Green Back on Track (with Jack?)

Green finally put a halt to their skid by getting back into the win column last night at a sold out Everett Arena. Gary "Toe" Blake worked hard all week trying to get some deals done to help right a sinking Green ship and his effort paid off. He finally resolved a contract issue with Todd "Philby" Philbrick who has missed much of the season as a hold out and Blakey also added Clint "Eastwood" Casavaugh and the two paid dividends right away by lighting the lamp often and keeping Blue back on their heels. The trade that went under the radar however was bringing in Jack "O'Callahan" Fraiser to bolster the defense. Jack stiffled the Tilly line much of the night and got them off of their game. "He made my job a LOT easier", said Green goaltender Kenny Dean.
"It was a great night for Capitol City hockey fans", said Tommy "Berg" Bergo. "I felt the excitement building when I pulled into the arena parking lot. The lot was full and it was only the preliminary game and I knew by the time Blue and Green took the ice "The Ev" was going to be rocking", he added. Fans were treated to a great warm up event. The Concord High Crimson Tide sent 71 shots on Bishop Brady's goaltender who turned away all but two and despite the Tide's domination of much of the two overtime periods, it came down to a shoot out where  Concord High ended up on the losing end. As one Crimson Tide fan put it, " Thank god that Blue and Green are  playing next otherwise I'd probably be depressed."
The other story last night  was the return of Mike "Ogie Ogalthorpe" Farrelly to the ice after serving several weeks in the "Big House" for his part in the "White's Park" fiasco that has created quite the buzz around the Capitol City. "My time in the Big House has made me appreciate what we have here on Thursday Night", Farrelly said. Farrelly stepped up his game and kept Blue in the contest by finding the back of the net several times and setting up several other Blue goals. "Playing on Thursday Night toughened me up so serving time wasn't anything that I wasn't already used to. You learn how to take a beating on Thursday Nights and not whine about it" , Farrelly added.
Most of the Thursday Nighters will take friday off to get some well earned rest before travelling to the south end for the Winter Classic on Philby Field. Philby said that ice conditions are good and despite weather predictions of rain, he said, "The games must go on!" Happy New Year" to the entire Thursday Night crew and to their families who stand behind them. 2011 is shaping up to be a good one with the upcoming 1883 Black Ice Pond Hockey Championships brought to you by Black Ice Ale "the Breakfast of Champions". Also fans can count on another great Thursday Night playoffs starting in feburary sponsored by Bud Lite and Heiniken. Happy New Year hockey fans!

Black Ice Ale is Good for You

Black Ice Ale is Good for You and Good for Hockey! It builds muscles and helps repair both upper and lower body injuries. It improves cardiovascular exchange and makes your shot more accurate. It is the official beer of the 1883 Black Ice Pond Hockey Championships. When Hobey Baker wasn't studying for finals at St.Pauls School he was probably kicking back with some Black Ice Ale talking about hot townie chicks. He often said that he preferred playing for the Turkey Pond Flyers because they encouraged drinking Black Ice Ale unlike his SPS coaches who frowned upon it (although we all know one SPS hockey coach who drinks it). So we hope to see all you Thursday Nighters on January 5th at the Barley House for some Black Ice Ale.

Christmas Tourney Rescheduled

Due to the Blizzard, the Christmas tournament is starting on tuesday instead of monday. The Crimson Tide (pictured below) will be playing the late game at 7:30 p.m.

Black Ice Tips

With blizzard conditions in the Capitol City, some people may be asking themselves; What if it's like this for the 1883 Black Ice Pond Hockey Tournament? If it is this cold and windy for the tournament then we recommend the following: Always find other players to stand behind to block the wind. We recommend finding a big fat guy and cover him all game even if he sucks. Just keep him between you and the wind. If you'd like answers to all your hockey questions or just more of these helpful hockey tips then subscribe to The Pucking Files or go to Everett Sports and ask Dave Palisi or his brother Bob.

Christmas Eve

Some additional notes I may have overlooked last night: Panch scored two goals but since his teammates could not finish their backchecks it was all for naught, although he is still a threat to win the scoring race.
Don't forget the Christmas Tournament starting on monday featuring an undisiplined Crimson Tide squad and a Bishop Brady squad that isn't nearly as interesting as the 1973 team. Wasn't Joe Farrelly on that team? Don't drink too much at Christmas and end up like those Harvest guys. Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!

I'll have a Blue Christmas without you and Green.

Blue continued their winning ways last night and are now just one game out of first overall in the league. Green jumped out to early 3 goal lead with 1rst period goals by Mike Cummy Cumaford, Dave Palisi, and Tom Philby Philbrick. Jeff Kano Kane led the Green attack from the backline and it looked like Green was going to run away with the game. Blue however, was not rattled by the early barrage and continued to play the system implemented by their coaching staff (the NEC system) and they began chipping away at the Green lead. Chris Brownie Brown scored two goals to get Blue back in the game but the game chair went to Tom TC Carroll who scored two big goals in the 3rd period including the game winner to clinch the win for Blue. Christmas came a few days early to the Blue faithful and it seems the trades that Gary Toe Blake pulled off were not enough to energize a sinking Green squad. It should be noted however that Tilly scored a goal and apparently it was a pretty one. I missed it probably because my head was down. Jim Cummy Cumaford scored a heck of a goal also. The referee was bit slow on the whistle but he's young and it's a fast tempo game and hard to follow. Heathy carried the puck alot and he may have made a pass but again my head was probably down and so I missed it. Mike Farrelly is still behind bars and doesn't look like he'll be home for Christmas. Let's all say prayer for him and his family this Christmas. My brother's attorney's were all suspicously absent since he gave them a large retaining fee and apparently all three are on their way to the Carribean for Christmas.  Don't forget the Commish in your Christmas prayers. God bless Thursday Night Hockey and all the joy it has brought to the people of Concord (especially us). I hope you all have a Blue Blue Christmas without Green. Peace.

Blue Lights up Green like a Christmas Tree!

Last night at a sold out Everett Arena the rise of Blue became even more evident as they scorched a stunned Green squad. Behind the stellar goaltending of Brian "Smitty" Smith, Blue was in control from the opening drop of the puck. Many wondered if Smitty's best days were a thing of the past, but he proved the critics wrong by putting up a brick wall that frustrated Green all night long. The long awaited return of Dave "Tilly" Tilitson from a league suspension was just what Blue needed to fire up the team. Centering a line with Brownie and Philby, they seemed to score at will on a deflated and often flat footed Green defense. After the game, Tilly told reporters that he was "sorry" about the ugly incident that earned him a lengthy suspension and he would stick to "good clean hockey from here on in". "We'll see about that", said one skeptic who asked not to be named. Blue is now just one point out of a playoff spot, which less than a month ago seemed like an impossible hill to climb. Smitty was given the "Game Chair" in the locker room after the tilt, but he remained humble when he told reporters, " It was easy playing goal when you have everyone playing the system and doing their job". That system was implemented by the Crimson Tide coaching staff most of whom were present last night. Jeff "Kano" Kane said, "It's basically the same system used by NEC except that we execute it at a much faster pace". Missing from the stands last night was GM Gary "Toe" Blake who left after last weeks Green loss to "make some deals" to bolster a crumbling Green team. We shall see next week if Blakey was able to make any significant moves.
Last week's devastating news of the arrest of Mike Farrelly and my brother Mark was just the first of a series of events that seems to be aimed at stopping Concord from winning the 1883 Black Ice Tourament. Twenty four hours after the "White's Pond Duo" was jailed after being set up by park's commissioner Charles Cole Grill, another devasting blow hit the Capitol City hockey faithful who were stunned to hear the news that "The Commish" had suffered a season ending broken leg. Phil "the Commish" Stuart underwent surgery yesterday to insert a titanium rod in his leg that was broken while skating on the pond at Blossom Hill (no relation to Leebo who played a BC) Cemetary. The Commish was planning to workout on White's Pond but when he learned of the arrest of the White's Pond Duo he changed his plan and went to skate where he thought he would be out of the watchful eye of Charles Cole Grill and his henchmen (a.k.a the Capitol City PD). However, an insider leaked the news to Grill who had a stick strategically placed on the Blossom Hill pond. The Thursday Night crew took the news hard. Green seemed lost without the Commish whom a teammate referred to as "a premier power forward".  There was a moment of silence before the game last night as players and fans alike reflected on the stellar career of the Commish who is truely beloved in the Capitol City. A long time journeyman in the Capitol City league, Stuart finally got the call up to the Bigs and quickly showed that he was capable of playing the high tempo game of Thursday Night. Stuart vowed that he will return next season and he would be cheering on Cheers at the upcoming Black Ice Tournament.
Absent from last night's game was one half of the notorious "White's Pond Duo". Mike Farrelly was unable to make bail and was still behind bars when the puck dropped on Thursday Night. Due to some nifty legal work by Luker, Moffett and McGloughlin over the past few days, Rudz was released in time to suit up for the game. Why was Farrelly unable to do the same?  Instead of retaining the services of LM&M whose controversial law practices have often made headlines, Farrelly decided to go with the more established law firm of Dewey, Cheetam and Howe. "Big Mistake" said Farrelly's older brother Joe. "Look where it got him". Also missing last night was Gregg Moffett who stayed out of the line up in order to do the necessary paper work to keep Rudz out of jail and on the ice. It has been rumored that LM&M is arranging a pardon from the Governor who is a huge hockey fan and takes time out from his busy schedule every friday to check his blackberry for the run down on Thursday Night Hockey.
Will Gary Toe Blake pull the trigger on a deal to get Green back on track? Will the Commish sue the city for damages? Will the Governor come through with a Pardon for the White's Pond Duo before the Black Ice tournament? Stay tuned hockey fans!

Coming up this weekend in the Pucking Files

This weekend in the Pucking Files; Is Blue on their way back up or was last week's win just a fluke?; What REALLY happened to the COMMISH and who's responsible?; A PARDON for The White's Pond Duo from the Gov?; Can the Crimson Tide repeat as state champs? Find out in this weekend's edition of The Pucking Files.

Blue is NOT going away!

Welcome to the first issue of The Pucking Files. The last twenty four hours has been special  to say the least. The big story; Thursday Night Hockey saw a desparate Blue squad pull out a come-from-behind win over rival Green in a much needed victory that may have ultimately saved the franchise which was rumored to be moving to St. Louis.  Rumors were swirling about the Capitol City that Bud Lite was thinking of relocating Blue to St. Louis but there HUGE come-from-behind victory has gotten the much maligned Blue squad back in the playoff hunt and back in the good graces of the Capitol City hockey faithful. "Blue is not going anywhere but to the finals" said a spokesman for Bud Lite. Prolific goal scorer Dunc Walsh finally ended his scoring drought with a brilliantly placed shot that eluded Green's goaltender who was sitting on the bench at the time.
The bigger story; The 1883 Black Ice Hockey Tournament got a black eye today when two of Concord's favorite sons were arrested for skating on the black ice of White's Park before park officials made it official to skate. Mike Farrelly (of hockey's famed Farrelly brothers) and Mark Ruddy (of hockey's famed Rudz brothers) were arrested and beaten by Concord police today after skating on White's Park historic pond on ice they claimed to be "five to six inches thick". A White's Park official claimed that he yelled from the comfort of his warm and cozy chair through an open window to the two alledged violaters, but Farrelly and Ruddy said that it sounded like Tommy "Kite" Wright yelling inaudible curses through a bull horn full of saliva. When an officer arrived on the scene he told the two to get off the ice which they immediately did. While the two unsuspecting skaters were sitting down taking off their ice skates, the officer grabbed one of their hockey sticks ( an old style wooden Wilson stick with a straight blade that read "PSC Hustler Award"  and began beating the two senseless. When Ruddy came to he was being loaded into a patty wagon where he noticed Farrelly still unconscious on the floor of the vehicle. He recalled the officer ranting " you two are banned from skating on this pond for the rest of the year!"  This brings up the issue of whether the two are now prohibited from playing in the much anticipated 1883 Black Ice Pond Ice Tournament.  It has been rumored that the mayor of Berlin has "paid off" a White Park official to set this up in order to hamper Concord's chances of winning the tournament. A spokesperson for the park refused to speak with us on the subject. Ruddy and Farrelly have hired the controversial law firm of Luker, Moffet and McCloughlin to represent them in court. Stay tuned.