Wocafloka vs Left Wings

Wocafloka rout Left Wings for series lead

It’s never easy keeping a high octane offence at bay, but that’s exactly what Wocafloka did to the Left Wings on this night.  They stormed out to a 3-0 first period lead and never looked back, as the Left Wings were simply unable to muster anything offensively, even though they had their fair share of chances with Wocafloka visiting the penalty box on 4 occasions.  Wocafloka shut it down after the first period relying on overall team defence, offensive transition and the usual solid goaltending from veteran C.Stavriadis who pushed aside all but 1.  Luckily it’s only game 1, and coach N.Sotiropoulos and the Left Wings have a week to devise a game plan and get their act together or they’ll be packing their bags.

Carnage vs Horsemen

Crazy comeback falls short, Horsemen squeak out game 1

In a battle between 2 teams who know each other so well, it was hard to predict the end result.  In what could only be described as a crazy and unexpected game, the Horsemen had the wind in their sails as they were in cruise control, leading 5-0 after 2 periods.  Carnage were throwing balls at the net but mostly from the perimeter and not generating many high danger scoring chances,  with the Horsemen keeping them at bay.  Usually, when having such a comfortable lead with so little time remaining in a playoff game, you just need to close it out, but the third period was a different story. Carnage came out flying scoring an incredible 4 goals from 4 different players all within 6 minutes. They pulled their goalie, but the Horsemen managed to hang on and avoid a colossal defeat.  V.Pandza and the Horsemen know that this one was way too close for comfort and simply can’t get complacent.  F.Pace and Carnage now have a week to figure out how to get a better start to their game and not play from behind as they did all game long.

Buckshots vs Mighty Drunks

E.Mavroudis goes on a tear, Buckshots take game 1

The Mighty Drunks knew they had to play solid team defence, and capitalize on their opportunities and try to limit the chances of the devastating top line that the Buckshots possess. The game was incredibly tight as both teams were limiting each other’s scoring chances and getting in the shooting lanes, a typical playoff game.  Things turned in the third period, where like he’s basically done all season, E.Mavroudis put the Buckshots on his back and was a man on a mission as he completed a natural hat trick to go along with his first period goal for a 4 goal output.  It’s only game 1, but the Mighty Drunks know that they were able to battle and frustrate the Buckshots for 2 full periods.  They have a week to figure out how to contain a powerful offence and again they’ll need T.Borgia to get timely stops and keep their opponent to the perimeter, in order to force a 3^rd game.    

Fatal Demons vs Fat Roy

Fat Roy grab game 1 in heated affair

In a classic match-up between 2 veteran laden teams filled with depth, and who are equally strong in all 3 zones, it was only fitting that it was so close till the bitter end.  The action was fast and furious, with both goaltenders seeing lots of activity in their respective creases to go along with the chippiness and chirping.  The score was close, with neither side gaining an edge and the special teams were quite active with so many visits to the penalty box.  With less than 2 minutes remaining in regulation, L.Williams of Fat Roy was able to rifle a quick wrister from a near impossible angle which beat R.Ranieri and stood as the game winner.  It was a bitter pill to swallow for the division leading Fatal Demons, but surely captain P.Santullo will use the week to get a game plan together.

The Salumi Vino player of the night goes to E. Mavroudis of the Buckshots.