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FNHL News Archives - 2006 / 2005 / 2004 / 2003 12/24/04 - The new schedule is now posted. Also George and Christine Fleischmann sent along holiday greetings which are posted in the Ice Chips section. Finally, here is a list of the future poll suggestions that were submitted in the last poll.
There are some good suggestions here. One theme that seems to emerge is that we should vote on some "awards". Some of those suggestions are more humorous while others lean towards the serious side. I could put something like this together and open it up for voting but we'd need to nail down the categories to vote on. Also the question of "refs" or at least someone to drop the puck and call basic offsides and icing etc was mentioned by two people as were questions about what team people might like to play for other than their own. In the coming weeks, please consider the suggestions that have been made and give me some feedback - either in person or by e-mail and we'll make a decision. Thanks as always to everyone who took the time to participate. 12/21/04 - First of all I'd like to take the opportunity to say farewell and best of luck to a class guy, Dave Stage who has decided to retire from the Blue team. I know I speak for the entire FNHL in saying that it has been a pleasure to skate with you and we hope you will stop by every so often to share a beer with us..... In a related story, the remaining members of the famous Civil War Veterans Line will be attempting to land Bob LaBarre so they can rename themselves the Revolutionary War Veterans.....Due to the departure of Dave and a couple of other comings and goings (including the return of Dave Cornell) we've had to do a small amount of player reshuffling. There are only a few players involved but hopefully these few changes will help to even out the competitive balance in the FNHL and make the games a little more interesting, as well as fun (which is why we all come out each week). The current team rosters are now posted.....Also, I have the new schedule and will post it a little later this week. We do not have hockey this Friday (12/24) or next (12/31) and will start a new session on 1/7/05....... Last week marked the second installment of the "ABC" games and some exciting play went right along with some strange twists of fate. In the opener it was the "A" game, this time on the smaller NHL ice surface. The teams were very similar to those of 6 weeks ago (Dave Cornell and Jamie Shuler were welcome additions on the defense for Blue) and the Blue team was out to avenge a heartbreaking 7-6 OT loss. Unfortunately the White line of Jesse Nistico, Chip O'Connor and Ron (Captain) Morgan didn't get that message and proceeded to start the game with a flurry of offense that would continue throughout the contest. That line accounted for the games first goal or two before Dan Jervis and Tony Pompo were able to answer for Blue. Both goaltenders - Russ Cole for White and John Oakes for Blue played very well and the game was close for most of two periods. But it was only close for MOST of two periods. From that point on, White took control. I can't remember who (in addition to Jesse, Chip and Ron) actually scored the goals but I know that Adam Rufa, Ron Schlicht and Doug Tracey are all possibilities. Late in the second period Dan Jervis caught a bad clearing pass and converted to cut the White lead to 6-3. We thought it would be De-Ja Vu all over again as this was exactly the scenario 6 weeks ago to start the third period. But there would be no great comeback in this game. Each team added one goal in the final period and White skated away with their second straight win by the score of 7-4. Still it was a good game and a lot of fun to be a part of........The next game was the rematch in the "B" division and there were several roster changes on both sides. This game was looking like a certain Game of the Week with tight checking, solid defense and goaltending. Mike Comartos scored from the point for the Blue team late in the first period to tie the game at 1-1. Midway through the 2nd period Stef Boutin for White finally put one past Chris Rousseau but (after quite a few minutes of discussion) it was agreed that he had started the play by knocking the puck down with a high stick and the goal was taken off the board later in the period meaning the 3rd would begin with a 1-1 tie score. The first half of that final period was much more of the same. Rouss and John Oakes (pulling a double) were outstanding in preventing any more scoring. But then the bottom simply fell out from under the Blue team. First Stef Boutin scored and this one counted giving White a 2-1 lead. Next it was Len Slack scoring his second career FNHL goal (his last one was 6 weeks ago in the "B" game) to make it 3-1. The game then quickly slipped away from Blue as John Albanese, Scott Budynas and what seemed like very other player on the White found the back of the net. Blue did get one more goal late (Tom Gridley I think) but this one was history. From 1-1 midway through the 3rd period the game ended up about 8-2 in favor of White. It was a tough ending for an otherwise competitive game. On a personal note I was FINALLY on the winning side of the scoreboard!!!!!!.... Our final game was the "C" game on the Olympic ice. "Smith" was in attendance and filed the ever popular Bar Napkin Report. Here, as always, is the unedited version. The C-Game BLUE GRINDERS – 11 In the long-awaited C Game rematch, the Blue Jacket Team again defeated
the White Coats to take a 2-0 lead in the series between these squads. No
neutral zone traps in this game as very little time was spent between the
blue lines by either team. The faster Grinder team jumped out to an early
lead on the big ice and never really looked back, despite a late rally by
the determined Goons led by Tony Bird, who overcame cramps to join the rush
from his defensive post. For the White Goons, Dave Rigg and Len Matyasik led the scoring with a pair of goals apiece, while Tony Bird and Bill Cummings also had nice goals. Another goal was scored by either Tony, Bill, or team captain Brad Beran (not sure which), while Nick Smith put an in & out shot off the back support of the net that wasn’t counted during the game, but confirmed as a goal by barroom spectators. The Goons three-man defensive unit of Tony Bird, Joe Gracz, and enforcer Keith Benjamin held their own for most of the contest. Keith demonstrated the use of his stick as a “Schu-horn” to clear the crease, which led to a heated discussion on the specific stick placement of the technique. Rigg and Young also got into a tickle fight along the boards, but the giggles coming from each player indicated the good nature of the altercation (get a room, guys). White was playing a man short due to two key B-game callups who may have made a difference in the game (Rich and Scott), although Chris “Clyde” Hoyt was brought up from the Sunday Morning “Iron League” to fill one of the vacant spots. Mark Deseraux was again called up from the minors to work the net for the Goons. He made some excellent saves, but there always seemed to be a Blue player on hand to slam one home (usually Schu). The bar was pretty well packed after the games this week. Michelle broke out her pocket pants, but most people were too spent after the fast-paced games to provide much in the way of commentary. There’s talk that the next Week 6 game may be broken into age groups. Sounds like it’s worth a try, but the Goons definitely want another shot at the Grinders somewhere down the line. Maybe we could do a whole session of the age bracket teams (so every age plays everyone else) and still have the A-B-C games at the end. I'm not sure if that was the intention all along, or if the idea was to do it just for one game on the final week. We’re now off for two weeks of holiday celebrations. Have a good one and don’t come back too fat in January. Thanks as always to "Smith" for his fine reporting. I do want to address one thing that he mentioned regarding the next Week 6 game. It's true that there has been a suggestion made to do something other than the ABC games - such as break up the league by age groups. At this point we would like to get your feedback. I know that many people have really enjoyed the ABC format while others - not so much. No decisions at all have been made on what we will do next session and I've posted a new poll to see what you think. Please take a minute to cast your vote and once George has the results then I'm sure he will make a decision consistent with what the majority of the league wants. Thanks in advance for only voting once. Finally I do have the suggestions from the last poll and will post them along with the new schedule later in the week. Thanks to everyone who responded. Have a happy and safe holiday break and I look forward to seeing you for another great year in 2005!!! 12/15/04 - We made it back from vacation after a marathon session in flight. What a wonderful feeling to land in Syracuse and see all the snow..... no, just kidding - what I meant to say was - what a miserable sight!!! and the temperature - don't get me started... We have to face the fact that we are really just a bunch of very pale Eskimos. But on the good side, at least I can get back to hockey and my elusive quest to finally be on the winning side of the scoreboard. I only got one update on last week's games. The ever reliable "Smith" checked in with the Bar Napkin Report. Here, as always, is the unedited version.
White Boyz – 17 Yellow Dogs – 16
In the Game of the Night
between the top two teams in the latest power poll, the White Boyz scored a
last second victory over Yellow Dogs, despite missing three key players
(Baldwin, Evans, & Hopkins). The Whitey’s led most of
the game (11-
White’s first line of Dave Cornell, sub Dave Cavallaro, and Ron “Captain” Morgan (who swam ashore from the ocean in his basement to play one last game for the Boyz before being traded for the next session) supplied most of the scoring: each player had between 3 and 5 goals apiece. Vogel had a second goal in addition to the game winner and Al Moisan completed the scoring for White, burying a rebound “Schumachian style”. Yellow was working the three line pass move to Jesse Nestico all night long and got a bunch of goals off of it. Chip O’Connor also threw in a few goals, playing keepaway with the puck until maneuvering in position for a shot. Jamie Shuler played a good all around game and connected on a rocket shot from past the top of the faceoff circle (I think he had some more goals also). Although a lot of goals were scored, you gotta look past those numbers since the game was tight and action filled. In that respect, the two substitute goalies, Russ for White and Phil for Yellow, kept their heads on straight and each made several key saves. Otherwise, either team could’ve been in the 20s in a route. Up in the bar, Jessica was called up from the snack bar to stand in for Michelle. Most of us were on our best behavior since it was couples night and several wives/significant others were on hand for the big dice game. From a glance at George’s roster sheet, it looks like most people have made their payments on time for the next session, except for one team in particular. Hopefully they caught up after I had looked. All you stragglers, make sure you find George ASAP and settle up. Next week is Round II of the ABC games, should be another set of good games. Medics will be on hand as the C players take their game to the big ice. Thanks as always to "Smith" for another top notch installment of The Napkin. I look forward to seeing everyone on Friday - especially since no one has e-mailed to tell us you can't make it. 12/06/04 - The housekeeping items were addressed yesterday so we can get right to the updates. In the first game the Blue team planned to get back on the winning track this week but then they realized it was Yellow they were facing. Not exactly an ideal matchup when you need to get back in the win column. Overall the game went pretty well and, thanks largely to goalie John Oakes, the Blue team kept it close for a while. Brad Beran connected with a sweet one-timer on a pass from Tom Gridley (who also scored a goal himself) and George Fleischmann also blew one past Yellow sub goalie Phil Valeriano. Joe Gracz played some inspired D for Blue, BUT (and I say again - BUT) Jesse, Chip, Jamie, the Matyasiks and the rest of the leagues top team would have no part of being upset. They pumped in a total of about 12 goals which was more than enough to top the Blue team's 6. For those of you keeping track at home (and I know some of you are) that loss keeps my personal futility record intact. I honestly can't remember the last time I was on the winning side of a game. But then again I am writing this from my hotel room in Hawaii where it's about 80 degrees so I guess it all evens out.... Game #2 was a meeting of Black and White. "Smith" was in the house for this event and checks in with the famous Bar Napkin Report. Here, as always, is the unedited version. BLACK SABBATH - 9 WHITE BOYZ - 8 The White Boyz made the managerial blunder of the season by loaning sub Dave Cornell to the dark side before all of their players arrived at the rink, then ended up playing the game short one player. Rob Conrad made a ton of saves to allow White to stay within striking distance as the flow of the game on the ice was heavily in Blacks favor. The score was 3-1 after the 1st (although it seemed like it would be a lot worse before the score got posted on the board), then 7-3 after the 2nd. Following a motivational speech and bench door adjustment by Jason Vogel, White began a comeback in the 3rd period, but fell just short of tying the score and forcing OT. Mark Schumacher opened the scoring with a typical garbage goal from the goal mouth off a nice pass from Ian Webber, who chipped in two goals of his own. Their linemate Dave Cornell put in two goals also to get back at the team who sent him packing for a night. Ron Schlict had a hat trick, including a backhander into the roof that was voted goal of the game. Bob Labarre (I think) rounded out the scoring for the Black. The Black defensemen played a very aggressive game, deflecting many of Whites shots and asserted themselves on the O-side as well. Russ Cole held his ground in net for most of the game against any shots that did get through the defensive wall. Chris Baldwin, Greg Evans, and Bill Hopkins scored a pair of goals apiece for the Boyz, while Dave Rigg, Jason Vogel, and Terry Young chipped in singletons. Ron "Zamboni" Maydole was all over the ice (literally) for the Whiteys and credited with several takedowns. Dave Cornell was also MVP in the bar for coaxing Michelle out of her coat (it looked real cute on him). After downing some free grub left over from an earlier party, the league power brokers huddled in one corner to hash out the final tweaks to the ABC lineups (see the schedule page and contact George ASAP if you can't make it), while the rest of us caught the Paris Hilton South Park episode. Thanks again to "Smith" for another fine report. That sounds like at least a tie for Game of the Week honors .... The last game of the night gave me one last chance to get a win before vacation. The Green team was in need of a couple of subs so George and I suited up for their game against the Red team. Red has only 8 players but they made the most of them. Brian and Tony Pompo seemed to score from everywhere and Stef Boutin and Brian Banks did some damage as well and before Green could even get started, the Red team lead by about 5-1. But there was still a lot of hockey to be played and Jamie Sassenbury was "en-fuego". Jamie nearly single handedly led a massive Green comeback by notching six goals (Cavy assisted on many) and in the closing minutes the score was actually tied. BUT (there's that BUT again) Red still had enough gas in the tank to net a couple more heartbreaking goals and walk away with an 11-9 win. John Griffith played some great D throughout the game, and especially in the last few minutes was instrumental in keeping Red in the win Column. So there you have it, another week in the books. Since I am on vacation this week I'd ask that some of our other special guest reporters step up and provide me with the highlights for next week's update. I presume that "Smith" will be there for the Yellow vs White rematch but the other two games are wide open. Mahalo in advance!!
12/05/04 - IMPORTANT - we got word late at the bar on Friday that next weeks games on the NHL ice will be delayed by 45 minutes. That means the 8:00 game won't start until 8:45 and the 9:30 will go at 10:15. Please let everyone know about this change.....Also, the rosters for this session's "ABC" games are posted. There have been some changes made necessary by guys either leaving the league or saying that they can't make that game. The bottom line is that we have a pretty normal distribution of players and that translates to more "B" players than A and C. Hopefully no one will be offended by the moves we made to try to compensate for this and keep the games competitive as intended. Basically we went back to the original votes and then factored in the new players. Please check your rosters and game times so there is no confusion. Also, please (Please!!!!) let us know asap if you cannot make it so that we can get appropriate subs. The "A" game will be at 8:00 this time on the NHL ice and the "C" game will be 10:15 on the Olympic.....Finally, there was a suggestion made in the locker room this week that instead of an "ABC" game, in some future session we try matching up players by age group. Of course that would mean we'd have to get a list of everyone's age and then find some way to compensate for the way Bob LaBarre's age would screw up the averages. Let us know what you think of this idea....I will post the regular weekly update later in the week. Aloha!! 11/23/04 - I'm sure we've got quite a few golfers out there so let me set the stage for this weeks update with this analogy. Your approach shot is off line and now you're 30 feet from the hole, putting uphill, with a water hazard below you - but - make the putt and you win the game. So you take your time, line it up and hit with a nice smooth stroke - as the ball moves towards the cup you realize you've read the break perfectly. The ball rolls slowly but steadily uphill and gets within one turn of dropping into the hole. But joy turns to horror as it then stops and rolls back down the hill and into the water. Welcome to my world. This week was to be the week that the Blue team got back in the win column. Facing arch rival Black in the late game, things started slowly. Black raced out to an early 4-0 lead, but then the game changed. Blue, who hasn't been able to generate much offense lately, rallied. Rich Fleischmann and Duane Pardee scored and Dan Jervis scored twice and by the third period the score was tied. Then Blue did the unthinkable and took the lead on Pardee's second goal of the game. It stayed 5-4 until late in the game and things looked good, But Greg Sniffen took a loose puck in the slot and converted it to tie the score. Then Black came right back and went ahead 6-5 on a goal by Ron Schlicht (I think). But this game was far from over. Blue had one last rush left and George Fleischmann managed to crash the net and knock a rebound past a stunned Russ Cole to tie the score with seconds left on the clock. So we go to overtime and Blue continues to pressure the Black defenders but Blue make one little mistake and get caught with 4 players deep in the Black zone. One quick move later and sub Dave Cavallaro is off on a breakaway for Black....he shoots...he scores!!!....game of the week over....Blue nightmare - continues..... In other games, Yellow continued their winning ways by defeating Red by the score of about 18-8. I didn't see the game and a promised e-mail update didn't arrive so I don't have much to offer in the way of details.... The week opened with a meeting of White and Green. Fortunately "Smith" was in attendance and filed his ever popular Bar Napkin Report. Here, as always, is the unedited version. WHITE BOYZ - 15 Thanks as always to "Smith" for that report. I was in the bar later but there was little to add in the way of scuttlebutt since we were mainly trying to drink the game off of our minds. We have no hockey this week so we can all over-indulge in our Thanksgiving feasts without having to face the music of over-exertion on Friday night. Of course this also means we will be that much heavier and slower when we do get back to action a week from Friday. A couple of weeks ago I mentioned the Montreal tournament. So far there has not been much of a response. I should have some info from Russell Hockey on this soon and I'd still like to be able to put a team together. Please let me know if you might be interested. We had an excellent time last year and I'm sure this year would be just as good or better now that we know better what to expect. There are a couple of new letters posted in the Ice Chips section and they are pretty good so please feel free to take a look. Also, the rosters for this session's ABC games should be posted soon. I know the poll is way overdue for a change and I hope to get to it this weekend. Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving and while I'm on the subject I'll take the opportunity to thank George for all his hard work in keeping the FNHL going despite the frustrations that go along with that. We've got a great hockey community here with great people and that's something that I am personally very thankful for. See you NEXT Friday!!! 11/15/04 - I got back from my Houston trip just in time to play a little hockey, work on the remodeling project, more hockey, repack and catch a plane to NYC. The hockey part was fun, but I have to admit that it would be nice to be on the winning team at least once in a while. Anyway, we had some decent games this week (for the most part) and yet another FNHL goaltending debut for the Yellow team. This week it was Mike Matyasik filling in for (sub) Rob Conrad who had to leave due to a family emergency. We sincerely hope that everything turned out ok for Rob and family. In the first game it was the rematch of Blue and White. Since I have nothing good to say about the game I'll take my mom's advice and say nothing at all. Fortunately, "Smith" was in attendance and he has plenty to say in his famous Bar Napkin Report. Here, as always, is the unedited version. The "Double or
Nothing" Game Thanks to "Smith" for another fine report and I must tip my hat to the
White team. We have now decided that every meeting between Blue and White
will be a two pitcher game. I am nothing if not stubborn.... The second
game was Red vs Black and I was only able to see one period of that one. The
score was tied 3-3 after one but it was reported that Black managed to take
home a close win by the score of about 10-8. If anyone wants to e-mail me
with more details, I will post them.... The nightcap saw Yellow with new
goalie Mike Matyasik taking on Green. Mike did an admirable job, making
quite a few good saves while the high powered Yellow attack swarmed all over
Rouss and the Green team. Rouss actually played a decent game but this was
just not the Green team's night. Yellow only had seven skaters but that just
meant more ice time for Jesse and Chip. I'm pretty sure that every one of
the Yellow team players figured in the scoring but who can tell. I lost
count somewhere in the second period. I would guess that the final score was
something like Yellow 21 - Green 14. A good score for a football game but
pretty dismal for hockey.... Sorry for the short report this week but I am
pretty tired. I think George wants a new poll regarding the last week of the
session so there should be another update later this week. 11/08/04 - The first week of ABC games was in the books and the FNHL was back to the regular grind. This week's games were not exactly what you would call exciting, but there were just enough twists to at least call them interesting. In the opener it was Black vs Yellow. The twist in this one was the FNHL goaltending debut of yours truly, Dan Jervis. As some of you know, I was a goalie for many years in youth hockey, high school and through a year of college, but that was many years ago (back when Bob LaBarre was just considered "middle aged"). It would take a strong defensive effort by the Yellow team if I was going to follow in the footsteps of George Fleischmann and get a debut win. Fortunately, they were up to the task. Thanks largely to the solid defense of Mike Comartos, Jamie Shuler and Jesse Nistico not too many Black shots reached the net. Things didn't look good early on as Ian Webber scored for Black on the first shot of the game and Ron Schlict also scored early on a nice breakaway move. At the end of the first period the score was tied at 2-2. But from that point on, Yellow owned the game. Russ Cole played well for Black but the Yellow attack of Jesse, Chip, Jamie and company kept coming in waves and by the end of two it was about 8-2 Yellow. The final score was about 13-2....Game #2 was Blue vs Green. Green has been struggling a bit lately but you'd never know it based on their performance this week. For the second game in a row, the first period was very close (2-2 I think) but then, just as in the early game, one team took control. In this case it was Green finding their mojo while Blue could barely seem to find the puck. John Albanese stepped up and was superb at both ends of the ice, netting a hat trick and also back-checking hard to help his D. It would have been fun to watch if it wasn't me that he was usually targeting. From my perspective it was rather annoying. Anyway, John wasn't the only Green player to have a good game. Dave Cavallaro also had a hat trick and Jamie Sassenbury and Scott Budynas were among the scorers as well. Billy Cummings and Brett Boismenu also had good games but I'm not sure if they scored. For my money, the performance of the game was turned in by Chris Rousseau who didn't let a couple of early Blue goals rob him of his focus. Rouss had his head in the game for the entire 3 periods and that was trouble for Blue as he stopped all but one of the remaining shots Blue took and turned what could have been a closer game into a rout. Green was simply the all around better team on this night and took home a well earned 13-3 win. The last game was Red against White and "Smith" was in attendance to file the ever popular Bar Napkin Report. Here, as always, is the unedited version. REDNECKS - 14 WHITE BOYZ - 10 The Boyz dropped their second in a row after a long unbeaten streak. This week it was the Red Menace that got some payback from the last time these teams met. The story of the game was that Red exploded with a flurry of fast break goals in the second period. The score was tied at two after the 1st, then 11-5 after the 2nd. White won the 3rd period, but not by enough to make up the deficit. The “Line That I Can’t Come Up With A Name For” of Chris Baldwin, “Captain” Ron Morgan, and Greg Evans chipped in about 5 goals, with Ron doing most of the damage. Nick Smith had a hat trick, scoring two “Schumachian” garbage goals and a third off of the back crossbar that wasn’t confirmed until rehashed in the bar after the game. Dave Rigg brought in a buddy from Philly, John “Missing” Link, who played some aggressive D, scored a pair of goals, and promised to leave an upperdecker in the Rigg household. White welcomes teammate Al Moisan back to the fold after taking the summer off. He passed the offseason conditioning test by still standing after playing center on the big ice in his first game back. Apart from a meltdown in the 2nd where he faced several breakaways and odd-man rushes, Rob Conrad played well enough in goal to keep his team in the game. The problem was that the opposing goalie and made a ton of huge saves. Although Chuck Austin didn’t have his female support group in the stands tonight, he was clearly all hopped up on Vitamin E and quick to exit the arena afterward. The Inbred Pompo Line racked up a bunch of goals for the Rednecks, but Mike “Butterfly” Tully and Brian “Jesse Jr.” Banks also had a thang going on, moving the puck real well and scoring 4 or 5 goals. The bar scene was a little disappointing as Art was tending the taps in place of our regulars, although some degenerates from either the Red or Blue teams stepped up and harassed him about showing some man cleavage. Late arrival Stephanie(?) showed some potential in the closing minutes, but wasn’t around long enough to generate anything newsworthy. It seems the Boyz have a target on them lately after blowing through the last couple sessions. Next week is the long-awaited rematch with the Blue Man Group. Last time around, Dan Jervis had to eat crow after guaranteeing a Blue victory. But that didn’t stop him from going “double or nothing” on the rematch. We just need to figure out what is on the line, besides what is left of Dan’s pride (and maybe a pitcher or two). Thanks again to "Smith" for that report. Hopefully my flight will land on time this week but there should be no big concern over what's at stake in that game because it's double or nothing. You'll have to take nothing and like it. A few updates to pass along. The proposed FNHL skills clinic has had to be postponed because the ice was not available when we needed it. The response was good so we are looking into early next year to reschedule. Also, in order to get at least some of the pictures processed and on the web I've had to delay the start of "Fantasy FNHL" until the next session. For those of you who hadn't heard, I'm planning to launch this new game to at least partially fill the fantasy sports void left by the NHL lockout. Finally, it's getting to be tournament time again and I'd like to begin getting a handle on who might be interested in going back to Montreal. I don't know the details yet but we had a great time there last year. We could even bring two teams this year if the response is good. This tournament is not just limited to experienced players. They have many divisions and I'm certain that we could field a second team in one of their novice divisions if we had enough interest from our "C" division players. Let me know if you're interested. It's about 75 degrees here in Houston so it wouldn't necessarily break my heart if the flights were delayed on Friday but chances are I'll end up back in the cold. I will hopefully change the poll later this week. See you Friday! 11/02/04 - As anticipated, "Smith" checked in with the famous Bar Napkin Report and he's got a lot to say this week. Here, as always, is the unedited version. The C-Game: The My Two Dads Line of C+ Player Jeff Ward, Ron Maydole, and Drew Liszewski did most of the damage for Blue with 7 goals (3 by Jeff and 2 each for Ron and Drew). Mark Schumacher rounded out the scoring for the Grinders with a pair of goals. Amazingly, neither was a typical "Schumachian" garbage goal * one was from greater than 3 feet away and the other, while shot from the goal mouth, was a backhander that involved a couple of slick moves by Schu to get there. Terry King worked as the point guard for Blue, anchoring the D (along with Steve Kokkoris and Nick Julian) and carrying the puck while his teammates set up in the offensive zone. Del Hoyt and Terry "the Instigator" Young were held off the scoreboard, but were involved in several plays for the Grinders. Rob Conrad was the winning goaltender and had the hot hand in net with several big saves that left White players shaking their heads. For the White Goons, Dave Rigg was the clear player of the game with five goals. Although held scoreless, Len Matyasik was also a key two-way player from the center position. Chris Hoyt, Bill Cummings, and Nick Smith chipped in a goal apiece. Team captain Brad Beran was kinda sorta involved in the scoring, but unfortunately it was a deflection of a blue shot off of his skate into his own goal. The Goons received solid backline play from defensemen Rich Fleischmann (who assisted on the initial goal of the game), Joe Gracz, and Keith Benjamin. White imposter/cameraman Duane Pardee was well-positioned, but did not catch a single pass or loose puck despite many opportunities in the 1st period. Hopefully he got some good action shots though. Minor league call up goaltender Mark Deseraux was a late fill-in in the net for the Goons. Like all quality rookie goaltenders, he played an aggressive style that stymied several Grinder scoring chances. There was a pretty good crowd in the bar to watch the matchups this week. Fill-in bartender Angela Bird kept the brews flying, but as an FNHL wife, was off limits to the typical bartender harassment (couldn't get any good dirt out of her about Tony either!). One topic that came up was that about 20% of the league has not paid their fees for the next session, even though they were due LAST week. It is ridiculous that George has to go through this collection BS every six weeks. I can understand occasionally forgetting to bring a check on the night its due (even though it is clearly stated on the league schedule), as people have forgotten skates, helmets, cups, and shin guards in the past * it happens. But to then not make an effort to call or track down George the next week to settle up is incredibly irresponsible. With winter approaching, more of our "seasonal" players should be returning and the waiting list for FNHL spots will grow again. I think George would be completely justified to take a harder line approach on replacing the deadbeat players with paying customers. Thanks as always to "Smith" for another fine installment of The Napkin. His last paragraph merits a long hard read and is right on target. Special thanks also for his comment about the "pretty boy A-game". That's the first time I can recall that anyone has associated me with the word "pretty" and I am touched. I may even trim my moustache and wash my equipment just to feel like I fit in......Nah, not really. See you Friday! 11/01/04 - By all accounts the much anticipated week of ABC games was a success. I heard a lot of feedback in the bar after the games were complete and it was all positive. Was it the beer talking?...maybe, but that's not important right now. What is important is that we took a chance, mixed things up a bit and ended up with some pretty good hockey games. Things started off a little on the slow side with the "B" game at 8:00. The Blue team was missing George Fleischmann who was called up earlier in the week for the "A" game (more on that later) and was also missing Pat Salvador. Despite being down a man, Blue looked good early and I thought we'd still have a pretty close game....I was wrong. Rouss was in the nets for Blue and I give him all the credit in the world just for being there based on what he's been through recently, but this was simply not his night. White scored early and often with Mike Matyasik, Stef Boutin, and Jamie Sassenbury leading the attack. In short order it was 4-0 and the rout was on. White passed the puck well on offense and the defense led by Bob LaBarre, John Griffith and Brett Boismenu didn't allow many opportunities. The few shots that did get through were handled by sub John Oakes. Matyasik ended up with a hat trick for White and Pete Thompson, John Albanese and Len Slack also scored. For Lenny it was his first career FNHL goal. On the Blue side, Bill Wood and Greg Schiccitano did finally manage to score, but that was the extent of the offense. I've said it before and I'll say it again, you can't win an FNHL game if you only score two goals. The final score was White 12, Blue 2. I'm sure there will be some payback on tap next time these two teams meet..... Game #2, the "C" game was perhaps the most anticipated game of the night. It was definitely the most requested. Guys like Nick Smith and Joe Gracz have been suggesting this format for a while now and their suggestions are the primary reason it finally happened. Unfortunately I only got to see a small part of the game and since the Bar Napkin Report is still in transit I can't give all the details yet. I do know that the final score was Blue 9 - White 8 and that Dave Rigg and Nick Smith scored for White while Drew Liszewski scored for Blue, but that's about all I can tell you. Hopefully "Smith" will get the Bar Napkin Report to me and I'll post it as soon as possible. I did see that Jeff Ward was playing in this game and this was probably one of the few voting mistakes that was made by the jury. Next game we will make some adjustments and that will undoubtedly be one of them. Anyway, I know it was a good game and the guys who played had a good time - that's what really matters.....The last game of the night was the "A" game and it was filled with sub-plots. Oakes vs Austin in goal, Jesse and Chip on one side, the Pompo brothers on the other. Webber, Sniffen and Schlicht were Black in White but would Hopkins, Jennings and Banks turn them Black and blue?? Late additions on the defense for both teams - Bob LaBarre for Blue and George Fleischmann for White rounded out the contest and the stage was set. The game itself did not disappoint. It started out with a lot of fast skating, close checking but missed opportunities. Both goaltenders were very good throughout the game but Austin had a his "secret weapon" again this week - a female fan (Kim) in the stands. You'd think he'd be exhausted by now (especially as out of practice as he was) but this was not the case. White struck first as Ian Webber blasted a shot past Oakes. This was followed by another Black goal for White as Ron Schlicht put in a nice one-timer. Then Ron Morgan turned on the jets to score and White was leading 3-0. But this game was far from over. Tony Pompo scored to get Blue on the board and Dan Jervis rolled a rebound past Austin and the game was close again. But Morgan struck again for White to make it 4-2 and then again for a hat trick and a 5-2 game. Late in the 2nd period after several chances, Jesse finally got on the board by putting a breakaway chance in the back of the net (and right back out) and it was 6-2 with one period left. Game over right?....not even close!!! Oakes shut down the White attack and Blue chipped away. Dan Jervis got his second rebound goal of the night early in the 3rd and then it was "Cavy time". Dave Cavallaro, who had been quiet to this point scored an unprecedented natural hat trick - 3 goals in a row, the last with only 49 seconds left and the goaltender pulled to tie the game at 6. So we go to overtime with more back and forth action and who of all people should finally nab the game winner... none other than George Fleischmann - just added to the roster - rips a shot that bounces off the glove of Oakes and into the net. Poetic justice (on several levels) or just a fluke??? You decide... bottom line - White 7 and Blue 6 Game of the Week over.... As many of you know, both Duane Pardee and I were taking pictures last week and I am planning to completely update the Game Action Photo Gallery. I have fallen a bit behind lately with the pictures thanks to travel and a massive home improvement project (probably breaks Bob LaBarre's heart), but I will get this done soon. See You Friday!! 10/25/04 - We rebounded to some better games this week with two of the three being decided by just a couple of goals. There seems to be a nice buzz surrounding the upcoming ABC games as well so this week should be even better. In the opener it was Green vs Black, a meeting of two teams who have seen their share of struggles lately. After a scoreless first few minutes, Black goaltender Rick Cummings suffered a bad muscle pull and had to leave the game. With no other FNHL goalies on site at that point George Flesichmann volunteered to step up and strap on the pads for only the second time ever. Coincidentally the first time George played goal was back on July 11th - subbing in for Ricky and winning in a game against who else - Green. Would there (could there) be another miracle win for Black??? It looked possible in the early going as the teams traded goals but finally the clock struck midnight and this Cinderella sequel turned into a very rotten pumpkin. George played well again but not quite well enough to repeat the outcome from his first game. John Albanese, Brian Banks (sub), and Dave Cavallaro were among the scorers for Green who managed to get a total of 6 goals past George while Black could only muster 4 and Green gets a welcome victory to take into the next session. Black at least can go away with the fact that most of their team showed up for the game and even without their starting goalie they played in this week's Game of the Week... The second game looked good on paper with the FNHL's two hottest teams - White and Yellow squaring off. But looking good on paper and actually being good were proven to be two totally different things. "Smith" was in attendance and checks in with the ever popular Bar Napkin Report. Here, as always, is the unedited version. White Boyz - 1 Yellow Snow - pushing 30 Forget the poll, Yellow proved a point tonight in handing White their first loss since August (which was also against Yellow). Pick your description, Domination / Annihilation / Drubbing. It was UGLY. Jesse & Chip got more than their share tonight & props to Jesse for snagging every long pass or loose puck anywhere near him. Jeff Ward also threw in 5 goals for Yellow & Mike Matyasik scored a couple. The Fightin Whiteys somehow ended up with an extra player and the line rotation turned into a chaotic clusterpuck on the bench. Greg Evans & Nick Smith supplied the only goals for White (off sweet passes from Ron "Captain" Morgan & Dave Rigg). Russ Cole stopped everything else for Yellow. Rob struggled in net, but stood tall in the 3rd with some nice saves. Kelly made an impressive return to the bar, revealing intimate grooming habits and diagramming the "Kelly Sutra" (Dan may have a link posted). Thanks as always to "Smith" for another fine report. We'll leave the poll up anyway and I'll see what I can do about that link without running afoul of the FCC. The late game was Red against Blue and featured a preview of the goalies for this week's "A" game - Chuck Austin for Red and John Oakes for Blue. True to form, both of them showed why they were voted into that game as neither team had much success putting the puck in the net. The difference tonight was that Chuck Austin actually had two female fans in the stands for the game. He knew that if he played well he might finally see the end of a very long (non hockey) drought. And Chuck proved just how thirsty he was by allowing Blue only two goals for the entire game. He also got some excellent help from his defense led by John Griffith to ensure that this would not be his only action for the evening. The final score was Red - 5 and Blue - 2. I can't remember who scored for Red (my apologies) but all but one (an empty net goal) were all early in the game. After a rough start, John Oakes blanked Red for the better part of two periods but got no help from his offense. You can't win an FNHL game if you only score two goals. There have been a couple of adjustments to the ABC game lineups so please double check them to make sure you know which one you're scheduled for. Also we got word that Rouss' grandmother passed away Saturday. I know that Mike Tully also lost his grandmother recently and our sincere condolences go out to both of them and their families. See you all Friday. 10/18/04 - Well, I'm on the road again and fairly tired so this one will have to be brief. Fortunately there really isn't that much to talk about based on the games last week. If I may borrow from my daughter's vocabulary for a moment, the word that comes to mind is "Yuck". Three games, none particularly stood out and I was on the losing team for all three. The opening game was Green vs Red and the recent struggles for Green just continued. Nothing seemed to click and frustration is clearly setting in. The Pompo brothers were moving the puck well for Red and they converted on a number of opportunities allowing Red to take a big lead early. Chuck Austin was very solid in nets to ensure that Green couldn't close the gap. I can't even remember the final score but I think it was about 11-6. Game #2 followed a similar pattern with Yellow defeating Blue by a similar (or worse) score. Blue jumped out early to a 2-0 lead but it was all Yellow from then on. Ron Maydole had a very nice goal for Yellow and Jamie Shuler was very strong at both ends of the ice as was Pete Thompson. Several people have commented to me lately that Pete is one of the most improved players in the FNHL. The last game was our last hope for a Game of the week but only half of the Black team showed up and they were no match for White. "Smith" was back this week and files the ever popular Bar Napkin Report. Here, as always, is the unedited version.
BLACK HOLE: 2
The surging White Boyz handled an undermanned Black team fairly easily on the big ice to continue their 2-month long unbeaten streak. Only about half of the Black players showed up, many without letting their teammates know they would be missing. Luckily, Red Menace icons Mike “Butterfly” Tully and Brian “Jesse Junior” Banks were available to step in to help Black field a team with actual subs on the bench. Additional reinforcements arrived after the 9:30 game for the 3rd period, but by then the game was out of reach.
The top White line of Ron Morgan, Greg Evans, and Chris Baldwin put on a puck movement show and pumped in several goals, while role players Dave Rigg and Nick Smith also scored a couple apiece. Bill Hopkins and John Tardiff anchored the D for the Whiteys and held White nemesis Mark Schumacher in check (none of his namesake Schumachian goals from the edge of the crease tonight). Chris Hoyt played solid along the boards and Terry Young got some breakaway practice in (although Rick was up to the challenge each time). Rob Conrad wasn’t tested often in net, but played shutout goal for 2-plus periods. Pat Salvador got Black on the board in the third and the 2nd goal was put in by Mike Pardee (I believe), who played a good overall game, hustling until the end.
Michelle had to leave the bar to tend to a family emergency (we hope everything is okay). I didn’t catch the name of her replacement, who I’ll just refer to as “Some Dude”. Despite the obvious shortcomings, “Some Dude” kept the beers flowing like a champ.
Thanks once again to "Smith" for another fine installment of the Napkin..... The ABC rosters are posted on the schedule page. Please let us know asap if you can't make it so we can get subs to keep the games as intended. Those games should be a lot of fun and I know people are looking forward to them. Also, I wanted to mention something that has been frustrating for several teams lately. If you're not going to make it to a game please take a few seconds and pick up the phone and tell someone. There seems to be more and more no show, no call situations happening and the rest of the guys are left holding the bag (puck?). A little common courtesy would mean a lot....Finally, George and I were trying to finalize the proposed FNHL skills clinic. The response was pretty good so we are targeting the last Saturday in November (I think it's the 27th) as the date. I will let you know as soon as I hear if that's going to happen for sure.
Have a good week! 10/11/04 - The player ratings poll has ended and I think that the results were very representative. Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote (special thanks to the person who voted me a "C" player). I e-mailed the results to George earlier today so I'd imagine that the lineups for the ABC games will be posted very soon. This week was a little better on the ice with at some solid individual efforts and one photo finish game. In the opener, Black had some jump in their legs early and took a quick 4-1 lead over Blue. Blue seems to make a habit of falling behind early but they also have a habit of coming back. This was no exception. Once things settled down, Oakes took root in the nets and Blue battled back tying the game at 4-4. The teams then traded goals back and forth with Blue eventually taking a 9-8 lead late in the 3rd period. But somehow you just knew it wasn't going be that easy and sure enough Ian Webber blasted a shot past Oakes to tie the score. The buzzer sounded and by mutual agreement the game went to overtime. Black had the first chance but Sniffen was stopped by Oakes, then with the puck deep in the Black zone, Dan Jervis picked off an errant clearing attempt and shot it towards the net where Tom Gridley tipped it in for the winner. The crowd went wild (both of them) and Blue was finally going to the Stanley Cup finals!! (not really, but it was still fun). Ian Webber did have three goals and Pat Salvador four in a nice effort for Black and for Blue every member of the Civil War Veterans line scored (Stage, Beran, and Gridley). Blue sub Len Slack was back vs Black and played a nice game on D, proving that there is always room for one more slacker in the Blue lineup. This was definitely the Game of the Week......... The late game pitted the streaking White Boyz against Green. In case Chuck's mom is reading this I should clarify - the White Boyz weren't actually streaking (thank God!!). Anyway, in an unusual turn of events, "Smith" was not in attendance this week. Because the Bar Napkin Report is just too important to skip, something had to be done - we knew it had to be Rigged. Submitted now for your consideration and Rigged for your pleasure is the unedited version. White Boyz vs Green Machine The White Boyz and Green Machine went head to head in an exciting game, The White Boyz took an early lead and had the Green Machine plugging away until the end, but couldn't catch up. The game was close through two periods, until the JEB line (Jervis / Evans / Baldwin) scored in a flurry to pull ahead for good. The Green Machine had some good goals by Cavallaro and Jennings. Budynas also scored a "Schumachian" type goal from three feet out. The White Boyz had great goals with Terry Young's breakaway and an over the shoulder bullet by the Rigg. Both goalies also played well, with Rouss's glove and Conrad's waffle stopping lots of shots. Final score approximately 13-6. Michelle continued to shuck beers in gorgeous fashion, although she was preoccupied by her dirtbag boyfriend who would rather drink beer by the bonfire than take her away on a romantic weekend (can you imagine). Thanks to our special guest reporter for that Rigged version of the Bar Napkin Report..... The final game of the week - actually game #2 on the NHL side was a high scoring affair by all accounts and Yellow got a measure of revenge over arch rival Red. What is not clear is exactly how many goals were scored. I spoke to several people after the game and never have I gotten such a wide range of opinions. I heard everything from Yellow 13-8 to Yellow 16-12 and even got one 23-18. Bottom line is that I have no idea what the final score was and neither does anybody else, including the people who played in the game. I did hear that Len Mataysik had 4 goals for Yellow. The best part of the whole situation is that it really doesn't matter what the final score was. Guys skated, had a good time and drank beer afterwards and that's what the FNHL is here for. I got word today that Green team member Rob Smith actually suffered several broken ribs in his crash into the boards last week and will be sidelined for several weeks. He appreciates everyone's concern and may even show up at the games next week to take some pictures so we can update that section of the website. Once again I want to wish Rob a very speedy recovery, he's a good player and a great individual and we look forward to his return. The response to the proposed skills clinic has been pretty good so far and hopefully we can make that a reality. Please continue to let me know if you are interested. It should be both fun and helpful for all who attend. See you Friday!!! 10/06/04 - I knew I'd forget something.... George and I and a few others were talking in the bar recently and we discussed the possibility of having a skills clinic for those FNHL players that might be interested. All of us in attendance that night seemed to think it would be a good idea (and I'm sure we were still reasonably sober) so I thought I'd throw it out there for everyone to consider. Several people have mentioned that while we do get together and play each week, there is very little opportunity to work on skill development and get some real coaching from people who actually have enough experience to know what they are talking about. The basic idea would be that we rent some ice over a weekend (2 - 3 hrs on a Saturday night was the consensus) and invite all interested players and goalies to attend. Our target number of participants was about 30 and we would likely divide up into two groups to allow for differing needs and levels of experience. My thought was to run a 1hr 15 minute session followed by an ice cut, chalk talk break and then another 1 hr 15 minute session. The primary instructors for the session would be two people many of us already know, my brother Pete and Mike Marcinkiewicz (Cinker). Both of them have played professional hockey (see below) and continue to play at the highest levels in adult hockey. Pete was also the Coach and GM of a championship Junior A team. Both have also coached youth hockey in Jacksonville. Since Pete was a goalie in his younger days and won an ACHA National Championship with Iowa State in 1992 he also can offer some real insights to the goaltenders who choose to attend. More importantly, these are two guys that many of us already know, have skated with and are comfortable with. I think they can teach us a lot in a single session. I've spoken to them already and they would be able to come down in late November if we want to try it. I'd like to get feedback from as many people as possible so if this sounds like something worthwhile, please either e-mail me or talk to me tomorrow night so we can get an idea on the numbers. Exact cost will depend on how many people we get, but I know it would be very reasonable. I've posted Pete and Cinkers pro stats below from hockeydb.com. See you all tomorrow!! Mike Marcinkiewicz Left Wing Born Jan 26 1966 -- Granby, PQ Height 5.11 -- Weight 210 -- Shoots L --- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ---- Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1983-84 Chicoutimi Sagueneens QMJHL 46 14 18 32 52 -- -- -- -- -- 1984-85 Chicoutimi Sagueneens QMJHL 10 2 2 4 11 -- -- -- -- -- 1984-85 Granby Bisons QMJHL 48 40 38 78 49 -- -- -- -- -- 1985-86 Shawinigan Cataractes QMJHL 59 27 33 60 101 1988-89 Johnstown Chiefs ECHL 53 32 41 73 171 10 8 7 15 43 1989-90 Nashville Knights ECHL 41 21 20 41 79 4 2 2 4 4 1989-90 Johnstown Chiefs ECHL 9 2 3 5 42 -- -- -- -- -- 1990-91 Winston-Salem Thunderbird ECHL 20 5 5 10 41 -- -- -- -- -- 1991-92 St.-Thomas Wildcats CoHL 54 39 21 60 115 12 3 10 13 17 1992-93 Green-Bay Ice AHA 25 22 27 49 83 1992-93 Jacksonville Bullets SuHL 20 16 20 36 118 4 5 0 5 2 1993-94 Jacksonville Bullets SuHL 46 36 27 63 105 1994-95 Jacksonville Bullets SuHL 30 23 17 40 74 1994-95 Lakeland Ice Warriors SuHL 13 6 11 17 12 1995-96 Jacksonville Bullets SHL 1 0 0 0 0 -- -- -- -- -- 1995-96 Daytona-Beach Breakers SHL 6 3 2 5 22 -- -- -- -- -- Peter Jervis (G) Goalie Born Mar 29 1969 -- Tarrytown, NY Height 6.01 -- Weight 185 Season Team Lge GP Min GA EN SO GAA W L T Svs Pct ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1993-94 Jacksonville Bullets SuHL 33 1906 123 1 1 3.87 21 11 0 918 0.882 1994-95 Jacksonville Bullets SuHL 35 1992 137 2 2 4.13 20 11 1 1095 0.889 1995-96 Jacksonville Bullets SHL 6 296 22 0 0 4.46 3 2 1 125 0.850 1995-96 West-Palm-Beach Barracuda SHL 2 120 12 0 0 6.00 0 2 0 77 0.865 10/04/04 - Well, my theory about the weather outside impacting the level of play inside held up about as well as my guaranteed win - not at all. We had great weather last Friday but pretty much all of the games were sub par. I must tip my hat to the White Boyz on a nice win. They played great D and got a very solid effort from Rob Conrad in goal to earn the victory. But, of course, you know the story won't end there. Bill Hopkins and I have already agreed that our next meeting will be a double or nothing game (as soon as he can tell me what I bet on the last one besides my dignity and self-respect). Moving on... We've had several unfortunate occurrences both on and off the ice in the last week or so within the FNHL family that should be mentioned. Last week, Rob Smith fell hard into the boards in his game vs Yellow and was clearly injured. I will post more info as I get it and I know that all of us wish him a speedy recovery. I was also advised that Rich Fleischmann's wife Melissa lost her grandfather recently. Our sincere condolences go out to Mel, Rich and the entire family. Finally, as previously mentioned, Chris Rousseau's girlfriend Tonya has a close family member who is battling a very serious illness. We continue to keep them in our thoughts as well at this difficult time. I also want to clarify my statement from last week in case anyone reading got the wrong idea. I did mention (jokingly) that Cavy "had his priorities in order" because he showed up for Sunday morning hockey after his honeymoon trip was delayed. I also was unaware of the situation Rouss and Tonya were dealing with and questioned Rouss's absence from that same Sunday skate. In no way did I intend to connect or imply that Cavy's presence and Rouss's absence were a reflection on them as people or that one had any better priorities than the other. Plain and simple the comments were intended to be unrelated to each other and, the goal was light hearted humor rather than any sort of personal judgment or attack. Rouss and Cavy (and Chip & Jesse, Mark Schumacher, Mike Tully, the Civil War Veterans) and all of the other people that I have a little bit of fun with here on the web are all people who I respect, consider friends and hold in the highest regard (yes, even you Bob LaBarre). It is never my intention to offend anyone here and I apologize (in some cases in advance) if that is ever the case........ Now, I have delayed this long enough and much as I would like to forget the games of the past week, it is time for the recaps. The first game was the long awaited guaranteed win showdown between the Blue and the White. "Smith" was there and filed an extended version of the famous Bar Napkin Report. Here, as always, is the unedited version. White Boyz - 6 Dan Jervis' ill-advised guaranteed victory prediction was looking good after 1 period as the Blue Meanies jumped to a 2-1 lead, breaking a 1 all tie at the buzzer on a goal by Gridley, possibly tipped by Stage. But it was not to be as the WEB Line (Whyland/Evans/Baldwin) was in place tonight and threw in 3 goals on a single shift in the second, including a beauty tic-tac-toe play set up by a Greg Evans drop pass to Mile Whyland at the blue line. After that the Whiteys didn't look back. Whyland & Chris Baldwin had 2 goals apiece & Bill Hopkins & Nice Smith rounded out the scoring for White. Dan had Blue's initial goal & also attempted to cash in on the alleged bounty on himself by twisting an ankle after tripping over the red line. Both goalies (Ron Conrad & John Oakes) made a bunch of saves in a game that easily could have been a shootout. Ron "Captain" Morgan & minor league call up Chris Hoyt made strong debuts on White's roster, & Bob LaBarre subbed in to solidify the D. For the Blue Men, Joe Gracz had a good game on D, along with Duane Pardee. Michelle was pouring the new Magic Hat in the bar, but Dan, once you're done singing the blues, we'll take our pitcher in LaBatts. Thanks again to "Smith" for another fine report. About your last sentence - as I said earlier, next meeting double or nothing and this time the sequel will be better than the original. Guaranteed!!! The second game was the Yellow team taking on a severely depleted Green team. If I remember correctly, the "Green Team" this week was actually only Rouss, John Albanese, Jamie, Bill Wood and Rob Smith supplemented by four subs from the Blue team who had just finished game #1. Things started off well for Green as there was still some gas left in the tank for the subs but once Rob Smith suffered his injury, what little wind was left in the Green sails went with him and Yellow rolled to a big win. I honestly can't remember the exact score but it was quite one sided. Maybe 14-7??? or more...who knows. Two bright spots for Green were John Albanese who had about 6 assists in the game and Rouss who really made some nice saves to keep an already lopsided game from getting any worse. On the Yellow side Jesse and Chip (of course) and sub Ron Morgan connected often and Ron Maydole and Drew Liszewski scored nice goals as well. I was told after the game that every player on the Yellow team scored (except Mike Comartos who had several assists and somebody had to play defense right?). Mercifully, the slaughter did come to an end and I'm sure it will be fresh in the Green teams mind the next time these two teams get together...... I didn't see the last game of the evening but it was a meeting of Red and Black and was also reported as very one-sided. I am pretty sure that Black won by the score of (about) 9-3. The only highlight reported to me was that the "typical gimme goal" streak is back as Mark Schumacher scored from his usual perch atop the opposing goaltender's shoulder pads. I am considering starting a fantasy FNHL contest (since the NHL is locked out) and Schu might just be one of those players you need to have in your lineup. As the saying goes, you can't stop him, you can only hope he wakes up. In conclusion, I'd like to welcome a new player, Len Slack to the FNHL. Len is a friend of mine from work and subbed in on both the first and second games last week. It's been 3 years since he skated but it didn't take long for him to shake the rust off and contribute....Also, we got a letter from former Red team young gun Rob Griffin who is starting a new season with Liverpool H.S. You can check that out in the Ice Chips section.....This is the last week for the player ratings poll. I will tally the final results Thursday night and hopefully the rosters for the ABC games on 10/29/04 will be posted with the next update...Game of the Week honors will be carried over til next week. See you there!! 09/29/04 - I did get word this evening that Rouss was absent from the Sunday morning session because he was helping girlfriend Tonya attend to a very serious family matter. A member of her immediate family is seriously ill and we wish Tonya, Rouss and the entire family much love and strength in this difficult time. 09/28/04 - Due to the week off, this will be a quick update. Of course the big event was the wedding of Green team member Dave Cavallaro and I'm happy to report that it was a great success. Dave and Megan were married in Canastota and there was an open bar at the reception!!! Rouss remembered the rings and generally did a nice job as Best Man (hockey stick limbo kind of fizzled though). Unfortunately, Hurricane Jeanne was scheduled to arrive in Florida at about the same time their cruise ship was set to depart therefore the newlyweds were forced to reschedule their honeymoon plans and Cavy even showed up for Sunday morning hockey. It's nice to see he's still got his priorities in order (although we are still wondering what happened to Rouss). Hopefully the rest of the trip went on as planned. I do have some pictures from the wedding and I will post them as soon as they are "ready" (get it Bob?). Once again, on behalf of the entire FNHL I'd like to wish Dave and Megan congratulations and best wishes for a long and happy life together!! The player ratings page has gotten a good response. I will leave the page up for a few more days so if you haven't gotten that done yet, please get to it asap. We are expecting a sellout crowd for the 8:00 game this week. Will the White Boyz continue to ride high or will Blue turn them into White Trashz??? See you there Boyzzzz!!! PS - Yes Dan Jennings I have the pictures you requested including one
interesting limbo shot. 09/22/04 - As promised, the anonymous player ratings form has been posted. Just click on the link on the main page and you should go right there. Please rate as many players as you know. If you don't know someone well enough to give an opinion then please make the effort to check "don't know" rather than just leaving it blank. Once again, this is meant strictly to help create the rosters for the "ABC" games and not to embarrass or offend anyone. The final rosters will be posted asap based partially on these results and partially on the player needs of each game. Thanks for your help!!! 09/21/04 - It would appear that there is a definite correlation between the weather outside and the action inside the rink. This past Friday brought a return of the wet, dismal weather central NY calls summer and the great action we'd seen for the last two weeks was pretty much washed away. In the opener Black went into a matchup with Yellow minus captain Greg Sniffen and Ian Webber....not a good idea. I didn't get many details on this one but the final score was reported as an 11-6 victory for Yellow. I'm sure that Mike Comartos was solid on defense for Yellow and Jesse and Chip probably both scored (often). The big news from this game, however, is the end of the month long "typical gimme goal" streak. After losing his mind last week and scoring 3 goals, Mark Schumacher (aka Schu) was held scoreless by Yellow. I'm sure he's disappointed but, just like the lousy weather, you knew the streak had to go away sometime - it just lingered a lot longer than the rest of us would have liked..... The next game picked up right where the first one left off and provided the second straight 5 goal difference of the night. "Smith" was in attendance and filed the ever popular Bar Napkin Report. Here, as always, is the unedited version. White Boyz - 13 Early domination by White (10-3 after 2nd) followed by inspired 3rd period by Moscow Dynamo that fell a little short. The Boyz owned the low post with a bunch of "Schumachian" goals and back door betty's. The Cornell / Evans / Dwyer line put on a passing clinic & finished several. Rob Conrad absolutely stood on his head for 2 periods & much of the 3rd. The Pompo Cubed Line (Tony, Brian & cousin Steph) had some nice tic-tac-toe passing & put a few in but was left shaking their heads on some Conrad saves & shots into the posts. Chuck clamped down in net for Red in the 3rd to help the comeback attempt. Newcomer John Tardiff, Jason Vogel & Bill Hopkins (in Chip's lucky helmet) keyed the D for the Boyz. Quote from Michelle "I don't have any meat!" (some may disagree) and "They" are confirmed as 34C. Thanks to Smith for another fine installment....The last game of the evening was also our last hope for a Game of the Week candidate. Jamie Sassenbury, Dave Cavallaro and John Albanese (on a nice breakaway) threatened to turn this into a rout early on, and with Green leading Blue by a 7-3 score late in the second period, things didn't look good. But suddenly, for some unknown reason, fate smiled on Blue and the tide turned. John Oakes shut down the Green attack completely and Blue battled back to 7-6 on goals by Dan Jervis, Brad Beran and George Fleischmann. Then a most unlikely hero emerged for Blue in the form of sub Jerry (I can't remember his last name so we'll just call him Seinfeld). Seinfeld converted two nice passes into two goals from in close (completing his hat trick) and Blue took it's first and only lead of the night 8-7. Rouss was great in goal for Green in the 3rd period and gave his team plenty of chances to tie it up but Oakes was up to the challenge. Finally the buzzer sounds, Blue has a win and we've got a Game of the Week. A couple of other items to cover this week. First of all, congratulations to Green team player Dave Cavallaro who will marry his fiancée Meghan this Friday. In honor of the event, we will not have our regular FNHL schedule this week, although Mike Tully does have ice at 9:00 (see note below) for those who want to play.....Second, I want to mention that Patty Ryan is putting her NYS license as a massage therapist to use and has opened a location inside the To Do Hair Design shop in Brewerton. The address is 5501 Bartell Rd and the phone number for appointments is 676-7243. If you, or someone you know needs a massage (and who doesn't???) I'd highly recommend that you call Patty......White team captain Bill Hopkins was gracious enough to share a pitcher with me last Friday and we realized that the next time the FNHL officially takes the ice - 8:00pm on 10/01/04 the "ill-advised" guarantee will be on the line as White meets Blue. White has been on a roll lately but how long can they maintain that level of play? I'm thinking not one more week. In any case it will be a good game. I guarantee it...... Finally, as you have probably seen by now, the last week of this session 10/29/04 will be used for a trial run of the "ABC" games. Hopefully by tomorrow I will have worked the bugs out of the ratings page and will invite all FNHL players to sign on and help (anonymously) rank the players. Once we have a consensus on the rosters for the games I will post them. Please let George know asap if you won't be able to make it that week. Remember, the intent of these games is to have some fun and allow everyone to compete in a game against players of similar skill levels. We have already figured out that there are probably more "B" players than "A" and "C" therefore a few guys will probably end up in a different game than they might have expected. If you really feel strongly that you don't want to play in the game you're scheduled for, let me or George know and we'll try to correct the situation. I will let the e-mail list know as soon as the rankings page is posted. Have a good week and I'll see some of you Friday at the wedding or on Sunday. I've posted the official Sunday group roster below the schedule - call George if you have any questions. Thanks! 09/19/04 - Just a brief note today. There is no FNHL hockey this week, however, Mike Tully has reserved the ice on Friday at 9:00pm. He is looking for the first 20 players who want to skate to call him at 698-0080 to confirm. The regular update will be posted tomorrow or Tuesday. 09/15/04 - I forgot to mention that last Friday was also the birthday of Red team goalie Chuck Austin who apparently celebrated by beating the Yellow team in a close game. Congratulations on both counts Chuck! Hopefully you will still be going strong in the year 2107 when you reach Bob LaBarre's present age. One other note, the Sunday morning group has had some problems lately with too many guys showing up. George has said that effective immediately, the players who are officially paid and on the 20 man roster will have priority and if we get too many guys, the extras will have to go to skate and shoot. This is not to say that subs are banned, but they will only be welcome if there is room. The weekly sub fee is $10 for the 1 1/2 hr session. Please check with George if you plan to invite someone and/or you are not in the group but would like to skate. 09/14/04 - It was another really good week on the ice so let's get right to the recaps. In the opener the White Boyz continued their recent run of success vs Green. I didn't see the game but "Smith" did and checks in with the Bar Napkin Report. Here, as always, is the unedited version. White
Boyz - 7 or 8 After a slow start, White stormed back with a bunch of unanswered goals to grab the victory. Goalie for Hire John Oakes was almost fired after letting in the first two shots, but clamped down & didn't let another in until midway thru the 3rd. Chris Baldwin had a hat trick, Dave Cornell & Greg Evans had a couple goals for the Boyz. Terry Young & Bill Hopkins (with the Mystery Stick) also scored. Rouss played a hell of a game in net for the Greenies against relentless pressure or it could've been a lot worse. Cavy skated like crazy for Green, probably trying to drop some pounds before his Vermont wedding. Green details are sketchy (Jennings & Cummings scored) since not even Michelle & her assets were enough to get any of them up to the bar. Thanks to "Smith" for another fine report. Buzz in the bar says that this White team is for real and may unseat Yellow as the team to beat in the FNHL. Also it should be noted that last week I inadvertently omitted the words "ill advised" from the Report in reference to my guaranteed win next time Blue meets White. My apologies for the omission (but not for the guarantee of course). The second game was a battle from start to finish and was (appropriately) a meeting of Black and Blue. This was definitely a Game of the Week candidate and had a little bit of everything from close checking to great goaltending to outstanding offense (both team and individual efforts). The final score was a win for the Black by the score of 6-5 and unlike last week, it was close the entire way. There were several lead changes and I don't think there was a lead of more than 2 goals the entire game. Tom Gridley scored twice for Blue and John Oakes was tough in his second game of the night but in the end it came down to a "Schu" that just didn't fit. Incredibly Mark Schumacher scored not one, not two, but three "typical gimme goals" including the game winner for Black late in the 3rd period. As was previously noted in this column you know you're in trouble when Schu scores two. That statement can now be amended to add that you are officially dead in the water when Schu scores more than that. Russ Cole also had an outstanding game in goal to seal the win. All in all it was a lot of fun to be a part of and Black earned the win. The last game was a rematch of the controversial Red and Yellow meeting of few weeks ago that turned ugly. I'm happy to report that we have a special guest columnist checking in with the report on this one and though I won't divulge his identity, the column is titled "From the outer Banks". Here is the unedited version. Red opened to a 3-1 first period lead that stretched to 8-4 after 2 ....yellow put on the pressure to start 3rd and got it to 8-7 before Rob Griffin tallied eventual game winner on a sweet feed from Ron morgan....yellow punched one more to make it close but red held on in "war to settle the score" from previous outing.......(remember we played 3 weeks ago in the head banging/cross checking ugly incident game)....one curious note, the game was extremely clean and there was the conspicuous absence of Mike Comartos...Hmmmmm , I wonder if that was a coincidence.......there was no tripping, slashing, hooking or cross checking of any of the Pompo brothers.....Scoring highlights...Red...Line of Tony, Brian and Steff put in some sweet passes and scores and Ron Morgan tallied afew himself......Rob Griffin is being sent to the upper leagues for a few months and played in his last Friday night game for a while....BUT, That leads to another BREAKING NEWS STORY OF THE SEASON.....Mike Tully returns to the red team......that means, no more passing, more turnovers in the defensive end, less shots for us and the great inspirational locker room speeches return.......Some yellow highlights...screw jesse and chip (you know they scored)...Lenny had 2 nice goals, Drew had a beautiful tip-in in front of the net and Phil played excellent in the nets...Chuck had a solid game in goal for red team to shut down the vaunted yellow attack... Based on that information I'll have to bestow Game of the Week honors to game #3 and give an honorable mention to Black vs Blue.... I don't have a new schedule yet but I will post it as soon as I get it. I do think that we will be trying the "ABC" games in the last week of the upcoming session and I'm planning to post a page where we can assist in ranking players (anonymously) to help decide who should play in each game. This concept has been requested by a number of people and should prove to be a nice break from our usual routine.... One final note, we almost had an ugly incident after the games last week when Russ Cole's goalie sticks suddenly came up missing. Fortunately all concerns were put to rest when it was discovered that a disgruntled player from the Blue team had swiped them in retaliation for Russ stoning him on several breakaways and other point blank opportunities. Ultimately the sticks were returned unharmed and all was well that ended well. Hopefully Russ will not repeat his behavior in future weeks and we can put the incident behind us. See you Friday! 09/08/04 - I have just been informed that our favorite dirty old man has just become a dirty even older man. Congratulations to Bob LaBarre on yet another birthday!!! Since we weren't able to properly celebrate last week, we will be holding a belated birthday celebration this Friday and will need everyone's help to make this event a success. The following is a list of items Bob would like for his birthday. If you can provide any of them, please bring them to the game with you. 1. False teeth (he'd
prefer gold of course) 09/07/04 - The power was back on the ice this week until ironically the rink suffered a brief power outage while games 2 and 3 were in progress. Fortunately the rink lights came back on and the great games were able to continue. In the opener, Bill Hopkins led the still surging White team into a meeting with Red. I did not see the game but fortunately "Smith" was there and checks in with the Bar Napkin Report. Here, as always, is the unedited version. White Boyz - 10 Game of the Night (even though Blue vs Green is getting close as this is written). Red had an 11-7 man advantage for the first 2 periods & led most of the way. Reinforcements arrived for the 3rd allowing the White forwards to get some rest & they responded with a big comeback to tie the game. Ron & Jamie were all over the ice for Red. Chris Baldwin & Dave Cornell had 3 or 4 apiece for the Boyz. Whites comeback was keyed by an all sub D-line of Jamie Sassenbury, Dan Jennings & Duane Pardee (who also scored). Rob & Chuck each made some huge saves. Brian "Jesse Junior" Banks handled the bench whining for Red, per their captain. White captain Bill Hopkins denies putting a two beer pitcher bounty on Dan Jervis in response to his guaranteed win, says "Don't sing it, bring it." Thanks to "Smith" for another fine report. We'll get back to that last line in a moment. For now, let's continue with the recaps. Game #2 Blue vs Green was one of the games briefly interrupted by the power outage and that break was basically the split between two totally different games. In the first half, Green was dominant scoring early and often while Blue couldn't get anything started. Dan Jennings, Dave Cavallaro and Jamie Sassenbury were among the scorers that helped Green take a 7-1 lead. After the lights came back on, Blue finally woke up and realized there was a game to be played. The unlikely line combination of Dan Jervis, Brian Banks and Mark Lasinski accounted for about 8 goals while Green's offense sputtered. It came down to a 12-11 game with 34 seconds left and Blue pressing but Dan Jennings blocked a shot at the end and time expired. Despite losing the second half by a score of 10-5, Green escaped with the win. The player of the game was clearly Jamie Sassenbury who scored about 5 goals, one batted out of mid-air near the side of the net and another scrapping in front without his helmet. Blue attempted to invoke the LaBarre Rule but was unable to because Jamie is not bald therefore there were no dangerous light patterns to distract the other players...... In the last game, a desperately under-manned Black team met up with the Yellow team minus their "human spark plug" Jesse. Only six skaters and a goalie dressed for Black but they managed to keep it close. Ron Schlicht and Mike Pardee were among the scorers for Black and Schumacher kept his "typical gimme goal" streak alive as well. But while they kept it close, they were never able to quite catch Yellow and Chip provided the spark in Jesse's absence scoring 6 goals in the 8-6 win. I was told that Chip was on a breakaway when the lights went out (and yes, he did shoot - wide). Finally, during the conversation at the bar about this game it was also reported by Michelle the bartender that "They" are real. I wish I could remember exactly how "They" worked their way into the conversation....... Finally, I was glad to hear that Bill Hopkins denied putting a two beer pitcher bounty on my head for the guaranteed win prediction in our next meeting. I'd hate to be responsible for denying the rink any sales after the game...... See you Friday! 08/31/04 - It was a dark and stormy night..... well that cheesy line about sums up this past week in the FNHL. There was definitely more electricity outside the rink than on the ice. All three games seemed to follow the same pattern. The games start out reasonably close and then one team pulls away. This was the case in the opener as the Green team (with a lot of Blue subbing in) took on Yellow (with Blue goalie John Oakes subbing in). Ron Maydole had a nice tip in goal for Yellow and Scott Budynas answered for Green from the slot. But late in the second period Yellow got a sub (name unknown) who was pretty good and had fresh legs (just what they needed right??) and John Oakes was having a great game in the nets. The sub turned on the jets along with Jesse, Chip and Jamie Schuler and they turned out the lights on Green. Dan Jennings also got a goal for Green but it wasn't nearly enough. The final score was something like 13-7. I didn't see the second game but I heard that it was much the same. I know that Black walked away with a win and that Mark Schumacher had not one, but two of his signature "typical gimme goals". As the saying goes, you know you're in trouble when Schu scores two. I believe the final score was in the neighborhood of 13-4. The result was a bit surprising because it sounded as though Red was well stocked with their regular weapons and had a few good subs as well. Maybe LaBarre took his helmet off and blinded them?? The nightcap was just miserable as Cornell and the rest of the White team took Blue "back to school" a few days early. Fortunately I don't have to talk about it any further because "Smith" checks in with the famous Bar Napkin Report". Here, as always, is the unedited version. White Boyz - 13 A tired Blue team with several key players in their 2nd game of the night were no match for the well-rested Whiteys on the Big Ice. Chris Baldwin with his usual 4 goals, Dave Cornell threw in a hat trick & Jason Vogel added 2 goals. Player of the Game Bill Hopkins added some offense to his steady D, with a goal & a couple of nice assists. Rob Conrad made several nice saves to preserve the lead. John Oakes hung tough for Blue to keep the game close most of the way. Terry "the instigator" Young had an out of control collision with George into the boards & followed it up with a tripping call. Dan Jervis had 5 of Blue's 7 goals, Brad & Steve had the others. Duane & Rich skated hard and caused some havoc. And Michelle looked rather fetching behind the bar. Based on the generally one sided nature of all the games we will have to once again suspend Game of the Week honors. Hopefully this week's games will get us back on track. In the hope of adding a little excitement to the next session I have decided to go out on a limb once again and make a bold prediction. Next time Blue meets White, Blue will win the game...I guarantee it (of course the "No Andre" rule is in effect). See you Friday!! 08/24/04 - All three of this weeks games were good - for the most part anyway. In the opener, Black met Blue for the first time since the guaranteed win game and managed to get some revenge. Having sub goalie Kathryn Hedges in the nets didn't hurt either. She played very well as usual and led the team to a 9-7 (or 6) win. Black passed the puck extremely well and their puck control was probably the difference in the game. Bob LaBarre had a good game defensively and I think he may have scored a goal as well. If he keeps playing like this he may even get an endorsement contract from the AARP!! The offense was led by Ian Webber, Ron Schlict, Pat Salvador and Greg Sniffen. I can't remember the specifics on the goal scoring but I know that Mark Schumacher did score his "typical gimme goal" on a bad clearing attempt. Dave Stage and (I think) Tom Gridley were among the scorers for Blue....The second game on Friday, Yellow vs Red, had everything - both the good and the bad. The game itself was one of the more exciting we've seen with Yellow falling behind early but then rallying to take a commanding lead, only to see it dwindle late in the 3rd period to a 10-10 tie. In the end, Adam Rufa scored to make it 11-10 and Chip O'Connor somehow got a nice shot through traffic and past Chuck Austin (who did play well) for a 12-10 lead. Brian Pompo scored again for Red to make it 12-11 but that was all Red would score on the night. What was also good about the game was that several Yellow team players (not just Jesse and Chip) stepped up especially Adam Rufa who scored at least 3 goals including a phenomenal end to end rush. Pete Thompson nailed a nice one-timer and Drew Liszewski scored a goal as well. On the Red side, they held Yellow to a one goal game without Andre on the ice and the line of the Pompo brothers and Stefan (last name unknown) had an excellent outing. Young Rob Griffin also chipped in with a goal and an assist. BUT, there were also some negative elements to this game, that at least partially overshadowed the great action. Bottom line was this game turned ugly. There were a lot of reasons for this and I don't intend to waste a lot of time rehashing them but the end result could have very easily been people getting seriously injured. We all want to compete and we all want to win and I think those are both good things. I've said it before and I maintain that no checking does not (and never will) equal no contact. If you are mad because you think you shouldn't be touched, get over it!! But just because you are competing, and even if you are wronged, that's no excuse for common sense to be thrown out the window. Frustration does not justify banging a guys head into the boards or landing a vicious cross check and does not mean you are then free to go blasting slapshots at anything that moves. We have no ref's and depend on the honor system. If you commit a penalty make sure the other guy is ok and give up the puck. Finally, since we all pay the same amount to play, being in a close game is not an acceptable reason to sit your weaker players for the last five or six minutes while you secure the win. There is nothing worse than sitting on the bench for extended periods of time because the guy on the ice won't come off. It's not fair to the rest of the team and there's no place for it here. Sorry for the editorial rant now back to the action. There was one more game played this week and it was another good one. "Smith" checks in with the Bar Napkin Report. Here, as always, is the unedited version.
White Boyz - 8
See you Friday! 08/17/04 - Another summer week down in the FNHL and the action was pretty good for most teams, with the exception of Black who played the role of Florida to the White teams Hurricane Charley. Rumor has it that White even looted the Black locker room and then charged them $75 per beer after the game. I had the pleasure of bringing my daughter to my game but the action on the ice really couldn't compare to the Full House marathon running on the tv upstairs. Special thanks to Patty for looking after her, and to everyone who stopped to say hello. I can't think of any other league where it would be a good idea to bring the kids but we've got that and I think it's an excellent reflection on the FNHL as a whole. On to the recaps.... The first game was Red vs Green and was probably the Game of the Week but unfortunately I didn't see it and can't tell you what happened. The final score was reported as a 12-12 tie. If anyone wants to fill in the details, feel free to drop me an e-mail. The second game was the aforementioned Black and White massacre and "Smith" checks in with the ever popular Bar Napkin Report. Here, as always, is the unedited version. White Boyz vs Black Eye The White team took it ot the Black team with a final score of 17-4. The line of Baldwin, Whyland and Evans dominated the game with tic-tac-toe passing. The White team defense played well, and kept most of the Black team away from the net. Russ did the rest with some sweet saves. Rob and Liam did manage to squeak some through for Black. Ian tried to figure out his new skates. Shoe-maker was flapping his gums and forgot to camp in front of the net for his typical "gimme goal" of the night. In the nightcap it was a rematch of Blue and Yellow. In their last meeting, Yellow rolled over Blue and that fact was not forgotten on the Blue bench for sure. This game was a little bit different thanks to the fact that Andre stayed for the whole game. He scored several times as did sub Cavy and Dan Jervis to lead the Blue to a stunning 14-9 upset win. Blue also got solid goaltending from our new first lady in the nets (whose name I obviously do not know) and nice sub efforts from Amy (whose last name I also don't know) and Tony Pompo. In addition to Jesse and Chip I think Lenny Matyasik and Adam Rufa scored for Yellow who obviously missed Bill Smithson and his unique method of scorekeeping. 08/12/04 - Sorry about the slow update - the connection here stinks. Since I was away last week I don't have much to offer in terms of game recaps. Fortunately, "Smith" was on the job and submitted the ever popular Bar Napkin Report. Here, as always, is the unedited version. Yellow Dogs – 12 White Boyz – 10 Yellow gains a measure of revenge for upset loss three weeks ago and puts a halt to White’s recent victory streak. The first period was marred by a missing goalie due to a miscommunication of game times (I won’t name any names - George). Steve Watson (I think?) gets the He-Man Award for the night for covering the empty goal in the first period without any protective equipment, even making an ill-advised glove save on a rising wrister from Dave Cornell. The pace picked up significantly once goalie for hire John Oakes and finally Russ Cole stepped into the crease for the Dogs. Jesse Nestico scored A LOT of goals for yellow, while Pete Thomson also played a strong game battling for loose pucks. For the Boyz, Chris Baldwin put in four goals and linemates Greg Evans and Mike Whyland also contributed a few. White goalie Rob Conrad returned from a multi-game absence and showed a little rink rust, but made several stops to keep the game close. Lastly, so long to Kelly and welcome to our new bartender Michelle We did get a letter from a fan with some commentary on expanding the proposed LaBarre Rule. You can check that out in our Ice Chips column...And finally, the slapshot poll has ended. Once I eliminated the extra votes including one person who voted 10 times and another who voted 12, the final tally was 30 in favor (52%) and 28 opposed (48%). This is not a binding vote so don't go out tomorrow and start cranking up the slapshots just yet. I will pass along the results to George and he can make the decision. We also held another "shuffle the teams poll" in this column a few weeks ago and the voting was even closer with 17 opposed (52%) and 16 in favor (48%). As long as my plane isn't terribly delayed I'll see you tomorrow. 08/04/04 - This will be a "quickie" since I'm on vacation this week (and last weeks games just weren't that memorable). In the opener, the Green team met up with a bunch of subs (and Brian Banks) calling themselves the Red team. It was actually a pretty good game, with a lot of back and forth chances. Green got off to an early 3-0 lead but "Red" came back quickly with 4 of their own to take a lead they would never relinquish. Both goalies played well and Rouss finished the game despite suffering an injury in the 3rd period. The final score after a late but futile rally by Green was about 8-6. If Green had not hit the post repeatedly in the 3rd, it might have been different. It seems a shame to call this a Game of the Week, but like I said, I'm on vacation so there it is..... In the second game, the Blue and Yellow teams met and the final score was something ridiculous like Yellow 14 Blue 6. It was only 2-0 after the 1st period but then Andre left and the gates of hell opened on Blue. Enough said....Finally I am pleased and honored to welcome back the famous Bar Napkin Report for game #3. Here, as always, is the unedited version. White Boyz - 12 White continues recent hot streak despite missing Baldy & sub Cavy as both deferred to their better halves instead of playing. Nick Smith w/ hat trick, Dave Cornell & Terry Young w/ 2 apiece (including beauty tip-in on pass from Bill Hopkins) & several other Boyz scored. Russ played great in goal, holding Black to one goal thru two periods, until 3rd period rush keyed by several laser-like goals by Ian for Black. Ricky also made a lot of saves, but White passing attack led to many odd man rushes & open shots. Good to see Dave Riggs back!! I have not received new schedules to post as of yet and since I'm away, I haven't had a chance to find out what's up with that. I will post them as soon as they are available. Have a good week and I'll see you a week from Friday!! 07/25/04 - What a difference a week makes! The stitches are out, the knee is ok and the curse of LaBarre has been lifted. So what's the lesson here.... If you have an unfortunate encounter with LaBarre, remember that it's annoying, even painful at times, but it gets old fast and doesn't last very long ...... We are happy to welcome a new junior reporter to the staff this week. Though he has been called many things, to preserve his anonymity we will call him "Tully", and he's got the recap of our first game. Here is the (slightly edited) version. Red vs Yellow Red had two open net missed opportunities which would have tied the game. Pompo's were there usual dominance. Chuck played a great game. Red had numerous subs. Yelllow goalie kept them in the game. Hopefully Bill is back in net before we play them again. Chip and Jessie were for the most part kept in check however the rest of the Yellow team was left to run wild. I think you get the gist of the game... Well, not exactly Hemmingway, but not bad for a first report. Thanks to "Tully" for the update. Since this column presently has no title, we would welcome any suggestions from our readers. Please e-mail me if you'd like to submit one. The second game of the night saw a mix of Green and White. "Smith" once again checks in with the ever popular report formerly known as the Bar Napkin Report. Here, as always, is the unedited version. Parking Lot 12-Pack Carton Report White Boyz * 8 (47 shots on goal) The Boyz continued their recent hot streak and got a measure of revenge from their prior shutout loss to the Greenies. Once Green subs Duane and Mike Pardee left for their regular game on the other ice, all hell broke loose. The 3rd period was almost as chippy as the ice was at the start of the first. After a shaky start, Russ Cole clamped down in goal for the Boyz. The opposite was true for Chris Rousseau, who extended his shutout streak to four periods against White until the tide turned in the 2nd and 3rd periods. Coincidentally, this is when White made the strategic move of shifting Andre Chamberlain from defense to forward. Andre pumped in 5 or 6 goals during his two periods up front and the other White goals were scored by Nick Smith, Jason Vogel, and Mike Whyland. Jason and Terry Young played some scrappy D, while Bill Hopkins was able to cover up for sub Mike Tully on the other D-line while Mike was busy chasing butterflies around the ice. Green was paced by Wes Hadzor, who had two or three goals (and a kick-in) and Chris Gonya, who skated hard and had a highlight reel goal. Lots of new faces in the Gang this week. Thanks to future FNHLer Fletcher Whyland for running the scoreboard during the game. The first game also had real-time scoring, which helps avoid controversy between periods and is good for the few fans watching the games or walking by. So if you have any “prospects” in your family that can run the clock, bring ‘em out. There were about 15-20 players hanging out in the parking lot after the games, plus a bunch that went to the Waterfront or elsewhere. But since the BAR WILL BE OPEN ON JULY 30th, look for the return of the Bar Napkin Report next week. Please stop up after your games to help justify this decision and, for you deadbeats, TO PAY GEORGE for the next session. Thanks to "Smith" for that report, and yes - the rumors are true - Tully was chasing butterflies during the game, but more importantly the bar will be open next week so let's take advantage of it and raise a toast to the return of the Bar Napkin Report - tentatively sub-titled "It's That Time of the Month...Again!!!" And last, but not least, we have the final game of the evening. This was a rematch of Black and Blue with a twist, a guaranteed win on the line - promised right here a few weeks ago. It was a close game in the early going with Black drawing first blood on a goal by Ian (Paine) Webber. Then Blue bounced right back and took the lead. By the end of two periods it looked like Blue would cruise to victory leading 6-3. Rich Fleischmann, Brad Beran, Mike Masello and Rob Smith were among the goal scorers. But Black battled back, as they have a nasty habit of doing. First Ron Schlicht scored to make it 6-4 and then Greg Sniffen added one to make it a 6-5 game with plenty of time left. With this reporters credibility on the line, Blue regrouped and John Oakes made some great saves to preserve the lead. With about 5 minutes left, Dan Jervis found a way to slide a rebound under the Black goaltender to make it 7-5. Ian scored again with under a minute left but it was not enough. The final score of this Game of the Week classic - Blue 7 - Black 6 and though John Oakes was the #1 star for Blue, it was fun to score the game winner...I guarantee it. By the way, it was nice to see Rob Niemier back on the ice for Black. He had been out of action for a while with a pretty serious illness...Finally, we got a letter this week from a member of the Syracuse Crunch's sales staff regarding tickets or packages for next season. The full letter is posted in the Ice Chips section. I (seriously) wonder how she found our site?? If anyone knows the answer, please let me know. Have a great week! 07/17/04 - I've been home for about 10 days. In that time I've had major dental work, sprained my MCL, and taken a puck in the face for seven stitches. I have become a walking, talking, co-pay. If you see me, ask me how I'm doing. I may hand you $12 just out of habit. I'm calling this streak "the curse of LaBarre" because we all know that somehow Bob is behind it. Needless to say, I will be taking some time off from playing (at least until the knee heals) but on the positive side I will have some more time to work on catching up on the photos. I got a few done tonight and you can check them out in the fun photo gallery. I would apologize to Bobby, but let's face it, we're way past that by now. But enough about me - there was hockey played this week, so let's get to the recaps... In the first game, the Black team had the misfortune of running into Yellow - fresh off last weeks drilling and with a new goalie who actually stopped the puck. Black really didn't play badly under the circumstances but there was no way that Yellow could be stopped on this night. The final score was something like 14-8 (??). Ian Webber did score a pair for Black and sub Mike Tully scored a sweet goal top corner on the backhand after making an unbelievable move around Jesse. But the majority of the highlights went to Yellow with Jesse, Chip, Adam, and company controlling the puck and the play most of the time and converting on chance after chance....In the second game, Green renewed hostilities with the Blue team and picked up the victory in a close game by the score of 4(or 5) to 2. This game left me in stitches (literally) as my face met the business end of a puck early in the 1st period. I am told that Steve ("I'm not a forward" )Kokkoris scored for Blue on a nice one timer and Jamie Sassenbury and Dave Cavallaro were among the scorers for Green. With such a low scoring game, I'm sure that both Rouss and John Oakes must have been solid in the nets. In the final game of the evening, the White Boyz continued their recent success with a win over Red. "Smith" checked in with the report formerly known as the Bar Napkin Report and here, as always, is the unedited version. Parking Lot 12-Pack Carton Report White Boyz - about 7 or 8, depending on if a controversial "offsides"
goal counted It sounds like we have a close race for "Game of the Week honors" so we'll have to make FNHL history and split the award between the last two games. Quote of the night goes to Mike Pardee who accused me of trying to create my own red line. I promise to do my best to avoid that in the future. Finally I want to seriously thank everyone in the FNHL for all your assistance, not only now but all the time that I have been lucky enough to be a member of the group. So many people have gone out of their way to help me and/or call to see how I was doing during this recent string of bad luck. Even Dan Jennings called to see if he had won the "how many stitches" pool. It was touching. I would name everybody, but I don't have enough space here (or that long an attention span either). Bottom line is that there are a lot of hockey leagues out there but few, if any, that have the true sense of family and community that we have. Thanks to George for keeping it together and to all of you for making it what it is. From age 15 to 50(something) I'm proud to call all of you friends. See You as soon as possible!! 07/13/04 - As promised, Smith checked in with his report on last week's game. Here is the unedited version. Since the bar was closed, no bar napkins were available for this weeks report: In a game likely to be overshadowed by George's debut in goal and victory over Gang Green (despite their wearing of the Retro green jerseys), the White Boyz shocked the Yellow Dogs by a score of 16-1. Goalie for hire John Oakes was outstanding in net, pitching a shutout until about the five minute mark in the 3rd period. He was supported by the formidable defensive line of Bill Hopkins, Dave Cornell, and Pete Klemm. Offensively, Chris Baldwin, Andre Chamberlain, Dave Cornell, and Nick Smith all had hat tricks for the Boyz, while Greg Evans, Alex Ryan, and Terry Young kept Yellow on their heels with tenacious forechecking and chipped in the remaining goals. Chip O'Connor threw in the lone goal for Yellow during an action-packed 3rd period as the Dogs rallied to get on the scoreboard. Jesse Nestico, snakebit with several shots off the goal posts, was held scoreless during the game. Hopefully, the bar will re-open (or we can pick a new place to meet up), so the Bar Napkin Reports can resume. Otherwise, be on the lookout for the debut of the less-catchy Parking Lot 12-Pack Carton Report next week. 07/11/04 - ...You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind; a journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Twilight Zone!.... I can think of no better opening for this week's news report. Rod Serling himself could not have scripted the show that we saw - 3 episodes, each more bizarre than the next and a surprise ending not to be believed....In the first game, the Red Menace jumps out to a 2-0 lead and then they vanish. The Pompo brothers...gone, the toe drag....gone, Chuck's hamstring....gone, Mike Tully...just an illusion. Brian Banks did play well defensively for Red, but he was all alone. The Blue team took full advantage of these bizarre circumstances, stormed back and posted a well earned victory. I believe the final score was about 11-8. This is not to say that things were normal for the Blue team either. I submit for your consideration the following: Joe Gracz scores a goal, Brad Beran scores two (almost three), sub Andre scores only one, and my first two shots nail the ankle of my line-mate (and new dad) Rich Fleischmann.... So, you might ask, what could possibly happen in game two that would be any more strange than the events in game 1?? On paper this game looked like a really good matchup, the White Boyz were well stocked with Bill Hopkins, Pete Klemm, Dave Cornell, Andre, Chris Baldwin and the return of Gregg Evans (good to see him back!) but they were facing league power Yellow with Jesse and Chip in the house. Odds makers in Las Vegas had this one handicapped as a "pick em" and potential Game of the Week. But, even in Vegas, they could not have predicted that the "Jesse and Chip show" would turn into Siegfried and Roy with the White Boyz playing the role of the white tiger. The final score was reported to me as a 16-1 mauling. I didn't see the game but it sounds as though the White team simply sunk their teeth into Yellow and dragged them around the ice for a full three periods. Hopefully a Bar Napkin Report will be issued with the full details and I'll post it when it arrives.... If that was all that happened Friday it would be a good story, but there was still one major twist yet to come. Rick Cummins is scheduled to be in the nets for Black as they meet the rival Green team, but at 10:15pm, Rick is nowhere to be found. With no other healthy goalies available, George Fleischmann volunteers to strap on Chuck's pads and play goalie for the first time ever. After a few warm up shots it looks like it will be an easy night for Green and they indeed take a quick early lead. But then, all of a sudden, George becomes a real goalie, stops the Green offense and the Black team buckles down and plays like a team possessed. They did everything well, passing, hustling, shooting, blocking shots and at the end of two periods they lead 6 (or 7) to 3. But it's not over yet. Green recovers enough to come back and tie the score 7-7, then Black scores to make it 8-7 and Green answers again to tie it at 8. With just over a minute to go in the game Ron Schlicht launches one past Rouss (who had also played well) for his third goal of the night and "Do You Believe in Miracles???" YES!!! The Black team with George in goal wins a 9-8 Game of the Week thriller over Green. Greg Sniffen also had a hat trick for Black and Bob LaBarre and Greg Schiccitano were outstanding on D. One other note from this week, I think we need to adopt a new rule in the FNHL. During the Black vs Green game, Bob Labarre's helmet came off but he continued to play. As a matter of safety, I don't think we can allow this. The way the light reflects off Bob's head creates a very hazardous condition for all the other players on the ice. The lighting on that rink is terrible anyway and with Bob's head exposed and the light reflecting off of it - it's like trying to play hockey while a disco ball spins overhead. I'm not saying that this caused the upset over Green but it certainly may have been a factor. So from now on, if Bob's helmet falls off, let's stop play until he puts it back on... Finally, there was a lot of discussion after the games about options we might have to shake things up during these summer sessions. Since there are always a lot of people out of town and the games usually involve a lot of subs it was suggested that - for the next 6 week session only - we shuffle the teams. This would give everyone a break from their normal routines and then in the fall, when most people are home, we can put the regular teams back together. George has asked for a special poll to see if there is interest in this, so you can cast your vote below and also feel free to e-mail us with your thoughts on the topic. Have a great week! 07/07/04 - Well I finally get home and the next day have a major dental procedure - oh how I missed central NY. Anyway, I did get an update on last week's games from an anonymous fan in the stands and here it is. Team 6 beat team 4 in a great game subs on both teams but in a close game till end both teams had fun. I don't know much about this (the next?) game but I think red took the game by 4-5 goal margin. The last game was I thought was the game of the night, missing was Jessie, Ron, John, for yellow, for the green missing Dan, Jamie, Brett. The yellow took the lead then bursts by the green mounted a comeback to a lead to yellow with a charge back to a tie in regulation. On to overtime 5 min sudden death about 1-3 min in a break in on the left side by Chip with a green defender between him and Rouss trying to center a pass to George coming in the slot the pass hit the defender skate and went past Rouss for the overtime win . Congrats to both teams on a great game. No Bar Napkin Report this week so I can only assume that "Smith" was out
of town... I got an e-mail yesterday from George regarding the bar at the
rink. Here is what he said. Finally, the last poll is now ended and it looks like there would be interest in an online payment system if we can work out the details. I have set one up for my brother to use with his group in Jacksonville and it's worked out for them so I will talk to George and see if he wants to set something up for us on a test basis. 06/27/04 - Lots of news and info to report on... Lets start with the important stuff. Here is the complete update on Rich and Mel Fleischmann's new baby girl. Rosemary Judith Fleischmann - 7 lbs, 5 oz - Born Thursday,
June 24th at 8:32 pm Once again, congratulations to the Fleischmann's from the FNHL!!! Mel also sent along 3 pictures which are posted in the fun photo gallery.. Next we have the golf tournament results - Everyone I've spoken to said it was a great day (Thanks George!!!) score 67- Jesse Nistico, Brian Galle, Brian Banks, Chuck Banks And now on to the game reports. The first game was a good one with Black vs White. Let's go straight to the Bar Napkin Report for the details: White Boyz - 7 -Probable game of the night - Balanced attack for White, goal of game was Mike Whyland converting a pass from Duane Pardee on a 2 - on - 1. - Terry Young managed to finally slam one home after whiffing on a few. - Strong goaltending by Rob & Rick. - Rob & Ian had 2 goals apiece, Pat Salvadore threw a nice shot in & Schumacher had his usual P.O.S. Goal from 6" out for the Plague. - He Man Award goes to Jason Vogel who played without shin guards & chipped in with a goal. The over/under was 7 shifts before an injury & he lasted the whole game. Just a few quick notes from me about that game - first, it was indeed the Game of the Night by a long shot, and second - I happened to score the winning goal (get used to it Black)... Finally, It was good to see Ian Webber back in black. Unfortunately, the last two games were nothing like the first. In game 2, the Red team jumped out to a 7-1 first period lead and went on to win by a large margin over Green. Brian and Tony Pompo looked like brothers out there scoring from every possible angle (and a few impossible ones as well).... Last (and certainly least) was Blue vs Yellow on the Olympic ice. In that one Adam Rufa made a case for adding him as a co-star in the "Jesse and Chip Show" by scoring quite a few nice goals. I would mention the highlights for Blue but there really weren't any. I think the final score was around 18-7 but who can tell at that point?? We got a lot of exercise anyway..... On a more serious note, I know that George is concerned about all the spots still left unpaid. We need to get those caught up right away. I will be out of town again this Friday so have a great week and let me know the results!! 06/22/04 - Well since I didn't hit it big in Vegas, I'm back....I heard that the golf tournament went very well and I should have some results to post here soon. As far as the games last week I know that Green defeated Blue but no other details. Here is the famous Bar Napkin Report. Red Menace - 16 White Boyz - 15 -Shootout with Jesse making a rare sub appearance for the Red team. - Nick Julian Sr. tossed in two goals for the Menace, and the Pompo Bros.& Cos. and Rob Griffin had solid games . - White had a furious rally at the end of the game. The line of Andre Chamberlain/Alex Ryan/Mike Whyland/Kevin Dwyer/Pete Klemm pumped in four goals on the last shift as time ran out on the Boyz. The rebound of the last shot at the buzzer went right to Kevin, but the horn had sounded before he could throw it back at the net for a possible tying goal. New schedules are posted. 06/14/04 - This will have to be a quick update since I am on my way out of town. Good thing none of the games this week were particularly interesting. In the opener we found out what you get when you mix Black with Green - a really ugly game. The final score was about 7-3. Ricky played well in the nets and got a lot of help from his defense...oh yeah, they had Andre too...Next game - Blue vs Red, better colors but not a better game. It looked like it could be close for a while but then Mike Tully had the game he's always dreamed of scoring 4 goals and putting to rest any hopes of self respect that the Blue team might have had that night. Chuck played well in goal for Red as well. The scoreboard showed a 10-5 final score but we're going to have to invoke the rule that says if Tully scores more than twice in a game it must never have happened... Finally we have the White team with new member - Andre vs Yellow. From the Bar Napkin -- Yellow Dogs 12 (16 according to BS) White Boyz 9 - Jesse & Chip vs Andre & Andre showed up late - That's about it. I think it's only fair to suspend Game of the Week honors for tonight, although we did have a quote of the night from Rick Cummins in the bar afterward "I can be as gay as I want to be, as long as we win". Rick had some friends in the bar with him Friday - counting those three people, our non relative fan base has just increased to three (the FNHL thanks you). Also, I can confirm that Bill Smithson (aka BS) did report the score of Yellow vs White as 16-9... I hope you all have a great time (and good weather) for the Golf Tournament this weekend. If anyone has a chance to send me the recaps from this Friday I will post them. I still have Montreal pictures to post and will do that as soon as I can...sorry for the delay. Have a good week and Happy Father's Day!! See you all next Friday (unless I happen to win big in Nevada in which case you will never hear from me again) 06/07/04 - First of all, congratulations to the Tampa Bay Lightning for winning the Stanley Cup. Also congratulations to the one person who picked them to win it all in our poll. I still don't know who that was. This week's game were all over the board, much like our recent weather. Some teams were hot, some were cold (and one was just right). Let's start right out with the first game Blue vs White and go directly to the Bar Napkin Report. White Boyz - 12 Blue Man Group - 10 - Thanks to low turnout by the regulars, White won the Andre sweepstakes for the first game. - Nick Smith w/ 1st period hat trick, then done for the night. - Pete Klemm, back after a layoff, chipped in two & played some solid D. - After a slow start, John caught fire in net for the Blue Men & White had to struggle to hold the lead. Thanks, as always to "Smith" for his report. I would add that Dave Stage, Mike Masello and Rob Smith scored for Blue...Well White was hot, but Green was absolutely on fire. In the second game we had one of the strangest FNHL games ever played. The Green team got some help from subs Andre and Dan Jervis and absolutely annihilated the Yellow team with both Chip and Jesse "in the house." I have no idea what the final score was, but there were a LOT of goals scored in this one. For two periods this was true of both teams. There was some controversy over the score throughout but Green was "up 3" according to Bill Smithson at the end of two periods. That's when Rouss stepped up and shut the door on Yellow. Green took the opportunity and filled the net with pucks at the other end. A rough estimate on the final score is maybe Green 26 Yellow 14 - who knows - anyway next week Yellow faces the "White Boyz" and will certainly be gunning for redemption (since Green has already given them religion).....The last game sounds like a game of the night but unfortunately I didn't see it. Black was cold, scoring only two goals while Red was just right with 5 for the victory. Word in the bar was that Chuck Austin and Rick Cummins both played well in goal and Tony Pompo for Red and Greg Sniffen for Black led their respective teams. 5-2 on the Olympic ice means either a really close game or really bad shooting. We'll give them the benefit of the doubt.... Finally, people I can't stress this enough - we need just a couple more foursomes for the golf tournament. There must be some people out there who have yet to register - or maybe you can find someone panhandling outside of your office - at this point it doesn't matter - just grab someone (and/or yourself) and get them registered. FNHL Money is due this week (golf tournament money was due last Friday). Have a good week!! 06/01/04 - I hope everyone had a good holiday weekend. We have now officially slipped into warm weather mode and the subs are out in force at almost every game. This can prove fun or frustrating depending on which team Andre plays for. In the first game last week, the fun factor was definitely in play as Andre joined Wes and Rob Smith on the Blue team for their game with Yellow. This was the game of the night and was very close all the way through. Ron Maydole scored twice for Yellow while Andre and Rob joined regular Blue teamers George and Mike Masillo on the scoreboard. It looked like Yellow might just take the loss - But the hockey gods were just toying with us.....Brian Banks (subbing for Yellow) took a nice pass from Chip and beat John Oakes to tie the score at nine in the closing seconds. How weird is that?? Brian Banks plays for Yellow?? Chip passes to someone not named Jesse??? Ron Maydole scores twice???? Go figure.... In the second game, the Green team looked to continue their recent string of success but no Rouss = no luck for the Green vs a sub laden Red squad. This game was more of a seesaw with Red going up early then Green got some scoring from Cavy and John Albanese to take a 4-2 lead and then the wheels fell off. Red scored three quick goals and never looked back enroute to a 10-5 win. Tony Pompo, Rob Smith and Rob Griffith led the way for Red. I guess the Green team was unnerved by the silence behind them. For the next game he misses, I think Rouss should leave a CD of his best trash talk and they can play it over the PA system. The final game was a battle of Black and White. Our faithful anonymous reporter "Smith" once again submitted the ever popular Bar Napkin Report on that one and here, as always, is the unedited version. White Boyz - 12 Black Plague - 7 - 1/2 White team AWOL helped by subs Alex, Kevin & Ron (White w/ 7 vs Black w/ 8 or 9) - Balanced scoring by White, All but one player scored (Sorry Kev) - Spectacular goaltending by Rob, Rick made some nice stops for Black also. - Play of the Game was Alex Ryan from the corner to Andre behind the net to Chris Baldwin in the slot. So Slick it makes motor oil look like tar. - Ron Schlicht w/ sweet backhander for the Plague. The golf tournament is coming up very soon and we still need a team or two to round out the roster. I know I've heard several people say they were going to register, but still nothing. Please get that done this week. Also payment for the event is due to George this Friday. See you then!! 05/24/04 - The payment ($45 per person) for the FNHL Golf Tournament is due a week from this Friday - on June 4th. Please see George on or before that date to get this taken care of. As always, he's done a lot of work putting a great event together so let's not leave him hanging for the money til the last minute. Thanks in advance!! One last note. Due to the unfortunate turn of events on Saturday, the Flyers will not win the Stanley Cup this year. Please observe a moment of silence at your convenience and reflect on what might have been. Somehow I know Bob LaBarre is behind this and he will pay!!! 05/19/04 - George has the 10:15pm slot again this Friday. As usual, the first 20 guys to contact him get the spots. Call him asap at 436-6882 if you want to skate. As far as I know we still need a couple of foursomes for the golf tournament. Have you registered yet??? 05/11/04 - For the first time this year we have a shutout!! Rouss stopped absolutely everything the White team threw his way to lead the Green team to a big win over the White. The last shutout I can find was last September when John Oakes blanked the Green team 5-0. Congrats to Rouss and the entire Green team. It just so happens that "Smith" was in attendance for that game and submitted his "Bar Napkin Report". Here is the unedited version. Gang Green - 13 White Boyz - 0 In the other games, Black and Blue met on the NHL ice and played the game of the night. It was close throughout and Blue looked like they would win it on early goals by Mike Masello, Dave Stage and George Fleischmann and sub Bill Hopkins. But alas, it was not meant to be. Russ Cole got tough in net and Black steadily chipped away at the Blue lead. Very late in the game, with Blue leading 7-6 Black scored to tie it (either Sniffen or Ian got the goal). So we go to overtime and Ron Schlicht continues his Montreal scoring rampage putting the game winner just past John Oakes. Blue fans everywhere rioted in the streets in protest....In the nightcap, it was another game of the night candidate as an undermanned but determined Red team held the powerful Yellow squad with Jesse and Chip to an 8-8 tie. Chuck Austin was outstanding in the nets and his glove hand left Jesse shaking his head on more than one occasion. Red was leading late in the game but Jesse did manage to get a goal or two late for the tie. Overtime was not played in this one, I'm not sure why. Either way it was a very good game. In other news, we are off for the next two weeks. George did e-mail me and said that he does have the 10:15pm slot though. If you want to skate, give him a call asap at 436-6882. The first 20 guys to commit will have the spots. I will be out of town again until next Friday 5/21/04. If you haven't registered for the golf tournament yet, please do so now. The date is getting closer and we still need a few foursomes to round out the group. Even if you don't have four players, you can register as an individual and George will pair you up with someone. It's going to be a great time and we look forward to seeing everyone there!! I have the pictures from Montreal and will post them soon (thanks Patty!). In conclusion I've got a little message for the Black team. You may have been pretty Schlicht last Friday but here's what I'm Sniffen. Next time we face each other make sure your Schiccitanos are well covered because Blue will bring the pain (Webber) and take home the win, I guarantee it. And whether you have a lump of Cole in net or not, you will have to grin and LaBarre it. And just to show you how certain I am, I'm going to Disney World (in advance). See you all in a few weeks!! 05/04/04 - This additional report from Friday just arrived in the
mailbox. Schu Sizes up the action. How bout them Flyers!!! 05/03/04 - Just finished watching the Flames oust the Red Wings - great hockey! Speaking of great hockey, the Montreal tournament was held this weekend and though Team FNHL left Montreal without a victory, they gave an excellent accounting of themselves and proved that we can compete with our counterparts from north of the border. Every game was either tied or within one goal late in the third period. Ron Schlict, Chip O'Connor, Dave Cavallaro and Dan Jennings led the way offensively with help from Mike Tully, Rich Fleischmann, and John Albanese. Dan, Bill Hopkins, George Fleischmann, and Bob LaBarre were solid on D against some pretty tough (and young) opponents. Chuck Austin played three strong games and was the victim of some bad deflections and opportunistic forwards. It was mentioned to me several times during the event that next year we will find a way to get the team skating together sooner and that will go a long way towards turning those heartbreaking losses into wins. Over on Team Jacksonville, Jesse and I had the opportunity to skate against some pretty good competition as well. Chip also made a special guest appearance in out third game and scored a breakaway goal to seal that win. We were able to win 2 of our first 3 games over teams from Ontario and lost (badly) on the Olympic Ice to Team Nunavut - from the Yukon Territory of Canada (near Greenland). Most of our opponents were under the age of 25 and as luck would have it, our rematch with Nunavut for the championship was also on the Olympic ice. We gave a better effort but their goaltender was outstanding and goaltending made the difference in the 8-2 game. Jesse had a great tournament for us on D and managed to get in a few good shots during the "no checking" games. Thanks to everyone - players, families and friends who participated or supported us in the tournament!! The scheduling didn't work out as well as I would have liked but we still got to watch some parts of each other's games and mingle with guys from my brother's group. All in all I think it was a great success and look forward to doing it all again next year. Back on the home front, there was hockey played in Cicero as well. I got another e-mail from our anonymous reporter "Smith". He's becoming a regular feature on this site with the "Bar Napkin Report". So here's what he had to say. White Boyz: 11 Red Menace: 6 Close game thru 2, White pulled away with 4 unanswered goals in the 3rd. The ice was in bad shape with several cracks that had to be repaired before the game. Luckily, no one was injured due to the ice condition. - Line of Kevin Dwyer (4 goals), Chris Baldwin (3), and Mike Whyland (2, including goal of the game on backhand spinaroonie) did most of the damage for the Boyz. - Red had tough time cracking the defensive wall of Dave Cornell, Jeff Budzich, & Liam Curry (Bill Who?) - Rob took a while to warm up in goal, but came up huge for White in the 3rd. Russ played tough for Red with several highlight saves. -Bartender Kelly credited with an assist after walking up bleachers in mini-skirt, causing a botched line change and easy goal for Red (who had their backs to the action). - John Griffith played a good game on D for Red and chipped in on O with a couple end-to-end rushes. If anyone has info on the other games, feel free to drop me a line and I'll post it. One bad bit of news, George mentioned that the money (over)due situation seems to be getting worse. If you are behind, please make sure to get it cleared up immediately and more importantly, let's see if we can prevent this problem from continuing in the future. It's not fair to expect George to run the league AND finance it but every six weeks we have problems. We all need to step up and keep our league running smoothly. 04/27/04 - There are a few spots as yet unpaid. These are noted on the
roster sheet as usual with a $$. Please see George asap to get everything
caught up. The Montreal tournament is this weekend so I'll need someone to
send me Friday game recaps. The Stanley Cup Poll has ended and the FNHL
favorites are playing each other right now - the Maple Leafs and the Flyers.
At least some of you know a good team when you see one. As for those of you
who voted for the Leafs - better luck next year, EH!!! We'll start a new
poll shortly.Have you registered for the golf tournament yet???
Good luck to all this
week!! 04/20/04 - The new schedule is posted. Golf tournament registrations are going well but I'm sure there are more yet to come in. Things in Tampa didn't end up as well as we'd hoped as we lost in the finals to a team from Idaho that had several ex-NHL players on their roster. It would have been nice to win it all but it was a great experience anyway. I did get one more write up from last Friday's games and here it is:
8:00 NHL
No hockey scheduled for this Friday 4/23/04. Have a good week!! 04/18/04 - This will have to be a quick update as we have one more game to play here in Tampa in the morning. Not too much to say since I'm out of town but our anonymous reporter "Smith" came through again with one report. Here is the unedited version.
From the bar
napkin:
White over Blue
by 6-4 in what was probably the game of the night.
-Stellar
goaltending on both sides (Rob Conrad and John Oakes). John
stopped several breakaways and odd man rushes.
-Balanced scoring
for White (Baldwin, Hopkins, Smith, Vogel and Whyland for sure and
either Klemm or newcomer Alex Ryan for the other), who were helped out
by two "own goals" by Joe Gracz.
-Bill Hopkins
stood out on D and also scored one.
- Rich
Fleischmann put in a nice wrister for Blue.
-Sub Rob Smith
played a good game for Blue despite getting tripped at least 4 times and
spit on once by Dave Rigg and friends
Please register for the golf tournament if you haven't already. Have a good week and I'll see you on Friday!! 04/11/04 - The golf tournament info has been posted. Also on that page is a form you can use to register either a foursome or individual player(s). Feel free to use that form and then George will collect the money. The final date for payment is 5/19/04. The cost is a very reasonable $45 per person even with the addition of the steak dinner. Please don't wait until the last minute to sign up so George can get an accurate count. It should be a great time!....There were two good games and one not so good this week. In the opener, the Blue team just could not put it together and spent most of the evening watching Jesse and Derek Crowley skate up the ice and score for the Yellow team. The final score was 16-6 but the game was never as close as the score would indicate. With Chip MIA the Blue team hoped to keep it close but Jesse flat out dominated. Bill Smithson had a good night in net for Yellow as well....The second game was much better as the Green team (with coach DiCicco on the bench) battled the Red. Russ Cole subbed in goal for Red allowing for a rematch of last week's Russ - Rouss showdown. And a showdown was exactly what it turned out to be as both goaltenders were outstanding and Rouss earned a measure of revenge with a 7-6 victory for Green. The game went right down to the wire and Red managed to score once with the goalie pulled but couldn't get the tie. Dave Cavallaro scored the game winner for Green, Jamie Sassenbury and Scott Budnyas had nice goals as well. Red had a solid team effort and got especially good games from Griff, Tully, Pompo and Bird. (Sorry, I can't remember the specific goal scorers)....The last game between the White and Black was good as well and once again we have a write up!!! Our anonymous reporter (let's just call him "Smith") says that it was a close game thru 2 periods but Black pulled away in the 3rd. Pete Klemm scored the best goal of the night but it didn't count due to a controversial offsides call. Jason Vogel got a couple of goals that did count for White. On the Black side I'm told that recent addition Wes (I need a haircut) Hadzor was the player of the night with 4 goals. The final score was reported as 8-7 though it could have been a goal or two more than that. Rick Cummings and Rob Conrad were the goalies and both played well....I will be out of town this week joining my brother's group at the USA Hockey over 30 Nationals. I will be on the roster as a reserve (team "American Express"). Last year they were the runner's up so it should be a lot of fun. Click here for a link to the USA Hockey tournament page. Also I will let the Stanley Cup Poll run one more week so if you haven't voted yet, please do. Good luck to all this week and hopefully someone will send me the info on the games. 04/04/04 - A good group of games this week and I actually got a write up on one that I didn't see!!! (Thanks Bill, Nick). The first game was a close defensive battle between the Green and White teams. White emerged victorious by the score of 6-3. Anytime there are less than 10 goals scored in one of our games you know the defense must have been good. There were a lot of subs in this game on both sides and the goaltenders - Russ and Rouss (try saying that a few times fast) both had good games. Jamie Sassenbury scored a nice goal for Green picking the puck out of mid-air and Terry Young scored for White with a sweet tip in on a pass from Nick Smith...In the second game the Blue team with a pair of Oakes took on the Black and the result was another 3 goal game with Blue coming out on top by the final score of 8-5. John Oakes was great in the nets as usual and his bother Pete (good name for a brother) helped out as a forward. Dave Cavallaro subbed for Blue and had a hat trick and Rich Fleischmann had some nice assists as their line contributed all eight goals on the night...The last game was rumored to be close as well, although that depends on who you talk to. I was told that the Yellow team beat the Red by a score of 10-8 and Pete Thompson had an excellent game scoring 4 goals for Yellow. There seemed to be some question about that score in the bar after the game as several members of the Yellow team remember a slightly bigger margin. Bottom line - it doesn't really matter and we, as a league, had a pretty good night...In other news, the golf tournament is set for June 19th and there will be steak on the menu based on the results of the latest poll. The cost will be $45 and I will have a page set up very soon where you can register. A new poll has been setup in honor of the start of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Please vote soon as it won't be up that long. Why do I sense that there will be a huge number of votes for Toronto (ahemm..Mike Tully) ??? Finally I have added a notation at the bottom of our homepage to show when the site was last updated. The e-mail list which advises people when a change has been made will also continue so click here to join. Just write the word Update in the subject field. See you on Friday!! 03/26/04 - First thing on the agenda this week is schedule changes. George was just advised tonight that there is ice this Sunday 3/28/04 for the regular Sunday group at 7:00am. Since this is a last minute switch, please call and let him know if you can make it. If you are not a member of the regular group but would like to skate please call George immediately at 436-6882 to see if there's an opening (it's pretty likely). Also the games on the NHL ice this coming Friday 4/2/04 will start after the Junior tournament. The anticipated start time is 8:45pm but if they really run late it could be as late as 9:30pm. It's not an ideal situation but we have no control over any of these changes. The games this week seemed to go pretty much with the weather - a bit on the dismal side. I don't have much info on the first two games but I guess the opener was the game of the night with Yellow skating past the Black team by a score of about 14-11. I was told that Jesse and Chip did most of the damage for Yellow (of course you probably could have figured that out on your own). The second game was a rout for the re-energized Red team as they rolled over the White by a score of about 11-3. Red clearly has their Pompo back and seems fully recovered from their recent struggles. White was missing key player Greg Evans who suffered a serious knee injury last Sunday. Greg has become a big part of the FNHL family recently and we wish him the best in his recovery. In the nightcap, Chris Diccio scored one of his trademark goals in his last game vs the Blue team - 5 hole on John Oakes, and Cavy had a goal and two assists, but that about covers the highlights for the Green team. The rest of the game was all Blue team as Duane Pardee (playing center for Gridley...who??) scored 4 goals, Dave Stage had 3 and Brad Beran 2. Also both Fleischmann brothers scored and Dan Jervis added a few as well....Bottom line, not a good night to be Green. The final score was around 15-3. As always, John Oakes was great in the nets for Blue and the defense of Fleischmann, Gracz and Kokkoris was solid. Finally I want to wish George a very happy birthday on behalf of all of us in the FNHL. Contrary to popular belief, he did not turn 50 (yet, but the rink is aging him fast with all these schedule changes). 3/16/04 - I spoke to George this afternoon and he said that there is ice available this Sunday morning at the War Memorial from 7:00am - 9:00am. The Montreal tournament team will use this time as a tune-up and they need another 10 skaters and a goalie as opponents. Considering that we are off this Friday and the regular Cicero Sunday session is also off, this would be a great opportunity to get a skate in this week. Please call George asap at 436-6882 to reserve a spot. He needs to know right away because the ice has to be paid for in advance. Thanks 3/14/04 - The 2nd annual FNHL golf tournament has been scheduled for Saturday, June 19th at the same course in Central Square we were at last year. In the next few weeks I will post a tournament page with additional info and a spot to submit your foursome. I'm sure it will be a lot of fun again this year and hopefully the weather will be better also. Please let George know if you can help out with door prizes, etc. There is a new poll on the website to determine if we have the same hamburgers and hot dogs menu again or spend about $15 per person extra and enjoy a steak and buffet - please take a second to vote, even if you don't feel that strongly about it....The Montreal tournament roster is set and I will be collecting the balance of the tournament fee (another $100) on Friday 4/2/04. If you have not made hotel reservations yet, make sure to do so no later than March 30th. The response was excellent and we're looking forward to another great experience there. If we can keep our FNHL players from having any more children this year we might even be able to place another full team in the tournament next year. At least the guys are scoring regularly somewhere..... This week, the big story on the ice came in the first game where new Yellow team member John Corrigan scored 2 goals in his teams 11-3 win over the Green team. John is one of our newest and least experienced players so it's nice to see him improving and enjoying some success. Dave Cavallaro (Cavy) of the Green team took a puck between the eyebrows that left a nasty cut but returned to play (with an ugly looking tape job on his face) and we're glad he's ok. No other details were relayed to me on the game....... Ditto with the second game where I was only told that the Red and Black teams skated to an 8-8 tie and that Mike Tully would dispute this result. So far I haven't heard from him on it. It must have been a pretty good game.... In the late game, the Blue team pulled a complete reversal of their performance of last week and defeated the White team by about 15-10. The game was close most of the way with Blue scoring in bunches and then White catching up. A late flurry in the third period sealed the deal for Blue. Both Rich Fleischmann and Mike Masello had hat-tricks for Blue, George Fleischmann had two goals and Brad Beran got one as well. Bill Hopkins had a nice goal for White and I'm pretty sure Greg Evans had a couple. The White team had some new players who also scored but I'm not sure if they were subs or new regulars.... Remember we are off this Friday 3/19/04... Have a safe and happy St. Patrick's Day - See you on the 26th!! 3/6/04 - The games were good again this week but not quite as close overall. The opener was described to me as a "typical Yellow team game." This description came from a member of the White team so what I gather from that is the Yellow team scored a lot of goals and came away with a relatively easy win. I believe the final score was around 14-6. Since I didn't see either of the early games this week, I don't have a lot of details to add....The second game takes game of the week honors this time as it appears that the Green team, playing the Black, snatched defeat from the jaws of victory in the closing minutes just as the Blue team did last week. The final score was reported as 8-7 for Black with Ian Webber and Greg Sniffen getting late goals to turn the tide.... As often happens with sequels, the much anticipated rematch between Blue and Red turned out to be much less than the original. Blue got the first goal early on a nice pass from Rich Fleischmann but Red took control from there scoring 4 unanswered goals to lead 4-1 at the end of 1. They would add another 8 goals in the next two periods and though Blue rallied briefly - Dave Stage scored to make it 10-7 early in the third period, it never got any closer. Mark Lasinski and Brian Pompo each scored a few nice goals to lead the offense for Red and Rob Griffin and Brian Banks anchored the D. The final score was about 12-7. Chuck Austin also played well for Red in goal. It was another good game, but Blue was always just a step behind.... We did get word last night that Patty Ryan, the lovely lady in Bob LaBarre's life, successfully completed her New York State certification and is a duly licensed massage therapist. Congratulations Patty on this big accomplishment from all of us here at the FNHL!!! 3/4/04 - George sent me an e-mail recently with updates to the FNHL rosters page. The new rosters are now posted. We have several new players and on behalf of the entire FNHL it's my pleasure to welcome them into the league. Also, on the rosters page is an indication of who still owes money for the current session. These are noted by a $$ next to the name. Obviously the new players will be on the list but there are also several veterans as well. Please see George immediately to get things squared away. The Montreal Tournament teams are all set. Most people have also paid the $50 deposit and the last few I will collect on Friday. The down payment has been made to Russell Hockey already. Hotel reservations should be made already as well. If you haven't done this yet, please remember to take care of it. The last thing we need to do is complete a skills assessment sheet so the organizers know what division to put us in. I have the sheet and it asks the following;
Name All confirmed players should send me the answers to the above questions in an e-mail asap and I will get that form done. From there we should get a schedule. It should be a great trip!! See you tomorrow... 3/1/04 - It was a really good week of games this past Friday. In the first game, the Green team got goals from about 9 different players including Scott Budynas and a nice one timer by John Albanese to defeat a pesky Black squad by the score of (about) 10-7. Green went up early and threatened to run away with it but Black held tough led by the return of captain Greg Sniffen and Ian Webber. Both Ricky and Rouss were sharp in the nets. The unofficial highlight of the night occurred when Scott's daughter - who was serving as timekeeper - felt sick and got just as far as the Green bench before leaving the evenings dinner on the floor. We hope she feels better this week and also hope it was neither our play on the ice nor the smell of our equipment that caused her upset stomach... Game #2 was another fast paced contest with the Yellow team facing White. Yellow's Len Matyasik took a nice feed from Chip O'Conner and scored on a breakaway in the first period to set the tone (no Lenny, it was not a dream!!). Both Rob Conrad and sub Rick Cummings made some big saves to keep it close. Unfortunately I only saw the first period but I believe the final score was about 11-8 in favor of Yellow... The last game on the Olympic ice completed the evenings hat-trick of great action as the Blue team squared off with a "new and improved" Red team. It was the first time in quite a while that Red had more than 7 players to start the game and they made the most of it. The game was very close the entire way with each team taking turns going up or down by a goal or two and then catching up. George Fleischmann fed Dan Jervis a restaurant quality pass in the slot late in the third period which he converted to give Blue the lead and it looked like Blue was going to pull it out. But Brian Pompo scored on a nice individual effort with about 3 minutes left to tie it and then Mike Tully broke free and scored the game winner with just over a minute remaining to complete the comeback victory for Red 7-6. Russ Cole deserves a lot of credit also as he made some huge saves for Red in the win. Much as I would have preferred to be on the winning side, it was an awesome game with excellent efforts by both teams and a lot of fun to play. The Blue team is looking forward to the rematch which is rumored to be coming as early as this Friday.... In other news, I haven't gotten the schedule yet from George for the next 6 weeks but will post it as soon as I do. I know he is still owed money by more than a few people so that needs to be addressed asap. The Montreal tournament team roster is just about complete and we are looking forward to a good time there. If you are on the team and have not yet made your hotel reservations, please do so as soon as you can. The instructions are in the article below. Each player will need to complete a skills assessment sheet and then the tournament will match us up appropriately and generate a schedule. I will collect the balance due for the tournament fee during the first week in April. 2/24/04 - Montreal Tournament Update - We've gotten a great response so far. At this moment, I have only two slots open and would like to finalize them as soon as possible. The tournament is run by Russell Hockey and you can check out their website at www.russellhockey.com . I have played in this tournament before and it's always a good time. Although we are putting in our own FNHL team this year, we will once again be meeting up with my brother's group from Jacksonville FL for fun and socializing before and after our games. They are a great bunch of guys (good players too) and there is never a lack of excitement when we get together. It's my understanding that many of the guys from both teams will be bringing their wives/girlfriends (or both??) and kids are invited as well. This is intended to be a social event with some good hockey mixed in, and Montreal is a great city with lots of things to do. The tournament runs from Friday 4/30/04 - Sunday 5/2/04. There will probably be one game Friday night, two on Saturday and then the finals on Sunday (if you win and advance). Also I was advised that you do not need to be over 35 to participate. We can fill the roster, regardless of age, and will be matched up appropriately based on overall team experience. The tournament fee is $150 and I will be collecting a $50 deposit from all confirmed players this Friday. We are doing the hotel separately because most of our players and the Jacksonville players want single rooms (the tournament usually books quads or doubles). I have set up a group rate of $116 (CDN)/night at the Courtyard by Marriott in downtown Montreal. Each player must make his own reservation and will pay for the hotel on his own. To make reservations, call the hotel directly at 514-844-8855. Mention our group code - HOCS - and my name (Jervis) to be sure you get our rate. Our contact person at the hotel is Georgia Kapsopoulos if they have any questions. Our room block is being held until March 30th so please be sure and call them right away to make reservations. If you want to go and still haven't confirmed your spot with me send me an e-mail asap or call my office 315-428-4674 and let me know. Mike Tully, George Fleischmann, Bob LaBarre and Chuck Austin went last year and can probably answer most questions you might have also. I hope to see you there!! 2/23/04 - It was a pretty good week on the ice this week. In the opener the Pompo children got a win in their coaching debut and the Red team (at least part of it) finally shed its "struggling" tag scoring a well earned win over the White team. The final score was about 11-8. Chuck Austin made some big saves to secure the win for his team which consisted of only Brian Banks, Nick Julian, and Brian and Tony Pompo. Subs Dan Jervis, George Fleischmann and Duane Pardee rounded out the squad. Greg Evans and Chris Baldwin led the White team in a nice effort. Rob Conrad made some great stops as well in goal. Game #2 was another classic Blue-Green showdown and lived up to expectations. Defense took top billing in this one as the Blue's Steve Kokkoris, Joe Gracz, Duane Pardee and George Fleischmann took turns frustrating the Green offense. When they were able to get a good scoring chance, John Oakes showed why he was just voted the top goalie in the FNHL by shutting the door. Scoring at the other end was not much easier as Chris DiCicco was back in action and Rouss got a piece of almost everything shot his way. Unfortunately for the Green team though Rouss got a piece of a couple of shots by Dan Jervis but they still managed to sneak through to put Blue in front early 2-0. The game went back and forth from there and Blue lead only 3-2 at the end of two periods. Sub Brian Banks scored twice for Blue and the defense held on for a 5-2 final. I did find out after the game that Chris DiCicco has accepted a new job in Alabama and will be moving there in a few weeks. Chris has been a member of the league for a long time and is well known as a tough competitor. We wish him and his family much success in the future....In the last game the Yellow team simply skated over, under, and through the Black team. I can't say what the final score was, but it was really ugly. Drew Liszewski (and everyone else, I think) scored for the Yellow team. Russ Cole could have fallen asleep in the Yellow net and I doubt that anyone would have noticed. It was a tough welcome back for Rick Cummings in the Black nets but good to see him back anyway....George has asked me to mention that we have several open slots that we need to fill. Players have been dropping out and teams are left short. If we don't have enough paid slots obviously we can't continue running a 6 team league. If you know of players who would like to step in, please let George know right away. Also, money was due and (sadly) as usual there are a lot of guys who still owe. There was a suggestion that we should post the delinquent list here on the web so everyone knows who's not keeping up.... 02/15/04 - We will be back to regular games this Friday 2/20. The schedule for the next two weeks is posted. I will post the new schedule once I get it from George. Money is due this week for the next 6 weeks. All unpaid accounts will be turned over to Mike Tully for immediate collection action. Trust me, you don't want Mike teaching you about his "fight strap" so please pay on time. We've gotten a great response to the Montreal tournament announcement and are just about filled up. Please let me know asap if you are still interested and I'll see if we have a spot open. I'm still waiting for confirmation from a couple of people so there might still be time. Also, I need a $50 deposit from all confirmed players by Friday 2/27 to send to the tournament director. Thanks - see you all on Friday... 2/3/04 - Bad news today - once again due to circumstances beyond his control, George was advised that we will not have our regular FNHL ice this Friday 2/6 or next 2/13. We will be offered the late (10:15pm) spot on the Olympic ice only so if you want to play please contact George. His cell phone # is 436-6882 or you can e-mail him at gfleisch@twcny.rr.com . Please let your teammates know about this unexpected schedule change. Thanks 2/1/04 - There were some pretty good games this week so let's get right to the recaps....In the first game the Blue team faced the Black and the goaltenders ruled the day. John Oakes for Blue and Russ Cole for Black were both outstanding. Black got a goal early but Blue answered with goals by George Fleischmann and a pair by Dan Jervis to take a 3-1 lead. Black tied it up again (my apologies for not remembering who did the damage) only to have the Blue's "Civil War Veterans" line of Beran, Stage and Gridley score 2 more and Blue held on for a 5-4 win as Oakes stood tall once again. In the second game the still struggling Red team got their Pompo back and took the Yellow team for one heck of a ride before finally falling late in the third period. It was a 3-2 game late in the third period thanks largely to Red goalie Chuck Austin who played a phenomenal game and Tony Pompo who scored a goal and played some great D in his return to action. But you just knew that Jessie wasn't going to tolerate two losses in a row and he scored 5 goals and sparked a late flurry by Yellow to seal a 6 (or 7) - 2 decision. In the late game the White team continued their winning ways of late and defeated the Green team. I'm not sure of the score but I heard that it was fairly close - maybe 11-8 (??). It was mentioned that the combo of Dave Cornell and Andre scored quite a few goals for White. Tournament Announcement - Last year a few of us from the FNHL joined forces with a few guys from my brother's group from Florida (www.jaxhockey.com) and played in the Russell Hockey Tournament in Montreal. It was a great time and we would like to enter an all FNHL team in this years event. The tournament is going to be in late April so we need to get things organized as soon as possible. It can be fairly competitive but we will are planning to enter in a C or D division bracket (over 30 or over 35) so we should be able to keep up just fine. Please let me know as soon as possible if you are interested and I'll get all the details to you. We are looking for a total of 10 skaters and a goalie. Since I will be out of town for this week's games feel free to e-mail your interest to me. Mike Tully, George Fleischmann, Chuck Austin and Bob LaBarre all went last year and can probably fill you in as well. Finally, since I will be away this week I will be relying on you to send me the results for the column. See you in 2 weeks!! 1/26/04 - We've already gotten a pretty good response to the goalies poll. I'll leave it up for another week or so and then post the results. George asked me to mention the golf tournament again. We need to decide if we want to return to the same course as last year and also if we want to look into a buffet or stick with the hamburgers and hotdogs. He didn't mention it specifically but I know that he could use some help getting door-prizes, etc. It was an interesting week on the ice Friday night. In the first game Derek Crowley made a special return appearance and helped the White team to a big win over the Blue. The final score was around 10-6. Sub Andre helped out with the offense and the White D was outstanding with Bill Hopkins, Pete Klem, Dave Cornell and Dave Rigg making it very tough for Blue to get good shots. Also Rob Conrad made some big saves to keep Blue from catching up. Tom Gridley was able to score for Blue late in the game with his wife and daughter in the stands. Our official attendance report for that game coincidentally was 2 - the FNHL thanks you...(both). The second game was yet another tough one for the struggling Red team. Bob LaBarre was back in Black and his team proved that they don't need Moses to find the holy land (or at least the back of the net) by defeating the Red. I'm not sure of the score but I think it was close - maybe 9-7?? Anyway this reporter hesitates to label any team as "slumping" after the fiasco with the Green team over the summer (and fall) but.....we'll just stay with "struggling" for now. Nothing a healthy dose of Andre can't cure. Speaking of Andre - he's been having a big impact in the past few weeks and certainly none bigger than in the nightcap. An epic battle took place between the Green and Yellow teams. The Green team was missing key players Chris DiCicco, Dan Jennings and Matt Mills but added subs Andre, Dan Jervis and George Fleischmann and proceeded to hand the Yellow team their first loss of the new year by a score of about 13-10. Dave Cavallaro had the hot hand and led the game in scoring with about 7 goals. Scott Budynas and Bill Cummings also had good games for Green. Pete Thompson, Adam Rufa and Chip O'Connor scored some nice goals for Yellow but it was not enough. George still has a few spots open for Super Bowl Sunday night - check with him if you're interested. Also the rosters have been updated. If you see a misspelling, feel free to send me the correct one. Thanks! 1/17/04 - The first poll has finished and the results were very close (for the most part). Once duplicates were eliminated there were a total of 37 votes counted. Based on the votes it looks like the Blue and White teams were the co-winners with Red, Black and Green all not far behind. Thanks to everyone who took the time to vote! This month we have a new poll so feel free to help us answer the burning question about which of our outstanding FNHL goalies is the best. One vote per person please (yes Mike Tully, this means you!!!). This week's games were generally better than last weeks. In the opener the White team enlisted the help of super sub Andre and proceeded to engage the Yellow team in a shootout. I didn't see the game and so I don't have any individual performances to comment on but the word in the bar was that a LOT of goals were scored by both teams and in the end the Yellow team had more firepower. The second game was apparently the game of the night in which an undermanned Black team posted an exciting come from behind 9-8 victory over the Green team. Green jumped out to an early 4-0 lead but Black battled back and scored the game winner late in the third period. Some of the individuals mentioned to me as key in the win were Rob Niemier, Pat Salvador, Ian Webber, and Ron Schlicht. I also heard that Rouss played well in the loss for Green and suffered an ankle injury which we hope is not serious. In the late game, the Red team officially confirmed that the wheels have come off suffering a 10-3 defeat at the hands of the Blue team. Mike Masello opened the scoring with a nice top shelf shot and added another goal later in the game. Rich Fleischmann had some nice assists also. John Oakes was solid in goal as usual and Joe Gracz led the D. The Red team had only seven players for most of the game and needs to get their roster back in order before goalie Chuck Austin suffers a shell-shock induced breakdown. Finally, George asked me to mention that he can get ice on Feb 1st (Super Bowl Sunday) if there are enough guys who want to play. I don't have any info on possible times yet, but if you think you might be interested, please contact him immediately. 1/10/04 - Thanks to everyone for your feedback on the new look of the site. I have also changed the host server in an effort to minimize the annoying downtime we had been experiencing. You may have noticed that I added a User Poll section that we can hopefully use as another way for you to express your opinion on things here in the FNHL. Please take a few seconds when you're here to submit your vote on the current question. All responses are anonymous. I can tell if someone is trying to "stuff the ballot box" but I cannot identify (nor do I want to) specific user info. Your privacy is respected and protected here. It was nice to be back in our regular routine after the holidays. The games this week all seemed to follow a common pattern - can you say "Blowout". In the opener, the Green team got great goaltending from Rouss and offensive spark from the line of Cavy, Dan Jennings, and Jamie Sasenbury and rolled to big win over the Red. The Red team is still trying to get their roster stabilized and key players healthy. In the second game, the Yellow team rang in the new year by rattling the cage of Blue goalie John Oakes. As usual, Jessie and Chip did a lot of damage but they also got great games out of their entire roster including Adam Rufa, Mike and Len Matyasik, Art Chamberlain, Pete Thompson and newcomer Drew. Bill Smithson didn't have a ton of work in goal but made some really good stops on shots that could have made it closer. The final score was....well let's not even go there.... Blue will look to rebound next week against Chuck Austin and the Red team. I don't have too much info on the last game but from what I heard in the bar, the Black team broke open a close game in the 3rd period and completed the one-sided night by trouncing the White team. Trade winds were blowing involving some key FNHL players but at this point it looks like there won't be any major shakeups. Also we were disappointed to hear that regular Black team goalie Rick Cummings was injured at work and will be out of action for a couple of months. We wish him well and hope he returns to the ice as quick as possible. I have a few short new letters to post and will do that as soon as I can. I would appreciate some feedback on whether there is any interest in team and/or individual photos. I have some experience with photography and a decent digital camera setup and would be willing to provide the service if people want it. I can also make some gift type items such as keychains for kids, spouses, etc. Finally I hope that everyone adds to their new years resolutions remembering to bring their checkbooks when the money is due and stopping (at least once) to thank George for all the work that he does to keep us on the ice. This is a great group, I'm proud to be a part of it and look forward to another year!! |
