UPPER VALLEY HOCKEY LEAGUE

ODDS:	Gamblers by 1
OVER/UNDER:	9

The Gamblers are the top dog and remain undefeated, winning two in a shootout, some come from behind wins, and overall solid hockey from top to bottom. Are they beatable? Yes, and they have snuk out a few wins, but their record speaks for itself. They can win beautifully, and they can win ugly, too. The Whalers are struggling, and have put together two or three very good games so far this seson, and have a win and a tie to show for it. They have either been very competitive, or they haven't shown up. Which will it be tonight? I pick the former as the Whalers HAD the Gamblers last time they played and lost in a shootout after giving up the lead in the third. The Whalers show up for the big games, and they will tonight, but they still won't win. Here comes another shootout...Gamblers by 1.

Gamblers and Whalers fight for 1 goal game

The Whalers almost had them the last time, and came to play against the UVHL%u2019s top team once again. The Gamblers were looking to remain undefeated and welcomed JT between the pipes filling in for an injured Jered Condon.

The two teams skated hard and traded several scoring chances until something finally went onto the scoresheet. It was Whalers D Sean Clauson going for tripping at 9:27, but Kenny was sharp and the Whalers killed it off. It wasn%u2019t until 3:28 was left that the first goal was scored, and the MMA line connected with Meyer scoring from Ammel and Marrazzo to put the Gamblers on the board. The Gamblers then killed off a Scott Fraser interference infraction at 6:56, and JT was sharp as well. McDermott and Park botched a Too Many Men penalty on the Whalers with 1:21 to go after allowing Park to drop the puck with 6 men on the ice for the offensive zone face-off and McD calling the penalty, and were then ripped a new one by former favorite UVHL ref Gary Laperle between periods. He was right; we fucked up, can%u2019t count, and shoulda ate the call. Thanks for the reffing lesson, Gary. However, the Whalers capitalized on the disadvantage and scored a shorty at 0:46 on an unassisted effort by speedy winger Adam Barton who played his best UVHL game yet. The Gamblers didn%u2019t roll over, and Marrazzo answered on the very same PP with a back breaker scoring with only 4 seconds left in the period from Ammel and Meyer giving each of the MMA line players 2 points each in the first period.

Allison Malcolm continued bullying the boys taking down a streaking Whaler with the puck in the high slot and went for interference at 9:05 of the second. Fraser got called for hooking at 8:31 during the PK and the Gamblers went down by another player. The Whalers attacked and scored on the PP with the 2-man advantage but did not capitalize when they were one man up. The score was 2-2 halfway through the game and the teams were skating hard. The Gamblers re-gained the lead on Marrazzo%u2019s second of the game at 6:18 from Tyson Seely and Meyer.

The Whalers tied it up at 3-3 on Jim LeClair%u2019s goal from in tight at 11:31 from Barton and defenseman Chuck Gaede. The momentum was short-lived as Clauson took another tripping penalty on the puck carrier at 10:54 and the Gamblers potted the eventual GWG on the ensuing PP at 10:22 by Ammel from Meyer and Seely. Reuben Lyons and Barton were in each others%u2019 faces all night seeing as the only other player capable of skating as fast as them would be Meyer, and Lyons got called for interference at 6:04 after taking down Barton. The Whalers had their chance on the PP, but the Gamblers kept it tight and kept the 1 goal lead for the remainder of the game.

Final Score: Gambers 4, Whalers 3

Final Analysis: The Gamblers neutral zone play and puck advancement was absolutely impressive in this game. It allowed them to transition quickly, create offense, keep the Whalers on their heels, and keep the puck out of their defensive zone. The Whalers were solid and gave the Gamblers a good game, and only came up short by one goal. If the Whalers twin towers on D would focus more on moving their feet, gaining body position quickly, and executing skills with speed instead of relying on their reach to get loose pucks or create turnovers then it would be almost impossible to get the puck in the Whalers defensive end without double teaming them. If not, then there will be more tripping penalties and pucks to be had inside the Whalers%u2019 zone. At 8-0 the Gamblers are clearly the team to beat this season and they must remain Whalen Cup favorites.

Final Tally: Check out the Boxscores section for the stats, eh! Don%u2019t forget to vote for the UVHL Long Trail Player of the Week. The winner gets to pick up a FREE case of beer at Long Trail Brewery thanks to super CEO (and former Notre Dame superstar and UVHL Brewer) Brian Walsh!

 

Team:	Time:	Type:	Player:	Details:
1st PERIOD
WHL	09:27	Penalty	Clauson, Sean(4)	2 minutes for Tripping
GMB	06:56	Penalty	Fraser, Scott(2)	2 minutes for Interference
GMB	03:28	Goal	Meyer, Will(11)	Assist(s): Ammel, Robert(4) Marrazzo, Matt(9)
WHL	01:21	Penalty	LeClair, Jim(2)	2 minutes for Too Many Men
WHL	00:46	Goal	Barton, Adam(2)	Assist(s): none
GMB	00:04	Goal	Marrazzo, Matt(12)	Assist(s): Ammel, Robert(5) Meyer, Will(10)
2nd PERIOD
GMB	09:05	Penalty	Malcolm, Allison(1)	2 minutes for Interference
GMB	08:31	Penalty	Seely, Tyson(1)	2 minutes for Hooking
WHL	08:07	Goal	Aher, Zach(2)	Assist(s): Laperle, Gary(2) Clauson, Sean(2)
GMB	06:18	Goal	Marrazzo, Matt(13)	Assist(s): Seely, Tyson(3) Meyer, Will(11)
3rd PERIOD
WHL	11:31	Goal	LeClair, Jim(1)	Assist(s): Barton, Adam(2) Gaede, Chuck(2)
WHL	10:54	Penalty	Clauson, Sean(5)	2 minutes for Tripping
GMB	10:22	Goal	Ammel, Robert(8)	Assist(s): Meyer, Will(12) Seely, Tyson(4)
GMB	00:04	Penalty	Lyons, Reuben(1)	2 minutes for Interference

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Game Comments:
kpark Quechee, VT Registered: Dec 2003 Posts: 723	COME ON WHALE!!! Nov 30th, 2009 02:27 PM Here we go Whalers HERE WE GO! I'm calling on JT, Bartline,Lallier & Yacey to call in sick for this game. Let Hadley & Grundy get the extra ice and get lit up! DOWN WITH THE GAMBLERS! Plus, I will have a camera ready to capture the salty puss on Meyer's face when they finally lose. KP