Good afternoon, SSBHL!

Apologies again for the delay — last week was chaos and I didn’t want to rush something as important as the final write-up. Now that I finally have time, let’s do this the right way.

This Fall season had everything: upsets, Cinderella runs, comebacks, collapses, and one of the most unpredictable finishes we’ve seen. The Smokey Joes shocked the league by knocking out the #1-seeded Mustangs, while the last-place Stick Figures went on a wild surge all the way to the 3rd-place game before falling just short to the Stone Hands.

With all that chaos behind us, the stage was set for a classic Price Cup Final:
Stone Hands vs. Smokey Joes — a rivalry we’ve seen before, and maybe the last time we see these two in a championship together.

Let’s get into it.

🏒 FINALS – GAME RECAP

Stone Hands vs. Smokey Joes

Final Score: 7–3 Smokey Joes
Location: Furnace Brook Rink, Marshfield, MA
Weather: A bright, sunny championship Sunday

The 4th-seed veteran Smokey Joes, led by 5-time cup winner Matt Swan, faced the gritty, battle-worn Stone Hands under captain Steve Wilde, one of the league’s most experienced playoff players.

1st Period (3–0 Joes)

The opening minutes were a grind — both teams fought for space, possession, and momentum. A Smokey Joes tripping penalty gave Stone Hands the first power play opportunity, but the Joes’ defense and goaltending stood tall and killed it off.

Moments later, Matt Swan, in his new role on defense, picked up a loose ball in his zone, blew past multiple Stone Hands players, and finished a smooth forehand-backhand move to make it 1–0.

A miscommunication in front of the Stone Hands net led to Bronson Zawaduk capitalizing on a loose-ball tap-in for 2–0.

With 30 seconds left, Swan kept a ball in the zone, fired one wide, and Ryan Doherty crashed in and buried the rebound for 3–0, a gut-punch ending to the period.

2nd Period (4–1 Joes)

Stone Hands came out pushing hard, and newcomer Dan Campbell finally broke through with an incredible sharp-angle wrist shot to cut it to 3–1.

The game settled into a tight grind again — the Stone Hands hustling for chances, the Joes’ defense answering every push. Late in the period, Kerri Cookson made a great defensive play that sprung Ryan Doherty free for a breakaway. He scored blocker side to restore the 3-goal cushion at 4–1.

3rd Period (Joes pull away)

A blocked Swan shot led to a Stone Hands rush where Howie ripped a glove-side wrister to make it 4–2 and spark some life.

But less than 30 seconds later, a defensive misread gave Doherty and Bronson a 2-on-1, finished by Doherty for 5–2.

Stone Hands pulled the goalie with 2:43 left. Steve Wilde made it 5–3 with a quick wrist shot.

But the comeback ended there:

• Bronson pounced on another loose ball for 6–3

• Doherty sealed the hat trick and dagger for 7–3

And with that, the Smokey Joes are your Fall 2025 SSBHL Price Cup Champions — their 6th title.

🏆 PLAYOFF AWARDS

Best Offensive Player – Ryan “Dragon” Doherty (Smokey Joes)

An absolute force. Led the playoffs with 8 points (7G, 1A).

• Hat trick vs. Mustangs in the Semis

• 5 points in the Finals

• Dominant forechecking, nonstop motor, pure scoring presence
  Playoff monster. No question.

Best Defensive Player – Matt “Swan Song” Swan (Smokey Joes)

A true chess-move decision: Swan shifted from offensive superstar to full-blown lockdown defenseman.

• Helped hold the Mustangs’ top scorers to zero goals

• Multiple crease breakups, blocked shots, high-danger chance eliminations

• Still contributed 4 points (2G, 2A)
  Showed he can dominate at forward AND on the blue line.

Best Goalie – Andy “Wheelhouse” Godfrey (Smokey Joes)

Two flat-out elite performances.

• 83 total shots faced

• .949 SV% in Semis

• .932 SV% in Finals

• .939 SV% total for both semi and Final

• Now 8–0 lifetime in playoff games
  Big saves at big moments — especially cross-crease stops in both games. Calm, confident, and clutch.

High-Performance Playoff Contributor – Bronson Zawaduk (Smokey Joes)

A quiet MVP candidate.

• 7 points (3G, 4A) — 2nd most in playoffs

• Ferocious forechecking

• Breakups, backchecks, and momentum-changing plays

• Game-breaking speed and relentless effort
  One of the best late-season additions the league has seen.

🏅 SSBHL Fall 2025 Season Awards

• MVP: Matt Swan – 79 Points

• Best Defensive Player: Josh Charmatz – 39 Points

• Best Goalie: Dan Hardig – 108 Points

• Joe Godfrey Award: Jeff Beattie – 34 Points

• 6th Man of the Year: Thomas Schindler & Matt Avenia – 24 Points

• Arthur Reynolds Award: Brad Wall – 49 Points

Awards are in — players will receive their new sticks courtesy of Ronnie Price.
And thank you Kerri Cookson for the cookies — unreal as always!

Closing Notes

Huge thank you to all captains for grinding every week to field teams, find flex players, adjust lineups, and keep the wheels turning. Thank you to the admins, to Ronnie Price for the awards, and to Jordan Cookson for helping referee so many games.

You all make this league what it is — competitive, fun, and something worth looking forward to every week.

Have a great holiday season, stay safe this winter, and we’ll see you in March for the Spring Season.

Dan H, signing off! 🏒✨