The heat of the playoff push was already on in the Week Ten opener between Blue and White. Both teams entered with a fringe-worthy seven points, and the intensity was evident. Glenn Pinto struck first for White — a short-handed tally with Captain Greg Wirth in the box for tripping. Mark Nagy drew Blue level early in the second period, and Raj Cheema scored a controversial ‘was it, or wasn’t it’ goal to give Blue a 2-1 edge. That edge lasted just twenty-four seconds, as Pinto struck again (this time on the power play) to knot the score at two to two. There was much squawking and ruffling of feathers from both sides late in the middle frame, but the third period was (relatively) quiet on all fronts, and the 2-2 score would hold up as the final. So, both teams entered and exited the match with identical records (now 3-4-2), and the head to head tie breaker is obviously a wash. White does hold an advantage in goal differential (+4, to Blue’s -1), but all of this may be rendered moot, depending on the results on this Sunday’s games. We may look back on this draw as the result that either saved or sunk both teams. Neither team has an easy outing in their finale. White will hope to add at least one point to their standings total against Black, while Blue faces the heir apparent to the top playoff seed in Purple.
Pink’s playoff positioning was put on pause by Purple, who resumed their winning form after a month-long hiatus. Captain Zach Salt put his team in front late in the first (with help from Luke Wolmer and Janice Darlington), and Matt Rogers accounted for the game-winner early in the second. Carl Vankoughnett kept his hand hot, and kept Pink in the game with a late second period marker, but Alex Theis (15/16) would hold on to outduel fellow elite netsmith, Sean Kelly (14/16), and delay Pink’s playoff ticket punch in the process, 2-1. At 4-4-1, Pink find themselves in the thick of the standings slosh pit. The good news for Captain Joshi & Company…their last game will come against the long dead, dead last Brown. Purple have been sitting playoff pretty for weeks, but can claim the top seed (and ‘Reign’ on Blue’s parade) with a win in their final go.
Grey came into their Week Ten matchup with Green desperate and determined, but decidedly underdogs. Green strode onto the court with more than twice as many wins, more than twice and many points, and nearly twice as many goals for as Grey. The stat that was most closely matched between the two…goals against. Grey had allowed just twelve goals in their previous eight games, and Green had allowed thirteen in nine games. Only Purple boasted a lower total in that column, with none of the other eight teams having proven even remotely as stingy. So…could Grey escape Goliath with a 1-0 win? They could…and they did! A furious first period push saw Grey racking up nine shots to Green’s three, and forced Nick Meglich to have his A+ game to keep zeroes on the board. Green pushed back in the second, but Grey still held the edge in play and quality chances. The longer the game remained scoreless, the less likely it seemed that Grey would find a way to prevail. Finally, at 7:36 in the third, Craig Russell spun and smashed a shot past Meglich (16/17) to break the scoreless tie, and send Grey’s bench into a relieved frenzy. Green pushed back, but could not solve Chris Tran (17/17) to generate the equalizer. The 1-0 minor miracle over Green has Grey back to .500 at 4-4-1. They will still need either some help in the earlier games this Sunday (a loss for Blue or White would do), or they will need to squeeze past Cream in the night cap to advance. Green’s rollicking regular season rolls to a close, as they enter their bye week on top of the pile at 7-2-1. They can only fall as low as the second seed, and even that would require a tie or better for Purple this Sunday.
Captain Goncalo’s Brown has been dead and buried for what feels like months. Their Week Ten matchup with Black felt like something of a sad formality…just one week closer to a merciful end to a nightmare season. Black was fully suited and booted…Brown was missing Brian Sheptycki, Steve Noceti, Jeff Henderson, and…insult to injury, Nick Vacchio in nets. Vacchio was out because…Vacchio was in for Black…he’s Black’s captain. Rob Gaudio picked up where he left off from last week’s POTW performance, putting Black on the board late in the first, and adding two (very unnecessary) insurance strikes in the second. It was Captain Nick Vacchio who would score the game-winner against Steve Deppensmith (who was filling in for…Nick Vacchio…I hope you’re keeping up with all of this), and Andy Strathman rounded out the scoring for the winning side with his second of the season on the power play. Mark Daquipa provided the lone response from Brown, who took their bitter medicine once again in the 5-1 loss. Gaudio’s hat trick and helper finds him in a three way tie for second place on the scoring charts (10 and 6), while Jeff Anderson’s four helpers help him to a tie at the top of the assist leaders board. Wayne Wong stopped 20/21 to improve his rookie campaign record to 4-3-1, and help Black to the very vergiest verge of playoff safety with ten points.
Cream’s postseason dream was no match for the nightmare that is The Herrmannator. Actually, that’s not entirely fair…the Orange aura is much deeper and darker than one boogie man. The Erics ™, and The Deputy ™ represent three of the top five point scorers in the league this season, having combined for FIFTY-ONE points, including THIRTY-ONE goals and TWENTY assists! That’s gross. Long story short, this game was a perfect storm of the league’s most potent offense taking on the league’s most porous goalie. The Erics ™ had Orange off to a 2-0 lead through one, Willard found the game-winner early in the second, The Deputy ™ (Kevin Dinino) made it 4-0, and both Herrmann and Dinino would score again in the third. Jon Champine had the only punch back through all of that punishment, and he assisted on Tim Hamon’s way-too-little-way-too-late tally in the waning seconds…‘Twisted Citrus’ curdles Cream, 6-2. The loss officially lands Cream on the playoff scrap heap. Captain Gattey’s roster is loaded, but Deppensmith was simply outmatched by most of the league’s big guns each week. Their season may be over, but there is still potential for them to play spoiler against Grey this Sunday. For all of their firepower, and all of their staggering statistics, Orange has still not secured a playoff spot. They face a tough Red team this Sunday, and a loss in that game puts them in peril of being passed outright by Pink and/or Grey, and leaves them open to fall into a ten point pile up with two or three other teams. It’s going to be a crazy Sunday, and we all get one less hour to prepare for it…