High Noon, Tuesday, April 9
Meatheads 5 - Silky Salmons 4
Sporting their new yellow vest away Jerseys, the Meatheads arrived ready to play for this one, but it was the slick passing and pinpoint shooting of the smooth Silky Salmons club that got the game started offensively.
Justin Salmons potted a pair, including a laser to the top corner that gave Meatheads goalie Jesse Schonke no chance whatsoever. Salmons was repeatedly stymied by Schonke and the post as he searched for a third goal that may have put the Meatheads away.
While the Meatheads found their game offensively, they relied heavily on Schonke’s acrobatic goaltending. The netminder played his best game of the season, slamming the door on numerous excellent chances with his team down 4 -2. His heroics were rewarded with a furious comeback lead by “Spinner” Spencer Dent, Dyson Leneve and Riley Hansen.
Surging all the way back, the Meatheads took a 5-4 lead with just over a minute left to play.
In the last minute Schonke was at his best, with a dynamic point-blank toe save and a glove save on a last-second penalty shot.
The win pulled the Meatheads two points clear of the pack in first place, while the Silky Salmons were left looking for revenge in their Thursday game against the grizzled veterans of the Nordiques.
High Noon, Wednesday, April 10
Tolitas 8 - Chicks With Sticks 0
With the return of Chris Thon and crew, this was the league’s first look at the Tolitas roster in full form.
Already sporting the daunting presence of Cam Hender “the Tender” in goal, Tolitas look ready to roll coming down the home stretch to the playoffs.
Hard to cheer against the favourite to three-peat, however, as each player removed his own name from the back of his jersey and replaced it with “Cully” for the rest of the season.
The antics of Devon Bara and the wild stylings of Chicks With Sticks goaltender Makenna Maxwell had the crowd roaring through an entertaining, though largely uncompetitive game.
The ladies were full marks for effort, though they were overmatched in the skill department.
The Chicks With Sticks look forward to closing out their season in the head-to-head grudge match for the ladies’ championship title in the season’s final game.
High Noon, Thursday, April 11
Silky Salmons - 8 Nordiques 5
The Nordiques’ Cinderella season hit that part of the fairy tale where the carriage turns into a pumpkin in this one.
Though the Nordiques opened the scoring, that would be their only lead of the game, as the Silky Salmons, led by a hat-trick from leader Justin Salmons, took over the game early and never looked back.
Preying on Rob “Suitcase” Biller’s yawning five hole like sharks around a chum bucket, the Silky Salmons overwhelmed the Nordiques defence and goaltender.
It was the sort of performance that reminded “Suitcase” that he’s closer to eating off the seniors menu at Denny’s than he is to any imagined athletic prime.
Trailing by two late in the game, Fred “the Fixer” Rogger called “Suitcase” to the bench for the extra attacker, only to see the Salmons find the empty net seconds later.
Still clinging to a top-three seed with one game left in the regular season, the Nordiques will be hard-pressed to hold off hard-charging clubs, like the Silky Salmons, 8% and reigning league champions, Tolitas.
With games in-hand and youth on their sides, the Nordiques could be in for a tough first round matchup in a couple weeks’ time.