The NAHL Annual Yankee Swap

"Santa Heathy" prepares the Yankee Swap

The annual, fan favorite, NAHL Yankee Swap was held this past Thursday and as heated as a traditional Yankee Swap can be the conclusion to the evening was no different as Blue and Green played a hard hitting, see saw battle that ended at 9-9, with the puck on Mike "Little Cum" Commerford’s stick and no time left on the clock. Blue scorers were Andy "BTO" Bachman with the hat trick, Jim "Big Cum" Commerford, Mike "Little Cum" Commerford  and Dave "JP" Palisi with 2 each. Green scorers were Tom "Philby" Philbrick with 4, Todd "Philby" Philbrick with 2, Clint "Eastwood" Cassavaugh, Chris "Brownie" Brown and Dan "Lucky" Luker with 1 each.

In other NAHL action Clear put the Saran Wrap all over Copper for a 10-1 spanking and Mauve edged Magenta 5-4.

The NAHL is on Holiday break and will return to action on January 8, 2015.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Pucking Files.

Standings as of 12/19/14       Points

Copper 6-4-0                           12

Blue 5-3-2                                12

Magenta 5-5-0                          10

Mauve 5-5-0                             10

Green 3-5-2                                8

Clear 4-6-0                                 8

CCHL Heads To All Star Break

2012 CCHL All Star Captains E. Staal & N. Lidstrom

As the holiday season draws near so too does the showcase of the top talent in the CCHL with the 22nd annual All Star Game. Before we dive into details on what should be a dazzling display of speed and skill let's recap Week 10. On Monday Cimo's outlasted Cheers in a tight 6-4 battle to move Cimo's into an even 5-5 heading into the break. Cimo's was led by first half team leading scorer Ryan "Flyin" Williamson's hat trick which puts him at 20 goals at the halfway mark. The loss drops Cheers to 2-8 during a disappointing first half where they lost many close games and look to get healthy over the break. One bright spot has been the offense of Captain Tim "Timinator" Walsh who tallied his 23rd and 24th goals of the year in the loss.

Tuesday's tilt featured BWW and Windmill with BWW's pulling away with a 9-6 victory to move to 8-2 and a 3 game lead of first place. BWW's chose to rest many of their veterans before the break and give a few up and comers from the CCJHL a look in the show. The energy from the youngsters paid off as Jamie "The Corey's Brother" Cotnoir netted a hat trick and CCHL journeyman Scott "Detective" O'Donnell added a pair. The two Corey's also each added a pair of goals to move their season totals to 23 (Corey), and 13 (The Other Corey). For Windmill the loss drops them to 5-5 and into a tie with Cimo's in 2nd place, it was again their high powered first line doing the heavy lifting with Joel "Mendoza" Arsenault (hat trick), Mike "Tricky Dick" Richard (two) and Gavin "You Betcha" Faretra (one) accounting for all six 'Mill goals. All three of the high scoring trio are in the top six in scoring halfway through the year with Tricky Dick being the leader in the clubhouse with 28.

Which brings us to next week's All Star game being held in Detroit which I am sure you have heard if you are following the CCHL's Social Media Editor "You Betcha" Faretra. The Captains have been announced based on fan voting and this year's Captains of the Blue/White squads are the Mill's Joel "Mendoza" Arsenault and BWW's Jack "The Ripper" Mullen. Mendoza led all vote getters just eeking out The Ripper after his fast start and highly publicized comeback from his life of an Amateur Bartender. The Ripper meanwhile rode his momentum from a four goal game against the 'Mill in an 8-7 victory and subsequent after party photos which skyrocketed his popularity among fans. The 2014 fantasy draft is set to take place Friday Night at the HockeyTown Cafe in Detroit where many expect hometown hero and Red Wing super fan Gavin "You Betcha" Faretra to be the #1 overall pick.

Standings
1. BWW         8-2
2. Windmill    5-5
2. Cimo's       5-5
4. Cheers       2-8

Big Crowd…..Big Score

Green fans litter the ice twice for "The Younger Tilly"

The “Doug” was hopping last night in anticipation of the fan favorite Blue-Green matchup and the NAHL fans were not disappointed as 18 goals were scored during the game. Blue edged by Green 10-9. Blue jumped out to a quick lead scoring on the first shift of the game beating  Ken "Don't Ya Love Em Madly" Bradley in the five hole. Blue pumped in four more five hole goals to take a 5-1 lead after the first period. Green chipped away at the Blue lead and the second period ended with Blue leading 7-6. Both team’s defenses tightened up in the third period and the game ended 10-9 Blue. Blue goalie Ken "Rebel without a Rebound" Dean was solid in the net, stealing goals from Green with his quick catching glove.  Blue goal scorers were Tom "Shemp" Champagne with 4, Mike "Little Cum" Commerford with 3, Dave "JP" Palisi with 2 and Ryan "Silky" Brandt with 1. For Green, Dave "The Younger Tilly" Tillotson had the double hat trick scoring 6 goals.

In other NAHL action Copper maintained their first place lead with a 5-2 win over Mauve and Magenta beat Clear 8-5.

Standings as of 12/12/14       Points

Copper 6-3-0                           12

Blue 5-3-1                                11

Magenta 5-4-0                          10

Mauve 4-5-0                              8

Green 3-5-1                               7

Clear 3-6-0                                6

BWW Hammers Cimo's, 'Mill Skates by Cheers

Corey "Corey" Laroche in the player of the game lounge.

With two weeks remaining before the all star break and voting still open there was plenty of wheelin and dealin going on at the Doug this week. In Monday's tilt BWW rolled by Cimo's by a score of 13-5 as Corey "Corey" Laroche potted a game high five goals to earn player of the game honors. Linemate Corey "The Other Corey" Cotnoir also potted a hat trick as he continues to make a case for a full time role as the first line left wing and has also made a late push for his first all star game appearance. Jack "The Ripper" Mullen and Dillon "Waldo" Emerson each potted a pair to help BWW pull away down the stretch. BWW forward Shayne LeBreton was a healthy scratch after making his return last week following a team suspension. BWW captain Travis "Gang Bang" Banga was not made available to the media for comment following the game. For Cimo's Ryan "Flyin" Williamson scored a pair of goals, but continues to struggle in his own end drawing the ire of head coach Pierre Blais. Cimo's was also down their starting goaltender Ryan "Homer" Simpson and their captain Mick "Mouns" Mounsey as their defensive game struggled to hold off the BWW offense.

Tuesday's game featured Windmill taking on Cheers with the 'Mill skating away with a 7-4 victory. Windmill was led by captain Gavin "You Betcha" Faretra's season high four goals as the 'Mill captain has started to catch fire in the past four weeks. For the first time all season 'Mill forward Mike "Tricky Dick" Richard was held to only one goal by the stingy Cheers defense. For Cheers it was captain Tim "Timinator" Walsh potting a pair of goals to lead the team for the ninth straight week to start the season. Cheers will need to win some low scoring games as the season progresses if they are unable to find some kind of secondary scoring for the Cheers captain.

With only one week remaining before the all star break teams will look to finish strong and carry some momentum into the break with valuable points on the line as the playoff race tightens. Fan voting for the all star game closes Wednesday Dec 17th at noon you can tweet your votes to @ConcordCCHL.

Standings

Team                                   W             L              T              PTS          GF         GA          GD
BWW                                    7              2              0              14             62           45           +17
Windmill                                 5              4              0               8              67           56           +11
Cimo’s                                   4              5              0               8              52           68           -16
Cheers                                   2              7              0               4              43           55           -12

      Scoring Leaders

Mike Richard	26	Windmill
Tim Walsh	21	Cheers
Corey Laroche	21	BWW
Gavin Faretra	17	Windmill
Ryan Williamson	15	Cimo's
Corey Cotnoir	11	BWW
Joel Arsenault	10	Windmill
Jack Mullen	9	BWW

Thursday Night Meltdown

Despite poor ice conditions at the “Doug” on Thursday night fans of the NAHL were highly entertained as Blue and Green skated to a 3-3 tie. Blue goalie Ken "Don't Ya Love Em Madly" Bradley and Green goalie Ken "Rebel without a Rebound" Dean were on top of their games as they repeatedly made brilliant saves to keep the game tight. The teams were tied at 1-1 after one period, 2-2 after two periods and Blue tied the game at 3-3 on a perfect tic-tac-toe play by Brian "Hot Sauce" Saucier to Jim "The Younger* Farrelly and to Dan "Lucky" Luker for the tap in. After the game Blue Coach Tom "Thumb" Flanders questioned the “Doug” rink attendant about the ice quality and she explained “the Zamboni had been putting down too much water all night leaving the ice very wet”.

In other NAHL action; Mauve beat Clear 5-3 and Magenta defeated Copper 7-4.

Standings as of 12/05/14       Points Copper 5-3-0                           10 Blue 4-3-1                                  9 Magenta 4-4-0                           8       Mauve 4-4-0                              8 Green 3-4-1                               7 Clear 3-5-0                                6

Cheers and The 'Mill Narrow CCHL Standings

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NAHL Thanksgiving Day Classic

Postgame Celebration

Green took the “Drumstick” with a 12-9 win over Blue in the 25^th Annual Thanksgiving Day Shootout at the “Doug” on Thursday morning. Blue jumped out to an early lead with Tom "Philby" Philbrick, brother Todd "Philby" Philbrick and CCHL call-up Phil " The Whistle" LaCasse pumping in the goals to give Blue a 7-4 lead after two periods. Green stormed back in the third with two timely goals by Clint "Eastwood" Cassavaugh to tie the score at 9-9 with five minutes remaining in the game. Some solid defensive work by the CCHL tandem of Matt “Boots” Boudrias and Bill "Hawkeye" MacDougall and solid goaltending by Ken "Don't Ya Love Em Madly" Bradley kept the Blue forwards off the board  for the rest of the game. Boudrias and MacDougall both scored late in the game to ensure Green’s victory. Todd "Philby" Philbrick took home the game MVP award for his play and his yearly presentation of spicy hot wings.

In other NAHL action; Mauve slipped by Magenta 6-5 and Clear stunned Copper 3-2.

Standings as of 11/27/14

Copper 5-2-0

Blue 4-3-0

Magenta 3-4-0

Mauve 3-4-0

Green 3-4-0

Clear 3-4-0

Cimo's Extends Cheers Skid, BWW Escapes The 'Mill

BWW 1st Star Jack "Cracker Jack" Mullen

Two close, exciting games this week in the CCHL as Monday's tilt went down to the final buzzer. Cimo's scored a controversial goal as time expired to cap off their come from behind 8-7 victory over Cheers. A miscommunication between Hall of Fame goaltender Mark Crowley and defenseman Jake Curtin proved costly as Ryan Williamson one-timed a feed from Cam Heath as time expired. Cheers protested the call made on the ice by referee Nick "Slick" Lacasse, but the call was confirmed by the league offices across the street at Buffalo Wild Wings. Cimo's was led by Ryan "Flyin" Williamson's 4 pack of goals as he continues to bounce back from a sluggish start and Jeff "Cano" Cain scored his first hat trick since his famous 1996-97 performance where he had a career high 24 goals. For Cheers it was another heart breaking loss dropping them to 1-6 on the season and their sixth straight loss following an opening night victory. Cheers was again led by their captain Tim "Timinator" Walsh who tallied a hat trick.

Tuesday's tilt did not disappoint as well, this time it was BWW in the comeback effort over Windmill 8-7. Jack Mullen scored his game high fourth goal of the night with five minutes remaining to give BWW a lead they would not relinquish to improve to 6-1 this season. BWW only received one goal from their first line as Captain Travis Banga was once again suspended for violating the league's hair gel policy (second suspension this season) and 2nd round pick Shayne LeBreton was absent for the fourth straight game following an undisclosed locker room incident. Stepping up in their absence was Kyle "Super Sub" Marceau who scored the lone goal for the first unit. Windmill jumped out to an early lead and looked to be in full control of the contest prior to the BWW comeback. Windmill received hat tricks from both CCHL Leading Scorer Mike "Tricky Dick" Richard and Captain Gavin "You Betcha" Faretra, but it would not be enough to avoid falling to 3-4 on the season.

Standings
                                                 W             L              T             Pts             GF        GA            GD

     1.       BWW                                   6              1              0              12            46           35           +11

     2.       Cimo’s                                  4              3              0              8              43           45           -2

     3.       Windmill                                3              4              0              6              50           48           +2

     4.       Cheers                                  1              6              0              2              34           45           -11

             

      Scoring Leaders

Mike Richard	20	Windmill
Tim Walsh	17	Cheers
Corey Laroche	15	BWW
Ryan Williamson	15	Cimo's
Gavin Faretra	11	Windmill
Corey Cotnoir	8	BWW
Joel Arsenault	8	Windmill
Cam Heath	7	Cimo's
Tom Carroll	7	Cimo's
Jack Mullen	7	BWW

NAHL HAT Night at the Doug

Green wins!

The NAHL rewarded their loyal fans with the first annual NAHL Hat Night in Week 6 Thursday night action. Those in attendance witnessed a clean hard fought game between Blue and Green. Green picked up its second win of the season by defeating Blue 6-4. Green Coach Tom "Painch" Painchaud shuffled his lines and reunited  Dave "The Younger Tilly" Tillotson,  Clint "Eastwood" Cassavaugh and Tom "Duster" Dustin and the move paid off as Tillotson and Cassavaugh score 4 of Green’s 6 goals. In a last minute move Green acquired Dave "JP" Palisi off waivers from Blue and Palisi proved the Green GM right as he scored a timely goal late in the second period to give Green a comfortable lead going into the third.  Jim "Big Cum" Commerford and Mike "Little Cum" Commerford tried to work their magic and mount a comeback in the third, but Green’s stingy defense and goalie Ken "Rebel without a Rebound" Dean kept the speedy wingers off the board to secure the win.

In other NAHL action Copper defeated Mauve 3-1 and Clear edged out Magenta 4-3. Copper remains in first place with Blue close behind in second.

Standings as of 11/21/14

Copper 5-1-0

Blue 4-2-0

Magenta 3-3-0

Mauve 2-4-0

Green 2-4-0

Clear 2-4-0

Wings Fly, 'Mill in the Sky Keeps on Turnin

"The Other Corey" (left) & "Tricky Dick" (right) in the minors

With week six completed in the CCHL each team has now played every team twice as the standings begin to take shape. BWW started off the week against Cimo's as both teams have been decimated by injuries, suspensions and call ups. At puck drop Cimo's fielded a squad of 7, resembling a Black Ice team while BWW countered with 9. When the final horn blew it as BWW escaping with a 6-3 victory to improve to 6-1 while dropping Cimo's to an even 3-3. BWW forward Shayne LeBreton was absent for the third straight game following an undisclosed locker room incident. It may be in veteran hall of famer's best interest to return as soon as possible as young forward "The Other Corey" Cotnoir has taken full advantage of his opportunity with the first line. "The Other Corey" who was initially thought to be a second line mucker lit the lamp three times for his second hat trick in the past three games while skating with the first unit. Fellow linemate Corey "Corey" Laroche is also feeling the chemistry with the youngster as he matched "The Other Corey's" hat trick with one his own. Time will tell what will happen with the BWW lineup when/if LeBreton returns. For Cimo's captain defenseman Mick Mounsey led all skaters in TOI with 60:00 played while also chipping in a goal. BWW goaltender Tyler "Beans" Ingerson was impressive in net making 29 saves and forcing 17 crossbar and outs.

Game number two featured Windmill and Cheers with the 'Mill rolling to a commanding 9-4 victory. CCHL Leading Scorer Mike "Tricky Dick" Richard continued his torrid scoring pace with a four goal night to pace the 'Mill. Captain Gavin "You Betcha" Faretra showed no sign of bus legs following his cross country trek to Colorado chronicled on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Snapchat, Tinder, LinkedIn, MySpace, Pintrest, Foursquare, WUPHF.com and MSN Messanger as he tallied a #HatTrick. For Cheers it was Captain Tim "Timinator" Walsh leading the way with his second hat trick of the season and Jake "Iron" Curtin adding his third of the year. The struggles continue for Cheers as they fall to 1-5 in fourth place as injuries and lack of scoring depth seem to be the key factors. The Pucking Files has just learned from it's CCHL Insider Rob McKenzye that Cheers Dr. Kent Smith has ruled out defenseman Chad Broduer for the remainder of the season with a torn ACL. Cheers will be forced to lean on rookie Kyle "Vanilla" Tracey top play top four minutes the rest of the season.

     Standings

1. BWW       5-1   
2. Windmill    3-3
3. Cimo's      3-3
4. Cheers      1-5

   Scoring Leaders

Mike Richard 17 Windmill

Corey Laroche 15 BWW

Tim Walsh 14 Cheers

Ryan Williamson 11 Cimo's

Corey Cotnoir 8 BWW

Joel Arsenault 8 Windmill

Gavin Faretra 8 Windmill

Cam Heath 7 Cimo's

Tom Carroll 6 Cimo's

Winter Storm Bozeman Hits “The Doug”

Winter Storm Bozeman

It was a dark and stormy night as winter storm Bozeman gave Concord everything it had Thursday.  As nasty as the weather was outside “The Doug” the real storm was inside as Blue unleashed its fury on Green in week 5 NAHL action. Blue was led by goaltender Ken "Rebel without a Rebound" Dean with a spectacular performance as Blue soundly defeated Green 7-1. Green opened the scoring in the first period and Green responded by scoring  7 unanswered goals. With NAHL leading scorer Jim " Big Cum" Commerford homebound in the hills of Warner due to Bozeman,  Blue turned to Mike "Little Cum" Commerford to guide the offense to victory. Tom "Bergs" Bourgault was the go to guy as he popped two tape-to-tape passes past Ken "Don't Ya Love Em Madly" Bradley. Dan "Too Late" Earley rang both posts on a nifty shot for his first goal of the season.  Green was missing many of its veteran players due to the storm.  After the game Green coach Tom "Painch" Painchaud sat in the locker room shaking his head and mumbling incoherently. A special NAHL “shoutout” is due to referee Phil " The Whistle" LaCasse who provided much needed refreshments after the game.

In other NAHL action Magenta hands Copper its first loss of the season with a 6-4 win and Mauve slips by Clear 4-3. Copper and Blue are now tied for first place.

Standings as of 11/14/14

Copper 4-1-0

Blue 4-1-0

Magenta 3-2-0

Mauve 2-3-0

Green 1-4-0

Clear 1-4-0

Cimo's Haults Windmill's Win Streak, BWW Bounces Cheers

Singer/Songwriter Ryan "Flyin" Williamson

It's beginning to feel like winter in the Capital City, but the action inside the Doug remains red hot. Game one of week 5 saw Cimo's pull away from Windmill for a 10-6 victory Monday night. The loss was Windmill's first in 3 games after winning two straight following captain Gavin "You Betcha" Faretra's famous week 3 guarantee. The whispers of a sophomore slump have seemed to rejuvenate Cimo's forward and singer/songwriter Ryan "Flyin" Williamson as he led all scorers this week with his second straight four goal game. Word out of the Cimo's locker room is after the game, inspiration hit Willamson and he quickly penned an acoustic ballad dedicated to his performance (Release date: TBD). Also enjoying multi-goal games for Cimo's were backup singers Cam "Bam" Heath and Tom "Badger" Carroll, who is well known for his work with The Steve Miller Band back in Wisconsin.  The 'Mill takes a step backward after two straight wins and two straight unlikely hat tricks from Joel "Mendoza" Arsenault who was only able to muster one measly goal this week. Enjoying multi-goal nights for the 'Mill were CCHL Leading Scorer Mike "Tricky Dick" Richard and Nick "Twin 1" Lacasse.

Game two of the week featured BWW and Cheers facing off in a tight game with BWW eventually pulling out a 5-3 win. In the games first shift, current BWW forward and former Cheers forward Corey "Cockroach" Laroche silenced some old Cheers demons after being held scoreless in the team's first meeting, by scoring two goals to spot BWW a 2-0 lead in the games first two minutes. Cheers pulled within one on a Tim "Timinator" Walsh tally off a neutral zone turnover. The teams traded goals again making it a 3-2 game, but Kyle "Super Sub" Marceau scored what proved to be the game winner late in the game and Laroche put an exclamation point on his night finishing his hat trick in the games last shift. Walsh finished with two goals to lead Cheers in the loss and Carl "Good to See You" Langlais added one. The story of the evening however was the second straight healthy scratch of BWW forward Shayne LeBreton following an undisclosed locker room incident following a game against Cimo's. No word yet on whether or not this will cost LeBreton his coveted first line position to youngster Corey "The Other Corey" Cotnoir who has filled in admirably in LeBreton's absence. When asked to comment on the situation BWW captain Travis "Gang Bang" Banga stated "this was a team issue that would be handled internally," and had no further comment.

Standings
BWW                                  4              1              
Cimo’s                                 3              2             
Windmill                               2              3             
 Cheers                                 1              4             

Scoring Leaders

Mike Richard     13  Windmill

Corey Laroche     12  BWW

Tim Walsh     11  Cheers

Ryan Williamson   10 Cimo's

Cam Heath       7 Cimo's

Joel Arsenault       7 Windmill

Tom Carroll       6 Cimo's

Gavin Faretra       5 Windmill

Corey Cotnoir       5 BWW

Big Cum Wins it Late for Blue

"Big Cum" (far right) celebrating the victory

The weather outside “The Doug” was dreary, but the play inside was intense as week 4 of the NAHL turned out to be a Blue/Green barn burner. Blue squeaked out a win when Jim " Big Cum" Commerford put in his second goal of the night by stealing the puck at the blue line and scoring on a breakaway with one minute left to play to make the score Blue 5 Green 4. Commerford had tied the score earlier in the third. " Big Cum" leads the NAHL in scoring and the crafty veteran proves every game how valuable he is to the league.  Andy "BTO" Bachman also added two goals for Blue. Tom "Shemp" Champagne score for Blue on a nifty breakaway. Ken "Rebel without a Rebound" Dean played solid in goal for Green, but the Blue breakaways were just too much for him to handle. Ken "Don't Ya Love Em Madly" Bradley was huge in the Blue net snagging many “sure goals” out of the air with his quick catching glove. Tom " Duster" Dustin was able to beat Bradley on a rare penalty shot after being “manhandled” by Joe " Joe" Farrelly. Dave " The Younger Tilly" Tillotson beat Bradley in the second period with a blistering shot that rang off the post and bounced into the net. Phil "Commish" Stuart scored his first goal of the season to start the scoring in the first period.

In other NAHL action Copper remains undefeated by beating Clear 5-3 and Mauve gets its first win of the season by defeating Magenta 7-6.

NAHL Standings as of 11/07/14

Copper 4-0-0

Blue 3-1-0

Magenta 2-2-0

Green 1-3-0

Clear 1-3-0

Muave 1-3-0

The 'Mill Deals BWW 1st Loss, Cimo's Rolls Cheers

Joel "Mendoza" Arsenault at the 2013 Bartender Games

Some lopsided action in the CCHL this week as both games were decided by 5 goals or more. Monday night's tilt saw Cimo's pull away from a banged up Cheers squad for a 10-5 victory. Ryan "Flyin" Williamson answered the whispers of his potential sophomore slump with a dominating four goal performance to lead Cimo's. Fellow linemates Cam "Bam" Heath and Pat Lacasse each chipped in a pair for the defending champs. Tim "Timinator" Walsh and faceoff specialist Matt "Nads" Nadeau each scored two in the losing effort for Cheers which dropped them to 1-3 on the season. The injury bug has seemed to have bitten the highly touted Cheers defensive corps as Taylor Smith and Chad Broduer are both expected to be out for multiple weeks and there have been several other unconfirmed reports of other day to day injuries plaguing Cheers.

In game number two Windmill handed BWW's their first loss of the season in a 11-5 laugher with Windmill storming back from a 4-2 deficit. Former amateur bartender Joel "Mendoza" Arsenault put on a scoring display for the second straight week scoring a hat trick. Following a disappointing season last year there were reports around the league that "Mendoza" would be returning to his former career as a semi successful mixologist. Those reports seem to have been quieted for the time being, although he was seen after the game mixing a sailor jerry's and diet coke for many of his 'Mill team members. Also enjoying multi-goal nights for the 'Mill were Captain Gavin "You Betcha" Faretra and Mike "Tricky Dick" Richard. Corey "The Other Corey" Cotnoir led the way for BWW's scoring a hat trick as BWW's seemed to struggle to keep their composure late in the game without Captain Travis "Gang Bang" Banga who was serving a one game suspension for violating the league's hair gel policy.

Standings
BWW          3-1 6pts
Windmill      2-2 4pts
Cimo's         2-2 4pts
Cheers         1-3 2pts

Scoring Leaders
Mike Richard  11
Corey Laroche  9
Tim Walsh  7
Ryan Williamson 6
Joel Arsenault  6
Cam Heath  5
Gavin Faretra  5
3 Tied at 4

Can Blue Be Stopped? Will Walsh be Traded?

Dunc "Coach" Walsh skating the river.

The NAHL faithful were out in full force Thursday night at “The Doug” anticipating a tight game between Blue and Green after they traded blowouts in their first two meetings of the young 2014-15 season.  Blue fans were delighted as Blue came out flying from the opening faceoff.  Dave “JP” Palisi scored 3 quick goals from the Green blue line to put Blue in the lead and they never looked back. Ken “Don’t Ya Love Em Madly” Bradley kept the Green shooters at bay making some acrobatic saves on several shots from inside the hashmarks. Green’s forwards were frustrated for most of two periods before Brian “The Older Tilly” Tillotson broke Bradley’s shutout bid late in the second period. The final score was Blue 10 Green 2. George “Dumpin “ Chase led a very strong Blue defense to a very easy victory and Jim “Big Cum” Commerford was very strong offensively for Blue. Green coach Tom “Painch” Painchaud was overheard mumbling “Green cannot continue to play inconsistent hockey and expect to compete for the NAHL championship” on his way to the locker room. One interesting note was the healthy scratch of Blue forward Duncan "Coach" Walsh whose name has been at the forefront of trade speculation after a slow start to the season. We will continue to monitor this developing situation throughout the season.

In other NAHL action Copper maintains first place with an 8-3 victory over Mauve and Magenta defeated Clear 7-4.

The 'Mill Backs Up Faretra's Guarantee, BWW Still Perfect

"You Betcha" Faretra making his guarantee.

A week ago, following their 2nd straight loss and still searching for their first win of the CCHL season; an animated 'Mill Captain "Gavin "You Betcha" Faretra met with the media and guaranteed a win the following week against Cheers. Fast forward to this week and that is exactly what he and the 'Mill delivered as they defeated Cheers 6-4. One 'Mill forward in particular seemed to rally behind his captain and that was Joel "Mendoza" Arsenault, who struggled for much of last season and the start of this year. "Mendoza" led the 'Mill with his first hat trick since the 2012 NHL Lockout and seems to have found a home on the pesky Windmill 2nd line. CCHL Leading scorer Mike "Tricky Dick" Richard continued his dominance with his third straight multi-goal performance to start the season and "You Betcha" Faretra himself also added a tally to go with 7 assists moving him into a tie with BWW Captain Travis "Gang Bang" Banga for first place. Tim "Timinator" Walsh led the way for Cheers with a hat trick as their goal scoring struggles continued without last year's leading scorer Corey "Cockroach" Laroche. What may be more concerning for Cheers is the injury bug seems to have bit them as they were missing 3 defenseman to start the game and lost a forward midway through the game with a concussion. Team Physician and recent NH Legends of Hockey Hall of Fame Inductee Steve "Murph" Murphy will have his hands full getting Cheers back to full strength.

The "other" matchup in the CCHL this week saw BWW and Cimo's go toe to toe with BWW pulling away late for a 7-3 victory. The win moves BWW to a perfect 3-0 on the young season and drops Cimo's into a three-way tie for second with Cheers and Windmill. "The Cockroach" led the way for BWW with his second four goal performance of the season, rebounding nicely from last week's emotional matchup against Cheers. "Gang Bang" Banga, Jack "The Ripper" Mullen and Alex "Smitty" Smith also scored in Smitty's farewell game in the CCHL after being called up to play for the Austin Spitroasters of the Southern Belle Hockey League (SBHL). Tom "Badger" Carroll led the way for Cimo's with a pair of goals and Ryan "Flyin" Williamson scored one as whispers of a sophomore slump have begun for the young forward. The Pucking Files would like to wish the best of luck to "Smitty" during his time as a Spitroaster.

Green Downs Blue, Copper in 1st Place

A dejected Blue squad reacts to another Green goal.

“The Doug” was hopping last night for the second game of the season between Blue and Green. Even after last week’s shellacking by Blue the rink was SRO. Green fans were in abundance and were looking for revenge! Last week Green coach Tom “Painch” Painchaud said there would be changes to his squad and he was true to his word. “Painch” brought in Rich “Doc” Rosato and the Doc put his gifted surgical hands to good use potting 4 goals. “Painch” rode Mike “Little Com” Commerford hard during practice this week and “Little Com” responded with 4 goals on the night. Green cruised to a 10-5 win to even their record to 1-1-0 on the young season. Jim “Taz” Heath was stellar in leading the strong Green defense. “Taz” stated after the game “50 is the new 37” in describing his play. Ken  “Don’t Ya Love Em Madly” Bradley was solid in goal for Green. Blue coach Tom “Thumb” Flanders brought Ken “Captain” McKinnon up from the Florida league for the game and the seasoned “Captain” came through for his coach with a Hatrick.  Tom “Duster” Dustin added a pair of goals.

In other NAHL action, Clear got its first win of the season 5-4 over Mauve and Copper moved to first place with a 5-1 win over Magenta.

Cimo's and BWW Roll as Windmill Reels

Week 2 is in the books for the CCHL where fans were treated to an OT thriller Monday with Cimo's earning their first victory of the season over a struggling Windmill squad who remains winless. Cimo's forward Chris "The Hobbit" Robert potted his second of the night two minutes into the extra session to give Cimo's their first win since last year's final. Showing off the same resolve that won them the CCHL's ultimate prize last March, Cimo's stormed back late to tie the game. Then, with the 'Mill seemingly unable to regain their focus after what looked to be an easy victory, Robert struck and sent the Cimo's crowd into a frenzy. Along with Robert's pair of tallies, Cam "Bam" Heath added two and Tom "Badger" Carroll, "Flyin" Ryan Williamson and Ian "Hambone" Hamlet each added one. For the 'Mill the lone bright spot of the night was Mike "Tricky Dick" Richard's season high five goal night. Following the game however, 'Mill Captain Gavin "You Betcha" Faretra made it clear his team would not go quietly into the night and guaranteed a win next Tuesday over Cheers!

Game number two pitted a couple unbeaten teams with Cheers and BWW facing off and they did not disappoint. Ultimately it was BWW who prevailed by a 5-3 score with Cheers pressing to tie the game until the final whistle. Captain Travis "Gang Bang" Banga and Bill "Hawkeye" MacDougall led way for BWW as Hall-of-Famer Shayne "Steel" LeBreton added one. The story-line of the evening coming into the night was how newly acquired BWW forward Corey "Cockroach" Laroche would fair facing off against his former team of three seasons and the only team he'd ever know in the CCHL prior to this off-season's controversial trade to BWW. Although he was held off the scoresheet many of the Cheers faithful were spotted in the packed crowd wearing his former #9 Cheers sweater. Former linemate and Cheers Captain was quoted when asked about what kind of impact the loss of the "Cockroach" might have on this upcoming season with, "I like the guys we have in our room right now. I'm not going to comment on who is or isn't here anymore, my priority right now is those other 11 guys in that room and trying to win games. We have a lot of young talent in there, Matt Nadeau hasn't lost a faceoff since Bantam A's in 2001, why don't you guys ever talk about that? Are we done here?" Time will tell whether the loss of the Cockroach will be Cheers undoing or if they will rally together to overcome adversity.

Out of Town Scores:

Milley's Tavern 6 Strange Brew Tavern 2
Murphy's Taproom 11 J.W. Hills 6

NAHL Back in Action!

The much anticipated rematch from last season's game 7 between defending champion Green and runner up Blue turned out to be a big dud! The Doug was filled to capacity early with the place buzzing with anticipation for the title rematch and Blue fans were not disappointed as Blue scored early and often. The final score showed Blue 13, Green 4 although it felt much more lopsided. Blue started the scoring on the second shift of the game on a scrum in front of Green goalie Ken "Rebel Without a Rebound" Dean and Blue never looked back. Brian Tillotson fired a blistering slapshot from the point on the next shift and it was off the races for the talented Blue team. It was obvious to everyone in attendance, including Green, that Blue coach Tom "Thumb" Flanders had his squad in top condition for the beginning of the season. Other blue highlights; Tom "TC" Carroll popped 4 roofers, Tom "Philby" Philbrick scored a pair and Jim "The Younger" Farrelly scored his first and second goals in the his NAHL debut. For Green, Andy "BTO" Bachman had the hat trick. By the third period the Doug was completely empty. Exiting spectators were overheard saying they were going to Buffalo Wild Wings to watch NBA preseason! The very emotional Green coach  Tom "Painch" Painchaud likened the Green squad to a bunch of Peewees! "There will be changes to Green!" Painchaud stated.

In other NAHL action Magenta snuck past Mauve and Copper defeated Clear 6-2.

CCHL Drops the Puck!

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Thank You Rudz Bro

Rudz Bro

As the Pucking Files enters a time of transition for the first time, Mr. Hirohito and I would like to take the time to thank its long time editor & chief, Mr. Rudz Bro. For years I worked in the Pucking Files backroom editing posts and filling (Irish) coffee orders for Rudz Bro and I marveled at his ability to seamlessly blend the facts of each breaking news story with his own sense of humor. From the capture of Moe Rudz by North Korean forces to your award winning coverage of the Black Ice tournament you have made us laugh and cry. I know I speak for the entire office when I say that the Pucking Files will miss you and we wish you nothing, but the best in your future endeavors. The Pucking Files raises its glass for a toast to one of the all-time greats, cheers to you Rudz Bro!

Legendary Thursday

The Pucking Files is proud to announce that our new editor & chief will be William MacDognutz. "Willie Mac" as his colleges refer to him has worked at the highest level of journalism for many years. Last year he joined The Pucking Files at the request of Moe Rudz. MacDognutz covered the CCHL brilliantly. His creativity was highly regarded by Moe who once referred to "Willie Mac" as "the future of journalism". With Moe's unexpected departure from The Pucking Files, new publisher Mr. Hirohito Moto (pictured below) looked for someone to run his new media empire. While cleaning out Moe's desk, Mr. Moto found papers that praised MacDognutz for his journalism skills. He decided that if Moe felt this strongly about MacDognutz then it would make perfect sense to hire him as the new editor and chief. "Willie Mac" is scheduled to appear on "Larry King Live or Dead" next week. MacDognutz will take over the reins on the 20th of september. One other item of interest that Mr. Moto found in Moe's desk was the list announcing the 2014 inductees into The Legends of Thursday Night Hockey Hall of Fame. Much anticipated, fans of the NAHL will be pleased to know that the newest members of the Legends are as follows: In the "Coaching" category is legendary coach Gary "Toe" Blake. The all time leader in wins, games coached and championships, "Toe" Blake guided the legendary Green team during their glory years as the pinnacle of the NAHL excellence. In the "Brothers" category is the dynamic duo brother act known collectively as "The Philbys". Todd and Tom Philbrick have accounted for more points than any other brother tandem in NAHL history. They have played on numerous NAHL championship teams and they were instrumental in helping the Budmen win a Hobey Stick at the 2012 Black Ice Championship. The 1rst goalie to be selected to the Legends Hall is Brian "Smitty" Smith. He owns the best save percentage ever recored in a season in NAHL history. "Smitty" pioneered the kick save which is now a standard practice used by all goalies. The other inductees to the 2014 Legends are Andy "BTO" Bachman, Ryan "Silky" Brandt, Tom "Shemp" Champagne and Tom "Painch" Painchaud. They will be inducted into the Hall in October.

Heads Up

Reports have been circulating that former publisher Moe Rudz was killed by head hunters in Borneo. Moe Rudz sold his controlling shares of The Pucking Files earlier this summer to pursue a career in etymology. He headed to Borneo to start a new life. It appears that his life has been cut short by a head hunter. Adventurer Montana Johnson made contact with the Watdafuka tribe in the jungles of Borneo. They showed Johnson a shrunken head believed to be that of Moe Rudz. Johnson purchased the artifact for a pair of tweezers and a George Brett baseball card. He brought the head back to England where it is being examined by experts from the Royal Academy of Asswipes.

Moe's brother Mark told The Pucking Files that he lost all contact with Moe in early July. "Moe no longer picks up my phone calls or returns my emails. I begun to think that foul play was involved. It just wasn't like Moe not to call", he said. Doctors at the Academy believe that it could be Moe, but, no exact identification has been made thus far. Everyone in the hockey world is holding their collective breath. Is this the last we'll hear from Moe? Is it curtains for Moe Rudz? Stayed tuned. In other news; Dan Early was traded to Green. It is the 92nd time in his career that he has played for Green. Also, it is being reported that Dave Masinek is STILL missing!

Good Bye Moe, Hello Mr. Moto

Moe Rudz

This summer we learned that LeBron James has signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers, two time MVP Dunc "Coach" Walsh will be undergoing a gastro-intestinal bypass, Mike "Hipshake" Farrelly is still fighting to clear his name of any wrong-doing, Phil "Commish" Stewart is going to return as the Czar of the CCHL, Gary "Toe" Blake took a job as a flight attentdant, Dave Masinek is STILL missing, AND NOW; the biggest surprise of the year; Moe Rudz has sold his controlling shares of The Pucking Files to Japanese business mogul Hirohito Moto for $6.4 million. No one was more surprised than the staff at The Pucking Files. Moe was like a father to us. His guiding hand was all over the staff here at "The Files". He told us that he is going on to pursue a career as an etymologist in Borneo. "I've loved bugs since I was a small child and running a media empire didn't give me the time to pursue my passion for insects." "Now, I am finally free to live my life long dream", said Moe.  Mr. Moto who has purchased The Pucking Files as well as Pucking Files Films has followed hockey for the past twenty five years. He hopes to grow hockey in Japan and thinks The Pucking Files is the outlet that will best help him achieve his aims. It is unclear wether Mr. Moto will replace staff members with his own team. Only time will tell. This may be my last post on The Pucking Files. I will await my fate in the weeks to come. For all of you who have followed The Pucking Files over the years, I would like to say, "Thank you and God Bless". And, to Moe, if you are reading this, " I love you man!" "You are a source of inspiration for journalism around the world". "Enjoy those bugs big fella!"  As for the rest of you; "Stay Smart, Read The Pucking Files".     Sincerely,  Webster "Dick" Shinary: Assistant Editor