What better way to kick off a music-themed season than with a brotherly rivalry to rival that of Noel and Liam Gallagher? This season, it is the younger Salt fronting his own band, ‘Purple Reign’, while old man Jon makes plans to survive the ‘Goins ‘N’ Roses’ tour with a strict regimen of yoga, coconut water, and vegan cuisine. Zach had the first and last laugh in Week One, providing the primary assist on rookie Cory Samuel’s first career goal in the first (with Aaron Cooney providing the second assist for his first career point). Nadia Saidi Connolly gave Purple a 2-0 advantage (the first of FIVE female goals on the evening), and Captain Zach Salt himself pumped the lead to three. Old man Salt would not make the score sheet, but Red did make a comeback, starting with REALLY old man Linke’s tally with 0:13 to play in the second. Kim Hernandez kept the girl power percolating to cut the lead to one on the power play with 1:52 remaining, but Alex Theis (18/20) held the lead to lead Purple to a 3-2 opening week win. Andrew Lockard (13/16) suffered the loss in his return to league play, and the once-mighty OG Salt was left with only the sense that he’s ‘still mom’s favorite’.
It was another mainstay captaining family in action for act two on the night, with Captain Joe Malki leading the charge for ‘Greensrÿche’. Joe broke a scoreless tie early in the second, and assisted his old man on an insurance notch in the third, as Green rocked and rolled past White, 3-1. Harsh Wanigaratne netted the game-winner less than a minute prior to Green’s third goal, and Josh Wirt produced the only response for White just over a minute later, but Nick Meglich (14/15) was sure and steady to the finish. Sure and steady is one thing, but absolutely working miracles is another. Enter Don Tran. The veteran stopped 29/32 in the loss, but earned second star honors for withstanding Green’s sizzling shot storm, and giving his team a fighting chance to the end.
Captain Ryan Karns ushered ‘Mötley Blüe’ to the stage with hopes of a strong set from a band featuring quite a few virtuosos. He might not have expected quite the level of pyrotechnics that transpired, as Alan Razoky absolutely shredded Brown, dropping a hat trick, a helper, and the mic in a smash and bash 6-2 romp. Keeping with both the family and femme fatale Week One theme, Alaa Razoky followed her brother’s early second period goal with one of her own (with Raj Cheema recording his first career assist). Captain Steve Goncalo and Brian Sheptycki traded assists on each other’s goals to even the score, but Alan ripped home the game-winner with his second late in the second. It was Kerri Sevenbergen for the fourth goal of the night (both for Blue, and for the SDFHL female contingent), then an Andrew Jacobsen sighting, and the feather in Alan’s hat trick to round out the scoring. Nick Vacchio took the loss with a 13/19 effort, while Chuck Bender enjoyed the show from his end, collecting the win with an 8/10 line.
The penultimate game brought the parity party back, as ‘The Rolling Gladstones’ and ‘Twisted Citrus’ engaged in an intimate duet. Mark DeGraffenreid got Grey off on the right foot in the first, tucking a rebound past nemesis netminder, Cory Brin. Orange countered, then conquered in the second, as rookie David Clark swatted home his first career goal to settle the score, and remorseless killing machine, Eric Herrmann, scorched a snapper over sub Sean Kelly’s shoulder to give Orange a 2-1 edge they would not relinquish. Brin earned the win with a sparkling 21/22 performance, just outdueling Da Kid (21/23) who was no less sparkly, but simply stung by a sweet story (Clark’s first) and the strength of the league’s new scoring sensation (The Herrmannator).
If you’ve ever been to a concert, you know they typically save the best for last. Holy hell…this game was not just the best of the night, but one of the best I’ve seen in a while. The final chapter of the ‘family and females’ tale was penned in the first period, as Jeremy Copp’s long range wrister found room over Cory Brin’s shoulder, and Hima Joshi’s body bounced home Jim LaGrossa’s second setup of the night to give ‘Sean Bon Joshi’ a two goal lead through the first. A scintillating, yet scoreless second was mostly the Sean Kelly show. Kelly finished with a line of 29/31, but any mortal would have been lucky to muster 21/31. The lopsided shots (Brin went 13/15, by contrast) finally showed up as stats for ‘Black Slappath’, as Rob Gaudio and Captain Nick Vacchio scored within the same minute to produce the 2-2 stalemate that would stand as the final score. Jeff Anderson matched Jim LaGrossa with primaries on both Black markers, and Emily Bennington put in one last punch for the ladies in Week One with a second assist on Black’s first.