Spoke to Masters Redwings veteran Larry Sipos in the parking lot before the game where he fielded questions from reporters, Larry nailed 6 classic hockey cliches when asked about his upcoming game against the Stars.
“We just have to take it one shift at a time”
“When you put the puck at the net, good things happen”
“More traffic in front of the net”
“You gotta give it 110%”
“You need to play a full 60 minutes or however long our games are”
“Do or Die game”
Turns out his Redwings took care of all the above and beat up the Stars 4-1 to stay in the mix toward a birth into the semi-finals.
The standing are tighter than a camel’s arse in a sandstorm as only one game remains before the final 4 seedings are announced. United Division final 4 are pretty well decided but several teams are still playing for pride when play resumes March 19th.
UNITED DIVISION:
FLYERS 3 SHARKS 3: This game had the whole enchilada. 10 penalities were called as both teams tried to show the other who the cup favourites are. In the end it was Sharks Cory “arsenio” Hall who tied the game with a minute left to preserve the tie. Both goalie stood on their ear lobes all game and several fans were seen taking in the action, mostly SCOHA players doing some advanced scouting. Kyle Mosley and Steve Albanaese also scored for the men in teal while Ryan Haslam, Mike Rostecki and whoever wore number 16 replied for the Flyers.
BLACKHAWKS 5 OILERS 4: The playoffs have been pretty dismal for this Oiler team who battled it out for top spot in the standings all season. In the end, they fell a bit short falling 5-4 to the Hawks. 5 different Hawks scored while Justin Whitwell scored twice for the Oilers. Both teams lined up on their respective bluelines before puck drop for a moment of silence for Hawk forward Walt Blagdon who is going through a tough time. Oilers are now mathematically eliminated from semi final action after the loss.
BRUINS 6 CANADIENS 2: Brock Hotrum led the way with a pair of goals and Brad Ballman steered away 17 shots as the Bruins defeated the Habs 6-2. Canadiens gave it all they had but eventually ran out of gas against a fast Bruin team. It didn’t help that the Canadiens took 5 minor penalties which would spell trouble for any team in this league. Bruins are currently in first place in the round robin standings with one game to go before re-seeding decides semi-final opponents.
MASTERS DIVISION:
BRUINS 2 FLAMES 1: This was the Pepto-Bismol Upset of the Week, folks. Bruins captain Gord Bryce walked into the bar afterwards with a “how bout that, eh” look on his face before media swarmed him for some post-game reaction. Steve “around the” Horner scored the game winner with only 1:26 left to lock in the W. Both goalies played outstanding, was too bad there had to be a losing team in this one. Rookie power forward Marc Verrier scored the lone goal for the Flames as he cements his path toward the rookie of the year award this season. Gary Guthro also scored for the Bruins as he continues to play well before becoming a free agent at season’s end.
REDWINGS 4 STARS 1: This game had all the earmarks for a classic SCOHA playoff matchup. Both teams battled hard in the 2nd half but Great Scott! There was some great goaltending by Jonas Scott and Scott Johnson that kept fans on their feet for the most part. Stars Frank Bortolin scored the lone goal for the Stars who are currently in 2nd place but several teams are right behind them looking to leapfrog when action continued on the 19th. Redwings Paul “the wasp” Buzzelli was all over the damn ice, scoring a pair but could’ve scored 5 as he was clearly the player that stood out the most according to scouts. Steve “60” Watt and John Carvalho Sr. also scored for the hot Wings who refuse to be dunked into the big bowl of blue cheese just yet.
PENGUINS 4 BLACKHAWKS 2: I could tell the Penguins were fired up for this one as I held the door open for them making their way to the ice. Pens wrote a masterpiece 4-2 victory over the Hawks and remain in the middle of the pack as far as the standings are concerned. Captain Steve Smith was at the rink early getting motivated before his team arrived. This guy’s pre-game speech must’ve been pretty good as his team didn’t let the foot off the gas all night. I predicted Steve Kivell would score and make it to the blog so there ya go Steve, good game!
FLYERS 6 SHARKS 0: Nothing much happening here just Dave Armstrong setting the tone and scoring goals all night again. Add another 3 snipes to his lucrative SCOHA resume as the Flyers thumped the Sharks 6-0. The pending unrestricted free agent will be seeking upwards of $8 million next season so when league president Terry Gudgeon announces the salary cap, teams will start releasing players to make room for Dave. I swear Guy Shaver and Dale Brons have to get on the same team next year so they can be called the Brons Shaver line. Guy scored a goal that only 98% of us wish we could score midway through the 2nd period. He took the game puck home for his cat to push around the kitchen floor with her right paw.
Well that puts another lid on the mason jar of SCOHA action from last night’s action. As mentioned, no games on the 12th so many of us can rest some bumps and bruises. Have a great week, we will touch base again after next games.
Chris Marttila
SCOHA Blogologist / Podcast Host
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