This Week in SCOHA - January 9th, 2024

It's about time, folks. The unofficial 2nd half is underway and fans showed up in droves to see their SCOHA heroes in action. A bit of rust on the ol' twirlers, not gonna lie, but give it a few weeks, we will all be at full speed again.

So 4 points separate 1st and 4th in the United Division. While in the Masters loop, 7 points separate 3rd to last place.

United Division:

Bruins 6 Oilers 4: Chris Conway shook the wasps nest. He scored 3 goals and added 2 assists as the Bruins got past the Oil 6-4. Apparently cowboy meatloaf and potato caserole is a good pre-game meal. Who knew.

Kyle Relf chipped in with 4 hamburger helpers for the winners while Steve Ditta scored 2 and added an apple for the Oilers. Defenceman Blaine Betzold scored his 1st of the year with a clapper from the point for the guys in dark blue then got 3 penalties and was first to the sliced oranges and the dry towels.

Flyers 2 Blackhawks 2: Ryan Haslam scored with 3:30 left as the Flyers tied the Hawks 2-2 in a playoff-like battle like no other. Johnny Hockey scored both goals for the Blackhawks as he continued his strong season. This Hawk team is starting to rock and roll . The amps are turned up to 11 and the neighbours are saying its too loud. Hawks Dennis Haradyn, playing his 800th career game, added an assist to his impressive stat portfolio.

Sharks 4 Redwings 3: Joe Schulist scored early in the 3rd, the eventual game winner, as the Sharks bit the Wings 4-3. Matt "the thrill" Still scored a pair for the winners while Wayne Sliwinski, sparing for the Wings, notched a major snipe. After the game, Steve Fudge Cromwell was more layed back than an ironing board while talking to reporters. He has full confidence in his team and told their fans they will refuse to quit out there no matter what.

Masters Division:

Blackhawks 5 Redwings 2: Steve Smith passed Bryan Trottier in all-time goals with a hat trick as the Hawks trounced the Wings 5-2. If Smith didn't play, score would've been 2-2, just saying.

Wiley veteran Ron Ferracuti can pass the puck better than anyone. Not a newsflash. Ron set up 3 goals with some swell passes. Danny Gabrielle was a noticeable absence from the Redwing lineup. That's why they lost.

Stars 3 Penguins 3: Before the game, Stars captain and GM Chris Barrato signed an 8-year, 92 million dollar contract extension which will keep him around until he retires. But who knows. He has plenty of gas left. Even more gas if he hits the Taco Bell drive thru on the way home from the rink. Warren DeForest scored a pair for the Stars while John "helter" Elter added to his point total with 2 goals for the Penguinos. Love the jerseys.

Kings 5 Sharks 3: Joe "thank you very" Muchynski scored twice and so did Sam Carubba as the Kings outlasted the Sharks 5-3. The previously mentioned Dennis Haradyn scored a major league snipe in this game for the Sharks. This guy was all over the place like the flu. Impressive win by Mike Vanderzee's Kings who are putting their season into high gear and they won't be slowing down any time soon. You heard it here first.

Flyers 6 Bruins 6: Nuts. This game was a Planters 4-flavour plastic tray of mixed nuts. Steve Horner scored 4 times for the Bruins while Guy "5 blade beard de-excelerator" Shaver scored a hatty for the Flyers. Darren Joliffe also got into the act, scoring 2 snipes for the orange guys. Pretty fast-paced game as was evident when both teams were grabbing the garbage cans in the locker rooms afterwards.

Well that puts a lid on the first weekend of 2024, the year of the owl. Not sure if it's the owl, i just picked any animal. Enjoy the rest of the week, it's flying by fast.

Chris Marttila

SCOHA Blogologist