Standings after November 11th games:
1. Orange 10 (51/30)
2. Sky Blue 10 (40/31)
3. Gray 8 (39/34)
4. Black 5 (36/45)
5. Red 5 (28/35)
6. Yellow 2 (30/52)
Jerred Amick capped off his much deserved honorable day by scoring 2 goals for sky blue, including one in overtime to give his team a 7-6 win over team Red last night. On behalf of the hockey community, we would like to thank him for his services. Team Gray rallied late in the 3rd period to force overtime against team Black while Team Orange remains at the top of the standings with 2 weeks left to go in the regular season. See below for a full recap of the games:
Gray 8 Black 7 (Overtime)
Andy Calvert did all he could to give his team a chance to win last night, but Zach Smith and Bob Anderson spoiled Calvert’s big night by connecting with one another for team Gray’s overtime clinching goal. Calvert scored just 10 seconds into the game when he caught team gray goalie Tony Dodd off guard as the faceoff took place just before Dodd was ready to play. Based on the easy separation for Calvert, it did not look like the rest of Dodd’s teammates were ready to play either. The same sequence would later occur on the opening faceoff of the 3rd period. Tony Conforto added another goal for Black early in the first period before Gray rallied for 3 goals to close out the first period (Bob/Brian/Zach Smith). This was just the beginning of what would turn out to be a back and forth game. Josh Clontz scored on a nice pass from Andy to tie the game at 3 before Cory Schuckers scored a power play goal for gray to put them ahead 4-3. Zach Smith would later add another to make it 5-3 before Black scored 3 unanswered goals to go ahead 6-5. Laken Dodd scored one while Andy scored the others. With about 5 minutes to go in the 3rd period, Zach Smith set Brian Anderson up for a tying goal. Zach Smith had a 3rd period goal of his own as well and would later set Bob Anderson up for the overtime goal. Both teams had chances to win late in regulation but both goalies made their share of good saves throughout the game including some late in the game. Zach Foradori filled in for team black as they were missing Phil Pompeii and Corey Bassett. Foradori has been a part of some winning teams recently but fell just short in his fill in role last night.
Sky Blue 7 Red 6
What better way for an encore from the opening game of the night ------------- another overtime game. This was another back and forth game with neither team gaining more than a 1 goal separation. Anthony Schuckers got the scoring started for sky blue but Jeremy Johnson and Troy Gaydosh would each score 1st period goals to put Red ahead. Both teams had a good balance of scoring. Jerred Amick scored twice for sky blue including the overtime goal to give sky blue the win and keeping them in the running for the top seed going into the playoffs. The one big advantage for the top overall seed would be a potential 2 games against the lowest seed to start out the playoffs. Anthony Schuckers had 2 goals as well for sky blue with Tyler Stitt, Jake Kline and Cody Haag adding goals as well. Jeremy Johnson scored twice for Red as he is trying to make his way back into shape from his long layoff. We are glad to have him back and hope he continues to stick with it until we are all ready to retire. Troy Gaydosh scored twice for Red as well. Team Red leader Noah Kline added another goal for his team and had his share of chances to score more. Sky Blue goalie Chris Snyder continues to hold his own in net after not getting much hockey action during the summer. We hope he continues to improve as the leagues go on. Henry Sutter played a solid game for red as well. Steve Pompeii made his debut for team red last night and said his body felt great before the game started last night. We will try to find out if his body still feels great following the overtime game last night. Red was only playing with one sub.
Orange 16 Yellow 4
Team Orange remains at the top of the standings after mercy ruling team yellow with 9 minutes to go in the 3rd period. The tone was set pretty early in this one. Ben Rossi was unable to make it for team yellow. If he reads this recap, he will probably be glad he stayed home last night. Orange scored 4 early first period goals to go up 4-2 late in the first period. While there weren’t a lot of bright spots for team yellow, one bright spot may have been Brice Miller. Miller scored 4 times for team yellow including 2 early in the first period when the game was still close. Larry set up one of those 4 goals but the damage had been well done by the time the 4th goal came. Alex Waddell scored the first goal of the game for Orange. Yellow goalie Adam McKinley was victim of some bad bounces again. When asked who scored how many goals, team orange lost track. That’s always a good thing. Jason Stamler contributed at least 5 for orange while Zac Gray added at least that many and probably more. The two seem like they have been teammates in the past based on their goal scoring connections in this league. Clint didn’t have to do as much as he did last week. When he wasn’t watching his teammates score, he was trying to stop Brice Miller from getting one past him. He could have let 11 more of Millers shots get past him. These 2 teams started out the fall league by going to a shootout but the absence of Ben Rossi for yellow last night and the addition of Zac Gray set each team in a much different direction than the last time these two teams met. Orange was without Zac Gray in that opening night shootout. The Pittsburgh Penguins may have set a bad example for team yellow for anyone who watched that first period before yellow and orange took the court last night. If you are looking to play in the xhl this upcoming January but don’t have a team, be sure to reach out. Anthony Schuckers is looking for some defensive players to round out a team.
Brian Anderson (Gray)
1. Your team has been in a lot of close games including a couple overtime games. Do you enjoy tight games like these or do you prefer a little more cushion? I like the close games better because I feel like I am more focused. That was another fun game to be a part of last night. Blowouts aren’t fun for the losing team but they also aren’t much fun for the winning team.
2. How do you feel Team Gray has played as a unit so far? Do you like the chemistry of the group? Is anything missing? I think we have looked good. We have had our share of possession time, shots and good passes. We seem to bring out the best in opposing goalies. Some of our opponents have been very opportunistic against us. I think we will be fine if we keep doing what we are doing.
3. Team Black was very opportunistic and didn’t give up. What stood out to you about the way they played? Match was very solid in net again. Andy is playing some great hockey right now. They played hard and got some timely goals from Clontz, Conforto and Laken. Zach Foradori filled in for Corey Bassett and Phil Pompeii and I thought he did a good job for them. He played good defense, made some good passes and had some good chances to score. They were very fast and opportunistic.
4. Do you think any team has distinguished themselves as the team to beat in this fall league? Explain. Orange looks really good right now. Zac Gray flies all over the court and is always a threat to score. We all know Clint is good at what he does and they have a good complement of players around them.
5. Who is a player or two that has caught your attention so far this season. Why did you pick them? Zac Gray as mentioned above. Jason Stamler sure seems to be fitting in well with that group as well. He had a good summer of hockey in brockway and it’s carried over to this league.
Tony Conforto (Black)
1. Wild game last night. How would you describe the overall team effort? Overall we skated hard and pushed throughout the game with the thought we would pull off a win all the way until the last whistle. I think everyone pushed as hard as they could and gave their all.
2. You contributed a first period goal that set the tone for a close game. How important did you think it was to get off to a good start last night? It was very important to get off to a solid start last night in order to build morale and show ourselves that we can and will score. I think the first goal of the game 7 seconds in provided motivation for all of us.
3. You, Brice and Troy are all on different teams this season. How do you think you have all adjusted to new teammates? I think it’s good for Troy to get to play with others in the league To get to know them and their playing styles. Brice knows everyone so I think he can adapt to any draft team.
4. Team gray has some star power with Bob, Zach and Cory. How do you think you guys did trying to contain them? I think we contained them just fine, losing in overtime with three on three play could have happened to either team. I feel we were evenly matched
5. Dolphins won last night. Did that help cheer you up from the overtime loss? The game was fun to watch, but honestly just getting to play win or lose is very helpful for dealing with my mothers cancer issues that have become super stressful and time consuming.
Steve Pompeii (Red)
1. Back on the court last night. How are you feeling today? . Not too bad. Being in the woods all year has kept me in shape for the most part.
2. Were you happy with how yourself and the rest of the guys from your team played? I thought the team played great. I was the one the looked like i haven’t played in a while. A couple more games in and I’ll be back. It’s like riding a bike
3. You were a part of another overtime game. How would you compare this overtime game to the overtime game you had in the final game of the xhl season? Well it’s like comparing apples to oranges. This league is more relaxed and good for practice and just to have a good time. The XHL is more competitive and seems to bring out the best in players when you have some competition on the line
4. Speaking of xhl, what was it like being a part of the yeti’s championship team last season and were you surprised to come back from a 4 goal deficit to beat the Knights? . It was something to be apart of. Anything can happen in that league. You have a lot of really good players facing off against each other. You just have to put together a solid team game and good things will happen. In that league not just one player is going to win you games. It was fun!
5. You have been away from hockey for a while. Did you miss it at all or have any desire to play during your time away from it? It was nice to take a break and let me body heal that’s for sure. I was solely focused on archery season and continuing to grow at that. All my hard work paid off with shooting my biggest public land buck to date with a compound. I’ll continue to enjoy playing roller hockey but hunting is at the top of the list for me.
Clint (Orange)
1. 16-4 win over yellow last night. How would you describe the overall team effort? Effort is always there! Everybody skates hard, especially on the backcheck! They've played great defense in front of me all season!
2. You had a lot of room for error last night. Are games like that tougher to goalie than the close games ? They are! It's hard to keep focused on a game when ur not seeing alot of shots! It's definitely relaxing but I'd much rather be in a nail biter!
3. Whats been your impression of Jay this season? Jay has played great! He's always been a good player but having help around him has certainly upped his game! He's been able to focus more on putting it in the back of the net which he's been doing every game!
4. Steelers are 7-2. Do you think they can make a playoff push this year? I do! They have everything u need to win some games in the playoffs! It would b a total failure of a season if they don't finally get a postseason dub! Time to let Russ cooooook!!!
5. Knights lost a couple championships this year. Will they be back to try to play for another? That's a big 10-4! Medieval times may yet again be upon us!
Larry (Yellow)
1. 16-4 loss to orange last night. Are there any positives to take out of a mercy rule loss? I got home in time to watch Monday Night Football
2. You reffed 2 games that went into overtime. Are games like that easier or harder for you to ref? I prefer the close games. It keeps me engaged and makes the time go by faster.
3. Do you think the orange team is the team to beat after playing against them last night? Orange team is definitely one of the teams to beat. I wouldn’t be surprised seeing an orange vs grey final.
4. The Pens don’t look good nowadays. Do you think it might be time for a coaching change there? In todays NHL it seems that all teams get to a point where a coaching change is the only thing left to do. Edmonton last year and the Pens back in 16 and 17
5. You guys had a very good regular season in Brockway and almost finished 1st in the standings, only to get dominated by the knights in the playoffs. Would you consider it a good season or did the playoffs spoil that for you? It was a fun season right up until the end. It’s never good to lose in that fashion.
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