Monday October 23

Hustlers sense of pride kicks in second encounter with the Orient

A late first period power play goal by M.David set the tone the rest of the way as the Orient handed the Hustlers an easy defeat to kick start their night. A.Fahra wasted barely any time in the ensuing frame to double the lead, and O.Wahid along with A.Laramee completed the rest of the scoring. The Hustlers struggled to get much going up front and only scored on a tip in goal by T.Bozinakis giving M.Jobin no time to react. After a disappointing finish, the Hustlers entered the second game with a new sense of purpose. Their offensive plays were sharper as more scoring chances were generated resulting in a 2-1 lead after one period. The Orient, refusing to back down having a deeper bench to rely on were able to take the frame by a slight margin to force an eventual shootout. This was an area that both goaltenders owned with M.Jobin and C.Stavriadis denying all three attempts. The Hustlers improved performance in this game was evident as they wanted nothing less than to go empty handed.

(4)Orient vs Hustlers(1)

(3)Orient vs Hustlers(3) S.O

Degenerates find their groove in second game to split with the Assadi Consulting inc

In the second game following an ugly loss, the Degenerates regrouped and refocused their efforts. The team put in the hard work that was lacking in the previous match and it paid off as they levelled the night with their opponent. The first game saw a lack of will and determination with the Assadi Consulting inc winning most of their battles. It was simply a game to forget for a side that didn’t have the will to compete. Luckily , there was a following match to erase a horrible finish. The Degenerates had a promising start that saw J.Courteau bury a pair. This time, they carried the lead which now forced the Assadi Consulting inc to open up. Far-from being over, the Assadi Consulting inc couldn’t have asked for a better chance to even the score. Down only 3-2 with a six minute power play, the chance of scoring was almost inevitable unless your goaltender is playing lights out.  R.Ranieri along with some nice defensive plays somehow killed off six long minutes to help secure the win. During that stretch, S.Marricco made a huge play to intercept the ball and work his way to feeding an empty cage.

(5)Assadi Consulting inc vs Degenerates(1)

(2)Assadi Consulting inc vs Degenerates(4)

Dragons outpace Hustlers in both wins

You can make the argument that the first encounter between the Dragons and the Hustlers was somewhat close. Both teams played through a scoreless first period, and the net minders were primed to make a difference. It was a game that required for either team to score first, especially the Hustlers having to deal with a shorter bench while playing in their second game of a double header night. Unfortunately for them, Y.Derohannessian got their first, and the Dragons went on to add two more goals to sum up the victory. Hoping to recover for a better outing, the Hustlers saw A.Mirolla take center stage further solidifying his reputation as a goal scoring machine. Its pretty safe to say that one player was the downfall for the Hustlers hopes of taking at least one win under their belt. A.Mirolla took charge-from the get go scoring all three goals in the first period alone before adding his fourth later on. However, the Hustlers didn’t quite pack it in as they snuck up the Dragons necks netting two consecutive goals to even the score. It seemed no matter how hard the Hustlers tried to grab an edge, the Dragons would take over instead. Once J.Mandracchia converted on the power play, the Dragons never looked back adding three more insurance markers. D.Lombardi decided to take a different role by setting up a bunch of goals rather than scoring.

(5)Dragons vs Hustlers(1)

(7)Dragons vs Hustlers(3)

Peters execute well to oust the Classics in back to back wins

In the first game , the Peters faced off against the Classics with a clear strategy in mind. Right-from the opening draw, they displayed exceptional coordination and execution. Their plays were crisp and they capitalised on scoring chances with precision. Its not like the Classic didn’t compete. The problem was that they woke up a little to late after the initial damage had been done. J.Lulic scored three highlight goals  while M.Richard buried a pair. The Classics had a different start entering their game. They managed to pull ahead 3-2 after the first period feeling a lot more confident about their chances. Unfortunately for the Classics, the second period continued in the same vein, with the Peters maintaining their level of execution. Their plays flowed seamlessly, and they continued to capitalise with J.Morina netting a hat trick along with M.Argiris posting back to back tallies. The Classics, despite their best efforts, found it challenging to break through the Peters defense to try and narrow the gap. The Peters were overall more engaged as a unit while the Classics looked to be a step behind at times.

(5)Classics vs The Peters(7)

(3)Classics vs The Peters(7)

C.Ekonomankis had his hands full but delivers in net for the Punishers

The Punishers took on the Dragons in what was expected to be a fierce battle. The first encounter ended up being a high scoring showdown that had the Dragons up 5-4 with less than two minutes remaining. As time was winding down, the Punishers refused to go away getting a huge equaliser by P.Karvouriaris . If that wasn’t enough, C.Stamadianos scored seconds later, and the Dragons couldn’t believe how they let this one slip away. The loss was so demoralising that they suffered a very bad start in the ensuing game. The Punishers took advantage of a wounded team by striking three times in the first five minutes alone. H.Angelov would add his second by the end of the frame, and the Punishers looked like they were headed for an easy win. C.Ekonomakis was largely the reason why a team like the Dragons have yet to score. The goaltender was simply that good denying many high end chances. That being said, there is only so much you can do. The Dragons trailed 4-0 and have yet to figure out Ekonomakis as time was winding down. It took a power play goal by D.Lombardi to finally break the spell. That single tally erupted a dormant offense to catch fire as the Dragons scored two more times to pull within one. The comeback was so crazy that A.Mirolla nearly completed it if not for C.Ekonomakis denying him point blank. Out of nowhere, the Dragons came to life, and would have perhaps gotten a better fate if there was a little more time left over.

(5)Dragons vs Punishers(6)

(3)Dragons vs Punishers(4)

The SalumiVino player of the night goes to Chris Ekonomakis if the Punishers. Making a bunch of crucial saves throughout two games enabled his side to grab a pair of nice clean wins over a very lethal offense.