Attendance has been a challenge for many teams this season, particularly with in the hazy days of Omicron winter. Grey and Brown barely had a full SDFHL roster between them, with each suiting up just six for an important midseason meeting. Grey came away with the long straw in the short bench duel, getting goals from Tomas Jankovic in the second, then Marc Lapointe and Mark DeGraffenreid in the third, to glide to a 3-0 win over ‘Wrister Brownstone’. Chris Tran deflected a ho-hum half dozen shots to earn the shutout win, and push Captain Pynn’s pride and joy back to .500, while Nick Vacchio suffered the loss with a 10/13 line. The win keeps Grey in solid position to slide into the playoffs, with just three games remaining on their schedule. Brown has four games remaining, but they need wins, and they need them now. They will start the push to improve their 1-5-0 record in the ‘Pink v Stink’ early game this Sunday.
Red has ridden their superstar’s resurgence to a 3-3-1 record, capturing their second straight post-bye week win, this time over Black, on the back of Jon Salt’s third hat trick of the season. The ‘other Jon’, Zygelman, had Red on the board first, followed by a pair of Salt shakes to build the lead to 3-0. Black actually seemed to carry most of the play/pressure, but Chris Tran held the Black attack at bay until late in the second, when the first of two Jeff Anderson tallies negated an earlier Vance Morra strike. When I tell you that this Anderson goal was awe-inspiring, I am doing it no justice. This was…one of hardest, most ridiculous shots I have ever seen…a turn around, blue line, mach four slap shot with two feet of right to left curve to find the dustiest corner of the cookie jar shelf over Tran’s shoulder…truly, and completely ridiculous. Sadly for Black, such a museum quality goal counts just the same as the garbage time empty-netter that Salt deposited in the final minute of play to bring us to the 5-2 final score (Anderson scored a short-handed feathery far side backhand to account for the other Black goal earlier in the third). The climb to .500, and the addition of Min-Soo Smith to replace the injured Troy Ohlsson seems to have Captain Chad Goins and his crew strutting a bit. The loss drops Black to 2-3-1, still riding right above the cut line with four games left to go in their schedule.
The big Green v Purple showdown was finally upon us in Week Eight. Unfortunately, the much-anticipated matchup with tinged with truancy, as both teams did their best to press on in the absence of key players. The underdogs came out on top this time, as Purple stunned and shut out previously unbeaten Green, 3-0. The result was largely down to the goalie matchup, as Alex Theis was ri-goddamn-diculous in nets for the victors, stopping 26/26, while Chuck Bender struggled to fill Nick Meglich’s unscuffed shoes at the other end, stopping 17/19 in the loss. It was a banner day for Purple’s young guns, with Matt Rogers netting the game-winner on the powerplay late in the second, and adding an empty netter to ice things in the late going. Luke Wolmer was a frenetic, forechecking force, as well assisting on Rogers’ first, and Justin Stege’s insurance tally that doubled the Purple lead going into the third. These two teams remain atop the standings, although things are a little cozier now, with just one point separating the leaders going into the final turn of the regular season.
Captain Joshi’s Pink picked up two big points, and a head of steam at the expense of Cream in Week Eight. Patrick Walker maintained his team lead in goals with his fifth of the season, and Jim LaGrossa and Carl Vankoughnett each did double damage as Pink cruised to a 5-2 win over a listless and lifeless Cream. Ian Crooks and Matt Gottfried accounted for the only dents in Sean Kelly’s 24/26 winning turn, while Steve Deppensmith (14/18) suffered more slings and arrows in his fourth loss in six tries. Captain Joshi herself racked up two assists, giving her a very healthy 1 and 4 stat line through six games, and helping bump her team to a 3-2-1 record. As with Brown, Cream will need to find a way to start winning games…like now. They take on a rebuilt and refocused Grey in the late game this Sunday. Pink will look to keep their playoff push pulsing against the down, and very-nearly-out Brown in the Week Nine opener.
If you don’t yet know the name Eric Herrmann, you’re going to want to learn it…and fear it. The Herrmannator got off to a quiet start for Orange in his inaugural season, but the man is now a full blown monster, and not the cutesy kind from The Muppets or Monsters, Inc. Fresh off a Week Seven EIGHT spot (five goals, three assists), Herrmann racked up another four and one to carry Orange past Blue, 7-4. His first and second gave Orange a two goal lead, which Alan Razoky cut in half late in the first. Mark Nagy knotted the score early in the second, but then it was Herrmann again, then his right hand man/sudden super sniper, Kevin Dinino, to build back the two goal edge going into the third. Andrew Jacobsen halved the lead early in the final frame, but Herrmann restored the margin with the game-winner–his fourth of the night. Steph Palomo Schmidt collected her first goal of the season to tighten things again, but it was Dinino again to make it 6-4, and an Eric Willard empty-netter to seal the 7-4 deal for the team with a peel. Herrmann sits alone atop the stats slate with 11 and 6 in just five games (!). That’s impressive, for sure, but…I might be at least as impressed by the season that Kevin Dinino is having. The old, weathered war horse (apparently) still has plenty of zing in his shot, and pep in his step, having racked up 8 and 4 in six games to keep pace with the older, slower Salt, with whom he shares the silver spot on the stats podium. Orange’s 3-2-1 has them sitting in the middle of the pack, but they are definitely a team to watch, for more reasons than one…