The bubbly was on ice, just waiting to be poured (generously) over OJ, as Captain Joel Gattey and (most of) ‘GO, OJ, GO!’ looked to stick the dismount, defeat Grey, and capture the Cup in the Sprummer League 2022 Final. They just did manage to squeeze past their opponent in a thriller of a championship that ended with a pop.
Orange rolled into the Final as the favorite ‘home team’, in spite of their lower seed, by virtue of having dispatched challenger, Grey, 5-1 just two weeks prior. The absence of Chuck Russell, David Schlatter, and Kevin Dinino had to put the pole sitters a bit on edge, and many argued that it might be the edge Grey needed to pull off a double dip upset special. A late first period strike from Jim LaGrossa (assists to Jordan Pynn and Elyse Shattuck) made that possibility seem all the more possible, and a scoreless second kept the tempo and tension simmering. It wasn’t until 3:47 remaining in regulation that Eric Herrmann broke loose, and broke the scoreless drought for his side, leveling the ledger at 1-1. Both goalies were solid to spectacular throughout, with Chris Tran (20/21) refusing to relent after allowing the LaGrossa goal, and Parsa Mostafavi (25/26) shaking off a nasty pileup/collision in the crease in the late going to preserve the tie, and push the game to overtime.
Overtime bore no winning fruit, so it was off to the shootout, with either an encore clash for all the marbles, or a Cup-raising moment waiting in the wings. LaGrossa and Herrmann were both stymied in the first round, then Rob Gaudio and Gary Peters both converted in the second. Jordan Pynn, Josh Tran, Justin Stege, Ian Crooks, Elyse Shattuck, and Wendy Enright all tried, but failed to solve Tran and Mostafavi, and it was on to sudden death shootout! LaGrossa and Herrmann, the regular season co-scoring champs with 19 points apiece…do or die…all on the line. LaGrossa…no…not enough to best Tran. Herrmann…the much ballyhooed badass, and empirically the greatest player in SDFHL history…GOAL…game over…Orange over Grey in sudden death shootout, 2-1. It was an incredible season, and an incredible game from both sides. Congratulations to Orange, and kudos to Grey on pushing to a phenomenal (albeit, futile) finish to a great playoff run.SDFHL Sprummer League 2022 Champions: ‘GO, OJ, GO!’ Front Row L=>R: Josh Tran, Chris Tran, Gary Peters–Back Row L=>R: Eric Herrmann, Joel Gattey (C), Wendy Enright, Sally Jackson, Ian Crooks — Not Pictured: Chuck Russell, David Schlatter, Kevin Dinino
It’s all happening again! Twenty-five years after the most sensational double murder in our nation’s history led to this bizarre LA freeway chase, Captain Joel Gattey and ‘GO, OJ, GO’ have fled to the SDFHL Sprummer League 2022 Final. I’m not saying they will win it all, but IF they did it, you’ll definitely find blood on the hands of the two most notorious scoring sensations in recent (if not all time) league history in Eric ‘Orenthal’ Herrmann and his accomplish/crime chauffeur, David ‘Al’ Schlatter. Pink, Atomic Blue, and Grey will all take a stab at joining Orange in court on the court, as the pursuit (for the Cup) continues with Week Four playoff action this Sunday…
…and then there were six. The first two weeks of playoff fat cutting left us with six lean, mean, hockey machines, including our Week Three opening pairing of Atomic Blue and Green. The two teams were equally ‘meh’ in the regular season, with Green entering as the four seed at 3-3-2, and Atomic Blue struggling mightily, then rebounding to a modest 2-3-3 record. It is no surprise that the two tied 2-2 back in Week Five, and handicappers were a bit handicapped in attempting to handicap the rematch, as a result. Well, the rematch did not disappoint in the close-as-can-be department, as one period, then a second ticked by with neither team managing a marker. It looked like the scoring drought would last through regulation, but Jon Zygelman finally broke through with just 1:53 left on the clock (from Mostafa Azab and Carl Vankoughnett) to give Atomic Blue a late 1-0 lead. Zach Salt found the empty net just 0:35 later, bringing the score to a final 2-0 resting place…Atomic Blue over Green. Don Tran (16/16), and super sub, Cory Brin (16/16) even faced the same number of shots in the narrow nail-biter which knocked Green out of the playoff picture, and sent Captain Chad Goins’ team on to the fourth and penultimate playoff phase. They will need to down second-seeded Pink, then immediately rally to get past top-seeded Grey if they hope to stay alive to face three-seeded Orange in the Final. That’s a one-two-three gauntlet that no one expects them to survive, but Stranger Things is not just a popular show on Netflix…
Poking a bear is proverbially (and literally) a very bad idea. Pink established themselves as one of the most dominant teams through the regular season, finishing with a 5-1-2 record, the third highest goals for (21), and the lowest goals against (12). The major reason for the former number is Captain Jon Salt, who racked up nearly half of those goals (9), and factored in more than half of them (11). The latter number is thanks in large part to Sean Kelly, who led all goalies in the regular season with a Kelly-esque .924/1.50. So, losing 3-2 to backdoor playoff bumrushers, Atomic Blue, in Week One of the playoffs, and having to watch little bro, Zach, celebrate that shocking win is your ‘bear poke’ here. The ‘bear’ took it out on the innocent (Lime) in Week Three, after watching that same Atomic Blue team advance to Week Four play in the first game of the night. Salt tore off a hat trick in the first period, added a fourth in the second, and assisted on Joe Nguyen’s tally late in the third to rage lead Pink to an easy 5-0 ousting of an outmanned/massively outgunned Gold. First year player/first time captain, Will Heinl, proved he has drafting/leadership mettle, but his team ultimately fell victim to the aforementioned ‘bear’, and a bare bench (no Omar, Sheptycki, or Cohen). Nick Meglich (17/22) could not keep up with the quantity and quality of Pink’s shots, while Sean Kelly (19/19) was Sean ‘Freaking’ Kelly, keeping a ‘clean sheet’ (as the fútbol folks say) for the billionth time in his career. So…the big rematch…Atomic Blue v Pink…brother v brother…it’s all on the line. Nope…rumor has it that ‘the bear’ will be not be there! This not only takes the wind out of the drama sails in the Week Four tilt, but may also means that Pink may well find themselves dead and gone in Week Four.
It is (very) well documented that Orange features a pair of ‘bears’, and that (poked or not) they will rip your head off and chuck it into the nearest lake. Mercifully for most of Orange’s opponents this season, the ‘bears’ have rarely made a joint appearance. Such was the case as Orange set themselves for a battle to the death with top-seeded Grey, with a ticket to the Final on the line. No David Schlatter meant that Jordan Pynn, Parsa Mostafavi, and the rest of Grey’s resistance would have half the headache, and twice the likelihood to prevail and push on to the big show. Enter ‘The Shadow Bear’, Josh Tran…a very good, very capable player, but one who had managed just one point (a lonely assist) in seven regular season games, and who had nothing to show for two previous playoff outings. Tran was actually the story at both ends of the court for Orange in this one, as Josh scored the game-winner in the first, then dropped two more in the third to complete the hat trick, while Chris shut down Grey with a 21/22 effort. I should note that Eric Herrmann was still very much a factor in this game, accounting for a goal and three assists, but a big part of what makes him scary is that he also makes his teammates scary. He assisted on two of JT’s tallies, and Wendy Enright’s first of the playoffs to help power Orange to a boat race 5-1 bouncing of one seed rivals, Grey. Brandon Olsen scored the lone goal for Captain Jeremy Copp’s side, (very) temporarily cutting the lead back to one in the first, but the law offices of Tran, Tran & Herrmann just had too strong a case in this one. Orange now have a week to rest and relish their big win, while Grey lie in wait for the winner of Atomic Blue v Pink, with a chance at redemption for this lopsided loss on the line in the Final.
The whimsically majestic ‘Sun God’, the iconic UCSD art installation located just steps from the birthplace of our humble league, now serves as our mascot/muse as we embark on the TWENTY-FIFTH YEAR of hockey/friendship/community/rivalry/Linke’s growing list of aches and pains. The rosters are posted, the Week One schedule is in the oven, and we are ready to keep this crazy train moving on to the next milestone station…
The Malkis…omnipresent at the top of the standings, and never an easy outing for opposition. It was another win with an evil grin for Green in Week Five, as they have now cleaned out the neatly wrapped W’s from under each opponent’s tree. They sit glowering and gloating from their mountain retreat, bellowing ‘WHOS NEXT’ (see what I did there?) down the steep and slippery standings.
Captain Ryan Karns’ ‘Mötley Blüe’ slowed their roll, and fell in the loss hole against (still unbeaten) Green in Week Three, but looked to regain their scorching scoring touch coming off their bye to face Pink in Week Five. It was Pink who punched first (and laughed last), with Joe Nguyen scoring less than a minute in, and Jim LaGrossa following just over a minute later to put ‘Sean Bon Joshi’ up 2-0. A two goal lead is typically an auto-win for any team backstopped by ‘Da Kid’, but Kelly was touched for two in the first, as well. Raj Cheema recorded his first SDFHL goal to make it 2-1, and Gideon Schon brought Blue level late in the frame, with both goals helped along by usual suspects, Andrew Jacobsen, and Alan Razoky. The second slipped by with no scoring, and the third looked a lock to follow suit…until Greg Mallinger broke through with 0:34 to complete a stunning 3-2 coup, Pink over Blue. Patrick Walker assisted on the game-winner, as well as Nguyen’s opener, and Sean Kelly collected POTW honors for his 28/30 masterpiece. Chuck Bender (13/16) suffered the heartbreak loss, but Blue still find themselves smack in the middle of the pack at 2-2-0. At 2-1-1, Pink are nestled just behind the only zero loss teams (Purple and Green), and have a ‘game in hand’ on both, to boot.
‘Sweet Child O’ Malki’ find themselves in a warm, safe place, undefeated at the top of the standings at 5-0-0 through the first half of the season. The latest notch in the win belt came at the expense of fellow-GNR-themed team, ‘Goins ‘N’ Roses’. Sadie Hellstrom put Green out front in the first, and there would be no looking back with Nick Meglich between the pipes. Meglich made sure that one was enough, posting his first shutout of the season (11/11) to stay atop the goalie statistics charts in all categories (5-0-0/.947/0,80/1 SO). Harsh Wanigaratne doubled the lead for Green later in the first, and Jet Javelet tripled it in the second, with the sole assist to POTG, Hellstrom. The 3-0 win keeps Green perfect, and proves that the leaders of the pack have more than just two leaders in their pack, and can prevail without a direct scoring contribution from the Malkis themselves All of this has their remaining five opponents (Grey, Pink, Purple, Black, and Cream) plotting and planning for their crack at cracking the code. The loss drops Red down to the cut line, with the teams trailing them in the standings all holding a game (or two) in hand. They’ll need the remorseless scoring machine Jon Salt of Weeks Three and Four back if they hope to turn things around in the second half.
The White v Cream make-up game was…not close. A five goal first period (Ennsmann, Pinto, Wirt, Ennsmann, Finucane) included TWO short handed goals in the span of twenty-two seconds, making this battle of winless wonders a walk-off for White. Ennsmann would finish with 3 and 2, Finucane (subbing for the injured Shawna Hamon) 2 and 1, and Wirt 1 and 4 in the 7-0 season swinger for Captain Wirth & Company. Cream have now settled to the bottom with a 0-3-1 record, but there is plenty of time left to make up ground, and this team has plenty of talent. Tim Hamon has come on to replace the departed Derek Baxter, and if Captain Gattey can ever get the full team assembled, they should be competitive in the second half of their slate. For now, they remain the lone team without a win, and they are set to face powerhouse Purple this Sunday…yikes. White’s first win has them coming back to the pack at 1-3-1, and a seven goal scoring surge is never anything but a confidence builder, particularly going into a Week Seven matchup with Red, who also sit at 1-3-1…
Purple Reign remained unbeaten, and maintained their second seat in the standings with a convincing 4-0 cruise past basement-bound Brown. Matt Rogers started the scoring late in the first, and Luke Wollmer doubled the lead just over a minute later. It was Wollmer again in the second to make it 3-0, and Captain Zach Salt to round out the romp in the third. Alex Theis was in full beast mode, stopping 24/24 to earn the first star of the game. Theis has been incredible this season (even by Theis standards), and is clearly a pillar for Purple to this point. Nick Vacchio (17/21) absorbed his third loss in four tries, with his save percentage now on the wrong side of .850, and his GAA on the wrong side of 3.00. He will need to be better, and Brown will need to be better as a whole if they are going to survive to see the second season.
Captain Jordan Pynn’s ‘Rolling Gladstones’ limped into Week Five without much hope of a non-loss. With (new recruit) Kevin Wilkinson, Eugenio De Santis, Joe Gaudio, and Marc Lapointe out, it was going to be a one sub bench against a very deep and dangerous ‘Black Slappath’. As good fortune (and the goddess of parity) would have it, Black was also short, with key threats Jeff Anderson, Josh Tran, and Brian Phillips out of the lineup. Grey took full advantage of the lack of disadvantage, opening a 3-0 lead on Tomas Jankovic’s first of the season/first of his career in the first, then a rare pair from Mark DeGraffenreid in the second. Captain Pynn collected two assists, and Pat Gladstone, Craig Russell, and DeGraffenreid were all good for one. Captain Nick Vacchio provided the only answer for the losing side (with assists to Ezra Cohen and Kyra Forsyth), as his team fell back to .500 with the 3-1 loss. Grey moved up to the same record (2-2-1) with the win, which saw the triumphant return of Chris Tran (7/8) in nets. Wayne Wong (14/17) continued his statistical struggles, in spite of showing improvement in the first five fixtures of his foray into the position.
Captain Ryan Karns and ‘Mötley Blüe’ are smokin’ (both in, and out of the boys room) out of the gate, having torched their first two opponents for twelve goals on their way to a 2-0-0 start. Captain Joel Gattey’s ‘Creaming For Vengeance’ took the loss in their opener against the league’s clear and present powerhouse, but their five goal losing effort should serve notice that they can blaze with the big boys (and girls)…
Grey and Red met in Week Two as ‘no win twins’, with both having suffered a one goal loss in their opener. Newcomer, Eugene DeSantis, provided the only goal Grey would need in the second, then added another for good measure late in the period to stake his team to a 2-0 Week Two win. Fellow first year, Joe Gaudio, provided the lone leg-up on both strikes, and Don Tran locked up the shop in cousin Chris’ absence with a 22/22 clean sheet. Andrew Lockard (20/22) absorbed his second loss in as many games, in spite of a solid (and at times, sparking) performance. Grey can certainly draw encouragement from the contributions of their new arrivals, especially as they continue to await any word of a possible return for top striker, London Peters. Red will need to regroup, and find their scoring touch against a dangerous Cream team in Week Three.
Another pair of winless teams limped into the arena for the second game of the second week. Captain Steve Goncalo and his as-yet-unnamed Brown band were more than ready to put a Week One 6-2 beat down at the hands of our cover team behind them, while ‘Wirt(h) Snake’ was happy to put Mr. Malki and his ‘sweet child’ in their rearview and focus forward. Neither team was able to do damage through the first, and most of the second, but long lost veteran, Steve Scott, finally solved Don Tran (with the sole assist to even-longer-lost veteran, Geoff Downes), and Maureen Ruchhoeft doubled the lead for Brown just fourteen seconds later. Ruchhoeft’s tally would stand as the game-winner, thanks to White’s lone counterstrike from Josh Wirt less than a minute later. So…all of the game’s scoring crammed into 1:01 of playing time, with Brown holding on for the 2-1 win over White. Nick Vacchio’s 21/22 was just what he needed to secure his first win of the season, outdueling old man Don Tran (14/16) to bring his team’s record even through two weeks of play.
This season has so far separated the Salt man (Zach) from the Salt boy (Jon). I kid…Jon is actually older…but boy, he must be having some separation anxiety, thus far. Captain Zach led his team to another win in Week Two with a one and one outing, and he now has four points in two games (to big brother’s zero), and…oh yeah, he won the head-to-head battle in Week One. Oh, to be a fly on the wall at A Very Special Salt Thanksgiving! Justin Stege opened the scoring for Purple in the second, and rookie, Aaron Cooney, followed with the game-winner later in the frame. Rob Gaudio (speaking of younger brothers) responded for ‘Black Slappath’ at 4:32 in the third, but Captain Salt signed and sealed the 3-1 win with his second of the season to move his team to 2-0-0. Alex Theis was his typical beastly self (14/15) behind the ranks of ‘Purple Reign’, while Wayne Wong’s goaltending debut was a valiant, but vain 15/18 losing effort.
Captain Karns’ team has firepower…UMLAUT of fire power. Speaking of umlauts…I owe to this team the fact that I have now memorized the alt keyboard codes for ö and ü…but, I digress. Captain Gattey’s team managed to cool their competitors in the first, as a pair of Dan Jurgens goals bookended an Andrew Jacobsen jab. The Blue beast stirred and struck hard in the second, with Jacobsen evening the score with his second of the game, then assisting on Alan Razoky’s go-ahead notch. Gideon Schon followed with a power play marker, and Razoky ripped home another to give Blue a 5-2 lead going into the final ten. Cream rose to the challenge, with three unanswered answers from Wendy Enright, Jon Champine, and Jerry Gonzales to bring things back level at five apiece with less than five minutes to play. It was Razoky again…but this time Alaa Razoky with the game-winner to cap a completely crazy contest (and complete the carpel tunnel chaos for the poor scorer), 6-5, Blue over Cream. Mostafa Azab (Blue), and first year forward, Derek Baxter (White) each recorded two assists in the point parade. Chuck Bender (13/18) won the war of attrition over Steve Deppensmith (10/16), but neither netminder will be putting this scrap in their scrapbook for posterity.
Sadie Hellstrom wasted no time putting ‘Sweet Child O’ Malki’ on the board, converting a Tyler Winstead assist just 1:17 into play. It was more Malki magic from there, as Captain Joe netted the game-winner late in the first, then assisted on pop’s power play poke early in the second. Eric Willard finally found a response for ‘Twisted Citrus’, a short-handed conversion from Captain Casey, but Nicholas Meglich (12/13) and Green would hold on for the 3-1 win. Cory Brin (25/28) weathered the storm well, but ended without a win in Week Two. Green will put their 2-0-0 record on the line against one of only two other unbeatens (Blue) in Week Three…definitely our featured matchup this Sunday.
