After Mother Nature won all five games of the would-be Week One schedule, the take two Week One finally found dry footing, with a Black and Blue battle cutting the ribbon on the Winter 2023 season. ‘Battle’ is maybe the wrong term, but ‘black and blue’ are appropriate colors for what would turn out to be a very lopsided affair. Remember Eric Herrmann…Crusher Of Souls, King Of The Awesomites, Breaker Of Backs, and Ruler Of The Seven Kingdoms? Well, he dropped FOUR and THREE, factoring in every Blue goal in a 7-0 poster dunk on Black. It started innocently enough, with Herrmann converting the lone goal in the first (from Greg Wirth). Herrmann and Wirth actually sat overlapping penalties later in the period, but Blue’s defense, and rookie netminder and fresh-faced sub, Patrick Theis (12/12), held the fort and the 1-0 lead through one. The second period was slow and steady, as well, with just another lonely, unassisted Herrmann strike on the board to make it 2-0. The flood gates opened in the third, with Carl Vankoughnett (from Herrmann), Herrmann (from Glenn Pinto), Herrmann (from Chad Goins), Vankoughnett (from Herrmann), and Ty Pereira (from Pinto and Herrmann) to turn a close, competitive contest into a comprehensive clobbering. Matt Henderson (16/23) was often hung out to dry, but honestly, it did not look easy trying to defend the likes of Blue’s offensive front. Both teams would be wise to embrace the ‘it’s just one game’ and ‘it’s early’ mindsets, but…a touchdown/shutout result is generally a pretty telling indictor of things to come…
Maroon and Aqua (the artists formerly known as ‘Teal’) got the parity party started in the second game on the slate, battling to a 2-2 seesaw draw. Mark Scelfo put Maroon on the board first, sneaking one past Chris Tran to conclude a strange sequence of events. Captain Leah Gonzales recorded the primary assist, and John Boddy was credited with the second. Boddy was big for Maroon throughout, and his second period blueline snipe ‘curved twice…like an S!’ on its way into the netting, according to Aqua netminder, Chris Tran (19/21). That sublime strike came exactly two minutes after an early second period tally from David Schlatter, who plucked the rebound of Mark DeGraffenreid’s shot out of the air and into the back of the net. Brian Sheptycki knotted the score for good less than a minute later (from DeGraffenreid), and a scoreless third was evidence of solid shielding from Tran and Steve Deppensmith (18/20). The latter made a waning seconds breakaway save on Schlatter to preserve the 2-2 tie, and send both teams off with bittersweet backslaps.
The dial turned back to ‘Sirius Blowout Radio’ in the middle game of the slate, as Charcoal had their way in a BIG way against Purple. Patrick Theis, who enjoyed a shoutout W worthy of papa Alex’s legacy in a fill-in role for Blue earlier in the evening, was ‘welcomed’ to the league by what looks to be a very poised and potent offense. Six different Charcoal scorers joined the punishment parade, with Ryan Loughran opening the scoring (from Kalen Hunter), then assisting on Payam Sazegar’s first career SDFHL goal (CONGRATULATIONS!). Hunter made it 3-0 going into the first break, but Purple hoped that they had stopped the bleeding when Eric Willard (from Jon Salt) cut the lead to two at 4:19 in the second. Alas, Charcoal fired another three scoring rounds past Theis to build the lead to new heights, with Nadia Connolley making her return triumphant, Mark Ennsmann joining the party, and Owen Perks notching his first of two on the night to make it 6-1 through two. Perks second of the game was assisted by Chris Tran, who matched Loughran and Hunter with two helpers in what became a 7-1 thrashing of an all-players-present Purple side. Willard’s solitary salvo was the only measurable response for Purple, and the only blemish on the sheet for Don Tran (17/18) who collected the one-sided win with his customary brand of steady play. As the scheduling gods would have it, the two ‘touchdown’ teams (Charcoal and Royal Blue) face each other right away in Week Two…something has to give.
Captain Audrey Stratton got her first taste of attendance angst right out of the gate, as half of her team did not make it to the rink to face Captain Kyra Forsyth’s Tropical Blue crew. The gang was all there for Forsyth, and with (literally) twice the players, and Sean Kelly in nets, I was writing this recap in my head before I even left the rink on Sunday. Something like ‘super short bench sends Silver to the slaughter’ was the thought, but he reality was a shockingly different story. Tropical Blue threw a dozen shots at second year stalwart, Silas Perks, in the first period, but had no goals to show for the effort. Silver managed just four shots in that frame, by comparison, and a 3:1 shot ratio, no subs, and the GOAT in goal at the other end is still a recipe for loss in any league. Dan Jurgens finally broke through, with assists to Nick Vacchio and Jon Champine, sending waves of relief through Tropical’s (full) bench, and a matching wave of ‘what are you going to do?’ through Silver’s tired hearts. Still…it was just a one goal game with one period to play, and while the shot total was now 23-8, Silver was still in it for the gold. Zach Salt greatly enhanced that winning chance in the first minute of the third, converting an assist from Captain Stratton herself to level the ledger at 1-1. Then….*cue the dramatic sports movie climax music*…Sadie Hellstrom gave Silver the lead less than two minutes later! Salt and Joel Gattey assisted on the goal, and Silver had to be feeling like they were not just playing with house money, but that they had actually broken the house. If there is a defining moment to this point in Silas Perks young career, winning the Cup in his first season may have just been eclipsed by ‘outdueling Sean Kelly, in spite of his team having zero subs, and in spite of being outshout 29-13’. Yes, Perks (28/29) and Silver managed the miraculous, and walked off with a 2-1 win over Kelly (11/13) and a shell-shocked Tropical Blue. So…I will just reword my preformulated headline to ‘WOW!’…that should cover it.
The nightcap was an intriguing blend of returning faces for Olive, and a mix of expected and unot-so-expected heroics for White. Phil Nguyen provided the latter brand of boost, opening the scoring for White less than a minute into the first, and just over a minute into the second to pace his team to a 2-1 lead. Erin Dowrey was one of the returning faces who made an impact for Olive, scoring in his first game back from a year and a half absence from league play to (very briefly) tie the score late in the first. London Peters was the second echo from the past to sound in the present for Olive, tying the score at two apiece early in the second in his first game back from knee injury/surgery. The ‘expected’ hero took over from there for White, as Brennan Abel pumped the game winner past Nick Vacchio (29/33) with just six ticks left in the second, then added insurance in the third with his second of the game (from Phil Nguyen and Pat Gladstone). Gladstone earned third star honors, having assisted on the first and final goals in White 4-2 win. The victory had to come as a MASSIVE relief to Chuck Bender (15/17) who suffered alongside yours truly and others through the two miserable, winless seasons prior. There were not enough stars to go around, but both Bender and Vance Morra (two assists) certainly earn honorable mention with their efforts. There is no question though that the top honor in this one goes to Phil…a great dude who had a great game to kick off the season right for White.