It’s far too early to flush any team’s postseason dreams, but the bowl has some clear floaters and sinkers at this point. Brown has a strong movement underway through their first four games, and while they are hardly wiping away their opponents, they have pushed hard enough to sit on the throne as we approach the midway point in the season…
Captain Jon Salt and ‘Raisin Da Roof’ continued their scoring struggles, dropping their second game in three tries in fruitless fashion. The 0-1 L-O to Yellow has to be some cause for concern for Purple, even at this early juncture in the season. Yellow, came into the match with just one goal and zero wins in three games, but found a way past Purple in both the game and the standings. To add insult to injury, it was Captain Salt’s championship mate, Dan Jurgens, who inserted the lone dagger in the second period. Frédéric Fournier was a perfect 19/19 in the win, while Min-Soo Smith was 0/1 on empty net attempts.
Another scoring-challenged captain got off the schneid in time to help his team to a 2-1 win over Green. Captain Mark DeGraffenreid scored his first of the season early in the third, and assisted on Shawna Hamon’s game-winner less than two minutes later. Brown’s defense, and Alex Theis’ sparkling-as-ever play (18/19) almost managed to keep Kris Tosczak off the board, but the veteran sniper made the final minutes tense, scoring his second of the season. The win keeps Brown one of only two undefeated teams in the league thus far, and has them atop the standings for now. The loss was Green’s first…they will look to bounce back in Week Five against a winless Royal Blue. Melissa Busby did not record any points in this game.
The number three overall pick continues to pay off for Captain Wendy Enright and Black, as they remained undefeated with a 3-1 win over Red. Tim Helmbrecht earned POTW honors for his 2 and 1 effort, but Steve Linke (aforementioned blue chip old man) quietly collected his third and fourth points of the campaign with a 1 and 1 line. Param Gill provided the only scoring response for Red, who have split time between winning and losing through their first four games.
Joe Malki joined the ranks of captains with at least one goal, putting his team out front in the first. Rookie, Brett Cohen, equalized in the second, and Malki’s counterpart, Jim LaGrossa gave White the lead early in the third, but Justin Stege’s response made it 2-2 for good. LaGrossa’s 1 and 1 night gives him 2 and 5 on the season, good enough for tops in scoring…he’s hoping his Eagles will have the same punch on Sunday.
Bill Casey handed heartbreak to Grey, scoring the one and only goal in a big 1-0 win for Gold. Nick Godinez and Alexis DaCosta provided the setup on Casey’s second straight game-winner. Captain Jordan Pynn has stopped 50/52 while suffering back-to-back hard luck 0-1 losses. Steve Testen recorded his second shutout with the 18/18 effort, adding insult to Pynn’s injury by edging past him on the goaltending stats table.