UPPER VALLEY HOCKEY LEAGUE

Semi-Final Action: Nordiques @ Gamblers

ODDS:	Gamblers By 5 Goals
OVER/UNDER:	11 Goals

The Gamblers have pretty much owned every team this season. Their only blemish to a perfect season was their last game of the regular season where the Whalers shocked them and the world with a 3-0 shutout, proving that the sparkplug for this team isn't the MMA line, but Allison Malcolm; their second line center who was out with a dislocated shoulder or some kind of injury.

The Nordiques have been completely and utterly inconsistent. Injuries and roster problems have plagued them all season, but a dominating 9-2 win over a half-dozen Dead River players last week has probably inflated their egos a bit.

Nordiques, come back to earth. The Gamblers have OUTSCORED YOU 43-11 in 5 games this season. That being said, if the Nordique's goaltender Johnny "Temper Tantrum" Turner decides to show up, and the Nords play their style of game they can make it interesting.

Who are we kidding, the Gamblers have dominated the Nordiques all season, scoring 11 goals against them twice, shutting them out 8-0 another time and then two other pretty dominant wins.

Same score as last match, Gamblers win 8-3.

Gamblers Rout Nordiques 11-3

It was yet another epic ass-kicking at the hands of the Gamblers as they routed the hapless Nordiques 11-3. Sparked by a seven goal first period and some pent-up aggression over a 3-0 loss to the Whalers in the final week of the regular season that ended their bid for a perfect season.

That 3-0 loss to the Whalers was probably the worst thing that could have happened to the rest of the league. After routing the rest of the league to a 21-0-0 record they may have been a bit too comfortable and a loss has waken up the sleeping monster.

Leading the way for the Gamblers were Marc "The Narc" Gattie(1g, 4a), Willy "Weeble" Meyer(2g, 2a) and Martin "The Tomahawk" Tomanik(3g). Although it took almost four minutes for the Gamblers to get the first goal, it was all Gamblers as the Nordiques looked lethargic and terrified of the G-Machine.

Meyer opened up the scoring on a pass from his BFF Matty "The Milkman" Marrazzo(1g, 1a) and let a lazer rip from the far face-off dot that hit a crossbar, post in and then out so fast that some didn't even realize it was a goal. It was then all Gamblers yet again for almost three minutes before Topo "LaInsect" LaCroix made a quick shift from the far face-off dot, again, to the boards and fired a tricky shot over glove. Turner didn't quite look ready for either of the first two goals, and despite making 40 saves, he was clearly not at his best.

The goals kept coming in the first as the Gamblers used SEVEN different goal scorers. Tomanik had a beaut of a goal as he forced a turnover on the near corner, beat his defenseman to the front of the post and then beat two other Nordiques for his own rebound, 3-0. Nick "The Stick" McDonald scored with a deflected point shot just 19 seconds later and Gattie 65 seconds later, splitting the Nords defense and getting his own rebound with 3:03 to play.

Five to nothing and the Gamblers still looked hungry, ready to make a statement to the Nordiques and the league. They scored two more in the last minute of the first with Ryan LaCroix putting a slapper through a defenseman and Turner and then an amazing tic-tac-toe backdoor goal that went Meyer to Gattie to Marrazzo.

The Nordiques were outshot 22-6 in the period, allowing seven goals...and it wasn't pretty.

END OF THE FIRST: Gamblers 7, Nordiques 0

The second period saw the Gamblers pull off the gas a bit. Some of that can be attributed to the Nordiques getting their collective heads out of their asses, but mostly the Gamblers seemed to sit back. Both teams scored a pair of goals in the period with the Gamblers getting the first two. Tomanik scored his second of the night , unassisted, with a wrister off the blocker side post and in and completed the hat trick on a tick-tac-toe play from Gattie & Meyer.

The Nords STORMED Back with a pair of late goals just 12 seconds apart. Tommy "The Minister of Defense" Dakai saw his point shot tipped in by the Gamlber's Ryan "The Boogyman" Bergeron. And off the ensuing faceoff an Eric "Special K" Krivitzky to "Fierce" Pierce Mayhew shot saw Jordy "McBreakaway" McGee jam home the rebound.

END OF THE SECOND: Gamblers 9, Nordiques 2

The third period was more like the first but Turner was drastically better for the Nords. Turner stopped 14 of 16 shots and the Gamblers outscored their opponent 2-1. At the other end of the ice Jeremy "The Seed" Seidling stopped 6 of 7 in the final period but saw a significantly less amount of action in his end.

Bergeron opened scoring in the period with 10:16 to play when his pointshot was tipped by a Nordique player in front past Turner and 35 seconds later a Shawn "McNonDefense" McDermott turnover at center ice saw Gattie feed Meyer on a breakaway. Meyer wrang the post again and in.

The Nords scored one more with 1:53 to play when Douglas "Heavy" Heavisides finished a pass from Tao "Mr. Zen" Smith.

END OF REGULATION: Gamblers 11, Nordiques 3

Seidling came away with the win, stopping 20 of 23 shots while Turner took the loss with 40 of 51 shots saved.

The Gamblers have move to the finals where they will shoot for redemption against the Whalers

 

Team:	Time:	Type:	Player:	Details:
1st PERIOD
GMB	11:03	Goal	Meyer, Will(47)	Assist(s): Marrazzo, Matt(41)
NDQ	10:56	Penalty	Krivitzky, Eric(5)	2 minutes for Tripping
GMB	08:04	Goal	LaCroix, Topo(29)	Assist(s): MacDonald, Nick (12)
GMB	04:27	Goal	Tomanik, Martin(10)	Assist(s): none
GMB	04:08	Goal	MacDonald, Nick (8)	Assist(s): none
GMB	03:03	Goal	Gattie, Marc(13)	Assist(s): none
GMB	00:53	Goal	LaCroix, Ryan(8)	Assist(s): Smith, Gary(6)
GMB	00:22	Goal	Marrazzo, Matt(32)	Assist(s): Gattie, Marc(22) Meyer, Will(24)
2nd PERIOD
GMB	12:42	Goal	Tomanik, Martin(11)	Assist(s): none
GMB	06:24	Goal	Tomanik, Martin(12)	Assist(s): Gattie, Marc(23) Meyer, Will(25)
NDQ	04:01	Goal	Dakai, Tom(3)	Assist(s): McGee, Jordan(16)
NDQ	03:49	Goal	McGee, Jordan(7)	Assist(s): Mayhew, Pierce(11) Krivitzky, Eric(9)
GMB	03:14	Penalty	MacDonald, Nick (11)	2 minutes for Hooking
3rd PERIOD
GMB	10:16	Goal	Bergeron, Ryan(6)	Assist(s): Gattie, Marc(24)
GMB	09:41	Goal	Meyer, Will(48)	Assist(s): Gattie, Marc(25) Bergeron, Ryan(15)
NDQ	01:53	Goal	Heavisides, Douglas(5)	Assist(s): Smith, Tao(3)

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