UPPER VALLEY HOCKEY LEAGUE

Quarterfinal #2 - Nordiques vs. Whalers

ODDS:	Nords by 1
OVER/UNDER:	14

This one is gonna be interesting... The Whalers are on a late season roll and outscored the Nords 8-7 in a barnburner two weeks ago. I've been sick and the write-up is still in progress, but what I can tell you is that defense was thrown out the window and several goals were scored only to be answered by the other team on the very same shift. Will that happen in the playoffs? I doubt it. This will be a cautious game and the Nords will need to focus on defense to have any chance. The Whalers are playing with no pressure and are having fun. The Nords would do well to have an element of fun in their game, while at the same time pay attention to their own end. If Kelly Park tries to pinch, join the rush every shift, and do too much, then the Nords are done. Lallier can steal a game when it counts, but JT's solid goaltending has the edge. The Nords D are deeper, but the Whalers forwards are younger, and that could be the difference. However, the Nords do have history on their side - Nords by 1.

Whalers win first ever playoff game, advance to Semis: 7-4 over Nordiques

The lowly Whalers aren't so lowly anymore after winning their last 3 games, two of which over the Nordiques. Tonight they were outstanding as they outplayed the Nords in all 3 zones, limiting their offensive chances and winning a majority of the one-on-one battles.

Rookie, A.J. "Sniper" Hamel was the difference maker, with what be a playoff record 5 goals. Hamel played alongside rookie Mike "The Hartford Flash" Avery and Cody "Mullet" Vose. Avery added a goal and assist and Vose had a trio of assists as the "Hurricane" line struck fear in the entire Nordique's squad with their speed and tenacity.

The Nordiques were without their leading goal scorer, Jordy "McMuffin" McGee who was traveling abroad as the local representative for NAMBLA. Without McGee's speed, the Nordiques were lethargic and slow and the Whaler's took advantage scoring off a turnover down low just 2:08 into the game. Hamel got his first of the night as the turnover led to Hamel taking a pass from Vose, walking out of the far corner on his forehand and firing a LASER BEAM under the cross bar, far side on the Nordique's Johnny "Temper Tantrum" Turner. Hamel struck again with 6:04 remaining after a long shot by Jason "The Bling" Grambling, led to a save by Turner with the rebound sitting at the top of the crease. Turner went to fire the puck out o the zone with Hamel bearing down on him, but he misfired, allowing Hamel to deposit the loose puck into the empty net.

END OF THE FIRST: Whalers DOS, Nordiques CERO (two to nothing...that's Spanglish dummy)

The Whaler's domination continued in the second period with 3 goals from the Mighty Whale. The Nordiques were even more hapless than they were in the first period as the Whalers jumped out to a comfortable 5-0 lead behind a Jay "Big-Z" Zanleoni, Avery and ANOTHER Hamel goal. Zanleoni, who's timely transition from center to defense has solidified this team, made it 3-0 with a face-high slapshot from the point through traffic. Avery finished a pass from Zach "No Catch The Pass" Aher at 8:14 quickly followed by Hamel's third of the night at 7:37.

The Noridques had a chance to get on the board with Aher in the box at 3:13 and a pending call coming on Jason "Rough House" Roulliard on Greg "Mad As Hell" Marsh. Marsh thought a punch to Roulliard's face was more important than a 5 on 3 powerplay in a f*cking playoff game when your team needed an offensive spark while down 5-0. So Marshy offset Roulliard's tripping penalty with a roughing one of his own to close out the 2nd period.

END OF THE SECOND: Whalers 5, Nordiques ZERO

The Nordiques mustered some energy to start the third, unwilling to go down without a fight they added a pair of their own goals in the first two minutes. Ian "Turn" Coates took a Kelly "The Mouth" Park pass in the first minute and buried it in Lallier's Biscuit Basket only to see Roger "Wooden Teeth" Phillips make it a game on a NASTY unassisted goal 58 seconds later that saw him dangle around 3 Whalers out of the corner before stepping to the front of the net and sliding a backhander inside the far post on Lallier. The comeback was short-lived and ended at 5-2 when an Anthony Ciardelli hooking penalty allowed Hamel to get his 4th of the night from his best buddy Cody Vose. Pierce "Mayhem" Mayhew cut the lead to 6-3 late in the game on an unassisted goal before Hamel put a nail in the coffin with a short-handed empty netter from who else but Vose.

END OF REGULATION: Whalers 7, Nordiques 3

The Whalers have finally arrived! With two solid wins over the Nordiques including a stellar defensive effort this week, they are poised to give the Gamblers a hell of a game. Hamel was OUTSTANDING, wreaking havoc on Turner ever chance he could get. Lallier was at his best, making huge saves when he needed to, and the defense has been solidified with Zanleoni patrolling the Blue-line.

 

Team:	Time:	Type:	Player:	Details:
1st PERIOD
WHL	13:52	Goal	Hamel, A.J.(3)	Assist(s): Vose, Cody(6) Johnson, Kirt(7)
WHL	06:04	Goal	Hamel, A.J.(4)	Assist(s): Gramling, Jason(13)
2nd PERIOD
WHL	12:34	Goal	Zanleoni, Jay(20)	Assist(s): Avery, Michael(4)
WHL	08:14	Goal	Avery, Michael(7)	Assist(s): Aher, Zach(6)
WHL	07:37	Goal	Hamel, A.J.(5)	Assist(s): none
WHL	03:13	Penalty	Aher, Zach(6)	2 minutes for Too Many Men
WHL	02:46	Penalty	rouillard, jason(5)	2 minutes for Tripping
NDQ	02:46	Penalty	Marsh, Greg(6)	2 minutes for Roughing
3rd PERIOD
NDQ	14:07	Goal	Coates, Ian(20)	Assist(s): Park, Kelly(16)
NDQ	13:09	Goal	Phillips, Roger(14)	Assist(s): none
NDQ	12:05	Penalty	Ciardelli, Anthony(2)	2 minutes for Hooking
WHL	11:47	Goal	Hamel, A.J.(6)	Assist(s): Vose, Cody(7)
WHL	02:25	Penalty	Gaede, Chuck(3)	2 minutes for Hooking
NDQ	01:39	Goal	Mayhew, Pierce(17)	Assist(s): none
WHL	00:27	Goal	Hamel, A.J.(7)	Assist(s): Vose, Cody(8)

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Game Comments:
Z-Skate White River Jct, VT Registered: Posts: 108	A previous post ... Mar 28th, 2011 12:45 PM If this game comes down to goalies .. I give that edge to Keeny L b/c JT is just a basket case when it comes to pressure. I am saying 5-5 tie and the young Whale forwards prevail in the shoot-out. Sorry JT. All we really have to do is run you a few times and you will be so far off your game .. the Nords would be better off putting Greg "the bong" in net. In any event .. I heard Gary was bringing some Doritos for after the game.
kpark Quechee, VT Registered: Dec 2003 Posts: 723	HA HA HA! Mar 28th, 2011 04:18 PM IN RESPONSE TO: BY: Z-Skate If this game comes down to goalies .. I give that edge to Keeny L b/c JT is just a basket case when it comes to pressure. I am saying 5-5 tie and the young Whale forwards prevail in the shoot-out. Sorry JT. All we really have to do is run you a few times and you will be so far off your game .. the Nords would be better off putting Greg "the bong" in net. In any event .. I heard Gary was bringing some Doritos for after the game. Too funny Jay, I'm bringing Doritos now too! Damn, you are right, Turner is a nut-job. But he's made HUGE strides with his therapist in the past 10 days. After a quick lobotomy tonight, his therapist says that he will be completely focused on stopping the puck tomorrow! I'm looking forward to this game, and I'm not taking you guys lightly again, last time got me yelled at in the locker room. KP
kpark Quechee, VT Registered: Dec 2003 Posts: 723	Over / Under? Mar 29th, 2011 10:22 AM Wow, McDelicious! 14 fucking goals scored in this one? You are on crack! That 8-7 game was a fluke, this one should be a bit tighter, especially since the Nordiques will be without leading scorer Jordy "McMissedBreakaway" McGee. KP
Grambo Hartford, VT Registered: Posts: 13	Last night's game. Mar 30th, 2011 09:07 AM Hey McD. You should probably flip-flop those numbers on the score board. I know your boys probably told you that your team won. But I promise you it wasn't even close.
hkydoc WRJ, VT Registered: Jan 2004 Posts: 517	Oh no... Mar 30th, 2011 02:07 PM The Whalers upset my boys for their first ever playoff win. I feel horrible, but must congratulate the Whalers for making team history. Good luck the rest of the way, eh. McD
The Dark Canuck Fairlee, VT Registered: Dec 2004 Posts: 340	Whatever Mar 31st, 2011 08:58 AM I will congratulate the "WHALERS" that I know as the Whalers, Including LALALALALALAllier, and the rest of the "CORE" team. The team that beat us was a few 18 yr-old snipers, that have no doubt a lot of skill, and outplayed us for at least 2 periods. Kenny stood on his head, and looked like 20-yr-old out there, Zanleoni, fresh off his 2-hr intensive session at Sylvan learning centers, was wicked sharp at defense, and his mass of ass clogged up the slot, preventing any Nord counter-attack. Here's a little tip for ya, don't fucking trash us Jay when you finally have us down by 5, after countless ass-whoopings over the last how many seasons, not one of us (other than Park) have ever lowered ourselves to that kind of B.S. I DID however lose my cool after getting hauled down in front of the net, I felt shame, cooled down in the box, and apologized for acting like a total DICK! My bad.. Overall, good luck to the Whale, and good luck to Kenny...good to see you playing so well!
Z-Skate White River Jct, VT Registered: Posts: 108	Trash talking .. Apr 1st, 2011 09:15 AM IN RESPONSE TO: BY: The Dark Canuck I will congratulate the "WHALERS" that I know as the Whalers, Including LALALALALALAllier, and the rest of the "CORE" team. The team that beat us was a few 18 yr-old snipers, that have no doubt a lot of skill, and outplayed us for at least 2 periods. Kenny stood on his head, and looked like 20-yr-old out there, Zanleoni, fresh off his 2-hr intensive session at Sylvan learning centers, was wicked sharp at defense, and his mass of ass clogged up the slot, preventing any Nord counter-attack. Here's a little tip for ya, don't fucking trash us Jay when you finally have us down by 5, after countless ass-whoopings over the last how many seasons, not one of us (other than Park) have ever lowered ourselves to that kind of B.S. I DID however lose my cool after getting hauled down in front of the net, I felt shame, cooled down in the box, and apologized for acting like a total DICK! My bad.. Overall, good luck to the Whale, and good luck to Kenny...good to see you playing so well! Marshy, stop being an ass.. I repeated one thing I had said in a pre-game warm-up. If a jovial statement about you being in net is "trash talking" which would imply I had continuously lowered myself to that level of B.S. during the game.. I am really sorry. On a side note, trash talking is all about getting inside an opponent%u2019s head to get them off their game - it's not meant to be malicious, certainly not in a men%u2019s league. Wow, I think it worked on ol' Marshy's fragile %u201CEgo%u201D or is it your %u201CId%u201D? Nope can%u2019t be your %u201CId%u201D because you are still a great hockey player deep down inside that part of your mind %u2013 it must have been the %u201Cego%u201D I got to with a little of the perfection driven %u201CSuper-Ego%u201D sprinkled in.. I think or at least I was taught that hockey is a team game so Park's countless banter (trash talk in Greg's world) would be a direct reflection on the Nords as a whole. For the record, I said one thing with some excitement inbetween and Marshy please don%u2019t hit me.
rgrunds Stowe, VT Registered: Posts: 376	Marshy's a Mench Apr 1st, 2011 02:39 PM IN RESPONSE TO: BY: The Dark Canuck I will congratulate the "WHALERS" that I know as the Whalers, Including LALALALALALAllier, and the rest of the "CORE" team. The team that beat us was a few 18 yr-old snipers, that have no doubt a lot of skill, and outplayed us for at least 2 periods. Kenny stood on his head, and looked like 20-yr-old out there, Zanleoni, fresh off his 2-hr intensive session at Sylvan learning centers, was wicked sharp at defense, and his mass of ass clogged up the slot, preventing any Nord counter-attack. Here's a little tip for ya, don't fucking trash us Jay when you finally have us down by 5, after countless ass-whoopings over the last how many seasons, not one of us (other than Park) have ever lowered ourselves to that kind of B.S. I DID however lose my cool after getting hauled down in front of the net, I felt shame, cooled down in the box, and apologized for acting like a total DICK! My bad.. Overall, good luck to the Whale, and good luck to Kenny...good to see you playing so well!
The Dark Canuck Fairlee, VT Registered: Dec 2004 Posts: 340	Z...please Apr 1st, 2011 03:34 PM IN RESPONSE TO: BY: rgrunds Im not quite sure what your message said entirely...not sure what happened with all the weird symbols or whatever, but yes, I DO let my emotions get the best of me at times..and I actually THOUGHT I heard u say "are we gonna put any in the net tonight" But if u actually said u thought I might get in between the pipes, NOW THAT would be funny. I would have probably torn a labia or something REAL fast. You guys deserved the win..we sucked. PERIOD. I hope you guys do well, and continue your amazing streak...I really think having you back on D made a big difference... My prediction..La "Pearl Necklace" scores the game-winner...GO WHALE!