Tough Break

Since the beginning of the recap I have tried my best to sound as unbiased as humanly possible, while still being biased. I have done my best to show what I really think of someones play without sounding like a jerk-but still being brutally honest. I have done my very best at voicing the viewpoints that the collective masses doesn't what to express. It may be lack of confidence, interest or mental capacity to express it, but it's my job to state the obvious. It's my duty, to write a recap without preferences or bias, except toward myself. And for the most part I have left certain individuals off my list of whipping boys because their play warranted something different. But over the last two weeks of play, something changed. Last week I voiced my doubt in performance, but I thought I was jumping on a rare opportunity. But this is two weeks in a row. It's turning from a blue to a full moon. It's no longer a rare occurrence. Perhaps the talent against him is better or maybe he has lost a step. I'm not really sure. One thing is clear, though, the gap isn't as big. He is beatable. But more importantly, his team is beatable.

Game 1: 5-4 Final in favor of the Dark team. Would it shock you if I told you that the dark team, at one point, owned a 4-0 lead? It was nearly the collapse of the season. And maybe my rant at the start of the recap wouldn't have been written if the comeback was complete. But alas, it wasn't. It just turned out to be another long opening game. Jared carried the Dark team with 4 goals (5 points) including the game winner. The goat in game one turned out to be the White Team's defense. No one was able to defend Jared.

Game 2: 5-4 Final in favor of the White Team. If you weren't shocked earlier you will be now. I have decided to call myself the goat in this one. Now I know, no one saw this coming. It was not because of my defense, in fact I felt it was one of my best defensive games in while. But it was my play on the other side of the field that gave me the title. I shoul have had the game winner. I got a perfect pass from Griff, a wide open net and I missed. At the time, the score was 4-3 in favor of the Dark Team and it should have been over. But it ended up being a missed chance at another win. I'm not going to comment on how cheaply they got their game winner...wait i guess I just did. Fittingly, Brad had the decisive goal.

Game 3: The game that decides if it was a good night or a bad night. What team would walk away with 2 and 1 week? It was the Dark Team with a 5-3 victory. For the third straight game the Dark Team started out with a 2-0 lead but this time they didn't look back. 3 goals for Jared, including the game winner and two goals from the "scrappy" (used loosely, guys) Brendon. Both teams had their Alliances broken, but I think Jared was happy with the way things worked out. Is that back to back winning weeks Jared?

Sorry guys that it's another short recap. But I'm having a huge writers cramp right now.

My weekly chat with the Scout:

Nick: Ok, today we are going to play a word association type of game. Im going to say a word or phrase and you're going to tell me the first thing that comes to mind, got it?

Scout: This is going to be terrible.

Nick: Not cool, man. Can't you play along?

Scout: It was the first thing that came to mind. Just being honest.

Nick: Fine...I want you to be honest on everything though. Dont hold back. Take no prisoners!

Scout: I think I can do it..

Nick: Ok first phrase: Brendon

Scout: Never injured.

Nick: Really?

Scout: Really.

Nick: Ok...Mike D

Scout: Juice

Nick: Apple or Grape?

Scout: That went over your head.

Nick: White Line

Scout: Lenny

Nick: Goal from the point

Scout: Jimmy

Nick: Jack too.

Scout: True. Steve is next!

Nick: Joe

Scout: Disappeared

Nick: Jimmy

Scout: I hate his laugh.

Nick: Griff

Scout: Calm. Cool. Collective.

Nick: Like me. Nothing wrong with that.

Nick: Handsome

Scout: Nick

Nick: That's a wierd thing to say. I'll take it though.

Cleveland: akward...

Nick: Matt S

Scout: Bandana.

Nick: Dale

Scout: Childhood

Nick: Dale

Scout: again?

Nick: I wanted to hear something else.

Scout: oh, nice try.

Nick: Reggie

Scout: White

Nick: Chris

Scout: Mixed Berries and nuts.

Nick: Brett

Scout: Saw 1, 2 and 3

Nick: Jared

Scout: Closer to the point than the white team's D.

Nick: That's wrong on so many levels.

Nick: Recap

Scout: Losing your touch

Nick: I need new material.

Coming Soon

What a terrible title. It's hard to keep the titles interesting, but I guess its not at John's level just yet.

Stats are up. Recap to follow.

And Griff, this is for you:

"Dream sleep is thought to be an important time for filing away all our experiences, so it is particularly vital for a rapidly growing and developing baby."

http://www.babycentre.co.uk/baby/sleep/understanding/#6

"After they’re born their dreams are likely influenced by the wide variety of sensory stimulation they encounter"

http://www.professorshouse.com/family/children/dreams-and-babies.aspx

Hockey on Sunday, Inside Rink, 5:30

Hey guys, Just to confirm that we are playing on the inside rink at 5:30 this week.

If you haven't mentioned it to me yet, let me know if you are going to be there.

Just like that

I pressed some button on my computer, so now every time I come to this website everything is big. It’s driving me crazy, man! Anyways…I bet you are shocked a recap is up, huh? I bet you are even more shocked that it’s up on Sunday night! I know, I’m amazing. I do remarkable things. It’s one of my major attributes. It’s like Brett’s head tilt when he laughs or Lenny’s unreal ability to play the “point” at the white line. It’s a part of who we are. It defines us as an individual. But my main motivator is that I now have competition from Johnny. There is nothing like a boxscore guys. It’s very entertaining to read, especially for a sport like hockey. It’s not like we have a boxscore page or anything. But seriously, Johnny did a solid job filling in, but I’m back where I belong. My fans have spoken. In fact, 3 emails (3!!-That’s a lot if you didn’t know) and 5 others mentioned it to me tonight. My calling has called. I can’t wait for Brett to try and one up me with WPR tomorrow. It can’t be done my friend (should that be plural? Hmmmm). It can’t be done.

Game 1: They say if at first you can’t succeed try (try) again. Slap-shot attempt number one by Brad resulted in a…(wait for it)…(dramatic build-up)…(silent crowd)…a swing in a miss..(Crowd goes: “awww”). Slap-Shot attempt number two by Brad was an improvement (based solely on contact because the ball managed to go backwards.) But it did eventually get better. It started out as a 2-0 lead for Scott’s white team. It looked like they had the advantage. But something changed. Momentum shifted. And the Dark team had a valiant comeback taking the game 5-2. But did it have more to do with the white team’s inability to make the “smart” play or did the dark team get better. I’m going to take the former instead of the ladder. Game Winner goes to Brett, assisted by Brendon. The loss goes on Jimmy for his two terrible goals (especially the one he let roll through his legs. Maybe it had spin on it? I’m sure Jimmy Nelson can help you with the theory of ball rotation.)

Game 2: The white team played more like a team in this one. With a solid victory over a team lead by a struggling Johnny Riley and a one handed man. Scott and Jared did their thing. Matt (hot) Tamale was a solid staple on D. And Nick earned himself a Scotty-point. And Lenny and Brad sniped a couple goals. A team effort all in all. Game winner went to Jared from Scott. I put the loss on the Dark team’s D. You were non-existent. Chris is playing too far up and I’m not sure who was playing the other side. Was it Mike D? I never seem to notice when he is there. (Hey mike a mention in a recap in a week you didn’t show…hahahaha…the irony)

Game 3: We should never be allowed to end a game at 4-4. Not allowed. Though, it should have been over. Johnny was given a break away, had the opportunity to win it and he hit the post. This was not a John Riley type of week. Don’t blame the thumb Johnny. No excuses! If you do use it you will sound like me without a decent winger or Jared with a cold. A terrible excuse. I will say this though: the loss would have been on me if Johnny made the shot, I made an ill-advised pass up the middle, leading to the break away. But I’m off the hook. The “tie” is on you John.

Ok, guys its getting late. A small recap but a recap none the less. Perhaps a conversation with the scout will come later this week. I do get Thursday and Friday off from work this week. Maybe I can make it happen. Besides, If WPR tries to one up me, I will still have something left up my sleeve to put him in his place. The Recap is back. “Im back baby! Im Back!”

Time and Rink Change - Outside this Sunday at 6:00

The inside was only available this week from 7-8...let me know who's planning on making it. Are we going with the base teams again from last week?

Saugus is for deck hockey: (This Sunday will be inside at 5:30)

After having a week with a good turnout, a very long and hard fought first game, and some of our more controversial players back this week, you'd think there would be a lot of commentary on the site this week. Outside of Reggie pulling a page from Brett's book and having a full-fledged conversation with himself, the boards have been quiet thus far though.

My take? The horrible conditions we played in this past week. Yes, it was warmer than I thought it would be, but the floor was so slippery that the games really weren't too fun...the night was more draining than anything else. Thus, we're going to aim to play indoors as much as we can...more on that below.

Game 1: For such a long game, it didn't really feel like some of the other epic games that we've played. Both goalies were good, and though it seemed as though the White team had the edge in play, in reality the dark team had generated plenty of offense (the White team's goalie commented that the scoring chances were not as lopsided as many on the White team had believed). This game was won as the result of a turnover in the zone by Jimmy C - Scotty bagged the gamewinner, and led the scoring with 3 points.

Game 2: Apparently the dark team decided a different approach in the second game to try to get momentum back: play physical. The White team watched as TPJ, frustated with Bradley's improved play throughout the night, took him heavily into the boards. Jared would pay for that mistake shortly later as he rolled his ankle in the offensive zone and went down. His attempts to crawl to the bench reminded on member on the White team of Will Smith's attempt to crawl to his car in I Am Legend. It was at that moment that Brett decided to abandon his team and his alliance and join forces with the evil dark team alliance (Ron, Jared, and Dale). It didn't pay off as John was able to finally solve Tony and led the way to victory with 3 goals.

Game 3:A trade him to be made at the start of this game, so Griff was sent in exchange for Brian P, making his Saugus debut. Much to the surprise of everyone on the White team, the White team jumped out to a quick lead by goals from Brad, Brian, and Reggie. Congrats Brian on your first goal. And for a 30 second stretch, Brad was a force in the offensive zone. Scotty scored the fourth goal on a slap shot from about ten feet in front of Tony - I think Tony tried diving out of the way so as not to be killed. Scotty also scored the fifth and final goal, getting the game winner in all three games.

Random notes: Obviously Scotty played great last week (5g, 3a), but props also to Reggie for having what might have been his best night in 3 years. He was tied for second highest scorer on the night (3g, 2a). Also, after a slow start Brad really stepped up his game.

For this coming week I am going to try to reserve the inside rink at 5:30. I'd like to have goalies ready to go and teams picked by 5:45 so that we can get a full 2 hours in (we have to stop by 8). When the weather is good enough we can play outside - we'll take it on a case-by-case basis. I don't care about the cold so much, but if it's slippery like it was this past week it's not nearly as fun.

Recap? Stats? It's Tuesday for cryin out loud!!!

Stats are up guys. Johnny, did you not read my post last week?

My Farewell Bid

This represents my farewell.

Try impersonating this post!

Here's to hoping that the anonymous poster(s) has a little tiny conscious left in his brain and realizes that you should seek help.

While I'm not qualified to question your heart condition, I will give my opinion and say you have some serious issues to straighten out.

I could go on, but I probably already stepped over the line.

Johnny and Nick, feel free to delete this post after tonight.

Extra! Extra! Read all about it!

(newspaper spinning in with that fast music)

The weekly Recap has been cancelled. Reports are coming out that Nick has decided to stop the recaps for further notice. Sources indicate that Nick refuses to write a recap until WPR is reinstated as a respected writing partner of the blog.

There was also whispers coming from people close to the situation that Nick is frustrated with all the comments by Dale-he feels it is taking away attention from his great writing skills. Though this went unconfirmed. If only Dale would delete all of his comments instead of half of them? Hmmm.

In other news, the stats were updated.

Mike's team Provided It, Nick's team Delivered it.

2nd Edition... Amended to satisfy the anonymous poster, and most of all to keep the office of PPP with accurate game records.

Anybody hungry for some lunch? That’s what was hand delivered by Nick's team who captained his them to victory last night in SNHL. Mike D was the leader of the what ended up being the team of the white sitting ducks. The only real one who was able to fly was Matty, who was able to out muscle and out hustle the Dark teams D for a number of great power forechecking goals.

The night wasn’t a total disaster for Mike D’s captained team. They narrowly won game two and then came up just short in Game 3.

The night definitely belonged to Nick’s team. Led by the fasted paced play of Jared, Johnny and company. They never stopped running the whole night. Capping off the extended night play with 2 additional games, they humiliated Mike D’s team with 5-0 victories. Nick’s team also notched the game 1 victory, thus providing free lunch to everyone on Mike D’s team.

Finishing the night with a 4 games to 1 demolition left some people looking for answers on Mike D’s team. Believe it or not, there wasn’t any yelling or finger pointing happening during the night.

Overall the teams were decently matched with maybe one exception. Either way you slice it, Nick’s team came to play while Mike’s team came to lay… goose eggs... which was the featured dish.

Dark team roster: Nick B, Jared, Johnny, Mike M, Brendon, Reggie, Brad, Mike P

White team roster: Mike D, Ron, Billy, Matt, Bobcat, Dale, Ronnie, Nick

What time should we do this week?

I booked the inside rink at 6:00 on Sunday. Keep in mind that there is a group that plays at 8. So we need to arrive by 5:45 so we have enough time to pick the teams and start by 6:00. If players like Brendon, Dale, or Danny are going to be late then let me know and we'll make sure you get put on a team.

I booked the indoor rink just because it's only going to be in the 30s on Sunday. We've played in colder temperatures before, so I have no problem moving it outside if that's what everyone wants, or if it makes it easier for Danny / Dale. Outside would be at 6:30. Unless I hear from people though (and I won't count it unless I see a name attached to the post) I'm going to leave it inside.

One final note: we've let people post anonymously, and will continue to do so, but use some common sense when you post (let's not call people retarded). If Nick or I do not like an Anonymous post for whatever reason we're just simply going to delete it. If someone puts their name on it then that's a different story. And by the way: enough of the Bourne recaps - we don't give a crap about it.

The Fat Man and the Chipmunk

It’s been often said that defense is the key to winning. It’s the opinion, of most, that the team with the better defense always ends up with the victory. Defense is supposed to jump start its own team’s offense and shut the oppositions’. But that wasn’t the case on Sunday. It was the all-defensive team vs. an offensive juggernaut. The defense for the dark team held its own, but could only hold on so long.

Game 1: 5-2 White team. It was a complete mess. The defense for the Dark team was constantly on there heals. The White Team had an offense of Griff, Brett and Johnny up against and offense of a doubled teamed Jared, Mike De Mayo and an injured Brendon. It was a hard fought game, it seemed like Joe and Nick limited the shots but the White team’s offense leaped on every opportunity. Chris and Dale showed up toward the end of Game 1. Johnny had 4 goals, including the game winner.

Game 2: Ok so we have established that the White Team has the weaker defense; the Dark Team has the weaker offense. So what team would you put Chris and Dale on? Logically, we put Dale on the White Team. Great idea. Though, it worked out for the Dark Team in Game two. I’m still amazed they won. The Final Score was 5-4. Jared had 3 goals and two assists. Joe had the game winner. Brendon and Josh played fantastic. Nick played awful. Chris was ok. (No Chris you weren’t beastly!)

Game 3: You must be shocked we got a full third game in, huh? The Dark Team went back to rolling all over the white team. The final score was again 5-2. It should have been 5-0 nothing though. The dark team couldn’t sustain any offensive play and the defense had no one to pass. It was so bad that Jared asked his defenseman to get “creative”. Not something you want to do when Johnny is fore-checking, Griff is hovering and Brett is running circles around everyone. The defense had a lot to handle. I felt bad for Steve. He played fantastic despite all of the pressure.

Game 4: Yeah, we did get in a 4th game but I’m going to agree with Jared and say this game shouldn’t count. It’s mostly, because I don’t want to write about a 4th game.

My Weekly Chat with the Scout:

Scout: Hey Nick, it’s been a while.

Nick: It has. Have you gained weight?

Scout: Nice greeting. Surprisingly rude.

Nick: The truth hurts…where is your bathroom scale? Let’s compare your weights.

Scout: In the bathroom. Don’t set me up with a Seinfeld joke. It’s been played.

Nick: You know me too well. Creepy.

Scout: It’s almost as creepy as you knowing what my body weight was.

Griff: Debatable

Nick: Griff?

Scout: Where is he?

Nick: Is it possible to miss him?

Scout: I don’t see him!

Nick: He’s behind Dave, Lenny, Reggie, Jimmy and that guy from Austin Powers.

Scout: Oh yeah, you can see his hips hanging out the side of the group.

Nick: Nasty. I bet Griff shops at big and tall.

Scout: That’s your store!

Nick: Moving on…how did you think Griff played with Dale?

Scout: That was something there. How about the irony in that, huh? Did you notice that Dale didn’t have any goals though? But Dale assisted Griff 3 times.

Nick: Only three times? It felt like more.

Scout: Nick, you were so overwhelmed and terrible, of course it felt like more.

Nick: Now I remember why it’s been a while. I’m out of here. I’m going to ramble instead.

Nick’s Ramblings

I’m trying to get this post up by half-time. I’m already done watching this game. What a joke. Who thinks the Pats can win two road play-off games? Reggie we missed you. Matt Davis bails every other week. Matt S only makes posts saying he will show and never does. Matt P said he would be there. Did I forget a Matt? Without his cheering squad will he ever show again. Jack we missed you but Darren made us forget about you quick. Steve nice work this week, you didn’t deserve that much trouble. But I’m calling you out on the play where I yelled cover the ball and you chose not to, they scored. You admitted that it was your mistake and that you heard me, so I don’t really have to call you out I guess. No worries. I applaud both goalies for playing a 4th game. Jimmy needs to invest in a bike. Josh you showed solid hockey sense. That’s half the battle. Danny where is Shane? Danny you run so fast that you make yourself trip at least 3 times a night. I heard Kazez was going to make an appearance. Oh yeah! Matt Joyce! Hey Buddy! Why was Petzold nominated for the anonymous poster who couldn’t spell? That seems like a Brad Dearden thing to do. A reminder to all: when given the opportunity always cover Johnny behind the net and leave Dale open in front of the net all alone (I know Jared was by the point...he was close to covering him.). Chris you showed some rust but you were solid overall. I expect a great week coming up. The return of Ron? Will he have a tan?

No Spin Zone

The stats have been updated guys.

With Matt Davis out this week, I'll have the recap up tonight.

Not Yankee talk, but hockey talk...

Perhaps layering is the key…picture this scene: Johnny is coming in hard and a defenseman (let’s say Nick), who was in charge of covering John, was able to knock the ball away from him. The ball started rolling behind Johnny toward the other goal. Which way is each players momentum headed? Johnny is still headed toward the net; Nick would naturally go toward the ball. All of a sudden another winger, let’s say Brett (who represents the second wave or layer) comes streaking in and beats not only Nick but the winger, who is supposed to be covering Brett, to the ball. It leaves the defenseman caught in the middle. Johnny is still by the net, Brett passes it off and goal is probably scored. Do you understand? It’s a strategy that can break down the best defense. If you were the defender where would you go once you were beat to the ball by Brett? And don’t tell me you wouldn’t go for the ball. You all would. It’s an unnatural act to stand there with the ball 5 feet away. Would you try to cover Brett and break up the pass? You leave Johnny open though. Do you cover Johnny and leave Brett room to stick handle or take a shot? The other defender is on his man and I’m sure the center still isn’t back yet at this point.

Do I sound bitter? Hope not. That’s not the point at all. It’s just a play I saw happen several times tonight…to me it’s the toughest play to defend. It’s sounds like a pick your poison kind of thing to me. I want some suggestions. Let’s gets some real hockey talk going. How would you defend the play?

I tried to make a diagram but I failed.

A New One

Let's try this again...I've got a long night/morning/day of shopping ahead of me and I want something entertaining to read!

Can we stop talking about off-sides?

How about suggested teams? That's more interesting.

Note: It looks like Johnny and Steve in net at the moment.

Hockey Sunday, Outdoor rink @ 6:30‏

Let's get out of that thread. I've had enough of this nonsense. It's like reading a Lewis Carrol poem...it leaves my head spinning.

Remember guys this is hockey blog, nothing more, nothing less.

Stats will be up soon...hopefully a recap as well.

Notice that hockey this Sunday will be at 6:30

Family History or Fatness?

Nick's Sunday Night Ramblings:

Griff are you still alive? Did you die from a massive coronary yet? Im sure the fat jokes will be all over the site this week. I hope you guys are better than me at writing them. The best one so far was by Brett: "Griff is so fat when he wears his red shirt everyone yells 'cool aid...cool aid!!'" Mike D had 3 goals tonight.Dale, how old is Griff? Who does Dale remind you more of: Steve Carell or Dwight from the office? I know Griff reminds me of Kevin...because he is so fat. hehehee. What was your funniest moment of the night? I loved when Dale mocked Griff's laugh. So Brett, you get mad at Dale (rightly so) you get off right away and you leave immediately...some of us would be proud. Ok, I know, I know, the hand. I bet you wish you could have stayed and watched though. Funniest moment of the year. I'll give praises (im sure I have a lot) and criticism tomorrow, let's focus on the jokes for now. Remember, Dale went to PEA and has an art degree, make sure you are very clever!

Hockey is at 6:00 this week, outdoor rink. And...

...the long awaited return of Lenny! Nevermind...ugh

Maybe, just maybe a few Matts will show up this week too...

I was right...

Ok, it bears repeating: I was right. It was an easy prediction, but I was right. History does back me up though. Every time you have a week with a huge crowd the week that follows is always much slower. It’s a phenomenon but it always happens; so it’s not really a phenomenon. But it does lead to a different aspect to the game. There is less subbing and more running. Two on ones’ are a common happening and Johnny never subs (also common). Needless to say, Mr. Mike Meadows is definitely out of commission for the rest of the week-we are all exhausted.

Quick Game Overview:

Game 1: 5-2 Final Score. White Team on top. This game was messy for the Dark Team. The Defense was out of sync (I’ll be honest I misspelled it the first time), Johnny and Ron couldn’t handle the offense by themselves. It was tough to watch. The Ron-less Jared, calm Griff, one handed Brett, coughing Mike and the “not himself” Brendon managed to squeak out enough offense for the win. Could it continue for the rest of the night?

Game 2: 5-1 Final Score in favor of the Dark Team. This was a major turn-around for the Dark team. The difference? Reggie. He not only gave the Dark team the sub they didn’t have in game one but he was also the third component Ron and Johnny needed to muster up some offense.

Game 3: 5-4 Final Score, Ron’s team with another win. MVP! MVP! Just kidding Ron, you got excited though. The best game of the night after two blow-outs. The game ended with another great slap shot by Ron, it was a laser. When will people learn that they need to stay on the shot? Easier said then done, but Ron was given at least 3 opportunities to get the game winner in the last minute. Unacceptable.

My Weekly Chat with the Scout:

Scout: What seems to be the problem officer?

Nick: Huh?

Scout: That went right over your head Nick. Why are you wearing sunglasses?

Nick: Oh, good joke. It’s in honor of Brendon. It’s a tribute of some kind. But I don’t feel like myself.

Scout: That’s a shame.

Nick: So, did you enjoy watching us play 4 on 4?

Scout: It’s fun to watch. In reality though, the team with the best technique doesn’t always win. The team that plays the toughest and has the most endurance seems to win.

Nick: Good decisions still matter though.

Scout: Obviously.

Nick: Wow. Tough Crowd. Of the missing who did you miss the most?

Scout: Who were you expecting?

Nick: Brad and Chris were sick. Matt S, D and P all bailed.

Scout: Little Ronnie. I missed him the most. He would have been a huge difference maker.

Nick: No doubt. Your thoughts on Joe in net?

Scout: He wasn’t the in his prime Joe.

Nick: Yeah, he didn’t flip a net.

Scout: Well that and his play wasn’t as impressive but he was still very solid. His solid technique allowed him to make up for any problems he may have been having.

Nick: Was John the only guy not to sub on either side?

Scout: Why must you focus on the negative? Let’s focus on his stamina abilities.

Nick: You are right. I shouldn’t have the “look for a fault” attitude that Brett has.

Scout: Yeah.

Nick: Did you notice that Reggie went by Brett a couple times?

Scout: Nick, that attitude is negative! We don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings.

Nick: No worries, Brett only responds if your comment is anonymous…it bothers him.

A Sunday night recap?

Got yeah! Never will happen. But Im giving you an update on a Sunday. I deserve a medal. Or a plaque (is that how you spell the stuff on your teeth? Or the award? Im not sure either). Most of you thought I'd be crying in the corner of my bedroom. Well, Im over it. Reggie got by me 4 times. I tripped on my own stick. I lost twice. Played in two 4-4 games and wasn't on the ice at all when the game was tied. Thanks Matt...anyways it was rough night.

I put a new poll up. Certainly an interesting topic. I feel as though I never play as well. Perhaps, its because nothing happens the way you would expect. (Shane scoring on his own goal comes to mind). Maybe because there are so many new people they dont know your style of play. ( I saw several times where a pass up the boards by defenseman was botched.) Or Im awful. Take your pick I guess.

Topic of the week? Please dont make it sliding. I beg of you. I'd rather talk about Dale's grey shirt.

After a week with this many people, who thinks we will have 4 on 4 next week? I do. Pats have a Sunday night game against the colts also, right? Im almost certain.

The test of a true hockey town player.

New Ranking System

I wanted my recap to break the 200 post mark, but it has now lost momentum due to a new post by WPR. He asked me to post it here because of it's length. Here you go:

Starting this week, WPR will be implementing a traditional weekly power ranking system. This first list is based on who the people at WPR(we will refer to ourselves as I) think have been the best(only regulars players will be on this first list.) Kinda like a mock draft list. From here on out though, people will either move up or down on the list based on their play of the most current week. This will also be based on what is average for a certain player, and did they play better or worse than expected. The list will now include 10 spots for the players at Saugus to attain for and maybe even rise above the rest for that precious #1 spot. But how long can you stay at #1?

10 Mike D - Some might think I'm being kind putting him here. Others can't believe he's this low. But Mike D has shown in the past that he can be that smothering center who can shut down the other teams top scorer. So every week he's picked pretty high. It's time to return to form Mike. Cause it'll take a blast from the past performance to keep you on this list next week.

9 Lee - Getting up there in age, but what team couldn't use a little more experience to settle things down on the back end? Lee got a bad rap last year for being slow and having a temper and abandoning his team. While the stick throwing is still a problem, he has somehow adjusted to the other fault he has. I gotta say no one blocks more shots than Lee. Maybe it's his massive ice hockey shin pads, but he stays in front of the shooter and never gives up the middle of the ice.(Bob Caterino thought that playing D in the direct middle of the ice was the same thing as not giving it up. Well it's not. Cause sometime the outside can be just as dangerous. Lee has a nice balance)

8 Chris Y - Is the new up and coming defender in Saugus. He's big, he's strong, he�s quick, yet his shot is lacking(the other extreme to Joe, cause his shot is rarely in the air) Once he finds his shot technique you may see him above Nick or Joe on this list. For now he's just a real solid Defender with no real holes in his game (defensemen aren't usually expected to score anyway)

7 Ryan - When we think Ryan we usually think of an out of control maniac with a weapon called a hockey stick. And that viewpoint would have been accurate last year. But I think he's starting to shed that image of himself. Now I see him as a bigger, heavier, less productive, but still as argumentative..Jared. Now he does play a little more defense than Jared, but he tends to wait for an opportunity at the red line and try to take it and score. The weird thing is, is that he usually cancels out Jared when playing verse him. In the end Ryan will get his goals and win his fair share of arguments.

6 Joe & Nick - I'm grouping them together because I've rarely ever been impressed by their play while on their own. But when they are together(and they have been a lot this season) they can be a dominating force(kinda like Captain Planet). From now on they will be separate entities on the list each week. I guess if I had to split them up I'd have Nick ahead of Joe cause he has more upside due to him being younger. And as for Joe well you can't teach an old dog new tricks. As evident of the fact that he's been shooting the ball 10 feet too high for the past 3 seasons that I've witnessed.

5 Dale - It's funny(he he funny, not HA HA funny) Dale is the only player in Saugus, that when you think of him you think either: Very good forward. Or: Very good defensemen. You remember him for his ability at both positions. Now Brett is great on D. He's played it for many years and plays it in tournaments. He may even be the best D-Man. But you think of him as only a forward who helps on D. Same goes for Johnny. But Dale leaves that lasting impression on you no matter where he plays that night. You either say: wow what a goal, or: man he was tough to get around.

4 Brendon - For the 2 years that WPR has been observing the games that go on in Saugus, I always thought it a crime that Brendon would always be drafted near the end of the pack. Yes, he has his moments where you want to kill him. Seems like once a week at least. But put that aside and he gives you the second line offense you need to win while playing hockey in Saugus, or anywhere for that matter. I think he�s finally getting the respect he needs and deserves.

3 Jared - His only weakness is Defense....and the H1N1 virus. Yet, even though he doesn't play the other half of hockey, his offensive output is incredible. Now you may say: well that's because he does waste energy on anything but offense. And I say: well then everyone try to play like he does, cause I guaranty no one puts up the points he does while playing his style hockey. I don't think anyone has the endurance to run aimlessly like he does for so long.

2 Ron - Thank goodness for Ron dedicating himself to Saugus hockey once more. He has been ranked #1 many times already this year by the previous write of WPR and with good reason. He is maybe the one person you want on your team when the score is 4-4 cause he can score from anywhere.

1 Johnny - Still in my mind the best player that currently plays in Saugus. Now maybe if this format was instituted a few weeks ago Ron would be here, but Johnny just has "IT" what ever that is. And no matter how many goals Ron scores on his wicked slap shot. I'd still pick Johnny first if I was starting a team (mainly cause Ron would probably retire one year after drafting him)

On a hot summer night...

It was a week that was headlined by another attempt at greatness by John and Jared. It was our last week with Dave as he ventures back to Idaho. It was our first week without an appearance by a Driscoll. It was a week that saw laziness, ineptitude, disillusions and a whole host of other un-explainable attitudes. It certainly was a fun week to be a part of. Especially if you weren’t John Riley (or Brad Dearden for that matter).

Quick Game Overview:

Game 1: I have to admit, I didn’t see this outcome. The Dark team had Dave, John and Jared. The White team had Ron and a bunch of solids. One team played well together, the other, yelled at each other. Which technique resulted in a win? I hope it’s obvious. The white team came away with a 5-1 win and Johnny was, well, in a word, frustrated. Steve played solid in net with solid defensive cast around him. Ron sprinkled in some slap-shots.

Game 2: Before game two started John was so frustrated (for lack of a better term) that he yelled at any whittey (you like?) that came over for casual conversation. He told them to leave. To get out! I’d say it worked after a great turn around with a 5-0 victory but, I’m not sold. Steve defensive help broke down and the white team’s offensive could muster nothing against the defensive prowess that is Brad and Davis. I wrote that with a straight face. Game three would turn out to be the rubber game, who would come out on top?

Game 3: This is when the excuse party started for the Dark team. “My goalie is too hot”. “My winger is sick”. “The white team hacks my shins”. Cry baby I wish you were here this week. Break out the soap box, the excuse roll-a-dex. It was a hard fought win for the white team that was capped off with another break away goal and game winner by Nick. I’m still shocked myself. 5-2 Final score.

MVP for the Dark team: Danny Nelson

MVP for the White team: Ron Leger (use a French accent on the last name)

My Weekly Chat with Scout:

Scout: What’s shaken bacon?

Nick: Not much here homeslice.

Scout: Same here bud. It was just another week at hockey town.

Nick: It was on a Saturday this week though.

Scout: Much better isn’t it? I’m sitting and relaxing on a Sunday night. I get to watch Desperate Housewives.

Nick: Eva Longoria?

Scout: I’m a big fan.

Nick: Yeah, she’s a great actress.

Scout: Another benefit to a Saturday game is I get to rest all Sunday. Not tired for work the next day, and I’m on full sleep.

Nick: I’d say it leads to better recaps too.

Scout: That’s a stretch.

Nick: Your thoughts on week two of the Johnny and Jared combo.

Scout: It was better, but nothing great. Johnny seemed more focused on riding Brad.

Nick: Poor Brad.

Scout: Poor…poor…Brad.

Nick: I don’t feel that bad…get over it. You got some sort of man crush going on

Scout: umm…

Brendon: You better get out of my way fool before I bust you up! You hear?

Nick: What was that?

Scout: Didn’t you hear? If you are in Brendon’s way you have to move…immediately. No one is allowed to play defense against him.

Nick: That doesn’t make sense.

Scout: It’s Brendon.

Nick: Now that makes sense.

Scout: Now, can you clear something for me? If everyone moves out of his way and he doesn’t have to fight his way through a defense why does he get so tired?

Nick: Tried?

Scout: I saw him sitting several times-instead of subbing. He had to have been tired.

Nick: Perhaps, he communicates with his teammates too much. It tires him.

Scout: That can’t be it. Brendon is against communication. I say he spent a lot of time teaching John how to take a slap shot.

Nick: His slap shot has improved.

Scout: You didn’t say that with a straight face.

Nick: Jared really did look sick yesterday.

Scout: Yeah, he didn’t play much defense last night.

Nick: A clear sign that he was under the weather.

Scout: I hear that you found out who Cry baby is?

Nick: Hey, don’t be grilling me.

Nick’s Ramblings:

Griff your attendance is starting to look like Reggie’s. That’s almost unacceptable. Lee, you made several bad plays, you were awful. That’s what you want to hear, right? I’m just kidding. It was a solid day for you in my opinion. You bailed me out a few times. Hey Chris, how are the boys? Ouch babe. I’d say I’m sorry but…Dan Nelson was solid. He was really the only defender for the Dark team all night. So WPR, are you making an appearance this week? Who will fill you in? Brad, you need to be on Ron’s team. He won’t yell at you. The mustache is his intimidator. Hey Jared, if you hit the post next week on a shot I’ll give a whole segment. I still wonder if I have enough material. Anyone notice that Report Card is gone? The exact same time as another player from HT disappeared…hmm. By the way Ron, I can do a meatloaf referance too. It was really hot yesterday. Dave was sweating before he had a pad on...have fun back in idaho, and we are counting on you..lol. Funniest moment on Saturday was when Jared told Brendon to grow up. Hahaha...anyone else enjoy the irony?

Milestones to watch for on Saturday

1. 200 goals for Jared in his career (6 short)
2. 150 assists for Johnny in his career (2 short)
3. 100 assists for Brett in his career (1 short)
4. 400 points for Johnny in his carrer (2 hort)

Hockey Saturday-Not Sunday

Outdoor rink from 3:00-5:00‏

12 Angry Men

Ok, not really. It was more like one extremely apologetic man and one frustrated fellow-but it was just as entertaining to watch. It was a week that got a lot of hype and excitement which led to a highly anticipated Sunday. Did it disappoint? Not if you were there.

Quick Game Overview:

Game #1- A 5 to 4 win for the White Team. Remember the adage that the best “team” doesn’t always win? To me, that line usually has no merit but I’m a believer in it now (no doubt in mind either). The white team had two balls dribble pass the goalie and they also scored on that weird Chris/Nick/Petzold goal. They had no business winning the game…but they did. The Dark team should have been 3-0 this week, but they made up for it big time. The apparently “overrated” player had the Game Winner.

Game #2- Was it Dale that said I knew nothing about hockey? Well, the jury is still out on that but I did well at picking the teams this week, huh? Back to back 5-4 games, with each team winning one? You can’t get better than that. In fact game one didn’t end until 8:00 pm. Highly competitive, and interesting games lead to a fun week on the blog. Anyways…this time the Dark team came away the victory. The white team was ready to collapse at any moment. The” GAME WINNER!!!” went to Brendon; how fitting.

Game #3- 5-2 Final Score…I think. I’m not so sure. The stats aren’t up yet, I can’t remember the score and I don’t feel like asking Johnny. I’m sticking with 5-2, sound good? I will tell you this though, this was a laugher quick. As usual, after a game in which Johnny was out on the floor way to long he decided to start game three on the bench. And his teammates disappointed him. Big time (Not as much as he apparently disappointed his teammates though). As a result the white team fell to a 3-0 hole quickly. This game was the dagger to the Johnny and Jared combo. After one particular play in this game, Jared yelled “Are you kidding me!”, he shook his head and got off the ice in disgust. This summed up the night for the White Stallions. Ehhh…not a fan of the name. That sounds like something right out a Richard Simons exercise video. The game winner went to Ron. Would you believe me if I said it was a wrist shot? I wouldn’t either.

My weekly chat with the Scout:

Scout: Ok Nick, this was fun when we started but you’re not interesting enough to talk with on a weekly basis.

Nick: I see what you’re saying. I’m like salt, if you have a little it’s always good, but if you have too much…

Scout: It leaves a bad taste in your mouth.

Nick: Exactly.

Scout: So can we skip this week?

Nick: Big Board won’t let me. Let’s just start. Get it over with.

(The scout tried to pull a Johnny and sweet talk his way out of the chat. You know, he tried to make you believe it was your decision to do so but it really wasn’t. Nick, though, smartly interrupted.)

Nick: I wanted to ask you, what did you think of the Johnny and Jared combo?

Scout: hmm…they, at best, lacked chemistry. It was tough to watch. It seemed as if they had never played together before. Jared, on several occasions, looked up in amazement of what Johnny was doing. I lost count the amount of times Johnny said “sorry Jared” or “my bad”.

Nick: Yeah, that was big of Johnny to apologize. He usually yells at Brad or Mike.

Scout: Well, Johnny still yelled at Brad. He didn’t seem to say anything to the incredible hulk though.

Nick: The incredible hulk? He isn’t green or that big. He needs to get off the HGH and move on to steroids if he wants to be the hulk.

Scout: His slap shot is very green though.

Scout: That was a weak transition, wasn’t it?.

Nick: Glad you recognized that yourself. Speaking of Mike what did you think of the other Mike?

Scout: First off Mike gets the D back because of Petzold.

Nick: Oh, yes. Every one forgot about the other Mike.

Scout: He is easy to forget. He runs by you so fast you cant even see him. Now he is more like superhero than Mike is.

Nick: Mike D or P?

Scout: P. It stands for pronto.

Nick: Clever.

Scout: Thanks. What’s your theory on Jimmy’s balancing techniques?

Nick: I have decided that he doesn’t have pinky toes. That’s the only thing that makes sense to me.

Scout: That’s a theory. What about Vertigo?

Nick: Like the U2 song?

Scout: And that IPod commercial.

Nick: Yeah! Do you have a prediction for this coming week?

Scout: Johnny will yell at Brad.

Nick: Hopefully Brad wont cry.

Scout: Yeah, there is enough salt on the field.

The White Horses Clicked but the Black Stallions Won the Show

There was a lot of hullabaloo of JR and TPJ playing on the same team. Would they "Click Together"... would they “Dominate Together"... or would they "Fall Together". This was answered if you made it to the action of SNHL last night. Who would of guessed that I’d say… queue up the Meatloaf classic... "2 out of 3 Ain’t Bad". For poor Johnny and Jared, and the rest of the white horses, the “Dominate Together” wasn’t happening. There was some Domination though… in large part, the Black Stallions D, that’s right, D stands for Domination… D for Dave Rocked… and finally D stands for Delivered. The Black Stallions were the class of the night, best of show and built to WIN!!! How does that other Meatloaf song go... let me sleep on it... baby baby let me sleep on it... I’ll give you an answer in the morning… IT’S MONDAY MORNING… LETS HEAR IT!

Hockey this Sunday, Outdoor rink from 6:30-8:30‏

Jared and Johnny will be on the same team...Im ready to shut em' down, whose with me?

Also, a new poll is up.

It's not really a recap anymore...

So what recap style tickles your fancy? Do you prefer PPP’s controversial sentence? Do you enjoy listening to Nick ramble and rant about someone else’s mistake? Does Johnny’s boring box score keep you entertained? Hardly. So why, then, have the recaps become a hockey town staple? I don’t get the obsession. But I’m not going to rant…about this anyways.

Quick Game Recap:

Game 1: 5-4 White Team over Dark team (are those still the team names?). The white team should have rolled over the dark team but the white team fought back from a 4-1 deficit to tie the game at 4. Remarkably, Johnny’s team was able to avoid his usual choke artist routine coming up with the victory.

Game 2: 5-4 Dark team. The talk that will come out of this game will be Johnny’s uncanny ability to anchor a team that chokes. For the second game in a row, the white team held a large advantage and blew it. An undeserved win for the Dark Team, but they will take it. Game Winner in game 2 went to Jimmy Nelson.

Game 3: The highlight of this game was Nick’s brake-away shot, but the story was that the Dark Team finally got the memo to show up. The game ended early with the score ending 4-1 (depending who you ask), but the white team continued to show guts. They played hard when down and their stats went up for it. That’s how we work in Saugus!

My weekly chat with the Scout:

Nick: What do you think, should we do a “body interview” like ESPN the Magazine did?

Scout: No thanks. No one wants to see you in that situation. By the way that cover picture freaked me out man.

Nick: I know, I still can’t decide if that bionic leg or her nose was creepier.

Scout: Definitely the nose.

Nick: Did you know that you can buy a giant cover at espnthemag.com/covers?

Scout: I think I’m all set. That nose can’t get bigger.

Nick: Her nose was almost as “putrid” as my defensive support last night.

Scout: That was an awful segue into hockey town talk.

Nick: I tried though…

Scout: You did, but you failed.

Nick: So in the end it’s like a Jimmy Nelson slap shot?

Scout: A shot attempt that goes nowhere? That sounds about right.

Nick: Speaking of Jimmy, did you enjoy how he played with Brendon?

Scout: Very entertaining. It was like a repeat of the “event” we saw the week before.

Nick: No sticks thrown this week though.

Scout: But the common denominator remains a constant.

Nick: Ok, your thoughts on our inability to understand a hand pass.

Scout: Unreal. Wikipedia does a nice job with the definition. Perhaps Jimmy should look it up. This is a simple rule, don’t bat the ball with your hand in the offensive zone to another teammate…

Jimmy: HOLD ON!!!! The ball spun towards me though...I want a goal!

Scout: So? He still hit the ball with his hand in the offensive zone and you touched it first-that’s a hand pass.

Jimmy: But the ball rotated east to west. It was spinning at a speed of 53 MPH and umm…umm…

Nick: Moving on…

Scout: Yeah lets, he was pretty close to out smarting us.

Nick: Why do teams that are under the management of Johnny Riley seem to collapse when they have big leads?

Scout: Johnny has the personality that can make some teammates play tight and if the other team starts to gain any momentum Johnny starts to yell and his team collapses.

Nick: Mike De Maio seems like a solid example of this.

Scout: No question. I’m not sure that Mike crumbles under the pressure though. It seems that he just becomes more hesitant and predictable. Hesitation is the downfall to anyone in such a quick game.

Mike: Stop Yelling about me!

Scout: Lenny?

Nick: No that was Mike, but he just pulled a "Lenny"

Scout: Is that what we are calling it now?

Nick: Sounds like a plan. Maybe Johnny won’t yell as much if he could finish off a break-away against Steve?

Scout: 3 posts, right? Ouch babe.

Nick: Your thoughts on Lee?

Scout: He played solid. I just wish he had a slap-shot threat from the point, it would make that knuckle-ball much more effective.

Nick: I have to tell you that I tried to get by Chris Young…I had no chance.

Scout: You had no trouble getting by De Maio for that break-away, but yeah Chris is a beast. He is another guy that would become a great player if he can get the offensive weapons down.

Nick: Yeah, he is definitely a scary opposition.

Scout: Not as scary as Sarah Reinertsen’s nose.

Hockey Town Video

Brett's hand

BUMP: New Picture Added

If your interested (is that the right word?) in seeing his hand, here is the link:

HERE

No Hockey this week

Due to our one-day assembly, we are not able to play this Sunday. I didn't hear enough interest for trying to play on Saturday afternoon, so we most likely will not be playing this week. We will play again a week from this Sunday (25th).

Update

Stats are up.

Recap unlikely.

Hockey this week at 6:30 (inside rink)

6:30 again this week guys. Now the real question about the teams comes up this week: with Jared (at a wedding) and Brett out, who wants to pick up teams with me this week? Or, do we pick 2 different captains for the week? Thoughts?

Not Again

I obviously have to do a better job at being terrible at writing “recaps” (do you see the irony in this?). It’s a Monday after another exciting week in Saugus and I have the daunting task of writing the recap. I thought that I would be able to wiggle my way out of these recaps, but I can’t. I want what Ron has. Ron writes a recap when he feels like it, and it is so short and obvious that people love it. Nothing is clever about it. He usually has a couple observations and puns, and then he gets a standing ovation. It’s maddening. It’s like…well its like something. I have nothing else to add.

To the Recap!!!

Nick: In honor of Brett, I propose that we do this entire interview with our left hands in the air. What do you think?

Scout: Hmm…do I have to have a video camera in the other?

Nick: Definitely. We have to go all the way. It’s a tribute.

Scout: I don’t know. It seems like a terrible thing to be doing for the next 10 minutes.

Nick: It’s easy if you take your mind off of it, or until your arm goes numb. Whatever happens first.

Scout: I guess that’s true.

Scout: But Nick, let me stop you before you go in to another Seinfeld-esque rant. We need to put more content into this recap.

Nick: You mean, actually going over what happened in the game?

Scout: Yes, if that’s not asking too much.

Nick: It’s certainly a valid claim. In game one...sorry, but I can’t take you seriously right now. Can we start over? I’m not sure if you look more like Hitler or Malcolm X with your arm in the air like that.

Scout: That’s a weird combo. Complete opposites right there.

Nick: Do you think Malcolm X looks like a cross between James Earl Jones and that guy that played Ray Charles?

Scout: Jaime Fox?

Nick: That’s him.

Scout: I’m not sure. James Earl Jones was great in the Lion King though.

Nick: Mufasa, right? I here that name I shudder. Mufasa. The name rolls off the tongue. It tingles me.

Scout: Nick, I have to say, that I’m shocked that you’re avoiding going over the games last night. I mean, you did have two goals.

Nick: You know one of those was a game winner.

Brendon: GAME WINNER!

Nick: He’s back?

Scout: Wow! He even gets excited when his teammate gets the GW.

Nick: Let’s move on. What were your thought’s on Lenny’s attempt to “redeem” himself this week?

Scout: Nope. It wasn’t this week. Lenny needs to get back to doing what he was doing last year. It doesn’t seem like his heart is in playing defense.

Nick: It shows in performance.

Scout: To a certain extent you are right. But players can have a rough stretch. Lenny is not a lost cause.

Nick: But he is lost.

Scout: Lenny is going to turn this around.

Nick: Maybe Lenny plays better when the games are less competitive?

Scout: Not cool, Nick. Lenny is going to have a great year. He will be this year’s Ricky Nolasco. He has started off rough, but will be an ace the rest of the way.

Nick: Will Lenny be sent to the minors too?

Scout: Enough about Lenny. Let’s talk about Dave.

Nick: Ok…I’ll move on. Who had a better week from your vantage point, Dave or Steve?

Scout: Very close. I’m not sure that the answer is clear. I honestly believe the defense was the determining factor at changing the game results. On several occasions, most notably Nick and Dale at the end of game one, the dark team had break away opportunities. Joe almost seemed to be a non-factor this week. Lee left at some point during the night. And on the other side we saw Griff and Jared handled by the Dark team’s defense. They didn’t stop them but they played tough against them.

Nick: I felt that the biggest difference between the white team and the Dark team was the play at the point.

Scout: No question. It seemed that the white team either made a weak “shot” at the net or missed the ball completely. On the other side of coin, the dark team did a fantastic job at keeping the ball in. Your boy Lenny had a great keep when he passed it to Reggie (who turned it into a goal). Also, Nick had a very nice slap-shot from the point that went in. It’s demoralizing to an offense when the defense cant keep the ball down low.

Nick: Did Mike continue to look good as an up and coming center this week?

Scout: Nope. He took a step back this week. I barely remember that he played.

Nick: I know Johnny was very impressive to you last week, what did you think about him last night?

Scout: Brad had a larger effect on the game outcomes last night.

Nick: Two back-handed compliments in one sentence? That’s impressive.

Nick: Your thoughts on Justin?

Scout: Solid stick handling abilities. With his speed he could be dangerous if he gets a better wrist shot. (That applies to every one of us.)

Scout: My arm is so sore.

Nick: My butt is sore. Someone gave me a wedgie last night.

Scout: Do his name rhyme with wedgie?

Nick: That’s weird. It does.

Nick: WPR and the Rhyme guy?

Scout: And the legend grows.

Nick: prediction for next week?

Scout: Nope. I don’t do that anymore. Dave didn’t yell screen once. He did it to spite me. No more predictions.

Nick: hakuna matata.

Update

The stats have been updated.

Recap will be up later...

The next generation Recap?

I’m apparently still on the hook. I thought I was playing my cards right. I have been very quiet on the board, haven’t made any references to a “recap” of any kind, and I have (relatively) stayed out of any controversy. I even stayed away from rebutting Lenny’s comment this afternoon. Believe me; I wanted to respond to Lenny. But that’s how determined I was to make the recap a once and a while type of thing-I kept my mouth shut. I was doing my best to lay low. I failed. Thanks TPJ.

So, now I have no reason to hold back on Lenny. I’m sort of disappointed that Brett did a great job at making our point. I have nothing else to add. But this leaves me with no one to “rip” this week. Dale had no back-handed shots, Brad decided not to show again and Brendon was Brendon. So what (or who) does that leave me with? It’s not a good recap without controversy.

Week 3: “Like I always say, there is no 'I' in TEAM... there's a 'ME' though, if you jumble it up.”

Any guesses on where the quote is from? I haven’t had one of those in a long time. Enjoy?

Moving on…New Recap template added to the resume. Let me know what you guys think.

Week 3: A sit down with the “scout”

Nick: Where did game one leave you?

Scout: This was the best game of the night, despite the fact that one goalie tried to give away the game.

Nick: Tony?

Scout: Nope. But you were close.

Nick: It seems that playing any position, whether you are playing up or back, it is extremely difficult to play well when you don’t have help from your teammates. Is that a fair assessment?

Scout: Oh, I agree 100%. You are a hockey genius. You definitely know hockey better than Dale. I know he went to PEA, but wow! You are amazing.

Nick: I’m humble too.

Scout: Not one of your better qualities.

Nick: What were your thoughts on Brett’s play this week?

Scout: Well, it goes back to the help factor. He was only number three on my WPR but he could have easily been number one. Brett played defense, hustled, and made an innumerable amount of great passes. But, time and time again they were botched, miss handled or missed completely by his teammates. Even Johnny missed a few this week. He really disappointed me.

Nick: Before we “rip” Johnny, I have to ask, what did you mean when you said ‘my WPR’?

Scout: Perhaps I have said too much.

Nick: Are the scout and WPR one in the same?

Scout: Like I said, Johnny was not himself. I know he had 4 goals but he clearly could have capitalized more. His team needed him and he didn’t seem to step up.

Nick: Ok, so you were not a fan of John’s play, we get it. Back to the more important issue here…are you WPR?

Scout: Ranked number one in this weeks WPR was Jared, he had 8 goals, but only one assist. Jared doesn’t seem to do well in spreading the points. But it works this week I guess.

Nick: Do you see continued success for Jared at this magnitude?

Scout: Who is the goalie going to be?

Nick: I’m sure Jimmy is doing his signature laugh somewhere.

Scout: Perhaps he is at the never ending “Quick” build in Malden.

Lenny: SHUT-UP!!!!

Scout: What was that?

Nick: Didn’t you hear? Lenny yells at people when they make an astute and wise observation. It’s his thing.

Scout: What’s your thing?

Nick: Recaps, I guess.

Scout: You’re not very good at those.

Nick: I didn’t say I was “good” at my thing. (insert a comment that says this is a bad joke to automatically make this into a funny joke. This is Big Board’s thing)

Nick: Your thoughts on Reggie’s appearance?

Scout: He looked ok, I guess. He was surprisingly solid with his stick handling but at soon as he got past the defenseman he seemed to lose the ball. Hopefully he will play more consistently to get his shot “back”

Nick: Did you like my break-away?

Scout: I know I was shocked when you shot it right into the goalie.

Nick: Shall I move on?

Scout: I would.

Nick: Of the missing last night who did you miss the most? Dane or Brad?

Scout: Who’s Brad? Dane all the way, baby!

Nick: Don’t be using my “babies” now.

Nick: What was meaner, what Ariel did to Brendon or what Nick did to Ronnie?

Scout: It was mean that you put yourself in the same category as Brendon.

Nick: An oversight on my part.

Scout: I wish Brendon would post a comment. It makes your job so much easier.

Nick: Yeah, creating controversies is Brendon’s thing.

Nick: Prediction for next week?

Scout: Dave will yell the word “SCREAN!” several times.

Nick: That’s a given.

Scout: Well, it is his thing.

Update

Stats have been updated and perhaps a recap is in-store.

PPP's Quick Hits

1st Week Set Teams: Advantage White

Are you guys happy with the teams as they were constituted this week? Will they stay as they were for the next month? I thought there was some good sustained pressure on both sides. Both teams had there chances and capitalized on a bunch of others.

Contact Crusher

There were a three nice take downs during week 3. Nick was in the middle of all them. He let Ron go by him in the far side and the ol man's feet came out from underneath and wham. That hurt. Nick played some offense and tried to slide by Ron on D only to take a nice spill himself from some convenient stick placement that might have been called a penalty. On the 3rd incident. Here comes Nick again, welcoming Ron Lite to the big leagues with some nice body positioning. The contact crusher of the nite.

Blocked shot that hurt alot

Blocked shot or a wild shot? Either way, Brendon took it on the hand or wrist. That had to hurt. Give the guy credit, he never missed a shift. The trainer taped it up and sent right back out there.

Bing Bang Boom

The combination of Brett and Johnny clicked most of the night. They definitely scored the nicest goals of the evening. Unfortunately the two of them needed more answers and they couldn't find them down the stretch.

White team was offensive

All of the white team offensive players contributed to the teams success tonight. Even Ron Lite notched his 2nd career assist. TPJ was tough down low with plenty of support from Joel, Mike and Dale. After last week's lull from scoring from outside Ron blasted a bunch in from outside.

Hockey is at 5:45 this Sunday, outside rink

Just a reminder, especially since the other thread was too long. Everyone seemed to be in favor of the first set of teams that were posted; you can continue that discussion here. Oh, and since we're making fun of Mike D for being #200, I think we should nickname him the Hulk: he look's like he's on the juice, and he's much better when he's angry!

Riley Rocks when Opportunity Knocks

The teams were slightly weighed in Riley’s favor at the beginning of the night. However, Riley opened the door and welcomed Dale to his fold and from then on the balance of power proved too much to overcome for TPJ’s mix of old and young talent. TPJ’s team notched the victory in the first game, but it was all downhill after that. From my vantage point, Johnny had the deck stacked. If they didn’t dominate, there would have been some serious crying going on. Way to go Johnny. Enjoy your shallow victories.

Do you qualify as a "substantial" player?

Possibly. But it depends on when the question is asked. I sure Chris changed the perception of his skills after his performance last night. Perhaps even to the extent where he is drafted higher this coming week. In contrast, Nick may go down in the "draft" after his performance. And here lies the underlying problem. Every week it’s the same thing. It’s like clockwork. Brett, Johnny and Jared do their thing. And we have no idea what to expect from everyone else. (Well, we know Brendon will “butt check”, Dale will try backhanded shots rather than pass and Brad will have a blue mouth guard…but I think you know what I mean). “We” are unpredictable in performance.

It’s time someone else steps up. I’m calling us all out-including myself. We are inconsistent. We like to make the same mistakes over and over again. I guess you can say it’s our forte. How about we change that? Ok…my rant is over…I’ll ramble later…but first a short recap.

*Has anyone else ever noticed that the typical first game in Saugus is always very long? Too long. It happens every week. The first game is just as long as the final few games combined. Well, game one of the night, of the season, was no different. The game started off with a 4-2 lead for the Dark team. It looked like Johnny's team was going to start the year with a win. The Dark Team managed to get goals from John, Brendon and two goals from PPP. (Where did that nickname come from anyway?). The first two goals from the white team were from Brett (assisted by Matt S and Nick). Brett was keeping his team in the game. He gave his team the chance for a comeback. "He must have been on an emotion roller coaster with everything going on around him...but it didn't show, he was clutch", said one teammate. But it didn't end there for Brett, he also had the third goal for the white team bringing his team within one. Soon there after a goal from Jared (assisted by Brett) put the game at a 4-4 tie. Johnny's team was about to blow the game. Minutes went by, each team was playing solid defense. But eventually one team had to crack...it was a pass by Joel to Jared for the goal that ended it. Game 1 of the 2009 season was epic.

*Game 2-the baby is still not here. In game two the tables were turned against Brett's team or the white team...whatever we were called. The white team had a 4-1 lead with goals from Brett(!), Dale, Jared and Joel. The dark team countered with a goal from John Riley. This game should have been in the bag. But for whatever the white team collapsed. But after goals from John, Brendon and Ron, the momentum had already turned. When a team blows a 3 goal lead confidence is never high. But no one expected what was about to happen to actually happen. "Look, when i watch him play I have no idea what he is going to do with the ball...I'm not sure he knows what he is going to do. But sometimes that can work to your advantage", said one scout of Shane H. Shane had the game winner (assisted by Griff). Wow...Shinning moment in a short career.

*Game 3- Brett started to be overcome with the feeling of fatherhood upon him. Yep, Brett left and Joel followed. So a trade was needed. Well it was more of a take I guess. Jared took Mike D away from Johnny and game 3 was to begin. But game 3 was the Chris Young show. "Man, he was great. Gritty on defense. He fought hard for the puck. He even came up and played a little offense", said one player. It was highlighted by a great give and go to Jared for a goal. But Chris's play was overshadowed by another win by the Dark team. The final score was 5-2 Dark despite the white team, at one point, having a 2-1 lead (remember that impossible shot by Jared?). Game 3's star was Ron with 3 goals...

*Game 4-You got to see the baby! Sorry about that...i watching Seinfeld on Leno...i needed to put a reference in here somewhere. Before game 4 we had yet another trade. Nick was traded from the white team to the dark side for Griff (though Griff didnt realize it until 10 mins into the 4th game) Griff made an impact while he was on the other side. Creating offensive plays for his new team. On the other side of the coin, Nick played 5 mins and never played again. I blame Jimmy. Jimmy how many times are you going to get the ball and play with it? Just stop it! you're playing with fire and may have cost you a win in the last game. The final score was 5-3 Dark (yes! I stole a win!). The last goal was scored by Brendon after a bobble by Jimmy.

Nick’s Ramblings

Brad and Matt S: I’m sorry that you were getting ripped publicly about getting the ball out of zone. No Dale, I didn’t forget to say sorry to you. Btw, I was reading the archives last night, and I noticed that Dale made a post…was that really him? LINKY. If you notice in that post was another blow up by Brendon. It certainly doesn’t take much prodding to get him going. Do you think he is reading the blog again? No posts in a while…Is it pathetic that I had to look up my last recap to figure the format? I forgot how to set one up. Hey Jimmy, no slap shots from the net…just cover the ball! Almost gave me a heart attack. Reggie! Are you alive??? Where did you go? We put you on a team (per your request) and you didn’t show…are you still in the fetal position? Maybe next year? Lenny we missed you! It would have been nice to have Chris’s brother here….come on that was clever. Griff, how is the knee, the thigh, and the balls? Again, sorry about that. I honestly have no idea where my shot is going. I did this really quick...hope the spell check caught my mistakes...no re-reading on this post!

Recap and Stats (part 2)

The stats are up. Same drill as always...look for the links on the side bar. Obviously new pages/databases needed to be created for the new season so mistakes were possible (though unlikely...lol). Let us know if you see any.

The recap will be up tonight.

That is all.

Recap and Stats

Recap and stats should be up around 8 pm Monday Night.
Great first week everyone.
Anyone else enjoying the instant updates? Its like twitter...
(I'm now out of characters)

Season 4 predictions...

This thread is pretty self-explanatory...in preparation for our game this Sunday (6:30 outside rink) we can put in our predictions for the upcoming year. I'll be adding some polls around lunch time today as well. Also, let me know if anyone has ideas for any new stats they want to track this year. Sorry Steve, save % is way too hard to keep track of!

Thinking about this game still makes me excited...

To this point I have focused much of my frustration of our loss in the tournament last week on one player. Furthermore it’s very clear who “we” have made the scapegoat of “our” struggles to be. And to a certain extent, perhaps I have been too harsh on Brendon (and not harsh enough on “others”). But to sit there and defend anyone’s mistakes with the adage “no one is perfect” is a joke. I’m sick of hearing it. It’s a pathetic display. It’s a feeling that has no association with a heart of a champion.

But for a few moments I will go along with this “wise” excuse. If this adage has any credence at all, then I’m right to surmise that someone other than Brendon made many plays that deserve harsh criticism. Am I right in that assumption? Of course I am. None of us are perfect. But I’m stating the obvious.

It seems that when someone makes a great shot, they get all of the praise. And this praise is certainly well deserved. But, the great pass that set his shot up, from his teammate, is often overlooked. The truth is, though, you can’t have one without the other. The pass gets no praise because someone else made a better play. The same can be said about a bad performance. When one player continues to make questionable play after questionable play, the poor performance of another teammate is evident but often ignored. It goes uncriticized because someone else managed to make a more noticeable mistake.

Just like you, I made awful plays. We all did.

Mike was right when he said: “we all made mistakes and bad plays” but I’m sick of the generalization. I’m sick of having all of us lumped into one mass of terribleness because feelings are being spared. We are supposed to learn from criticism, not become defensive.

Oh yes…I’m finally going to recap game 4:

Game 4: Sweat fancy Moses…how’d we do that?

Game 4 was game one of the play-offs. It was our first game on Sunday. And it could have been, potentially, our last game of the tournament. The play-offs were do or die. And the game started at 8:00 am.

8:00 am. Think about. We had played 3 long hard fought games on Saturday and we needed a quick turn around for Sunday. We were certainly tired. We were out of energy. We were exhausted. And our play showed that we were.

When we got to the park (field? Is there a better term? Brendon, want to help me out? Or is the site part of your “ban” too?) we saw our opponent, the Wolf Pack practicing for the game. We, on the other hand, chose not to practice but complain. Nick was mad that Jared didn’t get him breakfast. Though, Brendon was clutch when he gave me a power bar!! (Hey Brendon look! A compliment!!!!!) And Jared was complaining about how our team looks unprepared in contrast to our adversary. We were standing around…they were practicing. We are the epitome of a team.

Remember the Wolf Pack? You know, it was that team that we shared a mutual respect for. (magic v.s bird style)

Well, they were more prepared than we were. They were a better than we were. And we were tired. Does that sound like a recipe for a win? Never mind a win, how about a competitive game? I had my doubts.

Game 4 started off slow (for us). We were down 2-0 quick. And I’ll be honest, it didn’t look good. Every time we scored-they answered. Jared started off our scoring, making the game 2-1. We gained hope. Then they scored. 3-1 Wolf Pack. We thought the game was over. Then Johnny scored making the game 3-2. We began to believe again. And guess what happened next? Yep, they scored. 4-2 wolf pack. Next, we made it 4-3 with another clutch goal from Jared (were you thinking it was a clutch goal from Brendon?). Suddenly, we felt we could come back and win.

And then they scored. Again.

After that goal we began to believe that we had no chance. We were hoping for time to run out.

Instead, time stood still; because Jared decided to call a time-out.

What a tactic.

During our time-out we chose not to work on a game plan or strategy but we sat there in what was almost a dead silence. The one minute timeout flew by. We were soon told to get up off the ground and play (on!).

But before we started up again Jared softly said to his team “let’s score two”

Wow.

What a motivator.

When play resumed there was a little more then 3 minutes left of the clock. We couldn’t afford to waste time. We needed to strike quickly. We did just that. In the blink of an eye John Riley came up with a clutch goal. To this moment, I still can not believe how Johnny got this ball to go in. He couldn’t do it again if he wanted. This ball seemed to pause in mid and Johnny somehow managed to time the slap perfectly for a goal. 5-4 game.

Despite the momentum changing sides yet again, the wolf pack managed to keep the pressure on us. In fact, they even managed to catch Brett out of net in one instance…Hold ON! Glad I caught myself. I don’t want to say anything negative about Brett! Brendon claims that I’m biased; I don’t want to deviate from my reputation.

Our 5th goal is as Griff would say was “debatable”. It was yet another goal by Jared and this time the ball was almost “willed” in. The ball apparently “trickled” past the goal line. As soon as Jared saw this he began to yell “it’s in! It’s a goal”. The reff blew the whistle. Tie Game.

Somehow we managed to hold down the fort the rest of the way. We were about to have a shoot out.

For a shootout the “team” got to decide who would take the shots. Only three players could go. Johnny and Jared were locks, but who would be our third guy? Luckily (sort of a backhanded thing to you Mike) we never got to that point.

Jared was the first one to take a shot. He scored on a forehand. 1-0 Alliance…it was our first lead. (sort of)

Then the wolf pack's representative took a crack at scoring. Brett wanted no part in that. He was shut down immediately.

And now it was Johnny’s turn to give us a commanding lead. Not noted earlier in this recap was a missed penalty shot by John…maybe John would take something out of that missed shot? Of course he did. He scored on back hand.

It was all up to Brett. Could he finish the improbable win? He is the better Driscoll…what do you think happend?

Game Over. he shut them down. The best game any of us had ever been a part of. And we played awful.

Coming “Soon”: Game 5-Am I done writing recaps?????

Recap of Game 4

Sorry guys. I'm already at 2 1/2 pages. (and im still not done!) It was an intense game I guess. This recap is taking a long time to finish. I'm hoping for sometime soon.
It will be up by the end of the day tomorrow at the latest. I promise.

A new season begins! Sunday, September 13th @ 6:30 pm.

The fall has always been one of my least favorite times of year since it marks the end of summer, but there's at least 2 good things about the fall. One is hockey, the other is football. For us Pats fans, hockey will actually start first. The Pats start the season on Monday the 14th, we are playing the day before on Sunday September 13th at 6:30 on the outside rink. This looks like it will be the best season we've had since we've started doing the stats and this site. Next week we'll start throwing some polls and questions out about the upcoming season, by which point maybe Nick will be done his recaps of Montreal. In the meantime, let me know who is planning on playing on the 13th.

Haphazardly using Exclamation points

Wait! Hold on! HOLD IT!!! I lost my number two spot???? You have got to be kidding!! After game one I was moaning about how terrible I played and I was told quote: “You were number two behind Jared!” Were you lying to me??? So I have to ask: What happened??? Did I suddenly go back in time and play worse??? Whose feelings are you sparing??? I need an answer! “My time has come” for an answer!!!!

Anyways...let me ask another question: How many goals did Nick have in the first two months of this past season in Saugus?

He had zero. Zilch. Zip. Nada. Nothing. I went two months without a goal…two months!!

Keep that mind as we recap Game Two of the “Tourney”.

Game Two: Another undeserved Win

> I would like to impugn our “struggles” in this game and this tournament to one person (or two, or three, or….) but I hold back because for whatever reason we kept on winning. When I finally recap our first loss of the tournament, I will start the blame game. Believe me, I will.

As the second game started it looked like we were going to be pounded. They were out hustling us. They were not making blind passes. They were the absolute definition of a team. It wasn’t looking good. We deserved a loss. But our goalie played out of his mind. He was fantastic. He was making insane stops. He was absolutely amazing. It was a borderline unbelievable performance. After all, he is the better Driscoll. What else should we expect?

Nick started the scoring in game two with what some of his teammates called “the best shot of his career.” It was a perfect “slap shot” to the top left corner of the net. The goalie had no chance. 1-0 Alliance. This shot set the rest of the team in motion. We got contributions from Brendon, Mike and Johnny creating a 5-0 lead over the Wolf Pack. (did you notice a name missing? No, I’m not talking about Brett)

But, in the second half, after intermission, our team came back to being terrible. We stopped playing over our heads. We fell back to reality (Oh there goes gravity!-Did anyone else start rapping?). In the second half, the wolf pack began to run circles around us and instead of adjusting we decided to hold down. Sit on the lead. For 15 minutes. Think about that: 15 minutes. Is that possible? We kept icing for 15 minutes. Can I stress that anymore? Does that show any confidence? We managed to hold down our lead and score two more goals (including another goal by Nick) but we knew this team was good. We knew that if we faced them in the play-offs, they could beat us. Without an amazing performance by Brett we were going to be toast. But there we stood undefeated heading into our third and final game of Saturday.

Tomorrow: Game Three-An improbable ending…another win.

I want a recap!!

I wonder who said those words??? I have no idea...[insert a Brendon smiley face here-to show an attempt at being clever]

In my first post since my disappointing season recap way back on May 20th, I will recap game one of the Hockey Tournament that was recently attended by some of our "teammates."

GAME 1: The 12 year olds....

No they were not really 12-if they were they wouldn’t have been at the tournament. But they were all 5 foot 5' "men" who seemed to all have a different heritage. I’m not sure they were all speaking the same language.

So let me ask...In theory should we destroy a team that is obviously younger, smaller, softer and represents more languages than the city of Babel?

Nope. That’s not how it works here. This team went 0-5 in the tournament including a loss placed on them because of the mercy rule being put into effect. So instead of steam rolling them like everyone else did we decided to match every terrible play they made with another terrible play of our own. Recipe for succes. [insert a Lenny smiley face-to show that a clever remark was actually made]. Brendon ran around in circles, Nick felt he played awful, Mike De Maio struggled and despite all this Jared still wanted to move up a level (or two). Confidence is usually high when you have 6 goals in one game. "I'd like to say that Jared was great but that goalie was average at best...I want to see how he plays against a tougher opponent", said one scout.

Brett looked solid in net, but it certainly wasn’t his best game of the weekend. Johnny did not have his “great” sniper like shot. Game one’s MVP was Jared. He made clutch shots, he put us ahead, he hustled, and he came back on defense (wait…now you know I’m lying). The point is: Jared came up big. The rest of the team did not. “It was a game in which we all had a tough time getting started (in fact “we”-as a team-never did get started)…we got the win, but we knew we played a bad opponent. We had to play better if we wanted a win in game 2…and we actually did play better. Though are ‘better’ is still bad”, said one confident player. The Final Score was 8-3 Alliance. But the score did not tell the story. We struggled. We were tentative. We were bad. We were flat footed. We didn’t use our size to our advantage. We made blind passes. We made bad shots. And when I say “we” I mean “some of us”. Our opponent was just awful. Its that simple. “We” didn’t win, they lost. They wanted to lose more than we did. But it was the first time we played together in 6 months. Rust was expected. We don’t believe in luck *but* we were lucky to face a weak adversary before our Magic vs. Byrd game…

It was a win…but our least entertaining game…

We ended up playing better in Game two against the team we respected (and they respected us, of course)

Tomorrow: Game Two…another win? Believe it.



Brett, we forgot a part: Kramer: [In Newman's ear] This guy's nothin' but a piece of crap...

Newman: You are nothing but a piece of crap.

Ron: Pardon me?

Kramer: [In Newman's ear] A piece of crap...

Newman: A piece of crap.

A fun way to pass the time...

For those who have played NHL 09 for the 360, they have attributes for each player. All of the EA games do the same kind of thing. I was wondering, if we were to create a team in 09 full of Saugus players, what would their attributes look like? I've started by taking the top 5 in points (all I had time for at the moment). This is based strictly on Saugus play, not actual ice hockey abilities. This is all in fun, and to give us something to discuss until we start playing again, so don't take it too seriously. I've tried to be fair as possible, but there's always the natural tendency to have a little bias. Anyway, here it is...feel free to add your own, and I'll post the next 5 players when I have some time:

First, the categories:
OAWR: Offensive Awareness
DEK: Deking
CHK: Checking
AGL: Agility
PAS: Passing
DIS: Discipline
TGH: Toughness
ACC: Acceleration
SS_ACC: Slap Shot Accuracy
SS_POW: Slap Shot Power
END: Endurance
WR_ACC: Wrist Shot Accuracy
WR_POW: Wrist Shot Power
PUCK: Puck Control
DAWR: Defensive Awareness
POIS: Poise
SHTBLK: Shot Blocking
DEFL: Deflections
SPD: Speed
FACEOF: Faceoffs
AGG: Aggression
BAL: Balance
DUR: Durability
ONE: One-Timer (not an 09 category, but one that applies)

John
OAWR: 99
DEK: 97
CHK: 90
AGL: 80
PAS: 95
DIS: 90
TGH: 92
ACC: 80
SS_ACC: 75
SS_POW: 70
END: 99
WR_ACC: 98
WR_POW: 92
PUCK: 93
DAWR: 96
POIS: 90
SHTBLK: 70
DEFL: 80
SPD: 90
FACEOF: 90
AGG: 90
BAL: 95
DUR: 95
ONE: 95

Brett
OAWR: 99
DEK: 95
CHK: 80
AGL: 94
PAS: 99
DIS: 90
TGH: 90
ACC: 96
SS_ACC: 75
SS_POW: 75
END: 96
WR_ACC: 95
WR_POW: 95
PUCK: 99
DAWR: 92
POIS: 85
SHTBLK: 70
DEFL: 80
SPD: 95
FACEOF: 90
AGG: 85
BAL: 92
DUR: 90
ONE: 85

Jared
OAWR: 99
DEK: 92
CHK: 70
AGL: 90
PAS: 90
DIS: 90
TGH: 80
ACC: 92
SS_ACC: 85
SS_POW: 88
END: 97
WR_ACC: 93
WR_POW: 92
PUCK: 96
DAWR: 78
POIS: 85
SHTBLK: 70
DEFL: 80
SPD: 94
FACEOF: 85
AGG: 90
BAL: 95
DUR: 99
ONE: 93

Brendon
OAWR: 92
DEK: 78
CHK: 85
AGL: 82
PAS: 83
DIS: 75
TGH: 84
ACC: 94
SS_ACC: 78
SS_POW: 89
END: 93
WR_ACC: 80
WR_POW: 83
PUCK: 84
DAWR: 75
POIS: 85
SHTBLK: 80
DEFL: 83
SPD: 93
FACEOF: 80
AGG: 92
BAL: 85
DUR: 78
ONE: 84

Mike D
OAWR: 85
DEK: 72
CHK: 90
AGL: 88
PAS: 80
DIS: 85
TGH: 94
ACC: 87
SS_ACC: 75
SS_POW: 80
END: 90
WR_ACC: 85
WR_POW: 87
PUCK: 78
DAWR: 94
POIS: 85
SHTBLK: 82
DEFL: 83
SPD: 89
FACEOF: 75
AGG: 90
BAL: 90
DUR: 82
ONE: 80

Update

Hey guys, This Sunday will either be softball, or beach football & volleyball (depending on weather). The beach will be Salisbury if it happens. Softball would be Haverhill. Let me know who is interested in either one. Regular hockey will start up in September sometime...how soon in September will be based on everyone's availability.

Softball this Sunday - 5:00 in Haverhill

Hey guys, I should be back on Sunday, hopefully by 5:00, so we can try to play softball or baseball this week. If it's softball then it will be in Haverhill, if it's baseball then it'll either be Haverhill or Londonderry. Contact Mike D, or call my cell if you want to play.

Softball this week: 4:00 in Haverhill

Let me know who wants to play.

No Softball this week...

Try for next week.

Finally

Yes, my account is finally straightened out after a 30 min battle with google services...

THE STATS ARE UP!!!!!!!

Softball this Sunday @ 4:00 in Haverhill

Who is in?

The never finished season recap...

The Recap originated on March 31st 2008. It started as a one paragraph description of some observations by the veteran Triple P. And then Nick took over the reins. Even his original posts were small. But it soon started to develop. The audience requested longer and longer recaps with excruciating details. The amount of information never seemed to be enough. "He is too biased. I like Triple P better!" It certainly makes me feel great. (Is the world's violin we used for [insert name] still available?)

Yes, the recap has become the quintessence of Saugus Hockey. It has become more loved than the stats themselves...well, not really.

How Did the Stats begin?

The idea of the stats came up when we were preparing the hall for the Quick Build. Reggie was the first one to suggest this crazy idea. The first implementation was keeping track of the stats and then putting them into a spreadsheet. From there we would have to download from a website. The stats then fell apart as it wasn’t very accurate and people started losing interest. So, we ended up scrapping the original inaccurate stats and started from scratch using the database and website that John built. It was a boring site. No interaction. Just a couple spreadsheets. After that 1st season (2006-2007 season) Nick built the website we have now, and we’ve kept the database that John had created as the source of the stats.

The 2008-2009 Season: The Season the Stats Took Over.

"The stats have become the reason why I show at hockey...."

Nomination: The Greatest/Most Entertaining Debate of the Season

1. The Great Interference Debate of April 27th. Linky.

2. The Great "Ref" Debate of January 13th Linky.

Nomination: The Greatest Blunder of the Season

1. "Brad took three attempted “shots” at the empty net and failed miserably each time." Game Three of April 27th. Linky.

2. According to WPR (in the comments), Jimmy C had a great blunder on January 18th:

"Worst player of the week: This part is to inspire the person to do better next week.I think I let the cat out of the bag already but the honor this week goes to . . . . . Jim C for obvious reasons that everyone couldn’t ignore. The teams were stacked pretty well to off set his faults."

Linky

3. Mike D hitting the post 8 times in a two week period. Linky.

4. Not saying Goodbye to Reggie for the season after he played on December 27th. Linky.

Winner: The Best theme for a Recap

1. The Dumbo Theme of January 18th. Linky.

_____________________________________________________________

The 2008-2009 season was the best year of hockey we have ever had. It was also the season with the most games we have ever played. Because of this statistical milestones were reached:

• John Riley 117 Goals
• It was, though, a tight race for second. Brett managed to eclipse Jared by 6 goals
• It was a breakout year for Mike D. 38 goals
• Lenny started to play every week...do you think he cherry-picks?

This will go down as the recap that just ended...it was never completed. Pulled from the archives.

Another Update

The season recap is taking longer than expected. Im doing a ton of research on past games, waiting on email responses from several people and getting some details that im not privy to.

I promise it will be up tomorrow. I hope it doesn't disappoint.

Update

I know most of you "dont care" (or at least Brendon doesnt), but Im going to give you an update anyway. The last update to the 2008-2009 season stats has been done. It was a fun week and a interesting season, to say the least.

A recap of the season is expected to be up sometime tomorrow afternoon.

Does anyone else hate Ricky Nolasco?

I digress.

The polls are up...except one. What was your most memorable play of the season? Put a suggestion in the comment we will put it to a poll. Of course, we have one more week to create memories.

The polls with a "box" shaped answer cursor means that you can pick multiple answers.

Last years winners can be seen by clicking the "awards" tab on the sidebar.

Recap? Stats? What is goin on?

Sorry Guys, computer trouble delayed the stats, but they are up now.

I’m sorry to announce that the recap for this week is cancelled. We (and when I say "we" I mean "me") decided that the polls for this years awards would go up today instead. Believe it or not, the polls do take a vast amount of time to put up so both could not be done. This season's final recap will be posted after next week’s games. I felt that the last week of the season shouldn’t be without a recap.

Finally…softball stats????

Softball Stats

Yeah, I dont believe it either.‏

They are up. Side bar.

Hockey this Sunday, 7:00-9:00 (Inside rink)‏

Hi guys,

This will be the final week of hockey until September. We are able to play a little earlier this week (7:00), but it has to be on the indoor rink. So let me know who will be there.

Hockey this week

Hi guys, We'll probably do two more weeks of floor hockey before we stop until the fall. We can play early this week since there will not be any flag football. I have the rink right now for 6:30, but can get it earlier if it works better (which would allow people to still see the game). Let me know what time works for you. After this week we'll probably do one more week of hockey and then will be some softball.