UPPER VALLEY HOCKEY LEAGUE

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Tuck surprises Leafs (and themselves!) with 7-1 win.

Tuck captain, the tenacious Matt Waterbury, may have been setting everyone up from the start belly aching that this year's version of the Tuck 'A' squad bears no resemblance whatsoever to the Whalen Cup Champions of last season. "Oh, we've only got 3 players returning, and I'm not even sure if Gary Hunter is going to play" he whined to me on the phone and in several pre-season e-mails. "We need some players to fill our roster, can you help us? Can you make sure they are good, because I think we are going to suck this year...we'll do our best, but I don't even think we'll be able to put up a reasonable defense of our title...". WHATEVER, Waterbury. Don't try crying wolf again on my watch, eh! With two former Division 1 lady goaltenders and the UVHL's Season 1 assist leader Gary Hunter (finally, Hunter!) returning to the league, not to mention the fact that you practice 2-3 times per week as a team, and your aggressive play with returnees John Fox and Tim Weld makes me think that Tuck will do just fine in Season 3, thank you very much! However, who the heck was that player with the "special" helmet on your roster? I think the distraction of wondering whether or not that helmet was approved for hockey, or whether or not he took his Ritalin today and might snap and go off on somebody (or the refs), threw off the Leafs, because your absolutely horrible team jumped out to a 5-0 lead by halfway through the second period. Newly anointed Leafs captain, the equally competitive and tenacious Doug Heavisides, was without linemates Todd Nalette and Kevin Louzier who were M.I.A. for opening night, which created much stress within the Leafs locker room. "I bet they're out in Louzier's Jeep waiting until 1 minute before the game" former Leaf captain Dave Fitts hoped outloud, as the notorious wingers are famous for showing up last and being out on the ice first, and vice-versa after the game. Alas, no last minute saviors from the Hartford Hurricanes arrived on this night, and the new-look Leafs found themselves out worked and out played. Leaf winger Chip Davis asked if there were any other jerseys for Tuck to wear besides their usual green mixed in with some extra black jerseys provided by the Commish, but no, the Leafs had to deal with the confusing dark rainbow of destruction and "special helmets" that was Tuck. The core of the Leafs were back, with the exception of Nalette and Louzier, and Leaf veterans Heavisides, Fitts, Redden, Johnson and Davis mingled with UVHL newcomers Jason Loomis, Kyle Manny, Dan Goduti and Sean Casavant, but the chemistry was solely with Tuck for this game. To be perfectly honest, for the third UVHL game of the night only 10% of the players who took the ice looked ready to play any kind of hockey game, let alone a UVHL game, and there was a heck of a lot of wind sucking on ALL of the teams tonight. The refs seemed to put away the assist-meter in the second and third periods as there were (supposedly) 4 unassisted goals during the game. Somehow I don't believe that the team defense was that sloppy, even on opening night, to allow 4 unassisted goals in a game. Tuck's first goal of the new season went to newcomer Pat Fox, brother of Tuck veteran teammate John Fox, at 5:32 of the first with big brother getting the assist along with veteran Tim Weld. In net for the Tuckies was Anik Cote filling in for fellow D1 lady goalie Meg Becker, and she looked strong in net. This goaltending tandem bodes very well for this team that is supposedly going to suck. Captain Waterbury didn't waste much time getting his first goal of the year with 3:11 left in the first from, guess who, Gary Hunter. Hunter and Waterbury connected again at 11:22 of the second on a Hunter goal, with Hunter playing forward this season in contrast to his former location on defense for the UVHL Finalists and undefeated reg. season Red Wings in Season 1. Waterbury collected his third point of the night on an unassisted goal at 9:54, followed by another Tuck "unassisted" goal by J. Fox 50 seconds later. It took yet another "unassisted" goal by Leafs captain Doug Heavisides on the power play with Tuck's Hanrahan serving time in the box along with off-setting minors to the Leafs Casavant and Tuck's P. Fox to spoil the shutout for Cote in her UVHL debut. The second period ended 5-1 in favor of Tuck. Two late goals in the third by Tuck after fatigue, wind sucking, and slow ice were factors for the Leafs at 2:22 with newcomer Hanrahan adding a goal to his two minute minior assisted by P. Fox on his sceond point of the night, and finally newcomer Schegerin scoring the final "unassisted" goal in this game at 1:39, also going with his minor penalty. Leafs goaltender Ken Lallier played a good game in net, but frankly the Leafs were sloppy with their team D, and didn't give Lallier much help at all in either end. The Leafs have started a bonus pool for Nalette and Louzier to entice them to show up. The Leafs were also without new big defenseman Ian Stevens and newcomers Jon Burke (injured), and Dave Riley (unavail), and veteran Jay Campion (injured) on opening night, but unfortunately this was par for the course for the formerly headless team that has yet to ice more than 4 players for their final playoff game in each of the first two seasons. This should change under the quiet leadership of Doug Heavisides who always lets his play on the ice do the talking. Tuck looks ready for the season if their first game is of any indication. Subbing on the Tuckies this season are UVHL newcomers Chris Nichols, and the absent Brian Racicot. We also welcome new Tuckies Jim Hampe and Alex Tatum, younger brother of Tuck's Season 2 co-captain John Tatum, and the absent Alek Roomet.

 

Team:	Time:	Type:	Player:	Details:
TCK	00:00	Goal	Fox, Patrick(1)	Assist(s): Fox, John(1) Weld, Timothy(1)
TCK	00:00	Goal	Waterbury, Matthew(1)	Assist(s): Hunter, Gary(1)
TCK	00:00	Goal	Hunter, Gary(1)	Assist(s): Waterbury, Matthew(1)
TCK	00:00	Goal	Waterbury, Matthew(1)	Assist(s): none
TCK	00:00	Goal	Fox, John(1)	Assist(s): none
WHL	00:00	Goal	Heavisides, Douglas(1)	Assist(s): none
TCK	00:00	Goal	Hanrahan, Mark(1)	Assist(s): Fox, Patrick(1)
TCK	00:00	Goal	Schegerin, Marc(1)	Assist(s): none
TCK	00:00	Penalty	Hanrahan, Mark(1)	2 minutes for Roughing
TCK	00:00	Penalty	Fox, Patrick(1)	2 minutes for High Sticking
WHL	00:00	Penalty	Davis, Charles(1)	2 minutes for Tripping
TCK	00:00	Penalty	Schegerin, Marc(1)	2 minutes for Interference
WHL	00:00	Penalty	Casavant, Sean(1)	2 minutes for Roughing
TCK	00:00	Penalty	Hanrahan, Mark(1)	2 minutes for Holding

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