Week One of playoff action kicked off with the closest of playoff seeds in the closest of contests. This was also a battle between two teams with the most ridiculously wordy names, as Captain Arnold Gonzales’ ‘Canadian Moun-Theis Of Navy Scotia’ entered as the four seed to face Captain Ian Crooks’ fifth-seeded ‘Black Bacon, Trancakes & Mabel Syrup’. A scoreless first saw Chris Tran stop all THIRTEEN Navy shots, while the five seed managed just three balls batted at Alex Theis. The shots were a bit more even in the second, and Black found a way to un-even the score, as the regular season scoring co-champ and Young Canuck™ super stud, Brennan Abel, made it 1-0 Black with 2:01 to play in the middle frame. Joe Nguyen re-evened things midway through the third, finally solving Tran, with assists to Jim LaGrossa and Nick Vacchio. The 1-1 tie looked likely to last through regulation, but Josh Wirt gave the game-winner a good home with just 1:07 remaining, sending Black to the Losers’ Bracket track with a 2-1 *yoink* job. Rarely does a player from the losing side earn the top star of the game, but Tran (33/35) was the real story of this game…a story with a sad ending for Black. Theis (19/20) was no slouch at the other end, deserving a healthy serving of credit for keeping his team in it from start to finish. Navy move on to face top-seeded Green, while Black look to stave off elimination against bottom-seeded Purple, as Week Two action ratchets up the stakes…
Captain Brandon Olsen and ‘Nickelbackcheck’ snatched headlines in Week One by becoming the only lower seed to prevail. The six seeds upended third-seeded Red in a laugher-turned-nail biter for the ages. Grey showed incredible scoring depth in this one, with no one player scoring more than once, and two of their goals coming from rather unlikely sources. The first such surprise came courtesy of Phil Nguyen, who cashed in a Kevin Dinino assist at 0:52 in the first to put Grey in front. That lead lasted just sixteen seconds, though, as The Gaudio Boys™ were there with a lightning quick response (Joe from Rob). It was a more customary combo putting Grey back on top in the second…Alexis DaCosta from Eric Herrmann, but the third period shifted back to ‘variety is the spice of life’ mode. Marc Lapointe scored his first of the season (indeed, his first point of the season) just 0:31 into the third, and Captain Brandon Olsen and Eric Herrmann quickly followed to build the lead to 5-1 in Grey’s favor. Red did not earn a top three regular season finish by lying down when losing, though, and Captain Rob converted on the power play at 5:41 (from brother Joe, of course) to spark a heroic comeback. Craig Russell decided that one ‘first goal of the season’ deserved another, matching Lapointe’s effort, and cutting the lead to 5-3 at 3:41. Nick Meglich (14/18) weathered the storm well, but Joe Gaudio whitened Grey knuckles even further with his second of the game with just 0:16 remaining. Meglich and Grey would hold on to win 5-4, bouncing the three seed to the lower decks, and setting up a showdown with second-seeded White. Don Tran (18/23) suffered the loss…just his second in nine outing this season, and Red will now need to fight for their playoff lives against a scrappy Neon side.
There was certainly no tension or drama in the top v bottom match, as Captain Jon Champine and ‘JOntario’ shook, rattled, and rolled over Captain Matt Rogers and ‘The Grape Ones’ in a laugher-turned-even bigger laugher. Josh Tran, Gary Peters, and Zach Siemer each pumped home goals to put the top seed in the driver’s seat 3-0 after one. Jon Salt joined the scoring parade on the power play early in the second, before Emily Bennington (filling in for the AWOL Gladys Balderas) finally answered for Purple. The flood gates opened for Green in the third, as Salt, Justin Ker, John Hwang, and Salt again bloated the board to an 8-1 ‘stop the fight’ final. Eric Willard collected three assists in the win, which saw EVERY player on Green make the score sheet (including Pat Gladstone, who filled into for Kim Hernandez)…Captain Champine made it by virtue of taking a penalty, but who’s counting? Silas Perks (19/20) was steady as ever, having actually faced more shots in the win than Chris Malki (9/17) did in the loss. Green move on to face Navy this Sunday…the same Navy who defeated them 3-1 in Week Four. Purple will need a MUCH better effort Black in the Week Two early game if they hope to live to see another Sunday.
The nightcap was well in line with game two in Week One, but this time it was the favorites building a big lead, then holding on to secure the win. Captain Tomáš Jankovic put White in front late in the first, with Jeff Henderson on the helper. Jankovic’s crew broke the game open in the second, with goals from Zach Salt, Kyra Forsyth, and Rich Shane ballooning the lead to 4-0. Forsyth was actually a fill-in, with both Sally Jackson and Shelby Shattuck out of the lineup, but her goal would stand as the game-winner, after Neon woke up and fought back in the third. Rob Lavigne broke the scoring drought for Neon with 7:00 to play, and when David Schlatter followed suit just twelve seconds later, the door was open for a swift and stunning comeback form the seven seeds. Matt Henderson (22/24) decided that enough was enough, though, as the injury plagued backstop snuffed out the Neon coup, and held the fort to preserve the 4-2 win for White. Sean Kelly (18/22) suffered the loss, and may now officially be having and ‘off’ season…by Da Kid standards. He will need to be in top form, and/or Captain Luke Wolmer & Company will need to find more scoring as they face a tough Red side in the Loser’s Bracket this Sunday. White move on to face an upstart Grey, whom they nipped 3-2 back in Week Six of regular season play.