UPPER VALLEY HOCKEY LEAGUE

Battle for the Throne: The Gamblers and Whalers Square Off in a Titanic Til

It’s the matchup we’ve all been waiting for: the Gamblers (8-1-2), sitting pretty atop the standings, take on the Whalers (7-3-0), who are one game back and licking their chops at the chance to seize control of first place. The playoff implications are huge—if the Whalers win out and the Gamblers falter, the fish boys swim their way to the top. But let’s be real: the Gamblers have owned this rivalry with a lifetime series record of 62-21, and they don’t plan on cashing out anytime soon.

Recent History: Is the Tide Turning?

While the Whalers have been historically smacked around like a paddleboard on rough seas, they stunned the Gamblers 4-3 in their last meeting (Dec 4). That wasn’t a fluke, folks—that was a statement. The Whalers are hot, leading the league in goals (47) and riding a power play that’s clicking at 3 PPG on the season. Meanwhile, the Gamblers’ defense (25 GA) remains stingy, their penalty kill is solid, and, well, they still don’t believe in mercy.

Team Stats Breakdown

Players to Watch

• Ryan LaCroix (Gamblers) – Leading scorer and chirp master, he’s got the hands and the trash talk to back it up.


• Luke Webster (Gamblers) – Power play specialist, expect him to unleash some rockets from the point.


• Ean Small (Whalers) – The Whalers’ top gun, currently carrying the offense on his back.


• Scott Christian (Whalers) – Clutch performer, loves scoring late-game goals just to break opponents’ hearts.

What’s at Stake?

If the Whalers win, the race for first place is on. If they win out and the Gamblers drop another, the Whalers will steal the throne.

If the Gamblers win, they lock up first place and remind everyone that the house always wins.

Prediction

Gamblers 5 - Whalers 4 (OT)

The Whalers keep it close, but the Gamblers always seem to find a way to cash in when it matters most. Expect a barnburner, expect chirps galore, and expect at least one guy to forget his jersey and borrow a spare two sizes too big.

Puck drops at 7:55 PM. Bring your popcorn. Bring your best chirps. And most importantly, bring your therapist if your team loses.

Everyone Lost on the Over/Under in this Defensive Gem

What a defensive, goaltending battle. The Gamblers outright stopped the high-powered offense of the Whalers, and Evan “Showtime” Cline was lights out.

A clean & fast-paced game with only 1 penalty and a 1-0 score with 1 minute to play before the Gamblers got an empty net insurance goal.

We had one anonymous user pass along a note on this game that said, “Not enough penalties…” We’re not sure what that means, but if you’re going to supply game notes, please give more detail!

The Gamblers were missing their captain/GM/team grump Willy Meyer.

1st Period

The Whalers came out flying, forcing Cline to make a couple of early big saves on “Uncle” Ben Rouillard and a rebound stop on Ean “It Ain’t” Small.

The Whalers’ J-Rod “The Condor” Condon had to come up big on Matty “The Milkman” Marrazzo shortly after.

The lone goal came five minutes into the period on an expert dump out of the zone by the Gamblers’ Sean “Copland” Collins, finding Topo “Thing 1” LaCroix in the neutral zone. The Whalers’ Dan “Defense First” VeNard was freelancing in the corner, and no Whalers forward was covering for him at the point, so LaCroix entered the Whalers’ zone with teammate “Mad” Max Woods going against a lone Whalers defenseman. LaCroix pulled the defender towards him and fed Mad Max in the slot. Condon slid across the net like a 16-year-old new driver in a two-wheel-drive vehicle during their first snowstorm, allowing Woods to pull the puck from the far post to the near post and into the empty net.

Both goaltenders were required to make big saves, but the biggest chance saw VeNard feeding Bentley “Boondock” Boonyaharn back post, only for Boondocks to swipe, miss, and then look up at the sky because he knew how much his Player/Coach/GM Dan VeNard was going to be disappointed in him.

END OF THE FIRST:

Gamblers 1, Whalers 0
SHOTS: Gamblers 13, Whalers 13

2nd Period

The first 7 or 8 minutes of the second period saw both teams lock it up, shutting down the middle of the ice and keeping most shots to the perimeter. Both Cline & Condon showed impeccable angles & positioning, giving the shooters nothing to shoot at.

The Whalers’ defenseman Brandon “Big C” Chiasson, who wears #91 as he believes he skates like Sergei Federov, had a handful of chances on a single shift, firing shots through screens that Cline was positionally ready for, as well as walking in from the right point, only for the Gamblers’ Net Protector to turn away the shot.

Matti “Hart Trophy” Hartman stole a puck from the Whalers’ Rusty “WD-40” Teller on the far boards, took a few strides to improve her angle, and laced one off the far post that Condon had no chance on—but a post doesn’t count as a goal.

A 3-on-2 for the Whalers saw Ezra “Mohawk” Mock feed Ben “Jammin’” Rouillard in the high slot, only for Rouillard to whiff on the beautiful pass that Mock put into his wheelhouse.

END OF THE SECOND:

Gamblers 1, Whalers 0
SHOTS: Gamblers 14, Whalers 13

3rd Period

“Sweet Baby” Ray Nolan took the only penalty of the game at 13:55 of the third period, resulting in possibly the worst power play that the UVHL has ever seen. The Whalers' five bumbled the puck, ran into each other, panicked, threw the puck away, and generated zero shots. If you weren’t there to see it, think of the Boston Bruins' power play this season.

Another missed opportunity by the Whalers came when Rouillard fed Dan Fenton all alone in the slot, but Fenton was caught sleeping and whiffed on the pass.

Cline absolutely robbed VeNard 30 seconds later with a windmill glove save to keep the lead intact.

Gamblers 2, Whalers 0 - Empty Netter - 1:06

Sean Collins from downtown, a 180-footer from his own goal line.

END OF THE THIRD PERIOD

Gamblers 2, Whalers 0
SHOTS: Gamblers 7, Whalers 6

TOTAL SHOTS: Gamblers 34, Whalers 32