Good morning SSBHL!

Sorry for the delayed League write up! It was a busy week! I would like to also congratulate Matt Hocking on his promotion to head of Refereeing and Disciplinary actions. Matt Is without question better suited for this role then me as he is someone who has a unique set of skills and abilities that enable him to disperse appropriate punishments when infractions occur. Where it comes to the recent referee complaints, Matt knows how to handle that very efficiently and is going to do right by both players and league officials and is already started on the right path! Please appreciate what he will be dealing with going forward and give him a very big Thank you, he’s helping save the league essentially by taking that off my plate as commissioner. With that said, Lets crunch some numbers!

Offensive Jubilation!

1st) Coming in at weeks seven number 1 guy is the Captain of Smokey Joes, Matt Swan. Matts have been in the top three multiple times this season and for good reason! Matt handled Stone Hands last week with multiple goes and assists. Matt Scored 3 beautiful goals, one specific one on a breakaway, cutting though two defensemen and then flipping a back hand shot to the top of the net, a true highlight reel play! He also had two assists on the day and totaled out at 5 points! Swan is on a run this season and is looking for back-to-back MVP awards and is making a strong case! Excellent work good sir!

2nd) In 2^nd place is Swans linemate, Aidan Lovett! I feel like every single time we have Matty in the top three, Aidan follows and vice versa. Aidan was a goal scoring monster racking up four goals in the day total! One particular breakaway he was initially stopped but followed up with his own rebound on the pads and tucked it home! Aidan has quickly jumped into the running of another big-time possible MVP this season and will look to add to his numbers in his coming game in week 8, overall incredible starting season sir and still 3 more games to go!

3rd) at Number 3 is the Spiders very own star, Joe Mackenzie aka, J-Mac! J-Mac took on the role of playmaker last week! and racked up three assists and a single goal, coming in at 4 points total! J-mac was the man last week, and set up Howie Multiple times for goals, and was just all over the ice and involved in every offensive play! J-Mac is also right in the competition for MVP as well and looks to keep going strong with a big week eight performance! Nicely done!

Defensive Walls

1st) Number 1 this week is without question the Hawks Defensive guru, Ty Anderson! Ty was imperative in a Must needed win last week vs. the Pitbull’s! Ty was all over the place, sacrificing the body to block shots, keeping the front of the net clear, and was also highly involved in the offensive game as well! With one goal from the point and two assists, acquiring three points in the day total! I do not think the Hawks won that game without the airtight defensive play of Ty who was cool, calm and controlled the game in his defensive zone! All in all, he was a superstar all game long and the Hawks will need similar play in order to keep the playoff hope alive! Incredible work Ty and keep that going!

2nd) Our Number 2 top performance in the defensive category this week is Smokey Joes, Aaron Gerstel! From what I see and what the number dictate, Aaron has been absolutely crushing it this season! All his numbers are up, and he is performing at a high level of play! From breaking up plays, blocking shots like a champion, and getting involved in the points department! Aaron had a total of three points last week! with three assists! His ability to feed his main scorers has been on point! Aaron has the unique ability to see the rink in every facet and his offensive awareness is insane! With breakout passes to his wings from his own end, Aaron has been unmatched in his ability to read transition play and to counterattack at the right time. Great season Aaron and it is a high chance way may be seeing has as a contender for defensive player of the year!

3rd) In the third place slot is the Spiders Captain, Matt Leary! Matt was a defensive nightmare for the Hooligans and anyone that was near him was put on an island to die. Matts defensive play made it impossible for the opposing team to set up anything in the offensive zone. The defensive awareness Leary displays is unmatched, and teams know that when he is on the rink, scoring chances go down. Leary also got one assist to help out the offense! All season long, Leary has been rocking solid on the back end and the results speak for themselves, his team is in first place due to his strong leadership and defensive skill! Amazing work man, keep it kicking!

Goalie Madness!

1st) As much as I hate talking about myself, I go by the numbers. Dan Harding Played a stellar game and managed to acquire his first shutout of the season! The Hooligans Did not have an answer all game long and could not find the back of the net no matter what they threw at him! Facing forty-one shots, he turned away all forty-one and managed to keep the 1.000%! Does not get better than that, Dan looks to keep his success going into the next match against a very hungry Pitbull’s team.

2nd) In the second place slot is the for the first time this season is the Hawks tenacious goaltender, Brad Wall! Brad has been looking to bounce back from the beginning of the season and over the last 2 weeks has looked much better and more comfortable on the Net! Facing the Pitbull’s last week, Brad was great! Facing 33 shots and stopping 31 of them and managed to hold a save percentage of .933! His best game of the season! Brad and the Hawks are in a playoff push at the moment and every win and point is crucial! The Hawks will need another strong performance from as they look to keep the win going against the deadly combo of Matt and Aidan this week!

3rd) the third place slot goes to an old classic goalie, who goes by the name of Andy Godfrey! Andy was the flex goalie for Pitbull’s last week and had a respectable game! Facing forty-two shots and stopping thirty-seven of them and acquired a .880%. Andy did not sign up this season but is a gun for hire in the net when needed and overall, did a solid job for the Pitbull’s and gave them a shot at winning. Nice work Andrew and look forward to seeing you in between the pipes again soon!

Standings So Far…

1st) Spiders: 7-0-0 / 14 Points / 43 GF / 15 GA / +28 GD (Clinched) (Projected 1^st Seed)

2nd) Smokey Joes: 5-2-0 / 10 Points / 46 GF / 25 GA / +21 GD (Clinched) (Projected 2^nd seed)

3rd) Hooligans: 3-4-0 / 6 Points / 39 GF / 37 GA / +2 GD (Projected 3^rd seed)

4th) Pitbull’s: 3-4-0 / 6 Points / 26 GF / 42 GA / -16 GD (Projected 4^th seed)

5th) Stone Hands: 1-3-3 / 5 Points / 41 GF / 52 GA / -11 GD (1 point behind)

6th) Hawks: 2-5-0: 4 Points / 26 GF / 50 GA / -24 GD (2 points behind)

Upcoming games…

10/13/24 - Hawks at Smokey Joes (9:00am Weymouth) (Key Matchup Brad Wall Vs Panda)

10/13/24 - Hooligans at Stone Hands (10:30am Weymouth) (Key Matchup Cam Vs Cullen)

10/13/24 - Spiders Vs Pitbull’s (12:00pm Weymouth) (Key Matchup Howard Vs Higgy)

Guys, please keep in mind that the award votes will be coming up soon! I want you to really think about who deserves them this season and vote accordingly! I am looking for at least 80% of players to vote, preferably 100% but it means a lot to me if you participate in the votes.

Thank you all and see you Sunday!

-DJH