Hockey Sunday at 5:30 - Inside Rink

Hey guys, let me know if you can make it. At the moment I'm doubtful, but hopefully will be able to play.

In: Nick, Brad, brendon, Dave, jack

Who else is in? If there's not enough I want to give them enough notice to cancel.

Hockey Cancelled - Would anyone be interested in tomorrow evening?

And before anyone says it, yes - weather permitting. Should be a good rematch from last week. Let me know who is planning on playing.

In: John, Brett, Nick, Jon, Griff, Jared, Mike D, Billy, Brendon, Brad, Darrin (G), Dave (G)

Out: Reggie

Don't know:Chris, Mark, Bobcat, Jack, Mike W

Game Update: Games cancelled. Sorry it took so long to make a call, but I haven't been able to find much of a forecast since this morning. I was hoping the snow would hold up, but Billy just said it's whiteout in Boston right now.

Further update: Would anyone be interested in playing tomorrow evening instead? If so, what time?

your welcome

i decided to do the world a favor and start a new thread so we all can move on from whatever brendon just posted.

Round the outside..Round the outside..

Guess who's back

Back again

Jared's back

Tell a friend

Guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back guess who's back, guess who's back, guess who's back..

It has become the week of Returns! The Return of the Recap! The Return of Jafar! And most importantly the Return of TPJ. The Saugus Legend is back. And he's back big! Let's do this!

A conversation with the Scout:

Nick: Im back!

Scout: Where'd you go?

Nick: Apostrophe D?

Scout: Yeah, that's right isnt it?

Nick: Ehh...Let's just move on. What did you think of this past week?

Scout: You know, very strange games. The Dark Team seemed in control at times and then the white team flat out dominated for the middle games.

Nick: Yeah, those middle games were a disaster.

Scout: You were visibly upset. Billy was obviously frustrated. John blamed everyone else's passing. Though that's nothing new.

Nick: You forgot about Brendon.

Scout: It's pronounced "Frendon"

Nick: oh, my mistake.

Scout: Brendon was the only guy on your team who didnt seem upset. In fact, he was seen celebrating arbitrary goals.

Nick: Every goal matters. What did you think of Jared's play? Scout: I think he watched the "Nick Burton: How to shoot a slap shot" training Video. Quite a few high slap shots.

Nick: He also telegraphed some passes.

Scout: Overall, a very solid return. He made some shots, showed some mobility. Couldn't have asked for more. Cant wait for a fully healthy Jared when it counts in a few months.

Nick: What? Are you on the B-team? You make me sick. Game 4 was the game of the night, final score 7-7. And there was still over 2 mins left on the clock!

Scout: The best part was that your team fell behind 4-0 again...you made the comeback. But you never actually lead in the game.

Nick: We fought, we adjusted, we just never pulled it out. Time ran out.

Nick: What do you expect out of Dave next week?

Scout: SCREEN!

Nick's Ramblings:

Ok, I fulfilled my promise...Anything after this is gravy btw. I was going to do a my usual game overviews but I never got my info, so I threw something against the wall. Hope it sticks! Mark, great video...fantastic actually, (here it comes...)...BUT...Did you really have to show that awful goal by Borges??? As the fat lazy Saladin would say: "PFFFTTT!!!". That reminds me, Reggie, your fantasy resume is suspect at best...You fraud! Brendon don't listen to everyone, you have the right to celebrate. I mean, who doesn't enjoy your pompous, over the top, flaunting of the mouth and fist after you score a goal? Ha...I crack myself up. Did Jared pass Brett in points already? Time to blow up that poll. So Brett, shin splints again? Darrin vs. Dave next week. Ah the build up. Griff, can we expect a relaxed and tanned individual next week? Where did WPR go? Is this the week Big Board comes back? Anyone else have a hankering for some gum?

Teams:

White: Jared, JB, Brad, Mark, Mike D

Dark: Johnny, Billy, Frendon, Nick

Im Still Here (Brett's Theme)

Let me start off by saying that I have been playing Saugus Hockey for several years now. I play on a semi-regular basis; more than Lenny, at least, so my opinion matters :). I never say much of anything. I enjoy sitting on the "blog sidelines", watching the constant bickering over trivial matters. Its fascinating. The people (especially Brendon) baffle me. But recently, no one seems to baffle me more than Brett. The supposed "Better Driscoll". The Man that claims to have "made Johnny". A man who never made a mistake in a tournament and the guy with the "magic fingers". Where has he gone?

Let us looks at the facts:

1. Brett has played 9 Games all year. In comparison, Ron L, the most inconsistent (in showing up) of all Saugus Hockey Players has played 9 games this Year.

2. Brett plays Hockey on Mondays on a Regular Basis. Because Brett can not handle two hockey games in a week, it has become a regular occurrence that Brett chooses to be injured on Sunday night...around 5 pm. Good For Him.

So, the question is: Why has Brett slowly stopped showing?

My theory? Brett fell so far behind in his beloved stats early, that he didn't want to attempt a comeback, understanding that timed games limit stat totals. So he milked an injury to have a built-in excuse for being behind the Saugus Elite. John, Jon and Brendon.

One thing is for sure...Brett has terrible attendance and thus can never have a say on any "league" moves decided.

Video

Hockey this Sunday, Inside Rink 5:00

Let me know who is in...

Weekly Power Rankings

11-28-10

Johnny’s Kind of Night

5 Johnny - Don’t be fooled by the title of this week’s WPR. Johnny had some goals in game 1, but that’s where his commendation ends. His passes were terrible all night, and when he did by chance make a good pass to someone they’d miss it cause they were expecting a crappy pass. He played defense which should never happen, not that he’s bad at D, just why would you take away your biggest threat on offense?

4 Griff - Nothing special really, just solid. His team wasted a lot of his energy by turning it over right at the line. Still Griff played hard and killed Frendon in the process.

3 Frendon - One of, if not the only, player who seemed to hustle all night, and on a night where there were no subs that’s hard to do. Some of his decisions were questionable and he still doesn’t quite get how the whole assist thing works, his hustle was key in the game 1 win and even in keeping game 2 close.

2 Nick - Is this the night we look back on and say: “That’s the night Nick learned how to hit the net”? I hope so. Low and on net all night really stretched the white teams D showing that they had to cover the point, opening up more room for the offense down low.

1 JB - I lost count of how many scoring chances he set up. He was able to turn on the jets when needed and ended up picking off many cross ice passes for breakaway chances and finished on almost all of them.

Hockey is at 6:00 this Sunday - Inside Rink

Going to try to get the inside rink this week since it looks like it'll be a bit colder. Let me know who can make it.

In: John, Jon, Mike W, Mike D, Brett, Nick, Brad, Brendon.

To Play or Not To Play - that is the question for this week

11-19-10: Hey guys, based on who is available it looks like we'll just cancel for this week. We'll plan to play next Sunday instead.

It was kind of discussed last Sunday, and partially in the previous thread, but let me know if you can play Saturday, Sunday, or neither this week. Due to who is available this week we'll see who can make it.

As you let me know I'll update the list below and we'll see where we stand.

In for Saturday: Brendon, Lenny, Billy, Brad, Nick, Brett (maybe)

In for Sunday: Brendon, John, Jon, Griff, Mike D (maybe), Nick, Brad, Jack (net)

Neither: Mark

BTW, the Season stats are up...

This Sunday - 5:00

I was thinking of maybe taking this week off, but it's a very late Pats game this week (8:20) so if we start by 5 everyone should be able to make it home in time. Works out perfectly. That means we make it to the rink on time (and yes, I'll check traffic reports before I leave so I'm not 20 minutes late).

So once again I will stress: we're not putting up with any more shenanigans this week. Only plan on coming if you can play under those guidelines. And everyone will be required to ask Bradley why it takes him 5 hours to eat lunch.

Let me know who's in this week...

So far:

In: John, Nick, Brad, Jon, Brendon, Mike D, Mike W, Joe, Billy T, Darrin (G), Jimmy (G)

Out: Brett, Lenny, Mark S

High Horse

This is a nice fresh one for big board to post on.

We need to move on...

Hockey will be at 5:00 this Sunday

Stats from last week will be up tomorrow. For this Sunday the game is at 5:00 outside.

In: John, Nick, Brad, Griff, JB, Joe, Lenny, Brendon, Billy T, Mike D, Steve (G), Reggie.

Probable: Ron

Haven't heard from yet: Mike W, Bobcat, Jack (G)

Doubtful: Mark, Chris

Out: Darrin, Brett

Let me know if you will be there...

Old Hat

Do you agree with JB?

Hockey this Sunday, Outside Rink at 6:00

Guys, note the time change: 6:00-8:00. Let's be sure to get there before 6 so that we can start right away. You know the routine: let me know if you'll be there.

Dark Team: John, Brett, Nick, Mike W, Darrin (G)

White Team: Jon, Griff, Mike D, Mark S, Tony (G)

Pool: Brendon, Brad, Lenny, Chris.

Waiting to hear: Steve P, Bob, Dale, Danny H, Jack, etc.

Placeholder

Excellent games last night everyone. For those not there the Dark Team (comprised mostly of the A-Team) won 2 out of 3 against the White Team (with mostly B-Teamers).

Game 1 was tied at 2 when Brett stole an errant clearing pass and wristed one past Darrin. Clutch goal. Dark team holds on for the victory 3-2.

Game 2 ended in a tie and when to a shootout. Steve was torched by Scotty and Mark S while Darrin turned back attempts from Mike W and Brett. White Team win.

Brett leaves to see Pink Floyd, and a goalie switch despite an excellent night from Steve in games 1 & 2 to start Game 3. Dark team jumps out to a quick 3-0 lead, only to watch the White team get two of those goals right back. Despite extending the lead to 4-2, the White team battles back to tie it. Just when it looked like we were going to another shootout, an offensive zone steal with under 10 seconds left lead to a quick give an go between John and Joe with the winning goal being scored 3 seconds before the buzzer. The most dramatic Saugus game we've had.

Random thoughts:

1. Outstanding efforts by everyone. Excellent goaltending for both teams. On the White team Scotty and JB were very good as expected, but solid games from Mike D, Bobcat, and Brad. Chris, you were late so you get no mention! Mark continues to show a very good scoring touch (look where he ranks in the stats when Nick posts them...a great start to the year). The Dark team really stepped it up when Brett had to leave. Brendon aside from a couple of gaffes (and overextended shifts where you should have subbed) you played much better defensively. Lenny did a very good job keeping the ball in at the point, and I thought Joe played excellent for his first time this year. Nick & Mike did a pretty good job containing Scotty too.

2. In addition to some nice offensive plays, loved the effort from Billy going up against Scotty. Usually only Griff can annoy Scotty that much!

3. 5-4 lead in games for the Dark Team. Overall, the Dark team has a 27-25 lead in goals scored. Very, very close.

4. I've liked the timed games. From a scoring standpoint we probably have to adjust expectations though. It used to be if you scored 5 goals it was a pretty decent night. Now, it seems like 5 goals will be the exception, not the rule. PPGs have taken a big hit across the board (by at least a whole ppg in many cases). It doesn't mean timed games are bad. We just had to adjust expectations. If you only get 3 points on the night, you might not feel great about it if you're used to more in years past. Yet now, that probably puts you among the leaders for that night.

YouTube - Hamilton Bulldogs VS Binghamton Senators ... Kaspars Daugavins shootout goal

YouTube - Hamilton Bulldogs VS Binghamton Senators ... Kaspars Daugavins shootout goal

Dear Slim

Why is it that the team that has been voted by the people to be better, insist on taking our player? Actually, let me rephrase that. Why is it that the B-team, a team that wont stop scratching it's own back, a team that spends countless hours trying to prove its worth, continue to only want to take on it's better counterpart if they split it up? How can the B-team continue to jazz up their "skill" if they are only scratching out wins because of a stolen "good"? You claim to have the better team, but you have yet to put that on the line. And until you put not only your team, but yourself, as a captain, on the line, you always be the second fiddle team...no matter what you say or do. End the cop out. End the game...let's see what you are really made of. Put up or shut up.

Game 1: B Team plus Ron beats most of the A Team.

Game 2: B Team plus a no name goalie pound John "Im over the hill" Riley and some of the A team 7-3.

Game 3: B team fails at their attempt at a cheap sweep. Final score? Up for debate.

Yeah, I'll be honest, I didnt have a lot in me this week. Oh well. This is a break in. Those 800 word posts will be back.

Stats are coming soon boys.

Sunday at 5...A vs B

So for this Sunday, the rivalry begins...Goalies are Darrin and Steve.

Team A: John, Brett, Nick, Mike W
Team B: Jon, Griff, Mike D, Mark S

Pool: Chris, Brad, Billy T (doubtful), Brendon, Lenny, Steve P

B Team gets first pick and choice of goalie. I will update the pool of players based on who is coming this week once I hear from each person. Still waiting to hear from Steve P, Lenny, Reggie, Dale, Matt S, etc.

I have to check if I still have my stop watch. Jon, did you or Brett have it last? I don't remember if anyone gave it to me or not.

Finally, it looks like next week will be the first week for the Fantasy stats.

Haverhill Cup Roster Update and official rules

I'll be posting the roster update once I hear back from Ron today, so expect it sometime tomorrow.

This where I'll also be posting the rules. Since Jared didn't get swept away by Hurricane Earl he will be able to apply these rules fairly and without controversy...except for Brett's team.

Feel free to post questions about any of the rules if they are unclear.

1. Game play will be 3 on 3. Games are 2 ten-minute periods.

2. No icing or offsides.

3. Tie-ups by the goalie outside the crease result in offensive team taking possesion from the corner. Tie-ups inside the crease go to the defensive team.

4. Any infractions: ie tripping, checking, etc result in a penalty shot.

5. Games ending in a tie result in a 3 attempt shootout (with 3 different shooters). If the game is still tied it's a one-for-one attempt with any shooter until there's a winner.

6. Each player must bring a dark and white shirt. Home team decides what color to wear.

7. Each team will play each other. Playoff seedings are 1 vs 4, 2 vs 3. Third place game is played for the losing teams, followed by the championship game.

8. Rosters will include 3 players, 1 sub, 1 goalie.

9. Providing there's enough video footage (Brett and Brendon clear your cameras), each game will be filmed, with copies available.

10. Stats will be kept, although will not count towards Saugus.

A Season Preview

Im not sure if something that started off so casual was supposed to become this big. How big has it become, you ask? Think about it. It just keeps getting bigger. It started with made-up stats by Brendon and now im writting previews...in August. That's unreal. It's unheard of. Yes, ladies and gentleman, it may have gotten too big. But it is for the better. If only the NHL got this much hype, eh?

Did you catch a theme? This season is BIG, our Biggest season yet. The hype for hockey is at an all time high. So much so, that people actually think the haverhill cup is a good idea. But Im going to have an open mind on this...Brett, does that sound like me?

So, as we enter our 5th season of stats I call out all of you to dominate the stat sheet...except John, he has had enough spot light. The twlight has to be coming, it just has to. It's time for a new age...but sadly I expect more of the same. What do you see coming?

Over the next fews days, I will be back with a vengeance. I'll be taking names and Taking Care of Business.

Season Preview Series:

Monday: How will the "A" Team vs. "B" Team change the season?

Tuesday: Timed Games: How long will they last?

Wednesday: Predicting Season results.

Timed Games?

Ah, so the truth has finally come out? John has voiced his opinion of timed games...did you see it? For months now, he has never really stated a viewpoint. His viewpoint was obvious based on his actions but we finally know for sure. But John, the middle game isn't an option. It cant be. It wont be. Pick a side.

We all know where I stand on this. But let me state this: Timed games are a good idea in theory, I just dont think it will work in Saugus. I could be completely wrong, but that's what I believe. Hockey wouldnt be ruined for me, I actually think I'd enjoy timed games. But I think it could ruin the enjoyment for others. Some of us need to see the other side of the coin.

So John, quit Flip Flopping! We all need to pick a side! No Poll though. Brett has way to much time on his hands, he could tamper with the results. Instead we will keep a list. Here is what we have so far:

For Timed Games: Brett, Jared

Against Timed Games: Nick, Chris, Lenny, Brad, Johnny

State Your View! Dont let Brett fool you, it matters! Except Dave's view of course!

2010-2011 Player Stats (Updated 6/27)

Player	Goals
John R	91
Jon B	77
Brendon M	67
Jared M	62
Ryan G	36
Brett D	33
Mark S	32
Nick B	30
Mike D	21
Dale A	18
Brad D	17
Eric F	14
Mike W	13
Billy T	11
Lenny D	10
Billy D	9
Joe N	7
Ron L	6
Reggie S	6
Cindy R	4

Player	Assists
Beendon M	64
Brett D	59
Jon B	53
Jared M	49
John R	42
Mike D	33
Nick B	27
Billy T	22
Ryan G	17
Brad D	16
Mark S	16
Dale A	12
Joe N	9
Reggie S	8
Mike W	8
Billy D	7
Eric F	6
Ron L	6
Scotty F	5
Chris Y	4

Player	Goals	Assists	Points	Games
John R	91	42	133	74
Brendon M	67	64	131	82
Jon B	77	53	130	74
Jared M	62	49	111	52
Brett D	33	59	92	51
Nick B	30	27	57	84
Mike D	21	33	54	69
Ryan G	36	17	53	49
Mark S	32	16	48	59
Billy T	11	22	33	75
Brad D	17	16	33	55
Dale A	18	12	30	38
Mike W	13	8	21	35
Eric F	14	6	20	13
Billy D	9	7	16	8
Joe N	7	9	16	27
Reggie S	6	8	14	23
Lenny D	10	3	13	27
Ron L	6	6	12	9
Scotty F	2	5	7	6
Cindy R	4	3	7	31
Eric W	3	3	6	3
Johnny S	0	4	4	3
Matt P	1	3	4	3
Chris Y	0	4	4	18
Bob C	1	3	4	9
Johnny W	2	1	3	3
Brian G	1	1	2	4
Bubba W	2	0	2	3
Danny H	0	2	2	6

 

Player	Wins
Brendon M	45
Nick B	43
Billy T	40
Jon B	36
John R	34
Mark S	33
Mike D	30
Brad D	28
Jared M	27
Brett D	26
Ryan G	25
Dale A	18
Mike W	15
Lenny D	15
Reggie S	12
Cindy R	12
Eric F	10
Joe N	8
Chris Y	6
Billy D	6

 

Player	Winning Percentage
Mark S	55.93
Lenny D	55.55
Brendon M	54.87
Billy T	53.33
Jared M	51.92
Nick B	51.19
Ryan G	51.02
Brett D	50.98
Brad D	50.9
Jon B	48.64
Dale A	47.36
John R	45.94
Mike D	43.47
Mike W	42.85
Cindy R	38.7
Joe N	29.62

 

Player	GameWinners
John R	11
Jon B	10
Brendon M	8
Jared M	7
Ryan G	5
Brett D	5
Mark S	5
Mike W	4
Dale A	4
Eric F	3
Billy D	3
Brad D	2
Nick B	2
Mike D	1
Dave R	1
Mike P	1
Ron L	1
Joe N	1
Lenny D	1
Brian G	1

Player	GA	Games	Goals Against Per Game
Lenny D	81	27	3
Ryan G	155	49	3.163265
Mark S	187	59	3.169492
Brad D	181	55	3.290909
Brett D	168	51	3.294118
Mike W	116	35	3.314286
Brendon M	273	82	3.329268
Jon B	250	74	3.378378
Nick B	291	84	3.464286
Billy T	261	75	3.48
Mike D	241	69	3.492754
Dale A	134	38	3.526316
John R	267	74	3.608108
Cindy R	112	31	3.612903
Jared M	190	52	3.653846
Joe N	113	27	4.185185

Player	GF	Games	Goals Per Game
Jared M	192	52	3.692308
Cindy R	113	31	3.645161
Brendon M	291	82	3.54878
Mark S	209	59	3.542373
Brett D	180	51	3.529412
Dale A	134	38	3.526316
Lenny D	94	27	3.481482
Billy T	261	75	3.48
Mike D	239	69	3.463768
Jon B	253	74	3.418919
Nick B	287	84	3.416667
John R	251	74	3.391892
Brad D	178	55	3.236364
Ryan G	157	49	3.204082
Mike W	112	35	3.2
Joe N	79	27	2.925926

Player	GF	GA	Differential
Eric F	56	32	24
Mark S	209	187	22
Brendon M	291	273	18
Lenny D	94	81	13
Brett D	180	168	12
Mike M	19	10	9
Jason B	19	10	9
Billy D	34	26	8
Danny H	21	13	8
Johnny S	15	7	8
Jack R	30	23	7
Matt D	31	24	7
Bob C	30	24	6
Steve P	10	6	4
Jon B	253	250	3
Jared M	192	190	2
Mike P	9	7	2
Ryan G	157	155	2
Warren U	41	39	2
Danny N	10	8	2

Player	TeamStrength
Billy T	7.27
Jared M	7.18
Ryan G	7.16
Nick B	7.14
Jon B	7.14
Dale A	7.14
Mark S	7.14
Brett D	7.09
Joe N	7.09
Mike D	7.05
Brendon M	7.04
Mike W	7.00
John R	6.95
Reggie S	6.91
Lenny D	6.88
Brad D	6.82
Chris Y	6.70
Cindy R	6.33

Player	OpponentStrength
Joe N	7.44
Brett D	7.22
Jared M	7.21
Jon B	7.12
John R	7.11
Dale A	7.11
Mike D	7.11
Mark S	7.07
Brendon M	7.04
Cindy R	7.02
Nick B	6.99
Brad D	6.98
Billy T	6.98
Chris Y	6.97
Ryan G	6.90
Mike W	6.89
Reggie S	6.84
Lenny D	6.76

Player	Team Str	Opp Str	Difficulty
Cindy R	6.33	7.02	-0.69
Joe N	7.09	7.44	-0.35
Chris Y	6.70	6.97	-0.26
John R	6.95	7.11	-0.16
Brad D	6.82	6.98	-0.15
Brett D	7.09	7.22	-0.12
Mike D	7.05	7.11	-0.05
Jared M	7.18	7.21	-0.03
Brendon M	7.04	7.04	0.003
Jon B	7.14	7.12	0.024
Dale A	7.14	7.11	0.031
Reggie S	6.91	6.84	0.061
Mark S	7.14	7.07	0.071
Mike W	7.00	6.89	0.108
Lenny D	6.88	6.76	0.126
Nick B	7.14	6.99	0.151
Ryan G	7.16	6.90	0.258
Billy T	7.27	6.98	0.29

Player	Games	Goalie
John R	33	Darrin D
John R	16	Steve F
John R	13	Tony A
John R	7	Jim C
John R	4	Bobby G
John R	3	Dave R
John R	3	Kenny D
John R	1	Brett D
Jon B	21	Steve F
Jon B	20	Darrin D
Jon B	19	Jack R
Jon B	7	Bobby G
Jon B	4	Brett D
Jon B	3	Jim C
Jon B	3	John R
Jon B	3	Ryan G
Jon B	2	Tony A
Nick B	35	Darrin D
Nick B	21	Steve F
Nick B	13	Tony A
Nick B	9	John R
Nick B	7	Jim C
Nick B	3	Bobby G
Nick B	3	Dave R
Nick B	1	Brett D
Mike D	24	Steve F
Mike D	17	Darrin D
Mike D	11	Jack R
Mike D	7	Bobby G
Mike D	6	John R
Mike D	5	Tony A
Mike D	3	Brett D
Mike D	2	Jim C
Dale A	14	Darrin D
Dale A	9	Steve F
Dale A	6	Tony A
Dale A	4	Bobby G
Dale A	3	Jack R
Dale A	3	Mike K
Dale A	3	Ryan G
Brad D	15	Darrin D
Brad D	14	Steve F
Brad D	13	Jack R
Brad D	4	Bobby G
Brad D	3	Mike K
Brad D	3	Ryan G
Brad D	2	Brett D
Brad D	2	John R
Brad D	2	Kenny D
Brad D	1	Jim C
Jared M	23	Darrin D
Jared M	12	Steve F
Jared M	7	Bobby G
Jared M	7	Jack R
Jared M	3	John R
Jared M	3	Mike K
Jared M	2	Tony A
Mike W	13	Darrin D
Mike W	6	Tony A
Mike W	4	Bobby G
Mike W	4	John R
Mike W	4	Steve F
Mike W	3	Jack R
Mike W	3	Jim C
Mike W	1	Dave R
Ryan G	16	Darrin D
Ryan G	16	Steve F
Ryan G	12	Jack R
Ryan G	4	Brett D
Ryan G	3	Jim C
Ryan G	3	John R
Brendon M	35	Darrin D
Brendon M	17	Steve F
Brendon M	10	Tony A
Brendon M	7	Jim C
Brendon M	4	Bobby G
Brendon M	3	Dave R
Brendon M	3	John R
Brendon M	3	Kenny D
Brendon M	3	Mike K
Brendon M	3	Ryan G
Brendon M	1	Brett D
Brett D	22	Darrin D
Brett D	11	Steve F
Brett D	4	Bobby G
Brett D	4	Tony A
Brett D	3	Dave R
Brett D	3	Jack R
Brett D	3	Jim C
Brett D	3	Kenny D
Brett D	1	John R
Cindy R	15	Darrin D
Cindy R	7	Steve F
Cindy R	4	Bobby G
Cindy R	3	Kenny D
Cindy R	3	Tony A
Cindy R	1	Brett D
Billy T	26	Darrin D
Billy T	22	Steve F
Billy T	10	Jim C
Billy T	6	Jack R
Billy T	4	Tony A
Billy T	3	Bobby G
Billy T	3	Brett D
Billy T	3	Mike K
Billy T	3	Ryan G
Billy T	2	Dave R
Billy T	1	Kenny D
Mark S	18	Steve F
Mark S	17	Darrin D
Mark S	16	Jack R
Mark S	6	Tony A
Mark S	4	John R
Mark S	3	Kenny D

Player	Goals	Goalie
John R	31	Darrin D
John R	23	Steve F
John R	10	Jim C
John R	10	Tony A
John R	8	Bobby G
John R	4	Kenny D
John R	3	Dave R
John R	2	Brett D
Jon B	20	Darrin D
Jon B	20	Jack R
Jon B	18	Steve F
Jon B	6	Bobby G
Jon B	4	Jim C
Jon B	3	Brett D
Jon B	2	John R
Jon B	2	Ryan G
Jon B	2	Tony A
Jack R	1	Dave R
Bob C	1	Brett D
Nick B	10	Steve F
Nick B	6	Darrin D
Nick B	4	Jim C
Nick B	4	John R
Nick B	3	Tony A
Nick B	2	Dave R
Nick B	1	Brett D
Mike D	5	Steve F
Mike D	4	Jack R
Mike D	3	Bobby G
Mike D	2	Brett D
Mike D	2	Darrin D
Mike D	2	Jim C
Mike D	2	Tony A
Mike D	1	John R
Dale A	8	Darrin D
Dale A	3	Jack R
Dale A	2	Mike K
Dale A	2	Steve F
Dale A	1	Bobby G
Dale A	1	Ryan G
Dale A	1	Tony A
Mike P	1	Darrin D
Brad D	7	Jack R
Brad D	4	Steve F
Brad D	2	Darrin D
Brad D	2	Ryan G
Brad D	1	John R
Brad D	1	Mike K
Jared M	18	Steve F
Jared M	16	Darrin D
Jared M	10	Jack R
Jared M	7	John R
Jared M	5	Mike K
Jared M	4	Bobby G
Jared M	2	Tony A
Reggie S	3	Darrin D
Reggie S	2	Steve F
Reggie S	1	Jack R
Mike W	8	Darrin D
Mike W	2	Bobby G
Mike W	2	Tony A
Mike W	1	Steve F
Ryan G	13	Darrin D
Ryan G	9	Jack R
Ryan G	5	John R
Ryan G	5	Steve F
Ryan G	2	Brett D
Ryan G	2	Jim C
Brendon M	24	Darrin D
Brendon M	8	Mike K
Brendon M	8	Steve F
Brendon M	7	Tony A
Brendon M	6	Bobby G
Brendon M	4	Ryan G
Brendon M	3	Jim C
Brendon M	1	Brett D
Brendon M	1	Dave R
Brendon M	1	Kenny D
Ron L	2	Jack R
Ron L	2	Steve F
Ron L	2	Tony A
Scotty F	2	Darrin D
Joe N	4	Tony A
Joe N	3	Darrin D
Lenny D	4	Darrin D
Lenny D	4	Jack R
Lenny D	1	Jim C
Lenny D	1	Steve F
Eric F	5	Darrin D
Eric F	4	Bobby G
Eric F	4	Steve F
Eric F	1	Brett D
Billy D	4	Bobby G
Billy D	4	Darrin D
Billy D	1	Steve F
Brett D	15	Darrin D
Brett D	9	Steve F
Brett D	3	Dave R
Brett D	2	Kenny D
Brett D	1	Bobby G
Brett D	1	Jim C
Brett D	1	John R
Brett D	1	Tony A
Warren U	1	Bobby G
Cindy R	3	Darrin D
Cindy R	1	Steve F
Matt P	1	Darrin D
Mike M	2	Bobby G
Billy T	5	Darrin D
Billy T	2	Mike K
Billy T	2	Steve F
Billy T	1	Jack R
Billy T	1	Jim C
Andrew N	1	Darrin D
Mark S	11	Jack R
Mark S	7	Steve F
Mark S	5	Darrin D
Mark S	5	Tony A
Mark S	2	John R
Mark S	2	Kenny D
Stump Y	1	Tony A
Brian G	1	Darrin D
Johnny W	2	Bobby G
Eric W	3	Steve F
Bubba W	2	Bobby G

Player	Percentage of Team Goals
John R	36.25
Jared M	32.29
Jon B	30.43
Billy D	26.47
Eric F	25
Ryan G	22.92
Ron L	22.22
Brendon M	21.64
Brett D	18.33
Mark S	15.31
Dale A	13.43
Mike W	11.6
Scotty F	11.11
Lenny D	10.63
Nick B	10.45
Reggie S	10.16
Brad D	9.55
Joe N	8.86
Mike D	8.78
Billy T	4.21

Player	Point Percentage of Team Goals
Jared M	57.81
John R	52.98
Jon B	51.38
Brett D	51.11
Billy D	47.05
Ron L	44.44
Brendon M	40.2
Scotty F	38.88
Eric F	35.71
Ryan G	33.75
Reggie S	23.72
Mark S	22.96
Mike D	22.59
Dale A	22.38
Joe N	20.25
Nick B	19.86
Mike W	18.75
Brad D	18.53
Lenny D	13.82
Bob C	13.33

Player	Points Per Game	Games
Jared M	2.13	52
Brett D	1.8	51
John R	1.79	74
Jon B	1.75	74
Brendon M	1.42	82
Ryan G	1.08	49
Mark S	0.81	59
Dale A	0.78	38
Mike D	0.78	69
Nick B	0.67	84
Reggie S	0.6	23
Mike W	0.6	35
Brad D	0.6	55
Joe N	0.59	27
Lenny D	0.48	27
Billy T	0.43	75
Cindy R	0.22	31

Player	Points Per Week
Jared M	6.16
John R	5.11
Brett D	4.84
Jon B	4.81
Brendon M	4.03
Ryan G	2.94
Mark S	2.28
Mike D	2.16
Dale A	2.14
Nick B	1.89
Reggie S	1.75
Mike W	1.61
Joe N	1.6
Brad D	1.57
Lenny D	1.29
Billy T	1.22
Cindy R	0.58

 
 

Player	GAA
John R	2.55
Brett D	2.79
Jim C	2.79
Tony A	2.79
Darrin D	2.83
Kenny D	3
Ryan G	3
Steve F	3.18
Dave R	3.33
Jack R	3.78
Bobby G	4.18
Mike K	6

  
 

Player	Wins
Darrin D	25
Steve F	16
Tony A	11
Jack R	7
Bobby G	6
Jim C	5
John R	5
Brett D	3
Kenny D	2
Ryan G	1
Dave R	1
Mike K	0

Player	Winning Percentage
Tony A	73.33
John R	71.42
Kenny D	66.66
Jim C	62.5
Brett D	60
Bobby G	54.54
Darrin D	47.16
Jack R	43.75
Steve F	40
Dave R	33.33
Ryan G	33.33
Mike K	0

Goalie	Player	Goals
Bobby G	John R	8
Bobby G	Jon B	6
Bobby G	Brendon M	6
Brett D	Jon B	3
Brett D	John R	2
Brett D	Mike D	2
Brett D	Ryan G	2
Darrin D	John R	31
Darrin D	Brendon M	24
Dave R	Brett D	3
Dave R	John R	3
Jack R	Jon B	20
Jack R	Mark S	11
Jim C	John R	10
Jim C	Jon B	4
Jim C	Nick B	4
John R	Jared M	7
John R	Ryan G	5
Kenny D	John R	4
Kenny D	Brett D	2
Kenny D	Mark S	2
Mike K	Brendon M	8
Mike K	Jared M	5
Ryan G	Brendon M	4
Ryan G	Brad D	2
Ryan G	Jon B	2
Steve F	John R	23
Steve F	Jon B	18
Steve F	Jared M	18
Tony A	John R	10
Tony A	Brendon M	7

Haverhill / Lawrence Cup, Start of Saugus, Norris voting, and last year's stats

Hey all, Despite our small group yesterday, baseball was a lot of fun. Among the highlights:

1. Brett hitting the first out of the park homer of the year
2. Ricky responding to the couple of ten-year-old hecklers with a line drive home run right at them, and then yelling at them as he rounded the bases
3. Brendon taking an A-Rod chop at Cindy's glove trying to dislodge the ball as he was out at second base
4. Brendon's team trying to take the lead in the last inning via bunt singles
5. Our team, started by Jack R's solo homer leading off the bottom of the last inning (a Gibsonesque moment), capped by Brett's walk-off base hit

All told, 5 homers on the day. And no, I didn't hit one out yet, or you'd all be hearing about it!

A couple of things: Norris trophy voting and last year's final stats will be up this week (if Nick doesn't help with it I'll post them myself). We want them up this week since the new season will be starting in just about a month: we're looking at the first Saugus date to be Sunday, September 19th. Does that work for everyone?

Finally, it's time to start planning the Haverhill / Lawrence Cup (we might play in the Lawrence rink instead). I'll post the rules again in a little while, but we're going to have 4 teams, 16 players total (not including the 4 goalies). The date we're looking at is Saturday, September 11. This should be a very fun event, open to anyone that's been coming to Saugus. Since we're only going to have 16 people though, whoever the first 16 are that commit to playing will be guaranteed to play. So let me know if you want to play in that tourney.

In so far for the Haverhill Cup: John, Brett, Darrin (G), Jack R (G), Brendon.

Baseball: Londonderry on Sunday @ 4:00

We want to get the right number of guys, so if you want to play let me know.

So far - in: John, Nick, Griff, Matt, Brad, Brendon, Jordan, Ricky, Brett.

Maybe: Jack R

That gives us nine definite, 1 maybe, and still waiting to hear back from Jack B, Haverhill and Londonderry guys. So it looks like we're going to be in good shape.

Vezina voting

Alright, back on track guys. As a quick note we're planning baseball for Sunday so I'll make a new post for that tomorrow. Let me know once I post that if you would like to play. First 18 get in.

Anyway, the vote for Vezina this year should be pretty easy IMHO. Darrin clearly was a difference maker in net, providing a presence in net that we haven't seen since Dave was regularly suiting up. He had to be compensated for each week when the teams were made. He also put up the numbers. Out of the goalies that played enough games to be eligible for the award, Darrin had the best gaa (3.44). Just a great year by Darrin.

While not at Darrin's level, Jack had a great year in net as well. His gaa was very good at 3.55, and he was third in wins. He cut down on the number of soft goals this year, and had numerous highlight reel saves. Had his opponents talking to themselves on many nights.

Steve was coming off of his best season going into the year, and played pretty well. He had the highest gaa at 3.72, but he played better than his record indicated (sub .500 winning percentage). The problem was that his play dipped some from last year, and with the improvement of Jack and the emergence of Darrin, Steve ends up third for me.

My Rankings:

Darrin
Jack
Steve

THE CHALLENGE!

Jared, Griff, Matt P. and myself would like to challenge anyone to a food eating contest of any kind! Hot dogs, ice cream, sticks of butter, jars of mayonnaise, you name it, we'll eat it!!! Before you accept you should know we have been practicing!

Baseball this Sunday @ 4:00 in Haverhill...who is in?

We want to get the right number of guys this week, so we'll do it by first-come first-serve on a commitment basis. So if you tell me that you're in before we get to 18 guys then you get a spot. I'll update this post throughout the week with who we have.

So far we have Mike D, me, and Jon. Jared to umpire. With an umpire we can actually have real pitching if everyone wants. Do we have another pitcher willing to duel against me?

Baseball this Sunday...and other stuff

Alright guys, things have been slow on the site over the last two months...but now that the baby's been here a couple of weeks things are settling down for me and I should be able to start posting / planning more regularly (maybe I'll even finish up on the awards soon).

So with that being said, who wants to play baseball this Sunday? I've gotten word from Bob C, plus six guys from my hall: myself, Nick, Griff, Matt P, Brad, and Jon B. Yes, as it was announced last night, JB is back with us (and welcome back!). So for anyone else interested in playing baseball this Sunday, let me know.

In other news, we're a little over a month away from playing back in Saugus. It will probably be around the second or third week of September. But I'd like to plan our Haverhill Cup that I had mentioned before. Maybe the first Saturday after Labor Day if that works for everyone.

So far we have quite a few guys, and I'm not sure yet if we're meeting up with Luke's crew or having our own game...probably depends on how many more want to play. So far:

John, Nick, Brad, Griff, Matt P, Jon B, Bobcat, Jack B + 2?, Jordan Boss, Riccardo.

Quick Update

Hey guys, in case any of you don't know, Jamie had the baby (Julianna) on July 12. So since that point, I've been a bit busy obviously.

Tommorow though I should be able to continue with the Vezina voting. Hint: Jimmy C is not in my top 3 nominees.

Update...

So, over the last few weeks there has not been much activity on the site. A few reasons for that:

Not much controversy for post season awards. Outside of rookie of the year and the Selke, pretty much every other award category should be a slam dunk, and that includes the ones we haven't gotten to yet: best goalie, defenseman, MVP. The only debate is who places second and third in some cases. I will complete the award writeups next week, but I don't necessarily see it generating a lot of buzz.

Reason number two: Nick has completely fallen off of the face of the earth. Refuses to update the stats, which I will likely have to do.

Reason number three: I've been too busy to start any new topics. Trust me, I have plenty to say about the NHL draft, the terrible Lost finale, and Brendon being a complete idiot with volleyball this past week, but between the job and preparing for the baby I've been too busy. I hope to start a couple of new posts about those topics soon, but in the meantime feel free to add your "Why Brendon is an idiot posts below".

Reason number four: It's not hockey season. Let's face it, hockey drives this site. If we aren't playing each week and generating new things to talk about, complain about, or argue about, it's not going to be compelling.

The good news? We're only about two more months away from starting a new season. It will be sometime in September, so it's not that far away. Before then in August we can update the player cards with bios, and update everyone's NHL10 type ratings. Plus we'll have quite a bit of "B" team discussion I'm sure. So don't worry Jared - there should be plenty of activity on the site.

In the meantime, there are other events before we play in Saugus again: For starters, baseball. Next Sunday afternoon (July 11), I'd like to plan a baseball (actually baseball, not softball) game for around 4:00 (field to be determined). I want to get a set number of guys with positions. Teams will pitch to themselves (4 pitch max) to take away arguments of balls and strikes. If you are interested, let me know asap so you can get a spot.

Finally, sometime in early September I'd like to have that Haverhill tournament before we start playing in Saugus. We can probably have one in September, and maybe one in November if the weather is still warm enough.

Selke Trophy

The Selke trophy is given to the best defensive forward. To me, it's probably only a two-man race for this award: Jared and Brad...just seeing if you're paying attention. IMO, Brett and myself will battle out for this award. However, I see a little battle going for my nominees for 3rd and 4th place, and you might be surprised who I nominate for that.

Selke Voting Today...

Nominees later this afternoon...

Calder Trophy

Today, the topic is the Calder Trophy. The Calder is given to the best rookie. We're going to keep this one short, since it likely will not be the source of heated debate. Cindy would qualify by the number of games, but the "kid" clause is in effect, preserving her rookie status for another year or two.

Anyway, the candidates:

Billy T - Billy was impressive with his hockey sense, and defensive prowess. Not the biggest or fastest guy there, but he played very solidly on D, and showed some flashes of offensive potential (6 points - 1g, 5a) in 15 games.

Steve P - Had a rough first week, but then quickly became a top ten pick demonstrating surprising play making skills. Showed some defensive awareness too, although still has some work to do in this area. With a regular appearance next year, has a shot at cracking the top ten in scoring (20 points in 17 games this year - 6g, 14a).

Matt P - Provided energy, and instant offense - better than a point per game. 14 points in 11 games (5 g, 9a). If he put as much time into hockey as he does basketball he could one day be a top ten scorer.

Mike M - He might have the record as second oldest player, and he used some old-guy tactics to help his team (the Bob C bear hug was especially effective). Very good offensive numbers too (5g, 8a in 16g).

My picks:

1. Steve P
2. Matt P
3. Billy
4. Mike M

Lady Byng Trophy

Don't worry guys, you can keep nominating your selections for the Masterton trophy (and no, we don't have real trophies to give out!). We'll keep these open for a week or so and then tally the results.

Today's award: Lady Byng trophy. Given to the player that demonstrates gentlemanly play and good sportsmanship. While that should apply to all of us, we'll base the standards on the way that we play. Techinically Cindy should be eligble for this too, but it's supposed to be "gentlemanly" play so that would disqualify her.

That said, my nominees:

Ron. While his shot is not gentle, he is among the most mild-mannered players in Saugus. His writing might be vicious at times, but that's not what this is based on.

Billy T. I'm not sure if it's a result of him still being relatively new, or he is just a laid back kind of guy, but Billy comes, plays, and is nice to all. Once he gets sick of certain players next year we shall see if that continues!

Mike W. Mike plays hard and gritty, but I can't think of a time when anyone has complained about him being cheap / dirty. Well, maybe Jared...but he complains about everything.

Chris Y. Let's face it. If Chris wanted to, he could destroy us all. Fortunately Chris is at the age where he doesn't need to show anyone up - he plays the game at his pace. Otherwise, Brendon might still be trying to dislodge from the boards.

My picks:
1. Ron
2. Chris
3. Billy T
4. Mike W

Masterton Trophy

The Masterton trophy is typically given out to people that have recovered from injury and returned to the NHL. The official definition is "perseverance and dedication to hockey". We've had a couple of players with major injuries this year, Jared and Matt S, but neither have returned yet from their injuries. So they would be eligble next year, not this (unless you count Jared returning from his cold early in the season). Brett obviously had a horrific injury too (just look at his avatar) and he returned much quicker than normal. In my mind, probably a slam dunk for this award. The only other big injuries I'm aware of were me and Billy both injuring our backs. In his case though he hasn't returned so he's not qualified.

To make this interesting though, let's use age as something so persevere through. In which case you can add Mike Meadows and Jack Riley to the list. Mike playing a respectable, if not illegal brand of forward, and Jack playing very well in net, as well as showing some offensive instincts up on offense. It's probably not nearly enough to overthrow Brett from winning this award, but there are your nominees. If I missed anybody, let me know.

My votes:
1. Brett D
2. Jack R
3. Mike M
4. John R

Awards Week

While we're still waiting for Nick to finish updating the stats from the last week we played we can start with the awards this week. This week will be all of the "NHL" style awards, and next week can be the superlatives (or Yearbook style awards).

The awards will be: Masterton, Lady Byng, Calder, Selke, Vezina, Norris, Hart. For each award I'll do a writeup of what the award is for, list the nominees, and then put the nominees in the order I would pick them. We can do 4 nominees for each award. Everyone can then rank the players in the order they feel, and we can tally up the results.

Who's Fault?

Johnny, watch this video beofre you go and say that Darrin is welcome on the team

Word's of Wisdom

Boston Alliance EQUALS Washington Capitals

Say it ain't so, but unfortunately is was, 1st round (we had a bye) loss knocks the mighty Alliance out of contention. The heavy favorites with a +20 goals differential was taken out by the number 8 or 9 seed.

That was a disappointing loss yes... but a devastating loss, not at all. That team was good and they beat us 5-4.

There is alot to say, but bottom line, in my opinion, they out hustled us, they out shot us, they won.

Sure, we had some horrible bad calls. A sure goal, that was called off the crossbar, from a Brett rocket shot. Brett why did you shoot that so hard?

The last minute tying goal, that was called a no goal AFTER IT WAS SCORED, because of a hand pass. The ref missed that the ball actually was deflected off Brett's stick FIRST, before Ron took the ball, turned, squared up and shot for the score. Then the ref runs in and says no goal, hand pass. That was a bummer of a call.

There was the no call high sticks that should of been penalty shots for us, that went uncalled.

I probably missed some stuff that others will recall.

Finally, I believe the game was not lost because of their go ahead goal. Sure Johnny, then Nick and finally Darin EACH might have been able to make a different play on that speed rush, but it happened fast and, and in my opinion, is not the reason we lost. We had plenty of other chances to go ahead, but it just didn't happen for us.

It was a fun and should of ended with us hoisting up the cases of power aids. We had the team to do it, but not on this day. This day we were the Washington Capitals that were beat by a Montreal team in the first round of the playoffs.

Live Updates

Yes, sir. You read correctly. Live Updates. Just another great feature that the boys at this blog offer. If only that other blog was as good...

Over the next 2 Days we will give updates to our "quest for number one"

Recaps and a more in depth look to come next week I'm sure. How entertaining this will be will depend upon the results of course. Hopefully Brett will be singing praises.

Game 1: Sometimes Nerves Can Take Down the Best

It's funny how things work out sometimes. You can plan, make decisive moves, pick the perfect players with the perfect strategies and still have it go in a way that was never expected. It was tournament that we went in believing that our strength was goaltending and defense. We thought we could win as long as we scored enough. Oh, we scored enough. But, it wasnt a hard fought 2-1 or 3-2 game, it was a "slugfest", a battle of offenses. It seemed as though the team that had the last shot would win. We had the last shot. Everyone seemed to have their moments, good and bad, but the Alliance prevailed to a 7-6 victory.
Goals

1. Ron 2. Ron 3. Brett 4. Ron 5. Brett 6. Jack 7. John

Game 2: Blowout #1: 13-3 Final. Alliance goes into Game 3 with a chance at the number 1 seed. Mike and Nick both got their first (few) goals of the tourny.
Game 3: Yep that's right...another blowout. 10-0 Final. Mike W with a hat trick. His fans inspired him in the stands.

Johnny and Brett Roll but Goalies Rocked

My adoring fans have called and so I will answer and provide some analysis of the final official weekend of street hockey for the season.

Johnny and Brett’s team rolled down victory lane in each game. Their team was solid with the likes of Griff, Dale, Chris, Brendon and others who all had a share in the action.

Opposite them was group of wannabes who played ok, but lacked in the forcheck and, to some extent, the backcheck game. The team was anchored by, the surprise guess who showed up, Ron… along with Billy, Reggie, Mike D, Brad, Jack Bellan, Mike P and the up and coming Chris Jr.

The night opened up with Brendan’s gizmo gun behind the net. Everybody seemed to enjoy the shooting gallery and spend about 15 minutes trying to best their highest speed. There was some controversy on what Jacks fasted shot was. Some said he joined the 90’s club, while other said no sir ree bob. Ron was the other who was able to break into the 90’s club.

When the games got started, it didn’t take long for Johnny and Brett (with either Griff or Brendon) to show that they are ready for prime time. They had good anticipation of the plays, and moved the ball with ease into the offensive zone. There was one play, however, that overshadowed outstanding performance. It was that 3 on none play… the only pass on that breakaway went behind a guy… and rolled to the side boards.

The dark team showed some flashes, but faded considerably as the night wore on. Ron and Billy made some moves and had some shots and goals, but were by and large kept in check by the white teams D, namely Dale and Chris. Jack Bellan made some mistakes and some good plays on the night. The notable good plays were the crisp passes to Billy up the seem, to send him off for a scoring bid. Jack also scored a nice goal from a feed from Ron behind the net.

However, the night belonged to the men between the pipes… there was outstanding goaltending play, on both sides. The white team had Tony between the pipes and he was spectacular on a bunch of scoring opportunities. Despite Ron not playing street hockey in months, he had a number of chances and Tony bested him on nearly every shot. There was at least 3 beautiful glove saves where Ron got all of it, but Tony’s reflexes were spot on. Even on a breakaway, Tony stopped Ron with a great diving move to block the goal.

On the other side, Darin was also not going to be out dueled. He was in great position all night long and saw the balls coming. He too made some great glove and blocker saves. What sticks out with Darin was the relentless pressure by the white team with 2nd, 3rd and 4th shot opportunities. Darin was awesome, knowing when to go down, and when to stay up. Hats off to Darin, he is also ready for prime time. There was one guy that Darin had trouble dealing with. Little brother Brett, seemed to score with ease, beating Darin on at least 2, maybe 3 shots coming in from the side.

Overall it was a good night, no major injuries, no major roughing calls and no major phantom off side calls.

So there you have it. I’ll be here all week :) and am looking forward to seeing you all in the fall

Season Wrap-up

Hey guys,

Great games last night. Excellent goaltending, and some hard-fought games last night. Hope everyone had fun this year, and we'll be starting again in the fall.

On the site: Stats should be done tomorrow, and hopefully posted by Nick tomorrow night. Later in the week I'll post the season awards. The end of May we'll have the Montreal recap, and sometime in July I'll update the player attributes. Finally, in August I'll do some projections for next season. So there will still be reason for checking into the site.

Other sports: Next Sunday we are going to play some 3 on 3 in Lawrence or Haverhill. No stats or anything, just prep for MTL. Even if you aren't going to MTL you are welcome to come play (no stats or anything, just for fun). Starting in June we'll hopefully be organizing some baseball / basketball games, and once it gets warm some football / volleyball at Salisbury beach. Whoever is interested let me know and I'll make sure you get an invite. I'll also be posting it on the site.

Post Number 300

Someone has thrown cement into our washing machine. There's a snake in my boot. There is a wrench in the perfect setup, the perfect team. The pins were lined up for success, it was actually going to work as planned. We actually were going to go into this with confidence. But tragedy has struck. Lesson learned, nothing ever goes to plan. We have lost the best competitive player we have ever had. Replacement shouldn't be easy, should it? Over the last week, and the last few days especially, we have seen and heard speculation, theories, and just plain crazy ideas for the ultimate team player's replacement. And to that, Ladies and Gentleman, I say, it can't be done. It's not a knock on the endless list of possible replacements. It's not an attempt at pumping up an ego, it's just the truth. He was the silent leader-perhaps even the glue to such a diverse group. But isn't that what a captain is supposed to do? We may have to move on, and we can definitely be successful without him-it just wont be as easy. Give him time. Even if he is only at 70% he can help us reach the ultimate team goal.

Im willing to wait, in fact, Im making the decision for us. We are waiting. He is going to play and he is going to be a major factor for us. I'm sure of it.

This Sunday's roster...

In: John, Nick, Brad, Brendon, Mike D, Billy, Brett, Chris, Lenny, Ron, Tony, Jack

Haven't heard from: Griff, Lee, Mike W.

Probable: Dale

Out: Jared, Darrin, Steve, Joe

Riddle Time

I use a physical trait
To show my strength and intimidate
I come off as shy and serene
But I'm very competitive and saguine
From even behind the net I'll take a shot
Can anyone stop me? I think not.
At the blue line I'll lurk
Until I get my lane and then I'll smirk
"I'll be back this Sunday" I always say
They couldn't believe me, could they?
Maybe I'll be back soon, but only if you follow my rules.
But first do you remember who I am?

New Feature

We have added a new page to the site. The "Records" page. We would like to thank Brendon for his contributions to the site.


The page can be viewed by clicking the link on the side bar.

Hockey this Sunday, 7:00 pm INSIDE

Hockey is at 7:00 this week. Let me know if you are planning on coming, and we can try to post some teams tomorrow.

Oh yeah, Go Bruins!

In: John, Nick, Brad, Griff, Lenny, Chris, Steve P, Jared, Mike W, Mike D, Brett, Brendon, Steve (G), Darrin (G), Joe.

Waiting to hear from: Lee, Billy T, Ron.

Out: Reggie, Micah

If you can't take the heat...

This past week was a first for the season: we played with the orange balls. Of course, with the temperature in the 80s they were probably somewhere between the yellow and pinks in regard to softness. But, at least we didn't have to worry about people slipping (or falling into puddles, right Lenny?)

The captains for this past week were Jared and Brett. Jared decided to pick first and went with Darrin. The way the teams ended up at first:
Jared's team (dark): Jared, Mike W, Griff, Steve P, Steve's cousin Bob, Brad, Darrin (G).
Brett's team (white): Brett, John, Nick, Matt D, Andrew, Cindy, Steve F (G).

We say that's how the teams started because we had an unexpected player show up. Fortunately it wasn't Billy or Mike D since they had their assembly. Anybody want to guess who it was? That's right - Brendon. Doing some math...his grandmother's memorial talk was at 2, he showed up at 3:15...he either left early, or ripped his suit off Clark Kent style to reveal his Martino # 86 Alliance jersey. Either way I hope she wasn't one of the annointed Brendon! All joking aside, it was nice to have you there this past week...well except for games 2 & 3.

So with Brendon joining the forces of good (I'm referring to the White team Reggie), a swap was made of Brad and Matt D. Game 1 was a 5-0 shutout for the White team. They had three different players with two points...guess who? Andrew (2 g), Brett (1g, 1a) and of course Riley (2 a). However, that is not our beloved protagonist (don't look it up Brad, it means hero) John that we are talking about. Cindy had 2 assists. John did have the gamewinner though so it was happy times for all.

Game 2 started out great for the White team, who had a sizable lead early with goals from Andrew, Brett, and John (2). However, Jared pulled out his secret weapon for his team: heavy complaining followed by a good helping of cheating. Yes, after Jared complained again about the team that he picked, there was a minor dispute over who shot the ball out of play. What followed was Griff just firing the ball down the rink during the stoppage in play and Nick telling Griff that he wasn't going to retrieve it. Suddenly Mike W runs down the rink, gets the ball, and scores on Steve. And, you guessed it: Jared counted it for his team. Even though we weren't even playing at the time, we had a big lead and allowed it to count just to keep Jared quiet. I mean, it's not like we were going to lose, right? Bad mistake on our part as the dark team rallied behind 3 goals from Jared and pulled off the win.

The dark team took it again to the white team in Game 3 due to some horrendous defensive play by the White team (not that we did much on offense either). The only highlight for the White team was Cindy's third assist, a perfect pass on a one-timer to our beloved protagaonist (which means what again Brad?). Speaking of Brad, there was debate over where he was for this game. Some say he was benched in favor of Cindy who played most of Game 3. Insiders say though that Brad sectioned himself off with yellow security tape and took a nap on the bench. The dark team won on a "slap shot" that Jared took from the Tobin. Steve said it was just too slow for him to stop. End result: 5-2 win for the dark team, a 2-1 lead in games, and lots of yelling by me.

Ah, but then came Game 4. 5-0 win by the White team, finished off by John a one-timer on a perfect feed from Nick.

Other Notes:

It was weird how it broke down: 2 5-0 shutouts for the White team surrounding two losses to the dark team. It was definitely hot, but manageable...and no puddles. Andrew was as bi-polar as our team, playing either very well, or awful. Maybe the injury he got walking into the rink (literally) affected him at times...Some great play by Darrin, especially one very nice glove save. Steve was pretty solid as well, that one terrible goal aside. I'll have the stats for Nick later today, but the scoring leaders roughly were:

John - 7g, 3a
Brett - 3g, 4a
Jared - 5g, 1a
Steve P - 6a