This Week in SCOHA – March 2nd, 2020

Record crowds came out this past weekend for some good ol’ SCOHA playoff hockey. Fans didn’t leave disappointed as several teams amped things up to stay in the hunt for the cup while the usual dominating teams are now eating breakfast at the international house of panic. Let’s get right to business and recap the action that was.

JUNIOR DIVISION:

PENGUINS 1 OILERS 0: Penguins Jacob Henderson scored the only goal of the game as the Pens upset the Oilers 1-0 in a typical playoff defensive battle. This Henderson kid is one slippery fish out there. More weaves than the top of grandma’s apple pie for crying out loud… Penguins Roman Bratovz spent last week reviewing game film which obviously paid dividends for his team, turning away 41 shots for the 3 cheese bagel.

REDWINGS 2 BRUINS 2: Bruins John Spatazzo is firing at all cylinders right now, The guy scored 2 goals as the Bruins tied the Redwings 2-2 in front of a sellout crowd in Detroit. Playoff goals aren’t a stranger to Spatazzo, who was signed by the Bruins for his playoff prowess. They gave away a pair of 1st round picks to land this sleek shooter and he will only continue to out the puck in the net for the rest of the playoffs. Let’s not forget the goal of the playoffs so far by Redwings' wiley veteran Yves Bisson who dangled three Bruin players before going top cheese for a goal that made Gretzky look twice. Let’s all hope Bruins Justin Mol is doing ok after a collision along the boards, we all hate to see anyone get injured but word around town is that this guy is one of the good guys and we wish him well.

FLYERS 3 BLACKHAWKS 1: 3 different Flyers bulged the twine as they skated past the Blackhawks 3-1 in front of a sea of orange in Philly. These guys are workhorses out there and they won’t settle for anything but a championship jacket. This was quite the spirited game as both teams dug in deep to the delight of the rowdy fans. The Hawks filled the box all game and afterwards had a player’s only meeting to try and get things turned around in a hurry.

INTERMEDIATE DIVISION:

PENGUINS 4 BLACKHAWKS 3: Penguins Bob Tenison will be missed bigtime as he recovers from injury but his team won’t waver from their style of play that worked well all year. Dean McLaren scored the game winner with 1:06 left in the final frame to edge the Hawks 4-3. Mike Leblanc added a pair for the winners while 3 different players lit the lamp for the Hawks. This game had more ups and downs than a yoyo tournament but the Pens prevailed. Look for this Hawk team to give it their all for the rest of the playoffs. They won’t go down without a fight..

LEAFS 5 FLYERS 2: This game had all the earmarks for a classic playoff battle but the Flyers just couldn’t get anything going. Missing their tower defenceman Ryan “GoTrain” Maybrey, they just couldn’t contain a pesky Leaf lineup that came ready to play. 2 quick goals right off the hop paved the way for a solid leaf win. Leafs Geoff Salvo scored a pair while 3 others also replied for the Buds. Dan Chapados scored both goals for the Flyers in a losing cause.

BRUINS 4 CANADIENS 1: Upset of the night saw the powerhouse Canadiens drop a 4-1 decision to the Big Bad Bruins. Rumour has it Bruins captain Wayne Sliwinski handed out Redbulls to his team before the game to get them fired up. It definitely worked as they threw 51 shots at Bill Templeman in the Habs crease. Bruins defence put an Indian rug with an awful design on top of the Canadiens all night long. Canadiens after the game admitted they were simply outworked but they will get back to practice Monday morning and iron out the kinks before next week. Still missing player/coach Mike Miscio, other players know they have to step up. Several players are playing for contracts next year and they are aware of the next few games…

MASTERS DIVISION:

BLACKHAWKS 5 SHARKS 1: Blackhawks struggled all year on the offensive side of the puck. The Sharks 2nd half of the season saw them light up teams every week. This is why a 5-1 win for the Hawks shows the playoffs are a different story. 5 different Hawk players scored as they harpooned the Sharks. 9 penalties in this one as the refs weren’t having anything to do with letting things go. Guy “Remington” Shaver scored the lone Shark goal and is growing a playoff beard so I will have to find some better shaver puns for him.

BRUINS 4 STARS 1: The Bruins are still rolling like an oatmeal raisin cookie down the Redhill. Player/Coach/GM Gord Bryce is stressing tighter defensive play as the playoffs go on. The chances in the other end will come. Just ask sniper Troy “from the high above castle of” Izlakar who scored a pair for the winning side. Mike “acoustic” Guitard also played the right note, also scoring twice for the B’s.

FLAMES 9 REDWINGS 2: Fans want more offense and they got it. Flames burned the Redwings 9-2 as 8 players scored goals for the win. 7 first period goals might be record for Scoha, not sure. The cinnamon bun unraveled early for the Wings but they didn’t stop skating. With the goals for/against pivotal in the round robin portion of the playoffs, the Flames didn’t let the foot off the pedal. Redwings didn’t allow reporters into the room after the game but while boarding the team bus to the airport, they vowed for a better performance for their fans next week.

KINGS 7 FLYERS 7: Good grief, this is not a typo. The Dave Armstrong Show was one for the ages. A classic 4 goal night for everyone’s Scoha hero as he let everyone know the playoffs are his time of year. Kings Howie Micks was also playing with jet engines on the back of his skates. He scored 3 goals and 2 assists while teammate John Anibale added 2 goals and 3 helpers to secure a 7-7 slugfest against the Flyers. I still have a headache after that goal horn after each goal. Both teams are happy with the one point but know full well they must tighten things up in their own end of the ice.

Well that puts a lid on another week of crazy Scoha action from this side of the glass. Final stats update will be posted shortly on our website. Great atmosphere up at the Lookout Lounge as many players hung out to keep an eye on the action and have some laughs no matter what their score was. Have a great week and see you down at the rink next weekend. Annual Scoha golf tournament details are also on the website so go check it out…

Chris Marttila