This Week in SCOHA – March 26th, 2026

Well folks, the semi finals are all set for this weekend. Ticket sales are through the roof thanks to Shoppers Drug Mart offering a 2-for-1 deal if you buy either Advil or Anacin. What a weekend of action as all teams left it all on the ice. Let’s dive into the deep end and recap what the hell happened.

Before we start, a few weeks back I accidentally rewarded Joe DeFaria the Grand Masters Player of the Week when it should’ve said Brian Deanes. We filed a correction notice to Hockey Canada and they in fact recognized Brian’s great game and approved the reversal so congrats Brian on a great performance! Sorry about that!

United Division:

Bruins 4 Leafs 1: Steve Ditta great thing by potting a pair of goals as the Bruins beat up the Leafs 4-1 and paved their way into the semi-finals with a big win over their original 6 rival. Braden Lapointe and Joe “shoeless joe” Shulist also lit the lamp for the B’s who are on a mission to lift the cup in a few weeks. Leafs were missing Johnny Hockey, John Carvalho which was evident in their offensive approach. Nick Grivich did all he could, scoring the lone Leaf goal in a losing cause. Brad Stone, a pending free agent this summer, played well in the Bruin net, looking laser-focused when the camera came back after each commercial break.

Flyers 7 Blackhawks 3: Flyers were led by their Mongolian Rain Forest sniper Ryan Haslam as he shot a pair of goals and added a tuna helper leading his team to a big 7-3 win over the Blackhawks. Duane “from the far away planet of” Marzi also earned his keep with a pair of highlight-reel goals for the fellas in orange (Le Fellas de L’Orange if you will). Jeff “lemon meringue” Pye threw hit hat into the ring with a goal and an assist which garnered a few cheers from the rather boisterous announced crowd of 3. No one claimed the 50/50 draw so it will carry over to this week’s game.

Masters Division:

Senators 3 Sharks 1: This game was pretty even throughout. All 4 goals were scored in the 2nd frame with Steve Watt getting the eventual game winner as the Sens beat the Sharks 3-1. Marc “double-stacked cheese chalupa from Taco” Bellehumeur chipped in with a goal and 2 assists for the winners while Chris Scott had the lone Shark tally. Both “Defenders of the Diagonal Dwellings” made several amazing saves to keep things close before the Senators pulled away for the victory.

Bruins 5 Leafs 2: The Bruins were missing 5 guys but managed to fend off a pesky Leaf team to the tune of 5-2 in front of a robust announced crowd of 4. Richard Forster and Bill “aluminum” Foley both dropped a deuce while Dino Guidice chipped in with another to keep their torrid pace in these playoffs. Steve Cuthbert filled in and stopped everything but 2 and showed he can still play with the big boys. Leafs had snipes from Larry “ballroom” Litzgus and Mo Cecca in a losing cause. Both teams said to the media scrum that they understand it’s do or die this upcoming weekend and want to show their fans they will not back down. Stay tuned…

Grand Masters:

Sharks 3 Bruins 3: Missing 3 key players, the Bruins still managed to grab a point as they tied the Sharks 3-3 in a spirited affair that raised the eyebrows of many watching from all around the world. Guy “triple-flex duel-protective moisture release” Shaver, Dave Cathcart and Len “plant” Potts scored for the Sharks while Bruins had goals from Walter “2-for-1 pepperoni and mushroom from” Domingos, Nick Polimeni and Bill Curran (got him in the pool). Stick taps to both goalies Brian Deanes and J.J.MacNeil who made several tantalizing saves as old broadcaster Danny Gallivan would say.

 Kraken 3 Flyers 1: Steve Kivell scored with 1:45 left in the 1st period and it held up as the game winner as the Kraken beat the Flyers 3-1. Kelly Rintjema and Paul Buzzelli also scored for the winners while Dennis Haradyn replied for the guys in orange. This Kraken team seems to be back on track after a couple sub-par performances.

Stars 1 Blackhawks 0: Wow what a defensive battle! Both goalies, Barry Walker and Richard Paquet, played like they are entering free agency in the summer. In the end,  it was Walker who recorded the 33 save shutout as the Stars edged the Hawks 1-0. Bruno DiGiovanni scored the game’s lone goal with 7:03 left in the game then the Stars held off a ferocious attack by the Hawks. In the end it was the Stars and Flyer not qualifying for the final 4 semi-finals but will play each other anyway for one last skate in the season.

PREMIUM PLUS TOOL WORKHORSES OF THE WEEK:

UNITED: RYAN HASLAM  

MASTERS: MARC BELLEHUMEUR  

GRAND MASTERS: ALL 6 GOALIES! (WELL EARNED)        

 Have a great Friday, fellas, see you at the rink this weekend for Spotify SCOHA Semi-Final Showcase.

*** All players received an email with the player recruitment poster attached. Please pass it along to some guys who would want to play next year! Or post on your facebook page and groups so we can bounce teams up in each division! *** Thanks fellas!

Chris Marttila

SCOHA Blogologist