Captain Fred ‘Diva’ Fournier’s team is purple, horny, and likes it on top. After dropping their season opener to Green, Purple have gone 4-0-1, and have risen above the orgy of teams tangled atop the standings. We now move to the third leg of the long, hard season (*giggity*). Can Purple last, or have they already shot their load?
Green remained in simmer mode after a searing start, having no wins (one loss and two ties) to show for their last three outings. Rookie, Philip Burke, recorded his first career goal with just :24 to play in the first to give Green the lead. A scoreless second followed, and with more scoreless time winding past in the third, Green looked to be a lock to get back on the winning track. Tom Darlington had something to say about that, bringing Black back from the brink, and knotting the score for good at 1-1. Green remain in the lead pack in spite of this midseason funk, while this result may prove crucial for Black’s playoff hopes as we enter the final stretch of the regular season.
Purple won both the first period and the game with Gold, 2-1, and now find themselves alone atop the standings. Jordan Pynn and Tim Vick bookended Danny Antonelli’s goal in the first, and Chuck Bender (18/19) outdueled Tiffany Fox (12/14) over the remaining scoreless frames to propel Purple to victory. Gold remain in cut line danger with the loss, just two points ahead of Navy, whom they face…you guessed it…this Sunday.
Navy find themselves in their aforementioned predicament in large part due to their inability to score. A league low seven goals in six games makes winning difficult. It is impossible to win without scoring at least once, and they indeed failed to do so against Red, falling 2-0. Bill Casey’s first of the season in the second would be all Red would need, but Captain Chad Goins added an insurance marker in the third for good measure. Marc Devoe was big in nets, stopping 21/21, while a hard luck Matt Henderson suffered yet another loss with a 24/26 line. In spite of a listless season to date, Navy can jump back into the playoff picture with a win over Gold this Sunday. A loss, and they are certainly staring down the barrel…
Fresh of a rousing upset of then-top-seeded Green, and eager to enhance their playoff prospects further, Orange squeezed past Blue, 2-1. Captain Mark Boulanger shook up the Cumquat line up coming into the showdown with Green, and his plan has paid off to the tune of two crucial wins. Boulanger provided the assist on Donald Chow’s first of the season in the second period, and Steve Linke served up Mark DeGraffenreid’s game-winner on a silver platter in the third. Kris Tosczak added some drama in the late going, cutting the lead in half with :59 to play, but super sub, Andrew Lockard (25/26), would hold on to preserve the W. Both teams now stand at six points through six games, with a fair playoff outlook going into the final third of regulation play.
Pink is heating up, and Burgundy can’t seem to find their flame. Captain Brett Cohen & Company suffered yet another loss in Week Six, this time a 6-4 barn burner. Dan Jurgens, Josh Wirt, and Captain Matt Drake combined for four goals and six assists to lead the way for Pink, while both Alan Razoky and (I swear this is not a typo) Melissa Busby each netted a pair in the loss. The win keeps Pink comfortably close to the cat bird seat, while Burgundy needs wins, and they need them now. They face off against Orange this week, and Blue to close out the month. Two big wins could mean the unlikeliest of grins for Burgundy come Halloween.