Team McKinley 8 Team Matchock 3
Team Lingenfelter 9 Team Van Scyoc 5
Team Dodd 8 Team Sutter 5
Team McKinley picked up an 8-3 win over Team Matchock last night. Brice Miller scored for Team Matchock just a couple minutes into the game, but Team McKinley answered with 5 straight goals before Corey Bassett scored for Team Matchock late in the 2nd period. Alex Waddell got the scoring started and would later add another goal in that 5 goal stretch. Eric Llewellyn was quiet statistically last week but made up for it last night with 3 goals, including a nice break away goal to put McKinley up 2-1 in the first period. Zach Foradori also got involved in the scoring column with a couple goals of his own and some good setups between himself, Eric Llewelln and Alex Waddell. Brian Pangallo had a nice goal to start the 2nd period. Corey Bassett would later add another goal for Team Matchock but Team McKinley pretty much controlled the game after giving up that first goal. Adam McKinley made some good saves to keep his team in control. John Matchock was able to make it for his team and made his share of good saves, but team McKinley put up a lot of shots against him. With the loss, team Matchock will get a rematch with Team Lingenfelter next Monday night. The winner of that game will play the loser of the Mckinley/Dodd game. The loser of Lingenfelter/Matchock game will be eliminated.
Team Lingenfelter put up 15 points out of a possible 16 points in the regular season, but found themselves in an elimination game last night against team Van Scyoc. Tyler Waltman scored just a couple minutes into the game to put Van Scyoc’s team up a goal, but team Lingenfelter answered soon after. Brad Van Scyoc said he is out for the season with a back injury but Henry Sutter filled in. Rooster was not there for Team Lingenfelter but they were able to recruit Jerred Amick to take his spot. His presence made a difference in the win. Team Lingenfelter scored 3 unanswered goals in the first period before Tyler Waltman scored again to make it 3-2. Team Lingenfelter answered when Steve Hetrick backhanded one in to make it 4-2. They had a good balanced attack with Jake Kline, Mark Chesley, Jerred Amick and Jeff Wehner. The lead was only 6-4 going into the 3rd period after Zach Foradori scored (he filled in for Vinnie Deloia) and Andy Calvert scored consecutive goals for Team Van Scyoc. Jake Kline made it 7-4 before Van Scyoc’s team scored again to close to within 2 at 7-5 but Team Lingenfelter’s team scored the final 2 goals to seal a 9-5 win to eliminate team Van Scyoc. The win for Lingenfelters team gives them at least one more game next week and maybe 2 depending on if they can win their first game. It will be a rematch of last week’s loss to team Matchock.
The night concluded with a rematch from last week between Team Sutter and Team Dodd. For 2 periods, it looked like the result was going to be different, but team Dodd rallied for six goals in the 3rd period to pull of an 8-5 win. Kevin Smith was back for team Sutter and it appeared that his presence was going to make the difference when he scored the first 2 goals of the night (3 overall). Team Dodd would not score until halfway thru the 2nd period when Bob Anderson batted a Cory Schuckers shot in the net after it hit the wall behind goal Henry Sutter. Team Sutter went up 4-1 at one point (Tyler Waltman scored and Zach Foradori each scored in their fill in roles for Brenden Chesley and Tony Conforto) before Bob Anderson scored a short handed goal to close the gap to 4-2 going into the 3rd period. Team Dodd had a couple 2 on 1 chances denied by Henry Sutter late in the 2nd period which led to a change of strategy going into the 3rd period. Just a minute into the 3rd period, team Dodd found themselves on another 2 on 1 when Bob Anderson passed to Brian Anderson around the net. The ball found its way back to Bob Anderson after Brian Anderson mistimed the pass a little bit closing the gap to 4-3. Kevin Smith made a nice backhanded goal a couple minutes later to make it 5-3 but Bob Anderson took over from there scoring 3 consecutive goals on a shoot first (instead of a pass first approach) to put his team up 6-5. Cory Schuckers set up Brian Anderson for an insurance goal to make it 7-5 before scoring a goal of his own to make it 8-5. Trent Bembenic was missing for Team Dodd last night. Adam McKinley skated out in his place. The loss eliminated Team Sutter. Team Dodd will play against Team Mckinley next week. A loss would mean a 2nd game against either Team Lingenfelter or Team Matchock later that night. A win will put them in a favorable position to win the championship on December 19th. The opponent would have to win two games against them on December 19th.
Brian Anderson (Team Dodd)
1. A 4-1 deficit in the second period became an 8-5 victory. What changed for you guys to get you the W? I think the momentum changed a lot when we scored a short handed goal. If they would have scored again, it may have been over. It seemed like things opened up for us more as the game went on. We started to get more shots on net and some of them finally started to go in for us. We were more aggressive as the game went on and it paid off in the 3rd period.
2. The Black team had a great season but fell short to you guys in consecutive weeks to start the playoffs. Did you feel like your team matched up well with them? What was the game plan? They may have got a tough break when they had to play against us considering we were finally at full strength for the last 2 games and we got paired with a couple of solid goalies. Then missing Kevin last week really hurt their chances despite having Zach Smith there to take his place. If I had it to do over again, I would have let the top seeds pick their playoff opponents for the first night of the playoffs. I feel like our teams matched up well against one another. Last night proved that. The game plan was to contain Kevin the best we could and hope the other guys on their team didn’t get take the game over. They really don’t have a weak spot on their team but we lucked out and played some of our best hockey the last 2 weeks.
3. Henry stopped you on a couple of odd man breaks early in the game. You finally got one by him late in the third. Were you getting frustrated at all by not scoring earlier and how did your team maintain patience to claw back overall? Not really, I know Henry makes teams work hard to score against him. I would have been more frustrated if I would not have got high quality shots against him after the nice set ups. I was more encouraged that we were getting opportunities at that point and I felt like we would eventually start scoring. This was his 2nd game in a row and maybe he wore down a little in the 3rd period. Fortunately, he has been nice enough to fill in for other teams on top of trying to help his own team win. I think that short handed goal really helped us when they were up 4-1 going into that power play.
4. Which team left, aside from your own, do you feel is playing the best team hockey right now? Explain. I got to ref that McKinley game last night. I was impressed by how well they played as a unit. Not only did Eric Llewellyn score goals and set guys up, but he also played smart, solid defense whenever his team got a decent cushion. They don’t have a weak spot on their team. Brian Pangallo is getting a lot better around the net. Nate is a solid player and he hasn’t been there the last 2 games. They have a balanced scoring attack and they are one of the few teams that haven’t had to rely on fill ins that much this season. With Adam in net, there is always a chance.
5. The XHL is under a month away. Are you anticipating a competitive season? I am. I wish we could get a few more teams considering we had 8 to 10 teams not that long ago, but I still look for a competitive season. On paper, the Knights look like the best team so far but I think some of the other teams will be able to compete well too. I am excited to see a good mix of young players and veterans on the walkers along with Cody Schuckers and Brandon Reiter coming back on a regular basis. It looks like we will only have 6 teams but I think we can have a good competitive season. Peach is trying to put a team together right now and some good players like Jeff, Vinnie, Waltman, Brenden Chesley, Anthony Schuckers, Corey Bassett and possibly Zach Smith may be able to play for them. We are in a tough spot for goalies right now but we may have to let goalies on other teams fill in for Peach’s team so we can have 6 teams.
Adam McKinley
1. 8 to 3 win tonight. What can you say about the overall team effort tonight? The effort was very good. The team chemistry is getting better every week.
2. The team appears to have good chemistry going. Are you happy with what you are seeing ? Yeah I am. As I stated in the previous question, the team seems to be getting better every week and it couldn't come at a better time. Brian has improved by leeps and bounds. That kid gets an amazing amount of opportunities in front of the net and lately he's been putting few behind the goalie. It's fun to watch.
3. Are you confident/happy with how you are playing in net? Yeah, I could always improve in different areas and I think over the course of the season, I have worked on a couple things to improve my game. The beginning of the season, I feel, was a bit rough for me.
4. You skated out for what will be your opponent next week. What kind of game are you expecting? It should be a good game. Bob, of course, is always dangerous. I noticed him shooting a lot more than normal, in tonight's game. I definitely have to watch for that.
5. Xhl season around the corner. Any idea who will be surrounding you? I'm trying to get team together. A couple guys are in, but we'll have to see.
Jerred Amick (Team Matchock)
1. Two games tonight. How’s your stamina following the layoff? Feeling good, can skate a whole game if needed, don’t really feel too many long term Covid effects. I’m ready for an nhl 200 ft sized rink!
2. Your team fell 8 to 3 tonight. What can you say about the overall effort? The effort was there but we just couldn’t get enough shots on net to capitalize on our rushes. We had a lot of 2 on 1 situations where we didn’t even register a shot on net. Some things to work on in the future for us.
3. What was it like playing on Clint’s team (filling in for Rooster)? Always enjoy playing with new people and new teams. Clinker held us in there even though he often lets beach balls through but it’ll do
4. You will get to play them again next week. Do you think your team can pull off another upset? Shooting from half court through screens always kills Clint. If we can get shots on net, half the time Clint is looking at the ceiling anyway.
5. Xhl around the corner. What kind of team expectations do you have? Well at the very least, my team, the eagles, will be the sickest looking jerseys in the league!
Steve Hetrick (Walkers)
1. 9 to 5 win tonight. What can you say about the overall team effort? Team effort was awesome last night. Everyone moving and moving the ball very well. Everyone had a role to play and played it well. Jerred did an awesome job filling in for us as well.
2. You had a big goal in the first period tonight. Were you happy with how yourself and the rest of the team played? It's funny that my goal was kind of a turning point in the game. I don't score many goals, but when I do everyone is shocked, including myself. Lol. Henry didn't think I would be able to reel the ball back in and get a shot off on him, guess I just got lucky.
3. What can you say about mark Chesleys play considering he is one of the newer guys in this league? Mark is doing a great job. He has made goals when we needed them and played some solid defense as well. He does a good job of listening when I'm hollering at him from the sideline. Guess he better get used to that since we picked him up this year to be a part of the Walkers family.
4. You will get a rematch against the green team next week. What kind of game do you expect? 1 of 2 things... It depends on what type of green team comes to play, and which ref thinks we deserve the win. The green team came out swinging on us last time and caught us off guard. They were definitely on top of their game that night. I'm sure it will be a hard fought game from both sides.
5. Walkers appear to have a good group this season. Are you looking forward to the season? We have always had a great group of players. Players of different age groups and skill levels mingling into one amazing team. The team will look a little different this year than it has in the past, but that doesn't mean to take us lightly. There are still some players that are looking for a team. You guys want more youth in this league with added skill levels or willing to grow with your training and leadership, look no further than under your nose.
1. Team effort was awesome last night. Everyone moving and moving the ball very well. Everyone had a role to play and played it well. Jerred did an awesome job filling in for us as well. 2. It's funny that my goal was kind of a turning point in the game. I don't score many goals, but when I do everyone is shocked, including myself. Lol. Henry didn't think I would be able to reel the ball back in and get a shot off on him, guess I just got lucky. 3. Mark is doing a great job. He has made goals when we needed them and played some solid defense as well. He does a good job of listening when I'm hollering at him from the sideline. Guess he better get used to that since we picked him up this year to be a part of the Walkers family. 4. 1 of 2 things... It depends on what type of green team comes to play, and which ref thinks we deserve the win. The green team came out swinging on us last time and caught us off guard. They were definitely on top of their game that night. I'm sure it will be a hard fought game from both sides. 5. We have always had a great group of players. Players of different age groups and skill levels mingling into one amazing team. The team will look a little different this year than it has in the past, but that doesn't mean to take us lightly. Their are still some players that are looking for a team. You guys want more youth in this league with added skill levels or willing to grow with your training and leadership, look no further than under your nose.