Orange and Teal are sending strong signals to the rest of the league that they are wired to win. Pink, Gold, and Green are struggling to find the right connections, and will need to log in a win soon to avoid being logged out of the playoff platform early.
Captain Ennsmann elected a Week One bye for White, and they certainly made their week one their own, stomping Dark Green, 4-0. Josh Wirt had a hand in his captain’s GWG in the first, then dropped a hat trick hammer in the third to put White in cruise control. Alyce Perry collected three assists, Ennsmann added a pair of helpers, and Steve Testen stopped 11/11 to continue his surge toward the top of the goalie ranks. It’s one week…one game…but White looks to have all of the tools to terrorize teams for the next two months.
Dan Jurgens took the hat trick torch from Josh Wirt, and used it to char Black, 4-2. Jurgens also assisted on the Julie Ott goal early in the first, giving him four points on the season, and share of second place in the scoring race. Steve Jones scored his first two goals of the season in vain, as Don Tran was steady enough (11/13) to hold the fort, and even Grey’s record at 1-1-0.
Captain Jeremy Copp continued to lead by (surprising) example, assisting on both of Nick Adkins (not surprising) goals, including the game-winner in Teal’s 2-1 win over Pink. Andrew Jacobsen scored the lone goal for Pink…now their only goal through two full games. Chris Tran outdueled Captain Kid Kelly (7/9) in a fill-in roll in nets for Teal, stopping 27/28.
In the real world, a low salt diet is usually just what the doctor ordered for a healthy lifestyle. In the SDFHL world, a no Salt evening has opponents licking their chops, and salivating over the savory prospect of victory. Alas, for Green, no Salt only meant another bitter defeat. Ashish Wadhwa scored a wacky goal off a Green defender, and Steph Chen made no mistake with an open look in front to make Captain Jon Salt beam with pride all the way from the east coast, as Light Blue was just a pinch better than Green, 2-1. Zach Siemer provided the only retaliation for Green, who are rumored to be making some significant lineup changes in the wake of their 0-2-0 start.
Connor Miller is quickly establishing himself as the cream of the rookie crop, and has elevated Orange’s prognosis in the process. Miller’s 2 and 1 effort helped lead Orange to a 5-3 win over Gold, and lead Miller into a tie atop the league scoring slate. He shares that lead (five points) with teammate, Andy Strathman, both of whom hold just a one point edge over their captain (and…apparent overachiever?), Shawna Hamon. Kris Tosczak recorded both goals for Gold before going to war with the refs over an offside call, and finding himself ejected as a result. Gold will need to keep Tosczak’s body and, more importantly, his rational mind, on the court if they are going to dig their way out of an early season hole.