5th Week Spring 2026 SSBHL – We’re Halfway There!

Hello and good afternoon, SSBHL Community!

After last week’s rainouts, we finally get back on track with the season. With the initial Week 5 games moved to the end of the season, we proceeded forward with the schedule as it was. We had an interesting week with lots of high-end defensive play, tenacious goaltending, and some offensive swagger provided from all teams. But overall, we had a solid week.

It was also a difficult week with the loss of one of our OG members and longtime friend, Ronnie Prince. We remember all the fantastic memories Ronnie provided us, and we move forward in his name. He loved what we all created—the atmosphere, culture, and gameplay we embody each and every time we step on the concrete. Let’s keep him in our hearts every time we arrive on Sunday, and keep the game going the way he loved it.

With all that said, let’s jump into our Weekly Top Performances for the week…

🏒 Onslaught Offense

#1 Offensive Player of the Week – Pat “The Closer” Sullivan (Marshfield Gators)

Pat “The Closer” Sullivan has earned our number one spot for offense this week, and for good reason! Pat was not only up and down the rink with relentless effort and forechecking, but was involved in every facet of the game.

From the very start, he applied high pressure, kept balls in the offensive zone, and applied constant pressure on the defense of the Joes. In the 2nd period, his pressure and tenacity paid off, setting up his linemate Matt Avenia with an assist to increase the lead to 3-1.

Pat would again use his high offensive IQ to set up his captain, Josh Charmatz, with yet another assist. This one came at the right time after his team gave up a shorthanded goal and the Joes were within one goal. This extended the lead to 4-2 with 1:54 left in the 2nd.

Later on in the 3rd period, however, the Joes would strike back and even the game up at 4-4, forcing overtime for the second week in a row against the Gators.

But hold on—this is where Sullivan truly earns his nickname, “The Closer.”

Right on the opening faceoff of overtime, forward Matt Connolly won the faceoff directly back to Sullivan, who didn’t hesitate and ripped home a missile from the half-ice line, scoring the game-winning goal for the second time in a row.

Pat ended the day with 1 goal and 2 assists, totaling 3 points. Sullivan has been a pivotal player on the Gators’ roster and keeps climbing the points leaderboard. He’s a key reason why his team is in 1st place this season.

#2 Offensive Player of the Week – Matt Connolly (Marshfield Gators)

Matt Connolly is keeping the pace steadily going from last season as one of the best offensive players in the league. Setting up perfect plays, scoring clutch goals, and switching back to defensive play when needed and on the fly.

Connolly had a fantastic game against the Joes, who were pushing hard all game long. Starting off in the 1st period, when the Gators went on an early power play, Connolly set up his point man Brendan O’Brien, who fired home a shot from the point and scored, earning Connolly his 1st assist of the game.

Again, in the later stages of the 2nd period, Connolly showed his offensive intelligence by setting up yet another goal to linemate Matt Avenia, which increased the lead to 2-1 and broke the tie.

And last, but certainly not least, within the very beginning of overtime, Matt won the faceoff directly to linemate and clutch star forward Sullivan, who buried the game-winning goal.

Connolly ended the game with 3 assists, and with the team scoring 5 goals, he was responsible for more than half of the team’s points. Matt is showing his performance last season was not a one-off, and that he is always a very real threat on the rink.

Excellent work.

#3 Offensive Player of the Week – Matt “Swan Song” Swan (Captain Smokey Joes)

No matter what team he’s playing, no matter the situation in front of him, there is no player more successful and able to turn a game than Matt Swan.

Swan was once again an offensive force despite his team’s loss last week to the Marshfield Gators in OT. However, that OT point his team acquired will prove very important as the season progresses toward the playoffs and the standings overall.

Swan started off the game slow, with no goals or assists to begin. However, as the 2nd period started, he took an early and rare tripping penalty and forced his team to kill an important penalty.

Not only did they manage, but his linemate Ryan Doherty, aka “Dragon,” went on to score a shorthanded goal to tie the game in the 2nd.

After that, Swan turned on the offensive play and dug in, showing it’s not all about how you start a game, but how you progress as it goes on.

Swan would score a goal in the late stages of the 2nd period, narrowing the gap to 2-3. It’s the 3rd period where Swan shined brightest, as he would go on to score early from a nice feed from flex player Jim Rinaldi, closing the gap to 3-4.

Then, in the final 3 minutes of the 3rd, Swan intercepted a pass out of the air, knocked it down, and scored a point-blank game-tying goal at 4-4 that would force overtime and secure the point.

Swan ended the day with 3 goals and delivered a strong effort as a captain who never gave up—the makings of a 6-time champion.

Deafening Defensive Players

#1 Defensive Player of the Week – Dan “The Gate” Gately (Stick Figures)

With an interesting and difficult start to the season, the Stick Figures were a team in serious trouble, having 0 wins and 4 losses—sitting in dead last and looking like the season was slipping away.

Captain Jeff Beattie made an abundance of roster adjustments, from trading players, moving roster slots, adjusting lineups, and acquiring a player he knows and trusts quite well—Dan Gately.

Gately was not initially signed this season as he was recovering from an injury. However, down and desperate, Jeff got on the phones, spoke with Gately’s agent, and worked out a deal to acquire the talented defensive stud. He is now a permanent roster addition, and it immediately paid off.

Facing the 1st-place team at the time, the Spiders—who had the best goal differential in the league with the most goals scored and least given up—the Stick Figures had what looked like an impossible task.

Gately came in and shut down the high-octane offensive play of one of the best players in the league, Aidan Lovett, along with the combo of him and Ryan Gurley.

Gately was all over the Spiders’ forwards—shutting down plays repeatedly, blocking shots, sacrificing the body, interrupting plays nonstop, and frustrating their offensive rhythm.

He also picked up a very important assist to start the scoring, throwing a ball in front of the net that deflected off his forward’s stick to make it 1-0 early.

This set the tone, and with suffocating defense and solid goaltending, the Stick Figures held the highest-scoring team to just 2 goals.

Overall, this was a massive 2 points for the Stick Figures, and with this win, they look to build momentum and keep the pace going.

#2 Defensive Player of the Week – Steve O’Brien (Stick Figures)

Although Jeff did the work getting Gately, that wasn’t his only move to bolster his defensive line. Another defensive beast was brought in and added to the Stick Figures—Steve O’Brien.

Steve also played for the Stick Figures last season but spent the first half of this season with the Mothmen. After acquiring Steve, Jeff now had his ideal defensive pairing of Gately combined with Steve, which proved last season to be a very potent combination.

Steve went on in this game to provide essential defensive play and much-needed speed. Sprinting into plays to repeatedly break things up, shutting down the starts of the Spiders’ offense, and providing high defensive IQ plays all game long.

The speed boost alone was essential in the Stick Figures’ strategy. This allows Steve to jump into the offensive play while still having the conditioning and speed to sprint back into defense at a moment’s notice.

Steve’s high-speed style and smart defensive positioning will be essential going forward as the Stick Figures look to improve their standing position. As of now, they are off to a solid rebound.

#3 Defensive Player of the Week – Ben Lotzkar (Mustangs)

Often an overlooked player who flies under the radar, Ben Lotzkar isn’t known for his scoring or offensive performance—but his defensive IQ and positioning are something to admire.

Ben is constantly laying his body on the line, blocking repeated booming slap shots from the point, wrist shots in tight, and breaking up plays in his defensive end.

One player who clearly noticed this performance was his new captain, J-Mac, who made multiple trades in order to get him onto his squad. And that move might just pay dividends for the young captain.

Ben did his job to perfection and was an anchor all game long against a struggling but desperate-for-a-win Mothmen squad. He made a multitude of plays in front of his netminder to clear balls out of dangerous scoring areas, laying down to block shots and disrupting chances consistently.

In the 1st period, he also managed to chip in offensively, scoring a wonky goal from the point to get the scoring started.

Other players who truly appreciate Ben’s play are the goalies he plays in front of. They recognize the sacrifice he makes night in and night out.

His goaltender Manny had this to say:

“I love the guy. He’s always jumping in front of shots no matter who’s shooting it—eating blast after blast to limit shots on net. That’s a guy who gives me confidence in net.”

All in all, a great week for the tenured defenseman, who now has 2 cups under his belt in just 3 seasons—a trend that bodes very well moving forward.

Golden Goaltending

#1 Goalie of the Week – Brad “The Flow” Wall (Stick Figures)

Man, what else can you say about this guy?

His goaltending was on point against a very dangerous opponent in the Spiders. Having to face Aidan Lovett, Ryan Gurley, Jordon Cookson, and Matt Leary, Brad had some serious work cut out for him.

However, with solid help from his defensemen in front, Brad played his best game of the season. He faced a total of 34 shots and stopped all but 2, making 32 saves and finishing with a 2.00 GAA and a 0.941 save percentage.

After a shaky start this season with the Mustangs, Jeff Beattie—captain of the Stick Figures—went out and acquired the goalie he had last season, Brad Wall. So far, that move has immediately paid off, as Brad’s play has noticeably improved.

In his first game against his former squad, he also played well despite the loss—facing 46 shots and stopping 42 of them, finishing with a 4.00 GAA and a 0.913 save percentage.

That brings his last two games to a combined 0.925 save percentage and a 3.53 GAA—a massive improvement since the trade.

This shows Brad’s resilience under stressful circumstances. Being traded to a new roster can shake some players, but he didn’t let it get under his skin or into his head. Instead, he translated it into high-level performance and strong goaltending.

Brad was an absolute fortress in net this past Sunday and managed to limit the highest offensive team to just 2 goals, securing a 4-2 victory.

The Stick Figures still have a long way to go and a tough hill to climb, but with performances like this from Brad—and the defensive support in front of him—they may just pull it off.

Only time will tell, but a great second game from Wall to keep them alive. The dream continues.

#2 Goalie of the Week – Dan “DH” Harding (Spiders)

Having played a solid game, despite some strange goals finding their way into the back of the net, Harding performed well throughout.

He faced 34 shots and stopped 31 of them, finishing with a 3.00 GAA and a 0.912 save percentage.

Although his team came up short, there were moments where it felt like the hockey gods were against him and the Spiders. Two of the three goals resulted from odd bounces—both off the boards behind him—one off a blocker save, and another off a defensive attempt to wrap the ball around the net that took a strange bounce and resulted in the game-winning goal.

It’s been a somewhat up-and-down season for the veteran goaltender, with solid performances mixed with a few tougher outings. Harding will look to continue improving his game and help his team get back into the win column.

As of now, the Spiders have dropped to 4th place with the recent loss and will be eager to bounce back this Sunday in a tough matchup against the high-octane Mustangs offense.

#3 Goalie of the Week – Igor “Iggy” Burdetskiy (Flex Goalie, Mothmen)

The Mothmen came into this game in need of a win, and while they ultimately fell just short, they had a real chance thanks to the goaltending of Iggy.

Flexing in for the Moths, Iggy delivered a strong performance against a very dangerous Mustangs offense. He faced a massive 52 shots and stopped 47 of them, finishing with a 5.00 GAA and a 0.903 save percentage—which is very respectable given the volume and quality of chances he faced.

Iggy made multiple key saves, including breakaways, one-timers, and heavily screened shots, and was excellent at controlling rebounds.

Although the Mustangs came out strong in the 1st period, scoring 3 early goals, Iggy settled in and locked things down to give his team a chance to mount a comeback.

The Mothmen ultimately fell just short in a tight 5-4 loss—close, and only close in large part due to Iggy’s performance in net.

Overall, a great effort—never gave up.

Standings so far…

1st Place - Marshfield Gators: 4-1-0 / Points 8 / GF 25 / GA 20 / GD +5
2nd Place – Mustangs: 4-1-0 / Points 8 / GF 26 / GA 22 / GD +4
3rd Place – Smokey Joes: 3-1-1 / Points 7 / GF 26 / GA 24 / GD +2
4th Place – Spiders: 3-2-0 / Points 6 / GF 31 / GA 20 / GD +11
5th Place – Stick Figures: 1-4-0 / Points 2 / GF 20 / GA 30 / GD -10
6th Place – Mothmen: 0-4-1 / Points 1 / GF 19 / GA 31 / GD -12

Upcoming Games…

(5/3/26) 9:00AM - Spiders at Mustangs (Key Matchup: Aiden vs J-Mac)
(5/3/26) 10:30AM – Smokey Joes at Mothmen (Key Matchup: Ryan Doherty vs Johnny Krukiel)
(5/3/26) 12:00PM – Stick Figures at Marshfield Gators (Key Matchup: Shane McNamara vs Matt Avenia)

Now that we are at the halfway point, start thinking about who you want to vote for in the awards this season! Still lots of games left, but it never hurts to start early 😊

Thank you all, have a great week—see you Sunday!

—Dan H