Week Two saw the debut of Captain Carl Vankoughnett’s Neon, the last team to see action on the season after a well-earned and restful opening week bye. Captain Bao Nguyen’s Green stood between this fresh meat and the frying pan as the slate kicked off with (technically) two winless teams looking to land in the win column for the first time. Vankoughnett’s draft creation wasn’t the only Neon-ate (see what I did there) coming into the season, with a big part of the decision for a Week One bye hinging on giving new dad, Joe Malki, some extra paternity leave before sliding into summer play. It was the proud new papa who would sire his team’s first goal of the season, and (sticking with the metaphor) it was definitely a preemie, arriving at 9:43 (Janice Darlington & Tom Darlington, fittingly enough). With Joe becoming a papa, Chris Malki became a grandpapa, and the old(er) man struck next at 3:42 (Joe Malki & Ryan Karns) in the first to build Neon’s lead to two going into the first break. Captain Vankoughnett produced the only scoreboard scion in the second at 4:36 (Chris Malki & Gary Peters), and Neon cruised through two with a 3-0 lead, in spite of being outshot 17-7 over that span. Green would mount a swift and startling comeback in the third, with Chris Tran scoring his (and his team’s) second of the season at 9:13 (Ty Pereira & Nick Vacchio), and Jordan Pynn stuffing home a second just twenty-one ticks later (Tran & Vacchio) to cut the lead to one with plenty of time remaining. Alas for Green, the early third period ‘twins’, while adorable, were upstaged by Neon’s fourth at 4:07 (Gary Peters from Vankoughnett and Joe Malki) and a short-handed, empty net fifth from…who else, New Papa Malki at 0:34. If you’re scoring at home, that’s a 2 and 2 outing for Joe…not bad for a tired dad! Don Tran (22/24) was sharp to start the season, while Gabe Davenport (3/7) had a tough outing as Green fell to 0-2-0 out of the gate with the 5-2 loss.
Both Captain Zach Siemer’s Grey and Captain Bryan Ossa’s Brown checked in with a Week One win, and both hoped to repeat the feat in a clash of (by far) the two drabbest Summer League colors. Brown had the throttle down in the first, and Mark DeGraffenreid found the first goal of the game on a rebound at 5:03 (Captain Ossa & Jon Zygelman). The reigning Cup champion captain, Kalen Hunter, was next to act, knotting the score at 3:36 in the second, with the lone assist going to fellow Cup defender, John Kushneryk. Kushneryk’s appearance in the lineup came as a surprise (at least to me), with the double duty dynamo nursing a nagging lower body injury that was slated to have him out until sometime in June. An even bigger surprise came with Grey’s next goal, also assisted by Kushneryk…Mark Chercoe’s first career SDFHL strike to push Grey in front for the first time at 0:39 in the second. CONGRATULATIONS, MARK (you have some catching up to do on your sister, though)! Chris Koziol evened the score at 5:42 in the third on an absolutely sublime feed from Leah Gonzales (Josh Wirt with the second assist), and the clock wound to five minutes remaining in a very close, very hard fought contest. Hunter’s second of the game at 4:46 would put Grey back on top (Steve Linke and Chuck Bender), and his third of the game at 2:59 would give him his second straight hat trick to open the Summer season. The lone assist on the hat-trick-capping-deal-sealer went to newcomer, Kristin Sigler…CONGRATULATIONS, KRISTIN! In case you missed it, Chuck Bender had an assist on the game-winner in this one, and also collected the win with a very strong 20/22 effort in lieu of Jon Cima. It would be the first jewel in a shimmering triple crown for Bender on the night…more on that in the coming recaps. Mason Holcomb (17/21) was no less solid at the other end, but ultimately became just another Kalen Kasualty™ in the 4-2 loss to Grey.
The slate shifted from a meeting of the season’s two drabbest colors to a clash of the two brightest brands, as Captain Jeremy Copp’s Orange looked to repeat their Week One winning feat and Captain Lena Amelang’s Pink hoped to rebound for a loss in their opener. A scoreless first saw the teams trade equal shot totals (six), and while the totals matched again in the second (five), it was Pat Gladstone who would finally break the scoring seal for Pink with her first of the season in her first game of the season at 5:13 (Steve Goncalo & Scott Wieland). The shots were very nearly level again in the third, with Orange holding a 7-5 edge, but Pink would account for all of the scoring…or, more accurately, Brennen Abel would account for all of the scoring. Abel’s first at 7:38 (Eric Willard) provided some breathing room for Pink, his second at 6:28 (Emily Bennington & Willard) had Pink well in control, and his third at 4:55 (Willard & Bennington) removed all doubt that this one was well and truly over. Chuck Bender (18/18) recorded his first shutout of the season in the 4-0 win, and his second win of the evening, after collecting a W for Jon Cima’s Grey in the previous game. Matt Henderson (12/16) absorbed the loss for Orange, who dropped into a tie with Pink in the middle of the standings at 1-1-0. Abel’s hat trick has him at the top of the scoring charts now with seven points through two games (4 and 3), just one point ahead of fellow Young Canuck™, Kalen Hunter. This will be a fun race to watch this season…my money’s on a player whose first name ends in ‘en’ (don’t forget about Owen).
The night cap was a battle of 0-1-0 sides, with both Captain William Teglia’s Purple and Captain Rob Gaudio’s Red looking for their first win of the season. When you need a Week Two win, the smart money is on Chuck Bender, and Bender was suited up for his THIRD game of the night, standing in for Purple’s Will Heinl. Of course, the return of Owen Perks and The Vick Boys™ to the lineup didn’t hurt Purple’s cause, either, and given that Red’s last line of defense is the presumed top of the Summer season crop (Nick Meglich), firepower would be at a premium in this match. Both sides showed some of that firepower in the first, with Owen Perks firing first for Purple at 6:41 (Shawna Hamon & Tim Vick), and equally big gun, Hima Joshi, firing back for Red at 6:04 (Darin Cerasuolo & Captain Gaudio). Hamon would get off the last scoring strike of the first at 0:58 (Trever Vick & Captain Teglia), putting Purple in front heading into the first break. The middle period was all Purple…and mostly Owen Perks. Perks’ second of the game at 5:35 (Trevor Vick) padded Purple’s edge to two, his third at 2:26 (unassisted) pushed the lead to three, and his assist on Trevor Vick’s first of the season at 2:19 gave Purple a complete stranglehold through two. Sean Bathgate (welcome back, Sean!) finally provided a response for Red at 9:17 in the third (Dan Jurgens), but young Grant Goins was quick to respond for Purple at 8:50 (Tyler Winstead & Captain Teglia). The clock quickly became the enemy for Red, and while they did mount a late charge in the form of Cerasuolo’s first of the season at 1:48 (Jurgens) and Mostafa Azab’s first of the season at 0:15, it would be a THIRD WIN ON THE NIGHT for Chuck Bender (19/23), outdueling Nick Meglich (29/35) to pace Purple to a 6-3 win. I mean…standing ovation, folks…Bender has always been a selfless volunteer for this league, but staying suited up for three straight games is a huge help…and managing to win all three games is a huge feat! THANK YOU, CHUCK!
