Captain Matt Rogers and ‘The Grape Ones’ entered the playoffs as the eighth seed long shots, and they exited the playoffs the same way. Black had something of an up and down season, but stuck the dismount in Week Nine with a 10-2 lambasting of Blue that pushed the stats totals on the regular season for Brennan Abel to 25 (13 & 12), and Carl Vankoughnett to 22 (11 & 11). Both teams fizzled in their playoff debut, but there was really no question who the favorite was in this match up. Joe Malki threw caution to that prevailing wind, scoring just 0:34 into the first to prop Purple up 1-0, and send a shock of tension through the Black ranks. Carl Vankoughnett righted the ship for Black in the second, with assists from his BFF linemates, Brennan Abel and Sadie Hellstrom, but both Chris Tran and Chris Malki seemed calm, collected, and in control in their respective nets. The dam finally broke in the third, as Vankoughnett found the game-winner in the early going, then followed minutes later with his third of the game. Abel sealed off any possible escape routes with an empty netter to cap the 4-1 win for Black, putting Purple out to playoff pasture in the process. Tran (18/19) recovered nicely from the early blip to keep his mates in the match long enough to muster some offense, while Chris Malki’s debut season came to an end with a valiant, but vain 18/21 effort. Black move on to face Grey in a battle of short-benched sides this Sunday in another loser-goes-home scenario.
Playoffs don’t always play out by the numbers, of course, but you can typically expect the top three seeds to be in the mix for the first three or four weeks of play. Captain Rob Gaudio and ‘Robby Reddy Piper’ proved an exception to that norm, losing a crazy, close contest to sixth-seeded Grey in their second season opener, then failing to find redemption against the seven seed in Week Two. A scoreless first was no real cause for concern, and Janine Ullloa first career SDFHL goal (CONGRATULATIONS!) in the second had Red on top, and feeling fine. Don Tran was a perfect 18/18 at this point, but you can’t really expect to get more than one or two against Sean Kelly, so he would have to continue that hot hand through the third…he didn’t. David Schlatter evened the score just thirteen seconds into the final frame, and Will Heinl follow less than a minute later to give Neon the lead. Luke Wolmer provide the lone assist on Heinl’s goal, then provided the only assist on Schlatter’s second of the night to make it 3-1. Schlatter would complete the hat trick with an empty netter in the waning seconds, and with that Red’s playoff hopes were wiped out in a stunning 4-1 loss. Kelly (24/25) proved why he is still considered the best in the business, while Tran (22/25) could only tip his cap, and shuffle out of the playoff picture with the rest of his mates. Neon march on in the Losers Bracket with renewed confidence, as the only team to have unseated an upper seed. They will look to make more waves this Sunday, as they face the four seed, Navy, in another elimination match.
Coming into Week Two of playoff action, the last time that Captain Jon Champine and ‘JONtario’ had lost was in Week Four…to Captain Arnold Gonzales and Navy. Since that loss, Green had won six straight, while outscoring their opponents THIRTY-FUCKING-TWO TO FIVE! So, Week Two scene set…storylines in place…Green looking to continue their reign of terror, and avenge their last loss, and Navy looking to repeat the defeat, knock the top seed into the Losers Bracket, and move on to the Winners Bracket final. There are no ties in playoff hockey, so…one of these possibilities became a reality…it was the former. Jon Salt continued his ‘man on a mission’ antics, opening the scoring two minutes into the first, then doubling the lead for Green minutes later. A scoreless second gave Alex Theis (24/27) and Navy some breathing room, but the third brought another wave from the favorites, with John Hwang building the lead to 3-0, then sliding home an empty net coffin nail to seal Navy’s fate, 4-0. Silas Perks (18/18) was sharp as ever, keeping both his Calder and Vezina campaigns cooking with another shutout/shut down effort. Navy remain alive in spite of the loss, and will stay afloat against upstart Neon in Week Three. The Winners Bracket final is a treat for Salt Bros™ fans, as Jon and Zach line up for Green and White, with a ticket to the big show on the line.
Grey jumped all over Red in their first playoff game, strutting out to a 5-1 lead over the three seeds before slinking back into a 5-4 sweat-it-out win. White’s playoff debut followed a similar pattern, with the two seed building a 4-0 cushion, only to let that lead erode in the third against a pesky Neon side. The Week Two questions, then…which team would manage to build a lead, and would that lead hold, or fold? It was Captain Tomáš Jankovic and White who did the building…a slow and steady effort starting with (who else) Zach Salt (from Justin Stege) in the first. Jeff Henderson netted his first goal (indeed, first point) of the season in the second, with the lone assist coming from his D partner, Andrew Wong. Meanwhile, Jeff’s brother, Matt, was working on a shutout, and was looking much steadier and sharper since some early season post-surgery comeback kinks,rust, and relapse. Justin Stege (from Salt) gave White some additional breathing room at 3:47 in the third, and that was more than enough to get the job done in this one…3-0 White over Grey. Henderson (Matt) earned first star honors for the game, and POTW honors for the week with his 20/20 outing, while Nick Meglich (9/12) and Grey took their lumps, and limped off to the Losers Bracket. White move on to a major marquee meeting with top-seeded Green in Week Three, while Grey bring an empty bench, and a full helping of hope into a loser-goes-home liaison with Black.