Wednesday May 24

Ducks disappear in second half of the game, Senators pull away in convincing fashion

(10)Senators vs Ducks(5)

On Wednesday evening, the Ducks had their hands full versus the Senators. For about half the game, they hung neck and neck with them, but ultimately crashed and burned in the second portion. Talk about nothing going right for a side hoping to do way better. When you cant get to the ball first or run back to try and slow down a rush, you’ll often pay the price. The Senators did an excellent job boxing out the Ducks while excelling on their transition game. It seemed like everyone was touching the ball before somebody would go on to score. At least five players collected three points or more with R.Kilgour and M.Lafleur sharing the most with five points apiece. There was no question that the Ducks couldn’t match the pace of a quicker and more engaged team. The lanes just kept opening up for the Senators, who have enough quality to bury their chances. This is a good result for a side that seem to have all the elements to go very far into the post season.

The Allo Mon Coco Ste-Dorothee player of the game goes to Richard Kilgour of the Senators. Always responsible at both ends of the court, R.Kilgour was glad to have a very productive night collecting two goals and three assists.

F.Girard and B.Sorice set the tone for Stars thumping over Hurricanes

(5)Hurricanes vs Stars(12)

Its hard enough to stop one player, but when two are playing at the height of their game, it becomes that much more difficult. Twenty minutes had gone by and the Hurricanes were late to receive the memo on how to slow down F.Girard and B.Sorice. The dynamic duo made an early mess combining for five goals that saw F.Girard complete a natural hat trick in only five minutes. Its never pleasant falling behind by such a large margin in a fairly short period of time. The Hurricanes did show some character despite the awful start by getting involved more offensively thanks to T.Angelis’s hat trick. Still , they were too far behind, but took it upon themselves to remove their net minder for the extra attacker after trailing 9-4. Surely, it was a desperate move trying to overcome a five goal deficit with just over ten minutes remaining. Eventually, the Stars would close out the deal for good when N.Boctor-Awad and P.Carone each fed the empty cage. This victory for the Stars was an important one as they’ll need only a couple of points with two games remaining to try and capture a top two seed which would give them an automatic first round bye.

The Allo Mon Coco Ste-Dorothee player of the game goes to Fred Girard of the Stars. It took him only five minutes to score a natural hat trick that helped provide a 6-1 lead only twenty minutes into the game. The forward went on to notch a total of five goals and a helper.

Ducks challenge much better in second game despite dropping it late to the Golden Knights

(9)Golden Knights vs Ducks(7)

Considering how the Ducks looked earlier in their loss to the Senators, this contest was a lot more promising for how they played it out. They actually looked like the less tired team as they often got to the ball first. Unfortunately, a bad start and a heart breaking finish saw them fall short. The Golden Knights got the ball rolling right away netting two early goals as it looked like it was going to be another long night for the Ducks. However, that didn’t change the mind set of just keeping at it. Even though the Ducks fell behind 6-3 at one point, they kept battling back by applying some serious pressure. Eventually, that hard worked appeared to pay off when D.Galloro evened the score at seven goals apiece with less than a minute remaining. For sure the thought of heading into overtime crossed everyone’s mind. But with about thirty seconds left to go, T.Settino made a brilliant move to release a back hand-from the slot area that beat G.Kanaras top corner. That was T.Settino’s seventh point of the game sharing the same amount with T.Nardelli. The Ducks may have dropped a game that they felt they deserved better, but wont be overly disappointed considering it was their second match, and that it could have easily gone either way.

The Allo Mon Coco Ste-Dorothee player of the game goes to Monika Estrela of the Golden Knights. Throughout the entire time, M.Estrela kept making the right play. Her passes kept getting through, and four goals stemmed-from the smart and gritty forward.

Monday May 22

Dialled Snipers respond in second game to split with Sharpshooters

The Snipers knew after their loss to the Sharpshooters that they truly didn’t show up the way they needed for an opening game into the regular season. Scoring only one goal on barley enough scoring chances just wont cut it. That did eventually change in the second game where the Snipers offense came to life. And who other than your captain to lead the way. Ali Khanafer used one sequence to collect two big goals in a minute and a half, and the Snipers had the luxury of playing in front carrying a 3-1 lead. You never want to fall to behind against the Snipers. The Sharpshooters realised it as they were unable to find enough room out there to generate some decent chances. Ahmad Khanafer widened the gap by three mid way into the final frame, and the Snipers bounced back to even their night after closing it out on a pair of empty net markers. Both goaltenders were influential in their respective wins. P.Delli Colli allowed an early goal in the first encounter before shutting the door the rest of the way. As for M.St-Laurent, the net minder returned the favour by allowing only one goal as well in the ensuing match.

(1)Snipers vs Sharpshooters(3)

(6)Snipers vs Sharpshooters(1)

Country Club looking in sync , HC Jokerit need to find answers after slow start to season

You always want to get a good start to your night. Since anything can happen during a hockey game ,the Country Club made sure to get the momentum right away. They scored three unanswered goals in the first period, and M.Dupuis  was able to stop everything in sight. On both power play opportunities, J-S lavoie and P.Dupuis made sure to bury their chances. The HC Jokerit didn’t like that they fell on the short end coupled with the fact that they couldn’t get at least one to spark some life. Although they finally got on board in the second match, the end result mirrored the opening game. The Country Club did most of their damage by the final frame where they ignited on four goals. Nobody scored more than once out of the total six tallies which suggested that everyone was bought in what was a collective team effort. Of coarse you need your goaltender to deliver. M.Dupuis had one of those nights that kept frustrating his opponent. After facing a total of 31 shots in both games, Dupuis allowed only two goals in the four periods.

(4)Country Club vs HC Jokerit(0)

(6)Country Club vs HC Jokerit(2)

Degenerates prevail in tight checking tilt

Goals by S.Marricco and D.Charbonneau, plus a 16 save shutout by C.Stavriadis along with the special teams working propelled the Degenerates to a 2-0 victory to kick off their regular season. If you’re the RCGT Knights, searching for that first goal becomes a priority after seeing your offense go dry. That moment finally came when C.Gurian used a blistering shot to beat C.Stavriadis. Unfortunately some penalty trouble enabled the Degenerates to bounce back and take the lead on two power play goals by M.Chenier and P.Paikopoulos. Although a slight margin, the Degenerates used the lead to their advantage by eliminating a ton of time and space-from the RCGT Knights. Most of their chances had to come-from far shots which enabled C.Stavriadis to see the ball and make the necessary saves. Rather than taking the gamble of trying to protect a one goal lead, J.Melo was able to increase the margin with just over two minutes remaining. The Degenerates, looking back felt that both games should have been decided by a larger margin. But with T.Sauk in net guarding the cage, the RCGT Knights were always in it due to his stellar performance. Maybe some more game changers up front will position the RCGT Knights to be a lethal threat. They do have the defense and goaltender to solidify those areas which leaves perhaps a goal scorer or two to be more competitive.

(0)RCGT Knights vs Degenerates(2)

(2)RCGT Knights vs Degenerates(4)

The SalumiVino player of the night goes to Mathieu Dupuis of the Country Club. Primed and ready to preform, M.Dupuis captured a shutout in the first encounter while enabling his side to take the second game by allowing only two goals.

Sunday May 21

Flyers barely hang on after better start vs Kraken

(7)Flyers vs Kraken(5)

The Kraken gave up some early goals, and were stuck playing catch up the rest of the way. The Flyers kept up the pressure as they slowly built themselves a nice 4-1 lead by about the mid way point of the game. E.Allen set things in motion by scoring two goals while taking care of his own end by breaking up some plays. While it seemed like the Flyers were on their way to an easy night, this game had more in store, with the Kraken showing more bite in their game. A dormant offense finally got to work as they eventually got to M.Savoro a few times . At one point, the Kraken pulled themselves within one when G.Papdakis scored with only two minutes left on the clock. Knowing that it takes only one shot on net for an equaliser, two minutes is enough time when riding such a momentum. Unfortunately, the comeback effort eventually came to a halt thanks to D.Galloro’s second of the game.

The Allo Mon Coco Ste-Dorothee player of the game goes to Errol Allen of the Flyers. He showed right away to his teammates that the slick defenseman came ready to play. E.Allen set the tone on two early goals, and was a force throughout the time carrying much of the play.

Panthers picking a terrible time to end season, Sabres looking in fine form for what’s ahead

(4)Panthers vs Sabres(9)

They have reached the end of the regular season, and both these teams wanted nothing less than a positive finish. Even if it involved losing, as long as it’s a close game that could have gone either way. Sadly for the Panthers, they picked the worse time to play this poorly. Too many things went wrong for a side that’s aspiring to make a legit run into the playoff season. The Panthers look to pride themselves on how they play without the ball, but tonight they were clearly schooled by a side that looks ready and primed to cap off a strong and successful season. Just past the mid way point, the Sabres were smooth sailing riding a 7-1 lead. As expected, the father son tandem between C.Zafiropoulos and A.Zafiropoulos were there to pop a couple each. M.Tzouvadakis kept the Panthers offense honest making some key saves early on. Three goals came due to penalty shots for the Sabres with J.Martuccio, L.Bavellas and A.Zafiropoulos getting the better of B.Allahwardeyan. Its just not the way you want to end your season knowing that you have the potential to go far if you’re the Panthers. For a third place team, this loss has to cause some concern for how out of sync they were. With two weeks to put it behind them, the Panthers will have to dig deep and regain their confidence in order to compete well enough in the playoffs. Its not like they don’t have the players, but a question of putting it together.

The Allo Mon Coco Ste-Dorothee player of the game goes to M.Tzouvadakis of the Sabres. Maybe he wasn’t influential for the win, but the net minder made it easier for his side to built a huge gap by allowing only one goal after thirty minutes of play.

Bruins getting hot at the right time in rout of Canadiens

( 8 )Bruins vs Canadiens(4)

You always want to have a strong end to your regular season. For the Bruins, they strung three consecutive wins, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. However, the same cant be said for the Canadiens, who looked flat footed and a step behind in the first portion of the game. They only got on board passed the mid way mark which saw them down 4-1 by that point. Sometimes, you just need that first tally to spark some sort of life. Rather than things getting better, the Canadiens couldn’t make ground as the Bruins would reply a couple of times in order to maintain there lead. A.Zakarian and N.Macri were to much for the Canadiens defense to handle. Both players have a strong front net presence which makes it hard for most players to contain. By the time it was said and done, the two power forwards had each scored twice while chipping in with some assists. The Canadiens could have used some of there guys to get going early on but only started to be more engaged when the game was perhaps out of reach. R.Santosuosso had a strong performance in the losing cause as the forward bagged three of the four goals scored by the Canadiens.

The Allo Mon Coco Ste-Dorothee player of the game goes to Alex Zakarian of the Bruins. When A.Zakarian is on top of his game, watch out if you’re the opposing defence and net minder. The power forward will use his size and strength to release some heavy shots that only a ready and focused net minder will have a chance to stop. Tonight, he riffled a pair while setting up a couple of teammates.

Kings outlast Wild in high scoring affair

(7)Wild vs Kings(10)

A thrilling, high-scoring affair between the Kings and the Wild came down to its final minutes, where the Kings ultimately  prevailed thanks to a pair of tallies by A.Amicone. This contest looked like the Kings had the potential of thumping their opponent after mounting an early 4-1 lead. But that was only part of the story as the Wild had other plans. Powered by C.Arnoldo’s back to back tallies along with a collective push back, this game turned into a back and forth barn burner with no indication of who was going to prevail. Both sides have no shortage of talent up front, and looked completely disinterested on trying to help out their goaltenders. It really came down to who would apply that last wave of pressure. The score was all evened up at seven goals apiece before A.Amicone seized the moment converting on two occasions in a very short span. Since time was now a factor, the Wild knew that there night was over. Depending on how both teams look at this end result, you almost have to wonder who was pleased with the overall game. Are you glad if you are the first place Kings that needed the final couple of minutes to defeat the bottom dwellers Wild ? In the perspective of the Wild, this loss felt like a victory knowing that they can challenge the front runners. As for the Kings, no matter how nice a 9-1 record is, nothing will come easy in the post season.

The Allo Mon Coco Ste-Dorothee player of the game goes to Angelo Amicone of the Kings. In what was a crazy finish to a wild and high scoring affair, A.Amicone was there to put the final seal by notching two consecutive goals that snapped a 7-7 tie.

Blackhawks cold heading into playoffs, Predators in opposite direction collecting third straight win

(2)Blackhawks vs Predators(11)

Its one thing to be cold heading into the post season, but the Blackhawks look like rock hard icicle sticks with no heat in sight heading into the playoffs. They have to be asking how does a team that started off with a 5-1 record lose four consecutive games by a landslide. Its so bad that every area of their game is talking a hit. The offense, defense, goaltending, trying to create offense, trying to defend properly. None of it is coming together, and the Blackhawks need to start figuring things out soon if they plan on sticking around . Tonight was another blunder filled with a comedy of errors. While its obvious that the Blackhawks are dealing with their issues, the Predators have to be pleased with their overall game. And why not when your controlling most of the contest that resulted into eleven goals for and only two conceded. Many chipped in offensively with F.Bchara leading the charge with five points. Somehow, M.Braun couldn’t get at least one to go in, but was able to set up four instead. After facing close to thirty shots, B.Verducci wasn’t overly busy allowing only two goals. Overall, it was a gratifying way to end the season if you’re the Predators, who strung three consecutive wins together.

The Allo Mon Coco Ste-Dorothee player of the game goes to Ben Verducci of the Predators. Unless you beat him good, the net minder will deny you. The Blackhawks saw only two players figure out a solid dialled in B.Verducci.

The Sunday night Draft regular season came to an end. In a division of twelve teams, everyone will participate in the playoffs. The top four seeds will skip the first round and be placed automatically into the quarter finals. The first round match ups are as follows:

(5)Bruins vs Wild(12) Despite being in last place, do not count out the Wild. This team can surprise with some key components. Since the Bruins are coming off a hot streak, this opening series should be a close one even if the Wild have only one win to show for.

(6)Predators vs Red Wings(11) Both sides just came off landslide victories to cap off their season. When reaching this stage, it will be important to grabbing that good start to your game. Neither team has a significant advantage over one another sharing a similar goals for and goals against differential. Its playoff time and anything cane happen. The Red Wings will rely on some of their speedy players up front while the Predators have some goals scores that need to be contained.

(7)Blackhawks vs Canadiens(10) If the Blackhawks don’t shape up, they might as well not even show up for this one. The Canadiens have a coupe of players that can score on a regular basis and will look to exploit a fragile Blackhawks team. That being said, there is too much leadership for the Blackhawks to simply cave in. The game plan is simple, play tight in your own zone since it doesn’t involve much running, and patiently wait for your chances.

(8)Flyers vs Kraken(7) Too much pride on the line for these two teams. Both sides know each others tendencies very well and will need to exploit the weaknesses. Some strategy will be involved as the Flyers will look to put the right players together in order to keep the Krakens weapons in check. It will come down to how much influence T.Settino will have throughout the entire game for the Kraken.

Thursday April 27 (Final)

Armadillos rout Brew Crew in game 1

(9)Armadillos vs Brew Crew(1) Game 1

If game one is any indication of where this series is headed, than the Brew Crew might as well just pack it in. S.Simitsakos had a hat trick, P.Lapointe cashed in twice, and F.Moshonas couldn’t have asked for a calmer night in net allowing only one goal on twenty shots. The Brew Crew never had a chance. They thought they started off well getting the games first goal, but that was just an illusion as the Armadillos smoked them out of the water the rest of the way. C.Muccino was stuck enduring a difficult time in net as he saw nothing in front of him working. Probably by the five minute mark into the second period did the Brew Crew start to carry the thought on how to adjust in game two. The Armadillos ran up the score making it 6-0 by then, and were no way going to falter such a massive lead. Without out much going for nearly half the game, the Brew Crew had to figure things out in a hurry if they planned on sticking around long enough.

Brew Crew flip the script to even series with Armadillos

(4)Brew Crew vs Armadillos(0) Game 2

On the heels of a disastrous opener, the Brew Crew knew that they had to change something in order to compete with the Armadillos. And what was impressive about it all, was that the Brew Crew bought into a game plan that proved to go a long way. There was no question that they wanted have a good response. What perhaps helped their cause was that the Armadillos started to get frustrated and paid too many trips to the penalty box. The Brew Crew not only scored twice with the man advantage, but had the luxury of playing enough minutes with a man up. Its pretty amazing how-from one game you give up nine goals while in the following encounter you shut the door completely allowing nothing to get by you. That’s attributed to a strong belief that your able to put a bad performance behind you and feel confident in your ability to bounce back. Also, add the fact that the Brew Crew are sound defensively when they need to be backed with the help of their last line of defense C.Muccino. Somehow, the net minder registered zero goals against him versus a team that generally has no issues scoring. All in all, the Brew Crew had the right mentality heading into this encounter knowing that they can control on what’s ahead rather than dwelling on the past. Now that this series is all tied up, the two sides had one more step ahead in what is expected to be a grinding end to the night.

Stunning final moments has the Brew Crew pull off an incredible finish as they claim the E Thursday division championship

(2)Brew Crew vs Armadillos(1) O.T Game 3

In one of the craziest endings you’ll ever see, the Brew Crew trailing 1-0 late in the game scored seconds later to even the score before notching the overtime winner only fifteen seconds into the sudden death frame. It took the combination of C.Moutafis and B.Sansotta to send the shock waves into their entire bench as the two complemented each other on both goals. B.Sansotta was able to even the score, and eventually win it in overtime thanks to C.Moutafis feeding him twice. Talk about a fairly tale ending if you are the Brew Crew. From-seeing your season nearly coming to a close, and to it suddenly turning into championship material is quite surreal. Its obviously shocking for the Armadillos who felt they had it all under control when J.Chiropoulos got them on board first with just over three minutes remaining. Even if killing off three minutes seems likely in most cases, all it takes is one big moment during that stretch to turn things around. The Brew Crew to their credit never kept their heads down and made sure to push the pace in search on an equaliser. Surely, they got their almost immediately to give themselves a chance knowing that the next goal would decide the two teams fate. Any time you enter a situation where the next shot on net can decide your season, you want to make sure to  throw as many balls toward the net when you get that chance. In tonight’s case, the Brew Crew got their first on a quick break which is all it takes when the stakes are this high. On behalf of Hockeyballe.com, congratulations go out to Chris Palermo and the rest of the Brew Crew for taking this one home.

The SalumiVino player of the night goes to Bruno Sansotta of the Brew Crew. In the Brew Crew’s most important moments of the entire season ,B.Sansotta not only evened the score late to keeping his team alive, but managed to bury the winner early into the overtime period to help claim the E Thursday division title.

Friday April 21(Final)

Generals backed by J.Brunet’s OT winner in game one win vs United Masters

(3)Generals vs United Masters(2) O.T Game 1

Throughout the entire game, the United Masters showed that they were able to keep up with the Masters 35+ division giants. When your ready to play engaged in a final, expect for everyone to up their game and battle hard the entire time. The United Masters made things extremely difficult by paying attention to many details which is the bare minimum required in order to have a chance and defeat the Generals. If not for giving up an overtime power play goal, the United Masters could have easily taken this encounter and find themselves ahead in the series. Instead, a late costly penalty enabled a power house five man unit to get to work. And who other than your top gun to deliver. Every time J.Brunet shoots-from the point, you can put a good dollar that the chances are good for it go in. The Generals look for that play when its available knowing that his shot usually hits its target. Unfortunately for the United Masters, they couldn’t kill the penalty off in time, and were stuck enduring a difficult loss knowing that they came that close. Although you never want to lose when hitting this stage of the season, the United Masters took something valuable-from the loss which was the confidence of challenging a heavy favourite.

Generals perfect season comes to an end, United Masters turn the tides with shootout win

(5)United Masters vs Generals(4) S.O Game 2

All good things come to an end. Up until this point in time, the Generals didn’t know what it felt like to lose a hockey game . After all, they went perfect all season long making one game look easier than the other as they kept humiliating their opponents. But after a very close encounter in game one, they knew that the United Masters weren’t a push over and were going to make things very hard for them. They did however every get a strong start scoring twice in the first two minutes alone. O.Valiquette and D.Lafleur made the score 2-0 only two and a half minutes in. That kind of a trend may have suggested that the Generals would have smoked the United Masters out of the water. That couldn’t be further -from the case as they just stuck with it on the right mind set. A quick response by the captain G.Missakian cut the lead in half, and the United Masters slowly started to take over winning a huge second period on a pair of goals by the M.Batri. Being up 3-2 heading into the third period versus the Generals is a deal you definitely take. However, the Generals weren’t going to go down that easily as they rebounded early in the frame thanks to V.Lamarche. The two sides were now dead even at three goals a piece with just over ten minutes to play. Usually, these are pressure situations when playing for all the marbles, but not for the United Masters as they felt confident playing as the underdogs. It seemed more like the Generals were the ones playing on their toes wanting to avoid any breakdowns. With regulation time solving nothing, neither did a five minute sudden death. The United Masters season was now hanging on to having to win a breakaway contest. Since both sides have the quality players and more importantly the goaltenders, the hope remained high for the United Masters. C.Stavriadis had no choice to try and deny some high end talent . Apart-from O.Valiquette’s beautiful back hand top corner goal, the net minder was able to stop J.Brunet and J-R Turgeon to edge out P.Blais who, couldn’t stop C.Lato and N.Malkhassian. This result finally gave the Generals their first loss of the season which now came down to a short fifteen minute game to see who would prevail.

Generals repeat as champs on J-R Turgeon overtime goal

(0)United Masters vs Generals(1) O.T Game 3

Fifteen minutes and the potential for more was all the time left over for this series to be decided. With goals hard to come by, the two sides avoided as many mistakes as possible to not fall behind. It was really a question of timing your breaks. The United Masters didn’t change anything about their approach and made sure to eliminate as much time and space. They kept the gaps close, they stuck with their man and waited for break out chances to  arise in hopes of scoring first. But neither team was able to capture the moment, at least not in the fifteen minutes of regulation time. For a third straight game, this series went into extra time where things finally got settled. The strategy is quite simple when you get to this point. You know that any shot on net can potentially make the difference between being crowned champs or falling on the short end. It took only one minute into overtime for J-R Turgeon to use a hard low shot that beat C.Stavriadis short side. As soon as that ball crossed the line, the Generals spilled onto the court in celebration of what just had happened. It came as a joy of relief for a team that had the expectations of winning this division. Throughout the entire season, the Generals barely met resistance and never once had to face any adversity. Finally, they matched up against an opponent that came to play on Friday night. The United Masters believed in their capabilities of giving the Generals a real challenge. They played so well that only a small detail, break or ounce of luck made the difference. Tonight, the Generals made that one single extra play to give themselves the edge. It was a thriller series-from start to finish with lots of twists and turns and emotion. Even though the United Masters fell short, credit to them for pushing the limit versus a side that the odds makers had as heavy favourites. On behalf of Hockeyballe.com, congratulations go out to Olivier Valiquette and the rest of the Generals for completing a dominant regular season, and more importantly a successful post season.

The SalumIVino player of the night goes to Jeremi Brunet of the Generals. The Generals have no shortage of talent, but no one can deny what their main general brings to the table. J.Brunet is a force that’s unmatched and was perhaps a main reason why they pulled it off in a very close encounter with the United Masters.

Wednesday April 19( Final )

Stunned Altius had no answers in game one loss to Punishers

(5)Punishers vs Altius(2) Game 1

In a much anticipated start to this series , the Altius were no match for the tried and true Punishers. There wasn’t much room for the Altius to do much in the first two periods. By then, the Punishers had settled in scoring twice in the first period on goals by C.Kakivelis and P.Karvouriaris while M.Mavroudis increased the margin by three early in the second frame. Not until the final stanza did K.Kuczmarski finally solve C.Ekonomakis, who was sharper than a razor blade. There would be no rally or a fairy tale ending for the Altius as C.Gingras responded shorty after to regain the three goal gap, and pretty much conclude the end result. This should have been a closer battle between two very complete teams, but the Punishers showed once again why they are the recent two time defending champions. You almost have no margin of error, and you definitely don’t want to be chasing the game against a side that will haunt you on the counter attacks. Since it’s a best of three series, the Altius had another shot at it by making all the necessary adjustments.

Altius couldn’t complete comeback, Punishers three peat as champs of D Wednesday division

(6)Punishers vs Altius(5) S.O Game 2

As a playoff final goes, it had just about everything. High-energy, end to end action, big saves, a late tying goal, an overtime period, a shootout, and then a joyful celebration for one team and a heartbreak for the other. The Punishers have been here before and are kind of used to all the drama that comes to winning. Weather its by a slight margin, a blowout or in a shootout, great teams seem to always find ways to win. Its not like the Altius didn’t have the opportunity of extending this series. After all, they forced a fifty fifty situation when P.Arkalis scored very late in the game to force the extra time. Once two teams hit that point in the game, any shot on net will do depending on who gets there first. But it wasn’t the five minute sudden death frame that decided this outcome. With both sides unable to score, the dreaded shootout was left over for the Altius. Unfortunately, they couldn’t win that category when K.Kuczmarski had the opportunity of extending it. Instead, C.Ekonomakis denied him, and the Punishers were able to  soak it in for a third straight season. The entire game lived up to the expectations with the two sides showing their ability to work together as a unit. The Altius scored two power play goals by M.Arkalis and D.Provost-Jarry while the Punishers got one as well-from C.Gingras and a shorthanded marker by M.Levasseur. The Altius were actually able to overcome a pair of deficits  in this one that included that late tally by P.Arkalis. There was no question that this final lived up to the hype. In the end, when everything was said and done, the Punishers accomplished something remarkable by winning it for a third straight season. On behalf of Hockeyballe.com, congratulations go out to Mathias Gagnon and the rest of the Punishers.

The SalumiVino player of the night goes to Carl Gingras of the Punishers. You can go up and down the Punishers list and name off guys that contributed in a big way. But the Punishers players will tell you how dynamic C.Gingras is on a game to game basis. Tonight was no exception as the skilled forward produced once again accumulating a total of five points in both games.