UPPER VALLEY HOCKEY LEAGUE

ODDS:	Brew Crew by 1
OVER/UNDER:	11 goals

The Gamblers host the Brewers for the season opening game of the 2008-2009 campaign. The Bruins have been bought out by Willy "Mighty Mouse" Meyers and re-invented as the Gamblers, maintaining a few key components of the Bruins 5th place team and merging with some new blood.

The Brewers come into this season after a disappointing 4th place finish in both the regular season & playoffs. Powered by Alfonse "The Fonz" Sorrentino, Nick "Dr. McSelfish" Bayley & Peter "Tiny" Bartline.

This should be a classic battle, EVEN Odds in Vegas, but I would personally give the edge to the Brewer's, having a set lineup that has produced for them in the past. The Gamblers are sure to struggle as they try to find out what type of team they are.

My BEST GUESS, Brew Crew 6, Gamblers 5.

Brew Crew spoils Gamblers UVHL debut

The UVHL's sixth season got underway Oct 14th at Union Arena with the a brand new team: the Gamblers. Captained by superstar Will Meyer, formerly of the Nordiques, the first time squad also put together by Meyer held their own against the Brewers who have entered their 3rd season as a cohesive group. The Gamblers definitely looked good in their tight and sleek new jerseys, and the cool logo designed by the one and only JT featured an ominous and shady character holding 4 aces front and center (luckily Nords defenseman McDermott didn't have to squeeze himself into these new updated jerseys, otherwise he would have looked like a sausage stuffed into too little casing and muffin topping over his already tight hockey pants!). The Gamblers feature a core of former UVHL Bruins players: power winger Matt Marrazzo, solid defensemen Scott Fraser and Mike Harrington, Bruin fill-in and former Woodstock High skaterTyson Seeley; plus a core of Mud League Potter Construction players: Bruce Hathorn, Trey Schaft, Dan Ammel, Scott Davis and Kevin Guilbault (absent); a couple of blasts from the UVHL past in Dan Clabough and Jason Young; and UVHL newcomers Larry Royce, and goaltender extrordinaire Jered Condon, a former Hanover High goalie who played some college and minor pro who is able to steal a game for his team and will challenge JT as top goalie in the league.

The Brewers welcome three new players in Fletcher, Barton, and Smith who fit right in to the already dynamic mix of hockey whores from young superstars to obscenely old veterans, and a med school goalie that recently lost his virginity (or so I am told...) amid streakers and half-finished boxes of EBA's late night delivery.

The first period saw both teams getting their hockey legs and timing back, and as the two teams felt each other out there was action at both ends with Condon seeing the majority of shots, but with the Gamblers generating some quality chances at Pete Bartline in the Brewers' net. The lone goal of the period came at 7:06 from Dr. McSelfish himself, Nick Bayley, assisted by Fletcher and Christian Isaac. Schaft scored the first goal of the second period to pull the score even at 1's, and in doing so scored the first goal for the Gamblers franchise at 13:51 from Meyer and Davis. JT himself was reffing the game solo and did an admirable job of balancing the chippiness of play and calling most of the offsides. At 12:01 Condon cleared the puck up the right side only to have Barton knock it down in mid-air and create a scoring chance which Condon saved. Brewers veteran Chris Johnson missed a chance right in front of Condon soon after Marrazzo carried the puck wide at the other end on a partial breakaway hotly pursued by Fletcher who kept the power winger to the outside. Bartline was acrobatic vs Davis on a great scoring chance for the Gamblers at 10:21. The puck was kept in the offensive zone by Fletcher at 9:28, and then Smith was stoned on a good shot from right in front by Condon. The new Brewers were looking good and clicking well creating several scoring chances during the second period. McSelfish scored an unassisted marker at 7:53 to pull the Brewers ahead 2-1. Condon prevented the Brewers from going up 3-1 on a stickless save at 7:13 on a slapper from the top of the circle. The Gamblers tied it up at 2-2 on an Ammel goal at 6:39 assisted by Marrazzo. Fraser spoiled an Brewer 3-on-1 with Condon's help at 6:13, and soon after Isaac put the puck over the net off a sweet cross crease pass from Bayley, who made his very first UNselfish play of the night at 5:29. We actually had a Clabough backchecking sighting, his UVHL first, at 2:12 when he hustled back from the neutral zone to stop Fletcher going up the middle in the slot. Bartline stopped Seeley with a nice R foot save with Bayley in hot pursuit forcing the play to that side. The Brewers went up 3-2 in the last second of the period after Smith fed Bayley for a goal past the stingy Condon with a mere 0.4 seconds on the clock.

The shots were fairly even at the start of the 3rd with the Brewers having the slight advantage 32 to the Gamblers 27. Condon shut down Bayley's chance at 13:25, and Bartline answered with a save of his own at 11:34 on a Marrazzo-Fraser 2-on-1.

JT called his first penalty of the game at 6:28 on Isaac for a bodycheck that sent him to the box protesting and shaking his huuuuge brain as usual. The Gamblers tied it up at 3 apiece at 9:23 on Ammel's second of the game from D-man Harrington, only to be answered right back at 9:07 by newcomers Barton from Smith and veteran Johnson. The game remained 4-3 Brewers for another 6 minutes until Isaac put the Brewers up by 2 with 2:45 to go scoring down the left side off a Sorrentino pass to put it past Condon. Schaft almost got the Gamblers within one as he was stopped on a break right in front and he moved left almost shoveling it in but Bartline's huge knob got in the way.

 

Team:	Time:	Type:	Player:	Details:
1st PERIOD
BRE	07:06	Goal	Bayley, Nick(1)	Assist(s): Fletcher, Bill(1) Isaac, Christian(1)
2nd PERIOD
GMB	13:51	Goal	Schaft, Trey(1)	Assist(s): Meyer, Will(1) Davis, Scott(1)
BRE	07:53	Goal	Bayley, Nick(2)	Assist(s): none
GMB	06:39	Goal	Ammel, Robert(1)	Assist(s): Marrazzo, Matt(1)
BRE	00:04	Goal	Bayley, Nick(3)	Assist(s): Smith, Brian(1)
3rd PERIOD
GMB	09:23	Goal	Ammel, Robert(2)	Assist(s): Harrington, Mike(1)
BRE	09:07	Goal	Barton, Brock(1)	Assist(s): Smith, Brian(2) Johnson, Chris(1)
BRE	06:20	Penalty	Isaac, Christian(1)	2 minutes for Checking
BRE	02:45	Goal	Isaac, Christian(1)	Assist(s): Sorrentino, Alfonse(1)

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Game Comments:
kpark Quechee, VT Registered: Dec 2003 Posts: 723	Nicely Done McDermott Oct 18th, 2008 11:53 PM Good first write-up of the season buddy. I loved the part about you muffin-topping out of the gambler's European Uniforms! That's something I'd LOVE to see. And may be WILLING to pay to see. This was an AWESOME opening game for the season. The Gamblers will be a very competitive team this year, but looked a little bit off in game one. Not to mention they were playing against a SOLID Brewers squad. Dr. "McNoPass" Bayley potted the trick of course, and no assists to boot. He did have a SICK goal on Condon in the 2nd when he broke in all alone and pulled a Lemieux on Condon. For those of you not aware of "The Lemieux", it is when a player dekes across the goalie to his forehand, then throws the puck back to his backhand, tapping it to just slide along slowly past the sliding goalie. KP OUT
hkydoc WRJ, VT Registered: Jan 2004 Posts: 517	Thanks, eh Oct 19th, 2008 04:21 PM I appreciate the kudos, Park. Nice job on the Nords-Whalers write-up on your part. Bayley had better watch out because I think Condon will take him out at the knees the next time he tries that move!
goaliem31 Cornish, NH Registered: Posts: 63	Oct 21st, 2008 05:39 PM OH and on the record... no i will not be taking anyone out at the knees!!! unless deserved!! lol!!