UPPER VALLEY HOCKEY LEAGUE

ODDS:	Storm Kings by 2 goals
OVER/UNDER:	10.5 goals

This couldn't be a better matchup, the high powered offensive machine that is the #2 Storm Kings, versus the defensive grinding #3 Nordiques. The Kingers are a healthy 3-0-1 against the Nordiques this season, including, taking their last 3 by a total of 28-11. The Nordiques are a new team since the last time they faced-off against the Kingers, having beaten a stack Brewers squad in a shootout to claim the 3rd seed in the playoffs and then taking their short bench to a 5-3 first round victory over the Maple Leafs.

The Kingers are led by league leading scorer Robbie "The Price Is Right" Barker (13 GP, 29G,25A, 54 P), Timmy "Lucky" Leroy (12 GP, 18G, 13A, 31P) & Dean "Dreamy" Cashman (15 GP, 13G, 17A, 30 P). Not to mention their rough and tumble defensive corp of Tommy "Gun" Scull, Artie "Hatchet" Stout, Ricky "The Mean Stare" Hughes & Stu "The Axe Murder" Close.

The Nordiques are powered by Ian "The Coate Hanger" Coates(18 GP, 12 G, 17 A, 29 P), Roger "The Dentist Drill" Phillips(18 GP, 120G, 17 A, 27 P). The Nords defensive corp isn't to shabby as Tommy "The Beast" Dakai prowls the blue line like a wild animal, Shawn "McBuffaloWingSauceAndBlueCheese" McDermott makes it REALLY hard for guys to skate ALL the way around him & Adrien "The Mullet" Melrose throws a nasty poke check.

Unfortunately, being a Nord myself, the odds are stacked in the Kinger's favor......my prediction, Storm Kings by 2 goals.....6-4

Storm Kings clinch UVHL East Title with 1:03 to play.

Game #2 of the semi-finals night ended up being a classic as the #2 Storm Kings hosted the #3 Nordiques. The Nordiques had a game plan for the high powered and extremely talented Storm Kings squad, that they pulled of to almost to perfection. Ultimately shutting down league leading point man, Robbie "The Price is WRONG" Barker and jumping out to a quick 2-0 ead on the Kinger's Dan "The Man" French.

The Kingers didn't get frustrated by the professional quality "Trap" put in place by legendary player / coach Kelly "The Gimp" Park, and the outstanding goaltending of Johnny "Back Fat" Turner. They continued to pound away all night, despite trailing the Noridiques through the first two periods and outshooting the Nords by over 3 shots to 1. The game was ultimately decided with just over a minute to go and tied a 3 apiece, when the Nord's Shawn "Captain Icing" McBuffaloWIngs decided to skate behind his own net, unattested and ice the puck with NOBODY on him. This icing, plus a timeout called by the Nordiques captain Tao "Who made this guy the captain" Smith, had a RESTED Storm Kings squad with a a faceoff to the right of Turner. The faceoff was won by "Tiny" Tim Leroy to the point where Artie "The One Man Party" slammed a slapshot through a screen, forcing Turner to leave a rebound in the slot. The Kinger's captain, Dean "The Dream" Cashman fought through the muscled Tommy "Guns" Dakai to hammer the rebound under a diving Turner for the heart-breaking game-winning goal.

All-in-all, the Nordiques played their hearts out, and held the Kingers to 4 goals, but being outshot 45-15 doesn't generally turn into a win, and therefore the Storm Kings earned a solid win behind a great night from "Tiny" Tim Leroy (1 g, 2a) and Cashman (GWG, 1a).

The night started out with the Nordique's captain Tao "The Monk" Smith firing home a loose puck in the slot after Roger "The Dentist Drill" Phillips fired a shot from the point that hit a body in the slot and dropped onto the stick of a bewildered and luck Smith. I actually think Smith was confused, thought he was in his own end and tried to throw the puck into the corner, but missed by 40 feet and threw it at the net, resulting in the go-ahead goal with 12:10 to go in the first.

The Nords jumped out to a 2-0 lead with 7:58 to go when Ian "Midas Touch" Coates finished a Phillips pass, high glove side. That lead was short lived as exactly 3 minutes later a lucky bounce got the Kingers back in the game. The bounce was generated when Barker, from behind the net, found Deano Cash in the slot to the right of Turner. Cashman had to fire a quick one-time snap shot, that missed the net by 2 feet near side, bounced off the boards behind the net to the opposite post where Timmy Leroy was positioned. Leroy fired a quick shot past a stunned Turner. The King's Artie "The Hook" Stout tied the game up just 23 seconds later with a slap shot from the near point, through a screen, and into the upper corner...glove side. Turner was down, doing everything he could to see through the mass of bodies positioned right in front of him and trying to take away everything along the ice.

END OF THE FIRST: Storm Kings 2, Nordiques 2
SAVES: French(SK) 4, Turner(Nords) 11

The Kingers were on a mission in the second as they peppered Turner with 21 shots, while keeping the Nordiques to just 5. The ice was definitely tilting towards the Nordiques end, but they did an excellent job keeping the shots to the perimeter and out of the slot as well as clearing out the lanes so Turner had a clear view. The Kings did run two efficient but unproductive powerplays behind back to back Richie "The Goon" penalties on Leroy, but the Nordiques still struck first with 3:56 to go in the period. The goal came on a HAIL MARY pass from Tao Smith to Phillips, who went in all alone on French, making a quick move in the slot to his forehand and throwing the puck back through the 5 hole. Things were looking good for the Nordiques, until Ian Gill came storming down the near boards with 1:01 remaining and blasted a rocket inside the far post on Turner to tie the game up 3-3.

END OF THE SECOND: Storm Kings 3, Nordiques 3
SAVES: French(SK) 9, Turner(Nords) 31

The 3rd period was a battle, back and forth. The Nordiques were able to clean up their own end and only allow half the amount of shots as in the 2nd period (10), while the Storm Kings continued to dominate their own end by allowing the Nordiques only 5. There was only one penalty in the period behind Ricky "Danger Mouse" Hughes' hooking call just 13:34 into the period. As I mentioned in the intro, the game came down to two plays; 1) Shawn McRetard decided to ice the puck with a minute to go and nobody around him......and an entire lane that he could have skated up the far boards. 2) A faceoff in the Nordiques defensive zone, with a clean faceoff win by Leroy, point shot from "King" Arthur Stout through a screen and the rebound jammed in by "Mean" Dean Cashman with 1:03 to go in the game.

It was a valiant and solid team effort by the Nordiques, but the better team did prevail. Backed by the "Good enough" goaltending philosophy of Dan "The Man" French, and the hard knocked defensive stylings of Stout & Tommy "The Innocent One" Scull. So much focus was put on stopping the powerhouse KIngers from scoring that their offensive chances were limited to mostly excellent scoring opportunities, French did make some spectacular saves while Turner was brilliant yet again for the offensively challenged Nordiques.

With the win, the Storm Kings have either won the opportunity to be Co-Champions with Tuck who beat the Brewers 4-2 (including an open netter) earlier tonight. Due to poor scheduling, the enitre Tuck team will be on break from business school, and therefore they can not field a team for the March 11th finals. The Storm Kings were gracious enough to postpone the championship game until later this month or if Tuck accepts the Co-Championship trophy if Tuck so wishes.

 

Team:	Time:	Type:	Player:	Details:
1st PERIOD
NDQ	12:10	Goal	Smith, Tao(3)	Assist(s): Phillips, Roger(7)
NDQ	07:58	Goal	Coates, Ian(9)	Assist(s): Phillips, Roger(8) Mckenna, Richie(4)
STK	04:58	Goal	LeRoy, Tim(5)	Assist(s): Cashman, Dean(7) Barker, Rob(11)
STK	04:35	Goal	Stout, Artie(1)	Assist(s): Gosselin, Greg(2)
NDQ	00:59	Penalty	Willis, David(3)	2 minutes for High Sticking
2nd PERIOD
NDQ	10:26	Penalty	Mckenna, Richie(2)	2 minutes for Checking
NDQ	07:53	Penalty	Mckenna, Richie(3)	2 minutes for Tripping
NDQ	03:56	Goal	Phillips, Roger(8)	Assist(s): Mckenna, Richie(5)
STK	01:01	Goal	Gill, Ian(5)	Assist(s): LeRoy, Tim(5) White, Marty(2)
3rd PERIOD
STK	13:34	Penalty	Hughes, Rick(2)	2 minutes for Tripping
STK	01:03	Goal	Cashman, Dean(4)	Assist(s): Stout, Artie(3) LeRoy, Tim(6)

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Game Comments:
hkydoc WRJ, VT Registered: Jan 2004 Posts: 517	I predict a Norewer-Brewers Whalen Cup final! Mar 4th, 2008 03:12 PM It is official, my predciction is TWO upsets tonight in the semi-finals to give a Nords-Brewers Whalen Cup Championship match-up for 2007-08. Tuck and the Storm Queens are going down! YAAAAHHHHH! McDefense, OUT!
hkydoc WRJ, VT Registered: Jan 2004 Posts: 517	I predict a Nords-Brewers Whalen Cup final! Mar 4th, 2008 03:13 PM Oops, typo in the title, eh.
The Dark Canuck Fairlee, VT Registered: Dec 2004 Posts: 340	I agree and am hopeful Mar 4th, 2008 03:35 PM That a Nords/Brewers final will be inevitable. I also think that Kelly is thinking like we always knew where his heart really lies. With his pals on the Storm Kings. Haven't any of you wondered why every single time we played the Kingers win or lose, Kelly was the one in THEIR dressing room, handing out high-fives or reach-arounds, or back rubs or whatever. I think the Nords will definitely be in tough tonight. But so will the Kingers. We should all give 110% every shift, and win every battle. We should also prove the" Co-Commish" in training wrong and pound the Kingers into the ice. Good luck to all tonight, keep your stick on the ice!
hkydoc WRJ, VT Registered: Jan 2004 Posts: 517	Storm Queens trump Nords 4-3 in epic UVHL battle... Mar 5th, 2008 12:45 AM Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I was wrong and a minus-1 in the game, but it was a great game, and it was tied until 1:04 left in the contest when the Storm Queens pounced on a loose puck in front of JT like a 2 dollar crack whore going down on her dinner ticket. Great game, no need for the Nords to hang their heads, tied 3-3 until the late seconds, JT outshot 46-12 or something like that, Frenchy with a 56% save percentage. Congrats to the Kingers on a hard fought and clean semi-final, and on their Whalen Cup berth vs Tuck, whenever that may be... Great season Nords, and two awesome back-to-back playoff weeks. Lets continue the dynasty and take another bronze next week, eh! Yaaaaaaahhhh! McDefense, OUT!