UPPER VALLEY HOCKEY LEAGUE

UVHL Pre-Game | Wednesday, October 28, 2026 | 7:55 PM | WABA

There's something beautiful about a new hockey season. Fresh tape. Clean jerseys. Hope. And five minutes into the first shift, a middle-aged man realizing he should have spent the summer doing something other than sitting on a deck drinking beer.

Tonight the Lumberjacks meet the Mustangs, two teams with an increasingly complicated relationship. The 'Jacks own the historical bragging rights, 8–2, but the Mustangs have taken two of their last three meetings. That's not a dynasty. It's not even a trend with a particularly impressive sample size. But it is enough for the Mustangs to walk into WABA acting like they own the deed.

A History Lesson Nobody Asked For

For years, the Lumberjacks treated this matchup like a scheduled delivery service. In 2023–24 they won four meetings, then followed it with three more victories in 2024–25. The Mustangs' job was apparently to show up, get their cardio, and occasionally ask whether the scoreboard had a mercy setting.

Then something changed. On December 3, 2025, the Mustangs won 6–3. The Lumberjacks responded on February 18 with a 5–0 demolition, which suggested the natural order had been restored. One week later, the Mustangs won 5–4 in a shootout, stealing third place in the season finale and sending the Lumberjacks into the playoffs to face the Gamblers.

In other words, the 'Jacks can win by five and still spend the following week staring at the ceiling wondering how their lives got here.

“We have the series lead. They have the last laugh. I would prefer to have both, but apparently that's considered greedy.”
— Imaginary Lumberjacks executive, speaking on condition of having absolutely no authority

The Mustangs' Offensive Juggernaut: Six Points, Three Guys

Early stat leaders for the Mustangs are Lauren Williams, Trevor White, and Will Mudge, each with two points. Three players, six combined points, and just enough early-season swagger to make the other two lines feel personally attacked.

Williams has the instincts to jump into a play when defenders least expect it. White is perfectly capable of turning a harmless shift into a problem. And Mudge has already demonstrated that a little time and space can become a regrettable evening for the opposing goalie.

The question is whether the Mustangs can turn those moments into sustained pressure, or whether they'll revert to their beloved system of “someone do something, preferably before we're down three.”

The Goalie Situation: Statistics Are Liars, But Funny Ones

Luke “The Nuke” McCormick enters with a majestic 0.00 GAA and an 0–0–0 record. No goals allowed. No losses. No wins. No games played. The most statistically perfect goaltender in the league, provided nobody asks him to actually stop a puck.

Across the ice, Colin “C-Money” Farr is 0–1–0 with a 7.00 GAA. That's a tough number to hang on a refrigerator, but it's also an extremely early sample. Farr has stolen games before, and if the Lumberjacks assume they're getting seven freebies tonight, they'll discover that confidence and competence are not the same thing.

“I'd rather have a 7.00 average and have played than a 0.00 average sitting on my couch. Actually, no. I'd rather have the 0.00.”
— Entirely fabricated Colin Farr quote, but the logic is sound

Three Things to Watch

1. Can the Lumberjacks reclaim the family business? An 8–2 historical record is impressive until your opponent starts winning the games that actually happened recently. The 'Jacks need to establish themselves early instead of spending the first period remembering which guy they promised to cover.

2. Will the Mustangs keep their foot on the gas? Their recent wins show they can hang with the Lumberjacks. But one good shift doesn't excuse three shifts of defensive sightseeing. Someone has to backcheck, gentlemen. It's in the job description, somewhere below “bring beer.”

3. Which goalie gets the first truly ridiculous goal against? It's beer league. A perfectly placed one-timer might be stopped cold, while a wobbling shot from the boards could find its way through three skates, a water bottle, and someone's shattered self-esteem.

The Completely Unlicensed UVHL Betting Window

Imaginary spread: Lumberjacks -1.5 goals
Over/Under: 7.5 total goals
Editorial prediction: Lumberjacks 5, Mustangs 3

These are comedy lines, not actual betting odds. Our analytics department consists of one man who once successfully predicted a shootout by saying, “This feels like it's going to a shootout.”

The 'Jacks get the nod on historical pedigree, but the Mustangs have earned the right to make this uncomfortable. And if White, Williams, and Mudge start clicking early, this could turn into the kind of game where the goaltenders consider switching to pickleball.

Final Word

At 7:55 tonight, the scoreboard goes back to zero. The 8–2 series lead won't stop a breakaway. February's shootout won't win an October faceoff. And nobody gets bonus points for how impressive they looked in a group chat.

The Lumberjacks want their authority back. The Mustangs want to prove February wasn't a fluke. The rest of us just want a good game, some regrettable chirps, and at least one grown adult looking toward the rafters asking why God has abandoned him.

Welcome back to the UVHL. Your knees have already filed a complaint.