Fool’s Gold

Our cover team was due up first on the Week Five docket, hoping to slide past Lime and snap their early season three game slide in the process. Captain Zach Salt’s side had managed a 1-1-1 record coming in, in spite of some significant attendance woes, and with Dan Jurgens and…wait for it…Justin Ker (!) back in the lineup, Lime looked to leverage the simple luxury of plentiful personnel to secure a second straight win. Eric Willard broke the scoring seal for Lime at 2:40 in the first (Captain Salt & Dan Jurgens), but Gold quickly countered with the equalizer from Trevor Vick (Tim Vick & Captain Gattey), and Matthew Ulloa (John Gamm) with the go ahead goal to close the first with Gold in front, 2-1. When Papa (Tim) Vick made it 3-1 Gold early in the first (Joel Gattey & Janice Darlington), it looked like Gold may finally be on their way to a win. Willard posted his second of the contest on the powerplay with 2:34 to play in the second (Chris Fiore & Captain Salt), but Gold would enter the third with the lead…only to lose it 0:26 later. Captain Salt cashed in at 9:34 (Fiore), and even the tepid ‘triumph’ of a tie was torn away with Willard’s hat trick capping game-winner with 1:58 to play (Salt). So, another tough loss for Captain Gattey’s gang, this time a 4-3 come-from-ahead loss to Lime. Will Heinl (14/17) secured the win in a rare surrogate shot stopper stint, while Alex Theis (22/26) drops to 0-3-0 in his return to the league that continues to be a hall of horrors for the only winless team in the league.

Captain Mark Nagy’s Red and Captain Geoff Downe’s White followed the same L-W-L path to 1-2-0 records, making them tense neighbors in the lower rungs of the standings coming into Week Five play. A rare instance of perfect attendance for both teams was spoiled only by the absence of White’s Mark Scelfo, so this match would be not only an opportunity to even their season record, but also a genuine measuring stick/indicator of the likely fate of their respective campaigns. With Silas Perks mucking through by far the worst season of his career, it is safe to say that the ‘Old Sheriff’ is back in town in the personage of Sean Kelly. Red’s seven total goals to date was a concern with Kelly keeping White’s crease, and that concern turned to consequence in this one, as Red’s goal total would remain idle in the face of a sparkling 23/23 shutout performance for ‘Da Kid’. White was right to be concerned about scoring, as well, having amassed just FIVE goals over their first three games (the lowest in the league), but that concern was rendered cosmetic after a five goal outburst doubled their season output. Three of those five goals belonged to Carl Vankoughnett, who opened the scoring at 7:04 in the first (Wendy Enright), tacked on a second at 8:30 in the second (Tony Thinh), and capped the hat trick at 5:40 in the third (Thinh). Tyler Winstead’s second of the season came less than a minute after Vankoughnett’s first (Sean Bathgate), and Captain Downes’ solo effort came less than a minute after Vankoughnett’s second in the second. Don Tran (25/30) did as much as he could to keep Red in this one, but you can’t win if you can’t score. The 5-0 win for White evens their record at 2-2-0, and provides them some much needed trust in their ability to produce offense, while the loss leaves Red in a panic-adjacent state at 1-3-0, still looking up from below the playoff cut line.

Two solid wins and a miracle tie had Captain Ryan Karn’s Brown believing that their early season roll was just a sign of things to come. Captain Nick Meglich’s Green had a fair claim to confidence themselves, having staked themselves to a 2-1-0 record in three close, low-scoring games coming in, and were likely feeling very capable of handing Brown their first loss of the season. Brandon Olsen put Green on the path to doing just that at 5:16 in the first, cashing in his first of the season, and Josh Wirt doubled the lead at 2:20 (Nick Vacchio). Brown would right the ship a bit with just 0:21 to go in the first frame, with Kalen Hunter completing a tic-tac-toe combination from Sadie Hellstrom and Mark DeGraffenreid. That would be all the ship-righting Brown would have in them, though, and a second period strike from Maureen Ruchhoeft (Vacchio & Andrew Wong), and a third period tally from Rob LaVigne (Wirt & Vacchio) meant that Green would cruise to a 4-1 win. Captain Meglich (19/20) was the busier of the netminders, but continued to lead his team from the back with another stellar stint. Mason Holcomb (9/13) suffered his first career SDFHL loss at the other end…also (of course) the first loss of the season for Brown, who now find themselves in the upper middle class of the standings at 2-1-1.

The SDFHL world was still spinning off its axis after watching Silas ‘The Silencer’™ Perks surrender six in a Week Four match with Orange, but even the all-time greats have off nights, and with Perks (literally) blowing out the candles on his birthday cake moments before flipping the mask down to face Grey, the expectation was that that proper axis would be restored, and that his (presumed) birthday wish would be granted. As cruel fate would have it, though, brother Owen kept things noisy for Silas throughout in this one. ‘The other Perks’ had the lone goal of the first to give Grey the early lead, but he was far from done with just one, providing the first assist on Dan Soar’s early second period strike (second assist to Pat Gladstone) before Vance Morra became the first responder for Atomic Blue at the five minute mark (Mostafa Azab & Captain Rob Gaudio). Jon Zygelman restored Grey’s two goal edge later in the second (Hima Joshi), then poured in two more early in the third to complete his hat trick and snatch POTW honors. Justin Stege had the lone assist on Zygelman’s second, and…yes, Owen Perks had the lone assist on the third…before scoring his second of the night (Soar) to cap a 2 and 2 effort that saw his suddenly beleaguered brother holding another warm, flat six pack! The Silencer’s struggles are THE story of this season, so far, but let not the (surely) fleeting negative narrative detract from another heroic season for Matt Henderson. Henderson (11/12) has been outstanding to this point, with this 6-1 win moving his personal record to 3-0-1 on the season, and the rest of his stats putting him on the tip top of the goalie stack. By shocking contrast, Perks (16/22) is rock bottom on that list. As I noted, I have every confidence that ‘The Silencer’™ will find his form in due time, but back to back six goal smacks is a troubling trend, and Captain Gaudio & Company will need more as the push to the playoffs heats up in earnest.

Orange’s offense came into their own in Week Four…the aforementioned Silencer Smack Down™ that saw rookie Eric Enciso flexing his foreshadowed fabulousness to the tune of 3 and 2, and Brennen Abel riding shotgun with 2 and 2. With those two weapons, and indeed the full arsenal suited and booted, Captain Janet Goins’ gang looked to keep the positive momentum and improve to .500 against the only remaining undefeated team in the league, Captain Jon Salt’s Heather Blue. It took just 0:51 to take some of the swagger out of Orange’s sails, with a Captain Salt solo strike putting his team in front bright and early. Joe Nguyen would make it 2-0 later in the first (Alexis DaCosta & Julie Ott), and Captain Salt’s second of the game even brighter and earlier in the second (DaCosta) had the lossless favorites comfortably in front going into the final third. Eric Kroeker (22/23) very nearly nabbed his first career SDFHL shutout, but a late blemish in the form of Alan Razoky’s second of the season (Abel) spoiled the flawless fun, and added the daintiest of dashes of drama to the final minutes of play. Kroeker & Company would hold on for the 3-1 win, preserving the nice round number in Heather Blue’s middle column, and keeping them safely in the standings attic at 3-0-1. Chuck Bender (17/20) suffered the loss for Orange who, in spite of boasting one of the most impressive rosters in the league (on paper), now find themselves at 1-3-0, still cuddled up to the cut line as we hit the midway point of the season.