UPPER VALLEY HOCKEY LEAGUE

Correction to the pre-game report
Dec 8th, 2009 12:05 PM

Just want to give Mr. Stephen Kenning the press he deserves -- he'll be donning the pads for Tuck tonight. Please drop the over/under and reverse those odds immediately.

Wow, I love the confidence!
Dec 8th, 2009 02:47 PM

You heard it from the Governator himself: Tuck expects to upset the Gamblers tonight no matter if Blue is centering Marrazzo and Ammel on the newly formed BAM line!!! Kenning is PUMPED to be in net in place of Yacey, and played goal before deferring to Yace this season. Lets get ready to rumble!

McD

Addition by subtraction
Dec 8th, 2009 03:43 PM

This is all ignoring how much tighter Tuck should expect to be on offense with me tucked safely out of the way in net.

Yah! I love it!
Dec 8th, 2009 05:18 PM

A first Forum post by Kenning, and a funny one at that! Nice job, eh.

McD

Difficulty posting write-up
Dec 10th, 2009 12:38 AM

Just so you don't have to wait, here is what I have done so far for this game, but the Administration website would not let me post it. I will finish it soon, and Kelly will fix the bug.

Kenning leads Tuck to Gamblers' first "loss"

FYI: I am trying a new format for the game write-ups and will omit recounting every goal, assist and penalty in consecutive order since you can easily see that in the boxscores section. I will primarily focus on game highlights and analysis in the body of the report, and will continue with my trademark Final Score, Final Analysis, and Final Tally at the conclusion.

Yes, the Gamblers still remain undefeated, but even with a shootout loss as the sole blemish on their record Tuck deserves credit for putting the first real chink in their armor.

IN PROGRESS...

Shootout:

Tuck - Helming - nice save by JT down low
Gamblers - Marrazzo - big save by Kenning down low
Tuck - Hay - nasty goal over JT's right shoulder in top corner
Gamblers - Ammel - nice save by Kenning down low
Tuck - McGovern - nice shot just past JT's glove

Final Score: Tuck wins 2-0 in shootout after 4-4 regulation tie.

Final Analysis: Both teams wanted it, both goalies played well, and it was fitting that both teams scored late in the game and received penalties balancing things out. The Gamblers showed their never die attitude scoring on the PP to force a shootout and remain undefeated.

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!

Kenning leads Tuck to Gamblers' first "loss"
Dec 10th, 2009 07:39 PM

FYI: I am trying a new format for the game write-ups and will omit recounting every goal, assist and penalty in consecutive order since you can easily see that in the boxscores section. I will primarily focus on game highlights and analysis in the body of the report, and will continue with my trademark Final Score, Final Analysis, and Final Tally at the conclusion.

Yes, the Gamblers still remain undefeated, but even with a shootout loss as the sole blemish on their record Tuck deserves credit for putting the first real chink in their armor. The Gamblers had 8 regulars and did not need the Medicare line of Blue, Phillips and Dakai to fill in the gaps after all. I was looking forward to a BAM line of Blue-Ammel-Marrazzo, but Meyer was there and the absolutely lethal MMA line remained intact.

Kenning was PUMPED to be back in goal, and Tuck played well in front of him. When the Gamblers got chances, Kenning was there with quick pads and a more stand-up style to turn the puck away. Turner was solid in relief duty for the injured Condon, and even took one off the mask on a wicked shot from a streaking Tuck forward heading down the left side of the ice.

On one play in the second a Tuck forward had a partial breakaway and sped down towards JT in the Gamblers' net. Defender Scott Fraser took him from the right side and plowed him into JT, who was furious, and deservedly so, and the net crashed off its moorings. JT had words with the Tuck player, but it was his defender at fault. This produced some healthy discussion post-game about goalie safety, especially with Jered Condon out with a knee injury on a play where 2 of his players and 2 offensive players crashed the net and twisted his knee. The last thing we need are goalies going down to injury. We are lucky to have so many solid and capable goalies in this league, and they need to be protected. Lets use some common sense, and stay out of the crease, go after the puck with your stick ONLY if you can honestly see it and think you can get it, otherwise give 'em a frickin' break!

Both squads played really well in this one, and it was good hockey from start to finish! Apparently the reffling left much to be desired and constructive criticism was such that the results of a play were called more than the infractions themselves, and that it would be better to call the hacks, slashes and body contact over the trips and hooks. Food for thought...all we wanna do is get it right, keep it clean, fair and fun.

Kenning even got an ASSIST on the go-ahead goal and it directed off of him, purposely, to Helming who advanced up the ice for the PPG breaking a 3-3 tie. For a moment it looked like the Gamblers would lose this one, but their tenacity won it for them again as Marrazzo was taken out heading down the left side with the puck at full speed. If one player on the MMA line isn't scoring the other two are. This time it was Ammel with the All-Star performance who was dangerous all game and scored a CLUTCH goal on the PP with 28 seconds left to force the shootout and keep the Gamblers undefeated at 8-0-1.

Shootout:

Tuck - Helming - nice save by JT down low
Gamblers - Marrazzo - big save by Kenning down low
Tuck - Hay - nasty goal over JT's right shoulder in top corner
Gamblers - Ammel - nice save by Kenning down low
Tuck - McGovern - nice shot just past JT's glove

Final Score: Tuck wins 2-0 in shootout after 4-4 regulation tie.

Final Analysis: Both teams wanted it, both goalies played well, and it was fitting that both teams scored late in the game and received penalties balancing things out. The Gamblers showed their never die attitude scoring on the PP to force a shootout and remain undefeated. This was a good game, and it was fun to ref. We let go many body contact (and other) infractions as evenly as possible, and hopefully it balanced out. All the penalties were obstruction, and there was no bullshit, but there was whining and complaining, and we can deal with that. Kenning was a solid back up to Yacey, played really well, and you could see the rust falling off each period as he just got better and better with more and more confidence. Tuck plays well as a team, and McGovern and Helming are incredible with distributing the puck from the back end. Tuck makes great passes coming out of the zone, they create breakaways, and work the puck well in the offensive end. The Gamblers continue to have the best neutral zone play and transition game, thereby making their offense that more potent and fast. I also don't think that there is a better line than the MMA line at cycling the puck and working it to the front of the net or distributing it in the offensive zone. The Gamblers use the points, too, and that creates offense as well. Allison Malcolm is a force on faceoffs, and there isn't a better positional player in the league on forward. Period. Both of these teams could win the Whalen Cup in 2009-10.

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!

Nice write up
Dec 10th, 2009 09:59 PM

IN RESPONSE TO:


really liked the final analysis and it's description of strategy and team practices.

Yeah. Nice. Interesting