THE

UPPER VALLEY HOCKEY LEAGUE

Lumberjacks
Tuck
1st
0
4
2rd
1
6
3rd
3
1
FINAL
4
11
Shots
32
30
October 25th, 2022 - 9:45PM
Union Arena - Woodstock, VT
Pre-Game
Recap
Box Score
Discussion
Game ID: 1410

Business School is for Winners. Tuck throttles the Lumberjacks 11-4

Holy Moly Tuck is good.  They're clearly not human...like maybe some sort of superior hockey alien race that has come to dominate the lowly upper valley...or just really smart and young and in better shape.  Regardless, the rest of the UVie better start upping their game or we can crown Tuck the Whalen Cup champions now.  One UVHL captain, how asked to remain unnamed, asked if we can move the Championship game to a week when Tuck is on break in the spring, that way maybe someone else will win.

Soooooooo, this one was interesting.  Tuck dominated and in a way that they used their superior intellect to jump out to a commanding 10-0 lead, but you know what they say in the hockey world...the hardest lead to hold on to is a 10 goal lead.  And the Lumberjacks lived by those words, making Tuck sweat by dropping 4 consecutive goals behind goaltender Brendan Kelley to make it 10-4 in the third period.

The Lumberjacks goaltender, Ryan "The Liberator" Libbey had a negative -0.003 save percetage, I'm not sure how that math works, but I'll be heading to Tuck later today to run it through their super computers.

Surprisingly the shot totals for both teams wasn't a blowout, with Tuck putting 32 shots on Libbey and the Lumberjacks also tossing 32 on Kelley.  The difference was the quality of shot and shot location.  While the Jacks threw anything and everything on Brendan Kelley, Tuck moved the puck around until the Lumberjacks were too dizzy to defend, then manually ran some precise calculations on how to beat Libbey.

Overall Tuck spread out the scoring, using 7 different goal scorers and 9 different players registered a point.  Sam Gray lead the way with 5 points(2 goals & 3 assists), while Matthew Betten, James Carkeek, Seamus O'Neil, Stefan Soucy & Luke Stickel all added 3 points.  

Tuck was in 5th gear through most of the first two periods and once they hit 10-0, you could tell they stepped off the gas and took their heel of the Lumberjack's throats.  They stopped forechecking and backchecking and actually looked like a real men's league team for 16 minutes or so.   It was amazing to see this and the Lumberjacks clearly showed who was the better Men's League team once Tuck stopped skating.

If it weren't for running time in the 3rd period, the Lumberjacks possibly could have come all the way from behind to win this one...that was a joke.  

Week 3 sees Tuck take on the 1-1-0 Labatt Blues who throttled the lowly Whalers this week but lost 6-3 to the Lumberjacks.  Expect more fireworks by Tuck.

GOALS!

TUCK 1-0 - 14 seconds in and Sam Gray steals the puck in the neutral zone, puts on the jets and cuts hard around a Jack’s defender before going forehand back to back hand and chipping the puck over Libbey.

TUCK 2-0 - PP goal with a game of catch between O’Neil & Stickel up high.  O’Neil draws multiple penalty killers to him and finds Stickel alone in the high slot for a shot through a screen that beat Libbey glove side.

2 shots….2 goals

TUCK 3-0 - Betten picks up a puck in his own zone and storms down near side throws puck out front to Balboni

TUCK 4-0 - Bad drop pass by McGee in the offensive zone turned into a 3 on 2 with a good drop pass from Stickel to O’Neil in the high slot for a wrist shot that beat Libbey glove side.

END OF THE FIRST: Tuck 4 - Jacks 0.  SHOTS: Tuck 13 - Jacks 10

WTF….TUCK back checks.  This is bullshit

They transition really well too.

TUCK 5-0 - A Lumberjack’s shot and directed by Tuck’s goaltender Brendan Kelley into the near corner started the transition as Sam Gray picked up the puck, fed Soucy with speed coming out of his zone.  Soucy split the defense but ended up with the puck in the near side corner to Libbey’s left.  He held onto the puck looking for a pass but eventually beat Libbey 5-hole with a bad angle goal line shot.

TUCK 6-0 - Walsh to Carkeek behind the net.  Carkeek throws a backhand no-look pass to Gray going to the net.  Libbey makes the first diving save, but Gray gets his own rebound and chips it past the down and out Libbey.

TCK 7-0 - Soucy picks up a bad Lumberjack pass deep in his zone and explodes up ice 1on1 with a Jacks defender.  He drives wide on his forehand and beats an aggressive Libbey 5-hole.

TUCK 8-0 - Carkeet carries the puck down the far side on a 3on2 and lays a beautiful backhand pass to Betten for the backdoor goal.

TUCK 9-0 - Failed clearing attempt with a nice keep in by Betten at the point.  Soucy chips it to Stickel who walks the defender and cuts in on Libbey.  Roof job.

Kelley stuffs Jordy McGee with just over 4 minutes to play….which turned into….

TUCK 10-0 - George Clark gets the rebound off of McGee’s attempt and launches a flip pass to center ice.  Soucy outmuscled the defender to ket to the puck and walk in on Libbey all alone, beating the beaten down goaltender with a quick snapper low blocker side.

The Lumberjacks looked like beaten puppies on the ensuing face-off.  No hustle, 100% defensive minded.

LUMBERJACKS 10-1 - Boccolucci steals a puck in his own zone, chipping it to McGee into the neutral zone on the near side.  Jordy attacks a pair of defenders and toe-drags one to get in all alone with Kelley beating him with a cutback to his backhand for their first goal as he fell over an outstretched Kelley.

END OF THE SECOND:  Tuck 10 - Lumberjacks 1.  SHOTS: Tuck 26 - Lumberjacks 22

Both teams requested running time since the Lumberjacks were getting absolutely throttled.

LUMBERJACKS 10-2 - After sustained pressure in the Lumberjack’s zone, Miraldi gets a loose puck and goes high and hard off the glass.  A Tuck defender couldn’t pull it down but the puck landed in the neutral zone for a breakaway by Boccolucci who beat Kelley low blocker side.

LUMBERJACKS 10-3 - Boccolucci hit’s Zanleoni with a cross ice pass through the neutral zone.  Zanleoni had a partial breakaway, cut across the crease and tucked the puck past Kelley.

LUMBERJACKS 10-4 - McGee patiently held onto the puck on the far boards by the hashmarks before moving it Seely at the point.  Seely’s quick wrist pass was right on target for MacKenzie who deflected the puck five-holio from the slot.

TUCK 11-4 - Carkeek gets a breakaway pass and dangles the goalie out of his jock before sliding it into an open net past the corpse of Lumberjack’s goalie Ryan Libbey….RIP Libs.

FINAL:  Tuck 11 - Lumberjacks 4.  SHOTS: Tuck 32 - Lumberjacks 32

LEAGUE PICK 'EM
 100%
Lumberjacks
0% 
Tuck
1 PICKS
THREE STARS

Sam Gray

GOALS: 2
POINTS: 5

Stefan Soucy

GOALS: 3
POINTS: 3

Luke Stickel

GOALS: 2
POINTS: 3

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