UPPER VALLEY HOCKEY LEAGUE

In the first game of the night we have Tuck hosting the Whalers. Tuck comes into this week off a loss to the Gamblers and the Whalers come into this week off a loss to the Blues. Both teams are looking to get back on track as the season is winding down quickly. The Whalers have taken both games this year and look for tonight to be no difference as the Whalers are deep this year nad playing some of the best hockey the league has seen.  Look for the Whale to take this game by the score of 5-1. 

Tuck gets first win with 7-2 Thumping of Whalers

The defending UVHL Champion Tuckies recorded their second win in nine tries on Tuesday night in epic fashion as they throttled the Whalers 7-2.  Tuck's offensive was powered by a Five Point nights from Brodie Stone & Carter Stewart, a four poing night from Matthew Stevens and three assists from defenseman Pat Doherty.

The Whalers started the night off just over 3 minutes into the game when Pretty Ricky Golden set up shop in the corner to Tuck's Steve Hrudy's right.  Golden held the puck for a few seconds until Brian "Swampy" Marsh set up in the slot for a quick shot and then jamming home his own rebound.  That feeling lasted only 18 seconds before a Tuck 2 on 1 turned into a fantastic pass from Stone to Stewart in the high slot.  Stewart through a hard should fake at Whaler's goalie Tucker "THG" Garrity-Hanchett before sliding the puck to his backhand and then depositing the puck into the empty net as he crashed into the end boards.

Three minutes later Tuck capitalized on a lack of defensive play by the Whalers when Stone took a feed in the slot and walked in all alone on TGH, sniping top shelf to put his team up 2-1.  THREE MINUTES later, Stone converted a Matty "Frax" Fracassi turnover behind the net with a quick wrap to the front, beating TGH low blocker side.  You could look at it two ways...it was a fantasic period for the Tuckies....or just a terrible defensive effort by the Whalers.  Probably a mixture of both.

Tuck potted 4 more goals in the second period from Carter, Matthews and another pair from Brodie Stone to put his team up comfortable 7-1.  The Whalers threw as many shots on Tuck goalie Steve "The Ruby" Hrudy, but The Ruby stood tall and shiny and kept his crease clear.  Tuck's first goal in the second came just over a minute into the period when a blueline turnover saw Pat Doherty start a tic-tac-toe goal with  Carter Stewart finishing a Matthew Stevens pass off on the pack post.

With 11 minutes to play in the second, Stewart picked a Whaler's defenseman again before finding Stevens in the slot for a quick shot glove side on TGH.  It was an absolute mental win for the Whalers as they kept Tuck off the scoreboard for 7 straight minutes, but with just over 4 minutes to play, but Tuck's sixth goal was a thing of beauty as Pat Doherty picked up a Whalers turnover at the tops of the circles, faked shot and fed Brodie Stone at the bottom of the circle for a zero-angle one-timer past TGH...who had ZERO chance to save that PERTY SHOT!  The Whalers should have walked off the ice at this point as it was clear that the Tuckies were using their superior intellect and chemical enhancers to mind read and see into the future.  That...or this was some sort of Belichick-ian cheating  scandal that will eventually be exposed.

With 1:47 left in the period, Stone decided he wanted to just completely mind-fuck the Whalers by somehow getting behind the defense and being sprung by Doherty on a breakaway, firing a glorious snapper high glove side on TGH who was immediately put on suicide watch. 

Legend will say that the merciless Tuck Men's Hockey team of 2019-2020, at that very moment they made it 7-1, showed mercy for a clearly inferior opponent and decided to stop scoring.  The Whalers will say that they played great defense in the third...the truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.

Regardless  of the truth, the Whalers came out with a chip on their shoulders and popped one in just 31 seconds into the third.  Pete "The Meat" Scalia took a cross-zone pass from Matty Frax at the top of the right circle before feathering a perfect pass to Kelly Park back post.  Park will say it was all skill, but truth be told, Helen Keller could have redirected that pass into the empty net.

The remainder of the third period, all 14:29, was a chess match.  The Whalers played with fire after cutting Tuck's lead to just 5 goals...the most dangerous lead in all of sports.  Tuck seemed to just want to go home and study.

In the end, Tuck made a statement, winning 2 of their last 3 after starting the season 0-7-0.