Sometimes the FHL is like a box of chocolates and this week was no exception as Blue Collar made the Serenity Builder Boys look ordinary in a 6-1 victory.
The result keeps BCS’s dream of a first place finish a realistic goal as they have found the right combination of speed, defence and a relentless will to win that will stand them in good stead as the season winds down.
Shooting star for BCS was Mike (Life of) Riley who unleashed a couple of howitzers when the game was in doubt. Also rippling the mesh, albeit at a reduced velocity, was Rod (Albert) Albers, who also assisted on Chad (The Comet) Swanson’s league-leading 34th point of the season. A pair of goals by Jason (Junior) Johnson and a pair of assists by (King) Richard Lindstrom was ample illustration of the diversity in the FHL ranks.
Scoring the lone marker for the Builders was Lee (Nitro) Naeth who pounced on a rebound that Glen (Double G) Goymer was playing ping-pong with.
The other contest saw the Fraser River side jump out to a two zip lead before they blew a head gasket, sprung a leak and ran out of gas as Bear scored six unanswered goals in the 6-2 match.
If Santa Claus is already keeping a naughty and nice list, he will undoubtedly catch the fact the GM Boys accumulated 19 minutes in infractions and the Bear Bunch zero.
However, the only goal scored on a man advantage was a shorthanded beauty by Kevin (Nightrider) Hesslegrave, which made it 2-nil after Grant (Curly) Johannesen had one timed a rocket into the top shelf. When (Nightrider) had to leave unexpectedly, the GM bench was reduced to two spares which had the dozen Bear skaters licking their lips.
First out of the gate was Brody (Good) Neighbour, who scored two including one on a breakaway as Ian (Heartbreaker) Hannah also had a breakaway goal included in his hat trick.
Enjoying their most productive games of the season were versatile Bear rearguards Kris (Haymitch) Hayman who caught fire with three assists as (Durable) Derek Kitamura also collected a trio of helpers. Scoring the final goal for Bear was Derek (Lickety Split) Burdekin who benefited from the extra ice time at the Rogg Dawg organized Kersley Klassic to notch a tally for the second game in a row.
This week in Season 7: (2000) Red pegs their way to a 15-2 win over Green as Dale (Bubba) Bubela notched the double hat trick, Randy (Crash) Crofts and Ellery (Testy) Tetz combined for 11 assists as Scott (Gina) Davis and Kevin (Kevlar) Arnell both scored a pair and combined for 6 helpers. The victory pushed Red to an 11-0-4 mark which remains the longest undefeated streak to start a FHL season.
Steve Dodge is a defensive winger with Bear Communications and an Observer contributor.