March 24th results/updated standings

Standings after March 24th Games:

1.       Knights 20 (99-40)

2.       Yeti 16 (83-31)

3.       Eagles 12 (72-43)

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4.       Bear Claw 10 (81-86)

5.       Colonials 8 (68-63)

6.       Hounds 6 (55-127)

7.       Walkers 1 (44-107)

Top 3 teams will automatically be locked into a best of 3 semi final series.  #2 seed will play #3 seed.  We will have a 4th place tournament to determine the last playoff spot.  4th seed will play 7th seed, then the 5th seed will play the 6th seed, with those 2 winners taking on one another on the same night to determine the final playoff spot.  The 4th place team will play against the 1st place team (knights) in a best of 3 series.

Knights Overcome 4 goal deficit ----- Clinch 1st seed and remain unbeaten with 6-4 win over the Eagles.

It looked like the 3rd time was going to be the charm for the eagles last night.  Derrian was in net for them doing his best Henry Sutter impersonation, while 4 different players on the roster scored to put them up 4-0 in the later part of the 2nd period, but those last 15 plus minutes probably felt like an eternity when they tried to hang on.   Austin Boyd scored the only goal in the opening frame. The eagles had a really good 2nd period thanks to some good passing and good goal tending.  Eric Llewellyn set Josh Clontz up for their 2nd goal, then Zac Gray scored to make it 3-0 and Jerred Amick scored a couple minutes later to make it 4-0.  Normally, a 4 goal deficit in a game like this seems like a huge mountain to climb, but not for the Knights.   Noah and Andy were pretty quiet in terms of scoring goals, but undefeated teams normally find other ways to win.  Down 4-1 going into the 3rd period, the knights got 3 late 3rd period goals from Nate Galentine.   His name doesn’t get mentioned that much with all the talent surrounding him, but he seems like a perfect fit for them.   Brandon Reiter scored late in the 2nd period to stop the bleeding, but it took the knights a while to score in the 3rd period.  Once they did, they kept coming and snuck ahead in the final minute or so with Nate scoring twice in a 30 second span.   Brandon scored with about 8 minutes to go to close the knights gap to 4-2 with Nate scoring soon after to make it 4-3.  The Eagles tried to stop the momentum with a time out, but they were unable to get any more shots past Clint. Goalies don’t get mentioned much in write ups, but both Clint and Derrian played very well for their respective teams in this game.  Clint had a little bit of a tough stretch in the 2nd period, but he made some big saves in the 3rd period to keep the knights momentum going.  Derrian’s magic eventually ran out in the 3rd period, but there was a stretch where nothing could get by him.  With the win, the knights officially clinched the first seed and will play one of the bottom 4 teams in the standings in a best of 3 series starting on April 21st.  They will finish the regular season with games against the yeti and the colonials.  The eagles are already locked into the 3rd seed and will be going up against the yeti again starting on April 21st.   They will look to re-establish some momentum for the playoffs when they go up against the Colonials next week and the yeti to close out the regular season.  The knights took all 3 games from the eagles this season but had to work for all 3 wins. We should be in for some pretty exciting playoff games based on how well the top teams are playing right now.

Bear Claw 6  Colonials 5

Neither of these teams will be expected to give the knights much of a scare if they go up against them in the playoffs, but we could be in for a really good 4th place game if these 2 teams go up against one another.  Zach Smith was supposed to get a night off last night, but we needed a ref for 820 and the bear claw needed someone to fill the scoring void for a missing Brice Miller last night.    Zach only scored one goal, but he picked a good time to score with just over 2 minutes to go to tie the game up at 5.  He did not want to take away playing time from the normal bear claw roster, but as mentioned in Zach Foradori’s final thoughts, Zach Smith did the little things like playing defense and moving the ball around to open up lanes for the other guys on the team.  Both goalies played well in this game (Kaden and Match).  Jay Edmiston had several chances to score in the first period for the colonials, but Kaden had his number.  It took some good passing for each team to score in this game.  Bob set Phil Mace up for the Colonials 1st goal to put them up 1-0 about 10 minutes into the game, but Zach Foradori helped the bear claw tie the game at 1 when he set Laken up in front of the net.   Jay Edmiston finally broke through in the 2nd period, scoring 3 times including one at the end of the 2nd period to put the colonials up 4-2.  Edmiston’s first goal came on a pass from Brian Anderson in front of the net to put them up 2-1, then he scored soon after to make it 3-1 before Laken scored again for the bear claw to close the gap to 3-2.    Just a minute or so into the 3rd period, Anthony Schuckers scored to close the bear claw deficit to 4-3 and Zach Foradori scored 4 or 5 minutes later to tie the game up at 4.  The game would remain tied until Bob Anderson snuck a shot past Kaden to put the colonials up 5-4, but Zach Smith and Zach Foradori got chances to score around the net with Zach Smith eventually batting a shot in to tie the game up at 5 with just a little over 2 minutes to go.  A minute or so later, Vinnie got the game winner past John Matchock and the 6-5 lead held up for the bear claw.  The Bear Claw have one game left against the walkers while the Colonials have games remaining against the Eagles and Knights.  These 2 teams could meet again with a playoff spot on the line.  Even without Zach Smith, we could be in for an entertaining game if they meet again.  The walkers and hounds will try to have something to say about this potential rematch.

Hounds 8  Walkers 4

Derrian was supposed to skate out for the hounds (to make up for the missing McKinley’s) last night, but Bubba turned out to be a late afternoon scratch, opening up the door for Derrian to play goalie against his dad, who was filling in for Tony Dodd.   Normally, the father gets the edge over the son, but not in this game.   The walkers got off to a good start when Steve Hetrick scored to put them ahead 1-0, but the hounds had answers last night.  Tyler Stitt scored 2 first period goals with each goal coming off a nice set up from Tyler Waltman.  Tyler Waltman would eventually score a goal of his own in the 3rd period to put the game out of reach.   Troy Gaydosh put the walkers ahead 2-1 with a nice breakaway goal but Jaron Buffone scored with 3 seconds left to go in the first period to put the hounds up 3-2 going into the 2nd period.  From there, Andrew Britton took over, scoring 3 times in the final 30 minutes to give the hounds their 2nd straight win and 2nd win of the season against the walkers this season.  Denny and Troy each scored for the walkers in the 2nd period but they still trailed 5-4 going into the 3rd period.  Peach was filling in for a missing Cody Haag and scored just a minute or so into the 3rd period to give the hounds a 6-4 lead and they eventually pulled away as the 3rd period went on.  Derrian played well in his fill in role with the Hounds.  His dad played pretty well too but the hounds were able to sneak some by him in the 3rd period to pull away.  The two teams will get a rematch next week.  Tony Dodd should be back for the walkers. Bubba has been absent in both meetings between these teams this season.  The Hounds were able to win the first meeting with Mason Britton filling in.  Corey Bassett said that he should be available to play for the hounds next week and whatever 4th place tournament games they play in a couple weeks.  The walkers are still looking for their first win.  They were missing Mark Chesley for the first 2 periods last night.  Jeremy Johnson was missing as well.  They will close out the regular season against the hounds and bear claw before going up against the colonials or bear claw in the 4th place tournament.

Andrew Britton (Hounds)

1. Nice 8-4 win over the walkers last night. What can you say about the team effort in the win? The effort was great. I think the team chemistry is clicking which allows everyone to have consistent effort. The team is coming together at the right time.

   
   

2. You had some big goals last night. How do you think the team did offensively throughout the game? We’ve been a lot more efficient on offense by having it more in our zone from what I’ve noticed the past three games or so. It’s transitioned into more goals and chances.

   
   

3. Derrian was in net last night. How do you think he did for you guys? He was super good. He had a couple highlight reel saves that kept us close and able to keep the lead late in the game.

   
   

4. Believe it or not, the walkers are still winless on the season. What was your impression of them in last nights game? They were right on our heels. They’re competitive and have a handful of players that can be scrappy and score.

   
   

5. Speaking of the walkers. You get another game against them next week. What kind of game are you expecting? I’m expecting the same speed of game. Should be within a couple goals again.

   
   
   
   

   Nate Galentine (Knights)

   
   

   1. 6-4 win over the eagles last night. What can you say about the overall team effort in the win? The team effort was as good as always we just started out slow and then picked up the pace. We knew we had to keep digging and keep the wheels going.

      
      

   2. You guys were down 4-0. Were you worried at all? Maybe a little worried at first but once we got the first goal the momentum shifted and we ran with it.

      
      

   3. You scored 3 times in the 3rd period. Do you consider this one of the best games of your rec hockey career? I wouldn't say best game but probably one of my best periods for sure.

      
      

   4. Still unbeaten. How have you guys been able to survive these teams best shots against you? We've been just showing up and playing knights hockey. we all have gotten in the groove and anyone on any night can show up and be a game changer.

      
      

   5. Yeti next week. What kind of game do you expect from them this time? It's always a good game when you play yeti they have a group that has been playing together forever and is a well oiled machine. You can't under estimate them anytime.

Jay Edmiston (Colonials)

1. 6-5 loss to the bear claw last night. What can you say about the overall team effort in the loss?

That was a fun game, both teams played hard. Honestly felt like it could have gone either way. I liked the effort we played with and definitely feel like we can rebound from this one.

2. You guys were up 4-2 going into the 3rd period. What do you think went wrong in the 3rd period?

Honestly, they played a great game. Lots of blocked shots, and whatever did get by we just couldn't find the back of the net. They kept pushing the pace and we couldn't hold them off long enough.

3. You had numerous chances turned down early in the game. Did it feel like you were shooting at a brick wall?

Yeah that was a tough one for sure. Their tendy made a lot of big saves early on to keep it close. It was a struggle finding any open spots to put a shot. He played a great game.

4. Hows your stamina from all the playing time on this team?

Honestly, I love it. I'm used to playing in ice tournaments where you're playing 5 games in 2 days, so I think that's helped a lot. I love being out there and I'll take all the minutes I can get.

5. What positives can you take out of the season so far?

It's been a blast, I love playing for the Colonials. We've got a great group of guys and I feel like I'm starting to gel with everyone's playing style. Very excited to see what we can put together down the stretch.

Denny Stinchcomb (Walkers)

1. 8-4 loss to the hounds last night. What can you say about the overall team effort in the loss? They were better defensively and Derrian made some great saves.

2. It was another bad 3rd period for you guys. Do you think you guys just wear down as the games go on? Yeah probably, I'm too tired to notice

   
   

3. Derrian was in net for them. What kind of a difference do you think he made for them last night? He made a lot of good saves that stymied our attacks

   
   

4. You are used to winning. Do you feel a little less pressure when you aren’t winning? I would prefer to win and contribute but sometimes neither happen, so at that point, it's good cardio

   
   

5. Will you be back on carneselli’s this summer in Brockway? Yeah I'm down to run it back