THIS WEEK IN SCOHA – November 9th, 2021

First off, i had a nice chat with Intermediate superstar Paul Cleary this past Friday night and he wanted me to pass along a heartfelt thank you for all the well wishes as he goes through his health issue. He is beyond grateful for all his hockey buddies and we all can't wait to see him back on the ice soon. You've got this Paul! Great guy, heart of gold.

Meanwhile, let’s talk about master’s Division player Ron Hall. Before we went to press, he accepted a transfer to the Bruins which opens up a spot on the Blackhawks to help improve their club. Talk about a classy move to benefit the league. We owe you one, Ron!

Meanwhile on the ice, a few injuries recently have put a damper on a few players performance. I spoke to Master’s Denis (don’t call me Celine) Dion and he took this past weekend off to rest some soreness but was pretty confident he will lace up his twirlers this upcoming weekend. Great news, Denis! There were a few high scoring games this past weekend so without further adieu, let’s get right to it…

JUNIOR DIVISION:

I wandered over to the rink to catch some Junior action and let me tell you, these guys put on a show for the many fans that came in to see their SCOHA heroes. Action was up and down like a fiddler’s elbow. These guys must’ve slept like babies that night.

REDWINGS 3 BRUINS 1: Charlie Polizzi knows the game better than most of us. He’s played in the Iron League and toiled in the ranks of leagues we wouldn’t even think of playing in. He is a warrior, hear him roar. Charlie scored the game winner and added an assist as the Redwings tripped up the Bruins 3-1. Had a chat with Wings’ Walt Blagdon before the game. His veteran leadership is going a long way in the Redwing dressing room and he is looking on winning a cup while his body can still last the vigor of the long SCOHA seasons. At the other end of the ice, Dave “lord have” Mercer replied for the B’s.

FLYERS 6 OILERS 1: this Ryan Haslam kid is going to go pretty far in this league if he keeps this up. 2 highlight-reel goals and 2 helpers was more than enough to lift the Flyers over the Oilers 6-1. Huge win for the Flyers as fill-in Scott “get off my lawn” Johnson made more dazzling saves than Mike Palmateer to secure the W for a spirited Flyer hockey club. Steve Ditta, although he didn’t score on 3 breakaways, remained positive during the post-game media scrum. “Flyers came ready to play. Back to practice Monday and we will go over a few things, get ready for next game, no worries..” this is what makes him the leader of this group.

INTERMEDIATE DIVISION:

CANADIENS 4 BRUINS 2: Rookie Mike Desrorges destroyed the game sheet, scoring a hatty as the Habs doubled up the Bruins 4-2 in front of a packed house full of yellow jerseys in Boston. Desrorges was all over the puck like a York terrier on a pant leg. Good addition by Coach and GM Mike Miscio, his job is safe for now. I’m going to go out the door and around the corner on this one but I think the Canadiens will be in the Finals, you heard it here first.

BLACKHAWKS 6 FLYERS 4: Sammy from Mississauga wrote in last week saying the game of the week would be this one and that he was saving his allowance to take the Go bus down to see it. These two teams didn’t disappoint. A spirited effort from both clubs saw more penalty minutes than a mid-80’s Leafs versus Redwings Saturday Nighter. When the dust settled, the Hawks prevailed 6-4 to protect their stranglehold on first place in their division. This Flyers team showed grit from the agonizing anthem to the final buzzer. These guys are never underestimated on the competition side of the game, that’s for sure. Shawn James fired home a pair for the winners while Jim Marentette scored a hat trick for the Flyers. This guy needs to let us know what his pre-game meal is. He never takes a shift off and is a royal pain in the ass to win a faceoff against. Good game Jim.

MASTERS DIVISION:

Good week for the Stars who leaped 2 spots in the TSN Power rankings. The Bruins defense is tighter than a snare drum and have no plans on changing their game plan.

STARS 4 FLYERS 3: Peter “Soupy” Subar scored the game winner in the final stanza to lift the Stars to a 4-3 squeaker over their arch-rival Flyers on Chris Barratto bobble head night. The special night must have inspired Barratto as he scored a candidate for goal of the year late in the first period. Subar ended up tallying 2 goals and an assist for the winners while Dale Brons lit the lamp twice for the Flyers. When asked after the game about a bit of a slow start this season, he replied, “I’ve got to stop eating those Portuguese custard tarts from Ola café, they are slowing me down.”

FLAMES 2 SHARKS 0: A defensive battle between two teams close in the standings saw the Flames burning out the Sharks 2-0. Ted “don’t call me Bruno” Marszalek posted the 32-save shutout for the Flames while at the other end, Tymen Edelkoort made a similar amount of saves but had no chance on the two that got by him. Jason Anderson and Gerry “Haagen” Hass scored the goals for the Flames.

REDWINGS 7 BLACKHAWKS 1: Ok, this Larry Litzgus fella is going to go far in this league, I don’t care what it says on the bathroom wall. Another 3 goals as the redwings trounced the Hawks 7-1. I had the under 5.5 on my Proline ticket so thanks a lot Wings, you owe me one. Anyone see Steve “80” Watt light it up for the Wings 7th goal? Worth sticking around for, glad I did. Folks, the Hawks are struggling but remember it’s a long season. These guys are running 2 a day practices all this week and will be ready come Sunday.

 BRUINS 8 KINGS 6: Good grief, Dave Armstrong strikes fear in the hearts of every Masters Kings fan. He opened up can of whoop ass and scored 4 goals while adding an assist as the Bruins held off a pesky Kings team 8-6. Keith Gear shifted the puck past Kings goalie Joe Locicero twice for the winners while Gord “The Bryce” is Right added a few key assists. Kings Opie played a solid game for the Kings. 2 goals and an assist prove he is a key player on this club. His athleticism is 2nd to none and he comes to the rink to win, and the wings upstairs.

Well that puts a bow on the week that was in Scohaville. Rumour has it there will be a Return of the Green Hornet this week in the Masters Division. We missed those green CCM pants! Have a great rest of the week, fellas, see you at the rink.

Chris Marttila