Well just like that the season is almost over. Just one more order of business as all three divisions have their championship games this weekend. A bit bumbed out I will miss the Sunday games but you can bet your left flip flop I will be there for Friday’s United winner-take-all finale.

United Division Preview:

Blackhawks vs Bruins: The Bruins folded up the Flyers like a salmon-coloured bedspread last weekend, screwed everyone’s proline tickets and loved every second of it. Thing is they now take on the powerhouse Blackhawks for the cup. I called it, I knew this Bruin team had all the pieces to contend but you didn’t listen. #77 Nick Grivich should win rookie of the year as far as this guy is concerned. Goaltender Darren O’Brien has hit his peak at the most opportune time, and wiley veteran Nick Mol feels good out there. Talk about a confident hockey club. At the other end of the ice, these Blackhawks are flying. We had forward Marc Poulin on the Pucks in Deep Podcast this week and he kept saying that their room is pretty calm but they understand the importance of a fast start against the Bruins. “Pressure on their defence and traffic in front of O’Brien will be key for us.” Poulin said. “No one takes a shift off on this team, that’s why we are in the finals. This mentality has been a mainstay all season long with us.” For appearing on the podcast, Marc received a $50 gift card for some wings at The Dizzy Donkey.

Masters Semi-Final Recap:

Penguins 4 Senators 0: Sandro Marrone showed what happens when you eat a bowl of homemade pasta and meatballs before the game and chase it all down with a glass of milk. Sandro turned aside 23 shots, at least 6 being of the high-end garden variety, as the Pens revarnished their gameplan and held off the Sens 4-0. This ended a Cinderella season for the Sens who battled adversity with injuries all year. They had all intentions of winning the whole damn thing but the guys in light blue had other ideas. Steve Horner turned on the jets all game long. Rumour has it he once cut through Sears to get to the mall without buying something. Didn’t care. Walt Blagdon stepped up his game as well, getting under the Sens skin on more than one occasion. When the dust settles, Horner had a pair of snipes while Ghislain Piche and Blagdon rounded out the scoring. They will now face Bruins in the finals, take your pick on this one, folks…

Bruins 2 Devils 1: I would have rather lost 4-0 than a 2-1 squeeker but that’s just my lousy opinion. Al “pickled” Herron scored the game winner with 8:21 left as the Bruins edged the Devils 1-2. Give the Devils some props for their valiant effort. I greeted a few of them up at the canteen after the game and said they deserved a better fate. Terry Raposo was active all game, picking up a tripping penalty and a goal earlier in the contest. Let’s pause and talk a bit about Bruin workhorse Sean Riley. This guy is smoother than a bowl of Hungarian onion soup. Long story short, he doesn’t need a line change. His pedigree allows him to reserve his energy out on the ice, something we all could adapt one day. Brad Ballman turned aside 25 saves between the pipes and will play for a jacket this weekend.

5th/6th Place Game:

Sharks 7 Blackhawks 5: Sharks Andy Rossit, a multiple eclipse survivor and all around nice guy, scored a hatty and assisted on 2 others as the Sharks swam past the Hawks 7-5. New to the league, Brad Stapleton also had a great game and skated off with a thousand-watt smile for proof as he also scored 3 goals for the winners. Hawks had a solid game from Jeff Davis. He scored 2 highlight-reel goals in a losing cause but you should go sit in the corner for a while if you think Jeff is thinking about hanging up his twirlers. I would draft this guy on my team in a second if given the chance.

Grand Masters Semi-Final Recap:

Stars 4 Sharks 0: I approached the Sharks table up at the pub afterwards and although they were visibly disappointed with the loss, they admittedly had a great fun season. That’s the main thing. Nick Polimeni came to play. He scored 2 big goals and went home with the game puck for his mantle. Off to the finals go the Stars. They struggled all season scoring goals but managed to find a way when the time came. Chris Barratto scored his 41st career playoff goal in the win. He was so calm after his goal I was waiting for him to put on a pair of slippers and a sweater and start talking about his neighbourhood for crying out loud. Good luck in the finals, fellas!

Redwings 3 Flyers 2: Redwings Mike Norman switch up his pre-game meal to Mr.Noodles and Hotdogs for this one. Good thing he did as he went out there and scored the game winner as the Wings snuck by the Flyers 3-2. J.J. MacNeil, what more can you say? He turned aside 21 shots for the big win and even took the pink copy of the gamesheet home to hang on the fridge with the letter J magnet. Tony Vastano and Paul “I didn’t eat much today, that’s why I am starting to catch a” Buzzelli also replied for the winners. Flyers gave it their all, folks. They saluted the announced crowd of 4 at centre ice, hoisting their sticks in the air to thank them for travelling all that way to see the game.

Well that’s all as we wrap the second last blog of the season. Registration is open as we have a goal of a 6-team United Division next season. Let’s get the word out!

THE PREMIUM PLUS TOOL REPAIR & PACKAGING WORKHORSES OF THE WEEK:

UNITED: Nick Grivich      MASTERS: Steve Horner  ​​​​​​​    GRAND MASTERS: Nick Polimeni  

Good luck to all in the Finals this weekend!

Blog may be delayed as I will be in Cancun til the 12th.

Chris Marttila

SCOHA Blog Guy / Registration Motivator

Well gang, you could smell the A5/35 through the gallows of the Mohawk 4pad Arena from a mile away over the weekend which meant there are some sore players. We saw a mix of upsets and predictable victories in all divisions as the separation of the men and the boys begin to take shape. Let’s dive into the action:

Well gang, the Hamilton Police Chief came on the air yesterday to say don’t play on the damn ice. Newsflash… we aren’t playing, SCOHA means business, it’s playoff time! You thought camping was pretty intense, this year’s post-season has proven that the regular season stats are thrown out the window. All teams have an equal chance to lift the cup, makes it great for the fans and viewers from home. Let’s zoom in on last weekend’s action..

Can this month end already? Honestly, it feels like this month has been going on since covered wagons drove up and down Barton Street. No games this weekend for the Friday United Division so they have time to heal any soreness before the last push to the playoffs start. These guys can skate!

Congrats to Grand Masters Brian Deanes as he tied the knot! Not his skate laces, his marriage!

.Hey folks, there is no way in hell this guy will ever eat broccoli before heading to the rink. I keep it simple with chicken, pasta and carrots if you give a care. No? ok then let’s move on to last week’s game recaps.

Well folks, the Masters Senators won! This was the equivalent to a free dry cleaning coupon. Besides that, there was some intreresting story lines around last weekend's action, so let's dive head-first into it

Well folks, for all you people that were complaining about the damn heat back in July, how do you like it now?

I’ve got some time to spare before I hit up the murder mystery dinner at the Innsville so I better get the blog done before the United teams hit the ice again tonight.

Well folks, I got an email from Masters Dale Brons who wanted me to pass along some sound advice not to do snow angels in a dog park. He didn't care to go into details but we will follow up next weekend.

Now that the turkey, stuffing and brussel sprout gas has finally left our systems, let's recap last weekend's action in the magical land of Scohaville.

Well folks, the festive holiday is in full swing. This edition of the blog will shake the foundation of the Mohawk 4 Pad Arena, guaranteed.  The standings in all three divisions are tighter than a hotel bedsheet. Let’s peel back the onion on the weekend that was but please put your hands down, I will answer all questions afterwards.

Hey folks, I feel old when I am excited for a Christmas baking party on a Sunday afternoon. Talk about a crazy week, was the windiest day since 1983 this past Thursday, my garbage can made it all the way to Dunnville for crying out loud. Anyways, here’s what went down last weekend in Scohavile…