Captain Ennsmann and his EnnsMen Without Hats came off their bye week with a strong rebound from their 6-0 Week Seven loss to Orange.  The 4-0 shocking of Pink was also a playoff ticket-puncher for the hot and cold crew, as four different goal-scorers scored goals in a dominant first period.  Eric Caligiuri kept rolling in what may be the best season of his career, scoring first for the winning side.  Captain Ennsmann added insurance, and added an assist on Brian Sheptycki’s goal to make it 3-0.  Sheptycki, in turn, had the primary helper on Tom Darlington’s goal, with the Kim Hernandez’ contributing the second assist…her second assist on the night.  Bringing everything back full circle, Hernandez and Darlington were primary and secondary table-setters on Caligiuri’s game-winner to start all of this.  Christian LeClair picked the right night to have the best game of his career, stopping 27/27 to earn his first career shutout, and help propel his team to playoff safety.  Pink’s season is a wrap at 5-3-1, and their playoff positioning is set in stone in the three spot.  The results of this Sunday’s games could result in an immediate Pink v White rematch, and you can bet that Captain Chad Goins will have his troops (including super sniper, Kris Tosczak, who missed round one) ready for revenge, if that is the case.

I should probably just whip up a recap template for cases like the Purple v Blue Week Nine showdown.  It seems to happen every season…two teams, both desperate for two points…both walk away with one…thereby assuring mutual destruction.  Captain Chris Tran (13/14), who (ironically) was a major reason that Royal Blue wasn’t already eliminated (see his 32/32 Week Eight heroics versus Green), was solved my Min-Soo Smith late in the second.  Carl Vankoughnett evened the score early in the third to account for Nick Adkins’ only blemish in a fill-in role for Blue (15/16).  This season’s installment of ‘Tragic Tie Theater’ does leave a shred of hope for Purple, who have one game remaining to save their season.  They’ll need some help, but their destruction is not yet assured (lest you took my earlier words literally).  All is lost, however, with the 1-1 woe-is-me tie for Captain Jon Salt and Blue.  The aforementioned Week Eight win over Green looked to be a season-saving turning point, but the Week Nine tie means ‘Ferris Blue-er’ and his pals will have quite a few days off between now and mid-February.  The playoff possibilities tend to hurt my tender little brain, but suffice it to say that Purple will need a win, and some help if there is to be any hope of an eleventh hour redemption.

Captain Brett Cohen and ‘The BrettFast Club’ will graduate with playoff honors after all, securing the second seed with a 3-0 win over Tie Dye.  Stephanie Chen recorded the game-winner in the early going, with help from Sailboat Lewis and Jon Zygelman.  Zygelman doubled the lead minutes later with the assists from Justin Stege and Dorothy Kline, and Eric Willard’s empty-netter removed any aspirations of a Tie Dye rally.  Chuck Bender chalked up his first shutout on the season, stopping 17/17, while Sean Kelly continued to be that ace pitcher with no run support, stopping 10/12 to dip to 2-3-1 on the campaign.  Tie Dye are the ones who find themselves in detention at this point.  The loss leaves them in the trailing pack going into their final game.  Still, the Linke-O-Matic 5000 has indicated that they are ‘likely to make the playoffs’, with a win or a tie locking up a spot in the second season.  They can still get in with a loss, but their destiny will be out of their hands, and in the hands of Green and Red, at that point.  First thing’s first…they need a strong result against White.  We all know Sean Kelly will do his job, but can the lowest scoring team in the league (tied with 10 goals-for with Purple) find a way to put some orange behind the opposing goalie?

Karma is a bitch, and that bitch was in nets for Green in Week Nine, serving up a steaming pot of karma stew for your humble narrator and his (innocent) teammates.  Yes, Melissa Busby, the much, much, much maligned punchline punching bag punched back, shutting up her number one ‘critic’, and shutting out Orange with a 15/15 dazzler.  The perfect, and poetic performance featured (of course) several incredible, point blank stops on golden chances for…you guessed it….yours truly.  As you all (should) know, I tease because I love (and because I find it fun).  Melissa and I go WAY back, and I was really proud of her for this one…it was awesome!  Love you, Simma!  Meanwhile, Zach Siemer was no slouch at the other end, stopping 21/22 in a hard-luck 1-0 loss for Orange, who back into the playoffs with a 1-2-1 stretch leaving them the (current) four seed.  Matt Hanley’s second career SDFHL goal was not only pretty (nifty backdoor tuck), but pretty crucial for Green, who punched their playoff ticket with the two points.  They can move as high as the five seed with a win over Purple in their regular season finale, or slide as low as seven with a loss.  As noted, Orange are locked into the four spot, and will wait until Sunday’s results to determine their January 5^th opponent.

Pink left Black on the brink, teetering dangerously along the cut line after a 2-1 defeat.  Glenn Pinto scored in the first minute of play, and Kris Tosczak netted the game-winner with 3:17 to play in the third to shore up Pink’s playoff positioning, and give Tiffany Fox (24/25) her fifth win of the season.  Jim LaGrossa had Black even with his eighth of the season in the closing minute of the second, but Fox held strong, Tosczak tallied, and Matt Henderson (12/14) swallowed his third loss in his last four outings.  The win kept Pink in sole possession of second place, with Red now officially locked in first.  They will close out their regular season, and look to protect their second seed against White on December 8^th.  Even with a loss, the lowest they can fall is the four spot.  The aforementioned brink for Black features Captain Kayleigh’s Crew just one point ahead of Royal Blue with one game remaining for both teams.  Also lurking at six, five, and four points, respectively, are White, Green, and Purple.  The problem for Black…these three teams all have two games to play, and one of those games is Green v Purple.  The other problem for Black…they tied White, and lost to both Green and Purple.  Oh, one more problem…Black’s final opponent is Red!

Purple earned a crucial first win in Week Six, but a bye week snuffed that momentum, and had them starting from scratch in Week Eight.  Maroon was looking for a final notch in the standings to secure playoff rights, and Eric Willard notched one early in the second to put the favorites on the front foot.  A loss would not mean elimination, but it would certainly hurt the cause for Captain Chris Tran’s clan.  Having failed to score on a lengthy 5 on 3, and with the clock winding down to wee seconds, it looked like Purple was going to have to embrace another loss, and hope for better results in their remaining games.  Cue Andy Strathman…hero among men.  Strathman finally solved Chuck Bender (16/17) with 0:04 to play, knotting the score for good at 1-1, and securing what could turn out to be a vital point in the standings for his team.  Captain Tran was stellar, as always, stopping 15/16, and somehow willing his team to avoid the L.  Purple are hoping that will finds a way, as Purple will almost certainly need wins in both of their remaining games in order to find their way into January play.  It helps that those remaining games are against Royal Blue and Green, the very two teams that Purple is hoping to leap past.  Maroon are now safely tucked in the top half of the standings, concerned only with maintaining/improving their playoff seeding going into their final match against Tie Dye on December 8^th.

Speak of the devils, Royal Blue and Green squared off in a low standings, high stakes affair.  Captain Jon Salt’s side had managed just one win and three points coming in, meaning that anything less than a tie would be all she wrote for the storied scorer and his gang.  That storied scorer authored a hat trick (all unassisted), and Chris Tran’s 32/32 wrote off Captain Vacchio’s offense in Royal’s 3-0 triumph.  The bottom of the standings is now an intriguing tangle of hope and desperation.  If Royal can manage a win over Purple in their final game, they will have completed their swim to playoff safety.  A loss, or a tie against Purple, and they will likely find themselves sunk.  I, for one, am not counting Salt out.  He has a knack for finding a way over the top, and with the playoff door ajar, I fully expect him to kick it in and stride through.  Green will have to hope for a good result against a tough Orange squad in Week Nine, and/or find a way to prevail over Purple in their regular season finale.  There are a number of scenarios that would find them in the playoff picture, but unfortunately for Green, Melissa Busby is set to return to play in nets to close out the season.  Whatever the case, the final few weeks of play will be dripping with playoff implications.

The Week Eight showdown between Red and Orange was billed as a must-see heavy weight bout.  Red came in undefeated at 6-0-1, and featuring the league’s top male point scorer (Connor Miller), top female point scorer (Julie Ott), and top goalie (Captain Nick Adkins, at your service).  Orange came in having lost just once, hovering just below Red in the standings, with their very own London Peters hovering just below Mr. Miller on the stat slate, hoping to prove that they could be the team to bring down Big Red.  Well…Connor Miller was absent, and neither team managed to score in a let down of a 0-0 tie that saw fans heading for the exits early.  Orange dominated play for most of the game, outshooting Red 22-4, but neither Captain Adkins (22/22), nor Zach Siemer (4/4) would budge.  Siemer’s shutout streak is now at 63:40 and counting, while Adkins filthy numbers got even filthier with his third shutout of the season.  Here’s hoping a playoff rematch between these two features both Connor and London, or we may be forced to endure a 1-0 shootout result. 

Tie Dye and Black entered Week Seven with identical records…and exited Week Seven with identical records.  Ty Pereira was shot out of a cannon in the first period, putting Black on the board in the first minute of play.  Trevor Marsolini made it 2-0 midway through the second, and Black looked well on their way to their first win since October 13^th.  Kamal Gill dampened those hopes with a sick end to end rush less than a minute later to cut the lead in half, and Harsh Wanigaratne found the equalizer early in third.  Matt Henderson and frequent flyer fill-in, Chris Tran, posted twin 17/19 lines in the 2-2 tie which saw both teams stay flush in the middle pack of the standings at 2-3-2.  Both teams are safely above the cut line for now, but both face tough challenges in their remaining two games.  Tie Dye will enjoy some time off, returning on December 8^th to face Maroon, then finishing out the string against White, in what may be a do or die game for both teams.  Black take on the second place team this Sunday in Pink, then face the current pace-setters in their December 15^th finale against Red.  Both teams will want to secure at least one more point, but may well need two to ensure a spot on the court in January 2020.

It was an all Orange, lots of Peters, and mainly London show in the second game.  To say that London Peters ‘had himself a night’ would be an understatement.  Our Week Seven cover boy assisted on both Jet Javelet’s game-winner, and papa Peters short-hander in the first, then rattled off four goals of his own to pace a 6-0 punishment of White.  Zach Siemer’s 13/13 earned him his first career shutout, while Christian LeClair will be seeing the Peters boys in his nightmares for a while after this one.  Captain Kevin Dinino missed Orange’s most convincing win of the season (and their first in over a month), but will return to play knowing that his team has already clinched a playoff berth at 3-1-3.  Their next challenge will be their biggest, as they hope to hand Red their first loss of the season this Sunday, and they will wrap the following week against the Melissa Busby led Green.  White find themselves in the same 2-3-2 boat as Black and Tie Dye, with a tough putt in Pink up next, and a showdown with Tie Dye to close out their slate.  Odds are that at least one of those boatmates is going to be in real trouble come December 15^th…

Captain Jon Salt has a rather impressive track record of assembling and leading winning teams in this league.  It looks as though he has finally stepped on the banana peel this season, with his DFL team on the brink of elimination at 1-5-1 after yet another loss in Week Seven.  Pink was in the role of grateful beneficiary this time around, with Kris Tosczak wielding the heavy hammer with a 3 and 2 output.  Glenn Pinto was the Robin to Tosczak’s Batman, assisting on all three of his goals, and adding one of his own in the third.  Dale Stuzka rounded out the scoring for Pink, who secured a playoff spot, and improved to 4-2-1 with the convincing 5-2 win.  Their playoff positioning push begins with Black this week, and ends with White on December 8^th.  Captain Salt (who did manage to score in this one, along with Patrick Fusco), finds himself in unfamiliar territory, facing back-to-back must win games to close out the season.  Even with wins against Purple and Green, Royal Blue will need some help to survive.  Both of those opponents have a game in hand, and that game is…you guess it, against each other.  Long story short, it looks like a long season will come to a merciful end in short order for Salty & Company.

The Big Red Showdown went the way of the brighter shade, as Captain Nick Adkins crew remained undefeated through seven weeks of play.  Ian Crooks continued to roll along in his best SDFHL season to date, opening the scoring for Red midway through the first.  Eric Willard tied it up late in the second on a feed from Jon Zygelman.  The same duo cashed in early in the third, but that goal was wedged between two Connor Miller strikes, including the game-winner.  Marc Lapointe added insurance, and sealed the 4-2 victory in front of Captain Adkins (17/19).  Red enter the final stretch of the season with the league’s best record (6-0-1), three of the top seven scorers (Connor Miller, Joe Nguyen, and Jeffrey Henderson), the top goals/points/PPG player in Connor Miller, the top female scorer (Julie Ott), the top goalie (Captain Adkins, himself), and a gaudy +20 goal differential.  It will take two losses, and some other bad breaks to knock them out of the top spot, and even then, they would have to enter the playoffs as the odds-on favorites to win it all.  Maroon have not yet officially clinched a playoff berth, but are certainly curled up and cozy on the doorstep.  Their remaining schedule features two struggling teams (Purple and Tie Dye), both of whom will be desperate for a win.  One point in either contest, or just another week of fruitless play for any of the basement teams will stamp the playoff passport for Captain Cohen’s crew.

To say that Purple was desperate for a win coming into Week Six would be putting it mildly.  At 0-4-1, and having been outscored by opponents 16-5, the tide would have to turn for Captain Chris Tran & Company, and turn soon.  Two periods bled by with neither Captain Tran, nor Matt Henderson allowing a ball to touch twine. An early third period goal for Ty Pereira had Black on the board, and had Purple gripping their sticks in fretful frustration.  Another tough loss would put them at 0-5-1, all but eliminated from playoff contention going into the final third of the season.  Purple wasted no time rising to the alarm, as Jason Northrup finished an Alan Razoky feed on a pretty end to end rush to tie the score just twenty-six ticks after the Pereira tally.  Carl Vankoughnett slipped a second over Henderson’s shoulder minutes later, and Weston Nawrocki iced the winning cake with an empty-netter in the final minute.  With that, Purple took their first sip of victory punch – a 3-2 season-saver over Black. Tran was near-perfect once again, stopping 28/29, while Henderson’s 25/27 proved second best. Tran’s clan is not out of the woods yet.  They will enjoy an unexpected bye this Sunday, then come back to face a tough challenge in Maroon on the 24^th.  Back to back losses for Black have them up against the cut line, but still in the playoff pack at 2-3-1.  They face fellow five-pointers, Tie Dye, in the early game this week.       

The breaks broke the wrong way for Orange in Week Six, as Jon Zygelman’s hat trick proved just enough to send Captain Kevin Dinino’s side to their first loss of the season.  Zygelman scored on a penalty shot in the first…one of maybe three or four penalty shots awarded in the history of this league.  The culprit, Gary Peters, had opened the scoring just a few minutes prior, but then proceeded to commit two penalties on the same Zygelman rush, earning him a two minute stay in the box, and a great few of JZ’s patience, poise, and precision.  The middle layer of the hat trick came on the very same Peters-produced power play early in the second to give Maroon a 2-1 edge.  Mark DeGraffenreid scored what has become and all-too-rare goal on a wrap around early in the third, but it was Zygelman again on the power play to wrap up the hat trick, and wrap up the 3-2 win for Maroon.  Their first loss of the season was particularly hard to swallow for Orange, who were stung by a no-goal call not long after Zygelman’s final strike.  That goal would have produced their third straight tie, and kept them undefeated in the process, but at  2-1-3, they remain well in the playoff hunt.  The win vaults Maroon into sole possession of second place with eight points (4-2-0). Captain Cohen’s crew has the top dogs up next, in a red on red headliner this Sunday at 7:00pm.

The SDFHL standings have featured a red top all season long.  Unlike Ms. Cates skimpy number in our 1982 cult classic cover photo, however, that top shows no signs of coming off.  Much like that skimpy top, however, Jeffrey Henderson and Connor Miller each netted a pair in Red’s 4-0 Pink punch out.  Miller added a pair of A’s (again…unlike Ms. Cates here), Henderson had a helper, and Ian Crooks racked up three assists in the first period alone.  Captain Nick Adkins was a perfect 19/19 to keep his team shimmery and sexy at 5-0-1, while Zach Siemer followed his first career loss with Orange with a valiant, but ultimately vain fill-in effort for Tiffany Fox (19/23).  Six down, three to go.  Can any of the remaining opponents unclasp Red, and toss them hastily aside like…like…I am struggling to find an appropriate simile here, but you get the idea.  Red will look to stay smoking hot and create some additional distance in the standings over Maroon this week, while Pink look to rebound, and poke another hole in the hull of Salt’s sinking Royal ship.

Two middle of the road teams met and, fittingly, agreed to meet in the middle.  Mind you, the 3-3 tie between White and Green was not without thrilling drama.  Specifically, Green’s late two goal rally, started by Josh Wirt with 3:46 to play, and finished with Matt Hanley’s first career SDFHL goal on the power play with twenty ticks to go.  Wirt had a late goal in the second, as well, after Eric Caligiuri and Brian Sheptycki pushed White out to a 2-0 lead.  Captain Mark Ennsmann gave White the 3-1 lead that was undone by the aforementioned timely Green heroics.  So, as 3-3 ties go…kind of a barn burner.  Melissa Busby continued her two game streak of capable play, stopping 15/18, while Christian LeClair had the W snatched from his sheet in gut-wrenching fashion, finishing with a 14/17 line.  The tie leaves both middling teams middling around the middle, with White at 2-2-2, and Green a touch less stable at 2-3-1.  White will look to jump up in the standings with a win over Orange this Sunday, while Green will enjoy a bye this week before facing the hapless, but not hopeless Royal Blue on the 24^th.

Captain Joe Malki’s Tie Dye took advantage of a listless opponent, and didn’t mind the White/Green tie at all, either, as they nestled into the temporary shelter of the middle of the pack with a 2-0 win over Royal Blue.  It was Joe first, then Chris, as son and father Malki’s made good on first period chances to account for all of the scoring in this one.  Danielle Franco-Morrison had a hand in the GWG, while Kamal Gill (still going strong on the attendance front!) aided in the insurance effort.  Sean Kelly earned his hefty paycheck with his second straight shutout…eerily both 17/17 efforts in 2-0 wins.  Kelly’s perfection has greatly improved Tie Dye’s playoff prospects.    At 2-3-1, they are currently safe, and certainly in the hunt for a second season berth.  Their Week Seven match-up with Black is a big one for both sides, with a win all but guaranteeing a playoff spot, and a loss meaning cut line danger going into the final two games.  Speaking of danger, Royal Blue are entering ‘must win’ country, starting with their tilt with Pink this Sunday.  A loss would have them at 1-5-1, with time and math not on their side.