WEEKLY UPDATE

Great pace to this one and most of our regulars returned to see the Dark boys skate off with the win. It was a one goal battle for most of the night as the goaltending was up to the task, Tree saw more rubber than a prom night & held the fort for the Whites until late when the cracks in his defense began to allow second & third shots along with some odd man rushes. The Dark offense, frustrated for much of the night, started to click when some nice passing between Crabby & White Doug led to a couple of big goals. Part time regular & avid Blog reader Wojo added his unique skills to the skate & left with a nice Christmas gift for his secretary, a hockey skate shaped paper cutter. Romo opened the scoring for the Whites with a shot from the slot & teamed with Johnny Longpants for a stout offensive force from the blueline. Up front Shooter & Craskey lived up to their sniper reputations finding the net with shot, deflections & breakaways. As usual most of the "heavy lifting" was left to Daddy Pat & the Commish but there work along the boards & in front of the net was nothing compared to helping each other up off the bench. Spongee & Chubby teamed as the second pairing on defense for the Whites & they could not have been more opposite, the only thing they had in common is the size of their waist, I'm guessing 34.

 The Darkies got a goal from an unlikely but reliable source, Hockey Dave scored his weekly goal with a wicked wrist shot. He ambled down the wing & unleashed a shot the likes of which has not been seen since Fulton Reid was skating for Gordon Bombay & the Mighty Ducks. That would make Quiet Brian the other Bash Brother from the Disney classic Dit Portman as he carries that gluten free attitude everywhere he goes. We have yet another nick name change, Superman will now & forever be known as 5 even after he gets well. It was hard to tell if Fricker looked more like Cricket this week or Carlos Ruiz the dude was flying all over the place do we need to start testing for Adderall & if it works can we make it like the beer list.

Murph & Flounder were back at it making my life much less stressful these two have partnered so long its like they do everything together but Murph wanted no parts of  the flea market that took place in the locker room after the game. Flounder looked like he should be working the intersection of Island & Bartrum selling t-shirts, roses, & deer dick ahh but it is for a wonderful cause, Jay & the family of Officer Bradley Fox greatly appreciate all the help. The Commish did a nice job with the suds, some frosty LaBatt's from a cooler that didn't smell one bit like fish.

Turns out the boys crapped out on the great TNHL fishing trip, word is the boat looked like it had been plucked from  tree after Hurricane Sandy lots of damage they had to know it was gonna be a long day when they saw the fish finder was a foam finger pointed at the water.

Till next week

WEEKLY UPDATE

A four game winning streak came to a screeching halt this week as the White Boys put a beat down on the Darkies. Most of our regulars returned this week after doing there part in the relief effort for Hurricane Sandy, Shooter was back in a big way & was an offensive force for the Whites taking some of the scoring burden from the rest of the pale boys. Crafty continued his year long scoring streak & as usual was an unwelcome visitor in the Dark zone all night while Quiet Brian found himself dressed in White this week & joined  in the beating like I was Rodney King. Chuck used his unique skills & straight ahead style to score at least a couple to extend the White lead.

 The Darkies were able to hang close for while early on due in large part to the play of Johnny Suds shot blocking & Crickets transition game & managed to make the final score respectable with a late offensive push from Crabby & "Play Station" or Chris, who displayed moves only seen in video games. In between everything seemed to go the way of the White as they filed the Dark net. Johnny Longpants & Romo pushed the pace all night keeping pucks in at the blueline & found holes in the Dark zone to keep the pressure on. Daddy Pat returned  & even though he continues to battle a knee injury still drove the Dark crazy with his forecheck. Spongee was also back after spending some time plucking boats out off trees & played one of his better games lacing saucer passes a foot or so over the intended target & smashing into the boards. Rusty is back from working the pole but plans on working it again this weekend but this time he is looking for help from a master baiter. Tree remains in shut down mode stopping most everything thrown his way frustrating  the hard working Dark gang. The Commish took his rightful spot on the Dark squad this week looking like he just finished a cycle of HGH, turns out he was only wearing shoulder pads.

 If Fricker was feeling better last weeks absent note should have been written by a coroner, some how he played much better than he looked. Hockey Dave is quickly becoming a regular with the Tuesday night call up & he says this is the best he's ever gotten along with his wife. The dynamic duo of Murph & Flounder also laid it all on the line under the pressure of the White wave constantly bailing my ass out. That leaves me with this, one of the most important parts of the TNHL is making sure players have the correct nickname, most are given for obvious reasons, Johnny Longpants, Commish, Cone or Chuck for example & some are more obscure like Sixpack. So it seemed to all that 5 would stick, but after  a couple of shifts played at only one end of the ice a new name appears on the blog.

Well let me be the first to say 5 did not "Coast" at all this week & made at least a half dozen big defensive plays in the slot, guess he does more than look at he pictures on the blog. Anyway there was a play he made late in this one that may have earned him the name that will stick, 5 went all Patrick Kane on us sliding on his belly while playing the puck all that was missing was the cape, good game "Superman".

 Tree saved his best for last this week loading up with just enough frosty LaBatt's to keep that Furby looking rink manager from calling his mommy on us.

Till next week

WEEKLY UPDATE

 As we skate into our second month of the season I can safely say our product is 100% better the 2012 version of the NHL. This week the Darkies skated off with a victory & just like every game this year it was a close see/saw battle. The goaltending continues to be top notch, even though we would both like to have a couple goals back there were some ten bell saves as well, Tree kept  things
            close at his end with some glove work that brought his bench to their feet.

The White boys had some jump as Romo was on his game this week, leading from the blueline he played at top speed which by the way is his only speed. Crafty returned from his annual journey to the home of The Fighting Irish & played an inspired game but his Irish luck was not enough against the Darkies, he would team with Craig to keep the energy up for the Whites, Craig is pretty quick for a chubby kid.

 

 

 

 

The Darkies had some speed on their side too as Cricket returned to open the scoring around five minutes in which is about the time 5 was earning his new nickname "Coaster", he may have heard this before today had he come into his zone to play some D. We also welcomed back our old friend Wojo who showed up dressed as Mitt Romney's lawn jockey

 & pushed the pace like he always does. White Doug continues to impress with his passing skills along with his over all game so I think it time we started messing with him, I found a picture from his last vacation.

The Commish selflessly switched jerseys & found himself sharing shifts with Chuck, the Odd Couple managed to get themselves on the scoreboard, Oscar from Felix. Hockey Dave joined us again & has proven to be a quality replacement who always seems to be around the puck on the ice & the beer in the locker room. For the dark Quiet Brian played his usual game but looked a little down when he noticed everyone else flaunting their gluttons all night. Crabby & Murph play such an old school style the should just grow porno moustaches & skate without helmets. Johnny Longpants had an interesting night with his new stick, lots of shots, two bombs for goals & a big wiff on a clear breakaway. Longpants would redeem himself however with some cold, tasty Rolling Rocks straight from Latrobe. This brings me to my next point.

 As you all know a couple beers after our skate is part of the fabric of the TNHL & our most sacred tradition, but we had a complaint from the rink manager this week. In order to keep our tradition we must consider the kids working that night have school the next day, it seems we were there to late this week. Keep in mind this is the first time anyone has complained about anything but our play so we just have to have our beer & get out at a reasonable time.

 

Till next week

WEEKLY UPDATE

Another week is in the books & another win for the Darkies, that's not to say this has become one sided, this week the young legs won out. Hurricane Sandy blew through Delco kept more than  few of our regulars  the shelf & we were unable to fill all the spots which left us with only two subs on each bench.

 The White boys were led by Crafty who scored five of their six goals on the night & had about half of their shots. Chuck & Liam used their extra shifts to wreak havoc in the Dark zone, Liam using his soccer skills to control pucks down low & Chuck trying to turn me into a shish-ka-bob. Daddy Pat was early to the rink this week but still managed to be the last on the ice citing a wardrobe malfunction, he & Romo did their best to make me look like a star with my pop looking on. A steady diet of Miller Lite made Dad forget about the NHL lockout & got me an ice cream cone on the ride home, he would surely fit into this group of misfits & he enjoyed his night out with the boys.

The Dark side used the skills of cagey veterans Crabby & Murph to goal for goal with the Whites & sniper Dave chipped in with a wicked snap shot over Tree's short side shoulder. Tree was under attack all night & kept the Whities in the game as youngsters 5 & Mach 5 or Craig came at him in waves & only after a short intermission would they finally get the better of him. Spongee scored is first of the season showing great hockey sense by going to the net for a rebound & having the puck go in off his shin pad. The goal was reviewed & allowed despite a clear kicking motion on the play,
not by Spongee but by White Doug who was kicking himself for clearing the biscuit into Spongee's pads. Doug however redeemed himself with a tasty selection of LaBatt's & Yenguling for some thirsty old hockey players.

Till next week