UPPER VALLEY HOCKEY LEAGUE

Battle of the Undefeateds

ODDS:	TUCK By 1 Goal
OVER/UNDER:	5 Goals

Both Tuck and the Gamblers have started the season without a loss thanks in part to a weak schedule and pure dominance. Tuck hasn't had a BYE week yet and has blasted Dead River twice by a combined score of 13-1 and then absolutely ruined the Nordiques 9-0 as they seem to be getting stronger each week. In three games Tuck's goaltender, Mike "SuperFine" Devine has two shutouts and a 0.33 GAA...ridiculous.

The Gamblers have scored 17 goals in two games while only allowing 5. Their first win was a 5-2 win over the Whalers followed by a 12-3 thumping of Dead River.

Tuck beat Dead River 6-0 and 7-1, the Gamblers beat them 12-3. The Gamblers can clearly score at a record pace and have an unrelenting offense. The big question is whether or not Tuck pulled their foot off the gas as against Dead River. The next question is whether or not anyone can put up more than 1 goal on Tuck & Devine?

Both teams are solid offensively seeing as the top 6 in goals, assists & points are interchangeable from the Gamblers & Tuck. The Gambler's Matty "The Milkman" Marrazzo leads the league with 8 points in 2 games followed by Tuck's Brandon "The Harry One" Harrington, Eric "The Rat" Rautiola & Jed "McNasty" McDonald all with 7 points.

This should be one hell of a show and I'd recommend all stick around to watch. Vegas has this one being a tight game...3-2 Tuck. My gut...4-1 Tuck.

Hot Tuck Cooled Off By Gamblers

The Tuck Turduckens have finally been cooled off after starting the season on an unbelievable tear. Tuck started the season by outscoring their opponents 23-1 with dominant wins over Dead River(6-0), Dead River(7-1) and Nordiques(9-0). Tuck's netminder Mike "The Miracle" Devine was outstanding in those wins and looked utterly unbeatable.

The Gamblers started with a pretty impressive 2-0 record, outscoring their opponents 17-5, but were still underdogs by a goal in this one.

This one looked as if it were going to be ugly as it didn't take long for the Tuckies to get on the board. Brandon "The Harry One" Harrington to Jeff "The Wasp" Wannop back to Harrington crashing the far post...bam, goal. 1-0 Tuck on the first shot, first shift only 30 seconds in. Tuck's Jed "McNasty" McDonald made it 2-0 on a broken play where the puck landed on the stick of McDonald to the right of Van Schoik. McD gathered the puck and quickly threw the puck 5-hole for a 2-0 lead. This looked as though it was going to be another Tuck blowout but the Gamblers regained their poise, which has made them the best team in the UVie for the past 4 years, and got back in the game. With Tuck's Peter "The Fever" Lefeber in the box of shame for tripping, Topp "Thing 1" LaCroix found himself behind the net and took the puck to the far corner. Thing 1 quickly moved the puck to his brother Goose "Thing 2" LaCroix in front of the net all alone, where Thing 2 slid the puck right along the ice inside the far post to cut Tuck's lead in half.

END OF THE FIRST: Tuck 2, Gamblers 1. SAVES: Devine(TCK) 11, Van Schoik(GMB) 11

With 12:42 left in the second, Tuck's Harrington has a Shorthanded breakaway and beats Van Schoik but looses the puck on the backhand.

The game started getting ugly early in the 2nd as neither team likes the physical stuff but dishes it out. There were 14 penalties in the second period but the referees did a great job of setting the tone and calming the game down.

Tuck didn't register their first shot of the second until 11:11 while the Gamblers carried play.

The G-Men got back in the game with a pair of goals mid-way through the second from Jason "The Convict" Young and Dan "The Danimal" Ammel. Young's first of the season and possibly the first in the past 4 years.

Young's first of the night came on a point shot from Marc "The Narc" Gattie that squibs through Devine, only to find young crashing the net to jam it home.

The Gamblers took the lead as The Danimal took it up near boards and into Tuck's zone, making a cross zone to Matty "The Milkman" Marrazzo who returns the favor to Dano crashing backdoor. A Beaut of a goal!

Tuck tied the game with 3:03 left in the second with a powerplay goal. With Young in the box for tripping, Wannop lets a point blast go, Van Schoik left the rebound at top of the crease, where Mike Nowak whacked it home...Tie game.

Young made up for the tripping call and ensuing goal by cleaning up a point shot from Gary "The Gardner" Smith who's point shot hit off a shin pad in the hight slot and onto the stick of Young all along coming from the far boards. Devine was out playing the shot and didn't have a chance to get back.

The game continued to get heated as both teams were screaming from their benches and pleading for calls from the referees.

END OF THE SECOND: Gamblers 4, Tuck 3

Tuck tied the game up on the first play by another flukey goal from McDonald. McD was heading behind the net and tried throwing the puck out front but hit a defenseman's stick, sending the puck up in the air, over the net and onto Van Schoik's back. Van Schoik saw what was about to happen and tried to get out of the way, but the puck rolled down his back and into the net.

Marc "The Narc" Gattie tallied the eventual game winner with 10:10 to play on a point shot that hit someone or something on it's way to the net and changed direction past Devine.

The game shifted directions after that point as the Gamblers went into defensive mode to protect the lead and Tuck started taking chances and carrying the play. Devine did get called on to make a Hasek-like spine snapping save on a Douglas "Heavy" Heavisides breakaway with 6:58 to play. Van Schoik was solid turning away everything he saw and notching the win.

 

Team:	Time:	Type:	Player:	Details:
1st PERIOD
TCK	14:30	Goal	Harrington, Brandon (4)	Assist(s): Wannop, Jeff(3)
TCK	12:26	Goal	McDonald, Jed(6)	Assist(s): Vaughn, Spencer(2)
GMB	08:58	Penalty	Ammel, Robert(2)	2 minutes for Slashing
TCK	02:42	Penalty	Lefeber, Peter(1)	2 minutes for Tripping
GMB	02:20	Goal	(PP)LaCroix, Ryan(5)	Assist(s): LaCroix, Topo(4)
2nd PERIOD
TCK	14:34	Penalty	Dawson, John(2)	2 minutes for Hooking
TCK	11:48	Penalty	Rautiola, Eric(2)	4 minutes for Roughing
GMB	11:48	Penalty	LaCroix, Ryan(1)	2 minutes for Roughing
GMB	11:35	Penalty	Heavisides, Douglas(1)	2 minutes for Tripping
GMB	09:04	Goal	Young, Jason(1)	Assist(s): Heavisides, Douglas(3) Gattie, Marc(4)
GMB	08:34	Goal	Ammel, Robert(4)	Assist(s): Marrazzo, Matt(5)
TCK	06:38	Penalty	Devooght, Mark(2)	2 minutes for Cross Checking
GMB	06:02	Penalty	Marrazzo, Matt(1)	2 minutes for Hooking
GMB	03:29	Penalty	Young, Jason(1)	2 minutes for Tripping
TCK	03:03	Goal	(PP)Nowak, Mike(2)	Assist(s): Wannop, Jeff(4)
GMB	00:23	Goal	Young, Jason(2)	Assist(s): Smith, Gary(2)
3rd PERIOD
TCK	14:12	Goal	McDonald, Jed(7)	Assist(s): none
GMB	10:10	Goal	Gattie, Marc(3)	Assist(s): LaCroix, Topo(5)
GMB	09:15	Penalty	Harrington, Mike(2)	2 minutes for Body Checking

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