Of all the steamy stories and hot combinations that could have rolled out of the playoff bed and onto the final floor, we ended up with the most predictable pairing of positions. The big finish is still fap-worthy, but I (for one) was hoping for, say, Burgundy to finish what they started, and come from behind in a spectacular fashion. Or, maybe Navy brings that hot father-son tag team into the mix? Listen, I realize that sort of thing is not for everyone, and Green and Black have earned the right to engage in one last (routine, vanilla) romp. May the best team finish first, and leave the other lying there, frustrated and unsatisfied.

Nothing much happened for the first 2.9 periods of the first elimination game on Sunday, then the wildest, most exciting game ever broke out. Param Gill broke the scoreless tie on the power play with just 0:36 to play, surely sealing Navy’s fate…or not. Joe Malki responded 0:23 seconds later, rescuing his team from an ugly late game fate. Unfortunately for Captain Vance Morra & Company, Makli’s goal was the last they’d score this season, as Glenn Pinto netted the game-winner in OT to keep Burgundy’s ridonkulous Cup run on track with an insane 2-1 win. At this point in the playoff procedings, it would be hard to argue that Burgundy was anything but a team of destiny. Still, Burgundy had one more hill to climb to set up a 1 v 8 final…

That hill came in the form of Green, who apparently have their own concept of ‘destiny’. Tim Helmbrecht staked the number two seed to a 2-0 lead through two periods and change, which likely did not faze Captain Cohen’s cardiac kids all that much. Param Gill provided the first answer for Burgundy, but Nick Adkins rebuilt the cushion for Green on the power play just minutes later. Alan Razoky sliced the margin back to one with just under two minutes to play, but Burgundy’s bag o’ magic tricks had nothing left in it, and Green held on to take it, 3-2. As noted in the headline, Green will move on to face Black in a battle of the top two seeds. The teams battled to a 1-1 draw in their regular season match, and Black bested Green 2-0 in their first playoff meeting. Come out and cheer on the team that you hate/envy the least…game(s) start this Sunday at 6:00pm.

 

Two more teams turned out to be playoff turkeys, and were promptly stuffed and cooked as an early Thanksgiving Day treat.  Burgundy continues to thrust from the bottom, while Black and Green have finally reached the point at which it’s time to whip it out and measure.  Six teams remain in the mix, and only one will be satisfied when the mid-December climax comes.

Purple were seraching for their first win since October 14th…they did not find in the second week of playoff play.  A Steve Jones sighting (2 and 0) provided most of the punch, and Gary Peters notched the game-winner as Red reeled off a revenge win, and removed Purple from the playoffs in the process, 3-1.  Jim LaGrossa had the only answer for Purple, who backed into the playoffs, and quickly backed out.  Marc Devoe was sharp in nets, stopping 19/20 to keep the seven seeds alive in the hunt for the ultimate prize.  Red move on to face Navy in another elimination match this Sunday.

On the heels of a narrow OT escape from bottom-seeded Burgundy, Black was surely primed to flex their might against Navy.  Instead, the game might well have flexed the wrong way for the top seeds, who once again found a way to prevail,  this time via the shootout, 2-1.  Tom Darlington slipped just the tip in to provide a lead for Black, but that tip was snipped by Andy Strathman with less than a minute to play.  Sources reported that the equalizer was somewhat controversial (possible kick), but Jon Salt’s two shootout tallies sealed the deal for real.  Steve Testen was a bad man once again, stopping 24/25 to earn POTW honors.  Black move on to face Green with a ticket to the Final on the line, while Navy look to stay alive in the Loser’s Bracket against Red.

Another week, another thriller for Captain Brett Cohen and Burgundy.  Fortunately for Cohen and his crew, they came out on the right end this time, shooting out past Pink, 2-1.  Josh Wirt put the favorites on top early in the thrid, but Glenn Pinto answered minutes later, and Burgundy’s shooters put on a winning show in the shootout.  Pink join Purple as the latest additions to the scrap heap, while Burgundy look to continue their Cinderella season in a knockout match with Orange.

The final contest of the night really wasn’t much of a contest at all, as Green stormed past Orange, 4-1.  Anthony Cerasuolo netted the first two goals, including the game-winner, and Steve Goncalo’s equal effort put the game out of reach for a shell-shocked Orange side.  Sean Kelly was Sean Kelly, stopping all but one of the thirteen shots he faced (Mark DeGraffenreid).  Green hope to keep the offense warm and toasty as they turn to a showdown with Black’s comparitively cold front.  One more win, and they are in the catbird seat for the Final.  Orange will need to regoup and bring their A game against a suddenly dangerous Burgundy side.

A frisky foursome of games had all eight teams flirting with pleasure and pain in the opening weekend of playoff action.  Things couldn’t have been much more intimate, really.  In the end, only one of the higher seeds left unsatisfied.  Still, even the sexiest seed needed a foxy female closer in OT to come out on top.

The playoffs opened with a bit of a hitch, as Navy arrived to play with no goalie.  Fred Fournier suited up and saved the day (and may have boosted Navy’s outlook a bit in the process).  When the game finally got underway, some thirty minutes late, Navy prevailed 2-0, and produced the only upset on the evening.  It was a family affair, for sure, with Joe Malki scoring twice, both on assists from his old man, Chris.  The aforementioned Fournier stopped 21/21 in Matt Henderson’s stead, while Elliot Hicks took the loss with a 20/22 line.  Navy move on to face top-seeded Black, while Pink hope to avoid elimination against bottom-seeded Burgundy, as the playoff resume on Sunday.

First season sensation, Carl Vankoughnett, kept his hand hot, staking Orange to a 1-0 lead in the first.  Weston Nawrocki responded early in the third, and the game could not be decided in regulation.  Overtime gave way to a shootout, with that guy Carl again finding twine and helping Orange to a 2-1 win.  Don Tran stopped all but one of twenty-two shots through OT, and was perfect in the shootout.  Purple will now face #7 Red in an elimination match, while Orange will tangle with Green on the other side of the bracket.

Game three did not figure to be a nail-biter, on paper.  Black had stormed to the top of the standings with an impressive playoff push, and Burgundy had only just managed to make it in the final week of play.  Still, anything can happen in the playoffs, and anything nearly did.  The teams strove and struggled to a 0-0 tie through three periods, setting up an overtime period for all the marbles.  Those marbles were snatched and hoisted high by our POTW, Maureen Ruchhoeft, who brought sudden death to Burgundy and propelled Black to victory, 1-0.  Ruchhoeft described the goal as ‘freaky’, and called it ‘my own hand of god moment’.  Fluke or not, they all count, and this one counted big.  Steve Testen earned the shutout with a 12/12 performance, while Andrew Lockard absorbed the tough loss with a 12/13 showing.  Black stay on the Winner’s side of the bracket to face Navy, while Burgundy will battle for their playoff lives against Pink.

Tim Helmbrecht and Nick Adkins provided the goals, and Sean Kelly denied the goals against,  as Green strode past Red, 2-0.  Stephanie Palomo Schmidt and Captain Joe Nguyen collected assists, and Kelly was a perfect 21/21 to earn first star honors.  Green move on to face Orange, to whom they suffered a 3-1 regular season loss, and Red will look for redemption against Purple in the early game this weekend.

Here’s hoping Blue and Gold like to watch, because they won’t be getting in on any of the hot, sweaty playoff action.  Both teams certainly flirted with playoff promise, but Navy and Burgundy proved that their desperation game was a little stronger as the ugly lights came up at closing time in da regular season club.  With all playoff holes…accounted for…these two will have to settle for some quality alone time for the coming two months.  Blue and Gold…whatever you do, don’t hang your heads.  Every team this season got a little action, and had a chance to go all the way.  Give yourselves a hand, and come…back next season relaxed and refreshed.

Navy was all but left for dead after six weeks of play, floundering along the standings floor at 1-4-1.  Their 4-2 win over Purple in Week Nine grew their win streak to three, and firmly placed the padlock on a playoff spot.  The streak matches Black’s 3-0-0 run for the best lead-up to the second season, and serves as further evidence that sports is all about getting hot at the right time.   Chris Malki was particularly hot in this one, leading the way with 2 and 1, including the game-winner.  Matt Henderson is returning to top form just in time, with his 19/21 in this game contributing to a 53/57| .929 | 1 SO line over the course of the win streak.  The win also vaulted Navy over Purple, who have taken exactly the opposite course to the playoffs, after starting the season 4-1-1.  Navy will enter the playoffs as the five seed, thanks to the head-to-head tie-breaker with Purple, who fall to the six seed.  Navy will face Pink in the early game this Sunday, while Purple will look for Pynn-aided revenge against Orange in the second slot.

Navy’s big win had to make Blue uneasy, but they still held a one point edge over Gold and Burgundy, so even a 4-0 loss to Black wasn’t a definite death knell…until it was.  Tom Darlington netted a pair, and ‘The Jons’ (Zygleman & Salt) combined for 2 and 2 to propel Black to the top spot in the final week, and leave Blue biting their collective nails.  Unfortanately for Captain Nick Vacchio and his crew, the remaining slate of games did not fall in their favor.  Nick Godinez provided some life in place of Derek Lobo, but no win, no tie, no playoffs for either blue-clad Nick.  Black’s three game surge left their final mark at 5-2-2, and Green’s loss later in the evening meant *YOINK*…top seed to Captain Rob LaVigne & Company by virtue of goal differental tie-breaker.  They will face upstart Burgundy in the third game this Sunday.

With both teams assured of a playoff berth, the Orange v Red game was strictly about playoff posturing.  Orange improved their posture with a hard-fought 2-1 win, improving their recent record to 4-0-1, and securing the three seed for the playoffs.  Carl Vankoughnett continued to produce, scoring the game-winner in the second, and assisting on Mark DeGraffenreid’s goal in the first.  Gary Peters added some late drama for Red, cutting the lead in half with 2:36 to play, and helping cut DeGraffenreid’s forehead in half with seconds to play.  Orange will look for a repeat of their regular season performance against Purple, while Red will seek redemption for their regular season loss to Green as the playoffs open this weekend.

The elections remind us that every vote counts, and Burgundy is a reminder that every goal counts.  It was win or go home for Captain Brett Cohen’s crew.  In spite of recent signs of life (a 1-1 tie with Orange, and a 6-1 embarrassment of Blue), Burgundy could not advance without a win (or at least a tie, and some creative tie-breaking).  They could not win without at least one goal.  Param Gill provided that one goal, and lifted Burgundy to the promised land with a 1-0 win over Green.  Captain Cohen himself provided the primary helper on the season-saving tally, and some chick had the second assist.  Gill’s late season heroics boosted his scoring totals to the top of the pile (7 and 7), and have granted a stay of execution for a team that most pundits had locked in the basement for life.  Green’s defeat unseats them from the top seed, but a 2-2-1 in their final five games is hardly akin to Purple’s back-in job.  They will look to prove their mettle against Red in round one, while Burgundy take on the new number one in Black.

Going last has its privileges, at least as far as panicky playoff pushes go.  Gold knew that they needed a win over Pink to survive into the holidays.  Param Gill did not walk through that door for Gold, and the resulting 0-0 tie spelled doom for Captain Zach Siemer’s creation.  Both goalies deflected every shot they faced…a rather pedestrian requirement of Pink’s Elliot Hicks (8/8), and a more impressive, but sadly futile effort for Gold’s Tiffany Fox (18/18).   So, it came down to the final game of the final week, but Gold would join Blue below the cut line, and indeed (by virtue of head-to-head tie-breaker) capture the Reese’s Cup, for the team who finishes dead last in a given season.  More on that newly-minted honor some other time…Min?  Pink enter the playoffs as the four seed, having racked up four ties in nine regular season games.  There are no ties in playoff hockey, so we’ll see which way things fold for Captain Matt Drake’s mates as they begin their playoff campaign against Navy in the opener this Sunday.