Jimmy F

The new season got underway on Sunday, with The Hive facing long time rival The Deuces. The Deuces showed up with an upgraded roster, with 10 skaters. The Hive was missing a top defender, and their leading scorer Jeff Upmalis. With just 6 skaters, The Hive knew this was gonna be a tough game. The Deuces got on the board on the first shift of the game, with a fluky goal, that seem to drain some life from The Hive. It all kinda snowballed from there. The Deuces took advantage of a short Hive bench. The game started getting a little messy near the end with a few penalties given out. The Hive just couldn’t muster any offense in this game, and The Deuces went on to win 6-0. The Hive has been notorious for having bad games after a few weeks offs. This was no different.

(Scoring Summary)
None

Bush-League started up right after. The Team added Andrew Silverman to the roster, to help on on defense. Without Jeff Upmalis in the lineup, Jack McLaughlin stepped in, and had a great game. Bush-League got on the board first, with a Partial breakaway goal by Mike Bowers. Inferno would tie the score at 1-1 midway through the first. Jack McLaughlin would add his first of the game off a wrister from a line rush. However Inferno would battle back, and tie the game at 2, heading into intermission. As the 2nd period started, Bowers knocked a bouncing puck down, and tipped it to Jon Bradley, who wiffed on his first shot attempt, he managed to regather the puck, spun and fired it past the unsuspecting Inferno goaltender, for a 3-2 lead. Bush-League would not look back. Jack McLaughlin added his second goal off an outlet pass from Drew Harrelson. McLaughlin then added his 3rd for the hat trick, on a powerplay, off a redirected shot from Jevon Staffieri. Bowers would then ice the game, stealing the puck off a defensive zone draw, resulting in another breakaway, and a goal. Bush-League opens up the season with a 6-3 victory.

(Scoring Summary)
Mike Bowers (Edd McHugh)
Jack McLaughin (Unassisted)
Jon Bradley (Mike Bowers)
Jack McLaughlin (Drew Harrelson)
Jack McLaughlin (Jevon Staffieri)
Mike Bowers (Unassisted)

Hoagie

Coming off a 7-4 victory last week, Bush-League started week 2, in smiliar fashion. They would face off against the Chiefs. Bush-League would tally first on an early powerplay. Mike Bowers fired a shot from the point. Edd McHugh snuck in a burried the rebound. On the same shift, Jeff Upmalis made the score 2-0, off a feed from Bowers, in the slot. 2 shifts later, Upmalis banked the puck up the boards to Bowers, who beat a defender, and tucked the puck short side past the goaltender. Upmalis would score the next 3 goals, all assisted by Bowers. With a 6-0 lead, The Chiefs would finally get on the board. Bowers would tally his 2nd of the game, off an Upmalis led pass. Andy Geleff would make the score 8-1, when he popped home a rebound in teh 2nd period. Jeff Upmalis would end the onslaught with 3 more goals at the end of the game, one off a McHugh assist, one off a Bowers assist, and an unassisted tally. Bush-League would go on to win by the mercy rule, 11-1. The Bowers/Upmalis line combined for 17 points in the game.

(Scoring Summary)
Edd McHugh (Mike Bowers)(PP)
Jeff Upmalis (Mike Bowers)
Mike Bowers (Jeff Upmalis)
Jeff Upmalis (Mike Bowers)
Jeff Upmalis (Mike Bowers)
Jeff Upmalis (Mike Bowers)
Mike Bowers (Jeff Upmalis)
Andy Geleff (Unassisted)
Jeff Upmalis (Unassisted)
Jeff Upmalis (Mike Bowers)
Jeff Upmalis (Edd McHugh)(PP)

The Hive played their first game of the new season, coming off a the championship victory 2 weeks ago. Ben Daniels, and Jay Triglia we’re out of the lineup. In for them, was Andy Geleff, Brad Travagline, and Matt Tettemer. The Gladiators got the first got of the game, taking advantage of a tired Hive squad. The Hive would find their legs by the 3rd shift of the game, as Mike Bowers found a wide open Jeff Upmalis in the slot to tie the game. On the next shift for that line, The Hive would tally 3 more times. Another Bowers, to Upmalis goal, followed by a beautiful goal, by Matt Tettemer right off the following faceoff, where he bulled through The Gladiators defense, and deked the goalie. Bowers would finish off the shift with a goal of his own, from Upmalis. At this point, The Hive took full control. The Jack McLaughlin/Brad Travagline line had The Gladiators pinned in their zone for most of the game, with dominating shifts. Edd McHugh would make it 5-1, when he blasted a shot past the goalie. Brad Travagline would then score his first of the game, off a nice setup by Tettemer. Just before the period ended, Tettemer faked a slap shot, and found Jack McLaughlin for the last second goal. With a 7-1 lead, Travagline would pound home his 2nd of the game, off a dominating shift by McLaughlin. Bowers would add another, with a top shelf flick shot from the crease. With just one second left in the game, Tettemer tucked the puck through the goalies 5 hole, for a dominating 10-2 win. A combined 21 goals for both squads tonight, with only 3 against.

(Scoring Summary)
Jeff Upmalis (Mike Bowers)
Jeff Upmalis (Mike Bowers)
Matt Tettemer (Unassisted)
Edd McHugh (Unassisted)
Mike Bowers (Jeff Upmalis)
Brad Travagline (Matt Tettemer)
Jack McLaughlin (Matt Tettemer)
Brad Travagline (Jack McLaughlin)
Mike Bowers (Jeff Upmalis)
Matt Tettemer (Unassisted)

Champs

The Hive met up against The Grinders for the B-Division Championship. The Full lineup was in place, with the addition of Brad Travagline. The Hive would get off to a great start in this one, dominating the puck in the Grinders zone early. Jeff Upmalis slid a pass through the slot, that Mike Bowers tapped home for the first goal of the contest. Two shifts later, Bowers jumped on the rink, and slipped a backhand pass to Brad Travagline in the slot. Brad was able to flip a little backhander under the pad of the Grinders goalie, for the 2-0 lead. The Grinders would score one shortly after, with a wide open shot from the slot, that beat Jim Fiocco high glove side. Jeff Upmalis would give The Hive a 3-0 lead, when Bowers stripped a Grinders player of the puck and led Upmalis with a pass. Upmalis buried the shot. The Hive took a 3-1 lead into intermission. The Hive would only get stronger as the game went on. Bowers would make it 4-1, when he stole the puck from a Grinders player, skated wide past the defense, and tucked in a wrap around goal. The Grinders would fight to stay in the, game when they beat Fiocco on a shot through a screen. The Hive would immediately get that goal back, when Upmalis found Mike Kopliner in the high slot, on a 3 on 1. Kopliner put the puck high, blocker side on the goalie for the 5-2 lead. Not long after, The Hive got another 3 on 1. Ben Daniels carried the puck into the zone, and dropped it to Bowers, who sent a pass across to Upmalis, who faked the goalie, and slide the puck into the net. On the very next shift, Jack McLaughlin took a long pass up the boards from Edd McHugh. McLaughlin fired a blistering wrist shot from the left circle, blowing it by the Grinders goalie, for a huge 7-2 lead. Daniels would cap it off, when Upmalis sent him in on a breakaway, and Daniels tucked home a backhander. The Hive would finish this game, with an 8-2 victory, and winning their 4th title.

(Scoring Summary)
Mike Bowers (Jeff Upmalis)
Brad Travagline (Mike Bowers)
Jeff Upmalis (Mike Bowers)
Mike Bowers (Unassisted)
Mike Kopliner (Jeff Upmalis)
Jeff Upmalis (Mike Bowers)
Jack McLaughlin (Edd McHugh)
Ben Daniels (Jeff Upmalis)

Kop

The Hive would open their second round playoff game against The Golden Cocks, a team they had not faced this season. Missing Ben Daniels, and Jack McLaughlin, The Hive had their work cut out for them. Edd McHugh got the ball rolling, with an early goal to open the scoring. The Golden Cocks would tie the score at 1-1 a few minutes later. Mike Bowers broke the tie midway through the first period, beating a defender wide, and then beating the goalie. Jeff Upmalis would then add to the score, off a little dump pass from Bowers, making it a 3-1 game. The second period started, and Jeff Upmalis tallied his second of the game, off a give and go feed from Bowers. The Golden Cocks would then tally their 2nd of the game, making it a 4-2 Hive lead. The Hive played strong defense from here on out, and would add their 5th goal, when Upmalis found a wide open Bowers for a tip in. The Golden Cocks would manage to get 1 more on the score board, but The Hive finished strong, beating the Golden Cocks 5-3, and to advance to The Championship.

(Scoring Summary)
Edd McHugh (Mike Bowers)
Mike Bowers (Unassisted)
Jeff Upmalis (Mike Bowers)
Jeff Upmalis (Mike Bowers)
Mike Bowers (Jeff Upmalis)

Bush-League earned the right to play for the Championship against The Beer Barons. The Beer Barons finished with a league best record of 8-1-0, so Bush-League would have it’s work cut out for them. Bush-League would have to play the first period without Jeff Upmalis. Bush-League would tally first, when Mike Bowers fed Edd McHugh in the slot for a blast one-timer goal. The Beer Barons tied up the score not long after. Andy Geleff would fire a shot midway through the first period, and the rebound found it’s way to Bowers, to popped it home for a Bush-League lead. The following shift, Bowers took the puck to the slot, and slide a pass through the Beer Barons defense, that found Andy Geleff on the door step for an easy tap in. Bush-League would go into the intermission with a 3-1 lead. Upmalis made his way to the bench to start the second period, and winning looked like it could be a real possibility. The Beer Barons came out hard in the second, and scored an early goal, to cut the lead to one. Andy Geleff would then force a Beer Barons defender to make a bad pass up the middle, that was intercepted by Upmalis, who fired a 5 hole slap shot goal, for a 4-2 lead. Things would begin to fall apart from here, as the Beer Barons began to take advantage of poor defensive play, and poor defensive coverage. The Beer Barons would go on to score 6 unanswered goals, to seal their victory, and giving them the division title. It was a good season overall for Bush-League, who was never expected to get as far as they did, with some great playoff preformances.

(Scoring Summary)
Edd McHugh (Mike Bowers)
Mike Bowers (Andy Geleff)
Andy Geleff (Mike Bowers)
Jeff Upmalis (Unassisted)