Monday August 29

Degenerates gelling right in time for playoff season

Its what you expect to get when you occupy all three zones of the game. The Degenerates did well in all categories, and as a result, the Big Timer dug themselves to deep unable to recover. After closing out a 7-0 decision, the Degenerates found themselves having to kill a four minute penalty in their second encounter. No doubt it came as a great opportunity for the Big Timer to strike first and build on something. Instead, the opposite happened with A.Desrosiers coming in on a hard wrist shot giving Y.Labbe no chance what so ever. Once the Degenerates got on board, the flood gates opened again. Every player participated in one way or another which is what you hope for as a team to gel before entering the playoffs.  C.Kakivelis came to replace T.Borgia between the pipes for the Degenerates . And although he wasn’t too busy, the goaltender was involved looking like a ball moving defenseman while making sure to keep a clean sheet en route to a pair of shutouts.

(7)Degenerates vs Big Timer(0)

(0)Big Timer vs Degenerates(6)

Altius respond and bank key points to the standings

They may not have done it in the first encounter, but the Altius got an important 5-2 win over the Orient in the second match. The season has reached a pivotal stage where every single point counts for three teams fighting for their playoff lives. The Altius put themselves in a good position for now, but nothing is close to being settled. It will all depend on what the other teams do-from now till next weeks games. For now, they got the job done, especially in the second encounter where the urgency showed-from the drop of the ball. B.Bentivegna, A.Catino and P.Arkalis all scored to build a nice 3-0 lead. The Orient would then reply thanks to M.Zarzour finally getting to M.Melo, who was stellar making a bunch of key saves. Even though there was enough time for the Orient to climb back into this, they just couldn’t compete against a more desperate team. The Altius made sure to keep the gas pedal floored throughout the entire time where they captured an important win to the standings. The first encounter went the Orient’s way in the shootout courtesy of G.Yacoub netting the lone marker coupled with E.Paradis-Levasseur stopping all three shooters his way.

(2)Altius vs Orient(3) S.O

(2)Orient vs Altius(5)

Horsemen end season on poor note, Country Club seasoned for what’s ahead

You have losses, and you have miserable losses. For the Horsemen’s end to the regular season, they will consider it a miserable loss. You could say they were in the first game where they dropped it in a shootout, but that didn’t compare anywhere close to how they laid an egg in the ensuing match. The Country Club were quicker, stronger and more determined in their overall game which made sense why it wasn’t even close. Even if the Horsemen wanted to treat it as a big game, the energy level just wasn’t there. Six first period goals had already gone in for the Country Club, who by then didn’t really have much to play for. S.Boudin was the only player to strike twice out of the eight goals which suggests how well balanced the Country Club are as a group. While the Country Club are headed in the right direction, the Horsemen will have to take a positive approach with a week to figure things out. They know as a group what they are capable of. Sometimes its just about keeping it simple while playing hard. V.Pandza will send a strong message to his troops that will translate into something good to come.

(2)Horsemen vs Country Club(3) S.O

(8)Country Club vs Horsemen(2)

Joe DeStefano stones HC Jokerit on two shutout wins, Dragons secure playoff spot

The Dragons wanted to secure a playoff  birth in their two games versus the HC Jokerit, and they did just that thanks to a couple of key factors. Winning both games by not giving up a goal indicates that your net minder had plenty to do with it. There was just no denting the Dragons goalie on this night. Knowing how high the stakes were, DeStefano kept his head in it the entire time battling every ball his way while making the extra effort to stop everything in sight. The HC Jokerit couldn’t figure him out despite some high end chances, especially by the second game. While your goaltender needs to be there for you, goals need to come as well. The Dragons relied on their dynamic duo in the first encounter with G.DeMarinis and J.Mandracchia making pretty much everything happen as both players combined for six pints with DeMarinis completing a hat trick. The second match was much closer because of the man power the HC Jokerit had over the Dragons. Still, they couldn’t get on board first which could have complicated matters for the Dragons. Instead, J.Scalia cashed in by the six minute mark, and the Dragons managed to hang on to dear life in order to preserve a much needed win that secured them a playoff spot.

(4)Dragons vs HC Jokerit(0)

(0)HC Jokerit vs Dragons(2)

Kings put forth strong finish to regular season

You always want to keep good habits and finish strong right before your playoffs. The Kings did just that in their two games versus the RCGT Knights by taking both encounters rather easily. Granted, neither side did floor a complete roster, but the Kings still prevailed on their short bench. You have to expect that D.Lombardi was going to put some balls behind the net like he’s been doing game in and game out. The power forward shared a hat trick in the first game with M.Gibson while G.DeLuca was very productive as well collecting a total of nine points. The RCGT Knights kept both games close in their first of two periods before finding themselves to far behind. S.Ruggiero produced most of their offense accumulating a pair of tallies and a couple of helpers. Overall, it wasn’t a great measuring stick for the two teams since they were both missing key pieces.

(5)RCGT Knights vs Kings(8)

(6)Kings vs RCGT Knights(1)

The SalumiVino player of the night goes to Joe DeStefano of the Dragons. Knowing how crucial tonight’s games were for the standings, the net minder did not disappoint making every single stop possible in order to capture two huge victories.

Division 2 regular season came to an end on Monday night. The first place Kings will skip the first round and get an automatic pass to the semi finals. The first round match ups are as follows:

(2) Country Club vs HC Jokerit(7) Everything points to the Country Club to come out of this series. The HC Jokerit will need to tighten up defensively, and use their one key asset which is their speed. If they cam manage a split, than anything is possible after that in a game three minute game. However, it will be a difficult task to beat a team that has the collective hockey sense and skill factor that the Country Club has along with M.Dupuis guarding his cage. Look for the Country Club to advance in this series.

(3)RCGT Knights vs Degenerates(6) Should be a close series between two teams familiar with each other. Goaltending will be important in what will be a chess match. Whoever can limit their mistakes will have the upper hand. Since both teams have the experience, this series may come down to some fortunate bounces here and there.

(4)Snipers vs Horsemen(5) The Horsemen have been struggling as of late, but that doesn’t mean that they cant advance. The Snipers will come out to compete very hard and give the Horsemen a difficult time. This series will depend on the compete level of the Horsemen and some other factors. If they can floor their complete defensive core, the Snipers may be in trouble. Time will only tell in this one.