One team’s bad beat is another team’s good beat. Week Eight saw a winless Pink rise to victory in stunning fashion, keeping their ticket to the big dance in hand for at least one more week. The final week of the regular season is upon us, and no one is crying outside by the dumpsters…yet.

MUSIC TRIVIA: Who originally sang ‘Turn The Beat Around’?

JoeHemian Rhapsody’s path to playoff redemption coming into the final two weeks of the regular season looked very, very frightening, to say the least.  The one-two death punch of Black and White would surely keep them below the cut line for good, winless and washed out by mid-August.  Still, in spite of their struggles, Pink had proven plucky and proud through seven weeks of play, Chris Tran had proven himself the equalizer, and, well, Captain Joshi’s side had nothing left to lose.  It certainly looked as though they had at least the game at hand to lose, after Black struck for two strange goals in close in the second period (Andrew Jacobsen & Jason Northrup).  Eric Willard finally broke away and broke through for Pink, skirting past his defender, then moving around Don ‘The Other’ Tran to make his team’s first deposit.  It was Willard again off a rebound four minutes later to make it 2-2.  Another tie, and another point would give hope to the hopeless, but fate had other plans.  Those plans came in the form of a breakaway chance in the waning seconds, which Mark DeGraffenreid converted to give Pink their first win of the season–a 3-2 stunner over Black.  Chris out-dueled Don in the Tran Bowl, stopping 20/22 to further improve his MVP case. The miracle finish pushes Pink above the cut line, and actually has them perched in seventh place going into the final week of play.  While they face the toughest of all challenges in White, they at least hold their own destiny in hand, knowing full well from Week Eight that anything is possible.

Brian Sheptycki is already a household name in the SDFHL, and a house of horrors name for opponents.  The uber-skilled forward racked up another hat trick for Tie Dye, who continue to bolster their playoff position with each game he plays.  London Peters put the tie in Tie Dye, saving a point for his team with a goal at 0:14 to force a 4-4 tie with White.  White had built a 4-2 lead as the game moved into the final minutes of play, with Carl Vankoughnett’s  back-to-back third period tallies leading the way.  Jordan Pynn and Jon Zygelman provide the balance of the scoring for White, who are finally showing a few cracks in the late going, having allowed eight goals in two ties over the past two weeks of play. 

Pink’s early game heroics added extra heat to the afternoon for fellow bubble teams, Lime, Red, and Gold.  Gold’s turn on the hot seat came first, and a surprise appearance from Kamal Gill yielded early dividends in the form of an assist on the first of Nick Adkins’ two goals.  Danny Wissing and Stephanie Chen responded to those goals in turn, leaving the score at 2-2 through the first.  Unfortunately for Captain Janet Goins’ crew, they did not grab the magic baton from Pink.  Troy Ohlsson gave Purple their first lead of the game, and Captain Jon Salt sealed the deal…4-2, Purple over Gold.  Cory Brin was big for Purple, stopping 19/21, while Mark Boulanger absorbed the L in a fill-in roll for Matt Henderson with a 17/21 effort.  The loss tarnishes Gold’s playoff hopes all the more, but if they can manage a good result against Orange in the late game this Sunday, and if they get the right help from other teams earlier in the slate, they may find their way to the end of the rainbow after all.

The Nestle Crunch Crucial Match-Up of the week came with 1-5-1 Lime facing 2-4-1 Red.  As loss for Lime would mean elimination.  A win…a chance at late season redemption.  The teams battled through a scoreless first, and finished with a scoreless third.  It was Chris Malki coming through with the GWG in the second, converting an Emily Lincoln assist into the most important goal of Lime’s season.  Don Tran did his best Alex Theis impersonation, stopping 21/21 to preserve the win, while Christian LeClair (18/19) was tagged with yet another loss in a difficult debut season. The 1-0 win for Lime over rival Red inches them above the cut line for now.  They will have a tough challenge in Purple this week, but Gold and Red will need to earn a point or more against Orange and Green, respectively, if they hope to twist Lime back out of the playoff picture. 

Green is having trouble keeping up without the Jones.  The super star forward was shelved for the remainder of the season after an ugly incident in a Week Six match-up with Gold.  Things have been uglier since, with Captain Noceti’s team suffering two straight shutout losses.  The second of those losses came courtesy of Orange, who snapped a cold streak of their own (0-3-0) in the process.  Goals from Jerry Gonzales, Kevin Dinino, and Raj Patel provided more than enough for Marc Devoe (11/11) to record his second shutout of the season–3-0 Orange over Green.  Green has been granted a replacement for Jones in the person of Dale Stuzka.  They will look to get back on track in their final regular season tilt with a desperate Red.  Both teams are already securely in the playoffs, so the real playoff implications for Orange’s final game are all on the other side of the ball (Gold).

As often happens when two teams in desperate need of a win meet, neither Pink nor Lime prevailed in the Week Seven opener.  In fact, neither team scored, as both Alex Theis (13/13) and Chris Tran (30/30!) kept the nets empty and starred in the production of a 0-0 tie.  Tran has been impressive all season, bubbling toward the top of the goalie stats board, but the distinct lack of Pink scoring punch (five goals in seven games) has doomed him to disappointment.  The knotted result keeps both teams below the cut line with just two games to play.  Pink has the toughest road to salvation possible, facing the top two teams in Black and White.  Lime takes on Red this Sunday in a crucial match…it may well be a must-win for Captain Enright’s side.  Should they pass that test, their fate will resolve in the final week of play, when they take on Purple.

Brian Sheptycki continued his flame thrower attack on opposition in his newborn SDFHL career, this time torching Gold to the tune of 3 and 1.  Sheptycki is already zeroing in on the overall stats lead, having racked up 6 and 4 in just three games.  Some chick on his team contributed 1 and 1 in the winning cause, and just the one response from the losing side (Chad Goins) made the final 4-1, Tie Dye over Gold.  The win gives Tie Dye three straight, and has them leaping and bounding up the standings.  Gold remains in some peril with the loss, hovering just above the cut line at 1-3-3.  They will likely need at least one more point to pull into the playoffs, and they hope to manage that against Purple and Orange to close out their regular season.

When the Jones is away, the AJ will make you pay.  Green will be without the services of their dynamic super scorer for the remainder of the season, and into the playoffs, with Mr. Jones serving a hefty suspension for his actions in a violent Week Five incident.  His absence meant an absence of scoring for Green, as they fell to Black, 4-0.  The aforementioned Andrew Jacobsen did the majority of the damage, dropping a second period hat trick gavel on the proceedings.  Elliot Hicks provided the game-winner in the first, and added an assist on AJ’s first tally.  Don Tran earned the easiest shutout bonus check of his career, stopping all FOUR shots he faced.  Green will look to rebound this week against Orange, while Black looks to maintain their number two playoff seed by sticking a fork in Pink’s playoff hopes.

Red unleashed the Killer J’s on Orange, as Josh Wirt, Jim LaGrossa, and Jeannine Stuzka built a three goal lead through two.  Orange’s own J, Jet Javelet, responded, and Raj Patel cut the lead to two, but Mark Daquipa finished the fight in the final minute–4-2 Red over Orange.  Captain Nagy contributed three assists in the win…nothing like leading by example.  The win is a big one for Red, who move to the relative safety of five points (2-4-1).  Much like Gold, they may need another point or two to punch their ticket, and this week’s match-up with Lime is definitely a big one.  Orange remains suspended in the middle of the standings, and while they’re not in all that much danger of missing the playoffs, they will want to stop the bleeding on their three game losing streak this week against Green.

Captain Salt’s Purple had the juggernauts dead to rights, opening a 4-1 lead over White through the first 17:19 of play.  Time was still on White’s side, however, as the undefeated top dogs remained undefeated with a three goal surge in the remaining 12:41 to even the score for good at 4-4. Troy Ohlsson had one of his best career games, notching 2 and 1 for Purple, while Jon Zygelman wore the cape for White, accounting for both third period tallies.  Steve Goncalo racked up three helpers for White, and we witnessed Chen-on-Chen crime, as Stephanie scored for Purple less than a minute before Jeff answered for White.  Cory Brin was unconscious (figuratively, this time), stopping 33/37 for Purple, while Chuck Bender was called on much less at the other end, stopping 9/13.  White remains undefeated, in spite of the non-win, and has already clinched first place with two weeks left to play.  Purple will look to improve their position this week against Gold, who will be hungry for points in their scramble for playoff safety.       

Captain Siemer’s Tie Dye were on a bad trip to start the season, sweating and shaking on the basement couch at a not-so-groovy 0-2-2, and closing in on full freak out mode, man. Week Five saw the long-awaited arrival of the SDFHL’s latest mythological hero, Brian Sheptycki. The new comer dropped in, and his effect was immediate, and very potent. The chemistry certainly seems to be altered for this team, and future opponents should be bracing themselves for a whole Lotta Sheptycki Damage…

Alan Razoky put this week’s cover team on the board in the first minute of play, and assisted on fellow Calgarian Brian Sheptycki’s first career goal later in the period. Sheptycki, in turn, recorded a second assist on a goal credited to Melissa Busby (clearly a scoring error…I will look into it) to swell the lead to three. OG SDFHLers, and ride or die homies, Raj Patel and Jerry Gonzales, assisted on each other’s counter-strike offerings for Orange over the next two periods, but another Sheptycki goal (again…scoring error…Busby credited with an assist), and another Sheptycki assist (on one of two legitimate London Peters insurance tallies in the third) powered Tie Dye to their first win of the season, 6-2 over Orange. The win elevates Tie Dye out of the muck at the bottom of the standings, at least for now, while Orange remain safely tucked towards the top of the table, in spite of the loss.

Red scored first and last, but it was another week, another win for the indomitable ‘Eight-Ball Bender’. Carl Vankoughnett sparked a run of five unanswered goals, including a pair from perennial scoring sensation, Jeff Chen, one from rookie Quinn Hume, and the Steve Goncalo GWG, as White continued to blow past opponents in running their record to a perfect 5-0-0. The 5-2 stroll past Red had the victors rattling off over thirty shots…something of a rarity in this league, and a further illustration of White’s utter dominance. The numbers are staggering across the board for this juggernaut, who look destined to rumble straight through to the finish line without a scratch. Red, meanwhile, now stand at 1-3-1, and will need to scratch their way up the standings a bit if they hope to avoid a pre-Labor Day layoff.

Captain Mark Ennsmann put Black on the board in the first period, and Don Tran (20/20) made sure that was all his team would need to prevail over Purple, 3-0. Andrew Jacobsen netted a pair in the third period to dash any hope of a comeback for Captain Salt & Associates, who suffered their second straight shutout loss to drop to 2-2-1 on the season. The win is the first for Black since Week One, and it levels their record at an identical 2-2-1. Cory Brin was steady and sharp in his return from a concussion he suffered back in Week Two, but Purple definitely missed the dynamic defensive duo of Andrew Wong and Andy Strathman in the loss.

Two teams in desperate need of their first win collided in Week Five, with Gold taking on Lime. More accurately, Gold took on half of Lime, as attendance issues once again plagued Captain Enright’s side. The understaffed underdogs fought hard, and employed a definitive strategy of ice, ice baby, but Gold broke through in the second period, and marched on to a 4-0 win. Connor Miller assisted on all four Gold goals, including Chad Goins’ game-winner, Captain Janet Goins’ power play tally, and Tim Vick’s lead-padding pair. Matt Henderson stopped what little he faced (7/7), while Alex Theis was stellar, but stung by ceaseless salvos (28/32). The win vaults Gold into the thick of the playoff hunt, while Lime are barely ‘Stayin’ A Lime’ at 1-4-0 with four games to play. It doesn’t get any easier with Black up next, but if the Malki boys make it out to play the rest of the way, anything is possible…

Some losses hurt more than others, and Pink’s 2-1 loss to Green was particularly painful for Mark DeGraffenreid (yours truly), who is almost certainly out for the rest of the season with a fubarred hamstring. Captain Joshi’s crew fought hard, with Ramsey Ksar cutting the lead in half in the late going, but the Dan Jurgens goal off a draw with :05 on the clock in the first, and a late second period strike from Steve Jones spelled doom for a team already soaking in doom near rock bottom in the standings. Both goalies were sharp in the low scoring affair, with Andrew Lockard (17/18) prevailing over Chris Tran (22/24). Perhaps a poised and potent Pope replacement and a little grit can turn things around for Pink, starting this Sunday against Purple, but it is definitely coming to the now or never part of the season. Meanwhile, the Green machine keeps on chugging, still sitting in striking distance of the top spot with four games left to play.

Captain Joshi’s Pink, and Captain Siemer’s Tie Dye sides both had designs on breaking into the W column in Week Four. A win for Pink would snap their two game tie streak, would prove that they could actually beat an opponent, and would give them some early season comfort with four points (good enough for fifth place). A win for Tie Dye would snap a two game losing streak, and scrape them off the basement floor of the standings. As fate would have it (fate is kind of a cynical, sarcastic dick face with a bad sense of humor), neither team would get their win. Old Man Gary Peters slapped home a Tom Darlington feed to give Tie Dye a mid first period lead, but Mark DeGraffenreid tucked home a pinpoint Eric Willard cross to tie it just over a minute later. Chris Tran was superb in nets, stopping 18/19, and wiping his brow that the likes of Alan Razoky and Brian Sheptycki were not in attendance. Mark Boulanger was less busy, but no less effective at the other end, stopping 7/8, and getting some help from the pipes to preserve the 1-1 tie. Both teams will surely need to be better in the second half of the season, and it all starts with that first win. It may not happen this Sunday for either team, as Pink will square off with 3-1-0 Green, and Tie Dye will take on 3-1-0 Orange.

Captain Mark Nagy led the charge in his team’s first win of the season, scoring twice, and assisting on goals by Jim LaGrossa and Josh Wirt. LaGrossa’s second of the evening proved the game-winner, and Danielle Franco-Morrison got in on the fun in the 6-2 trouncing of short-benched Gold. Christian LeClair earned his first career SDFHL victory with a 15/17 performance, allowing only a brief third period surge from Chris Turner and Connor Miller. Matt Henderson did his best for Gold (23/29), who were without Captain Janet Goins, Chad Goins, Nick Adkins, Kamal Gill, and Troy Ferguson. Ferguson is now lost for the season with a plantar fascia tear…the hits keep on coming. Still, every team is very much still in the hunt, and Gold will look to turn the beat around against Lime in a big Week Five match up.

Andrew Jacobsen can usually do it alone, but Nick Vacchio tried that role on for size in Week Four, scoring both goals for Orange in a 2-1 win over AJ’s Black. Jacobsen did have the lone tally in the losing cause, accounting for the only blemish on the night for super sub Mark Boulanger (26/27). Don Tran took the tough loss at the other end (20/22), leaving Black in the middle of the pack at 1-2-1. Orange pull into Week Five at 3-1-0, but will be without the services of Rob Sangha in this week’s tilt with Tie Dye. Sangha will be serving a one game suspension for his actions in a Week Three loss to Purple. Black make the turn into the second half against that very same Purple team, who will themselves be looking to rebound from a Week Four loss.

They say ‘the rich get richer’, and Captain Pynn’s ‘Eight-Ball Bender’ are definitely ‘the rich’ this season. Goals by Carl Vankoughnett (1 and 2), Ryan Owen (1 and 1), Jon Zygelman (1 and 1), and Steve Linke (1 and 2) kept White comfortably paced on offense. The defense gave Lime nothing, and Chuck Bender cruised to yet another shutout, stopping 21/21 in the 4-0 win over listless Lime. The staggering stats continue to mount for White, who sit at 4-0-0, with 17 goals for, two goals against, a +39 shot differential, and three shutouts in four tries. ‘Wirt, Min & Fire’ jump out of the frying pan of their first win, and into the White hot fire in Week Five. Call me crazy, but I have money on a big upset…

Green went down to White in Week Three, but not without a fight (they have accounted for the only two goals against White this season). Captain Noceti and company were out for revenge in Week Four, and Purple picked the wrong Sunday to wander across their path. The law firm of Jones & Jurgens made Purple pay heavily on court, with the former dropping 3 and 2 gavel, and the latter slapping on 2 and 3 set of cuffs. Bill Casey (1 and 2) and Alaa Razoky (1 and 1) played key supporting roles in the 7-0 Purple punishment, Captain Salt & Company’s first loss of the season. Andrew Lockard secured his second shutout of the season, stopping all thirteen shots he faced. Chuck Bender did not fare nearly as well without his White mates in front of him, suffering the lopsided loss in Cory Brin’s stead with a 16/23 line. Brin is hopeful to return from a concussion this week, when Purple will look to get back on track against Black.

‘Wissco Brinferno’ remained the only other undefeated team, blanking Orange, 3-0 to open the Week Three slate. Dorothy Kline earned POTW honors, scoring not once, but twice to lead the charge for her team. Captain Jon Salt assisted on her GWG in the first minute of play, and added an insurance notch late in the third. Mark Boulanger was a perfect 13/13 in a fill-in stint for Cory Brin, who is still dealing with concussion symptoms from a blow to the head he suffered against Red. Purple will have a tough test in Green this week, who are coming off their first loss of the season to early going juggernaut, White.

Week Three headliners, ‘Eight-Ball Bender’, jumped out early on Green, with Jon Zygleman finishing a sequence that started with Shelby Shattuck and Jeff Chen. Zygleman returned the favor on Chen’s second period tally that doubled White’s lead, and had them standing at eleven goals-for, ZERO goals against through the first eight periods of their Summer campaign. Dan Jurgens put the first blemish in Chuck Bender’s GA column, and Bill Casey added a second, but Casey’s strike was wedged between two empty netters, with Ryan Owen’s proving the game-winner, and Quinn Hume’s the deal-sealer. The wild finish left the final score at 4-2, White over Green, and left fans wanting more of this great match-up.

Captain Janet Goins’ group are off to a truly remarkable start. After serving as White’s first regular season victim in a 5-0 Week One loss, Gold have yet to surrender another goal. The problem…they still have yet to score one! A second straight 0-0 tie, this time facing Black, may have Gold in the SDFHL record books as the only team to go without a goal through their first three full games. Our crack statisticians are working on that, but meanwhile, Gold is working on a ‘slow and steady wins the race’ plan that just might work. Two ties in three tries gives them two points in the standings, good enough to be well in the mix, in spite of their offensive futility. Alex Theis (17/17) became the latest to blank Gold, while Matt Henderson earned his second straight shutout with a 16/16 effort. I, for one, love streaks in sports, and I am anxious to see when this goal drought ends for Goins & Company. I am equally anxious to see whether they can continue to produce points in the standings without producing points on the floor.

Both Lime and Tie Dye stepped on the court in Week Three with hopes of earning a first W on the season. Attendance and injury issues have plagued Lime, while Tie Dye have fought hard, but produced just one of four possible points in the standings against two of this season’s tougher teams (Purple & Green). Lime welcomed in yet ANOTHER Malki, with younger son, Christian, coming on to replace the injured Erik Taylor, and bringing the Malki count to three. Three is clearly the magic number, as big brother, Joe Malki, put Lime on top in the first, and rookie, Tyler Winstead, scored his first career goal to win it in the third — 2-1 Lime over Tie Dye. Alan Razoky had evened the score for Tie Dye with his third of the season back in the first, but Alex Theis would not be denied his first win of the season, stopping 19/20 to push his team into the thick of the playoff hunt through three weeks of play.

Captain Hima Joshi and Pink were on the Gold plan coming into Week Three, with zero goals, and just one tie to show for their first two weeks of play. It looked like it would be more of the same against Red, as Jim LaGrossa and Josh Wirt paced their side to a 2-0 lead. Julie Ott finally broke the seal for Pink just over a minute after Wirt’s tally, and Eric ‘Pinball’ Willard knotted the score on a crazy carom from behind the goal line to knot it for good at 2-2. It’s not a true victory, but certainly a moral victory for Pink, who are hanging on in the standings with two straight ties, and have now…found their scoring touch? Red has become a surprising story of struggle thus far, falling below the cut line to 0-2-1. They look to right the ship and keep Gold scoreless in a crucial Week Four tilt.