Posts Tagged ‘Weekly Previews’
Week 19 Preview
Thursday, September 22nd, 2011Georgine’s More Of A Steelers Fan
GAME OF THE WEEK
Butchers (8-7-1) at Happy Little Elves (7-6-1-2)
Location: Tompkins East, 2:00 PM
All-Time Series: First Meeting
Game Notes: The Butchers and the Happy Little Elves may be tied in the overall standings heading into the final weekend of the regular season, but both teams have taken different paths to get here. The Butchers (aside from Ben Bloom) have put an emphasis on defense this season, beginning with the free agent signing of the glass-jawed Chris “Creamy” DiMotta. Bolstered by his presence, the team has surrendered fewer than two goals per game this season, and goaltender Eric Ramirez is fourth in the league with a 1.67 goals against average. The Happy Little Elves, on the other hand, have put no emphasis on defense at all. The team has yielded the third most goals in BTSH, but it has countered this flaw with the league’s top-ranked offense. The tandem of Gil Valdes and brunette sophomore Ryan Nakahara leads the Elves’ deep and explosive attack with 12 goals apiece. In this, the first meeting between these two teams, how will the Elves’ offense fare against the stingy Butchers defense?
Keys To The Game:
1. Although the Butchers have focused on defense this season, the team has also produced two of the league’s top scorers in Ben Bloom and “The Charismatic Enigma” Arthur Revechkis (né Weezy). The duo has combined for 27 of the team’s 44 goals.
2. Perhaps due to their new found “Fun and Gun” style of play, six of the Elves’ games have been tied at the end of regulation play. However, the team has been relatively opportunistic in extra time with three wins via shootout and one tie.
3. With both of these teams locked in a four-way tie (with the Dark Rainbows and Mathematics) for 11th place, this game carries tremendous playoff implications. Most likely, the loser of this matchup will fall into the bottom eight of the league and have to win five games in a row to claim the BTSH championship. The winner stands a good shot to receive a restful bye next Sunday, when the opening weekend games are played.
Eli’s Pick: No pick. Eli will be reffing this game.
Derek’s Pick: Happy Little Elves. Captain Glanzer finally forces his team to clamp down on D.
Watchability: 4.5 Hawks. Ka-kaw!
Week 18 Preview
Thursday, September 15th, 2011BREAKING: Commish Caught Cheating In 2009!
GAME OF THE WEEK
Sky Fighters (8-3-2-2) at What The Puck (8-5-1-1)
Location: Tompkins West, 3:30 PM
All-Time Series: Sky Fighters lead 8-3
Game Notes: Playoff seeding implications are on the line as these Hackett Division foes face off for the second time this season. When the Sky Fighters and What The Puck met in Week 14, the Fighters prevailed with a solid–though somewhat forgettable–3-1 victory. Since then, however, they have hit a skid, losing to the Happy Little Elves and the Dark Rainbows. The slump has greatly reduced the team’s chances at the division title and with it, the all-important second seed in the playoffs. What The Puck is in even worse shape. The team tied the Rehabs last week, which halted a four-game losing streak. This summer swoon, along with the team’s 0-4-0-1 record in Hackett Division games, has officially eliminated WTP from the division race. However, strong out of division play earlier in the season has provided a cushion to soften the recent fall, and Larry’s Orange Juggernaut sits squarely in the middle of the rather large BTSH bell curve. With two weeks remaining before the playoffs start, both the Sky Fighters and What The Puck will be looking to reverse their recent trends.
Keys To The Game:
1. As one of the few Sky Fighters to exhibit regular attendance, captain Dan Hopper has shouldered much of the offensive load himself. After scoring twice last week against the Dark Rainbows, Hopper is now tied for fifth in the league with 12 goals.
2. After dealing with a revolving door of goaltenders throughout the season, What The Puck has finally regained some stability between the pipes, as offseason acquisition Anthony Romeo is back to close out the season. Although it remains to be seen if this will result in more wins, at the very least, WTP will now have a definitive count on how many saves their goalie makes each game.
3. We haven’t seen Brock in a really long time, and we’re extremely concerned. He’s little.
Eli’s Pick: What The Puck. Wait, it’s technically still summer? Crap.
Derek’s Pick: Sky Fighters. Martin has returned to the States after teaching another generation of Czechs how to play 50 minutes a game.
Watchability: 4 Watkinsons. Just two points separate these evenly matched teams in the standings.
Week 17 Preview
Thursday, September 8th, 2011Alfred Still Doesn’t Understand The Rex Manning Video
GAME OF THE WEEK
La Famiglia (10-1-1-2) at Corlears Hookers (9-5)
Location: Tompkins East, 1:00 PM
All-Time Series: Corlears Hookers lead 5-0
Game Notes: Division leaders clash this Sunday as BTSH hockey resumes (hopefully) after a lengthy sabbatical. However, La Famiglia and the Corlears Hookers enter this inter-conference matchup with very different mentalities. With an assist from Hurricane Irene, La Famiglia has clinched the Donohue Division and the third seed in the playoffs. The Corlears Hookers, on the other hand, are just one point up on the Happy Little Elves and the Denim Demons, and two points up on Filthy Gorgeous, in the tightly packed Rubens Division. While their record isn’t spectacular, the Hookers’ goal differential of +21 ranks third in the league, and goaltender Dustin “Fake Dutch’s Brother” Olson leads BTSH with a 1.09 goals against average. However, La Famiglia has looked even more impressive. David Ladanyi’s Family boasts the league’s top-ranked offense with 53 goals and has the best goal differential with +25. Despite having nothing at stake, Ladanyi vows that his team will put forth a full effort, as anything less would be against the spirit of the league.
Keys To The Game:
1. La Famiglia’s offense features the top two goal scorers in BTSH in Denis Miciletto and Shafiq “Off Black” Perry. Although Miciletto’s 20 goals make him a near lock to finish first in the league, Perry remains closer to the pack with 13, as the duo pushes for an impressive 1-2 finish.
2. The Hookers’ Jason Eitel is also among the league scoring leaders with 10 goals. However, the bulk of these goals came in a couple of 4-goal outbursts in games his team won in blowout fashion. Should the Hookers take a late five-goal lead, La Famiglia will have to be wary of Eitel’s garbage time prowess.
3. Although Ladanyi has vowed to field a competitive squad, he is also being cautious about overusing his goaltenders. He has already rotated between Kevin Au and Jamie Batuwantudawe throughout the season, but this Sunday, he will introduce a third netminder, Diane Johnston, in order to rest the other two for the playoffs.
Eli’s Pick: Corlears Hookers. They have never lost to the Tuques/La Famiglia franchise, primarily because former Tuques Brendan “Dutch” Kearney and Gavin “Dutch’s Brother” Kearney know all of Ladanyi’s strategies.
Derek’s Pick: La Famiglia. Yes, it’s true, La Famiglia has never beaten the Hookers, but then again, this will be the first time they play them with Ant “Father Time” Ventolieri on the team.
Watchability: 4 Batuwantudawes. Who will succeed as the league’s top offense faces the league’s top goaltender?
Week 16 Preview
Thursday, August 25th, 2011Two Of Hockey’s Greatest Minds?
GAME OF THE WEEK
Happy Little Elves (7-4-1-2) at Fresh Kills (10-3-1)
Location: Tompkins West, 2:00 PM
All-Time Series: Happy Little Elves lead 3-1
Game Notes: The Happy Little Elves and Fresh Kills last met in the quarterfinals of the 2010 playoffs, when a seemingly harmless and unexpected timeout contributed to an Elves overtime victory. With Fresh Kills holding a one goal lead in the final minutes of regulation, captain David Sokolyansky inexplicably called a timeout, claiming his players needed a breather to weather the Elves’ anticipated final assault. However, the stoppage in play also allowed the Elves to change personnel and gave their captain Rich Glanzer–one of the premiere tacticians of BTSH–a chance to draw up the perfect play. As a result, the Elves’ brunette then-rookie Ryan Nakahara poked in the tying goal with less than a minute remaining in regulation. In overtime, Nakahara’s flaxen-haired linemate and overall good guy Trevor “T-Beau” Beauclair scored the winning goal to send the Elves to the semifinals. With this comeback win as the backdrop for Sunday’s game, Fresh Kills will be looking to avenge its early exit from the 2010 playoffs, while the Happy Little Elves will look to continue their dominance in this series.
Keys To The Game:
1. Elves forward Gil Valdes has been red hot lately, scoring five goals in the team’s last three games. He is second on the team in scoring with 10 goals and tied for ninth in BTSH.
2. After an all-rookie performance in 2010, Fresh Kills goalie Patrick Barch has continued to excel this year, and he is currently third in the league with a 1.58 goals against average. Consequently, Fresh Kills boasts the league’s second best defense, having allowed just 22 goals this season.
3. Now that Elves goaltender Shaun deLacy has officially lost all of his bets pertaining to his season GAA, it is as if a giant weight has been lifted off his shoulders. Shaun notes, “It has always been my burden to strive for perfection. I now realize that is not possible this season, but I am happy to have learned an important lesson in humility and modesty, a lesson I will always treasure.”
Eli’s Pick: No pick. Eli will be reffing this game.
Derek’s Pick: Fresh Kills. Even with the Elves’ recent acquisition of Adela Ibric, Fresh Kills will have youth on their side, as Scott Lee remains the youngest player in this game by about a month.
Watchability: 4.5 Ibrics. This was a great playoff game last year, and both teams enter on winning streaks.
Week 15 Preview
Thursday, July 28th, 2011This Is The Best Photo We’ve Used In A While
GAME OF THE WEEK
ALL-STAR GAME: Weyersberg Conference vs. Schumacher Conference
Location: Tompkins West, 6:30 PM
All-Time Series: Weyersberg Conference leads 1-0
Game Notes: As the league heads into the August break, it is once again that time of the year for the stars of BTSH to showcase their skills in the annual All-Star Game. For the second year in a row, conference pride will once again be at stake as the Weyersberg all-stars face off against the Schumacher all-stars. Last season, the Weyersberg Conference took home bragging rights with a 3-2 victory on the strength of Happy Little Elf Trevor “T-Beau” Beauclair’s two goals. This year, the universally admired Beauclair will once be in the limelight of this event, only this time as a coach. Already, he has imparted his “3 Is” mantra upon his squad. Beauclair notes, “Through intensity, integrity, and intelligence, the Weyersberg Conference will once again be victorious.” He and his co-coach, Elf teammate Melissa Budnick, will be opposed by the Schumacher coaches, Shafiq “Off Black” Perry of La Famiglia and Julie Katz of Mega Touch. Since being selected as a coach, Katz has not stopped smiling, commenting, “I’m so excited!” We all are, Julie. We all are.
Keys To The Game:
1. The Happy Little Elves have a checkered history as All-Star Game coaches. In 2009, the East New York team led by the Long Island loudmouth Rich Glanzer, as well as Stacy S. Kehoe, fell to the West 8-2. In addition to this embarrassing loss, Glanzer will be remembered for playing one 30-second shift that resulted in a -1 rating.
2. Perry’s La Famiglia teammate, Denis Miciletto, has been selected for the All-Star Game for the third straight year. In last season’s contest, he tallied one of the Schumacher Conference’s two goals. This season, as the league scoring leader, Perry will look to Miciletto to once again lead the charge for the Schumacher Conference.
3. Roommates, and early Best Duo Award favorites, Lisa Harrington (WTP) and Sarah Moore (GA) have been split on to opposite sides of this game. Rumor has it that their relationship has been a lot more frosty of late as a result of this schism. For example, Moore recently finished all the milk and refused to buy any more, leaving Harrington with dry Rice Krispies.
Watchability: 5 Shafiqs. This game harkens back to the Golden Age of BTSH, so it’s got to be worth watching. Or at least, Dave Ladanyi thinks so.
