With the fire, the rains, and the holidays, the Fall 2025 season of SDFHL hockey was longer than most, and for those who missed the playoffs (or were eliminated in mid-December), Wing 2026 could not come soon enough. It was finally time for a new season, a clean slate, and our first opportunity to size up our competition and assess our own team’s chances of capturing the Cup. The opening week schedule kicked off with Captain Nick Meglich’s Sand grappling with Captain Will Heinl’s Purple. If you paid any attention at all last season, you know that Alex Giummo is a very (very) difficult player to contain, and you also know that Captain Meglich has been downright heroic in nets in the past few seasons, often stealing wins for his team in spite of rather lopsided shot totals in his opponent’s favor. That’s a tough combination to overcome, and Purple drew the short straw in facing Sand right out of the gate. The first period nearly came and went with no damage done by either side, but Giummo finally broke through on the powerplay with 0:22 to go (Wendy Enright), giving Meglich & Company a lead heading into the first break. The second period was also mostly quiet, but it was Giummo again at 1:53 (Andy Strathman) to double Sand’s lead, then Justin Hepler producing Purple’s first pushback at 0:55 (Greg Wirth) to cut the lead back to one through two. The third period belonged entirely to Sand, with Giummo completing his first (of no doubt MANY) hat trick of the season at 9:46 (Parsa Mostafavi), Trevor Vick padding Sand’s edge to three at 5:03 (Strathman), and Giummo adding one more for good measure at 2:30 (Erin Plone) to wrap a now convincing 5-1 Sand win over Purple. The shot totals were very close this time around, but Captain Meglich (29/30) proved that his championship form had not faded at all. Captain Heinl (23/28) held about as strong as any goalie can hope to against Giummo, but the dam clearly broke in that third period. The consolation…Heinl will not have to face Giummo again (at least, not for his own team) until the postseason (assuming both of these teams make it that far).

You really don’t want to have to break out the pinnies this early in the season, and apparently Captain William Teglia’s Teal and Captain Ryan Karns’ Green were able to agree that those horrible fluorescent tank tops would not be needed as the color cousins set to do battle in the second game on the Week One docket. In case you missed it, Kyle Snyder is back! The hulking, uber-skilled defender was (apparently) posted as a forward for Captain Teglia’s Teal, and (wherever he played) he wasted little time reminding everyone that he can score. Snyder’s first of the season at 3:16 in the first (Captain Teglia & Stephanie Ann Palomo Schmidt Jr.) put Teal in front first, and Palomo Schmidt quickly doubled that damage at 2:15 (Mostafa Azab). The plot thickened considerably in the second, with Captain Karns himself furnishing the first response for Green…an unassisted strike at 5:55, Snyder snatching the two-goal edge back with his own solo effort at 3:51, then a pair of Green goals…Vance Morra from Carl Vankoughnett at 3:32, and Jackson Tomaszewski from Jenna Chercoe and Ramsey Ksar at 2:18, knotting this sudden scorefest at 3-3. Captain Teglia packed one more goal into the second, his first of the season at 1:27 (Rob LaVigne & Azab) to push his team back in front going into the second break. It was Teglia again early in the third (7:56 from Snyder and Christopher Fiore) restoring the two goal edge, and an unassisted Chad Goins tally to build Teal’s lead to a tough-to-topple three with half a period to play. Indeed, that three goal lead would not be undone, but Captain Karns was able to register one last counterpunch with 0:14 to go (Tomaszewski & Ksar)…his second of the game…although he wanted me to mention that he actually registered his first career hat trick…if you count own goals in that feat. I am not sure which of the opponent’s goals should be credited to Captain Karns, but the 6-4 win goes to Jon Cima (13/17) and Teal. Matt Henderson (14/20) and Green will surely rebound (unless my read/comparison of the ten teams ‘on paper’ is way off), and their Week Two test will come with Captain Owen Perks returning to lead a stout looking (but also 0-1-0) Blue side.

The Week One middle game would be a showdown between Captain Nick Vacchio’s Gold and Captain Josh Wirt’s Red. Among the likely motivations for captaining a team this season…both captains missed the playoffs last season with Lime and Red, respectively. So, an early chance at some redemption, and a chance for both captains to prove that their wisdom at the draft table and their leadership on the rink would make for a more competitive and enjoyable season. Captain Vacchio certainly put that leadership on display in the first, notching his first of the season at 7:08 (Luke Wolmer), then his second at 2:29 (Wolmer) — I suppose the ‘draft table wisdom’ would be Vacchio’s choice of Wolmer as a linemate. A scoreless second saw Red outshoot Gold 6-2, and a 12-2 Red edge in shots in the third might lead you to believe that Captain Wirt & Company had managed to tie, or even take the lead in the final ten minutes of play. John Kushneryk (22/22) refuted that math, stopping everything he faced to preserve his team’s lead in spite of Red’s potent and persistent push. Wolmer would add an unassisted empty net goal with 1:53 to go, wrapping a 1 and 2 effort that paced Gold to a 3-0 win in their opener. Chuck Bender (6/8) absorbed the loss in Don Tran’s absence, and while Gold’s single digit shot count made him nearly a third as busy as his counterpart, it’s impossible to win (and hard to even tie) a game in which you do not score. Captain Wirt and Red certainly have the names to win games, and they will be hungry to prove that they can score when they face Captain Kalen Hunter’s Black, while Captain Vacchio and Gold will look to stay on the winning track against Captain Heinl’s 0-1-0 Purple.

With ninja netminder Sean Kelly out with a wrist injury, and Captain Kalen Hunter informing his mates Sunday morning that he, Papa (Kevin) Hunter, and young speedster Austin Szymanski would all be elsewhere as well, confidence was not exactly sky high for Black coming into their season debut against Captain Brennen Abel’s White. The more than capable substitute presence of Chris Tran in the pipes, and Hima Joshi stepping in for (the also injured) Kerri Sevenbergen gave Black a hint of hope that a light, Kalen-less crew could come through and cash in with a Week One win. Arnold Gonzales swelled that hope a bit at 4:17 in the first (Mark DeGraffenreid)…a controversial goal on a play that was close to, if not definitively offside. White would hold a 17-8 edge in sots through two periods of play, but the second period saw Black double their lead with DeGraffenreid’s first of the season at 5:42 (Pat Gladstone) sandwiching a Rob Gaudio response for White (4:30 from Jim LaGrossa) with an unassisted John Kushneryk conversion. DeGraffenreid’s second of the game at 8:38 in the third (Josh Tran & Kushneryk) pushed Black’s lead to 4-1, and Tran would make it 5-1 with a lone wolf effort at 8:15. White is certainly not lacking for playmakers and goal scorers, and just when this one was looking like a laugher, Rob Gaudio made it 5-2 (Captain Abel & La Grossa) at 6:44, before Captain Abel cut the lead to two at 2:25 (Gaudio & LaGrossa). Chris Tran (20/23) would hold strong the rest of the way to preserve the 5-3 win, with Black feeling as though they had staged quite the coup in the absence of their uber-skilled captain. Gabe Davenport (8/13) shouldered the loss for White in what is the first game of the ‘Young Canuck Cup’. Yes, folks…I am working on acquiring some hardware for a little side prize between Captain Abel, Captain Hunter, and Captain Perks. Whoever earns the most points in that triad will be showered with Smarties, ketchup chips, Kraft dinner, bragging rights, and some sort of trophy (TBA).

The Week One slate wrapped with what I jokingly referred to as the ‘Gender Reveal Bowl’, thinking that (my fellow referee) Josh Tran’s wife had not yet given birth. Well…she had, and…GIRL! So…bit of a spoiler, with Captain Darin Cerasuolo’s Pink now feeling like a lock against Captain Owen Perks’ Blue. The actual reason Pink might be brimming with confidence as warmups wrapped was the absence of said Blue captain…another casualty of the drive back from Yosemite…the same ill-fated commute that caused Captain Hunter and Austin Szymanski to miss their game. Team Girl did get on the board first, with Eric Willard converting at 3:54 in the first (Shelby Shattuck & Chuck Bender (!)), but Team Boy rallied back in the second with goals from Justin Stege at 5:06 (Dorothy Kline), and Wasif Hussain at 3:51. Greg Francisco would equalized for Team Girl at 1:28 (Jon Salt & Captain Cerasuolo), sending the tied teams into a third period to finally decide that already decided Tran baby gender. Sure enough…Team Girl…ironically in the form of double-dude-dad and recently returned legend (in his own mind, at least), Jon Salt. Salt put Pink back in front at 9:36 in the third (Chris Tran & TK Mason), and Chuck Bender (13/15) kept his team’s destiny dialed in from there…Team Girl over Team Boy, 3-2. Mason Holcomb (12/15) was his typical sharp self, but Pink’s baby mojo and/or the absence of Blue’s leader/captain/best player (it’s tough to figure which carried more weight) would ultimately spoil his season start.

The rain (and fire) delays in the SDFHL Fall League 2025 season pushed the original finish line for the playoffs back a full month. Captain John Boddy knew coming into the season that he was moving to Oregon in mid to late December, but he didn’t know that his team would make an inspired run to the Final, and that the Final would now be held on January 18th. As insane as booking a flight back to town for a recreational hockey league game sounds, Boddy was prepared to do it, and his team rallied to support what would surely be an inspirational sports movie moment, with a Boddy-led Blue finishing what they started, and sending their captain back up the coast with a cocktail in one hand, and the Cup in the other. Alas, the hockey/weather/flight/life gods all conspired against this fantasy scenario, leaving Blue without their leader against a poised and powerful Orange side. Captain Mark Nagy’s crew knew that they would need to win two to Blue’s one, but with Boddy in beaver country, the sentiment was that a win in the opening game would certainly position them as favorites to capture the Cup. That first game opened with a scoreless first, with both teams pressing, but not managing much in the way of shots on net (four per side). The shot count faded to the Orange side of the ledger (4-1) in the second, with Blue clearly missing their heart/soul/leader as Orange began to control more and more of the play. Kalen Hunter finally found a hole in Chris Tran’s gear at 1:35 in the second (Weston Nawrocki), giving Orange a slim, but seemingly ‘commanding’ lead going into the third. The 7-2 shot count in Orange’s favor in that final period lent more evidence to the balance of play, but Tran (13/14) held firm to keep his team in it to the bitter end. That bitter end came with an Eric Willard empty-netter with 0:48 to play (Jenna Chercoe & Captain Nagy), and with a hardly-tested Nick Meglich (7/7) at the other end, Orange would go on to secure that all important first win, 2-0.

So…both teams now found themselves on ‘even footing’, but with the feet of Boddy elsewhere, all of the momentum and mojo seemed to be with Captain Nagy & Company. Action resumed with game two after a brief rest of both sides, and all of that Orange momentum and mojo was frozen within the opening ten seconds. Eli Schonbrun burst forward off the opening draw, maneuvered through the Orange defense, and drove a shot into/mostly through Meglich’s pads. Ramsey Ksar was there to tuck home the loose ball behind Orange’s netminder, and just like that…ten seconds in…Blue’s first lead of the night! A response from Kalen Hunter came at 3:26 in the first (Eric Willard & Will Heinl), and the shot count over the first frame (12-5, in Orange’s favor) was once again painting a grim picture for Blue. That count jumped to 15-4 for Orange in the second, and even an absolutely heroic performance from Chris Tran could not prevent that second punch from landing…Captain Mark Nagy unassisted at 2:04. The shot discrepancy dialed down in the third (Orange 6-2), but Blue was clearly out of gas and out of matches to spark a comeback at that point. Hunter’s empty netter at 0:29 was the final nail in the coffin, as Orange would move on to sweep the Final slate and capture the Cup, 3-1. As one of the referees in this game, I was awed by Blue’s grit and effort in these two games…clearly putting everything drop of energy and emotion into every play, just hoping they could win one for their captain. I was particularly wowed by Tran’s performance (30/32)…absolutely sublime. Orange were no slouches, of course, with Nick Meglich (10/11) capping an incredible season that had him BY FAR the busiest of all goalies. It was a great Final…and while we all would have liked to see Boddy weaving and working and willing his team on for just one more night…sometimes things are not in the stars…

Week Four opened with a straight up grudge match, as Captain Jeremy Copp’s Teal and Captain Hima Joshi’s Gold met in a spicy spousal showdown with elimination at stake. The ‘Mr. & Mrs. Smith’ of it all was only made more intense by the circumstance/outcome of their regular season meeting. Teal absolutely plastered Gold in that first meeting, taking full (or…overfull, IMO) advantage of some key Gold absences in a 10-2 romp. Yours truly (for one) was deeply unimpressed with the sportsmanship (not) displayed in that game, and a win in the rematch would not only settle that score for Joshi & Company, but would eliminated Teal and leave Gold just one win away from advancing to the Final as a seven seed. A scoreless first saw Teal outshoot Gold 10-3, and while Teal posted an 11-5 shot edge in the second, it was Gold who would strike gold first. Not surprisingly, it was Owen Perks doing the seal-breaking honors at 8:56 (Vance Morra), and even less surprisingly, it was Alex Giummo who would answer for Teal at 7:32 (Jim LaGrossa). Penalty trouble in the third made an already uphill battle even steeper for Gold, as Mark DeGraffenreid (!) was sent off for tripping a determined Giummo at 7:53. Gold would survive that short-handed stint, but Giummo’s unassisted second of the game at 2:28 pumped up the late game pressure for the lower seeds. Incredibly enough, Vance Morra would knot the score just three seconds later, popping a shot off-and-over Matt Henderson at 2:25 (Evan Melcher) to set up a frenetic finish. Perks was sent off for tripping (Giummo, of course) at 1:58, then Morra for holding (Giummo) at 1:15. Yes…a 5 on 3 powerplay for the final 1:15 of regulation…surely the kiss of death for Joshi’s crew. Nope…not only did Gold kill the penalties, but both Chris Fiore and Mark DeGraffenreid would have several glorious chances to end the game and Teal’s season. Alas…overtime, where Gold continued to kill, but were ultimately killed by Giummo’s third of the game at 3:47 (Arnold Gonzales). Matt Henderson (11/13) held steady throughout, and breathed a sigh of relief that he did not allow a 5 on 3 game-winner in the dying minutes, as Teal slid past their rivals 3-2. Mason Holcomb (31/34) was absolutely incredible in this game, and Gold needed every bit of brilliance from everyone on their side to hold Giummo to a mere hat trick. The loss certainly stings all the more for Captain Joshi, who could only take comfort in her cozy bed that Sunday night, while Captain Copp ‘enjoyed’ the couch.

Teal would need to rub their tired legs, swig some Gatorade, and get back out on the court to face Captain Mark Nagy’s Orange in the second game. Orange came into the playoffs as the five seed, but landed in the Week Four catbird seat by virtue of winning their first two playoff games. Captain Nagy & Company had the benefit of being rested and ready, and also the confidence that comes from having prevailed 4-1 over Teal back in Week Four of the regular season. The presumed advantage of ‘rested and ready’ doesn’t always pan out, though, and at this stage in the playoffs, you should always prepare for/expect a dogfight. It was another game, another scoreless first, but an even 5-5 shot count seemed to show that Orange was up to the task, and/or Teal was tiring. Giummo (*gasp*) put Teal on top first at 6:20 in the second (LaGrossa), but Kalen Hunter was quick to answer for Orange, notching his first of the night to knot it at 5:15 (Eric Willard & Jenna Chercoe). You might have picked up on the context clue ‘first of the night’ in that last sentence, as there would be a second Hunter strike at 3:49 in the third (Willard & Mark Daquipa) to put Orange out front for the first time. Willard would add insurance just six ticks later, and Nick Meglich (16/17) was not having any late game Giummo heroics with his team SO close to the Final…he would hold the lead and help eliminate Teal, 3-1. Matt Henderson (16/19) was valiant as ever in the loss, and Captain Copp & Company can certainly be proud of a deep playoff run that began with a deeply discouraging 0-4-0 season start. Captain Nagy’s crew move on to the Final to face Captain Boddy’s Blue. Well, Captain Boddy’s Blue…minus Captain Boddy. Yes, unfortunately John will not be able to make it back down from Oregon to join his mates, so while Blue needs just one win to clinch the Cup, Orange can certainly be considered to be on even footing, at worst. This LONG…rain and fire delayed season will finally come to a close this Sunday…don’t miss it!

The SDFHL playoffs do not feature the concept of ‘re-seeding’, and with the stunning 5-1 Purple Week One pounce, Captain Luke Wolmer’s Black found themselves facing elimination in Week Three against a very dangerous three seed. All the while, bottom seeded Purple could survive the third week of play with a win over the seven spot, Gold. It may seem ‘unfair’, but that’s how the postseason cookie crumbles, and the once untouchable top seeds were now one loss from crumbling all the way down and all the way out. The bright side for Black…the undisputed heavyweight scoring champion of the universe, Alex Giummo, would be out of the lineup for Captain Jeremy Copp’s Teal. Jeff Henderson was also sidelined, softening the blue line a bit for the three seeds, but the very unbright side for Black…no Janice and Tom Darlington, no Riley Mann, and no Trevor Vick. So…gutted arsenals on both sides, but Wolmer & Company could still count on their captain and leading scorer, and Teal had enough secondary scoring in the ranks (Jim LaGrossa, Josh Tran, Andy Strathman, Gordon Schmidt…) to rally Teal to a season saving win. It was tertiary scoring that did the first damage for either side, with Captain Copp himself registering his first goal of the entire season at 7:40 (Kerri Sevenbergen). Captain Wolmer responded for his team at 3:04 in the first (Wasif Hussain), but Andy Strathman snatched the lead back for Teal just FOUR seconds later (Jim LaGrossa). A scoreless second ended with a fruitless Black powerplay, and the third began with a second fruitless Black powerplay, but Wolmer finally broke through to level the ledger with his second of the game at 7:51 (Tim Vick & Maureen Ruchhoeft). Josh Tran restored Teal’s lead with 4:18 to play (Strathman & LaGrossa), and with Matt Henderson (21/23) standing firm against Black’s last gasp, Tran iced Teal’s 4-2 win with an unassisted empty netter at 0:26. So, after soaring to epic 6-0-0 heights, Captain Wolmer’s Black flopped into the playoffs with a 1-2-0 stretch, then fell out all together with another 1-2-0 showing in December. Captain Copp & Company are thrilled to have survived without their WMD in play, and knocking off the top seed (with or without all of their weapons) has to fuel their confidence moving into a gauntlet Week Four. Teal will first need to slide past Captain Hima Joshi’s Gold in a grudge match for the ages, then immediately face Captain Mark Nagy’s high octane Orange to keep their Cup dreams alive.

The bracket match was a at least a bit more ‘as expected’ in the Week Three middle game, with Captain John Boddy’s second seeded Blue facing Captain Mark Nagy’s fifth seeded Orange. Both teams appeared to be peaking at the proper point, with Orange handling White with relative ease in Week One, then gritting out a shootout win over Purple. Blue did the gritty shootout bit to move past Gold in their opener, then jumped on Captain Boddy’s back for an early third period tying goal, then a (very) late period, short-handed game-winning goal to stun Teal. Boddy’s efforts over those first two games were at least as poetic as they were heroic, with Blue’s captain seemingly willing his team to Cup destiny in his final SDFHL season. In fact, this Week Three match was meant to be Boddy’s last game…his departure to Oregon already set in stone, and wistful jokes of a flight back for the Final seemingly just…wistful jokes. Back in reality, Kalen Hunter was in no joking mood, sniping home the game’s first goal at 9:34 in the first (Jenna Chercoe & Mark Daquipa) to give Orange a (very) early lead. It was…who else…Captain Boddy to equalize for Blue at 8:17 in the second (Sean Kelly & Eli Schonbrun), leaving the score locked at ones through two. Marc Lapointe picked the perfect game to score his first of the season, wristing a Boddy draw over Nick Meglich’s left shoulder to lift Blue to their first lead of the night. Captain Nagy would not be left out of the leadership conversation, pushing Orange back to a 2-2 tie with 6:00 to play (Kalen Hunter & Eric Willard), but Boddy would not/could not be denied, notching his second of the night at 4:59 (Schonbrun & Sean Kelly) to restore Blue’s edge. Kelly would add insurance at 3:05 (Boddy), and Chris Tran (22/24) would shake off the shockingly quick first goal and hold on to preserve Blue’s 4-2 win. Meglich (20/24) was not quite as magical as he has been all season, but certainly made all the saves he could be expected to make in his first postseason loss. Orange will now await the winner of Teal v Gold, with hopes to survive and earn a shot at Final revenge/redemption. The win means that Blue are now a fixture in the Final, needing just one more win against the lone survivor/challenger to capture the Cup. All reports indicate that those ‘jokes’ of Boddy flying back in to join his team in the Final are no longer jokes…they’re inspirational-sports-movie-worthy plans!

Elimination was once again in the air as warmups for the Week Three nightcap wrapped. Captain Hima Joshi’s Gold had acquitted themselves quite well for a seven seed, having built a 2-0 lead over Blue in their opener before succumbing to Captain Boddy’s regulation and shootout heroics, then cruising past Green 4-1 to avoid elimination in their second outing. Captain Ryan Karns’ Purple was also building an impressive post season resume, smashing Black 5-1 in their first game, before falling in a shootout to Orange in their second. Two teams with a seemingly similar ‘mojo’, neighboring seeds, and a regulation game that ended 1-0 in Purple’s favor, with the lone goal scored with just 0:31 to play…a dream rematch for TV executives smart enough to buy the rights to SDFHL playoff hockey. This was a wild one, alright, and it started with a trio of Gold goals in the first. Steve Goncalo broke the scoreless tie with an unassisted strike at 6:37, and Chris Fiore followed just eight second later with a long range laser to double the damage (Vinny Santora & Vance Morra). Goncalo’s second of the game at 0:37 (Owen Perks) was ‘gritty’, and boosted Gold’s already swelling spirits at least as much as it sucked the air out of the Purple bench. A scoreless second saw John Kushneryk keep his sheet clean in spite of a 22-8 edge in shots in Purple’s favor, and when Mark DeGraffenreid made it 4-0 at 6:47 in the third (Vance Morra), most Purple fans in attendance started making their way to the exits. The clock wound down to the final minutes of play, and with Morra heading off for hooking at 3:12, it would be Purple’s last chance to join the dance. On cue…2:53…a quick shot in the slot and a goal for Pat Gladstone…4-1 (Geoff Downes & Darin Cerasuolo). Even strength play resumed, and with the clock now under 1:30 to play, and Purple’s net empty, surely this would just be…Carl Vankoughnett at 1:19 (Captain Karns & Brendan Jew)…4-2. OK…cool story, but…less than a minute now…surely an empty-netter coming for Gol…Geoff Downes at 0:39 (Darin Cerasuolo & Vankoughnett)…4-3! An insane surge for Purple, and a nightmare collapse for Gold…with Captain Joshi & Company now in full flop sweat, white knuckle mode. Purple kept the push pulsing, sending a flurry of desperate chances on goal, only to finally be stopped by the only remaining force capable of stopping them…time. So…an instant classic…a heart-attack-inducing 4-3 win for Gold, and a heartbreaking 4-3 elimination loss for Purple. Kushneryk (31/34) filled in admirably for Mason Holcomb (who also missed the regular season installment), while Chuck Bender (10/14) and Purple came up just short of a fairytale comeback to sustain their run in a would-be Cinderella season. Gold will need all hands on deck and all games on ‘A’ if they have any chance of surviving the gauntlet of Teal and Orange when playoff play resumes in the new year…