By Michael Garbacz
Game 1: Blues 1, 3 Knots Taphouse Whalers 3
The Ides of March kicked off with a somewhat ominous tilt between green and blue. The Whalers came in absolutely ravaged by a short bench, able to field only four players plus a backup goalie. The Blues were looking to capitalize on that misfortune, but Derek Hail produced a Herculean effort to keep his opponents busy all game, never able to sustain offensive zone time. The Whalers scored all the goals they needed in the first and held on from there to skate by with the win. Guy Shover spoiled backup goalie Cory Chance’s shutout parade with a little help from Matt Yetter. For the Whalers, Hail figured in on all the goals, to the tune of two markers and an apple; New York Metzger scored the other goal.
Game 2: Delmarva Soil and Concrete Red Wings 3, EZ Loan Bruins 2
The red hot Red Wings squared off against the first-place Killer B’s in this exciting contest and came away with a huge win. With shots dead even at 15 apiece, this game felt a lot like battened-down playoff matchup. The Bruins quickly jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period, but the Wings slowly chipped away after that, potting one goal per period to steal the victory. The Smooth Criminal, despite being relatively contained, still figured in on both goals with a goal and an assist; Bradley Colona scored the other goal. For the Red Wings, Ethan Ayer led the way with two goals and an assist; the Huntsman put up a goal and an assist; Wes Stapleton and Will Parks each picked up a helper.
Game 3: K&E Marine Capitals 0, Thornton Services Renegades 6
The hard-forechecking buckin’ broncos of the ESSHL, the ‘Gader squad, put their sights on the Caps in their first contest. Unfortunately for the latter, they found themselves without the services of the Pat Trick this time around and paid dearly for it, suffering the rare goose egg. The Renegades controlled this one up and down for three periods. The Onancock Kid led the parade with a hat trick plus an assist, and he was beaming like the Cheshire cat; La Boca turned in a two-goal, two-assist performance; Dustin Aigner scored one and assisted another; Cliff Windsor chipped in a pair of apples. Goalie Dylan Harrington was observed gyrating peculiarly in his crease following the final buzzer.
Game 4: NeuBeam Harambe 10, 3 Knots Taphouse Whalers 4
The heroic effort in their first affair portended this blowout, based on available bodies in green. The Whalers got rung up quicker than a thousand dollars’ worth of toilet paper, but still managed to keep things interesting. New York Metzger put the biscuit in the basket three times, and that’s a hat trick. Were it not for the exhaustion, he would have been smilin’ like a butcher’s dog. Derek Hail scored the other goal; Trevor Bundick and Ryan Parks picked up an assist apiece. For the gorilla squad, Preston Shover put up an eye-popping five goals; Zach Web registered two goals and an assist; Luke Webb and power forward Jennie Rice each recorded a goal and an assist; Johnny Irvin buried one; Robbie Washington, Caleb Clark, and Josh Taylor each picked up a helper.
Game 5: Blues 1, EZ Loan Bruins 4
Following a narrow loss in their first tilt, the Killer B’s bounced back against the blueshirts with a convincing win. The Blues were certainly interested in their own rebound on the day, coming hard and nearly matching the Bruins in shots. Unfortunately, they only managed to solve Alex McCullough once for their effort, courtesy once again of Guy Shover, with a little help from James Haley and the Parksley Original. The bright side, of course, is that the dreaded goose egg was dodged. For the Bruins, the Smooth Criminal and Bradley Colona each pocketed a marker and an apple; Gabe Nock tickled the twine; Chris “Buckets” Potter potted a pepper; Garrett Baylis added an assist.
Game 6: Delmarva Soil and Concrete Red Wings 2, Thornton Services Renegades 0
The Red Wings managed to keep their hot streak going in another terse tussle. The normal rip-snortin’ offense of the ‘Gader squad couldn’t get the motor going; meanwhile, the Wings’ offense pounced on the power play, and got a little help from Lady Luck to seal the deal. The Huntsman deposited both goals; Ethan Ayer and Michael Garbacz each picked up an assist. Goalie Brad Ford was a-barkin’ like a hound dog when that final buzzer went.
Game 7: NeuBeam Harambe 4, K&E Marine Capitals 2
The gorilla squad edged the Caps in a game that was nowhere near as close as the score suggests. Harambe outshot the Capitals 33-7, including 15 in the second period alone. On their heels the whole game, it took a heroic effort from Sharkey Parks, who produced six of his team’s shots and both goals, to make things interesting. Often taking on multiple defenders, Parks kept the game within reach on the scoreboard. For Harambe, Zach Webb scored twice; Preston Shover registered a goal and an assist; Robbie Washington buried one; Josh Taylor picked up a helper.
As the response to COVID-19 continues to evolve, please check out the ESSHL Facebook page for updates on potential schedule changes. Currently, the next set of Senior League games is scheduled for Sunday, March 30 at 1:30 p.m. at Stapleton Rink in Parksley.
