Post by Old Bucks Admin on Dec 13, 2012 19:56:04 GMT -5
The Old Bucks gathered for Week 12 with Kenny Blankstein’s midweek call for on-ice civility fresh in their minds. A renewed sense of gentlemanly conduct and goodwill sprang forth from the clubs with examples found throughout both locker rooms. Dave Major and Rich Devlin politely discussed early 20th century poetry, John Lupisella chatted about developments in green energy throughout the greater Buffalo area with Steve Sousa, and Jonathan Millen and Rich Cerbone giggled like schoolboys as they discovered a mutual interest in autumnal songbirds of northwestern Massachusetts. Paul Egan even extended an international olive branch to the club by resigning that while few can top the heart tugging melodies of fellow Canadian Sara MacLachlan, he will go to his grave as a Natalie Merchant man.
Bobby Freiling felt so slighted by his Blue-to-Red trade last week that he pledged to never again don his blue Rangers jersey, emphasizing his indignation with an opening minute 5-hole shot on Kenny G. Huck Fairman, pleased with his performance in warm-ups, continued his lengthy streak of early departures and “sped” off on his soy-powered Segway a mere 5 minutes into the game. Larry Johnson then put Red up 2-0 by waiting for Mike Robbins and Tim White to finish bungling a 2-on-1 and flipping a loose puck into a gaping net. While some on the Blue bench may have started rolling their eyes and quietly musing “here we go again”, a recharged John Diaz forced a turnover in the Red corner and flung a Hail Mary attempt toward Marty Urban’s net from deep behind the goal line. As Marty retreated back into the net, the puck ricocheted off the post and right to Steve Sousa who one-timed the loose puck and caught Marty awkwardly out of position. Marty responded on the ensuing play by sliding post-to-post and stonewalling the seemingly always uncovered Bill Hamill.
With the score 4-2 Red, Mark Herr seemed to have put himself on the scoresheet with a frantic explosion of movements inside Marty’s crease. While Herr and his Blue linemates performed all the appropriate body language of casually coasting out of the zone, Urban maintained that no goal had been scored and summoned a two pointed defense:
- The puck had been kicked by Herr
- The puck had not even been kicked well enough to cross the goal line
Blue withheld the momentum with goals from Diaz and Dave Bassert before Tim White tapped in a seeing-eye, behind-the-net pass from Nick Swift to bring the score to 5-3 Red. Moments later, White uncorked a wormburner of a slapshot that ramped off Kenny G’s Northland goal stick and collided with his unguarded chin. Both teams idled about as Blue attempted to reassemble Ken’s face and finally shoved him back toward the net with a strip of stick tape flapping from his chin. Little did he know that this was only the first installment of an imminent hat trick of physical abuse. Ken resumed play for another ten minutes before his facial laceration re-erupted. At this point, even his Blue teammates were losing patience and responded by attaching what some onlookers described as a feminine hygiene product to his face via three wraps of stick tape around his head. Ken soldiered on and continued to keep Blue in the game as Bassert tallied another goal. Tragically, within minutes, the players heard the familiar sound of a puck deflecting off Ken’s perennially exposed kneecap; a sound as accustomed to Old Bucks Hockey as the ping of the post and the carving of a skateblade. After valiantly rubbing a little slush on it and skating it off, both teams decided that in the interest of a valuable member, the game would fizzle to an unceremonious end with Red winning 7-4.
Inclement weather forced most of the TJ’s crew indoors for the first time in recent memory. We say “most” because a confused Paul Egan, having been sent “arse over teakettle” earlier in the evening, deliriously sat outside in the rain and discussed gay marriage and the Canadian legal system with a traffic cone. Rich Devlin poured out a bottle of homemade wine which prompted Hugh to remark “This is pretty good….can you guys all taste the athlete’s foot? ”. Both the elder and the younger Freiling were in attendance; however an overall general resentment of their goal scoring ability led the group to banish them to their own table. Jonathan Millen also dropped in to collect his six-pack, the spoils of a Dolphins/Pats bet from the previous week. The group adjourned earlier than usual on account of the menacing stares from the fine TJ’s pizza craftsmen who apparently pay much closer attention to the clock on the wall than the pizza in the oven.
Week 12 Three Stars
3 - Ken G. – The guy took a beating and kept getting up. It’s going to hurt like hell when that stick tape rips the hair out of his head………...
2 – John Diaz – First game back in a while. Looked strong on his feet and still carries a heavy wrist shot. That play to Sousa came out of his ass though.
1 – Marty Urban – It’s not many leagues where 4 goals against is an impressive night. Old Bucks is one of them. A number of sharp looking saves on both high and low shots.
Bobby Freiling felt so slighted by his Blue-to-Red trade last week that he pledged to never again don his blue Rangers jersey, emphasizing his indignation with an opening minute 5-hole shot on Kenny G. Huck Fairman, pleased with his performance in warm-ups, continued his lengthy streak of early departures and “sped” off on his soy-powered Segway a mere 5 minutes into the game. Larry Johnson then put Red up 2-0 by waiting for Mike Robbins and Tim White to finish bungling a 2-on-1 and flipping a loose puck into a gaping net. While some on the Blue bench may have started rolling their eyes and quietly musing “here we go again”, a recharged John Diaz forced a turnover in the Red corner and flung a Hail Mary attempt toward Marty Urban’s net from deep behind the goal line. As Marty retreated back into the net, the puck ricocheted off the post and right to Steve Sousa who one-timed the loose puck and caught Marty awkwardly out of position. Marty responded on the ensuing play by sliding post-to-post and stonewalling the seemingly always uncovered Bill Hamill.
With the score 4-2 Red, Mark Herr seemed to have put himself on the scoresheet with a frantic explosion of movements inside Marty’s crease. While Herr and his Blue linemates performed all the appropriate body language of casually coasting out of the zone, Urban maintained that no goal had been scored and summoned a two pointed defense:
- The puck had been kicked by Herr
- The puck had not even been kicked well enough to cross the goal line
Blue withheld the momentum with goals from Diaz and Dave Bassert before Tim White tapped in a seeing-eye, behind-the-net pass from Nick Swift to bring the score to 5-3 Red. Moments later, White uncorked a wormburner of a slapshot that ramped off Kenny G’s Northland goal stick and collided with his unguarded chin. Both teams idled about as Blue attempted to reassemble Ken’s face and finally shoved him back toward the net with a strip of stick tape flapping from his chin. Little did he know that this was only the first installment of an imminent hat trick of physical abuse. Ken resumed play for another ten minutes before his facial laceration re-erupted. At this point, even his Blue teammates were losing patience and responded by attaching what some onlookers described as a feminine hygiene product to his face via three wraps of stick tape around his head. Ken soldiered on and continued to keep Blue in the game as Bassert tallied another goal. Tragically, within minutes, the players heard the familiar sound of a puck deflecting off Ken’s perennially exposed kneecap; a sound as accustomed to Old Bucks Hockey as the ping of the post and the carving of a skateblade. After valiantly rubbing a little slush on it and skating it off, both teams decided that in the interest of a valuable member, the game would fizzle to an unceremonious end with Red winning 7-4.
Inclement weather forced most of the TJ’s crew indoors for the first time in recent memory. We say “most” because a confused Paul Egan, having been sent “arse over teakettle” earlier in the evening, deliriously sat outside in the rain and discussed gay marriage and the Canadian legal system with a traffic cone. Rich Devlin poured out a bottle of homemade wine which prompted Hugh to remark “This is pretty good….can you guys all taste the athlete’s foot? ”. Both the elder and the younger Freiling were in attendance; however an overall general resentment of their goal scoring ability led the group to banish them to their own table. Jonathan Millen also dropped in to collect his six-pack, the spoils of a Dolphins/Pats bet from the previous week. The group adjourned earlier than usual on account of the menacing stares from the fine TJ’s pizza craftsmen who apparently pay much closer attention to the clock on the wall than the pizza in the oven.
Week 12 Three Stars
3 - Ken G. – The guy took a beating and kept getting up. It’s going to hurt like hell when that stick tape rips the hair out of his head………...
2 – John Diaz – First game back in a while. Looked strong on his feet and still carries a heavy wrist shot. That play to Sousa came out of his ass though.
1 – Marty Urban – It’s not many leagues where 4 goals against is an impressive night. Old Bucks is one of them. A number of sharp looking saves on both high and low shots.