SDOHL Celebrates 2^nd Annual Awards Banquet

From SDOHL Second Annual Awards Banquet 2012

The Winter 2011-12 season came to a successful conclusion with 80 league members attending the second annual awards banquet.

In opening remarks League Commissioner, John Ling, restated the banquet’s purpose as “a time to celebrate the conclusion of a long season along with fellow league members away from the rink.”   He also welcomed new league members from the Tuesday Over 40 Select league, a league that was formed in the past year for players with intermediate to advanced skills.

This year’s banquet was headlined again by Wayne Faust, a league member, who also happens to be an accomplished singer, songwriter, and author.  Wayne has entertained audiences in the U.S. and around the world for over thirty years with his unique blend of music and humor.  Along with his original songs such as “Save The Beer” Wayne roasted Commissioner Ling with a new song entitled, “The Commissioner’s Always Right.”

From SDOHL Second Annual Awards Banquet 2012

While not on the official agenda the League’s team captains; Keith Horstman, Marty Richardson, Paul Schuette, Bill Pardee, Jim St. Marie, Paul Truex, Jim Maroney Jr., Bob Fairfield, assembled and each individually thanked John Ling for his work in organizing the league.  John and his wife, Gretchen, were presented with gift cards which were very much appreciated.

Before commencing the awards presentation John Ling thanked a number of people for their help and assistance over the past year.

Mark Earnest and the ice arena staff at Foothills Ice Arena.

Christine, Megan, and Kari Cronin, Scorekeepers

Mike O’Connor, Scheduler with the Colorado Ice Hockey Referees Association

Dana Levesque, Web Site Consultant

Gretchen Winters, Photographer

Jon Guelzow, Biggie Wine & Liquors in Conifer

John also thanked each of his team captains for giving their time to provide leadership to their teams and support him in his role as Commissioner.

The first award presentations were the Highly Valuable Player Awards.  Each team captain selects a player from their team to receive the award.  The HVP recognizes achievement, attitude, team play, and player development.

The recipients were;

Thad Jacobs, Tuesday league’s Green Machine presented by Jim Maroney Jr.

From SDOHL Second Annual Awards Banquet 2012

Shane Wakeland, Tuesday league’s White Team presented by John Ling

From SDOHL Second Annual Awards Banquet 2012

Dave Maney, Tuesday league’s Team Red presented by Keith Horstman

From SDOHL Second Annual Awards Banquet 2012

Jared Whittemore, Thursday league’s Yellow Team presented by Paul Truex

From SDOHL Second Annual Awards Banquet 2012

Tracy Vermeyen, Thursday league’s B&K Supply presented by Paul Schuette

From SDOHL Second Annual Awards Banquet 2012

Michal Slouka, Thursday league’s Coyotes presented by Jim St. Marie

From SDOHL Second Annual Awards Banquet 2012

Michael Sullivan, Thursday league’s Old Dawgs presented by Marty Richardson

From SDOHL Second Annual Awards Banquet 2012

Not present to receive their awards were Chris Dyer, Tuesday’s Biggie Wine and Liquors, Laurie Nakauchi, Thursday’s Over 40’s, and Mike Lewan, Thursday’s Touchstone Imaging.

Mike was presented his HVP a few nights later by Paul Buddington and Touchstone Co-Captain Bob Desmond just prior to one of our Over 40 Drop In games. 

From SDOHL Second Annual Awards Banquet 2012

The next award was for Top Goaltender, presented to the goalie with the best goals against average playing a minimum of ten games.

This year’s recipient was Al Sterner who played 14 games, won 10, lost 4, goals against average of 2.00 and a save percentage of 91.1.  John Ling presented the award.

From SDOHL Second Annual Awards Banquet 2012

Normally the league presents separate awards for the top goal scorer, top playmaker, and overall point scoring champion.  However, during the past season one player emerged to sweep all three categories.

Marty ‘Cappy’ Richardson played 18 games scoring an impressive 21 goals, 22 assists, for 43 total points, a league record for a 20 game season.  Marty averaged 2.39 points per game with only 6 penalty minutes.  As captain of the Old Dawgs he led them to a second consecutive first place finish.

From SDOHL Second Annual Awards Banquet 2012

The Jack Kelly Sportsmanship Trophy is awarded each year to the league member who exemplifies sportsmanship, competitiveness, and fairness.  This year’s recipient, Paul Schuette covers all of that.  Paul’s support and encouragement, his leadership and character, have played an invaluable role in making the SDOHL a fun and rewarding experience.  Bob Desmond, last year’s recipient, presented the trophy.

From SDOHL Second Annual Awards Banquet 2012

The final award of the evening is the presentation of the SDOHL Championship Cup, awarded annually to the playoff winners in the Thursday Over 40 Social League.  Paul Schuette presented the Cup to John Ling, captain of the Over 40’s, who defeated last year’s cup winners, the Old Dawgs, 4-0 in the championship game.

From SDOHL Second Annual Awards Banquet 2012

John congratulated his team members; Aaron Ammons, Adam Berger, Robin Buchler, Alan Callison, Tony Cooper, John Corboy, Wayne Faust, Bern Levesque, James Mansfield, Dave Martinez, Laurie Nakauchi, Steve Saumier, John Schneller, Jay Scolnick, John Webb, Fadi Zachem, and Miguel Zlot.

John recounted how the team had struggled early in the season going 0-6 at the start.  The Over 40’s ended the regular season in fourth place with 24 points well back of the first place Old Dawgs.  The playoffs had them defeat B&K Supply 3-2, Team Yellow 9-6, and Touchstone Imaging 5-0 to advance on to play the Old Dawgs, who had recovered from a first game loss with three straight wins of their own.

Facing elimination the Old Dawgs defeated the Over 40’s 6-1 to force a final championship game.  However the Over 40’s rebounded from their only defeat.  Goalie Alan Callison played flawlessly earning the shutout and Bern Levesque scored three goals for the hat trick in a 4-0 victory.

This concluded our awards presentation.  Gretchen Winters captured some of the sights of a very warm and pleasant evening at the Grant Ranch Village Center.

 

 Over 40’s Win SDOHL Championship Cup

From Thursday Winter Championship

The Over 40’s capped off a great playoff run with a 4-0 win over the Old Dawgs, a team that had soundly beaten them 6-1 the week before to force the championship game.

“To be the best you have to beat the best,” said John Ling, Over 40’s captain, “the Old Dawgs are a great team, they never quit, and no lead is ever safe.” 

The game was closer than the score indicated.  Alan Callison, Over 40’s goaltender made several key stops throughout frustrating the Old Dawgs at every turn.   At one point, Marty Richardson, Old Dawg’s captain and sharpshooter, pinged one off the cross bar only to have the puck come down to harmlessly rest on the top of the net.

The first period had both teams pressing the action at times but ended scoreless.  Bernie ‘Boom Boom’ Levesque of the Over 40’s drew first blood two minutes into the second with an unassisted effort.  James Mansfield increased the Over 40’s lead to 2-0 with about five minutes left in the second set up by Steve Saumier and Levesque.

The Over 40’s continued to check relentlessly in the third, breaking up rushes before the Old Dawgs could get them started.  Having to press to get back in the game Bern Levesque took advantage of a quick transition and scored Over 40’s third goal from Adam Berger and John Webb with six minutes remaining.

Battling on the Old Dawgs pulled their netminder, Al Sterner, with about two minutes left in favor of a sixth attacker.  The Over 40’s were eventually able to counter with Levesque getting his third goal on the empty net with 56 seconds left.

After the game it took a little while for the results to sink in to Over 40’s.  Here was a team that started the season off 0-6 but improved steadily going 8-6 for the rest of the season.  But truly it is not how you start, it is how you finish and they were 4-1 in the playoffs.

Gretchen Winters caught both on ice and in the dressing room antics on camera.

Biggie Wins Tuesday Select League Championship

From Tuesday Winter Championship Game

Biggie Wine & Liquors defeated the Green Machine 5-3 in an exciting game to capture the Tuesday Over 40 Select League Winter 2012 Championship.    Biggie jumped out to a quick lead with Keith Horstman scoring just 22 seconds into the contest.   However, Green’s Mike Aho quickly tied the score at 1:34. 

The teams settled in with Biggie enjoying a territorial advantage held back by Green’s defense and sharp goaltending from Mike Broad.   James Park restored Biggie’s lead before the end of the first.   In the second Biggie’s Matt Beaman won a race to the puck with Mike Broad and scored to put his team up 3-1. 

However there was no quit in the Green Machine who battled back to tie the score at 3-3 with goals from Dan Barrett and Thad Jacobs.   This set the stage for an exciting third period.   The game winning goal was scored at the half way point of the period on a great tip in by Jason Camp who was nicely set up by Brian Pokorny.  

Green pulled their goalie in favor of a sixth attacker with just over two minutes to go but were unable to score.  Keith Horstman salted away the win with an empty net goal with 8 seconds left.

Congratulations to Biggie Captain Paul Truex and his team for a great playoff which saw them run the table in victories over all the other three teams.  

Gretchen Winters captured some of the action. 

 

 

Tuesday League Winter Playoffs Begin

From Tuesday Winter Playoffs

The first playoff round in the Tuesday Over 40 Select league got underway last Tuesday night with the first place Team Red outlasting a game Green Machine squad 3-2 in a shootout win.  

Green drew first blood early in the second period on a long bounce shot by John Ling that eluded Red’s goaltender Dave Maney.  Red came back in the period with Yogi Sundstrom and Matt McCoy scoring to give them a 2-1 lead going into the third.  

Green goalie Mike Broad turned away a Red barrage of 17 shots in the third giving Green a chance to tie the game.  Green finally pulled even when Mike Kuzava cruised in from the right point to pick up his own rebound with six minutes left.

The balance of the third period and a five minute overtime period remained scoreless leading to a five player shootout for the win.  Dave Maney was flawless in the Red goal saving all five attempts by Green shooters.  Mike Broad almost matched him for Green however Keith Horstman was able to beat him on a nice move and backhand shot to give Red the shootout win.

The second game of the night pitted the second place Biggie Wine & Liquor against the third place White Team.   A fast paced game Biggie broke threw at about the ten minute mark of the first on a goal by Matt Beamon.   A White defensive lapse led to a second Biggie goal by Paul Truex with 27 seconds left in the period.

Bill Britt of the White team got them back in it midway through the second however Biggie came back with goals from Chris Dyer and Jason Camp to build a 4-1 lead by the end of the period.  

The White team turned it up a notch in the third and closed the score to 4-2 on a goal by John Cross.   White thought they had reduced the lead to one when Shane Wakeland appeared to score with about seven minutes left.  The referees however did not see the puck enter the net and in subsequent conference called no goal on the play.

White pulled their goalie with about two minutes left in the game but Biggie gained control of the puck in transition leading to Jason Camp’s empty net goal.   Paul Truex finished off the scoring with 37 seconds left, a controversial goal that sent the League commissioner scurrying for the exit.  Final score: Biggie 6, White 2.

Next week’s second round is Team Red vs. Biggie at 8:45 p.m. and White vs. Green at 10:05 p.m.

Gretchen Winters captured some of the opening round action.

 
Thursday League Winter Playoffs Begin

"The race doesn't always go to the swiftest nor the battle to the strongest but don't bet against it."
                   -  Some guy who doesn't know the SDOHL

From

The Thursday Over 40 Social League Winter playoffs got under way this week with a full slate of upset results.
 

The sixth seeded Yellow Team defeated the first seeded Old  Dawgs 5-1 in the early game.  Yellow led the entire way with three goals in the first period and two in the second, building a 5-0 lead behind the solid goaltending of Dave Maney.   The Old Dawgs finally solved Maney with 7:42 left in the third.

The fifth seeded Touchstone Imaging team overcame a 4-0 deficit to the second seeded Coyotes at the midway point in the game eventually tying the game at 4-4 with four minutes remaining.  The Coyotes regained the lead on Mike Slouka’s goal with two minutes left on the clock.  Touchstone’s Bob Desmond tied the game again with a minute and twenty seconds left.   That set the stage for Keith Horstman’s game winning goal with just 30 seconds to go giving Touchstone a 6-5 win.

The fourth seeded Over 40’s battled back from a 3-1 deficit to third seeded B&K Supply late in the second period.   John Ling scored with 10 seconds left in the second to narrow the lead to 3-2.  The Over 40’s took over the scoring in the third period.  Bern Levesque tied the game, John Webb scored the winner, and Bernie completed his three goal night with an empty net goal with 56 seconds left sealing the deal 5-3 for the Over 40's.

Gretchen Winters captured some great pictures of a very exciting playoff  night of upsets.      

SDOHL’s Maney Marries in Muskoka, Canada

 

A game Wasabi team playing without the services of captains Matt McCoy and Tom Ouellette, regular goalie Mike Broad, and Larry Chaney were simply no match for a determined Old Dawg team led by captain Marty Richardson.

 

Kevin Baird of Wasabi opened the scoring at 4:45 p.m. of the first period aided by an errant clearing attempt by Old Dawg goalie Al Sterner.   Al commented later, "It was a beautiful pass, right on his stick!"  The Old Dawgs quickly regrouped with Mike Pijanowski taking advantage of a Wasabi defensive breakdown to tie the score mid way through the first.  

 

The second period was all Dawgs with Mike PIjanowski, Marty Richardson, and John Thielen scoring in the first half of the period to build a 4-1 lead which "knocked the starch out of them (Wasabi)"  to borrow an old Foster Hewitt remark, circa mid-60's, 

 

The third period was anti climactic with the Old Dawgs playing a smothering defensive game limiting Wasabi to just one shot on goal.   Mario Lopez and Marty Richardson finished off the scoring for the Dawgs.

 

Congratulations to the Old Dawgs on their victory and to Wasabi for a great summer season.

 

Gretchen Winters captured some pictures of the action.