Monday March 27

Knights offence firing on all cylinders as they sweep the United Arms

The Knights have been fielding different line-ups lately and still yielding the same results.  With so many offensive weapons at their disposal, they usually score by committee and tonight was no different as eight different goal scorers found the back of the net.  The United Arms were still searching for their first points of the season and managed to hold the fort for the majority of the first game, only losing by a goal.  Game 2 was a different story as the Knights stormed out to a six goal first period and never looked back, as the flood gates opened, with D.Guarnieri leading the charge with a five point performance, which included a hat trick. The United Arms did all they could to stop the relentless offence the Knights possess, but to no avail.

 (4) RCGT Knights vs United Arms (3)

 (9) RCGT Knights vs United Arms (2)

Hotly contested games between Brodie Boys & The Diabetoz Angels end in split

As the regular season winds down, and with every team fighting for playoff positioning, every game, every shift, every goal becomes that much more crucial as points become harder to come by.  In what proved to be a stingy low scoring affair, this match-up featured stellar goaltending, high intensity, and timely goal scoring. With plenty of back-and-forth action and with both teams fighting and scraping for every inch, it became that much more important to get on the board first.  Brodie boys captured game 1 on a late tally by L.Velenosi to break the deadlock, with P.Stroubakis adding an insurance marker.  Game 2 featured more drama as the teams were tied late and headed for a shootout until J.Zervakos provided the heroics by scoring with 4 seconds remaining sealing the victory.  There was no love lost between these 2 teams, as both teams gave everything they had. 

 (2) Brodie Boys vs Diabetoz Angels (0)

 (1) Brodie Boys vs Diabetoz Angels (2)

Dragons prove too much to handle as they sweep both encounters

As they have shown on numerous occasions, Country Club will always be ready for any challenge.  They knew they’d be in tough and would have to play a flawless system, to compete with the firepower the Dragons have.  Defending a team like the Dragons is extremely tough as you can’t really focus on 1 or 2 players, since they come at you in waves, with many weapons at their disposal.  Transition play is the Dragon’s specialty, and it was on full display. Game 1 was dictated by their ball possession and high level passing resulting in a 7-1 rout, with A.Mirolla, & J.Mandracchia combining for 9 points. In game 2, the goalies were left high and dry as defense was an afterthought. Credit the Country Club for showing their character and grit, by providing a better effort and narrowing the gap, even if it was in a losing cause.    

(7) Dragons vs Country Club (1)

 (9) Dragons vs Country Club (6)

Strong forecheck and short bench sinks Assadi

The Snipers are a tough team to play against, since they will chase down every ball, and apply constant forechecking pressure by grinding out balls in the corners.  Assadi knew they had to keep it simple and stick to playing a defensive minded game since their line-up was depleted.  Game 1 was a close affair, settled in a shootout, with A. Sayed getting the game winner and M.St-Laurent stopping all 3 shooters for the Snipers.  Game 2 was a different story and with their short bench, the Snipers took full advantage.  Assadi had a hard time being first on the ball and were forced to chase rather than dictate, with fatigue being a major factor.  It was only a regular season game and key elements were missing, but the Snipers showed they can compete and shouldn’t be taken lightly.

(2) Assadi Consulting Inc vs Snipers (3) S.O.

 (2) Assadi Consulting Inc vs Snipers (6)

 Match-up between division leaders favors the Classics

Bragging rights were on the line in this highly anticipated match-up between the 2 division leaders.  This contest did not disappoint, as ETNA held their own vs the reigning champs.  Missing a few key pieces, ETNA had to rely on playing a boring style of hockey if they wanted to contain the Classics.  Game 1 had ETNA grab an early lead only to relinquish it quickly after, with the Classics deploying their usual brand of up tempo, run and gun style lead by the usual suspects.  Captain M.Stoico had a only a few minutes to rally his troops and adjust his game plan.  Game 2 was a much closer contest, with both teams tied heading into the late stages, until M.Mavroudis rescued his club by scoring what proved to be the game winning goal.  Despite missing some valuable resources, ETNA managed to give the Classics a run for their money and will be a formidable opponent in the playoffs.

(2) ETNA vs Classics (5)

 (1) ETNA vs Classics (2)

 SalumiVino: Player of the week: M. St-Laurent, who put on a clinic and stood on his head with his superb goaltending, allowing The Snipers to pick up some valuable points vs a tough opponent

Sunday March 26

Canadiens show resiliency to battle back, but fall short to Blackhawks

(8)Blackhawks vs Canadiens(5)

The Canadiens didn’t get off to the start they want, falling behind early 3-0 by the fifteen minute mark of the period. Three different players had scored for the Blackhawks, and A.Zardarian kept a clean sheet in net until T.Nardelli finally put the Canadiens on board. The lead shrank to only one when L.Bucci converted only minutes later. All of a sudden, this contest appeared to be up for grabs, at least for a few minutes until E.Capalbo and J.Teresi struck only seconds apart to create enough of a reasonable gap. If not for the slow start, the Canadiens would at the very least been neck and neck for the duration of the game. Instead, the Blackhawks came out ready on three big goals that kept them in the drivers seat for the entire time. E.Colella and J.Teresi each scored twice in the win while F.Decoster did the same, but in a losing cause.

The Allo Mon Coco Ste-Dorothee player of the game goes to A.Zardarian of the Blackhawks. At the right moments during the game, A.Zardarain was always able to make the timely saves which enabled his side to build off their lead.

D.Galloro comeback bid falls short despite scoring all 4 goals for Flyers

(7)Panthers vs Flyers(4)

D.Galloro didn’t seem to care much that his side went into a deep slide giving up three consecutive goals by the thirteen minute mark. Confident in his abilities to turn a hockey game like flicking a light switch, the crafty forward took matters into his own hands hitting the target three straight times in only a span of a minute and a half. Talk about a turn of events that came almost instantaneously. While its always a sign of things headed into the right direction, the question becomes how long can you sustain a strong momentum swing ? Unfortunately for the Flyers, it got cut short with the Panthers regaining their confidence by getting that next big tally. M.Kardum was able to snap the 3-3 tie, and J-C.Mansour along with P.Stroubakis provided some breathing room by widening the gap by three. It may have felt by that point everything was going to sail just fine for the Panthers. That being said, it took only a couple of minutes later for the very same D.Galloro to score his fourth. If it was any other player, the Panthers may not have been to concerned, but not in this case with D.Galloro looking like a force that couldn’t be contained. The Panthers did make it a point to recognize the obvious threat which limited the Flyers in their comeback attempt. The game was eventually put to rest when M.Kardum fed a yawing cage.

The Allo Mon Coco player Ste-Dorothee of the game goes to Frederick Debs of the Panthers. By collecting the games first two goals along with an assist , F.Debs was able to set the tone for the Panthers in a hard fought battle with the Flyers.

Kraken use last of momentum swings on M.Barone’s OT winner

(6)Kraken vs Red Wings(5) O.T

Both teams will take the good and the bad for how this thing tilted back and forth. The Kraken looked like they could do no wrong for about twenty six minutes where they took command on a 3-0 lead. Then, and in the span of six minutes, the Kraken looked like they forgot how to play hockey giving up five straight goals in such a short span. For sure you have to credit the Red Wings for overturning such a deficit into a lead in no time. Z.St-Martin helped ignite it on two goals and a pair of assists while many others contributed as well. Now that the momentum swung into the Red Wings favour, the onus fell on the Kraken to figure out a way to return the favour. Things were looking very bleak for the Kraken with time winding down while down by a pair. Trailing by two with less than a minute remaining, the odds only suggested that the Red Wings would hang on with the luxury of giving up one goal. Instead, it went-from bad to worse, and finally ugly when they gave up two in regulation time which was followed with the eventual dagger in overtime by M.Barone. It was one of those games that it was fun to be part of if you like back and forth action along with some late dramatics. The problem is that the Red Wings felt that they let this one get away unable to close out the game that somehow slipped out of their hands.

The Allo Mon Coco player Ste-Dorothee player of the game goes to Mickey Barone of the Kraken. While there were many big goals during this contest, M.Barone arguably provided the biggest of them all by deciding the outcome in overtime.

V.Romero rescues Predators late avoiding epic meltdown

(6)Predators vs Islanders(5)

The Islanders fell in a valiant effort on Sunday night losing a heartbreaker to the Predators. Despite being down 5-2 with nine minutes left, the Islanders had a second wind rattling off three straight goals that saw R.Tannous even the score on a penalty shot. His tally came with just less than a minute remaining in regulation time. And while everything pointed to a sudden death frame, the Predators had other ideas in mind. Its never easy trying to slow down a team that’s put a ton of pressure on you with everything seemingly falling apart. However, that didn’t stop V.Romero-from seizing the moment, and netting the next tally for the Predators. At least the burden of dwelling on a total meltdown was avoided for the Predators. As for the Islanders, they could look back at this as a positive for being able to overcome such a deficit at a crucial stage during the game. If maybe not for some bad luck, things could have gone there way. But that’s what is expected between two evenly matched teams. Sometimes its just a question of how that very last play ends up. In tonight’s case, it went the Predators way.

The Allo Mon Coco Ste-Dorothee player of the game goes to V.Romero of the Predators. Not only did he snap the late tie, the forward was a force all game long collecting a total of four points.

Friday March 24

Dirty Scrubs use quick start in rout of Sonic

(5)Sonic vs Dirty Scrubs(8)

You always want to have that better start when flooring a short bench. The Dirty Scrubs did just that owning the first period on three unanswered goals. Sonic did manage to climb out of a hole with two early goals in the second period only to be kicked back in it by the end of the frame. With only a period left and down by three, the task proved to be to demanding for Sonic as they were unable to make any sort of ground. Instead, it was the Dirty Scrubs capitalising on two straight tallies that would put a definite strangle hold on the match. M.Chenier was feeling it scoring three nice goals along with two assists while A.Zarzour was very productive as well collecting five points.

Generals benefit on some early blunders by United Masters

(9)Generals vs United Masters(4)

Of coarse blunders, mistakes and sloppy giveaways happen all the time in hockey. And sometimes they may happen too many times like in the case for the United Masters. The problem was that they occurred to often in the opening frame against a team that doesn’t need any charity. The Generals went up 6-1 after fifteen minutes due to a few gaffes generated by the United Masters. O.Valiquette had already buried a hat trick while M.Pinheiro and J-R Turgeon collected three points each. Definitely not the start you want when going up against a team that end games earlier than usual. The United Masters were able to settle down after a sloppy period and reflected on how to approach the remainder of the game. There mind set was to erase some bad luck, and simply play better by making it difficult for the Generals to get there way. Even though it wasn’t reasonable to come back and win the game, the United Masters wanted to keep battling rather than giving up. And to their credit, things went much better for the last two periods. At the very least, they tied the two frames which kept the game respectable. D.Galloro riffled a pair of nice goals, D.Charbonneau and G.Missakian shared two points each, and the United Masters had some good looks for two periods.

The SalumiVino player of the night goes to Mathieu Chenier of the Dirty Scrubs. Unable to be contained, the forward was a thorn all game long bagging a hat trick as part of a five point performance.

Thursday March 23

Armadillos pull away with late goal after back and forth action with Van Doos Hc

(5)Armadillos vs Van Doos Hc(4)

It could be discouraging falling behind by a pair of goals in the third period when facing off against the Armadillos. However, that didn’t stop the Van Doos Hc-from building themselves back up with a more assertive sequence where they were able to score twice and tie things up. The equaliser came courtesy of N.Kokovidis’s power play marker after the defenseman set up G.Tsolis on back to back tallies. Each side had their turns controlling the match with the Van Doos Hc owning the first period. Then, it was the Armadillos turn to take over the on three consecutive goals that eventually put them up 4-2. Normally, the lead would stand with about eleven minutes left to play for how well the Armadillos defend. That being said, the Van Doos Hc isn’t just your ordinary team, after all, they are the defending champs and should never be counted out. Tonight, they came that close-from pulling the rug under the Armadillos feet. With the game winding down, both sides knew that the next tally would have decided the outcome. It was just a question of who would get there first. Already riding a goal and an assist, S.Simitsakos ended up playing the hero by scoring late for the Armadillos.

D.Verta salvages Brew Crew night after blowing 3-0 lead

(4)Brew Crew vs Horsemen(3) O.T

The Brew Crew seem like they cant figure out how to close out games anymore. For a team once known for their shut down capabilities, look more like a confused bunch at times. For over half the game, they looked like they could do no wrong. The offense was clicking, the defense was sound, and C.Muccino was feeling it in net making every save possible. Up until that point, it looked like it was going to be an easy night for the Brew Crew. The Horsemen, although didn’t have much to show for wanted nothing less than to get the first goal to kick start their night. Sometimes it just takes that one tally to turn the tides. M.Kardum was finally able to get his side on board which triggered a tsunami effect for the Horsemen. B.Rubino was next in line to narrow the gap by one, and finally J.Crivello was able to level early in the third period.  Now that both sides were dead even, players tend to play a little more cautious in order to avoid making mistakes. Its the reason why neither side scored for over an entire period. Since regulation time didn’t settle anything, an open 4vs4 overtime period was potentially left over to see who would come out on top. After playing just a minute into the sudden death frame, D.Verta was the one to end it with his second of the night. There was no question that this contest was an emotional roller coaster ride with the game twisting and turning. In the end, both sides will take positives-from it. For the Horsemen, they’ll look back at the fact that they overcame a deep hole while for the Brew Crew, they kept battling hard despite letting a nice lead slip away. 

The SalumiVino player of the night goes to Danny Verta of the Brew Crew. Its never ideal letting a three goal lead slip away, but at least D.Verta was there to stop the bleeding by bagging his second in the sudden death frame.

The E Thursday division regular season just came to an end. The top three seeded teams will be placed automatically into the semi final round. The first round match up will feature the Horsemen taking on the Fatal Demons for the fourth place seed.

Even though the Horsemen took both encounters versus the Fatal Demons it wont really mean much when having to play in a do or die match up. This series will require deep benches, especially for the Horsemen as they always rely on  a three line format. The Fatal Demons are just as balanced, but have a perhaps more lethal first line compared to their opponent. This will come down to how the Horsemen will use their defensive game in order to slow down the Fatal Demons key pieces. If they can manage that, than they’ll have a chance.

Wednesday March 22

 Pendulum swings in Senators favour

(10)Senators vs Golden Knights(7)

The game featuring the Senators and the Golden Knights was nothing but a see saw affair. S.Sauk barely wasted time to complain on the strength of the Golden Knights after jumping off to a 2-0 lead. The net minder did however miss judge the entire situation when it was said and done as his side was able to get the final word en route to a 10-7 decision. The Senators appeared at one point to be running away with it up 7-4. Then, in only two short minutes, the Golden Knights went on a rampage striking three times to level the score. There was no question that the two sides had their struggles at times. The approach was to simply go out there and make the best of your shifts hoping that you’re a plus rather than a minus. C.Arnoldo did respond for the Senators to regain the lead. As time was starting to be more of an issue, every goal would prove to have more of an impact. Again, it belonged to the Senators, and again C.Arnoldo was behind it setting up M.Lauzon while adding another to complete his hat trick. Sometimes teams just enjoy going for it by trading a ton of quality chances. In tonight’s case , it favoured the Senators as they were able to have a stronger finish. M.Lafleur had a productive four point night in the win while T.Nardelli did more than his share collecting four points in the loss.

The Allo Mon Coco Ste-Dorothee player of the game goes to Mathieu Lafleur of the Senators. His early two goals helped set the stage in what was a wild back and forth affair with the Golden Knights.

M.Scarpetta and K.Labelle combine for 11 points in rout of Oilers

(9)Hurricanes vs Oilers(4)

M.Scarpetta and K.Labelle were each the reason why the Hurricanes distant themselves-from the Oilers in a game that remained close for a while. It was more so by the twenty nine minute mark that the gap started to widen thanks to M.Scarpetta. By then, he already cashed in three times and wasn’t done yet adding his fourth as part of a six point output. Sometimes teams are overwhelmed by an individual or two making a big difference. That seemingly was the case with M.Scarpetta and K.Labelle doing most of the damage. The two players combined for seven goals and four assists. The Oilers also had a couple of players contributing as well with Dibello leading the charge with three points. Collectively however, the supporting cast of the Hurricanes helped insulate the offense and defense which caused the end result.

The Allo Mon Coco Ste-Dorothee player of the game goes to Mike Scarpetta of the Hurricanes. What more can you ask-from a player that scored fours times while setting up two goals.

Wednesday March 22

Altius use big first period to down Azzuri

(5)Altius vs Azzuri(2)

Playing in their last regular season game, the Altius came out swinging scoring two power play goals as part of a four goal outburst. It wasn’t the start that the Azzuri was expecting. When falling behind by such a margin, a teams character is tested on how they’ll respond with plenty of time left over. Rather than throwing in the towel, the Azzuri came to play winning the next frame on two unanswered goals by their captain R.Varr and M.DelGaudio. All of a sudden, the Altius started to feel some pressure not wanting to let a four goal lead just evaporate. They knew that the Azzuri wasn’t going to stop after a strong momentum swing. As much as they attempted to narrow the gap within one, the Altius was more cautious about their defensive game, and never let their opponent get a step closer. The only tally of the frame belonged to the Altius instead that came fairly late. K.Kuczmarski was the one to deliver the late blow to ensure the victory. The win came with scoring efforts-from five different players along with a strong outing in net courtesy of J.Vrettis.

Punishers close out another impressive regular season

(3)Legacy vs Punishers(7)

It may just be a regular season game, but the Punishers want to carry good habits heading into the more important season- the playoffs. While Legacy gave the Punishers their best shot throughout most of the game, the Punishers showed why they are the team to beat in this division. C.Kakivelis scored a big insurance marker with less than five minutes remaining, and C.Gingras along with M.Mavroudis fed empty cages to complete another successful regular season. Games like this  brings out the best of everyone as they want nothing more than to prove who can defeat a strong hockey team. For sure the players were motivated and knew to expect a close encounter. The Punishers came off winning another battle carrying already an impressive resume for how much success they have shown. Its gotten to the point that they are the measuring stick as the best club of this division. And while they are the front runners moving forward, it wont come without plenty of resistance no matter who they’ll face despite knowing their first round opponent.

The SalumiVino player of the night goes to C.Genest of the Punishers. Four out of the first five goals stemmed-from C.Genest, who converted twice while setting up a pair of teammates.

With the D Wednesday regular season coming to a close, all four teams will be participating in a best of three semi final series. The match ups are as follows:

(1)Punishers vs Azzuri(4) There is no question that the Punishers are the clear cut favourites in this one. Now, that’s not to say that the Azzuri wont give them a run for their money. For sure many things need to align, but you never know when having a bunch of quality players buying into a system. The key element is to just try and keep the games close for as long as possible.

(2)Altius vs Legacy(3) If both teams come with their compete line up in which they should, this series will be one that’s worth watching. They resemble each other in many ways while knowing each others tendencies. Perhaps the key factor will be decided on who out duels the other between the pipes. Then again, both goaltenders are expected to perform anyway which gives no clear cut winner. Looks like it will come down to who makes that last brilliant play, and there will be many of them.

The 2022 Men’s A - Women’s A - Men’s Masters Nationals - Presented by Knapper begins Monday August 8 in Hamilton, ON. Keep an eye out on our social media for details on scores, players of the game and live webcast.