the playoff pomp and circumstance…just in time to save this installment of the playoffs from ‘worst ever’ status. Could Purple keep the push pulsing, and deliver the dagger, or would Green find a second crack in Theis’ armor and force a sequel? With the clock winding to the final ticks of regulation, it looked like this one was headed to sudden death. That’s when a different kind of sudden death struck Green down, and lifted Purple to the podium. If a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is worth a million. Since I don’t have that kind of time….see for yourself. That’s right…end to end rush…Luke Wolmer…Captain Zach Salt…back of the net…game-winner with TWO seconds left!

Congratulations to Captain Zach Salt and ‘Purple Reign’ for capturing the Cup, and thanks to both teams for providing the heart-pounding finish every season deserves. The 2-1 wow factor win for Purple could just as easily have gone Green’s way instead, and who knows what would have happened in that second game. Thanks to perhaps the most insane Final finish ever, no one will never know…

The lesser dominoes have all fallen like a house of cards…checkmate. It’s now time for the real show…the stadium show…the one with smoke, and explosions, and drunk chicks on shoulders showing…appreciation to the bands. Captain Joe Malki’s ‘Sweet Child O’ Malki’ survived a bump in the road, and they’re coming back to face a primed and poised ‘Purple Reign’ this Sunday for all the marbles (marbles here being stacks of cash, adoring fans, backstage action, and piles of cocaine), Come out this Sunday and witness the face-melty awesomeness of the Fall 2021-2022 SDFHL Final!

The regular season matchup between Pink and Orange was not close. Orange was short four players, including Captain Bill Casey and the ridiculous WMD that is Eric Herrmann, but the 5-0 flattening had to be part of the revenge fantasy for the bottom seeds coming into the big playoff rematch. Both Casey and Herrmann were in the lineup for this one, but Pink picked up where they left off, with Carl Vankoughnett and Patrick Walker lighting the lamp within the span of a few minutes to flash the four seeds out to a 2-0 lead. The Herrmannator made his presence felt, breaking Orange’s scoring seal against Pink with just seconds left in the first. It was Herrmann again in the second to even the score, and set up a final frame for all the glory and fame. That’s when ‘the other Eric’ was tagged in, as Willard worked up a hat trick to dispatch Pink 5-2, and send Orange on to a meeting with the waiting Green. The ‘Eric & Eric Show’ would finish with 5 and 2, and Cory Brin looked like his usual steady self with the 14/16 winning effort. For those who would say that having Sean Kelly in nets might have saved Pink in this one…very doubtful. Chris Tran stood on his head, and the heads of several other people with a ridiculous 34/38 effort to even keep this one close. It was an impressive showing for Orange, but would they have enough left to sneak past Green in the night cap…

…nope. No. Negative. There is not a lot of compelling detail to convey about this game, so let me lead with that fact that it was Captain Bill Casey’s last SDFHL game. He is moving out east in the near future, and this was to be his swan song playoff run. Bill is an amazing dude…one of the classier and cooler players to have graced the league…he will be missed. Meanwhile, his playoff run hit a tall, Green brick wall in the second game, as Captain Joe Malki’s crew took zero prisoners in an 8-0 Orange annihilation. Chris Malki, Joe Malki, Chris Malki, Brian McDonnell, and Sadie Hellstrom all lit the lamp in a five goal first, and it was clear that this one was over not long after it started. Orange stemmed the tide in a scoreless second, but the dam burst again in the third with a pair of strikes from Jet Javelet, and a final smack from Hellstrom. Sadie would finish with POTW honors for her 2 and 3 outing, and Javelet and Papa Malki each racked up 2 and 2. Cory Brin (25/33) was clearly worn out, and even his equipment decided it had had enough, failing to hold together under the non-stop siege. Orange’s offense was tired, but tried to the end, managing fourteen futile shots against Nick Meglich. Even given the advantage of facing a tired opponent, Green’s effort was impressive/noteworthy. They will need all of that firepower and feisty flare to take down ‘Purple Reign’, who await them in the Final this Sunday…

Hands weren’t wrung, nails weren’t bitten, entire seats in the stands (not just the edges) were utilized, and I would be a bit surprised if much of a sweat was even broken, as the much-anticipated showdown between the two seeds at the top sadly lacked much real snap, crackle, or pop. Captain Zach Salt put the top dogs on top early in the first, and Cory Samuels netted the game-winner early in the second, but the night belonged to Luke Wolmer and Alex Theis. Wolmer assisted on Samuels’ strike, then added two of his own to put the game out of reach in the third. Alex Theis (25/26) has been keeping wins out of reach for teams all season, and he was all the shades of solid to spectacular that we’ve come to expect, in spite of Green outshooting Purple in vain by a count of 26 to 14. Zach Siemer did the only damage to Theis’ sheet, but the wind was well out of the challenger’s sails by that point, and ‘Purple Reign’ went on to a 4-1 win. Purple can now enjoy a week off, already perched in place in the Final, while Green is forced to find redemption in the repechage (flexing my rowing lingo, y’all). I’m not a betting man (OK…I actually really am), but I can’t see any team beating Purple back-to-back to snatch their crown. Whoever makes their way to that point better hope they catch Theis on a bad day…assuming he actually has those…

The middle game had a bit more meat on the bone, as the lowest remaining seeds battled to the (playoff) death. Josh Wirt put White in the lead early in the second, but ‘The Herrmannator’ was quick with a short-handed response. Paul Bright picked a perfect time to score his first career SDFHL goal (CONGRATULATIONS!) to make it 2-1 White, but Eric Herrmann answered back again to knot it at two apiece. Gary Peters was in the box for Herrmann’s short handed strike, and he provided the lone assist on the second, but would take matters into his own hands in the third. He potted the game-winner in the early going, and sealed the (already done) deal with an empty-netter with one second remaining. Herrmann assisted on both of those goals, capping a 2 and 2 night, while Cory Brin (24/26) returned to form in time to push his team forward in the playoff picture with a 4-2 victory. Don Tran (20/23) took the loss, and that loss meant the end of the line for Captain Wirth’s hot and cold White side. Orange will need two bowls of Wheaties this Sunday morning. Should they find their way past Pink, they will need to rally their tired legs, and find a way to overcome a rested and ready Green team.

The Week Three gods saved the best for last, as #3 Red faced off against #4 Pink. Jon Salt had Red in front early (with help from Jeannine Stuzka and Min-Soo Smith), and Joe Nguyen accounted for the lone goal in the second to set up a winner-take-all final frame. It was Salt again to give Red the edge at 4:07 in the third, and the clock was steadily ticking away Pink’s hopes of survival. Incredibly, with just twenty-four of those ticks remaining, Carl Vankoughnett found the equalizer, saving Pink’s season, and stunning Captain Janet’s crew. Jim LaGrossa (reportedly) hit the crossbar with seconds remaining…a few inches lower, and this game would have entered league lore for most shocking and surreal comeback regulation win. Extra time produced no winner, although Red continued to build on their impressive shot advantage…they ultimately had nothing to show for it but a 30-13 ‘win’ in that department. For the first time in this playoff season, it was on to the shootout! LaGrossa found pay dirt in the leadoff spot, and Salt found only frustration. Joe Nguyen and Jon Zygleman traded blanks, and neither Carl Vankoughnett, nor Min-Soo Smith could convert. Andrew Wong failed to score in the fourth slot for Pink, but Vance Morra found a sliver of space in Sean Kelly’s armor to even the ledger at 1-1. Maureen Ruchhoeft missed on her attempt, and then Jeannine Stuzka stepped to center court, DID A FUCKING CARTWHEEL, then…also missed on her attempt (kudos for the entertainment value, Neaners!). LaGrossa…so hot right now, LaGrossa…he converted AGAIN to put the pressure back on Salt, and Salt could not solve Da Kid…game over, 3-2 Pink over Red in a shootout. Wow…THAT is what I am talking about, people! Red are resigned to the playoff roadside with the rest of us losers, while Pink prime themselves for a potential double header this Sunday. If they get past those pesky bottom seeds, Orange, they will need to muster the energy to overcome Green. It will be hard to top this game, but here’s hoping for two great games this Sunday…