Monday March 28 (Final, Fall 2021 season)

Degenerates grind through path of success, winners of 4vs4 Monday division

After playing on a tightrope for two straight games , the Degenerates finally took it in the end on one of the tightest finals. It was a series that turned into a battle of wills with both teams putting forth a complete effort. Winning in a shootout can be argued that it’s a coin toss, but the Degenerates were glad to prevail thanks to R.Ricaurte denying both attempts-from the Assadi Classics while D.Greco and A.Desrosiers  did the scoring to capture an important game one. The journey however wasn’t over, and the Degenerates knew that it was going to take a lot more in order o reach their destination. They did manage a better start thanks to a crucial turning point when P.Stroubakis scored shorthanded to make the game 2-0.  The Degenerates were in a position shortly after to put the series away when awarded a 5 on 3 advantage only to go dry unable to beat P.Assadi. Instead, the Assadi Classics scored, and this series came back to life with plenty of time left over.   The next ten minutes felt like an eternity when riding a slight 2-1 lead. The Degenerates took the approach of playing it one shift at a time while trying to limit their mistakes as much as possible. Eventually, the Assadi Classics were forced to remove their net minder for the extra attacker in hopes of getting a much needed equaliser. Once P.Assadi ran to the bench, A.Desrosiers grabbed possession of the ball and immediately tossed it into the empty net for his second of the game. J.Pantelis did respond right away to make the final moments very intense, but the Degenerates managed to hold on to the ball long enough and bleed the clock dry. There was no question that the margin of error was minuscule between two teams that are every familiar with each other. Due to the covid lockdowns, the Degenerates had to wait for this moment to happen knowing that they had the team to go all the way. No doubt , a grinding series that could have gone either way. In the end, the Degenerates  made that one extra play in both games to edge out a tough opponent.

On behalf of Hockeyballe.com, congratulations go out to Sebastian Sicuso for going through the headaches of keeping it all together. For the time being, he thinks he’s a great GM, but time will only tell as the journey for more success continues.

(5)Degenerates vs Assadi Classics(3) S.O Game 1

(2)Assadi Classics vs Degenerates(3) Game 2

The SalumiVino player of the night goes to Daniel Greco of the Degenerates. While many are deserving of this honour, D.Greco was the engine that quarterbacked the back end that led to plenty of defensive plays along with supporting the offense in a very big way. The crafty slick d-man was involved in all three goals in game one along with the shootout winner  while being just as influential in the ensuing match to help solidify two close wins.