TOMORROW NEVER TIES

Our two cover teams were first to clash in Week Three, with both Captain Dorothy Kline's Teal and Captain Bryan Ossa's Charcoal putting their twin 2-0-0 records on the line in the week's only battle of unbeatens. Not a single tie was registered over the first ten games of the season coming in, and while a draw was certainly a possibility in this one, the final whistle would more than likely serve as the heralding of one less lossless Fall 2026 team. It was...a scoreless first period...the trend now back in full bloom, though Charcoal did hold a decided shot advantage (10-3), and was certainly the 'puncher' to Teal's 'counterpuncher'. The shooting trend continued in the second, with Charcoal enjoying a 9-2 margin, but not so much enjoying the fact that one of those two 'counterpunches' actually landed...Josh Tran from Adam Schindler at 6:30. So, in spite of being outshot 19-5 through two periods of play, Teal found themselves in front, and basking in the glow of a white hot Chuck Bender. Bender was sharp from the start, but was most notably 'locked in' on a sequence of three or four golden chances for Owen Perks. His heroics were very nearly enough to steal a win, but an unassisted Gary Peters strike at 9:15 in the third would finally soiled his clean sheet and set up a fight to the finish that saw chances traded both ways. Lo and behold, neither Bender (25/26), nor super sub, Will Heinl (9/10), would concede any further damage, leaving both teams undefeated after battling to a 1-1 stalemate. Attendance asterisks were certainly in play for both sides (Teal without Andy Strathman, Nick Vacchio, and Jackson Tomaszewski, while Charcoal was without Chris Tran and Joel Gattey), and Teal's vacancies in particular certainly shaped the rather slanted flow of this game, but I for one cannot wait for the playoff rematch between these two...an encore that cannot end in a winless whimper.

Teal and Charcoal continued their respective loss-free campaigns with the first sister kiss of the young season, while Captain Shawna Hamon's White hoped for their first taste of the sweet nectar of victory in their third try. Captain Wasif Hussain's Brown had savored both the sweet (a 5-1 win over Maroon in their opener), and suffered the sour (a 6-0 beatdown at the hands of Charcoal in Week Two), so while White was a touch further down desperation alley at 0-2-0, both teams were in need of a win and a little positive momentum to close out the first third of the season. It was super (duper) sub, Jenna Chercoe, who was first to provide a push for White, scoring in Kimberly Hernandez' stead at 7:00 in the first (Luke Wolmer & Andrew Becker). Both sides were missing bodies (stupid non-SDFHL hockey on Sundays), but it is safe to say that Brown suffered significant offensive atrophy in the absence of Shelby Shattuck, Brennan Abel, and Eli Schonbrun. Hussain & Associates would muster just three shots in the first, and just TWO in each of the remaining periods for a total of SEVEN. Neither team could turn a shot into a goal in the second, but Luke Wolmer followed his first goal of the season at 8:53 (Alex Rockoff) with his second assist of the game (Rockoff from Wolmer and Chris Fiore) to round out the scoring for White in a 3-0 win. John Kushneryk (7/7) was perfect, but it's hard to earn a game star with such a meager workload. Will Heinl (17/20) was plenty busy at the other end, and the lack of offensive support meant that even perfection could not have prevailed in his (and Brown's) second loss in three games. The win moves White out of the gross, overcrowded NWBG (No Win Basement Gang) flop house, and has them(ironically) moving in with Brown and Blue one floor above at 1-2-0.

There is an interesting subplot developing this season, with 'Thanos' returning to action and leading a downright nuclear Neon outfit, and Kyle 'Threatening Nickname Pending' Snyder, usually content to idle at a lower gear, now seemingly intent on matching Giummo's intensity and output as the season progresses. The former entered Week Three play with a league-leading eight goals...accounting for literally every goal scored by Captain Mason Holcomb's Pink over their first two games. Captain Ryan Karns' Blue were first to face (and first to fall to) Giummo and Neon back in Week One, and after a bounce back win over Green in Week Two, now turned to face the other slice of brutal bread in this super scorer sandwich (I'll have the soup, please). Snyder was in on the initial scoring for Pink, but this time as a helper monkey, providing the lone assist on Sean Kelly's first of the season at 5:11. Snyder would settle back into scoring mode in short order (fear not), snapping home his ninth of the season at 4:58 (Arnold Gonzales & Craig Russell), his tenth at 4:10 (Gonzales), and his eleventh at 1:35 (Russell). So...therein lies my exhibit A that Snyder is 'intent on matching Giummo', and meanwhile, a Wirt-less Blue had to be thinking 'what did we do to deserve this' heading into the first break down 0-4. Brendan Jew provided an all-too-fleeting bright spot for Blue, cutting the lead to three with his second of the season at 8:52 (Captain Karns), but it was more Pink 'secondary scoring' from there out in the second, with John Kushneryk notching his first of the season at 5:19, and Kristin Sigler potting her FIRST CAREER SDFHL GOAL at 0:35...a short-handed strike from Kushneryk and Snyder. CONGRATULATIONS, KRISTIN! With the game well in hand, the third period was decidedly more settled and subdued, but Jason Lee did add his name to the growing list of Pink goal scorers with his first at 2:27 (Kushneryk & Kelly) to put the final nail in an already-over-nailed-Blue coffin and leave the final lopsided ledger at 7-1. Captain Holcomb (15/16) and Pink improve to 2-1-0 with the war hammer win, while Matt Henderson (15/22) and Blue fall to 1-2-0, while also 'winning' in the sense that they have seen the last of the two most dominant players in the league...at least until the playoffs. For the rest of us...get your popcorn ready for Week Seven...October 18th...Neon v Pink...'Thanos' v 'Snyder Man'...I'll work on that nickname.

The remaining recaps are coming soon...