UPPER VALLEY HOCKEY LEAGUE

Tuck vs. Dead River... depends on who shows up

ODDS:	Tuck by 3
OVER/UNDER:	11

A bold pre-game prediction by Steve Kenning should get the website chatter going! Oh... I forgot this is the Dead River Oilers. They don't even know there is a UVHL website, let alone an early or a late game with the exception of 2 or 3 players. They have their best turnout in middle games, so this one might actually be competitive if they show up. Tuck should dominate, but if DR's best players are there it won't be a low scoring game. IF Tuck gets hot on offense, it could put them over the top by 2 or 3 goals.

Tuck buries Dead River Oilers 7-3

DR's goaltender Greg Feiden stopped a backhander by Tuck winger Halsey Coughlin at 13:01 for the first real action of the game. Shots were 5-1 for Tuck at 12:11. Yacey made a left pad save on Rob Pattison at 10:51 as Big Robbie tried to tuck it in. All three of Tuck's Big D were present: Andrew Helming, Chris Johnson, and Ryan McGovern, but Helming was up on the wing! Greg Hadley kocked a stick out of a Tuck player's hands and went for slashing at 9:16. Helming was up on forward, as just mentioned, on the PP, and then hustled back to cover on D as Johnson rushed up with the puck. There were no shots on the PP. The rosters were 10 and 9 for Tuck and DR respectively, so there were no excuses. Bobby Rosati blocked a McGovern shot in the slot, but it bounced to Helming who scored at 6:30. It ignited Tuck, and they scored again 30 seconds later as Helming went in on the right side, passed it to James Hay who found a hole through Feiden. Shots were 10-2 for Tuck at this point. Only 48 seconds after that Coughlin put one into the top corner from Steve Bates and Scott Howard, who kept the puck in at the point. DR speedy forward Jason Loomis charged in with some moves, but missed the net, and then he hustled back to bat the puck out of the air to stop a long neutral zone pass by Tuck. DR was putting forth a better effort after being down 3-0. DR's Evan Duggan went in for a hook with 1:00 to go. Tuck had 14 shots, DR a mere 3.

At 13:30 Coughlin stole the puck in the N-zone, went in 2-on-1 with Helming, but put his shot over the net. There were no SOG until 12:24. Helming got past Pattison off a face-off and put the puck through Feiden for an unassisted goal at 12:01. DR had their first shot of the period at 11:01 as Pattison cut across the goal mouth, and then Big Robbie got another quick shot off on Yacey right after that. Duggan tripped McGovern at 10:23 as McG kept the puck inside the blueline and charged in. Pattison controlled the puck at 8:26 trying to beat Johnson going to the left side of Yacey with Johnson hanging all over him. It was a good battle for body position and puck control between two top players! Johnson made a great pass to Helming from near the Tuck goal line all the way to the far blueline, and Helming went in for the shot, but Feiden saved it. A great backhand pass from DR winger Dean Cashman was sent through the neutral zone to Pattison, and he went in for another good scoring chance on Yacey at 6:10. Johnson took a big shot, and Feiden came up with another save at 5:50. Tuck's Steve Kenning had some sweet moves and went in beating two defenders for the backhand chance. Shots stood at 12-7 at the 4:37 mark. At this point I headed to the locker room for my game, so you'll have to get the rest of the info from the boxscore. Second period shots were 15-9 for Tuck.

Tuck went up 6-0 until DR answered, and Rob Pattison led the way for 3 unanswered Oiler goals assisting on the first and scoring the next two. There were 5 penalties after I left, and it seems that there was a tussle between Coughlin and Rick Hughes at 5:23 of the third as both went for roughing. Third period shots were 11-7 for Tuck.

Final Score: Tuck 7, Dead River 3

Final Tally: Helming was amazing, and scored 4G and added 2A for one of two 6 point nights in the UVHL tonight. Something was in the air... and it smelled like Buffalo Wings! Weird, eh? Pattison had 2G, 1A in a three goal surge by DR. Three Tuckies had 2 points each. Shots were 40 against Feiden, and 19 against Yacey.

Final Analysis: Helming is arguably Tuck's best D, but he is definitely their best forward, too! I'd like to see Helming up front with Johnson and McGovern anchoring two pairs of D against the Gamblers and see who comes out on top. Yacey was solid as usual, but bored with only 19 shots coming his way. Dead River would be nowhere without Pattison. He can control a game all by himself, and when his supporting cast shows up with their A-games, then DR can be a force in this league. We just haven't seen it come together for DR in quite a while. Tuck can challenge the Gamblers for the Whalen Cup this season, and it wouldn't surprise me one bit if they are drinking out of it on April 12th.

See you on the ice!

McD

 

Team:	Time:	Type:	Player:	Details:
1st PERIOD
LAB	09:16	Penalty	Hadley, Gregory(5)	2 minutes for slashing
TCK	06:30	Goal	Helming, Andrew(9)	Assist(s): McGovern, Ryan(5)
TCK	06:00	Goal	Hay, James(9)	Assist(s): Helming, Andrew(10)
TCK	05:12	Goal	Coughlin, Halsey(8)	Assist(s): Bates, Steve(13) Howard, Scott(2)
LAB	01:00	Penalty	Duggan, Evan(8)	2 minutes for hooking
2nd PERIOD
TCK	12:01	Goal	Helming, Andrew(10)	Assist(s): none
LAB	10:23	Penalty	Duggan, Evan(9)	2 minutes for tripping
TCK	04:30	Goal	Kenning, Steve(3)	Assist(s): Hay, James(8) Helming, Andrew(11)
LAB	03:34	Penalty	Duggan, Evan(10)	2 minutes for hooking
TCK	01:41	Goal	Helming, Andrew(11)	Assist(s): McGovern, Ryan(6) Kenning, Steve(4)
LAB	00:51	Goal	Cashman, Dean(4)	Assist(s): Pattison, Rob(8)
3rd PERIOD
TCK	14:25	Penalty	Howard, Scott(4)	2 minutes for hooking
TCK	12:38	Penalty	Helming, Andrew(3)	2 minutes for bodychecking
LAB	10:17	Goal	Pattison, Rob(15)	Assist(s): Hughes, Rick(7)
LAB	06:50	Goal	Pattison, Rob(16)	Assist(s): Duggan, Evan(7)
TCK	05:23	Penalty	Coughlin, Halsey(2)	2 minutes for roughing
LAB	05:23	Penalty	Hughes, Rick(6)	2 minutes for roughing
TCK	00:51	Goal	Helming, Andrew(12)	Assist(s): Howard, Scott(3)

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Game Comments:
stevekenning Hanover, NH Registered: Posts: 15	Bold prediction Feb 6th, 2011 03:04 PM Tuck takes this one 12-0. Hay gets a hat trick. M. Halsey Coughlin gets a Gordie Howe hat trick. Yacey nets his first career goal, top cheese from our blue line. I'll probably get an assist. WABOOM. There you go McD.
hkydoc WRJ, VT Registered: Jan 2004 Posts: 517	Yah! Feb 7th, 2011 01:40 PM Now thats the shit I'm talkin' about! Too bad no Dead River players ever read this or respond to it though. Thanks, Steve! McD