Grey slipped in through the playoff backdoor, and are now a viral sensation. The eight seed toppled previously undefeated Orange in a shootout thriller. Wins, particularly big wins like this one, breed infectious enthusiasm, and Captain Traughber & Company are eager to see how much damage they can do now…
Steve Jones…a great player having an obnoxiously great season. The runaway regular season scoring leader kicked off his second act with a four goal flourish, leading Black to a 4-2 win over White. Brett Cohen, Shelby Shattuck, and Bill Casey each collected two assists, and Cory Brin (19/21) outdueled the ever-steady Steve Testen (19/23) to secure the win. Black advance to face Royal on the Winners’ side of the bracket, while White look to keep their Cup hopes alive against Gold this Sunday.
Timing is everything, and Grey appear to be timing masters. Not only did they sneak into the playoffs with a last minute goal in their final regular season game, but they were ready with an encore coup the very next week. Two scoreless periods elapsed before Connor Miller put Orange on the board at 9:35 in the third. The timing masters allowed that lead to stand for a whopping three seconds, as Justin Stege provided the immediate answer. Overtime gave way to shootout, where Jordan Pynn represented the only successful attempt. Both goalies were stellar, with Don Tran (15/16) earning a hard-fought decision over Fred Fournier (21/23). The 2-1 shootout shocker for Grey gave Orange their first bitter taste of defeat. The top seed will look to start their way back against Pink, while Grey hope to continue their win streak on the other side of the bracket against Light Blue.
Every round one game was close and a little crazy, but the Gold v Royal rumble was a surreal scoring seesaw. Kris Tosczak channeled his inner Steve Jones, scoring all four goals for Gold. His first period pair had Gold up 2-0, before Royal’s Param Gill, Vance Morra, and Mostafa Azab rallied the underdogs into the lead in the second. Tosczak tied things early in the third, Gary Peters untied things :25 later, and Tosczak re-retied it on the power play four minutes later. The second shootout of the night followed form with the first, as only one shooter managed to make good. Param Gill was the first to shoot, and the only to score, as Royal recorded the last punch in an epic slugfest, besting Gold 5-4. Jerry Russell was perfect in the shootout, and stopped a staggering 33/37 through regulation and OT…awesome stuff! Royal move on to face Black, while Gold will look to live another day in an elimination showdown with White.
Parity was certainly paramount in playoff Week One, and Light Blue v Pink capped the evening with another extra time affair. Nick Vacchio put Pink in front late in the first, and Captain Jon Salt responded for his team early in the second. Both goalies held tight through the rest of regulation, even when tested with penalty shots…yes, each team was awarded one! A brief rain delay extended the night even further, but overtime finally arrived, and so did Joe Malki’s game-winner. The 2-1 OT win for Light Blue propels them to a match up with upstart Grey on the Winner’s side, while Pink face a tough challenge in an ornery, out-for-revenge Orange as the playoffs continue this weekend…