Monday April 16 (Semi finals)
F.Russo, Punishers close off semi finals with back to back shutouts
The Punishers started things off just the way they wanted on Monday night. The contest was only a minute old when C.Gingras opened the scoring. By controlling much of the action, the Punishers would eventually pull away-from the Mighty Drunks, who struggled to get anything by F.Russo. Three of their four goals came in the second period with Gingras sealing the win for his second of the contest. The Mighty Drunks had a few moments to reorganize and figure out what to do in order to try and extended the series. Unfortunately, almost the exact same thing occurred in the second encounter. C.Gingras was able to score first, and the Punishers wasted barley any time adding three more before the period ended to put a stamp on this series. J.Chiropoulos chipped in with a power play goal as part of a three point performance, and for a second straight game, F.Russo didn't need to look behind him to collect two consecutive shutouts.
(4)Punishers vs Mighty Drunks(0) Game 1
(0)Mighty Drunks vs Punishers (4) Game 2
Hustlers pour it on early, Corporation couldn't recover
Only 2:30 minutes went by, and the Corporation knew they were in for a long night. A.Stamiris riffled two laser's right before D.Bertrand made the score 3-0.The Corporation did have a quick response after that but the hill was too high to climb versus a team like the Hustlers. Those early goals were able to stand up as part of a 5-2 result. Now that the pressure was on the Corporation to answer back, not much changed in the second encounter. The Hustlers continued-from where they left off eventually building a 3-0 lead. There was no doubt that they were ready to reach the finals. They were more decisive with the ball and used all their players accordingly to out play the Corporation. M.Dagenais, even though he had plenty of help in front of him, still had to make some key saves in order to keep the games out of reach.
(5)Hustlers vs The Corporation (2)
(1)The Corporation vs Hustlers(3)
Rebels progress to take series after dropping opener
When a team is unable to keep pace as the night goes on, the fate of an outcome can easily be predicted. But it's not to say that the Degenerates couldn't prevail in this series. They did win the opening game 2-0 which at worse case would have given them a chance in a game three mini game to pull through. However, with the Rebels starting to take control by winning almost every loose ball, the inevitable was in the making. They overcame a 1-0 deficit in game three with a rapid and deflating response of three goals in only 90 seconds. In that quick instance, the Degenerates saw their season flash before their eyes. H.Ethier could be considered as the master mind for the Rebels as the slick player participated in all four goals of the mini game. Both sides were lucky to have their net minders keep them in all three games. P.Boucher was a great help for the Rebels making timely saves while P.Assadi was equally impressive giving the Degenerates every chance possible for a better outcome.
(2)Degenerates vs Rebels(0) Game 1
(3)Rebels vs Degenerates (2) Game 2
(1)Degenerates vs Rebels(4) Game 3
Depth scoring sends Underdogs through to finals
One key aspect of all successful teams is the ability to use all their players and get contributions-from up and down the line up. The Underdogs have achieved this all season long and tonight wasn't any different. After collecting back to back wins, they managed to score a total of ten goals that saw nearly every player collect at least a point. One player did stand out a little more in the second contest. M-A Haber opened the scoring while posting back to back tallies for his hat trick. As good as the Underdogs are for finishing in first place, the 1 Timer couldn't be too pleased with their overall performance. They allowed too many chances in both games despite being slightly better in the first periods.
(4)Underdogs vs 1 Timer(2) Game 1
(4)1 timer vs Underdogs (6) Game 2
The SalumiVino player of the night goes to Hugo Ethier of the Rebels. After battling back-form a 1-0 series deficit, H.Ethier took matters into his own hands by scoring three times while adding a pair of assists.
With the semi finals coming to a close, four teams have one more step before reaching the finish line. The Punishers and the Hustlers have an abundance of talent on their rosters and no one could know for sure who will win in the end. Look for disciple to be a key factor as power play opportunities in 4v4 hockey is almost a guaranteed goal. The other semi final match up in division 2 will feature the Underdogs and the Rebels. Both these teams play a determined man on man game and have deep rosters. With mistakes being a big part of hockey, the team that limits their errors should take it home.
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