Failed Enterprise

The SDFHL playoffs do not feature the concept of ‘re-seeding’, and with the stunning 5-1 Purple Week One pounce, Captain Luke Wolmer’s Black found themselves facing elimination in Week Three against a very dangerous three seed. All the while, bottom seeded Purple could survive the third week of play with a win over the seven spot, Gold. It may seem ‘unfair’, but that’s how the postseason cookie crumbles, and the once untouchable top seeds were now one loss from crumbling all the way down and all the way out. The bright side for Black…the undisputed heavyweight scoring champion of the universe, Alex Giummo, would be out of the lineup for Captain Jeremy Copp’s Teal. Jeff Henderson was also sidelined, softening the blue line a bit for the three seeds, but the very unbright side for Black…no Janice and Tom Darlington, no Riley Mann, and no Trevor Vick. So…gutted arsenals on both sides, but Wolmer & Company could still count on their captain and leading scorer, and Teal had enough secondary scoring in the ranks (Jim LaGrossa, Josh Tran, Andy Strathman, Gordon Schmidt…) to rally Teal to a season saving win. It was tertiary scoring that did the first damage for either side, with Captain Copp himself registering his first goal of the entire season at 7:40 (Kerri Sevenbergen). Captain Wolmer responded for his team at 3:04 in the first (Wasif Hussain), but Andy Strathman snatched the lead back for Teal just FOUR seconds later (Jim LaGrossa). A scoreless second ended with a fruitless Black powerplay, and the third began with a second fruitless Black powerplay, but Wolmer finally broke through to level the ledger with his second of the game at 7:51 (Tim Vick & Maureen Ruchhoeft). Josh Tran restored Teal’s lead with 4:18 to play (Strathman & LaGrossa), and with Matt Henderson (21/23) standing firm against Black’s last gasp, Tran iced Teal’s 4-2 win with an unassisted empty netter at 0:26. So, after soaring to epic 6-0-0 heights, Captain Wolmer’s Black flopped into the playoffs with a 1-2-0 stretch, then fell out all together with another 1-2-0 showing in December. Captain Copp & Company are thrilled to have survived without their WMD in play, and knocking off the top seed (with or without all of their weapons) has to fuel their confidence moving into a gauntlet Week Four. Teal will first need to slide past Captain Hima Joshi’s Gold in a grudge match for the ages, then immediately face Captain Mark Nagy’s high octane Orange to keep their Cup dreams alive.

The bracket match was a at least a bit more ‘as expected’ in the Week Three middle game, with Captain John Boddy’s second seeded Blue facing Captain Mark Nagy’s fifth seeded Orange. Both teams appeared to be peaking at the proper point, with Orange handling White with relative ease in Week One, then gritting out a shootout win over Purple. Blue did the gritty shootout bit to move past Gold in their opener, then jumped on Captain Boddy’s back for an early third period tying goal, then a (very) late period, short-handed game-winning goal to stun Teal. Boddy’s efforts over those first two games were at least as poetic as they were heroic, with Blue’s captain seemingly willing his team to Cup destiny in his final SDFHL season. In fact, this Week Three match was meant to be Boddy’s last game…his departure to Oregon already set in stone, and wistful jokes of a flight back for the Final seemingly just…wistful jokes. Back in reality, Kalen Hunter was in no joking mood, sniping home the game’s first goal at 9:34 in the first (Jenna Chercoe & Mark Daquipa) to give Orange a (very) early lead. It was…who else…Captain Boddy to equalize for Blue at 8:17 in the second (Sean Kelly & Eli Schonbrun), leaving the score locked at ones through two. Marc Lapointe picked the perfect game to score his first of the season, wristing a Boddy draw over Nick Meglich’s left shoulder to lift Blue to their first lead of the night. Captain Nagy would not be left out of the leadership conversation, pushing Orange back to a 2-2 tie with 6:00 to play (Kalen Hunter & Eric Willard), but Boddy would not/could not be denied, notching his second of the night at 4:59 (Schonbrun & Sean Kelly) to restore Blue’s edge. Kelly would add insurance at 3:05 (Boddy), and Chris Tran (22/24) would shake off the shockingly quick first goal and hold on to preserve Blue’s 4-2 win. Meglich (20/24) was not quite as magical as he has been all season, but certainly made all the saves he could be expected to make in his first postseason loss. Orange will now await the winner of Teal v Gold, with hopes to survive and earn a shot at Final revenge/redemption. The win means that Blue are now a fixture in the Final, needing just one more win against the lone survivor/challenger to capture the Cup. All reports indicate that those ‘jokes’ of Boddy flying back in to join his team in the Final are no longer jokes…they’re inspirational-sports-movie-worthy plans!

Elimination was once again in the air as warmups for the Week Three nightcap wrapped. Captain Hima Joshi’s Gold had acquitted themselves quite well for a seven seed, having built a 2-0 lead over Blue in their opener before succumbing to Captain Boddy’s regulation and shootout heroics, then cruising past Green 4-1 to avoid elimination in their second outing. Captain Ryan Karns’ Purple was also building an impressive post season resume, smashing Black 5-1 in their first game, before falling in a shootout to Orange in their second. Two teams with a seemingly similar ‘mojo’, neighboring seeds, and a regulation game that ended 1-0 in Purple’s favor, with the lone goal scored with just 0:31 to play…a dream rematch for TV executives smart enough to buy the rights to SDFHL playoff hockey. This was a wild one, alright, and it started with a trio of Gold goals in the first. Steve Goncalo broke the scoreless tie with an unassisted strike at 6:37, and Chris Fiore followed just eight second later with a long range laser to double the damage (Vinny Santora & Vance Morra). Goncalo’s second of the game at 0:37 (Owen Perks) was ‘gritty’, and boosted Gold’s already swelling spirits at least as much as it sucked the air out of the Purple bench. A scoreless second saw John Kushneryk keep his sheet clean in spite of a 22-8 edge in shots in Purple’s favor, and when Mark DeGraffenreid made it 4-0 at 6:47 in the third (Vance Morra), most Purple fans in attendance started making their way to the exits. The clock wound down to the final minutes of play, and with Morra heading off for hooking at 3:12, it would be Purple’s last chance to join the dance. On cue…2:53…a quick shot in the slot and a goal for Pat Gladstone…4-1 (Geoff Downes & Darin Cerasuolo). Even strength play resumed, and with the clock now under 1:30 to play, and Purple’s net empty, surely this would just be…Carl Vankoughnett at 1:19 (Captain Karns & Brendan Jew)…4-2. OK…cool story, but…less than a minute now…surely an empty-netter coming for Gol…Geoff Downes at 0:39 (Darin Cerasuolo & Vankoughnett)…4-3! An insane surge for Purple, and a nightmare collapse for Gold…with Captain Joshi & Company now in full flop sweat, white knuckle mode. Purple kept the push pulsing, sending a flurry of desperate chances on goal, only to finally be stopped by the only remaining force capable of stopping them…time. So…an instant classic…a heart-attack-inducing 4-3 win for Gold, and a heartbreaking 4-3 elimination loss for Purple. Kushneryk (31/34) filled in admirably for Mason Holcomb (who also missed the regular season installment), while Chuck Bender (10/14) and Purple came up just short of a fairytale comeback to sustain their run in a would-be Cinderella season. Gold will need all hands on deck and all games on ‘A’ if they have any chance of surviving the gauntlet of Teal and Orange when playoff play resumes in the new year…