Meh. Rant>Recap

I don’t think I have ever been on a team that got as smoked as we did last night. Embarrassed isn’t the word. "Disgraceful effort" doesn’t begin to describe what we did last night. Remember Saugus a few weeks ago? A great time compared to this. It was a slow agonizing death. 

The word is ashamed. A shameful display.

A team of players that, at best, doesn’t get better. A team whose "stars and dregs" make the same mistakes...over and over.

For instance, here are descriptions of two players. I wont even put the names, because we all know who they are. They do it every week:

1. Couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat.

2.The world’s strangest slap-shot windup that creates a "shot" that may as well go backwards.

Week after week...Infuriating, frustrating and disappointing. But not surprising when you see it. A microcosm of our team.

Our entire offensive premise is to get the ball and take a slap shot...from anywhere and everywhere.  If not, lets pray for the broken play and the rebound. Or dare I say hope the rare shot that actually makes it to the net from a defenseman hits twine. There is no Triangle. There is no setup. Run around boys.

A defensive scheme that breaks down on every odd man rush. It turns into mayhem. A center that just takes the closest guy, even if he is already covered. Wingers that hang out behind their assignment. A defense that has no chance at winning a battle in the slot or transitioning an offensive breakout. A defense that is never on an opposition’s stick. If the other team gains entry, they’re camping out in our zone.

We win as many games as we do (the 2nd seed woo!), not because of skill, but because we out hustle teams. Who cares about game 7 of a 200 game season at 9pm? We do. We got that game. Win for us. But its the Pirates beating the Yankees in May. Meaningless.

Overall we are in the lower half of this league talent wise. We dont have the guys...even when we have the numbers. A flawed offense. A flawed defense. A flawed game plan.

There is no book on how to beat the Alliance. Its a fortune cookie; Not good at hockey.

But despite all of that, I have optimism. It will get better.

It can only go up from here.

Weekly Power Rankings

11-26-12

Embarrassing? Yeah I Think That’s The Word.

12 Zack (-1) – I don’t know what to say. The team knows this is probably what they’ll get most weeks.

11 Mike D (-1) – Really exposed when the whole team isn’t there.

10 Griff (+3) – Great decision to skip this week. Melissa needs him anyway.

9 Nick (E) – It’s a shame he didn’t climb the rankings more cause he’ll be missing weeks in the future and we all know what that means.

8 Mike W (E) – Typical Mike Ward game.

7 Ron (-1) – Missed a week. Wouldn’t have made a difference.

6 Darrin (+1) – John really makes you appreciate what Darrin does. Darrin’s the second player to move up by missing the week. Could there be a third?

5 Billy (E) – Would have dropped severely but saved by missing players.

4 Brett (-1) – Nope. There won’t be a third.

3 Johnny (+1) – Moved up due to a technicality. He’ll take it, but don’t get comfortable. Going take a lot more to stay here.

2 Borges (E) – Visibly hurt. Gave more of himself to that 2 hand touch game than I thought. Was it worth it? The answer is a resounding YES!

1 Jared (E) – The lone goal. Did I see Jared at center?

Weekly Power Rankings

11-23-12

2 on 2 2 Hand Touch(w/a ref) Friday and Saturday

5 Griff – The complaints spewing from his mouth on Saturdays outing, reminded me of Helen Hunt in some weird way. He almost ruined the day within 15 minutes of kickoff. He did manage to coax the ref into giving him a free touchdown and picked up a second xbox that didn’t work.

4 Borges – Some may forget that Borges has a nice little game for himself on Friday with some beautiful throws to Brett. Unfortunately the positives were dwarfed by his inability to master the whistle and being burned by Mike became a routine thing by the end of the day.

3 Brett – While Borges was declining, Brett was ascending to glory. He cleaned the butter off his hands and started catching bullets in the back of the endzone to win the last two games on Saturday.

2 Jared – A 30 yard field with a mini football was just what his dislocated shoulder called for. Hooking up with Mike in the endzone was a sight that was burned into the minds of the opposing defenses. And while he was being a Helen hunt himself on Friday, at no time did anyone feel that he would injure anyone else intentionally.

1 Mike W – Button hook? What’s that? Why go with anything but the ”go route” when you have Borges lumbering around in coverage? Mike’s defense was equally impressive picking off passes. Even with the reaction time of a sloth, Magic Mike was able to make things happen.

Weekly Power Rankings

11-19-12

Impressive

13 Griff Griffin (-1) – He made me a liar and I don’t appreciate it.

12 Mo – He’s so funny.

11 Zack (E) – This is his mulligan week. He can’t afford to miss another.

10 Mike D (E) – I know his shoulder is messed up and he can’t wind up, but he has to figure out how to get the ball in the air the whole way to the net so they can’t pick his shot off so easily.

9 Nick (-1) – That shot is really costing the team goals. The chances are coming in bushels and nothing is coming of them. It wasn’t too long ago when Nick wished he could get the chances that Borges gets. You’re getting them Nick.

8 Mike W (+1) – Leading the Gamewinners right out of the gate with the first goal of the game on a tough angle, weak backhander that the goalie knocked in himself. They don’t ask how right? I’ll tell you one thing though, he loves watching the other team pass the ball around when he’s playing defense.

7 Darrin (E) – Second week in a row where he’s been victimized by his own defenses breakdowns and faced shots that are near impossible to save. But still need that big save. If you haven’t noticed, breakdowns are kinda this team’s specialty. They need you to come up big more often. Maybe if you could’ve stopped that bowling ball of a man’s breakaway I could've accepted your performance tonight.

6 Ron (E) – Didn’t notice Ron too much tonight. Nothing stands out as a great play or bad play. Maybe I’m missing something though.

5 Billy (-1) – Did nothing egregious to move down a spot. And I was actually impressed with his keep ins all game long. There was a 4 minute stretch in the first period where the defensemen kept the play in zone like 5 times. But sometimes others just have a great game.

4 Johnny (+1) – Two great goals by Johnny. Big goals that the Gamewinners desperately needed from him tonight. Way to step it up. Although he was late….he should probably be marked down for that….it’s already typed. Oh well.

3 Brett (-1) – Yes he was deathly ill, and like a soldier he gave the team everything he had. Unfortunately that translated into a bunch of turnovers and defensive play that’s been lacking over the past several weeks come to think of it. Has anyone else notice that too? The game winner was his only saving grace. WPR loves himself a game winner.

2 Borges (+1) – He racks up the points even if that involves a vulture assist on Jared’s EN goal at the end. He was clutch this game netting the tying goal and making an even more beautiful airmailed pass to send Brett in for the winning goal. But I love nitpicking, and that turnover in the neutral zone that led to a goal the other way kept him from reaching the top of WPR mountain this week.

1 Jared (E) – Jared has no sympathy for his teammates and no excuses either. He saw Brett struggling to make plays and called him on it. He belittled the kid on the other team for a good solid minute during play for faking an injury. He coached up the team during a timeout and wanted no heroes this game. We may have a new captain on our hands. Lead them Jared. Lead them.

Weekly Power Rankings

11-12-12

Where Was the Countdown?

12 Griff (-2) – I know he’ll be in next week. I just know it.

11 Zack (+1) – We might not need Brendon if Zack keeps improving like I think he has been. He’s been covering his man better at the point and his fore-checking is causing turnovers.

10 Mike D (+1) – Has really been solid on defense the past few weeks in a row. But rumor has it he hates defense. That’s a shame.

9 Mike W (E) – Is really a better solution than having Brett on defense. He has the same speed and maybe even more grit and determination to get the ball.

8 Nick (E) – Had a slow start to the game being beat by the net hangers. A team we all knew had a bunch of them. But he played shutdown most of the night and was available for a bunch of shots from the point. Was it the stick Nick?

7 Darrin (-1) – They always say a goalie likes getting some shots so they can get in the rhythm of the game but that didn’t happen. He faced shots that were near impossible to stop. But you still want your goalie to come up with 1 big save to get the team fired up. That did happen either.

6 Ron (+2) – You know what you’re getting with Ron. He lives and dies by the slapshot. This week he was letting it rip whenever possible and got a key goal. But he also saved a goal by going down Jeremy smith style circa 2007 and taking one in the stomach to preserve the win.

5 Johnny (-1) – Couple weeks in a row with no goals and maybe even no assists. It’s not from a lack of chances. I actually think playing in Saugus messes him up for Monday nights.

4 Billy (+1) – Continues the climb. That’s 4 spots now. Had multiple highlight plays on defense a few of them being stopping the 2 on 1 and 3 on 1. I was even impressed on the play where the guy tried to go through his feet and Billy was having none of that. Seems to have simplified his game and takes pride in his role on the team.

3 Borges (-1) – He had a couple goals and some assists, that wasn’t enough to keep him in this spot this week. Blaming Nick for not counting down the clock was just a terrible display of captaincy. Despicable really. He’ll let others know when they make mistakes but when he makes mistakes he tries to pass the buck. It ok to make mistakes Borges. He seems to like to blame nick for everything dating back to 2011 Montreal.

2 Brett (+1) – Passing up glorious chances at scoring to pass. Needs to trust his shot which he never has in the past. Brett’s a player that lives and dies by the pass. He shoots so few times a game that when he does go for a shot it looks like a Johnny Riley slapper. And while he was part of that terrible line change, he didn’t blame Nick for it.

1 Jared (E) – His greatest game of the season 2 weeks ago won’t show up on the season stats. But WPR knows it happened. And that’s all that matters. Last night was another solid game from Jared and is enough to give him a big lead over second place.

Weekly Power Rankings

11-10-12

Re-Do

5 Jared – His ingenuity and innovation is second to none. Combine that with pocket presence and an incredibly strong throwing arm and you got yourself quite a weapon at your disposal. But a drop on a perfect pass that hit him right in the chest was devastating. I know someone else who never would’ve dropped that.

4 Brett – With the build of a WR and the heart of a lineman, Brett was willing to do anything, like drive 2 hours to play a crappy game of flag football, or even willing to disregard the play call and run around doing whatever he wanted to. It’s called the “Get open” play. It worked.

3 Polomalu – A man among boys when it comes to catching the ball. A talent that defines our generation. This kid knows how to get open and the desire to be sent out for a pass burns within him every play. Jared was able to recognize that and connected with him on the team’s first TD of the game.

2 Caleb – With a heart of gold, this cheerful young lad never gave up, even when he had men 3 times his size and age covering him and tackling him and smashing his face into the mud. Caleb was always the first one back to the huddle and getting ready for the next play.

1 Borges – I’d want no one else to be my QB when in the 2 minute drill. With the sun descending and the game inching ever closer to it’s end, Borges led the red flags down the field and scored on a pass to Brett. Then stopped the other team on 4th and 2. And finally ended the game on a perfect pass to Jared for the go ahead TD and the win. A real pleasure to watch play the game.

Honorable Mention: Josh Maas - Never stops smiling and blew up the pocket more than a few times.

Hockey this weekend in Saugus

So far, this is what we have for today:

John, Nick, Billy, Brett, Jared, Mike W, Lenny, Joe, JB (23%), Tony (G), Rick (G)

I am waiting to hear from at least two or three more guys before booking the rink.  Lenny said that both Chris Y's are probable, so if they were to definitely play then we could probably book the rink.

I am going out in service this morning, and if we get at least 2 or 3 definites by the time I get home then I will book the rink.  So I should have an update on this site as to whether we can play by noon.

Weekly Power Rankings

11-5-12

Not Bad At All

12 Zack (E) – One of his better games. Fore-checking has to remain a huge part of his performance every week.

11 Mike D (-1) – Again a solid performance, but one glaring pass up the middle right in the slot to the other team and he was texting a lot during the game.

10 Griff (-2) – I think when he texts “out” his phone autocorrects it to “in” for some reason.

9 Mike W (+2) – Better than I expected and hoped for. Winning battles and carrying the ball was actually impressive.

8 Ron (+1) – Hung around the blue line a lot which you don’t really mind. Having him completes a line and gives the Gamewinners at least 1 legit forward line.

7 Nick (-1) – Just be happy it was only 1 spot this week.

6 Darrin (-1) – He was pretty good game 1 on Saturday.

5 Billy (+2) – Broke up a couple odd man rushes and did a great job keeping everything to the outside. Question. Who honestly thought Billy would be top five? Not even Billy did.

4 Johnny (E) – In danger of being forgotten. Actually thought his defensive play was better than his offensive play this week. But gotta cut him some slack in a week with only 2 goals for the team.

3 Brett (E) – Netted what eventually turned out to be the game winner on a breakaway goal but didn’t carry the ball as much as usual.

2 Borges (E) – His goal keeps him from losing this spot to Brett, but it’s not enough to vault him into first. Has anyone else noticed his faceoff percentage dropping? Not that anyone else could do better. Just saying.

1 Jared (E) – Had five goals last week. That should hold him for a good long time.

The Choir Showed Up...As always

"How can you be preaching to the choir when the choir doesn't come to the church anymore? Not buying it."

I never responded to this anonymous comment because it was just so off base. It was so out of touch. It was so asinine that it didn't deserve a modicum of my time or consideration. The rose colored glasses have to go. What a complete moron you must be. But keep hiding behind that anonymous tag. 

Today, Im responding to you. Belated, but Im completely on point. I wish I was speaking in my usual hyperbole and exaggeration, but Im just stating the facts:

Saugus hockey disappeared not because of Johnny, Nick, Billy,Jared, Brett, Jb, Griff, Frendon, or Mike but because of all of you "maybes" out there. The ones that could only play on a certain Saturday in a obscure window of time on some random afternoon. Saugus ended because of all of those guys that didn't respond to inquiring text messages or blog posts. And who doesn't love the "ill be there" line, to only be bailed on at the last moment? Weak.

That was the case yet again last night. "The choir" not only showed but orchestrated everything. We fought tooth and nail to try and get a game on. We put forth all the effort to get Saugus started up again and not one person that said they wanted Saugus back showed up. Awesome.

Some would say It was a one week, last minute example. Give it another shot. Im just failing to see the point anymore. I've seen this before.

Lenny, we came back, but it was back to what we left in the first place. The same 8 guys looking at each other wondering why they even bothered.

I wanted Saugus back, but not like this.

Long Live the King.

Montreal 2012 Tournament Stats

Only 5 games were captured on film out of the 7. That's what theses stats are based on. Game 1 on Saturday and Game 1 of the Playoffs weren't captured on film.


Name.....Goals.....Assists.....Points.....+/-

Brett.........11............11..............22........+27


Jared.........11.............8..............19........+24


Borges.......10.............5..............15........+23


Eric............4..............3...............7..........+4


Griff..........6..............2...............8............E


Nick..........1..............1...............2...........+4



Name........Shots........Goals Against........Save %........GAA


Darrin...........122..................17........................86...............3.4