Boxes are up…recaps to come…

Apologies…still a very busy time for me, so…stripped down recaps this week…back to full power next time, complete with plenty of riffs and reference to The Office…

The new season got off to a low gear start, with Captain Steven P Linke’s Red and Captain Mark Nagy’s Purple slogging to a 0-0 stalemate. This was perhaps as lopsided a draw as this league has ever seen, with Red generating twenty-six shots to Purple’s FOUR. Folks, Purple did not produce a single shot for the first two full periods! Meanwhile, Chris Tran (26/26) put on a ridiculous POTW performance, making several circus saves, and frustrating Red’s resident goal scoring machine, John Boddy. Elyse ‘Sweepy’ Shattuck was a standout for Purple’s defense, which was overworked from start to finish. A point is a point is a point, and it looks as though Purple will need to steal all the points they can get if they are going to survive the next nine encounters with their playoff pass intact.

Mostafa Azab finally broke the season scoring seal with 0:26 remaining in the first period (from Ryan Karns) to give Captain Geoff Downes’ Orange a 1-0 lead over Captain Sean Bathgate’s Neon. Weston Nawrocki answered on the powerplay at 2:44 in the second (from Shawna Hamon and Carl Vankoughnett), and as the clock ticked past the midway point in the third, this game looked destined to be a deja vu deadlock. Glenn Pinto had other ideas, circling behind Neon’s net and depositing a rather weak wrap around waffle past Chuck Bender to give Orange a 2-1 lead that would hold as the final score. Matt Henderson (13/14) was steady and solid as ever in the season opening win, while Chuck Bender would have little time to lick his wounds before stepping back in nets for this third game of the night…

The pace of play, intensity, and goal scoring finally hit stride in the middle match, with Captain Rob Gaudio’s Black squaring off with Captain Luke Wolmer’s Green. Both teams flashed their speed and flexed their skills throughout, with Jim LaGrossa (from Rob Gaudio) opening the scoring for Black, and Matt Rogers (from Chris Malki) responding to close the first period book at one apiece. Erick Zawislak made his (hulking) presence felt early in the second, converting a Joe Malki feed to give Green their first lead, but Kyle Snyder (speaking of hulk) responded for Black less and a minute later (from Mason LaGrossa). Both teams had their share of great plays and glowing chances, but it was Captain Luke Wolmer who found the game-winner on the power play with 5:06 to play in the second (with Rogers collecting a begged-for assist). A scoreless third was icing on the 3-2 winning cake for Sean Kelly (13/15), while a tired and tested Chuck Bender (17/20) absorbed the loss for Black at the other end in Jimm Reifsnyder’s stead.

The low scoring parity party continued into the 7:00pm showdown, with Captain Kyle Prior’s Grey grappling with Captain Kaitlyn Brusso’s Gold. This was an ugly one for all involved, with EIGHT penalties called…nearly triple the number of goals scored…yikes. Jordan Pynn had Grey in front just one minute in (from Alexis DaCosta), but Andrew Jacobsen equalized later in the first (from Alan Razoky and Zach Siemer). There were SIX penalties in that first period alone, and amazingly enough…neither of the goals was on the PP/PK. A scoreless second was also a kinder, gentler second, with just one penalty posted (super goon, Leah Gonzales, with a roughing penalty…naturally), and the third period saw one more penalty, and one more goal. The penalty belonged to Mr. Razoky (his second roughing minor of the night), and the goal belonged to Zach ‘Don’t Draft Me As A Defender’ Siemer. Siemer’s game-winner came courtesy of a Jacobsen feed with 1:32 remaining, and Don Tran (16/17) and Gold walked away from SDFHL’s best impression of WrestleMania with a 2-1 win. Nick Vacchio (15/17) battled hard, but ultimately took the hard luck loss in a fill-in roll for Cory ‘Mayor Of Halloweentown’ Brin.

The penalty box remained empty, but the offensive flood gates finally opened in the Week One finale, with Captain Jon Salt’s Blue taking on Captain Rob Lavigne’s Brown. It was Captain LaVigne himself leading the charge for Brown, notching two solo strikes in the first. Those strikes with interspliced with a pair from Kalen Hunter (the first from Captain Salt and Mark Ennsmann, and the second an unassisted effort), leaving the score knotted at 2-2 going into the middle frame. Captain Salt (from Ennsmann) gave Blue a one goal lead, and Hunter completed his hat trick and doubled that lead (from Salt and Joe Nguyen), putting Blue well in command with ten minutes to play. It was Salt again to balloon Blue’s lead to three with 9:28 to play, and a too little, too late response from Brennan Abel (LaVigne and Leah Gonzales) to bring about the 5-3 final, Blue over Brown in game that equaled the total goal scoring output from the first three games on the slate combined. Nick Vacchio (16/19) rebounded from his sub duty loss to record a win for his team, while Nick Meglich (19/24) was left digesting a very bitter, very salty meal in the debut loss for Brown.

While most of us had a week (or two, or three, or four) to begin putting the Summer League 2023 in the ‘better luck next time’ mental file by the time the ides of October rolled around, Captain Geoff Downes’ Red, and Captain Sev Brown’s Purple were pumped and primed for the Final. The questions: Would Red hold serve and finish their postseason run with one Cup and no losses? Would Purple push the play to a second game, and maybe even edge the favorites in a double upset Cup coup? Which of the Salt Bros™ would have bragging rights at the Thanksgiving table? The answers: Yes. No. Jon. Captain Geoff Downes gave Red a 1-0 lead at 3:59 in the first, hammering a Matt Rogers’ point pass past the outstretched pad of Syd Costello, but neither goalie would allow anything further until late in the third. Unfortunately for Captain Brown and Purple, the ‘anything further late in the third’ came courtesy of Jon Salt, who converted a lead-doubling dagger on the power play with 1:37 to play in regulation (from Captain Downes). If you have somehow missed the memo…a two goal hole (especially a late two goal hole) is not something you climb out of with Silas Perks patrolling the perimeter. ‘The Silencer’ was perfect, stopping 22/22 to seal Purple’s fate, while Costello (22/24) was very sharp, but ultimately undone at the other end. Matt Rogers added an empty netter at 0:37 to (super) seal the deal, and Red finished what they started, dismissing the upstart six seeds, and capturing the Cup with a really well-played and well-earned 3-0 win. Congratulations to our Summer League 2023 champions, and congratulations to Purple for an inspired postseason surge that just came up short.