Blue Stymied

Team Green played a solid defensive game and capitalized on mistakes made by a frustrated Blue squad to earn a 7-4 victory at The Doug. Green played a complete game in all three zones and Blue was left scratching their heads. Despite getting excellent goaltending from Kenny "Don't Ya Love Em Madly" Bradley who turned away sixty five shots, Blue couldn't come up with an answer for the Green game plan. "If it wasn't for Bradley the score could have been a lot more one sided", said Jack "The Jackhammer" Fraiser who was overwhelmed by the Green forecheck all night. On the other end however, the Green defensive pairings were flawless. Ryan "Silky" Brandt and Brian "Tilly" Tillotson along with Jim "Heathy" Heath and John "Bigfoot" Reagan stymied the Blue attack for much of the evening and when Blue did get scoring opportunities Andy "Gump" Doherty was there to save the day. Blue called for a measurement of Doherty's catching mitt, but referee Phil "The Whistle" Lacasse would have no such measurement.
Andy "BTO" Bachmann opened the scoring on the first shift and later added another. Jim "Heathy" Heath put the final nail in the Blue coffin when he jumped up into the play and wristed one past Bradley. Any "Gump" Doherty made the save of the game on Dave "Tilly" Tillotson who looked to have Gump down and out. Doherty reached his big mitt out somehow and kept the puck out of the net. "I was still sorta tired from dragging my nine point buck out of the woods, explained Tilly (see photo).

Green is now in sole possession of first place in the eastern conference. In the western conference it is Magenta leading the pack. Yesterday the NAHL announced it's 2012 inductees for the Legends of Thursday Night Hall of Fame. Topping the list of vote getters was Vic Stanfield who hung up the skates three seasons ago to focus his career on color commentary for The Beanpot. In the referee category, the Legends is pleased to welcome in Steve "Po" Potazak also known for his entertaining style as the announcer for Concord Crimson Tide hockey. The three other player selections to round out this year's class are Dave "JP" Palisi, Tom "TC" Carroll and Tom "Berg" Bergault. They will be inducted immediately following the game on December 13th at the Doug. Tickets are $20. at the door or $30 on line at www.thepuckingfiles.blogspot.com. All proceeds will be donated to Hockey Fights Obesity.

Hell Freezes Over!

Some players in the CCHL are old enough to remember Al Michael's most famous Q&A, "Do you believe in miracles?" "Yes!" Thirty two years later people who care about the CCHL are asking the same question and getting the same answer. "The Miracle on Loundon Road" is what they are calling it and it happened on monday night at the Doug. It was a match up like David vs. Goliath. Undefeated Buffalo Wild Wings versus a six man Cimo's squad that hadn't tasted victory yet this season. Biologist say that when a badger is hungry, it will not be denied.

One player who is old enough to remember Michael's famous call is Cimo's own Tom "Badger" Carroll. He scored six goals for Cimo's while teammate Jake "Shady" Curtain added two more to help lead Cimo's into the win column and give B2W it's first loss this season. Cimo's held a 10-5 lead with 5 minutes to play, however, no lead is ever safe in the CCHL. Led by league goal scoring leader Clint "The Edge" Edinger who scored four and Shayne "In The Membrane" LeBreton registering two lamp lighters B2W roared back to make the score 10-9 as time ran out. When asked by reporters if he believed in miracles, "The Badger" answered, "No, not really. I believe in soft hands and bad defenses. Well, I do believe in Santa Claus". Like Old Saint Nick, Carroll delivers presents to Cimo's fans.
On tuesday night it was second place Windmill against third place Cheers. The Mills Travis "Gang Bang" Banga scored four goals but, Cheer's Tim "The Timinator" Walsh had four goals of his own. Windmill's captain Gavin "You Betcha" Faretra moved to defensive in order to try and slow down "The Cockroach", Corey Laroche. The strategy paid off as Laroche was held off the scoresheet. Windmill netminder Mark Crowley made 44 saves to help The Mill defeat Cheers 7-6.
CCHl Standings
1. B2W 7-1-0
2. Windmill 5-3-0
3. Cheers 4-5-0
4. Cimo's 1-8-0
Goal Scoring Leaders
1. Edinger 19
2. Carroll 17
3. Caron 17
4. Laroche 15
5. Acres 15

Jive Turkey

When the Pilgrims had their first Thanksgiving with the Indians it was quite possible that they were thinking; What could be better than this? Well, how about the annual Thanksgiving Morning Hockey game at The Doug. This year it featured the NAHL's Blue vs. Green with a sprinkling of CCHLers for flavor. Blue gobbled up a large early lead, but Green chowed their way back to make a game of it. it was a game that had Tom "TC" Carroll and Tom "Badger" Carroll on the same ice surface for the first time. They are both thankful for soft hands. In the end however, Blue served up some dessert to hold off Green. Everyone (young and old) was thankful for Todd Philbrick's chicken wings. Everyone won on this day.

CCHL Round Up: What's in a name? You can call me Ray or you can call me Jay or you can call me Ray Jay, but don't call me Alan. Fiscal troubles have forced Alan's to sell off their CCHL hockey team to the restaurant chain Buffalo Wild Wings who quickly came up with the clever team name of "The Buffalo Wild Wings". Other names considered by the new owners were "Last Call", "Another Round", and "More Chips". In the end though the name "The Buffalo Wild Wings" won out. Speaking of names; How about Ed "Scissor Hands" Caron? He has sliced and diced his way to the top of the CCHL scoring race.

Weak Ate: Monday night in the CCHL featured newly named Buffalo Wild Wings which from now on will be referred to as "B2W" looking to stay undefeated this season. They faced off against second place Windmill which from now on may or may not be referred to as "The Mill". It was a high elbow and stick affair that has officials thinking that the CCHL may need to use the NAHL model which assures every player is a candidate for the Lady Bung trophy. Ed "Scissorhands" Caron registered the hat trick for B2W which vaulted him ahead of teammate Clint "The Edge" Edinger to the top of the CCHL scoring race. "The Edge" managed two of his own on this night which kept him within one of "Scissorhands". The scoring duo proved to be too much for The Mill as B2W hung on to a 6-5 victory.
On tuesday night Cheers took on Cimo's at The Doug. Cimo's attempted to "play possum" by requesting a forfeit and they even went as far as to offer to buy beers for their rivals from Cheers. Tim "The Timinator" Walsh called it, "a Trojan Horse" and turned down the gesture then he called his men to arms. "We don't want no stinking foreit!", he called out in the locker room. So, it was GAME ON. Cimo's playing with a short bench utilized the "Mounsey Trap" which successfully bottled up Cheers for a time. Cory "The Cockroach" Laroche (tied for 2nd in goals) finally lit the lamp to give Cheers the 1 -0 lead, but, Nate "Rain Man" Raimo tied the score a minute later. Both teams traded scores and the game remained tied going into the third period. It was Mike "Mr. Hustle" Russell who scored one and assisted on one to give Cheers the much needed victory.

CCHL Standings
1. Buffalo Wild Wings 7-0
2. Windmill 4-3
3. Cheers 4-4
4. Cimo's 0-8

Sultan of Salt

A health warning was issued in the NAHL today by league President Paul "Pop" Gozaweizle alerting players and fans to the dangers of salt intake. Wednesday's Black Ice Pond Hockey Kickoff Ceremony (see photo)was a salt-laden affair that sent many players from the NAHL to the ER for dehydration and other salt related disorders. The impact was felt last night as Blue and Green faced off at "The Doug" with shortened benches. Rumors swirled around the locker room before the game that veteran defenseman Joe "Joe" Farrelly had become a fatal statistic in the war on salt. Following the game Farrelly was reached by phone and told The Pucking Files, "Rumors of my demise have been greatly exaggerated and I am resting comfortably in Concord Hospital under the nurse's care and I expect a full recovery in time for the Black Ice Pond Hockey Championship". It was a lesson learned for all players and fans that salt should not be taken lightly (or it should).

Both coaches made adjustments to their line-ups to start the game. Jim "The Big Cum" Commerford started off the scoring for Green, but Blue answered right away to even the score. Both goaltenders were outstanding which earned them second and third star honors. Andy "Gump" Doherty made 62 saves for Blue and Kenny "Rebel Without a Rebound" Dean registered 59 saves for Green. Tom "Shemp" Champagne added to his league leading goal scoring production with a boomer from the point that found it's way past Doherty to tie the score at two just before the end of the second. Mark Rudz had numerous opportunities to give Green the lead, but he failed to score on nine breakaways as well as missing two tap-in putts on the 7th and 13th holes. In the third period Dan "Too Late Early" found his mojo and beat Dean to give Blue a lead on a controversial "missed off-sides" call by Phil "The Whistle Lacasse. Green answered minutes later as Phil "Commish" Stuart scored on a rebound to even the score at three. With under two minutes to play in regulation Blue's Clint "Eastwood" Casavaugh fired the rubber past Dean and it looked like Blue would skate away with the victory. Green coach Gary "Toe" Blake pulled Dean with a minute to go in favor of an extra attacker and with the clock ticking down to the final second, Jim "The Big Cum" Commerford snapped the puck past "Gump" Doherty to secure a tie which left both teams tied for first in the Eastern conference heading into the All Star break. Cummy's two goal performance earned him the first star of the game honors and moved him into second place in the scoring race. . The player's did not hang around the locker room after the game to answer questions for reporters. After receiving a picture message (see photo below) from Joe "Joe" Farrelly from his hospital room, players from both teams rushed up to Concord Hospital to be with their fallen comrade.

In other games in the NAHL last night, Mauve beat Yellow 6 to 4. Matt Niskanen had a goal and three assists for Mauve while James Van Riemsdyke had a pair of goals for Yellow. Out on the west coast, Chrome let a three goal lead get away as Rust rallied to earn the victory. The win moved Rust into a tie with Magenta for first in the Western Conference. In case you were wondering why you didn't see overtime last night in the NAHL; it is because "Proposition 99" has been suspended after a ruling form the Federal Court has deemed it "Unconstitutional" and it will have to be reintroduced by law makers in a referendum at the end of the year. In the on going investigation into Hassan Bin Sober's ties to high ranking goverment officials, a new twist in the case it is alledged that Bin Sober may be named as an accomplice in the case that derailed former CIA director David Petraues. Hassan Bin Sober is reported to have set up Petraues with a former girlfriend and spy. More information is expected to surface in the next few weeks. For now anyway.......It's back to the salt mine.

CCHL Week 7

In week 7 of the CCHL Alan's made it six straight with a win over under-achieving Cheers. Ed "Scissorhands" Caron cut through the Cheers defense all night on his way to a five goal performance. Kevin Karales and Shayne "In the Membrane" LeBreton each added a pair. Cheers was led by "The Cockroach" who leads the league in goals. Laroche and Chris Roberge each had a pair, but everyone is wondering just when Tim "The Timinator" Walsh is going to catch on fire and start to burn the opposition. Many speculate that he is still suffering concussion-like symptoms from his SWD injury. Cheers has only one win in the last four games and their frustration spilled over after the game.

In game 2 of the CCHL a desperate Cimo's squad was looking for that elusive first win. It was not going to be on this night however. The Windmill spun to an early 9-3 lead, but Cimo's closed the gap to 10-7. Travis "Gang Bang" Banga scored his "sixth goal of the game" to ice the cake for "The Mill". Cimo's was led by Jake "Shady" Curtain who had the trick, while Tom "The Badger" Carroll and Matt Nadeau each dropped a deuce. Gavin "You Betcha" Faretra and Joel "The Arsenal" Arsenault also had two goals apiece for the Windmill.
CCHL Standings
1. Alan's 6-0-0
2. Windmill 4-2-0
3. Cheers 3-4-0
4. Cimo's 0-7-0

Goal Leaders Assist Leaders
1. Corey Laroche 14 * No player has an assist yet this season.
2. Clint Edinger 13
3. Ed Caron 13
4. Chris Acres 12
5. Chris Roberge 12

Tilly 5 - Philby 4

The polls had Tilly with a slight lead over Philby going into the 3rd period of last night's contest at The Doug between Green and Blue. It looked like a collection of Blue states and Green states, but in truth, it was the Granite State. Referee Phil "The Whistle" Lacasse was saying that it was too close to call. Green had a five to four lead over Blue when Lacasse dropped the puck to begin the third period. It was the Tilly & Philby show to that point with both players registering all nine goals of the evening. "He was playing with a swagger and a smile", said Bryan "The Big Till" Tillotson of his younger brother Dave. "Philby was a man on a mission", said Dunc "Coach" Walsh about his center. It looked as if it was going to be a long night because on tuesday night the American people overwhelmingly voted YES to Propostion 99 which called for a five minute sudden-death overtime to settle tie games in the NAHL. However, this night would not need to enact Prop 99 because league leading scorer Tom "Shemp" Champagne decided to join the Tilly ticket and pitch in a couple of goals of his own (although they were assisted by Tilly). This combined with goals by Jim "The Big Cum" Commerford, Dave "Motor" Carlson and Tom "TC" Carroll (no relation to "Badger") gave Green a 10 to 5 victory over Blue. Dunc "Coach" Walsh scored the other goal for Blue. The P.A. announcer Steve "Po" Potozak announced "Tilly" as the number one star of the game and the partisan Green crowd began to chant, "FOUR MORE GOALS!" In the locker room "Tilly" told reporters, " This was a glorious night, but I couldn't have done it alone. We'll, maybe I could have, but I didn't. It was a team effort and I couldn't be prouder of these guys. We have a lot of work ahead of us before we can claim the NAHL Championship stick this season." Meanwhile, in a somber Blue locker room, Philby addressed his disappointed teammates. "Ef them and Ef Tilly!", he exclaimed. He told reporters, " I want to offer my congratulations to Tilly and Team Green. I pray that it doesn't go to their heads, especially to Tilly's head because that old Joffa helmet has no room for expansion." Tilly's performance has pulled him to within just three points of the scoring lead that is held by Tom "Shemp" Champagne. Philby moved into third place in the scoring race, one point ahead of Jim "The Big Cum" Commerford and Tom "TC" Carroll. Phil "The Commish" Stuart was held scoreless last night and dropped to 44th place in the scoring race. "You can't take a night off in this league", he explained. I guess I'd better cancel my diplomatic trip to Aruba next week and try to keep myself from falling off the goal scorer's fiscal cliff. Philby was named the second star of the game and the third star went to Dan "Too Late" Early who has now replaced "TC" as the last player to step on the ice each week. "I realized that warm-ups aren't all they're cracked up to be. I don't need no stinkin warm-ups". In other news, just twenty four hours after being elected as the next governor of NH, Maggie Hassan has had to answer questions about her relationship to Hassan Bin Sobar the radical terrorist who was a prime suspect in the attempted assassination of Chris "Brownie" Brown at the inaugural Black Ice Pond Hockey Championship. Ms. Hassan admits that she was once married to Bin Sobar and the reason she didn't pay real estate taxes was that she lived at the Gilmore St. mosque and the mosque is excluded from paying a real estate tax. She cited Bin Sobar's drinking and womanizing as her reasons for leaving him. She told reporters that she was unaware of Hassan Bin Sobar's connection to terrorism. "We can only hope that she is telling the truth", said Ovid Lamontagne. "The last thing this state needs is a governor with ties to terrorism", he added. The Pucking Files has vowed to investigate this story. In the meantime, let's just enjoy Green's victory.

Obama Signs a Four Year Extension with Washington

The first order of business for Barrack Obama after being re-elected is to get the NHL back in business. He met with Gary Bettman and Donald Fehr early this morning and told them, "You have to work together to give the American people an NHL season!" In the Granite State voters elected Maggie Hassan Bin Sober to be the new governor to replace John Lynch who will be focusing on getting the Lynch Gang to win the Black Ice Pond Hockey Championship. Meanwhile back in the CCHL it's the status quo in week 6. Undefeated Alan's remained that way with their 10 to 7 victory over winless Cimo's. Cimos jumped out to a 3 - 0 lead after Alex Smith had two first period goals. Alan's closed the gap 4 - 2 after Mick Mounsey turned it over in the twilight zone to Shayne "In the Membrane" LeBreton who buried it in the back of the net. Ed Caron led Alan's with a hat trick while Kevin Karales had two and Clint "The Edge" Edinger had two despite his controversial move to defense. Tom "Badger" Carroll had two for Cimos. In game 2 the battle for second place was fever pitched. In a game that was much closer than the Presidential election, the Windmill pulled it out with just thirty seconds remaining when Matt "Fam Bam" Famiglietti notched the game winner. Windmill had a 3 - 0 lead, but watched it evaporate as Cheers rallied to tie the score. The Windmill began to turn again and took a 6 - 3 lead into the third period. Late in the 3rd Jeff "Hurricane" Cain scored on a one timer to knot the score at six. That is when Famiglietti cast the tie breaking vote that clinched the victory. Gavin "You Betcha" Faretra had the hat trick for the Windmill. Tim Walsh and Chris Roberge each had a pair for Cheers. Corey "The Cockroach" Laroche was held scoreless for the first time this season. Week Six Standings: Alans 5 - 0, Windmill 3 - 2, Cheers 3 - 3, Cimos 0 - 6. Scoring Leaders: 1. Clint Edinger, 2. Corey Laroche, 3. Chris Acres, 4. Tom Carroll, 5. Joel Arsenault, 6. Ed Caron, 7. Bill MacDougall, 8. Chris Roberge, 9. Kevin Karales, 10. Alex Smith

Proposition 99 on the Ballot

With just days to go before the election, Capital City officials met with NAHL president Paul "Pop" Gozaweizle to amend the ballot to include the controversial Proposition 99 that proposes to end tie games in the NAHL with a five minute sudden death overtime period. After last nights 8 to 8 tie between Blue and Green the push to settle games with OT seems even more urgent. Gozaweizle told reporters, "NAHL fans deserve the chance to decide whether or not there should be an opportunity to break a stalemate at the end of regulation. It may be the single most important issue on the ballot this year. This is America and Americans don't like to settle for a tie." Last night's game between Green and Blue left fans begging for more at the final buzzer. The game was like this year's presidential election. It went back and forth all game long with both teams trading scoring opportunities and both goalies playing solid. Neither team likes each other very much and several times referee Phil "The Whistle" Lacasse came dangerously close to letting the game get out of hand. "It was kind of chippy, but not nearly as brutal as the presidential campaign", Lacasse said. With just under three minutes to play and the score all knotted at seven, Blue winger Tom "Shemp" Champagne who leads the league in scoring made a nifty pass into the slot and Phil "Commish" Stuart unleashed a butterfly that fluttered up over the shoulder of Kenny "Rebel Without a Rebound" Dean to give Blue the lead. Green coach Gary "Toe" Blake pulled Dean in favor of an extra attacker. Twice Stuart had the opportunity to ice the game with an empty netter, but he missed the mark and Green seized the chance and headed up the ice as the clock was ticking down.

A Blue defenseman took a chance and pinched at center ice probably tempted by the vacated goal. The decision proved costly as Green sniper Jim "The Big Cum" Commerford found himself alone with the puck on his tape and he made no mistake and buried the rubber behind Blue netminder Kenny "Don't Ya Love Em Madly" Bradly to tie the game with only forty five seconds remaining in regulation. The game ended in a stalemate much to the disappointment of fans that packed The Doug. As the fans exited the arena many were calling for Proposition 99 to be put on the ballot. An emergency meeting was held at City Hall in the wee hours of the morning and an agreement was reached and Proposition 99 WILL be included on this year's ballot. "Let the people decide", said Joe "Joe" Farrelly, his lip all swollen from a high stick. "By the people, for the people". "Isn't that what our founding fathers intended?" explained Tom "Philby" Philbrick who finished the game with a torn acl that he suffered in the first period. He was taken to the locker room where he was given pain killers and returned after missing only a shift. Philby was awarded the third star of the game for his courageous effort. The second star went to his brother Todd "Philby" Philbrick who made his season debut after sitting out the first two months of the season with post-concussion-syndrome. Todd waisted no time getting on the score sheet by lighting the lamp on his first shot of the season. He ended up with the hat trick. The first star of the game went to Jim "The Big Cum" Commerford for his clutch goal that saved the day for Green. "I like the idea of Proposition 99", explained Dave "JP" Palisi to reporters as he sat in the locker room icing his neck from a cross check he received in the second period. "It puts the outcome in the hands of the fans", he added. "The fans deserve a say. It's the American way", touted Tom "TC" Carroll. "Give me liberty or give me sudden death!" exclaimed Ryan "Silky" Brandt. So on tuesday NAHL fans can exercise their God given right to be heard. It doesn't matter if you play right wing or left wing; what matters is that you vote. Every vote counts.