Monday December 19 (Finals, division 1)

C.Kakivelis hero in Classics repeat championship run

In a series that was expected to be unpredictable lived up to full expectations as the Classics once again found a way to reach the finish line first. Scoring the overtime winner in a game three is a big deal, but that was just a fraction of the story. This series had the making of a Hollywood story line with so many twits and turns that kept the players guessing the entire time where it was headed. The Classics had the better start to their night winning a nail biting game one that was closer than it should have been. Leading 4-0 clearly wasn’t a comfortable margin as the Dragons roared back to pull within one only to fall short. The strong finish did help the Dragons despite dropping the contest as the were able to bounce back in a crazy game two. At one point, they led 6-3 by the mid way mark of the final frame. You would have to figure it was enough of a sufficient lead to end the game in regulation time. Even with that kind of a margin, the Dragons were unable to stop the high powered Classics offense, especially P.Karvouriaris, who was just that good bagging five goals. With that late surge, only a shootout stood in between the Classics clinching their title or for an extended series. It only seemed fitting that the drama was going to continue longer. Then Dragons scored on all three shootout attempts while the Classics saw their top gun P.Karvouriaris miss for a rare time. It was now off to a nerve wrecking game three mini game. After trading a goal each, M.Dettorre completed a beautiful passing play to put the Dragons up 2-1 with only 45 seconds left in the game. In normal circumstances, it would tend to hold up, but not when playing a team that can score at will. Only five seconds had gone by for P.Karvouriaris to respond and force an eventual sudden death frame. The overtime period is a five minute duration before heading into a shootout. If you are a betting man watching the entire series, you knew not to put a black penny on it reaching a shootout . The two teams have way to much offensive talent for it to go scoreless. Eventually, the moment came when C.Kakivelis ripped a shot to beat P.Delli Colli. This came as the second time that the Classics needed a game three overtime tally to pull through. It just goes to show how tight the division is and that almost anything can happen. That being said, the Classics showed once more that they are the real deal as they claimed a second straight title. On behalf of Hockeyballe.com, congratulations go out to Pat Santullo and the Classics for winning an incredible final.

(4)Classics vs Dragons(3) Game 1

(10)Dragons vs Classics(9) S.O Game 2

(3)Classics vs Dragons(2) O.T Game 3

The SalumiVino player of the night goes to Costa Kakivelis of the Classics. Throughout the entire series, C.Kakivelis was a dominant force accumulating a ton of points, and undoubtedly the biggest goal of the season to cap off an impressive run.