The new season kicked off with a low-scoring struggle between Tie Dye and Green.  Captain Nick Adkins was back behind the mask, and was masterful as ever, stopping 20/21 for Tie Dye in a fill-in capacity.  The problem…he would have needed to be perfect to stave off an opening week loss for his surrogate team.  Melissa Busby, yes, THAT Melissa Busby, prevailed in her much-anticipated SDFHL goaltending debut, stopping all seven shots she faced to deliver a 1-0 win for Green.  Captain Nick Vacchio scored the only goal of the game for either side, converting at 7:47 in the second on assists from Josh Wirt, and newcomer, Matt Hanley.  It should be noted that Tie Dye was without several key players, including Captain Joe Malki, and the very rarely absent Kamal Gill.  Someone may want to check on Kamal…it’s not like him to miss games.

Busby had to strip down in a hurry (she’s well-practiced), and get on the floor (well-practiced) for her second game of the night, as Red and Purple fired up their respective fall campaigns.  Alan Razoky struck first for Purple midway through the first, on assists from Carl Vakoughnett and goalie/captain, Chris Tran, but it was all Red from that point on.  More specifically, it was all Connor ‘For Real’ Miller.  Miller evened the score minutes after Razoky’s strike, gave Red a 2-1 lead late in the second, and added two more for good measure in the third to bring the final score to 4-1, Red over Purple.  Joe Nguyen and Julie Ott each collected two assists on the evening, and Captain Nick Adkins fared much better in this game, stopping 9/10 to earn his first W of the season. 

John Gamm put Pink on the board in the first, and Kris Tosczak pumped the Pink lead to 2-0 early in the second, but Maroon would chip away, and ultimately notch an opening week win.  Jon Zygelman netted a pair in the second, and provided the second assist on Sailboat Lewis’ game-winner in the late going, as Maroon stranded Pink on an is-L-and, 3-2.  Shelby Shattuck racked up three assists, giving us the perhaps the first glimpse at the upside to the floating blueline for defenders, and Chuck Bender (16/18) outdueled Tiffany Fox (16/19) to get his team off to a winning start.

White was dominant from start to finish, cycling and shooting with mid-season moxie in a 4-0 takedown of Royal Blue.  Brian Sheptycki’s first period marker would stand as the game-winner, but Shawna Hamon was the real force in this one, throwing down 2 and 1 to lead White’s relentless charge.  Eric Caligiuri rounded out the goal scoring for the winning side, and Captain Mark Ennsmann amassed three assists…one in each period.  Christian LeClair, who struggled in his debut SDFHL season over the summer months, earned his first career shutout with a 9/9 line, while Alex Theis was superb as ever, but ultimately shot into submission in a 21/25 losing effort at the other end. 

The night was capped with a mad capped tennis match, with Orange holding on, and holding serve, 6-5 over Black.  Speaking of tennis, there was no love lost between quasi-newcomer, David Bronstein, and Dan Jurgens.  The two tangled, and ultimately got tossed in the second period, but not before Bronstein put Orange on the board in the first.  Jim LaGrossa evened things minutes later, then equalized Jet Javelet’s first strike in the second to bring the score to 2-2.  Javelet did not wait long to give Orange a 3-2 lead, around the time that Bronstein and Jurgens were being hauled off to jail.  It was LaGrossa AGAIN to level the score early in the third…THREE tying goals in the same game (!), and this time, Black broke the pattern and scored next (Ty Pereira).  Orange did some pattern-breaking of their own, rattling off three straight (London Peters, Gary Peters, Mara Bernd) to mount a 6-4 edge.  This game couldn’t possibly end quietly, though, and Mark Nagy kept the tension on with a goal at 0:08 remaining to make it 6-5.  Orange managed to survive the final ticks on the clock, giving Zach Siemer (12/17) a hard-earned first win in his first SDFHL game in nets. 

Week Four playoff action saw a determined Tie Dye blank Black, 4-0. London Peters hung a hat on the opponent, while Brian Sheptycki continued to crush teams’ dreams with 1 and 3 in the elimination domination. Melissa Busby was gifted another assist on the game-winner…she’s special…let her have the point. Chris Tran stopped 19/19 as a stand in for the east bound and down Mark Boulanger, while Don Tran (13/16) suffered from a lack of support in the loss. Captain Siemer’s team was one step closer to the top with the win, but Lime was waiting at the top of the Loser’s Bracket stairs…

Malkis, Malkis, everywhere! The family affair prove too much to bear for Tie Dye, who fell 2-0 in their second game of the night to a rested and ready Lime. Joe Malki notched the game-winner early in the first, and Papa Chris Malki sealed it late to punch Lime’s ticket to the finals. Alex Theis was perfect in nets, stopping 12/12, while Chris Tran’s mojo took a dip in the nightcap, with 10/12 not enough to psave the psychedelic pside. It was on to the finals for Captain Wendy Enright, and her band of Malkis and misfits…

The scene was set for a final dance off in the disco themed 54th season. In one corner, ‘Wissco Brinferno’…Captain Salt’s second straight entry to the final fight, having entered as the fourth seed, and scrapped their way past some tough challengers. In the other, ‘Stayin’ A-Lime’, the scrappiest of challengers, with more swagger per square inch than a seventh seed has ever shown. The evening began with a scoreless chess match, stretching past regulation and OT, and into a shoot out. The shoot out was just as scoreless as the previous stages of the game, until Captain Wendy Enright herself converted on her team’s final attempt of the first round. Alex Theis iced his 10/10 cake with a 5/5 shoot out gem to propel his team to a game two, winner-take all rematch with a wild 1-0 win. Cory Brin was the hard luck loser in this one, having stopped 27/27 before the last of five shoot out attempts found a way past his pads.

Patrick Fusco got Purple on the board early in the second game, converting on the power play to give the favorites their first lead…their first goal of the night. Joe Malki would equalize minutes later, and Emily Lincoln would reverse the lead minutes after that. Lime’s 2-1 edge held through two more periods, and Alex Theis (11/12) battened down the hatches and raised the victory flag for Lime. Lime also raised the Cup with the win, capping an improbable (seemingly impossible) run from dead last in Week Seven to champions two months later. Purple certainly deserves a round of applause for their run, as well, particularly Cory Brin, who battled back from a concussion early in the season to lead his team from the back every game. This last game was no exception, with Brin stopping 19/21 in a valiant losing effort.

Tim Vick scored twice for Gold, but his second strike came in the final minute of play, and only served as window dressing in a 4-2 elimination loss to Tie Dye. London called twice for the winners, with the younger Peters scoring just :34 into the first, and adding an empty netter late in the third. Alan Razoky contributed 1 and 1, and Brian Sheptycki collected a helper on Peters’ first goal to compliment his power play game-winner in the second. Melissa Busby was credited with an assist, which was a sweet score keeping gesture for a ‘special’ player (thanks, Noceti). Elliot Hicks stood tall in nets for Tie Dye, who have been without a regular goalie since Mark Boulanger blew town. His 15/17 line was a winner to Matthew Henderson’s hard luck elimination string of 18/21. Gold’s glass slipper days have ended, while Tie Dye march on to face Black in the first of two elimination games tonight!

Captain Mark Ennsmann took matters (and his opponent’s playoffs neck) into his own hands, and squeezed tightly to the tune of two goals. That would be just enough offense to do the trick, as Black ousted Orange, 2-1. Jet Javelet put Orange on the board early in the third, but a beast mode Don Tran (26/27) was not about to let Orange come back for seconds. Andrew Jacobsen found himself in a rare supporting role in the win, assisting on both of his captain’s conversions. Orange join color cousins, Gold, on the playoff funeral pyre, while Black live on to face Tie Dye in what is sure to be an epic elimination match.

Cory Brin and Andy Strathman…the alpha and omega in Purple’s 1-0 shootout slide past Lime. Brin had 20/20 vision through regulation and OT, and his perfection persisted into the shootout phase. Alex Theis deflected all fifteen he faced through three and half periods of play, but Andy Strathman’s stick struck midnight for the seventh seeded Cinderellas, sending Purple to the promised land and Lime to limbo. Captain Enright’s team is still ‘Stayin’ A Lime’, but they will need to knock off the winner of Black v Tie Dye to earn a chance at revenge and redemption in the Final.

Timing is everything, and White went from having it all to losing everything in no time.  Captain Jordan Pynn’s Eight-Ball Bender romped through the regular season without a loss, and looked like a lock to cruise through the brackets to championship glory.  A stunning shootout loss to the bottom seed left them wounded and vulnerable, and Black smelled that first blood and attacked with finishing force, knocking off the odds-on Cup favorites, 4-1.  Captain Mark Ennsmann collected assists on both of Andrew Jacobsen’s tallies, and both Ennsmann and Jacobsen assisted on Alyce Perry’s game-winner.  Michael Froman fluffed the lead to 4-0 through two periods of play, and only a Steve Goncalo power play marker late in the third could spoil Don Tran’s shut out bid (24/25).  Namesake netminder, Chuck Bender, stopped 11/15 in just his second loss of the season.  Unfortunately for White, it was also his second loss of the post season, and that was one too many for the late number one seed.  Black will look to avenge a short-benched 2-1 Week Four loss to Orange after the Labor Day break, while White will enjoy a much longer break in the lead-up to the coming season. 

Chris Malki padded his case for playoff MVP, scoring his fourth goal of the postseason, and assisting on Captain Enright’s game-winner to keep Lime, ironically, White hot.  Too soon?  Malki scored in the first, less than a minute after Rob Sangha gave Orange the lead on the power play.  Enright’s game-winner came at 3:05 in the third, and Alex Theis made that slim lead hold true, stopping 18/19 in Lime’s 2-1 win over Orange.  Captain Enright’s team has not lost since Week Six.  Their torrid and timely 4-0-1 run since has seen them outscore opponents 11-2, with Theis posting three shut outs in the span.  Lime has certainly provided a twist to the expected playoff picture, and they will look to echo their Week Nine win over Purple when the playoffs resume on September 8^th.  Orange will need to regroup and gear up for Black, whom they edged 2-1 back in Week Four of the regular season.

Alan Razoky was not about to let his sister steal the show…pride and playoff peril trump brotherly love.  Alaa had the first laugh, converting Brett Cohen’s pass to give Green a 1-0 lead in the first.  London Peters evened the score in the second, and Alan recorded the sister-thwarting game-winner in the final minute of that frame.  Brian Sheptycki added a last minute insurance policy to go with his helper on Peters’ goal, making Green’s final piece of bad news read ‘3-1 loss to Tie Dye’.  Captain Noceti’s team join White in the one-two playoff seed punchout, as Green struggled, then strangled to death without super sniper, Steve Jones.  Alan will carry the Razoky name on to Week Three of the playoffs, with Tie Dye taking on Gold in another elimination match.  With Mark Boulanger back on the east coast, it will likely be Chris Tran in nets again for Captain Siemer’s side.  Tran stopped 8/9, and actually received the scoring support he sorely lacked with Pink in the regular season to earn the win for his surrogate team. 

Purple and Gold battled to a 2-2 tie through three periods of regulation play, plus overtime, leaving their fates to the whims of the Shootout Gods.  Troy Ohlsson struck first for Purple with just 0:34 remaining in the first period.  Connor Miller retaliated for Gold with even less time to play in the second period (0:02), and Nick Adkins and Patrick Fusco exchanged salvos within a minute of each other in the third.  Andy Strathman accounted for the only assist on both Purple goals, and he would ultimately serve as the difference maker in this match.  Strathman put on his ‘Shootout God’ hat, and converted the only goal in five shootout rounds to spoil Gold’s Cinderella streak, and send them to a 3-2 SO loss.  Both goalies were on their game, but Cory Brin (17/19) ultimately outdueled Matt Henderson (18/20) to propel his team to the Winner’s Bracket finals.  Purple will look to avenge their regular season loss to Lime, and earn a spot in the finals in the process, while Gold look to stay alive in a do or die Tie Dye tilt.   

Captain Jon Salt factored in all four of his team’s goals (2 and 2), getting the higher seeds off on the right foot to open the playoffs with a 4-2 win over Black.  Jason Northrup had Black on the board first, but Danny Wissing equalized on the power play with just 0:15 to go in the first frame.  Wissing would add an assist on Captain Salt’s game-winner in the third, and an empty netter to seal the deal.  Andrew Jacobsen kept Black in the mix, assisting on Northrup’s tally, and evening the score 2-2 early in the second, but that would be all of the damage that Cory Brin would allow (16/18).  Andrew Wong and Andy Strathman each collected a pair of assists from the blue line for Purple, who advance to the Winner’s Bracket to face the eighth seed, Gold, of all teams.  Black will look to stave off elimination this Sunday against a shootout shell-shocked White.

Orange had perhaps the most hit and miss regular season of any team, finishing with a 4-5-0 record, and rounding out the final third of their slate by beating Green 3-0 between losses to Red and Gold.  Fortunately for Captain Steph Palomo & Company, Week One of the playoffs was a ‘hit’, as Jerry Gonzales cashed in early in OT to push Orange past Tie Dye, 3-2.  Raj Patel and Nick Vacchio built a 2-0 lead for Orange in the second period, but London Peters and Alan Razoky undid their work in the third.  Razoky’s strike came with just 0:35 to play.  Late tying goals can be crippling to a team, but Orange bounced back quickly off Gonzales’ stick to win it in extra time.  The upset win for the six seed cooled the uber-hot Tie Dye, sending them into an tough elimination match with second-seeded Green.  It was a big win for Orange, and an omen of bad things to come for top seeds later in the evening…

Very few pundits would have predicted much of a match between top-seeded White and bottom-seeded Gold.  The former smashed the latter 5-0 in the first week of the regular season, racked up more than twice as many goals, allowed about half as many goals, and cruised to a 7-0-2 record, while Gold sneaked in the playoff back door in their final game to cap a 2-4-3 campaign.  So, the stage was set for another White washing, but Captain Janet Goins’ crew apparently has very little respect for facts, and history, and math, and such.  Tim Vick put the underdogs on top midway through the second, and Jon Zygelman leveled the score on the power play minutes later.  Neither team would crack the rest of the way, leaving the decision to a shootout.  Rookie, Chris Turner, was the unlikely hero in the most unlikely outcome of the season, converting on in the second round of the shootout to stun and silence the top seed, 2-1.  White will have their war paint on in the wake of their only loss to date, as they gear up to take on Black in an elimination engagement.  Gold will take their house money and push it all in against Purple on the Winner’s Bracket side. 

The uprising continued in the late game, as #7 Lime sliced through #2 Green, 5-1.  Chris Malki showed his boys how it’s done, posting a hat trick to lead the way, while son Joe accounted for a mere 1 and 1.  Justin Stege recorded the game-winner, and Alex Theis allowed just one goal (Mark Scelfo) on sixteen shots to hold the winning fort.  Anthony Cerasuolo assisted on both of Papa Malki’s real goals (the last was an empty-netter), and Lime took the ‘hottest team’ baton from Tie Dye with the win…their third in a row.  Captain Enright’s bunch move on to face Orange in the Citrus Bowl this Sunday, while Green will look to regroup and rebound in a do-or-die duel with Tie Dye.