Captain Ryan Belbin and his largely Canadian contingent handed Malkhale’s Navy their first defeat since Week One…which happens to be the last time these two teams met. Match-ups are funny that way…some teams just have another team’s number. The top two numbers in the seeding took care of their lower ranked opponents, but Green added an under-card upset as well, besting fourth-ranked Purple.

Panic set in in the lead up to the opening game of the playoffs, as Green’s goalie was nowhere to be seen. A quick call to Andrew Lockard confirmed the worst…he was probably thirty minutes from the rink, expecting a 6:30pm start. With no time to waste in a tight slate, Mark DeGraffenreid donned the hodge podge, incomplete mix of orphan goalie gear from the bin, and trotted in behind Green’s starting five. The result was predictably not great (the former Rec Gym goalie managed to stop just four of the six shots he faced), but Green had rallied from an early 0-2 hole to even things by the time the real talent arrived. Shelby Shattuck and Matt Drake had taken full advantage of the stand-in, but Tony Thinh and Jeff Chen had responded, and Green held a considerable edge in the shot column through two periods. Captain Mara Bernd capped the comeback, tucking the game-winner past Shane Sullivan with 2:57 to play. The unlikely 3-2 win for Green has Purple Captain Jon Salt thankful that he didn’t push any harder for a single elimination format. Green move on to face top-seeded White, while Purple look to lick their wounds against the other end of the seeding spectrum in Yellow.

Yellow and Purple earned big wins in Week Six to move themselves closer to playoff safety, while Red and Grey each suffered their fourth consecutive loss to push them closer to the cellar. It’s not over yet, but it’s still o-fer for Royal Blue, who will need to elevate their game several levels in the second half if they have any hope of making the playoffs.

Gold handed Black their first loss of the season, and remained clear of the lower half of the standings, as Geoff Appuhn (12/12) returned from the depths of semi retirement to preserve a 2-0 result. Matt Riordan’s game-winner came just over a minute into the affair, and Alexis DaCosta added insurance midway through the second. Third overall pick, Steve Linke, has been the subject of recent trade rumors for Black, who have gone from comfortable to concerned after falling out of the top pack in the standings over the past few weeks.

Purple changed their team name, and changed their fortune, notching their first win of the season, 3-1 over Green. Mark Ennsmann tallied twice, and Captain Jon Salt scored the game-winner late in the second, as the ‘Purple Cobras’ moved to 1-2-2…one step closer to playoff salvation. Greg Mallinger ruined Shane Sullivan’s shoutout (17/18) with just 1:07 to play, but Green could not escape their second loss in three games.

Rookie Brett Cohen’s third of the year was the first and only in the game, lifting White to a 1-0 win over Red . Red has now lost four straight, dropping them into the danger zone section of the standings, while White’s 4-0-1 run after their opening week loss has them in striking distance of the top spot. Cory Brin (17/17) outdueled Elliot Hicks (18/19), and Red hung tough, killing six penalties, including two stretches of five on three play. Red will need to change their course against Grey in Week Seven, or they could find themselves down and out for good.

‘Skid Marks’ Captain, Mark DeGraffenreid, recorded a hat trick in (what we presume to be) record time, flipping the score from 0-1 to 3-1 within a :31 span in the first period. Josh Wirt had the underdog ‘Royal Pains’ on the board first, but that was the only offense they would muster. Vinny Santora’s first of the season rounded out the 4-1 win for Brown, and Alex Theis stayed sharp (22/23) and unshaken after the early Royal goal. Brown enter their bye week comfortably atop the standings, and may clinch a playoff berth as early as Week Eight. As noted in the open, Royal Blue will need everything they have and then some to avoid an early elimination this season.

Min-Soo Smith, Lena Amelang, and Derek Lobo had a goal apiece, and another quasi-retiree, Don Tran, stopped all but one shot he faced, as Yellow topped Grey, 3-1. Chris Tran’s power play marker late in the third was too little, too late for Grey, who have lost their captain/super stud goalie, Jordan Pynn, for the season (to add injury to insult). Grey will need to tape it all together and surprise a few teams if they have any hope of surfacing this season.

It’s Valentine’s Day, and the midway point in the season…what better time to check in on the pulse of each team? It’s all about the BPM, or in SDFHL terms, the PPW (Points Per Week). Brown, Green, White, Black and Navy are all heart healthy with a PPW greater than 1.00. Gold, Red, Grey, Yellow, and Purple will need a little TLC (Tosczak-Like Clutchness), and possibly CPR (Cheating/Prayer/Recruitment) in order to rebound from a PPW of 1.00 and below. Royal Blue, well, they are on life support, and are a few more fruitless weeks from having to issue a DNR (Do Not Rissi-citate). There is no universal health care in this league, so now is the time to make sure you have a solid PPO (Personal Point Output), or and least an HMO (Hail Mary Option) to help keep you and your team alive and kicking into mid to late April…

White (fittingly) blanked Grey, 3-0, keeping the drab-clad crew on the cellar stairs. It was Grey’s third straight loss…their third straight SHUTOUT loss. Alas, Grey’s best offensive weapon is stuck in nets. Cory Brin (15/15) posted his first clean slate of the season, while Nick Adkins, Jim LaGrossa, and Kim Hernandez provided the one-two-three punch in the win.

Purple snatched non-loss from the jaws of loss, as Mark Ennsmann’s taly with 0:15 remaining sealed the 3-3 deal with Black. Black remain undefeated at 2-0-3 with the result, but should perhaps be concerned that this is their second such last-minute-failed-dismount-stick in five games (see 0:37 Tony Thinh tally for Green in Week Two). Still, Tim Vick, Jeff Henderson, and Jason Remple helped keep the ‘L’ column spotless for Black with a goal apiece. Mark Daquipa, Sean Kelly, and the aforementioned hero, Mark Ennsmann, matched that output for a Salt-less Purple. Purple have zero wins in four tries, and have a tough schedule ahead with Green and White on the horizon.

Donald Chow kept his rookie of the year buzz buzzing, scoring his third goal of the season as part of Navy’s 4-1 heave-ho of Gold. Chris Malki, Justin Stege, and Mark Nagy rounded out the offense, and took all of the stress off Nick Meglich (16/17) between the pipes. Rookie, Mike Testen, scored his first career goal, providing the lone measure of vengeance for his twin brother, and Gold netminder, Steve Testen (22/26).

Shawna Hamon tucked home a power play goal to put Brown on the board, and was a key player in the production of dazzling tic-tac-toe insurance marker, as Brown kept their winning ways intact against Red, 3-1. Vance Morra made things interesting, scoring his first of the season with the goalie pulled, but even an oafed WIDE OPEN EMPTY NET chance for Captain Mark DeGraffenreid did not leave the door open wide enough for Red to recover. DeGraffenreid did find the twine late in the second, and Mark Boulanger was the ‘toe’ in the aforementioned tic-tac-toe play…his first career SDFHL tally. Alex Theis is clearly the backbone for Brown, stopping 15/16 in this go, and very nearly recording his third shutout in five tries.

It’s hard to overcome the hard luck double-whammy of Captain Tony Rissi and Kevin Dinino. Both have something of a history of ill-fated teams, and ‘Royal Pains’ have carried on that sad tradition, so far. This was a particularly heartbreaking loss, with Kris Tosczak’s second of the game coming at 0:52 in the third to secure the thrilling 4-3 victory for Green. Green had built a 3-1 lead after one (Tony Thinh, Eric Willard, and Tosczak’s first), but Royal Blue built on Josh Wirt’s first period score with goals by…yes, Rissi and Dinino…before it all came crashing down. Royal Blue is legitimately approaching ‘must win’ country at this point. Although they do have their bye week behind them, they face the current pace-setters in Brown in their next game, then the only other undefeated side in Black the following week.

It’s far too early to flush any team’s postseason dreams, but the bowl has some clear floaters and sinkers at this point. Brown has a strong movement underway through their first four games, and while they are hardly wiping away their opponents, they have pushed hard enough to sit on the throne as we approach the midway point in the season…

Captain Jon Salt and ‘Raisin Da Roof’ continued their scoring struggles, dropping their second game in three tries in fruitless fashion. The 0-1 L-O to Yellow has to be some cause for concern for Purple, even at this early juncture in the season. Yellow, came into the match with just one goal and zero wins in three games, but found a way past Purple in both the game and the standings. To add insult to injury, it was Captain Salt’s championship mate, Dan Jurgens, who inserted the lone dagger in the second period. Frédéric Fournier was a perfect 19/19 in the win, while Min-Soo Smith was 0/1 on empty net attempts.

Another scoring-challenged captain got off the schneid in time to help his team to a 2-1 win over Green. Captain Mark DeGraffenreid scored his first of the season early in the third, and assisted on Shawna Hamon’s game-winner less than two minutes later. Brown’s defense, and Alex Theis’ sparkling-as-ever play (18/19) almost managed to keep Kris Tosczak off the board, but the veteran sniper made the final minutes tense, scoring his second of the season. The win keeps Brown one of only two undefeated teams in the league thus far, and has them atop the standings for now. The loss was Green’s first…they will look to bounce back in Week Five against a winless Royal Blue. Melissa Busby did not record any points in this game.

The number three overall pick continues to pay off for Captain Wendy Enright and Black, as they remained undefeated with a 3-1 win over Red. Tim Helmbrecht earned POTW honors for his 2 and 1 effort, but Steve Linke (aforementioned blue chip old man) quietly collected his third and fourth points of the campaign with a 1 and 1 line. Param Gill provided the only scoring response for Red, who have split time between winning and losing through their first four games.

Joe Malki joined the ranks of captains with at least one goal, putting his team out front in the first. Rookie, Brett Cohen, equalized in the second, and Malki’s counterpart, Jim LaGrossa gave White the lead early in the third, but Justin Stege’s response made it 2-2 for good. LaGrossa’s 1 and 1 night gives him 2 and 5 on the season, good enough for tops in scoring…he’s hoping his Eagles will have the same punch on Sunday.

Bill Casey handed heartbreak to Grey, scoring the one and only goal in a big 1-0 win for Gold. Nick Godinez and Alexis DaCosta provided the setup on Casey’s second straight game-winner. Captain Jordan Pynn has stopped 50/52 while suffering back-to-back hard luck 0-1 losses. Steve Testen recorded his second shutout with the 18/18 effort, adding insult to Pynn’s injury by edging past him on the goaltending stats table.