Temperatures and goalie performance – both tending to unbelievably hot last night!

For the first game, it looked like Team Blair would forfeit their 2nd game in a row but with MattM sauntering in at the last possible moment, Team Blair sort of met the intent of the rules and the game was on. Going with only 4 runners on the floor to allow Team Blair players to have some rest seemed like the wrong choice for Team Jacquie as the Blairs scored 3 quick goals and were threatening to run away with the game and break their 5 game losing streak. Then TheBrick got the ball rolling with a late goal and his Team Jacquie team mates got untracked, scoring again to end the 1st period with Team Blair ahead 3-2.In the 2nd, bolstered by the recruitment and return of JustinP to the ranks of goal scorers (goalie, goal scorer, hard a^%^%$ novice coach…is there anything he can’t do?), Team Blair scored 2 while Team Jacquie responded with 3 and the teams headed to the 2nd intermission tied at 5. In the 3rd, Team Blair scored to pull ahead but Team Jacquie tied it up and then scored again to head in to the closing minutes up by 1. Team Blair pushed hard but inexplicably kept shooting into the goalies chest protector or stick and couldn’t quite capitalize on their numerous chances to tie it up. Final score Team Jacquie 7 – Team Blair 6. With 6 losses in a row for Team Blair, next week’s game against Team Dirka will determine the chances of them falling from runaway leaders at the halfway point to possible season ending cellar dwellers. 2 more Team Blair losses coupled with 2 Team Dirka victories could result in a tie in the standings … and then MATH! would be involved ….and MATH IS HARD! Since regular season standings determine goalie picks for the playoffs, standings are critical for the quest for the coveted LMHLL MemorialBraggingRightsUsedBallOfTape championship.

In the 2nd game goalie assignments were messed up and reversed – hard to tell if this was due to subversive plotting on the part of Team Dirka or just typical goalie inability to understand simple text instructions….I know what explanation I would bet on. Anyway, the first period was mostly all goaltending with Shawn stopping multiple chances for Team Lia and Justin doing his acrobatic best to backstop Team Dirka. Despite numerous chances at both ends, no goals were recorded until late in the period when Russ lasered a pinpoint shot past Shawn’s stick shoulder and the period timed out with Team Dirka leading 1-0. In the 2nd, both teams scored twice but the goaltending was again the story of the period with Shawn stopping numerous JKOW chances and Justin blocking continuous scoring threats from Dylan, Alex, MattA and JonL. The crowd was going wild…. well, maybe not wild but the goaltending was being noticed…sort of. In the 3rd, Team Lia scored twice but Team Dirka was able to match their goals and score 1 extra resulting in a Team Dirka victory, 6-4.

Both games tight and extremely competitive, good turnouts for a hot Wednesday night in the middle of prime vacation time – at least for 3 of the 4 teams. Low scoring in both games… we may have to look at using the bigger Jr. nets or the tender psyches of most of our runners/scorers may be permanently damaged.

On to next week, 2nd last games of the regular season. Week #15, Wednesday August 10, 2016 Kinsmen Arena

Team Blair  vs.  Team Dirka     8:00pm – 9:00pm.

Team Jacquie  vs.  Team Lia     9:00pm – 10:00pm.

Team Werewolf is on their way to the Niagara tournament this weekend – last kick at the can before the Provincials in Oakville in September. Hopefully a good turnout of runners and with 2, count ’em, TWO goolies we should have a good chance to increase our 2016 weekend over weekend performance again. GO WEREWOLVES OF LONDON …AROOOOOOOH!

See you on the floor.

G2