STEELERS LOSE OPENER IN EXTRA FRAME

The Steelers opened the Tuesday night winter league with an off-night Sunday match up against a team called Cadbury. The Steelers welcomed back Don McCartney to the line up and also added newcomer Greg 'The Animal' Nolan. The Steelers were without several players including, Chayim Rubin, K-Man, Mark Serdan, Coach Lindsay, rookie goaltender Nick Richards, and another key acquisition to the team Alex (Olesh) Komarnycky. The new look Steelers look solid for the 08-09 campaign having added several players that can play on the blue-line. With all of the missing Steelers, GM Durigon called up Ray Hori from the Steelers' Mississauga minor league affiliate Highlander squad.

The Steelers outplayed Cadbury for the majority of the game, but overall lacked the finishing touch to capitalize on their many opportunities. However, the Steelers did open the scoring as Greg Nolan tipped in a nice feed from Anthony Lam. Unfortunately, that was it for the Steelers. Cadbury capitalized on their few opportunities (and also received some breaks / bounces that the Steelers didn't). Cadbury tied the game early in the second as a shot from the point deflected off several players on to the stick of an opportune Cadbury player standing all alone at the side of a wide open net. It stayed that way until overtime. Just over a minute into the extra frame Cadbury won it as one of their key guys got in behind the D and picked up a loose puck and went five hole on Durigon.

Scoring Summary

Nolan G 1 A 0
Lam G 0 A 1
Hori G 0 A 1


NEXT GAME

Tuesday, September 30 at 10:15pm vs. the Knights (E-Division)

STEELERS SUMMER SEASON ENDS

After a couple of dramatic finishes to the Tuesday night playoff series the Steelers won to advance to the facility championship, the Steelers met their match with a couple of solid drubbings against the Monday and Thursday night champs in the Facility Championship round. While everyone were understandably disappointed with the outcome, the team still had a terrific run winning their division after a sub-.500 regular season. The team seemed to forget about the loss and reminisced in the dressing room about the great moments of the season (and a John Daly golf course which caught everyone's attention - especially Todd who, as we all found out, absolutely loves to talk golf). A special thanks goes out to Anthony Lam for funding the post-game tall boys!

The Steelers were rewarded for the playoff run by getting their prized ASHN black golf shirts. I've got 3 XXLs saved for Tzvi, Sidey and Coach Lindsay, who could not make the last game.

As we head back to our respective winter teams and look forward to the winter season ahead, we also look forward to reuniting next summer to defend our summer Tuesday Night title. Thanks for a great season - good luck in the winter.

GO STEELERS!

Beer-League Hockey Season is Upon Us

It's a well-known fact that there are only two seasons in Canada: summer and hockey. According to long-standing tradition, the former starts with the hoisting of the Stanley Cup as fans in an American city celebrate. The latter officially kicks off after Labour Day weekend.

Not that followers of the Vancouver Canucks have had much of an offseason; they've been too busy fretting over the local soap opera disguised as an NHL team, which in April hired new general manager Mike Gillis, a.k.a. the guy who looks like he hasn't slept in weeks. (Hopefully he banked some shuteye watching the Canucks in 2007-08.)

But Gillis isn't the only one attempting to assemble a competitive hockey roster. In fact, there are hundreds, possibly thousands, of managers across Canada who will spend the long weekend making personnel decisions in time for the September dawn of a new season.

Granted, the majority of these managers are in charge of teams with names like "Just the Tips" and "Nine-Inch Males," but don't be fooled; beer-league hockey squads can be downright tricky to put together.

As with any successful organization, you need the right mix, and that means drafting from the following beer-league player categories:

The Ringer

Some teams wait until the playoffs to unveil this option. Others go with it right from the opening faceoff.

Either way, without a ringer, your team is done. The challenge for managers is convincing a good player to suit up for a bad side. This can be accomplished a number of ways, including promises of goal-scoring glory and awe-inspired teammates. Most effective, however, is free hockey. It's simple math, really. Everyone else pays an extra $50 and everyone else gets a shot at the Division-7 title.

The Young Guy

At first glance, he can easily be mistaken for a ringer, since the young guy still wears the shorts and socks of his junior or college team. But it's time for the next phase of life now, and that means an office job. The young guy stays in shape for the first half of the year. Sadly, an increasingly sedentary existence catches up by Christmas. Ten to 20 pounds later, he's just another player, huffing and puffing with the rest. Welcome aboard, kid.

The Old Guy

Forget the 50-and-over league; that's not for him, even though his gloves reach up to his armpits and he still uses a wood stick. To be fair, the old guy can be an effective player, especially if he's a wily old guy -- a hook here and a chop there, because that's how they did it when professional athletes were real men. "Eddie Shore -- now there was a hockey player! Lost an ear against the Maroons. Sewed it back on himself. Never missed a shift."

The Tardy Goalie

Hey, thanks for showing up. Only five minutes gone in the first. Not like you play a crucial position or anything. Take your time.

The Beginner

Required only for cheap laughs. On the one hand, you have to admire the beginner. It takes a lot of courage to take up hockey in adulthood. On the other, learn to take a pass, man. It's right on your stick. How does that knock you over? And now you're offside.

The Complete Psycho

Also good for a few giggles . . . from afar. The complete psycho is capable of anything: running the goalie, challenging an entire bench, a tomahawk chop -- all in the repertoire. Do not feed the complete psycho. He doesn't want to be fed. He wants to hunt.

The Naked Guy

Bane of the dressing room. Most players have the courtesy to stretch their hamstrings while sporting, at the very least, a bit of underwear. Not the naked guy. He'll carry on full conversations, too, and you'll maintain eye contact like your life depended on it.

The Guy with the New Girlfriend

A good way to lower everyone else's fees is to load up on a few of these. The guy with the new girlfriend will show up to five games, tops, so it's not like you'll lose ice time by putting him on the roster. That said, beware that the guy with the new girlfriend might very well turn into the guy with the wife, at which point he'll never miss another game.

The Drunk

The drunk shows up drunk, has a few more and plays drunk, spending most of the time in the penalty box for shooting his mouth off or breaking his stick on someone’s shins. At the end of the game, polishes off another dozen, single-handedly buying the team new jerseys AND socks for next year.

Gents - Time to register for another exciting season of Steelers Hockey!

Get your dry land training started if you haven't already done so. Season begins in 4 weeks. I've signed us up for D2 Division, hopefully we get bumped down to E1 and win it all like in our inaugural season!

In the meantime, I need you all to register on the site using the Steelers number 2207.

Important...DON'T PAY THE LEAGUE - PAY ME ON GAME 1 (or as soon as you can). I'm paying the league in full before the start of the season.

We are still in need of 1 or 2 guys. Right now we have 12 on the roster (not including a goalie). The fee is gone up to $6500 this winter so with 13 of us, that would be $500 / person.

Here is the opening day roster:

F Kevin Neild

F Anthony Lam

F Gualter Carvahlo

F Jeff Garner

F Don McCartney

F Mike Didulka

F/D Craig Lindsay

F/D Alex (Olesh) Komarnycky

D Mario Durigon

D Larry Romaniuk

D Chayim Rubin

D Mark Serdan

G TBD (Possible - Nick Richards)

NEILD CLOSES THE OVEN DOOR ON SHAKE 'N BAKE SEASON

For the Steelers, the objective was clear - getting over the hurdle of putting away a team in the first round of the playoffs - something that the team had not done since it's inaugural season in E1 division. For Shake 'n Bake it was an opportunity to redeem themselves after an opening series 5-1 loss. Game 2 started in similar fashion as the series opener with the Bakers taking the play to the Steelers and getting most of the quality scoring chances and opened the scoring only 4 minutes into the game. Despite their quick start, the Steelers evened the contest when Gualter Carvalho neatly finished on a nice feed from Gerry Jones. Mike Didulka was then hauled / mauled down nearing the end of the 2nd period and the official appropriately awarded Mike a penalty shot. We're not sure whether is was the glamour of the spotlight or the fact that just before attempting the penalty shot Didulka was berated by fellow Steeler, Todd Nicholl, for taking a 3 minute shift, but whatever it was, Didulka made no mistake snapping home the go ahead goal past the Baker goalie (also, coincidentally named Mike [isn't that neat?]). The game was, as expected, a chippy, often over the line dirty affair as the Bakers were taking liberties with many of the Steelers and the officials were not quick to penalize anyone. The Steelers took a 2-1 lead into the third, but to the Bakers credit, the Steelers lead was due in very large part to Steelers goalie, (also named Mike - holy cow, is everybody named Mike???) Shipticki, who played out of his mind on this night with many highlight real stops. The Bakers finally got the tying goal with just under 4 minutes remaining in the game. However, because the Steelers won game 1, the Bakers needed to win Game 2 outright in regulation time to force a series deciding overtime…and with just under 2 minutes remaining, that’s what they did. An empty netter completed the regulation time scoring.

The Steelers gathered themselves and came out flying in the overtime while the Bakers continued to apply the hooks and the slashes with the officials seemingly turning a blind eye. The teams traded changes in the extra frame, but only 1:20 into the overtime frame justice prevailed, as Kevin Neild took a great pass from Didulka and buried it past a helpless Baker goalie to give the Steelers the huge win, eliminating the Shake 'n Bakers.

STEELERS STEP IT UP LATE TO TAKE GAME 1

The Steelers finished the regular season with a disappointing 6-5 overtime loss to their first round opponents, Shake 'n Bake. It was the first time during the summer season that the Steelers dropped a contest to Shake 'n Bake, and that proved, at least at first to give the Bakers confidence going into game 1.

Shake 'n Bake came out flying taking the play to the Steelers for most of the first period and well into the 2nd, but it was the Steelers that struck first as Todd Nicholl fed a streaking Hirschman for a breakaway and #8 made no mistake going shelf over the S'nB helpless tender. The Bakers evened up with only seconds remaining in the first and continued to pour it on. Shipticki was in fine playoff form stopping chance after chance and was the main reason the Steelers were in the game. The Steelers were hemmed in their own end for much of the first half of the game until they got the break they needed. While under attack the Steelers fired the puck out of their end to relieve the pressure and while the S'nB goalie went to play the puck, Jonesy's fore checking caused a turnover that Jonesy turned into the game winning goal depositing the puck in an empty net (the S'nB goalie then needed to get a new stick).

The game started getting somewhat chippy with each team taking penalties and each team getting players tossed. During the 2nd half of the game the Steelers scored 4 unanswered goals to end this one 5-1.

While this was a good effort by the Steelers, they know that without a similar turnout in game 2, this game would be wasted. The scenario for this Tuesday is that the Steelers will move on to round 2 of the playoffs with a regulation win or tie. A regulation loss would force a sudden death 4 on 4 overtime for 5 minutes and then if nothing is decided yet, the shootout.