The lesser dominoes have all fallen like a house of cards…checkmate. It’s now time for the real show…the stadium show…the one with smoke, and explosions, and drunk chicks on shoulders showing…appreciation to the bands. Captain Joe Malki’s ‘Sweet Child O’ Malki’ survived a bump in the road, and they’re coming back to face a primed and poised ‘Purple Reign’ this Sunday for all the marbles (marbles here being stacks of cash, adoring fans, backstage action, and piles of cocaine), Come out this Sunday and witness the face-melty awesomeness of the Fall 2021-2022 SDFHL Final!
The regular season matchup between Pink and Orange was not close. Orange was short four players, including Captain Bill Casey and the ridiculous WMD that is Eric Herrmann, but the 5-0 flattening had to be part of the revenge fantasy for the bottom seeds coming into the big playoff rematch. Both Casey and Herrmann were in the lineup for this one, but Pink picked up where they left off, with Carl Vankoughnett and Patrick Walker lighting the lamp within the span of a few minutes to flash the four seeds out to a 2-0 lead. The Herrmannator made his presence felt, breaking Orange’s scoring seal against Pink with just seconds left in the first. It was Herrmann again in the second to even the score, and set up a final frame for all the glory and fame. That’s when ‘the other Eric’ was tagged in, as Willard worked up a hat trick to dispatch Pink 5-2, and send Orange on to a meeting with the waiting Green. The ‘Eric & Eric Show’ would finish with 5 and 2, and Cory Brin looked like his usual steady self with the 14/16 winning effort. For those who would say that having Sean Kelly in nets might have saved Pink in this one…very doubtful. Chris Tran stood on his head, and the heads of several other people with a ridiculous 34/38 effort to even keep this one close. It was an impressive showing for Orange, but would they have enough left to sneak past Green in the night cap…
…nope. No. Negative. There is not a lot of compelling detail to convey about this game, so let me lead with that fact that it was Captain Bill Casey’s last SDFHL game. He is moving out east in the near future, and this was to be his swan song playoff run. Bill is an amazing dude…one of the classier and cooler players to have graced the league…he will be missed. Meanwhile, his playoff run hit a tall, Green brick wall in the second game, as Captain Joe Malki’s crew took zero prisoners in an 8-0 Orange annihilation. Chris Malki, Joe Malki, Chris Malki, Brian McDonnell, and Sadie Hellstrom all lit the lamp in a five goal first, and it was clear that this one was over not long after it started. Orange stemmed the tide in a scoreless second, but the dam burst again in the third with a pair of strikes from Jet Javelet, and a final smack from Hellstrom. Sadie would finish with POTW honors for her 2 and 3 outing, and Javelet and Papa Malki each racked up 2 and 2. Cory Brin (25/33) was clearly worn out, and even his equipment decided it had had enough, failing to hold together under the non-stop siege. Orange’s offense was tired, but tried to the end, managing fourteen futile shots against Nick Meglich. Even given the advantage of facing a tired opponent, Green’s effort was impressive/noteworthy. They will need all of that firepower and feisty flare to take down ‘Purple Reign’, who await them in the Final this Sunday…