This Week in SCOHA – November 12th, 2024

Well gang, let’s start this off on the right foot by thanking the spare goalies, all 8 of them last week for coming out and helping us out. Greatly appreciated, win or lose! We owe you one!

Also, a heads up, there are no Masters or Grand Master games this Sunday as we observe the Grey Cup game. My prediction is Winnipeg 42 Argos 16 if anyone gives a care.

United Division:

Blackhawks 12 Redwings 8: I had the under 5.5 on my Proline ticket so thanks a lot guys. Marc “taco” Bellhumeur was all over the game sheet and the ice. He had 3 goals and 2 assists as his Hawks outlasted a depleted Redwing lineup 12-8. Kevin Scime ain’t no slouch either, collecting 4 goals for the winners and let’s talk a bit about Ryan Chard who chipped in with 2 goals and an assist as the Hawks padded their lead atop the United standings. For the Redwing, who were missing 5 key players, got goals from John “I hate winter because I can’t go out in the cold and wash my” Carvalho (hattrick) and Tom Butler, the new guy on the team, who impressed many with his 3 goals in his first game. This game was crazy, folks. The arena guys only just replaced the red bulb in the goal lights this morning. Good to go.

Bruins 5 Flyers 2: Thanks to Justin Ross who spared at a moment’s notice for the Bruins. Nick Grivich, congrats on your 3 goal game! This guy is going to be a sniper for many years to come in this damn league. Flyers got goals from Brent Haslam and Kyle Relf who will both be looking for a substantial raise in the off-season. We are talking Taylor Swift money, after their strong starts to the season.

Masters Division:

Senators 3 Bruins 1: Spare goalie Tim Visser turned aside 41 shots as the Senators held off the Bruins for their 2nd win of the season, 3-1. Larry Litzgus scored twice for the winners and picked up a hamburger helper as well. For the Bruins, Wayne Sliwinski banked a shot off 21 skates before it trickled past the goal line. Said he planned it but whatever. Bruins were noticeably slower without Yves Bisson in the lineup. He is day-to-day with a minor back ailment that with plenty of ice baths, will be all healed up for this upcoming weekend.

Blackhawks 10 Sharks 5: Good greef I didn’t have this one on my Proline ticket either! I don’t have a ton of answers on this game but I can tell you one thing, that Hawks team went well into the early hours celebrating. Jeff Davis lead the way with 3 goals and an assist. Steve Fudge Cromwell tallied…. Oh wait, he didn’t even get a point! Tony Gzik, new to the league but not new to a scoresheet, racked up a modest 3 assists to propel the Hawks to victory. Brock Hotrum added a goal and an assist for the winners who stayed ahead of the Sens in the standings. For the Sharks, 4 different players scored so they spread out the goals despite a losing cause.

Penguins 2 Devils 2: Penguins Bob “happy” Ballantyne scored a goal and added an assist as the Pens inked a 2-2 tie with their arch-rival, well everyone’s arch-rival Devils. Shots were 42-39 for the Penguins but both goalies performed admirably between the pipes. Ken Wiersma and captain Paul “win, lose or” McGraw scored for the Devils who sit in the middle of the pack in the standings, looking to make a jump over their next few games. Paul also sat in the penalty box and felt shame not once but twice. He hopes to play nicer next time.

Grand Masters:

Stars 2 Flyers 0: Brian “goal stopping machine” Deanes turned aside 23 shots for his 50th career shutout as the Stars outshone the Flyers 2-nil. Dan McLaughlin wasn’t joking around as he scored the eventual game winner in front of a robust announced crowd of 4. The 50/50 draw was a whopping $7.50 but hey, someone went home richer and the others had fun playing along. Mike Vanderzee also scored for the Stars and leapfrogged Darryl Sitler on the all-time goals scoring list. Way to go, Mike!

Redwings 3 Sharks 1: Wow someone found a way to beat the Sharks. Maybe it was poking them with the other end of a rake while they were in a cage, who knows. Nathan Seepersaud scored the game winner as the Wings went home happy. Nathan also took the game puck home and will display it on his mantle for a few days. Well deserved! Paul Buzzelli was …. Buzzing around all night and stung the Sharks twice with highlight-reel goals. Here’s one for the books: spare goalies Brad Ballman and Ted Marszalek split the time in net for the Redwings. Half a win each or do a best-of-7 coin toss for the win, I really don’t care, talk amongst yourselves.

 

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

UNITED: Marc Bellhumeur     MASTERS: Jeff Davis         GRAND MASTERS: Brian Deanes

 

Well that’s all from this end of the ice. Have a great rest of the week. United action only this Friday, rest of us get to relax some nagging injuries before we get back at it next weekend.

Keep you stick on the ice,

Chris Marttila

SCOHA Blogologist-in-Chief