The Super Seven

Once again it was looking grim last Saturday.  We had the Super Seven, yours truly, JP, PA, Ti-ga, Gauvin, Andy, and Brian.  We put in an emergency call to Gaston who plays for the Wild and lives near by. He showed up to make it eight. Backstopping was a blast from the past as Warren filled in between the pipes. Ti-ga and Gauvin had to play up front and away we went.  Gauvin had a about three heart attacks, pulled his groin, but would come up big for us in the end...we'll get to that in a minute.
It was a decent game, they're a good match for us.  It went back and forth and both side were getting chances.  Unfortunately for us, we can't score, and as Gaston said on the bench we were making the other goalie look pretty good.  We found ourselves down 4-2 but we were getting all kinds of chances and never felt we were out of it.  They made if 5-2 about half way through and things started looking bleak.  Then we got a power play with Gaston getting cross checked in the back in front of our net.  As karma would have it, we weren't getting much going on the PP until Gaston made a rush and cranked one top corner to make it 5-3.  I think JP got the next one to make it 5-4 and it was Game On!  
Gauvin got a turn over and walked in and tried to roof it glove side. Their goalie made the stop but Ti-ga followed up the play and banged home the rebound...5-5!! 
Both teams pressed and one of their D got caught deep as the puck came around the boards, Brian chipped it out and Gauvin was away!  Their D slowly gained and Gauvin zipped one around the hash marks, right on the ice, stick side...6-5 !!...with about 4 minutes to go.  
We got hemmed in and I brought down the lumber and got a hooking penalty on one of their shooters getting ready to let one go with just under 3 minutes to go.  Some yakking ensued and by the time I got to the box and the guys lined up for the face off there was about 40 seconds to go.  We killed it off and there ya have it!  Four unanswered goals and it ended 6-5.  
Take that ya Alexandria Mouldy bastards!  6-5 for the good guys!

On a skid

Well we dropped a Turd Saturday night with an 8-0 loss to the Moose Light Caps.  It was just one of those games!  We couldn't get any bounces, and we didn't support poor Wally back there.  We had some chances but never really got any sustained pressure at all.  Let's just bury that game.

Ahhh!! BALLS !

We lost a good game 4-2 to the Elks on Sunday.  This was one of those games were we deserved better.  I might actually say we carried more of the play. Upfront we had yours truly, Gilles, PA, Noe, Rene, JP, and Ti-Boy. On the back end we Joey(new guy), Matt, Ti-ga, and Andy "I'm so hungover I'm green" Vail.
I think they jumped out to a 2-0 lead and it was like, "here we go again".  But, we hung in there and started to get some momentum.  We got one to make it 2-1 but they quickly got it back to make it 3-1.  We started to carry the play and were getting some great shots and finally popped one to make it 3-2. You could feel it coming.....and then....Bam!  We had a terrible turnover in the neutral zone and some dipwad walked in all alone and beat Ronnie to get the two goal lead again, 4-2.  That was the back breaker, and that's the way she stayed.

So there ya have it.  Got two more games before the end of the year.  Going to have to hike up our skirts Ladies, if we want to carry a winning record into the new year.

Salvaged a Tie

We salvaged a tie against Here for Beer.  We had a full crew show up Sunday morning.  They were only 8 so we figured it would be a cake walk.  They came out flying and took a 2-0 lead.  With three lines the momentum started to turn.
At the other end was our old goalie Jim Bob.  We started to pepper him but he wasn't giving up anything cheap.  We eventually tied it 2-2 but couldn't find the winner.  John was solid in net and made a great toe save to keep it tied.  

Two more "W" on the board !

Hey!  That looks like a young Ron Arsenault!

First up we beat the Orange Bastards 4-2 on Friday at UdeM.  Wasn't there, didn't get any details.

Last night we beat the Moose Light Caps 6-5 in another crazy one.  We traded goals back and forth and we never lead until we scored the 6th in the final minutes.

POW !  Two more wins for the Good Guys!

Barn Burner

We had a real Barn Burner with the Red Bastards at the Cage.  It went back and forth with two or three different lead changes.  It was knotted up at 4-4 with about a minute to play. One of their D man took a chance and pinched down in our end, can't remember who was able to chip it out, but JP sprung loose for the Breakaway.  He banged it in with about 45 seconds to go!
Ha! Take that ya Red Bastards.  
5-4 for the Good Guys!

The Sorry Six

We had more Pucks that players !

Yup, that's right we had 6 skaters show up Sunday evening against the Wild. We will be known moving forward as the "Sorry Six", yours truly, Gauvin, Ti-Gars, PA, JP, and Andy.  Backstopped by Ron "I just faced 50 shots the night before" Arsenault!

Before we get to that, let's recap Saturday. We had 3 lines up front and 4 D. On the back end we had Brian, Ti-Gars, Jody, and Matt.  Upfront we had Joey, JP, Karl, Gilles, Noe, Ti-Boy, Scott, Paul, and yours truly.  That's about as good a team we can put out there, but the Leafs were having none of it.  They're by far the best team we've faced. Ronnie was peppered all night and kept us in it.  They got out to a 2-0 lead.  We were getting chances, but mostly from the outside and we weren't seeing or getting to any rebounds.  We made it 2-1 in the second half but that was as close as we got.  They popped another late to seal the deal.  So mark your Calendars the next time we face the Leafs.  We'll need all hands on deck.

Now to Sunday...it was grim to say the least. We were five skaters until PA showed up during the warm up.  They gave us a couple of guys to even things out, thankfully.  That made a total of eight...ouch.  They got on the board first I think, but we tied it up 1-1.  We traded goals again which made it 2-2.  Then they got a weird one and that proved to be the winner!  
On the bright side, the Wild are definitely our caliber.  Should be good games against them moving forward.  So there ya have it, two "L"s in a row.

What !! No BEER GUY !!!

No Beer Guy...the Horror!

"What !  No Beer Guy!" It was at that moment that the horror of the situation crashed over Wally like a quick snap shot to the Nads!  
"How can a Team exist without a Beer Guy?"  Ah, yes, the soul crushing question the Lewisville Missing Links have grappled with for the past 3 seasons.  Yes, how do we soldier on without a Beer Guy?
Could it be the drive of competition...ah, no.
Could it be the bond with our team mates...ah, ya right.
Could it be the longing affection for the smell of sweaty jock straps, stinky hockey gear, and stale farts....ah, maybe?
So the search continues, but I digress, with much pain in his heart, Wally took to the ice.
We beat the Orange Bastards 5-3, but it really wasn't that close.  On the back end we had Matt, PA (I had 40 shots), Gauvin, and Marc.  Up front, yours truly, Gilles, Karl, Paul, Rene, Guy, and JP.  They got on the board first to make it 1-0.  We tied it up and stretched the lead to 3-1 at one point.  We totally dominated the play and time of possession.  But tell me if you've heard this before...."We couldn't score!"  Credit where credit is due, the goalie at the other end had a strong game.  Wally, for the most part, was left to himself, with his deep thoughts and cold feet at the other end.  Another treat was we were witness to one of the largest Beer Guts I believe in League History. The tension was real, and the thought that if he exerted himself too much, he might POP and there would be Orange Goo all over the place. Inexplicably, they somehow managed to make it 4-3 late, but we pressed and got a late one to seal the deal.
So take that, ya Orange Bastards, 5-3 for the Good Guys!

Then the Wheels fell off

Dropped one to the Elks 9-4.  We held it close for the the first half and found ourselves down 4-3 about midway through the game. Scotty got a breakaway while we were short handed but couldn't find the back of the net.  Of course you know how the Hockey Gods work...you miss one at one end and they go right down and score.  They popped one on the PP to make it 5-3 seconds later, and that was as she wrote. They're by far the best team we've faced.  Even so we weren't totally outclassed.  We had our chances.  And by Ronnie's own admission it wasn't one of his strongest outings.  So we'll see them again.  On  the back end we had Andy, Pierre, Ti-Gars, and Matt.  Upfront, yours truly, Ti-Boy, Gilles, PA, JP, Rene II, and Scott. 

The Black Army

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Back in the win column with a resounding thumping of the Islanders.  We'll say it was 10-1 but it might have been worse.  For the second time this year all the troops were out. We had three lines and five D.  On the back end we had Gauvin, Ti-Gas, Brian, Marc, and P.A.  Up front we rolled out yours truly, Michel, Rene, Guy, JP, Hob, Karl, Gilles, and "I think I had a mini-stroke" Ti-Boy!
It was never really close.  We scored first and often with all three lines chipping in.  JP lead the charge with 4 goals.  Ronnie wasn't overly busy but did make some solid saves. The old school poke-check on a breakaway was a beauty, and of course he got involved in a few of our break-out plays.
They only had two lines and after about 15 minutes you could tell it just wasn't going to be their night. I for one don't mind having that many guys out now and then, it doesn't happen too often. The Black Army rolled!  Chalk one up for the good guys!
So take that, ya Islanders!

...then Gauvin showed up!

Well after starting the year of with two wins, we've promptly lost three in a row. The last an incredible stinker which I don't think I've ever seen in the 15 years of playing on this team.  We'll get back to that in a minute.

First, last Thursday at the Cage we dropped one 4-2 to the Islanders.  They definitely had the advantage of play, but we weren't out of it.  We got on the board first to make it 1-0.  It stayed that way for a while.  We had a few chances and could have gone up a couple but couldn't bury them. We only had 9 skaters and PA, and I had to play D along with Matt, who spent the better part of the first half in the box. 
They jumped out to a 3-1 lead.  We managed to make it 3-2, but that was as close as we got.  It ended 4-2.  Ronnie was solid and kept us in it.

WTF !!!!!

Really, we were leading 6-1 at one point.....
I don't even know where to begin.  On the back end we had Matt, Jody, Scott, and Ti-Gas.  Upfront we had Guy, JP, Noe, Gilles, Karl, PA, and myself.  Not much to say, we we all over them, and got up 6-1 with about 12 minutes left. Then Gauvin showed up all snotty and congested.  We started taking penalties and the next thing you know our we found ourselves tied at 6-6.  We put a push on and Gilles just missed on a play off the face off in their end.  Then they scored off a face off in our end with about 20 'effing seconds left.
And there ya have it....6 unanswered goals and we lose 7-6.

First loss of the season

CRAP !!!

We dropped out first of the year, 5-4 to the Bulls.  On the Blue Line we had Pierre, Andy, Ti-Gars, and a guy from the Wild who played before us.
Up front you had yours truly, Guy, JP, Gilles, Karl, PA, and Ti-Boy.  Ti-boy made an early exit after coming down hard on his bum shoulder.  John filled in for Ronnie who had a solid game, with one weird one I'm sure he'd like to have back from the corner.
I think they got on the board first to make it 1-0. We traded a few more goals and soon found ourselves up 3-2 after taking the lead for the first time.
Then we had the 'Shift'!  I pulled a boner and tried to feed Guy in the slot but was picked off and away they went 2 on 1 and scored to tie it at 3-3.  Seconds later off a a give away they scored to take the lead.  Ah, ya, next line please!
They got another to make it 5-3.  But really during the second half we carried the play and, like Lewisville tradition, we could bury one. We finally potted one to make it 5-4 with about 5 minutes to play.  We pressed and pulled John, but couldn't get the equalizer.  Guy summed it up best afterwards, they simply capitalized on their chances and we didn't.  Doh!

Ronnie with the first Doughnut of the year

Ronnie Hexshort stikes !!

Ronnie pitched the first shutout of the year.....I'm sure they'll be many more. More new faces out last night.  On the Blue Line we had Ti-Gars, Pierre, Marc S., and P.A.  Up front we had yours truly, Rene, Michel, Gilles, Karl, Ti-Boy, Dave, Guy S., and JP.  The Orange Bastards picked up some new guys as well and they had a full 3 lines.  It was a good pace, and both teams started out well.  It went back and forth and it stayed scoreless for at least a good 10 minutes.  Lead by our new favorite Spare, Michel, with a hat trick, we got on the board first to make it 1-0.  Stayed that way for a bit then we scored a couple of quick ones to get up 3-0.  The game settled in and the Orange Bastards started to make a push.  Ronnie was solid, and they hit the post/crossbar a couple of times.  Ronnie claims he got a piece of them, but we're not sure if it was before or after it rang off the iron!
We finally got the 4th to make it 4-0 and that was the back breaker.  We took over momentum and they're goalie made some saves because it could have been real ugly. We outskated them for most of the night and we moved the puck well. Rene scored a late one and I think it was Dave who scored the other and that was all she wrote, 5-0 for the good guys.
On a side note, there was no "Power" in our Power Play.  Maybe we should just decline and take the yardage next time. 

Blue Line League

Started the season with a "W"

Another season is here with some big changes.  Our Dieppe league has merged with the Blue Line League.  The Blue Bastards decided to fold...obviously they couldn't stand the pressure of facing us for another year. :)
We had our first game the other night vs. the Moose Light Caps.  We had 3 lines plus one.  Which was great for the first game of the year.  We had 4 of 5 new guys/spares out. 
The ice was horrible, it had been 20 C all day.  I was a mush-fest.  I think they got on the board first as Rene batted one out of the air in the crease into our own net.  But he quickly redeemed himself by getting our first goal to tie it up.  
We got the next couple, then it went back and forth.  Ronnie wasn't too busy but did make some solid stops when he had to.
They got within one I think at one point, but we pulled ahead again and it ended 5-3 for the good guys!

Are we still having fun?

Time to get caught up.  March break is usually tough to fill out the lineup and this year was no exception.

7-5 Loss 
Only had seven skaters come out for this one.  The Orange Bastards only had 8 so 4-on-4 it was.  It was a pretty good game up to a point....
With about 15 minutes to play our favorite Ref DickSmack Aube made a horrible call that sent Marc to the box with the game tied.
Of course the yapping started with PA jumping into the mix.  He tossed PA which left us with 6 skaters.  Ronnie threatened to leave the ice and a lot of pissin' and moanin' went on.  They scored on the PP.  We came back to tie it and had some chances but with only 6 we faded down the stretch and lost 7-5.

6-6 Tie
After much bellyaching via email we put out the call to get as many guys out for the next game.  We should have won this one going away.  We blew a two goal lead TWICE in this game....Damn Red Bastards.

Ok, this shit ain't fun anymore!

4-0 skunked
Thanks to Ti-Boy's young fella Miguel the last two games, but on this night we hung him out to dry.
Again, we only had 7 skaters, so the Blue Bastards gave us an extra to make it 8 but no way was it enough.  Miguel must have faced 50 shots. This was not fun at all.  By mid-way we were all gassed and they just skated and moved the puck at will. We had a few good chances but we were so gassed we couldn't finish.  That's the first time we've been shut out all season.

Deja Vu

YUCK!  Two ties in a row. Gag me!

Two ties in a row with the Red Bastards.  Both 3-3 scores.  And both time we were down and had to come back.  Can't remember much about the first one at the Cage.
But this past week in St Anselme, we got off to a slow start and found ourselves down 3-0.  We only had 7 skaters show up, and they only had 8 so we played 4-on-4.  Upfront we had PA, Karl, Rene, & JP.  On the Blue Line we had myself, Matt, and Pierre.
As mentioned we were down 3-0 before we knew what happened.  Then we slowly started to take over momentum.  Of course being 4 on 4 there were lots of chances at both ends of the ice.  Ronnie made some good saves in the second half to give us a chance to climb back in it.  Even down by one, you had the feeling we were going to win.  Rob "The Red Bastard" was solid and we peppered him down the stretch, got the tying goal but couldn't find the winner.  Everyone was pretty gased at the end. 
So there ya have it!  Two ties against the Red Bastards!

No Sweat

The Fun starts today!

Well that was probably the easiest win we've had since I can't remember.  Beat the Orange Bastards 5-2 and it wasn't even that close.  

Upfront we had yours truly, JP, Ken, Gilles, Ti-Boy, and PA.  On the back end the three Amigos of Marc, Andy, and Kankle/Go20.

When we can say we out skated and out hustled the other team that should tell ya all you need to know.  They had the big Goalie with the black sweater in net and we peppered him all night.  If it weren't for him it would have been really ugly.  Although, we all tried multiple times to put it through his belly button...maybe we could try picking a corner once in a while.

We jumped out to a 5-0 lead then kind of coasted the last third of the game and they got a couple to make it respectable.  Gilles continued his hot streak with a pair and a great rush right around their D and scored.  Marc fed (the loafing) PA with a great pass from the side of our net right up the middle to their blue line. PA walked in a score. Hell!  Even I scored! And Kankle/Go20 was a bit winded on his return to D so grabbed a couple of penalties and spent some alone time feeling shame.

The icing on the cake was Ronnie cross checked some DipWad out of his paint with under 3 minutes to go.  Then promptly stopped the penalty shot.  I think he was bored, I doubt he got 15 shots all night.
So take that, ya Orange Bastards, 5-2 for the good guys.

Funny how things even out, eh?

As mentioned in the last entry, we won a game we shouldn't have and now to our last game, a 4-2 loss to the Red Bastards, a game in which we deserved better.
Upfront we had JP, Karl, Ken, Ti-Boy, Gilles, and myself.  On the Blueline we had Brian, Matt, and Andy.  Between the pipes, Matt's recruit Dom.  Who had a solid game.
We got off to a slow start again, which seems to be a trend since the Xmas break.  We got down 2-0.  We definitely carried the play in the second half and and battled back to tie it 2-2.  Gilles scored the tying goal with a double dipsy-doodle around the D then Rob.  We had a really good power play, but couldn't finish.  We were all over them but couldn't find the back of the net. Rob slid over and stacked the pads on a one timer from yours truly and robbed me.  Rob shut us down. Then we took a penalty with about 5 minutes left and of course they scored to take the lead 3-2. Then we took another inside of 3 and they scored on the penalty shot.  There ya have it.  4-2 loss to the Red Bastards although we deserved better.

Ronnie Stole the Show!

Ronnie's idol.  Old Hex himself!

Ah the Game of Hockey! Beat the Blue Bastards 5-0 last night at the Cage. Let's get this out of the way right now. Ronnie stood on his head and shut them down.  We pulled out a game we had no business winning.
We got out skated most of the night.  We did hustle and work, but spent a good part of the night in our end.

On the Blue line we had Matt, Brian, Ti-Ga, and Marc.  Upfront the return of Kankle (Pierre), Karl, Ti-Boy, PA, JP, Gilles, and yours truly.

As I mentioned we did hustle and work.  Ronnie was seeing everything.  We did a good job of clearing out the front of the net.  They didn't get a lot of second or third whacks at it.  We also killed off a few penalties for good measure.  We obviously did create some offence by scoring 5 goals.  Two were solid but the other two where very weak, and Gilles got a late goal by banging one in, in the front of the net.
Take that ya Blue Bastards!  5-0 for the good guys!

Catch up

Little slack in getting the updates up.  The last two games.  
We beat the Orange Bastards 4-2 in a good game.  We got behind 2-0 early.  But we kept picking away and tied it up 2-2.  JP got the winner late and then we added an empty netter to seal the deal.
Take that ya Orange Bastards! 

Before this game we had a barn burner with the Blue Bastards and came away with a 7-7 tie.  Again we got down early but came back to tie it late 6-6.  I think we actually go the go ahead goal but couldn't hang on and it ended 7-7.

Night of the Spares

Night of the Living Spares

We got the Blue Bastards 5-2 last night.  What a difference 48hrs makes. From the Abomination game on Thursday to one of the best hockey games this league as seen in probably a very long time.
Both teams brought in the spares.  Blue Bastards called in two of the best Red Bastards and another to fill out their roster.  For us, up front we had Karl, Ti-boy, Hob, JP, Rene, Joey, Remi, and Swiss.
One the blue line we had yours truly, Andy, Ti-Ga, and Paul.
Between the pipes, Hob called up Jaques.
It was a smoking pace.  Up and down with lots of chances at both ends.  It was a clean game too.  No chippy shit or mouthing off.  
We jumped out to a 2-0 lead.  We certainly had the momentum in the first 12 minutes, but the tide started to shift.  For about the next 10 minutes they poured it on.  They chipped away and managed to tie it 2-2.  Jaques was rock solid in the second half.  We started to push back in the last 10 minutes and it went back and forth.  After missing some great chances we got a break with a fluky one off the end boards to take the lead 3-2.  Karl got the back breaker with about 5 minutes to go shortly after that.  Rene scored in the last minute to ice it 5-2.
Take that ya Blue Bastards!

Abomination!

That's an Abonimal...Abomination!

What the Hell was that!  Yup and 11-8 loss to the Red Bastards.  We called in Hockey C**k (Jeremy) to step in for Ronnie.  We played three lines and three D.  Needless to say, Jeremy did not have a good night.  We started out bang, bang.  It went back and forth and it was 4-3 for the Red Bastards and I looked at the clock, it had 43 minutes left....What!
I think they scored the next five to make it 9-3.
We made a surge in the second half and got as close as 9-6, but that was as close as we got.  We exchanged a few more each and the 'Abomination' ended 11-8.
That's 19 goals in an hour of hockey.  Take in to account the warm up, whistles, and face-offs, you're looking at a goal almost every 2 minutes!