Halifax Floor Hockey LeagueFirst let's take a look at the recaps for this week's games.
Titans 6 Lynx 6
What some thought would be an easy win for the Titans turned out to be a battle for them to get a tie as the scrappy Lynx played a super game against one of the best teams in the league this season. At first it was unclear whether Titan net minder Jason "The Acrobat" Boudreau was even going to show but he sauntered in at the last minute forcing his team to use their time out before the ball was even dropped. This meant that one of their staple defense-man, Shaun "Smiley" Goodwyn stood between the pipes until Jason got ready. The game saw some rough stuff as these two teams played one another aggressively and this led to a couple of tense moments.
The Lynx were led by the dynamic duo of Matt "The Punk" Monk and Matt "The Brat" Clarke as they combined for 7 points. The Titans were led by Jeff Shute and Brett Kiley who had 2 goals and an assist each. In one of the more sentimental moments this reporter has ever seen, it was noted that Titans "D" man Shaun "Smiley" Goodwyn wore a tee shirt that brought tears to my eyes. Although one can't be sure of the meaning, it bore the initials M.M.A. which obviously means My Mom is Awesome. In a world fixed on two guys in a fenced in ring beating the snot out of one another, it is so great to see a wee bit O' love. Thanks man!
Bulldogs 7 Hackers 4
Talk about strange brew! This one could prove to be the beginning of the end for the team and their goalie Mike "The Deer" Hunter. This was yet another game filled with penalties as it boasted the most minutes in a game this year with 14 minutes in total. The dominant player for the Dogs was Gill "The Magnificent" Mombo with a hat trick and a helper while the Hackers were led by Dave "The Brave" Hartnett.
This was the 6th loss for the Hackers this season but it was over shadowed by the conflicts that have transpired amongst team members in the last few weeks. This team is destined for some major changes which may or may not allow them to finish out the season in "comfort" Time will tell.
Sabres 20 Slayers 7
No, this is not a typo! The Bloomer Division leading Slayers took a whooping at the hands of the lowly Sabres in what has to be the most goals scored on a team since Marty "Candy" Kane got lit up in the finals 21 - 3 way back when. The Slayers, who are experimenting with some new goalies, are trying to get this position filled before their deadline comes and goes. This resulted in a valiant effort of newcomer Dan Samson, who wasn't prepared for the fast paced barrage as he faced 49 shots. Sabres power forward Scott "I Always Look Like I'm" Cross had 7 goals and an assist while his team mate Craig "In The Bag" Beidler added 6 more goals. For the Slayers, Mike "The Tall guy With A Scruffy Beard" Cogdon had 3 goals and 2 assists. This marks the first loss for the Slayers and might not be the last if they don't get their goaltending woes figured out and fast.
Speaking of The Slayers Goalie woes, we caught up with now retired HFHL goalie Harvey "The Tin Man" Snelgrove to ask why he hung up his sneakers this season. This is what he said.
"Well, it's been a long run for me. I'm not saying that I won't come back, but at this point in time I have too many other commitments to focus on. Besides, These guys are sooo good, that they don't need moi! Seriously, i miss it, but I just can't commit to giving Monday nights up."
So there it is folks, not much of an exclusive story is it..actually was a waste of my freakin' time. Why would the guy drag me out on a cold damp night to some secluded water front warehouse...hey wait a minute...what's up with candles and the music...hey stop your scaring me! This is awkward...I gotta go.
Chill 8 Fire 4
Well the Fire weren't too hot in this one. Maybe it's going to be a cold run to the end of the season as the Chill seem to be continuing their stingy ways allowing only 4 goals once again. Led by league all time scoring leader Tony "The Pony" JJJJOOOOOYYYYYYYCCCCCE, who had 4 goals and proved to be the difference in this one. Not much news to report other than the Chill are now the only undefeated team left in the league. the question becomes will they carry this momentum all the way to the finals??? It's a tough feat.
So that's it for the games this week, but i wanted to take a bit of space by just adding a couple of things from a personal perspective which has tended to get me in trouble at times...
Ahem, so here it goes.
I have been playing, I mean reporting, in this league for a few years now. Coming from a very competitive ball hockey background where I saw a great sport come to a point where things got way out of whack, what with guys trying to fight in the stands, players not caring about what they did to the next guy and just a huge lack of respect in general. Heck, there were even weapons involved in a couple of instances. This caused me to quit playing, I mean reporting, and give a sport that i loved up. Then enter the "Keane League", which is what we now know as the HFHL. A bunch of guys who got together, played as competitively as they can, but not to the point where things got so out of hand that it wasn't fun. This could be argued in some circles, but coming from what I saw before, it was a walk in the park.
Some characters, such as goalies who still play, and forwards who don't, have stepped over the lines of love and hate to make things a bit screwed up, but sorrys were said, time heals wounds and life goes on. With this many personalities coming together in a league, it is inevitable that there will be clashes. Too much testosterone in one place means that it will happen. The key to how things work themselves out depends on what happens next. How we as responsible "men" and "women" if they ever stay long enough to finish it out, deal with any conflicts so to speak.
It is a privilege to play in HFHL, not a right. It is for everyone to come together and have some fun, get a work out and maybe win some games. The point of all of this is that no one should go home at the end of the night feeling like they didn't have fun because some one has crapped all over them or that the competitive nature of the "game" has outweighed the "Fun" intended by the league.
Be good to one another guys. No one knows what is going on in a fellows life. Maybe it is nothing, but you never know. Life is way too short to be spending Monday nights freaking out over a stupid game, and when it gets to the point where guys are not respectful of one another, it is a stupid game.
This isn't aimed at any one player, team or situation, however, things have taken place that cause this issue to come to the forefront of my mind anyhow, and I just wanted to share some thoughts with you all.
So there you have it folks, and no not you Dave...
I AM Billy Concarney and this is not the NHL so remember I never said it was your fault...I said I was blaming you!
Be well everyone and have a great week!