There’s a certain sad irony to two desperate, winless teams at the bottom of the standings playing to a draw. Avoiding a loss, and earning the first point in the standings may feel like a positive change of course, but splitting two points may ultimately spell doom for both teams. Of course, it’s a long season, and there is plenty of time for redemption, but both Pink and Green have to hope the 1-1 draw doesn’t go down as another missed opportunity, come season’s end. Nick Vacchio got Pink off on the right foot late in the first, and Captain Mark DeGraffenreid evened things with his first of the season on a nifty deflection in front early in the third. Both goalies were steady, with Sean Kelly stopping several breakaway bids in his 13/14 afternoon, and Andrew Lockard standing tall at the other end (16/17). The result was much rosier for Pink, who managed it without perennial super stud, Andrew Jacobsen, while Green lost their top pick, Rick Brutchey, for the season to a nasty hamstring pop midway through the third. Kamal Gill and Raj Patel are the only remaining players on the initial short list to replace Brutchey. Whoever comes in, they will need to find instant chemistry if Green has any hope of survival.
The second game of the night produced another draw, this time with Teal and Black having to halve, 2-2. Alaa Razoky planted a wacky bounce of the back boards into a nearly empty net just fifteen seconds in to give Teal an early lead, and Nick Adkins doubled the edge with Razoky and LaGrossa’s help in the second. Black hung tough, and Steve Jones converted a scrappy goal to get his team on the board in the third. The goal was initially waived off for a hand pass, but the refs got together, and the call was quickly reversed. Black rode that reversal all the way to redemption, with Bill Casey scoring another hard-nosed goal on the doorstep to knot it for good with 2:11 to play.
Another Week Three game, another tie! The 0-0 draw is never a fan pleaser, but it allows White and Royal to remain undefeated on the young season, which may be the other side of the Pink v Green tying coin. Both goalies were, of course, perfect, with Steve Testen racking up another career shutout (22/22), and newcomer, Jerry Russell (18/18), registering the first of his SDFHL career.
Cover team, ‘Freddit’, kept beating the winning drum, this time snaring Dark Green, 3-2. Tim Vick and Alexis DaCosta actually staked Dark Green to a 2-0 lead through the early second, but second year stud, Jon Zygelman, got the top dogs barking soon thereafter, and Andy Strathman tied the game later in the frame. It was Zygelman again with his fourth of the season to win it in the third, and keep Orange perfect in January. Vick and Zygelman are now the unlikely leaders in the goal scoring clubhouse as we enter the middle stretch of the season.
Captain Jon Salt made his return to Light Blue’s lineup triumphant, scoring both of his team’s goals in a 2-0 win over Grey. Ashish Wadhwa, Chris Malki, and Greg Mallinger each collected an assist, and Matt Henderson stopped 10/10 to earn his first shutout of the season. Neither Captain Salt, nor Jordan Pynn could be reached for comment on the status of their once bubbling bromance after meeting face to face as foes.