BoxScore from 12/29/19 - Last game of the Decade

Controversy!


So here's what happened: Final game, score is 4-3 in favor of dark team. Momentum shifting a bit toward the white team as they scored a bit and the dark team fading just a little...Dark team is trying to get one last push to get the final goal, and....A substitution confuses Nick who covers a man who was getting off the ice while the sub was clearly already on the ice. Too many men. No penalty called. Usually we overlook those when they are inconsequential, however...in that moment, Jared turns around and fires an uncontested shot on Dave from beyond the blue line and scores on Dave. Now it's 4-4 and that was a back-breaker. Nick subs off in disgust and tells the bench he's done as he takes off his pads.



So what is your opinion? Did Nick quit on his team? Or was he basically done for this night and this was his excuse? Or is he too fat and out of shape? Or was he late for a NAMBLA meeting? (Not that one - the other one: The National Association of Marlon Brando Look-Alikes).



Or was his action simply a matter of protest? Do you think he would quit on a team if it was a game that mattered, like a Haverhill Cup game? Hmmmmm, so many questions to ponder over this new year in 2020....
Post your thoughts! And....Stats!

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DATE: 12/29/19

rank	Player	Goals	Assists	Points	Games	Wins	GW	GWA	Team Goals	GA
1	Andrew	7	2	9	3	1	1	0	12	11
2	Jared	8	0	8	3	2	2	0	11	12
3	MVW	1	4	5	3	2	0	0	11	12
4	Drew B	2	3	5	3	2	0	2	11	12
5	Ignads	1	3	4	3	1	0	0	12	11
6	Brendon	2	1	3	3	1	0	0	12	11
7	Chris N	1	2	3	3	1	0	0	12	11
8	Nick	1	1	2	2.75	1	0	1	12	11
9	Mike M	0	2	2	3	2	0	0	11	12
10	Billy T	0	1	1	3	1	0	0	12	11
11	Jason H	0	1	1	3	2	0	0	11	12
12	Teddy N	0	0	0	3	1	0	0	12	11
13	Chris Y	0	0	0	3	2	0	0	11	12
14	Lee S	0	0	0	3	2	0	0	11	12

rank	Goalie	Games	Wins	Win %	GA	GAA	Shutouts
1	John R	3	2	66.67%	12	4.00	0
2	Dave	3	1	33.33%	11	3.67	0

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Happy Festivus for the Rest of us!

Festivus was technically Monday, December 23 this year, but I figured we'd do this after the Holidays so no one thinks this is a Xmas thing and gets offended somehow (I mean, again).


And now, it's time to play the Festivus Feats of Strength!

But, instead of pinning Frank Costanza to the floor, we will play a Match game for the Festivus Crown!

Here's how it works: Below are listed some random reasons why someone has left Saugus Hockey (either just for this season or for good, apparently).

Your job is to guess which person is matched up with which reason.

For example, if you chose A) for Brett, meaning that 'Canadiens fans are bitter' and that's why he hasn't played this year, you'd be wrong. Because the correct answer is D, Obesity. Or maybe it's C. You see how that works?

Great, now let's get started. Post your guesses in the chat and let's see who can get the most right and who will win Festivus!

Match the following people to their corresponding reasons. A reason can be used for more than one person. Some reasons might not be used at all.

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Festivus Match game

#	Player	ABC	Reason
1	Ron	A	Canadiens fans are bitter
2	Griff	B	got married and just gave up
3	JB	C	can’t play defense anymore
4	Reggie	D	obesity
5	John P	E	realized that hockey isnt a track meet
6	Jimmy C	F	moved to California
7	Tony	G	multiple knee surgeries
8	Goggles	H	entered the twilight zone
9	Matt S	I	diabetes
10	Mike Pretzel	J	lack of interest (laziness)
11	Bradley	K	pure laziness
12	Jimmy N	L	moved to Thailand
13	Eric F	M	shoulder surgery
14	Billy D	N	terrible in net
15	John F	O	Father Time caught him
16	Dale	P	moved to Canada
17	Taylor	Q	extreme obesity
18	Scott F	R	realized that sarcasm isn’t a substitute for skills
19	Bobcat	S	bad mustache
20	Jeremy S	T	it's a mystery
21	Rick G	U	offended by Frendon
22	Luke C	V	Moved to North Carolina or someplace, IDK
23	Brett	W	offended by Brett (e.g. the "blog")
		X	chasing girls around
		Y	reasons unspecified
		Z	lost an eye

Answers will be posted after everyone has guessed. I will confirm correct answers in the chat.

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BoxScore from 12/22/19

Old Dogs


Other than being the title of a 2009 film that was so horrible it got a whopping 5% on Rotten Tomatoes, it is an apropos title for this week of terrible, terrible Saugus Hockey.
At first, we were treated to the rare Lenny sighting – not that Lenny – the other Lenny…insert classic Bob NewHart joke here… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ApHgZ96H0PU



Kinda seemed like there was new life growing again in Saugus. Last week we had some new blood and this week some old ghosts came back to life. And then they died.
War is H-E-double hockey sticks! People were dying out there on the battlefield; The first Lenny went down hard with a muscle pull. There were bound to be casualties. The other Lenny, proudly played on a third game and suddenly had all the confidence of John Sedgwick during the Civil war. He stood tall, noted that they were gunning for him, but with his ironic last words, uttered: “They couldn’t hit an elephant at this dist—"
And down goes Lenny2. Two hours, two Lennys, too bad. It was a Lenny Massacre. But they’ll be back next week. They’re not going down like that, right?


So what about the games? Well, I got sent a telegram from PPP – The Professor. You guys remember him, right? He had some game analysis that he has for us after consulting with the Scout, BigBoard, WPR, and the Real Deal. All of which remain anonymous to this day.

Here’s what he said:
“The dynamic of Billy, Jared, Brendon and Nick was working too well last night. They easily could have had 4-5 more goals if they didn’t miss the net or shoot directly into Steve’s pads a couple of times…tsk, tsk, what could have been. They’re too dangerous to keep together. Watch for Johnny to break that up next week by bribing Jared to get his Binky back. Johnny would like to get Nick and Billy back on D for his team because, frankly, it was just embarrassing at times. You’re gonna let Frendon just waltz in there and roof it on Steve uncontested? Come on. And some of those one-timers the white team missed – I mean, let’s face it, that wasn’t good defense, that was just a missed opportunity and the dark team got very lucky more than once.

On the plus side for the dark team, I thought Steve played great. He stole a couple of would-be goals and when you’re getting peppered with shots like that, you shouldn’t be faulted for giving up as much as he did. I know the lack of subs towards the end of the night definitely affected everyone….but some plays weren’t about stamina. They were about willpower and grit and hustle. Even if hustle means not necessarily moving your legs but means back-checking by stick-lifting their shot attempts.

This week showed us what a potential Haverhill Cup team might look like come redraft time. But here at Saugus, we’re clearly Sadists, so that’s not going to keep happening. Next week, look for the old blind stick throw from the center pile. That’s how we used to do it back in the Milk Street park. Back when everyone was equally young and equally awful. Not anymore. Sometimes it’s true what they say: You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. We’re all old dogs now. Even Nick :-D”

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DATE: 12/22/19

rank	Player	Goals	Assists	Points	Games	Wins	GW	GWA	Team Goals	GA
1	Jared	9	2	11	4	3	1	0	17	12
2	Billy T	1	6	7	4	3	0	1	17	12
3	Andrew	4	3	7	4	1	1	0	12	17
4	Nick	3	3	6	4	3	1	1	17	12
5	Drew B	4	2	6	4	1	0	0	12	17
6	Brendon	4	1	5	4	3	1	0	17	12
7	John R	2	1	3	4	1	0	0	12	17
8	Lenny D	1	1	2	4	1	0	0	11	12
9	Joe	1	0	1	4	1	0	0	12	17
10	MVW	0	1	1	4	1	0	0	12	17
11	Chris Y	0	1	1	4	3	0	0	17	12
12	Lenny Y	0	0	0	4	2	0	0	10	6

rank	Goalie	Games	Wins	Win %	GA	GAA	Shutouts
1	Dave	4	3	75.00%	12	3.00	0
2	Steve F	4	1	25.00%	17	4.25	0

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BoxScore from 12/15/2019

New Blood

So we had some fresh meat join our slaughterhouse this week. Connor, Damon and Goalie(?) Theron came down from NH. First time playing street, as they had played Ice in Acton.

Theron mentioned how much faster the ball travels on shots compared to ice. Unless you're playing in a collegiate, pro or semi-pro Ice League, yep. It's faster.
And some of our top-end shots rival even many of those leagues. Remember Ron's shot? Does Ron still read this site? I think he still has an account. Can we get a visit from PPP sometime again? That would be nice.

Speaking of fast shots, I'm blind in one eye now. Good thing it was my third eye. I mean, how's it going to be that I happen to catch that pass with my face like that?
Blinded. Wounded. Is that enough references? One more. Guess my life is only semi-charmed. Of course, that song was all about a drug user's descent into crystal meth addiction, according to wikipedia, so....maybe not.

Anyway....what did you guys think of the new additions? (I could have gone with a New Edition group reference here but didn't. I'll spare you that one...)
Post your thoughts on them in the comments! Or Don't! Because who reads this site anymore?

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DATE: 12/15/19

rank	Player	Goals	Assists	Points	Games	Wins	GW	GWA	Team Goals	GA
1	Jared	9	5	14	4	4	2	1	20	10
2	MVW	6	3	9	4	4	1	1	20	10
3	John R	6	2	8	4	0	0	0	10	20
4	Brendon	2	2	4	4	2	1	0	14	16
5	Damon	3	1	4	4	2	0	0	16	14
6	Billy T	2	1	3	4	0	0	0	10	20
7	Mike M	0	3	3	3	3	0	0	7	15
8	Joe	2	0	2	4	3	0	0	18	12
9	Nick	0	1	1	3	3	0	0	7	15
10	Pete S	0	1	1	4	4	0	1	20	10
11	Jason H	0	1	1	4	0	0	0	10	20
12	Lee S	0	1	1	4	4	0	0	20	10
13	Connor	0	1	1	4	4	0	0	20	10
14	Ignads	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	10	20
15	Chris Y	0	0	0	4	0	0	0	10	20

rank	Goalie	Games	Wins	Win %	GA	GAA	Shutouts
1	Dave	4	4	100.00%	10	2.50	1
2	Theron	4	0	0.00%	20	5.00	0

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BoxScore from 12/6/19

Just letting off some steam....Nothing to see here...Move along...

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DATE: 12/06/19

rank	Player	Goals	Assists	Points	Games	Wins	GW	GWA	Team Goals	GA
1	Jared	11	3	14	4	2	0	1	16	13
2	Andrew	7	1	8	4	2	1	0	13	16
3	MVW	2	5	7	4	2	0	0	16	13
4	Billy T	2	3	5	4	2	1	1	16	13
5	Chris N	3	1	4	4	2	1	0	13	16
6	Teddy N	0	4	4	4	2	0	0	13	16
7	Brendon	1	2	3	4	2	0	0	13	16
8	Nick	2	1	3	4	2	0	0	13	16
9	Jason H	1	2	3	4	2	1	0	16	13
10	Pete S	0	1	1	4	2	0	0	16	13
11	Chris Y	0	1	1	4	2	0	1	13	16
12	Lenny Y	0	0	0	4	2	0	0	16	13

rank	Goalie	Games	Wins	Win %	GA	GAA	Shutouts
1	John R	4	2	50.00%	13	3.25	0
2	Dave	4	2	50.00%	16	4.00	0

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If He Can't Score, No One Can

Sunday did not get off to a great start.  Rumor is that a plow truck caught fire, and that caused massive delays on 93.  So, keeping in line with the recap ethos of not singling anyone out, we'll just say that not everyone was there on time.  By the time we were ready to start Dave was lying on the ground counting mold spots on the ceiling.  The delay might have had an effect.  The Dark team got off to a quick start with Chris N one-timing in the first two goals.  Wait, Chris N - who is that?  He is better known as one of "The Greeks".  Either way, he had two snipes to put the Dark team up 2-0.  Unfortunately, he also had a brutal turnover to Brendon who fed Jared for the White team's only goal of the game.  Undaunted, the Dark team, on three goals from Andrew ended up winning 5-1.

It seemed a bit like a mirage - there's no way that the Dark team could be that dominant.  They had Billy,  Chris Y, and a bunch of kids.  The White team had Jared, Ward, and the much better goaltending.  Could the Dark team continue their success in Game 2?

The short answer: no.  The White team started with a Frendon one-timer setup by Jared for their first goal.  Now, it wasn't a thing of beauty - Frendon looked to flub the shot on the one-timer and he beat me with the shot.  Frendon said it was intentional.  Not to tell you who to believe, but we all know Frendon's track record.  Anyway, a goal is a goal, and the White team led 1-0.  They would build upon that lead on 3 goals from Jared.  The White team had 4 goals when there was a break in the game.  I told Andrew we needed the win.  He nodded in approval - he was properly inspired.  The Dark team began their comeback.

Now, during this time the White team had their chances to win.  There were breakaways, a 2 on 0, and plenty of shots on net.  However, one play crystallized their night.  Frendon was setup wide open for a chance out front.  I made the initial stop.  As Frendon's teammates were coming to the net to help, Frendon knocked the ball out of the slot leading to a rush from the Dark team.  That led to the classic quote, "If he can't score, no one can."  Now, Frendon was almost the hero.  With the score tied 4-4 Frendon took a slap shot from the point that bounced off of the cross bar.  Had that gone in, all would have been forgotten (maybe not, but it makes for a better story).  Instead, it was shortly after that Frendon was trying to keep a ball in at the point and Andrew stole it from him and walked in alone on Dave.  Somehow the shot squeaked by and the Dark team swept the night…which was a short one because we only played 2 games.  Next time, get there earlier guys!

Quick Notes:

• Elliot and Andrew said that they had not played on the same team before.  I will have to lookup whether or not that is true.  However, what is true, is that they played very well and generated a number of chances in both games

• I thought that Dave played very well and deserved better than the stat line read at the end of the night

• Teddy played pretty well overall, but I have never seen that many swings and misses in a hockey game

• Chris and Billy had a very strong night on defense with a number of blocks and plays that they broke up

• At one point I almost pulled a Jared.  I swung at and missed a slow rolling ball with my stick.  Fortunately it hit my goalie pad.

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DATE: 12/01/19

rank	Player	Goals	Assists	Points	Games	Wins	GW	GWA	Team Goals	GA
1	Andrew	6	2	8	2	2	2	0	10	5
2	Elliott	1	6	7	2	2	0	1	10	5
3	Jared	4	1	5	2	0	0	0	5	10
4	MVW	0	3	3	2	0	0	0	5	10
5	Brendon	1	1	2	2	0	0	0	5	10
6	Chris N	2	0	2	2	2	0	0	10	5
7	Teddy N	1	0	1	2	2	0	0	10	5
8	Billy T	0	0	0	2	2	0	0	10	5
9	Ignads	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	5	10
10	Lenny Y	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	5	10
11	Mike M	0	0	0	2	0	0	0	5	10
12	Chris Y	0	0	0	2	2	0	0	10	5

rank	Goalie	Games	Wins	Win %	GA	GAA	Shutouts
1	John R	2	2	100.00%	5	2.50	0
2	Dave	2	0	0.00%	10	5.00	0

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