The Wing League 2025 season cracked open with a battle of birds of similar plumage. Captain Chad Goins was still flying high after a convincing Cup run the previous season, and with most of the same players carrying over (Abel, Tomaszewski, Schmidt, Palomo Schmidt, and of course Teglia and the Goinseses), Red had right and reason to crow confidently coming into a match with Captain Bryan Ossa’s Pink. The ‘FlamingOssas’, while ‘strong on paper’ were in the proving position, but appeared loose and ready for their opener, anxious to debut their ‘stand on one leg goal celebration’™. While said celebration certainly needs some work, Pink were able to practice it bright and early in this one, with Josh Wirt poking home his own rebound to put Pink on top (Mark DeGraffenreid & Sadie Hellstrom). Carl Vankoughnett provided a second opportunity to practice the pose, striking at 4:53 (DeGraffenreid & Mostafa Azab) to double the lead and send a surge of confidence through the Pink bench. That confidence ebbed a bit after 2024 Fall League Final MVP, Jackson Tomaszewski, broke loose on a counter attack and deposited Red’s first response past rookie netminder, Michael Haine. Vankoughnett would restore Pink’s two goal edge at 8:04 in the second (Azab & Captain Ossa), but Tomaszewski was there again to cut it back to one at 2:25 (Josh Tran & Brennen Abel). Late period goals are notorious momentum shifters, and Wirt’s second of the game with just 0:19 remaining would prove no exception (Azab). The late second period strike set off a chain of three Pink goals within the first three minutes of the third…Wirt unassisted…Wirt from Vankoughnett and Pat Gladstone…Gladstone from DeGraffenreid. Steph Palomo Schmidt lodged the only response to this flamingo flurry, converting at 5:36 on the power play (Abel & Tomaszewski) to save some grace and face in an otherwise lopsided 7-3 win for Pink. Jon Cima (10/17) will hope for better from himself and his teammates over the remainder of the season, while Michael Haine (20/23) was steady in victory in his SDFHL debut.

I have always ‘teased’ Tom and Janice that the latter is ‘the better Darlington’, but even the laziest/most biased fact checker in the world would have no choice but to crown Tom’s better half the best player in the match between Captain Zach Siemer’s White and Captain Hima Joshi’s Black. The Associated SDFHL Press (me) went a step further, crowning JD the queen of Week One…and making it a point to ‘tease’ Tom about her prowess after each point she posted. The first such point was the opening goal at 6:40 in the first (Captain Siemer & Steve Linke), and the second was her second of the game less than two minutes later (4:42 from Seimer and Jon Zygelman). Captain Siemer himself would build White’s advantage to three at 2:08 (from Santora, and…yes…Janice ‘The Better’ Darlington), and we all know the odds of rallying from a 0-3 hole with Silas Perks minding the opposing team’s nets. Jon Salt did blast one past Perks with 1:35 to play in the first (Eric Willard & Evan Melcher), but that would be the last ripple of the netting behind ‘The Silencer’™ in this one. Actually, it would be the last goal for either side, as both super sub, Mason Holcomb (12/15) and Perks (19/20) kept clean slates through the remaining twenty to preserve the 3-1 score line, White over Black. While I don’t keep a log, I am guessing this is a first POTW honor for Janice…a very deserving one, and obviously an encouraging sign for a team that is loaded defensively, and somewhat lacking (on paper) offensively. Captain Joshi, meanwhile, will have to hope that the return of Geoff Downes, Wendy Enright, and goalie Will Heinl will produce better results against Blue in Week Two.

Sometimes a loss, and sometimes even a win in sports ‘isn’t pretty’, but Captain Shawna Hamon has guaranteed that none of her team’s games this season will be pretty with the selection of perhaps the most repulsive shirt color to ever (dis)grace our beloved rink. Ugly shirts don’t mean ugly play, per se, and Hamon & Company acquitted themselves rather well through two periods of play, in spite of being rather…grossly outplayed. The combination of Owen Perks, his free-from-the-goalie-gear bother, Silas, and Aaron Cooney was nothing short of a tall, swift, smart, super skilled machine. Mix in a very solid defensive corps with booming point shots (particularly Chris Fiore and Shelby Shattuck), and it is a wonder that Brown held things down as long as they did. When I say ‘wonder’, I mean none other than Sean ‘Da Kid’ Kelly. Kelly was an absolute beast throughout in this one, but the Orange machine pounded two goals past him in a furious, frenetic first. Both of those goals belonged to Silas Perks, with the first assisted by Shelby Shattuck and Owen Perks, and the second by…Owen Perks and Shelby Shattuck. When Brown’s Jim LaGrossa struck for the only goal in the second, it was beginning to look like Da Kid might steal a point (or maybe two) for Captain Hamon’s crew. Alas, that’s when things got ‘ugly’. Orange’s swirling, swarming offensive presence led to one Aaron Cooney goal at 7:55 (Owen Perks & Maureen Ruchhoeft), then a second Cooney goal at 6:46 (Owen Perks & Silas Perks), then (on theme with this recap) the prettiest goal that Captain Jeremy Copp has ever scored (Ruchhoeft) at 6:11, then one final coffin nail from the birthday girl…Ruchhoeft from Owen Perks & Justin Stege at 5:20. When the dust from the four-goals-in-3:35 flurry had settled, Orange had smashed past Brown by a 6-1 total, with Owen Perks collecting FIVE assists, brother Silas recording 2 and 1, and big 6-0 celebrant, Maureen Ruchhoeft, feeling the birthday vibes with a 1 and 2 outing. So…not a pretty night for Brown, but they can take some solace in an incredible performance from Sean Kelly (maybe the best performance in a five goal loss I have ever seen), and the fact that the likes of Andy Strathman and Kalen Hunter were not in the lineup for this one. Orange is definitely looking pretty…pretty…pretty good, having served notice with just one game that they are (at least, in my opinion) a strong Cup contender.

The late slate pair of games featured shades of blue taking on shades of green. The first pairing, featuring Captain Rob Gaudio’s (Royal) Blue and Captain Joel Gattey’s (Lime) Green was an intriguing one, in that the teams appeared (to me, anyway) to be very even/similarly constructed ‘on paper’. With all Lime players present and accounted for, and Blue missing only the new (and apparently slightly confused) Argentine field hockey transplant, Maive Cantarella, this match would serve as a good early test for both ‘on paper’ teams to see how they would fare ‘on court’ this season. The first period saw no scoring, and very few shots (just six, combined), but the teams really began to engage in the second, with a Kyle Snyder solo effort at 8:35 breaking the scoring seal, and a second Snyder snipe at 7:29 (from ironwomen, Dorothy Kline) pushing Blue’s lead to 2-0 in just over a one minute span. Vance Morra continued where he left off in a breakout Fall 2024 campaign, responding for Lime at 5:34 (Jerry Gonzales & Captain Gattey), but Jason Lee restored the two goal edge for Blue at 3:04 (Trevor Vick & Kyle Snyder). The third period saw twenty combined shots, exactly as many as the other two periods combined, but the score remain unchanged into the late going. Chris Malki finally found a way to bring Lime to within one (Gonzales & Gattey) and the comeback was ON…but quickly OFF, as Snyder completed his hat trick with 1:07 to play (Lee), sealing the 4-2 win over Lime for Blue, and making clear who the most important ‘on paper’ and ‘on court’ name was in this one. Veteran Don Tran (20/22) was steady as ever in nets in the win, while Matt Henderson (14/18) had to resign himself to ‘getting Snydered’ in his season debut for Lime.

It was ‘different shade of blue and green, same result’ in the nightcap, as Captain Ryan Karns (Flint) Blue took on Captain Alan Razoky’s (Kelly) Green. While both of these teams have their share of offensive weapons, I was double and triple taking while typing up this box score, just shocked at the draft haul that Captain Karns managed. That is not to diminish Captain Razoky’s squad, but I feel like Vegas would have had Flint Blue as the favorites in this one, and they may well have them as Cup favorites before long. Erin Plone took the ‘girl power’ torch from Ruchhoeft and ‘The Better’ Darlington, cashing in at 5:45 to put Flint Blue on the board first (Dan Jurgens & John Boddy), but Captain Razoky equalized on the powerplay less than two minutes later (Eli Schonbrun) to leave things level going into the second. That loaded Flint Blue lineup unloaded in the second, with a new goal scorer each time. Boddy put Flint Blue back in front at 8:06 (Ryan Loughran & Jurgens), Ramsey Ksar padded the lead at 6:50 (Luke Wolmer & Mark Scelfo), and — after Brendan Jew brought Green back to within one at 6:29 (Schonbrun & Trice Harvey) — Dan Jurgens restored the two goal edge at 3:46 (Mark Nagy). The third period was quiet…too quiet for a Green comeback, with the lone goal coming courtesy of Luke Wolmer at 7:49 (Ksar & Leah Gonzales)…the fifth unique goal scorer for Flint Blue in a 5-2 victory. Chuck Bender (18/23) was twice as busy in the loss as Don Tran (9/11) was in a fill-in win for the absent Nick Meglich, but the real story for me in this one is the thick, diverse Flint Blue attack. It’s a one game sample size, but I don’t envy Lime in the late game this Sunday…

Sometimes, the fates just absolutely spit in your face. Captain Nick Meglich was definitely on the receiving end of said fates’ spit, contracting strep throat in the week leading up the the Final. Meglich had assembled a scrappy, giant killer of a team, and his own outstanding play had driven that team to the last stop on what would have been one of the most magical runs in league history. Alas, he was in no shape to suit up, and would have to remain recumbent and recovering at home, with only Netflix to comfort him, and with his team text thread as the only means of inspiring his crew. Double alas…Rob LaVigne was also out of the lineup. Triple alas…all of Captain Janet Goins’ soldiers were reporting for duty. Still, Green had made a living off of dashing the dreams of higher seeds, and with super sub Chris Tran in nets…perhaps Green had one last pair of stunners in store. Jackson Tomaszewski had the favorites on the board early in the first, tucking home his first of the night at 8:43 (Brennen Abel & Eric Enciso), and Chris Tran kept his surrogate squad close, in spite of a rather lopsided shot count (9 to 3 in Orange’s favor). The shot count got even more lopsided through two periods of play (23 to 6!), but the next goal belonged to Green in the form of a nifty backhand five hole equalizer from Maureen Ruchhoeft (Andrew Wong & Nick Vacchio). The 1-1 tie held through most of the middle stanza, with Tran standing on his head to keep Green poised for the upset, but the upset was Green’s instead, as goals at 1:07 (William Teglia from Alan Razoky and Steph Palomo Schmidt) and 0:05 (Abel from Tomaszewski and Gordon Schmidt) crumpled the crusading spirits of the underdogs. The wheels came off…and rolled far, far away for Green in the third, as three Orange goals rattled past in a 0:51 span to break open a 6-1 lead and leave no doubt that this Final would be a one and done. Chad Goins wristed home a nifty top corner solo snipe at 8:59, Tomaszewksi potted his second of the night at 8:21 (Abel & Steve Linke), then roofed his hat trick capper at 8:08 (Palomo Schmidt & Abel). Linke added a seventh goal for Orange at 6:30 before Green started a too-little-too-late rally, with Nick Vacchio powering coast to cost to make it 7-2, then Josh Wirt blasting home a Wong feed to make it 7-3. Chuck Bender (6/9) could have let nearly all of the shots he faced in and this game still would have been close, and the only reason this wasn’t a 13-3 final was the sublime play of Chris Tran (29/36), who certainly gave everything he had for Green and their ailing skipper. Congratulations once again to ‘Abelol Schmidt’ on the 7-3 win, the captured Cup, and a great story for the Goins’/Teglia holiday table for years to come. Congratulations, as well, to Captain Meglich and ‘Tanqueray & TwoNicks’ for a really impressive playoff run, in spite of the unfortunate ending.

Two shades of green…one goal…to eliminate their color cousin, and advance to the Losers’ Bracket Final with a ticket to the Fall League Final just waiting to be seized. Captain Zach Salt’s Lime (Green) got the better of Captain Nick Meglich’s (Forest) Green back in Week Seven, with Eric Willard going full hero mode in accounting for all three Lime lamplighters, including the last minute game-winner in a 3-2 coup. Bear that regular season result, twist ending and all, in mind as we recount the events of the playoff rematch. The first period ticked by without a goal, and with both teams testing the opposing goalie to near equal measure (8-7 shot totals, in Lime’s favor). Lime’s Week Seven hero was first to strike, with Willard finally snapping the scoreless standoff at 0:44 in the second (Justin Ker & Captain Salt). A goal that late in the period is typically a significant gut punch for the opponent, but Green gut punched back with 0:04 to go in the second, with Josh Wirt starting his own ‘hero’ campaign to bring his team even going into the third (Vinny Santora & Nick Vacchio). Willard was not ready to relinquish the cape and tights just yet, putting Lime back on top with 3:46 to play (Christopher Fiore & Captain Salt), but Nick Vacchio swooped in to save Green less than a minute later (Wirt), and Wirt ripped the ‘S’ off Willard’s chest a snatched out Lime’s collective heart in the same motion, slipping home a subLime stunner with just 0:22 to play (Trice Harvey & Vinny Santora). Wirt earned first star honors for his epic efforts, but Captain Meglich (32/34) was definitely the source of his team’s grit and give-it-your-all in Green’s rollercoaster 3-2 win. It’s never easy losing an elimination playoff game, but having the rug pulled out from under you with twenty-two ticks to go is just brutal. Jon Cima (12/15), as always, handled the emotional ambush with class and grace, and both teams should be proud of their efforts in this well-played, hard-fought playoff battle for the ages.

Week Four is always something of a whirlwind, with the winner of the first game having little time to savor victory before stepping back out to face a fresh opponent, and the sudden/stunning ending to the opener only amplified the emotional waves for all involved. Captain Jon Salt had little time to console his brother on the tough loss before shifting his focus to his own ship. That ship had sailed smoothly through regular season waters, but finally struck a rocky shoal in a Week Three loss to Orange. The plan was simple for Salt & Company…repeat the feat from two weeks prior, when they bested Green 3-1 to advance to the Winners’ Bracket final. A second win over the four seed would send Heather Blue on to the Final, and an opportunity to avenge their lone loss and capture the Cup. For Green, the plan was to keep the mojo and momentum rolling, parlaying the energy from their epic ousting of Lime into another upset win, and march on to the Final under a ‘WE CAN DO THIS’ banner. The hero of the early game definitely kept his mojo and momentum going strong, as Josh Wirt put Green on the board first at 5:30 in the first (Vinny Santora). Captain Salt equalized late in the first on the power play (Joe Nguyen), leaving the teams dead even in every measurable way (1-1 score, 6-6 shots) through ten minutes of play. The second period followed a similar pattern, with Erin Plone putting Green back in front at 8:54 (Wirt & Andrew Wong), and Alexis DaCosta pushing Heather Blue back to even at 5:12 (Julie Ott & Craig Russell). So…all the marbles were riding on the last period of play, with a tired, but clearly very determined Green hoping to pen ‘The Coup, Part Deux’, and Heather Blue looking to curb the underdogs and take their expected place in the big dance. It was Green’s white knight of the night to act first, converting on the power play at 8:53 (Wong) to give Green a one-goal lead that would hold for almost exactly six minutes. Unfortunately for Heather Blue, that one goal lead was not erased with 2:53 to play, but rather doubled by Nick Vacchio (Wirt). Desperation set in for the favorites, and after Captain Salt slapped home and unassisted goal with Eric Kroeker replaced with an extra attacker at 1:16, that aforementioned ‘whirlwind’ really started to swirl for both teams. The deepening drama was relieved in relatively short order when Wirt completed his hat trick with an empty net goal to seal the victory for Green, 5-3. Captain Meglich (21/24) was truly a rock for his team in the back-to-back Salt-shaking spree, but Josh Wirt was THE hero with FIVE goals and THREE assists on the night, including a 3 and 2 output that put Heather Blue out of the playoff picture. Eric Kroeker (13/17) and his mates had perhaps the worst case scenario of ‘timing is everything’ befall them, saving their only two losses of the season for the games that mattered most, but he and the Heather Blue crew should certainly be proud of their incredible season. Timing is everything for Green, as well, and their own incredible season will now stretch to the Final, where they hope to serve up an encore pair of upset wins and hoist the Cup on December 8th…