You can’t spell ‘the blues’ without ‘blue’, and Captain Chuck Bender’s ‘Blue’ knows has been singing a sad song from the start this season. A Week One blowout, a stirring, come from behind win-turned-tie in Week Two, then another losing laugher in Week Three…not a lot of high notes to hit. Neon rolled into Week Four with the proverbial ‘sample platter’ (1-1-1) to show for three weeks of play, and with super sniper, David Schlatter, in the lineup, and super stopper, Sean Kelly, between the pipes, the stage was set for Blue’s blues streak to continue. Captain Luke Wolmer put his team in front first in the first, and added a second later in the frame, both with a little help from the aforementioned Schlatter. Blue are no strangers to falling behind, and they drew on their Week Two resilience to mount a second period comeback. Kyle Prior continued his strong play, scoring his first career SDFHL goal to cut the lead in half, then John ‘Dr. Dangles’ Boddy brought the ledger level with just 0:04 to play in the middle period. Alas, that would be all the counter punch Blue could muster, and Neon had saved some punches for the third period (when it hurts the most). It was Nik Thompson’s turn to pop a pair, with a game-winning solo effort in the first half of the third, then an empty-netter in the waning seconds to seal Blue’s fate, 4-2. Schlatter collected a third assist on that insurance tally, bringing his totals to 3 and 7 through three games, good enough for second on the scoring slate. Sean Kelly (20/22) was cool as ever in the early afternoon heat, while Captain Bender (22/25) was solid, but not sufficiently supported in yet another loss. The time to panic is now for Blue. They enter into a midway battle with Green with pure desperation pulsing through their collective veins. Neon hope to continue their standings climb, as they face upstairs standings neighbors, Red in the Week Five opener.
Our cover team, Navy, remained afloat as one of only four teams without a loss this season after a tight, tough tussle with Captain Jon Champine’s Green gang. Goaltending has been the real anchor for Navy this season, and a Week Four fill-in turn for Chris Tran (19/20) was no exception. Jon Salt was the only Green player to clutter Tran’s clean sheet, netting his sixth of the season in the second to tie the score at 1-1. Josh Wirt had Navy to a lead in the first, and he put them back on top for good at 4:23 in the third. A late non-empty-netter netted Wirt a hat trick (along with POTW honors), and ran the final score to 3-1, Navy over Green. Silas Perks (13/16) and Green dropped back to 2-2-0 with the loss, and find themselves in the muck at the middle of the standings as we come to the midway mark. Not to insinuate that all Green’s eggs are in one basket, but Salt has now scored six of his team’s seven goals. Navy’s scoring is a bit more balanced, with Jim LaGrossa and Nick Vacchio both doing their share of damage, even when Josh Wirt isn’t hammering home a hat trick. Vacchio was the only non-J player to make the score sheet in this one, collecting a second assist on the game-winner (Joe Nguyen, John Hwang, and Jim LaGrossa represented J Nation™ with one assist apiece).
If ever there were an enigmatic front-running force, it is Captain Ian Crooks’ Black. The team has scored just seven goals in four games… no more than TWO in any game, and yet…3-0-1. Of course, the math here requires gaudy defensive numbers, and they have indeed allowed just THREE goals through four games. So, while their match with first half foils, Gold, was perhaps a bit too close for comfort, it’s no surprise that they shut the challengers down and out to maintain their lofty standings perch. Silas Perks (18/19) was suited up as a sub for the injured captain, Parsa Mostafavi, and both he and Chris Tran (9/9) made this one a scoreless stalemate through two. Young Canuck™, Brennan Abel, became just the third different scorer for Black with his career first early in the third (from Sadie Hellstrom and Captain Crooks), and that would hold up as the game-winner. It was back to the usual suspect, Carl Vankoughnett, for the empty net icing at 0:27 (from Abel and Hellstrom), and Black walked off with another win, this one a 2-0 wiggle past Gold. Black will look to continue their success, and keep Purple on the struggle bus, while Gold face Grey in a very important meeting that could either see them finally escaping the basement, or bottoming out even more than before in Week Five.
White are part of the lossless elite nipping at the heels of Black, and unlike Black, their scoring pace to date is second to none. Zach Salt has half of his team’s leading total of sixteen, but four other teammates have scored at least once…even the very fat, very old Steve Linke. Justin Stege made his season debut, and promptly potted a pair (with primary assists to Salt, of course), equalizing Chuck Russell’s opening salvo in the first, then putting White on top (very) early in the third. Maureen Ruchhoeft restored equal footing for Purple at the 4:09 mark, but Salt shook that off with his seventh of the season less than a minute later, then added an empty net nail to produce the 4-2 final. Leah Gonzales earned her first career SDFHL point with a helping hand on the final goal, and Don Tran (20/22) secured a surrogate win for White in place of the still-injured Matt Henderson. Purple face top dogs, Black, in Week Five, and a willful win would go a long way mending their meh mojo. White face standings-mates, Navy, in what is certainly the game of the week…possibly the game of the season, thus far.
Captain Rob Gaudio and his ‘Robby Reddy Piper’ rode into Week Four as one of four lead horses in the standings, while Grey crawled in, gasping and grasping for grip in the standings after back-to-back losses. Captain Brandon Olsen put the underdogs on top just over a minute in, but Andy Strathman converted a Dan Jurgens pass to put Red on track, then handed the baton to the Gaudio Boys™ to do the rest. Captain Rob made it 2-1 Red (from brother Joe, and Brian Sheptycki), then it was Joe from Rob (and Joel Gattey) to make it 3-1 early in the second, and Rob from Joe 0:22 later to build the lead to 4-1. Eric Herrmann responded late in the period for Grey, but neither Nick Meglich (21/25), nor Don Tran (16/18) would yield in the third, and Red cruise controlled their way to a 4-2 win. The Gaudio Boys™ sure seems to love playing together, as both brothers have eight points through four games, good enough for a share of third place in the scoring race as we hit the turn. Red faceoff with Neon this Sunday in an intriguing Week Five duel, while Grey have a should-win/must-win meeting with Gold on the books. Grey will need to hope for better attendance (I am looking at you, Gottfrieds), and increased scoring (six goals, so far…second worst in the league) if they hope to right the ship and sail on playoff tides.