Season+2

__Update 1__ The second season is about to get under-way. The eight schools are returning. The schedule has been increased to 28 games, 4 games with opponents home/away. The playoffs have been altered a bit. The 4th and 5th place schools will meet in a "play-in" game for the right to enter the Final Four. The semi-finals (1 vs. 4, 2 vs. 3) will be best-of-3 series. The championship final will be a best-of-5 series. ---

__Update 2__ The first set of games, a quarter of the schedule completed. No real break-away team at this point.

__Goaltending:__ Bengtsson (2, RMC) ... 3.98 games, 1.76 ... Cervantes (2, CCH) ... 6.63 games, 2.26 ... Grove (3, LUC) ... 6.57 games ... 2.89. __Scoring:__ Naglich (3, BAN) ... 5 / 9, 14 points ... Deardorff (3, OAK) ... 5 / 9, 14 points ... Garavini (4, OAK) 3 / 9, 12 points ... Macinauer (2, OAK) 5 / 6, 11 points. ---

__Update 3__ The mid-point of the schedule, with the Oaks and Crusaders leading the way. __Goaltending:__ Cervantes (so, CCH) 11.95 g, 2.51 .. Bengtsson (so, RMC) 11.02 g, 2.54 .. Pielmeire (sr, OAK) 11.97 g, 2.67 .. Grove (jr, LUC) 13.22 g, 3.18. __Scoring__: Deardorff (jr rw, OAK) 11-15, 26 pts .. Naglich (jr c, BAN) 8-18, 26 pts .. Macinauer (so c, OAK) 14-10, 24 pts .. Garavini (sr lw, OAK) 8-15, 23 pts .. Burt (jr lw, OAK) 7-12, 19 pts .. Novakov (so rw, BAN) 7-12, 19 pts. --- __Update 4__ The Oakridge Oaks completed another dominating regular season. Let's see if they avoid another shocking upset in the semi-finals! In the play-in game, it'll be Lucas @ Banting; the winner to play the Oaks. CCH and RMC in the other semi-final. Both are best-of-3 series. --- __Leaders:__ __Goalies__ Pielmeire (senior, OAK) 1138 min., 2.48 .. Cervantes (sophomore, CCH) 1150 min., 2.56 .. Bengtsson (sophomore, RMC) 1269 min., 2.79 (3 sho) .. Grove (junior, LUC) 1457 min., 3.13. __Scorers__ Macinauer (sophomore, OAK) 25-22, 47 .. Deardorff (junior, OAK) 17-30, 47 .. Naglich (junior, BAN) 14-29, 43 .. Mekala (sophomore, CCH) 19-21, 40 .. Garavini, (senior, OAK) 14-24, 38 .. Yilmaz (junior, SOU) 18-17, 35 .. Sanschulte (senior, CCH) 14-21, 35. ---

__Update 5__ The playoffs begin! The play-in game between the Lucas Vikings (12-15-1) and Banting Broncos (13-13-2) for the lovely privilege to meet the Oakridge Oaks (25-3-0) in a semi-final (!). The Broncos came into the game with the home ice advantage but with just 1 win in their last 6 games. The Vikings, likewise, just a win in their last 6 games. That win was a thrilling 6-5 OT decision at home against Banting two weeks ago, down 4-2 and 5-4 before tying it with the extra man and winning it in the added session. The teams split the 4 games this season. Lucas junior G Grove to get the start (24.28 games, 3.13 GAA). Banting sophomore G Brossoit (20.12 games, 3.38 GAA) to oppose him. The Vikings led by freshman winger Gee (17-7, 24), junior winger Urbey (12-20, 32), and sophomore C Xie (6-24, 30). The Broncos led by junior C Naglich (14-29, 43; 3rd in the scoring race), senior C Blackwater (13-19, 32), senior C Guendler (10-22, 32), and sophomore winger Novakov (10-21, 31). No injuries, all on board.

P1) The Broncos came out rocking, dominated the period, 6-2 in quality chances. However, the Vikings struck first! Sophomore D Tribble (4 goals in the reg. season) connected through a maze of players off a pass from senior winger Alfaro, 14:46. Quickly, BAN responded, Novakov (Naglich, Bempechat), at 16:18. //(LUC 1, BAN 1)// P2) Another good period for the home side, a 5-3 edge in QCs. Guendler struck twice - at 7:12 on the PP (Blackwater, Bempechat) and at 18:51 (Myszkowski) - and missed an open net for a 3rd goal. //(BAN 3, LUC 1)// P3) BAN senior reserve D Cumberworth broke LUC's heart with a crappy goal at 2:06 (Bempechat, Stamps), creating big space. The Vikings had few chances but connected on a big one at 12:42, Alfaro (Tribble, Xie) from the slot. Guendler suffered an ankle injury shortly after and did not return. LUC pulled G Grove early, with 2:26 remaining, and finally cut the lead to one when Xie scored on a rebound (Lemerre, Urbey) at 19:33. But it was too late. //(BAN 4, LUC 3)// The Broncos moved on to meet the Oaks in a best-of-3 semifinal. The RMC Titans and CCH Crusaders to battle in the other semi. ---

Banting Broncos (13-13-2) @ Oakridge Oaks (25-3-0) The Oaks won all 4 games during the season, outscoring the Broncs 17-10. The starting goalies - BAN's sophomore Brossoit (20.12 games, 3.38), OAK's senior Pielmeire (18.97 games, 2.48). The scoring stars - BAN's junior C Naglich (14-29, 43) and senior winger Blackwater (13-19, 32), OAK's sophomore C Macinauer (25-22, 47) and junior winger Deardorff (17-30, 47).
 * LDSS Semi-finals, Game 1**

P1) The Broncos came out flying, dominated the opening 20 minutes. Naglich scored on the PP (Blackwater, Guendler, 9:44) for the first strike. OAK responded with sophomore winger Ruchames' goal (Garavini, 11:06) less than 2 minutes later. But freshman Durden connected late in the period (Stamps, Novakov, 17:23) for the 2-1 lead. P2) BAN continued to drive the play for much of the period. However, a miscue led to the tying goal from Ruchames again (Deardorff, Hardison, 1:16) right off the start, 2-2. The Oaks took the lead for good at 12:47, freshman C Fela's PP goal (Burt, Garavini), 3-2. Frustrating for the Broncos because they had the edge in play again, only to be stymied by poor execution in the O-zone and Pielmeire's key stops and smotherings. P3) The Broncos tied things up at 7:30, freshman Durden's marker (Urbancheck, Guendler), and things were up for grabs in the final 10 minutes. The Oaks prevailed, getting star C Macinauer's go-ahead goal (Garavini, 10:16) and sophomore star D Ekiert's goal (Garavini) on the PP at 11:33. BAN couldn't muster a come-back in the final few minutes. **(OAK 5, BAN 3)**

RMC Titans (13-13-2) @ CCH Crusaders (18-9-1) The Crusaders won the last 3 games during the season after an opening 2-1 loss, and outscored RMC 13-7. The starting goalies - RMC's sophomore Bengtsson (21.15 games, 2.79, 3 shutouts), CCH's sophomore Cervantes (19.17 games, 2.56). The scoring stars - RMC's junior C Clouzot (12-18, 30) and senior winger Parn (14-13, 27), CCH's sophomore C Mekala (19-21, 40) and senior winger Sanschulte (14-21, 35).

P1) The Crusaders struck early, and crowd responded, the Titans never found their way. Sophomore C Zengelowski (Hoyle, Chari, 4:32) and freshman winger Sonnenfeld (Hoyle, Namdar, 9:19) connected for the 2-0 edge. P2) RMC rebounded, got some good scoring chances, had the edge in play. The Titans cut the lead in half early when senior winger Giot found the mesh (Beaty, Parn) on the PP at 3:58. The rest of the period was goal-free with some close calls at both ends. P3) Again, the Titans carried the play but G Cervantes was strong to the test, and CCH junior Hoyle completed a 3-point night, scoring (Zengelowski, St. Cyr) at 9:29. With the extra attacker for the better part of 120 seconds, RMC's scoring chances were slim and passes misfired. The Crusaders held firm for the victory. **(CCH 3, RMC 1)**

Oakridge @ Banting P1) Out came the Broncos on home ice this time, and out-skated, out-muscled, and out-chanced the Oaks. //And// out-scored them! Yikes. It was 3-0 after 20 minutes. Senior C Guendler connected first, 4:33 (Berthiame, Naglich), on the PP. That was followed by goals from freshman winger Durden (Guendler, 10:08) and sophomore winger Novakov (Blackwater, Bempechat, 19:13). OAK also lost star D Ekiert to injury for the rest of the game. P2) The Oaks cut the deficit 6 minutes into the period, freshman C Fela scoring (Hardison, Garavini). The Broncos responded at 8:50, Novakov again (Berthiame), 4-1. But the Oaks showed their prowess over the next 10 minutes and pulled to within a goal, junior winger Hardison connecting twice (Ndoh, Deardorff, 12:17) (Deardorff, 16:44), the first being on the PP. Made for an interesting final 20 minutes. P3) To everyone's surprise, the home side came out flying - //not// the visitors! BAN put the game away, scoring the most goals against star G Pielmeire all season. THREE more. Sophomore Bempechat (Brink, Myszkowski, 1:48), Guendler again (Naglich, Brink, 3:11, PP), and senior Blackwater (Naglich, 12:46) gave the delirious Broncs' fans a thrill with a dominant win, forcng a winner-take-all game back in the Oaks' rink in 48 hours. **(BAN, 7, OAK 3)**
 * LDSS Semi-finals, Game 2**

CCH @ RMC P1) The Crusaders were on a mission. The Titans had no chance in the opening period. In the first 14 minutes, CCH plopped in 3 against Bengtsson - the first 2 by junior winger Hoyle (he had 3 points in the opening game) and the 3rd from star C Mekala. Hoyle's goals (Todd, Mekala, 0:51) (Sanschulte, Namdar, 9:39, PP) were beauties. Sanschulte set up Mekala's goal at 14:42. P2) The Crusaders piled it on, looked championship-like. Junior winger St. Cyr (Zengelowski, Mekala) connected at 1:52. Mekala - again - found the ropes (Sonnenfeld, Gotshalk) late in the period, 18:28. Yikes, 5-0. P3) A family skate in the final 20 minutes, no meaningless intimidation, no confrontations, the Titans finally solving Cervantes at 14:43, winger Giot's goal (appropriate for the graduating senior) from D Kaxiras. A sweep for the Crusaders. They get a few extra days' rest watching the rubber match at Oakridge. **(CCH 5, RMC 1)**

Banting @ Oakridge P1) Even play, some neutral ice dominance. The Oaks struck early, with bench reserve D Bourbon connecting (Karovska, Hardison) at 1:46. Completely unexpected. But it always happens in the playoffs. He hadn't scored all season, just 4 assists. Bourbon was spelling off star D Ekiert until he finished some treatment in the early going. Go figure. The Broncos replied, though. Senior winger Myszkowski (Guendler, Berthiame, 6:21). He'd had 4 goals in the regular season, 1st in the post-season. The rest of the period, no close calls, 1-1. P2) Again, a very tight-checking period, not a lot of space out there. The Oaks finally solved Brossoit for the 2nd time when junior winger Deardorff scored (Macinauer, Garavini) on the PP at 14:33. Deardorff's 1st of the post-season, 4th point. Garavini's 6th assist in 3 games. The Oaks lost sophomore C Fairchild for the rest of the game due to injury; they had a 2-1 edge through 40 minutes. P3) The Oaks looked to have put things away when star C Macinauer scored his 2nd of the playoffs, 27th of the season (Hardison, Karovska) on the PP at 2:13. But the Broncos rallied back quickly - junior C Naglich scoring off D Bruskin's point drive (3:19), 3-2. Plenty of hockey left. Just past the 10-minute mark, the Broncos had their best chance to tie the game when sophomore winger Novakov set up senior D Stamps for a lovely slot drive - but he missed wide. Ugh. The Oaks put the game out of reach at 17:28, freshman Fela with his 3rd of the playoffs (Macinauer, Deardorff) from the big men, 4-2. BAN's effort with the empty net was futile, no clear chances. **(OAK 4, BAN 2)**
 * LDSS Semi-finals, Game 3**

The Oaks survived a scare - again. Last season's nightmare loss to RMC in the semis was playing mind games, no doubt. But he we are, the top 2 teams in the best-of-5 final. As it should be. CCH @ OAK in 72 hours, the opener. ---

CCH Crusaders (18-9-1) @ Oakridge Oaks (25-3-0) The 4 games in the regular season were split with the Oaks outscoring the Crusaders 12-10. CCH entered the best-of-5 series in defender mode, having won Season 1 against the RMC Titans. OAK desperate to win its first title after a shocking elimination last season and a near-elimination in this season's semi vs. Banting.
 * LDSS Final, Game 1 **

P1) An even period, though CCH took the early lead - junior winger St. Cyr on the PP (Sanschulte, 5:39). OAK D Sardelich was pulled off //again // a minute later, and CCH connected again, freshman C Namdar (Hoyle, St. Cyr) at 7:33. Yikes. Quick lead. Sardelich in the dog house. The Oaks replied finally at 13:32, star junior winger Deardorff (Burt, Macinauer) with the goal, 2-1. OAK couldn't capitalize on a Crusader penalty late in the period. P2) The teams traded goals. OAK D Karovska drilled a point shot for the 2-2 tie (Deardorff, Garavini) just 43 seconds into the period. CCH sophomore C Mekala stunned the Oaks' fans at 11:11 with a SH goal (Thurston, Sonnenfeld), 3-2. P3) It was all CCH in the final 20 minutes. Amazing onslaught. Three goals within 10 minutes. Junior winger Hoyle (St. Cyr, Namdar) at 2:51, sophomore winger Todd (Thurston, Namdar) at 7:23, and Mekala again (Sanschulte, Rhodes) at 12:55. The Oaks countered with a late goal from senior winger Garavini (Emmini, Macinauer) at 15:05. But the damage had been done. **(CCH 6, OAK 3) **(Total scoring chances, 6-6, CCH didn't miss!)

Again, OAK star G Pielmeire was pummelled. Six goals. Banting hammered him in the semi. His two worst games in two seasons. Would OAK have the stones to sit him for Game 2 in the Crusaders' rink? ---

Oakridge Oaks @ CCH Crusaders
 * LDSS Final, Game 2 **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">**P1)** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">CCH killed off 2 penalties early and G Cervantes had to make a couple of big stops. But the Oaks kept coming, and opened the scoring at 10:13, junior winger Hardison connecting (Fela). Two minutes later, it was 2-0. Star C Macinauer scored (Ekiert, Ndoh) at 12:33. But the Crusaders hung in there, and it paid off when senior winger Sanschulte tipped in point shot from D Chari (Mekala) at 17:52. It was 2-1 after 20 minutes. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">**P2)** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">A defensive struggle, though the Oaks continue to dominate the play and chances. A crucial goal made it 3-1, D Karovska's blast (Garavini) at 7:46. CCH G Cervantes stood on his head late with TWO big saves. Otherwise, it would have been a rout. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">**P3)** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">A couple of penalty kills by the Crusaders kept it close. But mid-way through, 9:42, junior winger Deardorff connected (Ekiert), and OAK held the fort the rest of the way for a convincing victory, +6 in chances. **(OAK 4, CCH 1)**

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">A series split, basically a best-of-3 after all. Back to Oakridge. ---

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #b22222; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 1.5;">CCH Crusaders @ Oakridge Oaks, Best-of-5, Series 1-1
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">LDSS Final, Game 3 **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The Crusaders' relied upon G Cervantes to get them through the first 20 minutes with a 1-0 lead as they were out-chanced -3. Sophomore C Mekala scored his 3rd of the final (Kohl, Rhodes) at 6:42. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">**P2)** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Both teams killed off some key penalties and the play's edge went to the Crusaders to a slim degree. No scoring, however. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">**P3)** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Again, even play, two big penalty kills (one each) prior to the 10-minute mark. The Oaks pressed hard in the later stages, and finally, senior winger Garavini notched his 2nd of the final (Fairchild) on the PP at 15:18. Huge goal, tie game. We headed to OT. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">**OT1)** <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">Both teams were hit with a penalty in the early stages of the extra period. Both killed off. The game was decided at 12:43, CCH's freshman Sonnenfeld finding the mesh off assists from Sanschulte and Namdar! **(CCH 2, OAK 1)**
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">P1) **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 10pt;">The Crusaders, a win away from their 2nd title in a row! Back to their home rink, too. ---

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #b22222; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; line-height: 1.5;">Oakridge Oaks @ CCH Crusaders (Best-of-5, CCH leads series 2-1)
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">LDSS Final, Game 4 **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">A nervous opening 20 minutes for both teams, little action, one critical scoring attempt for the Oaks - junior winger Burt denied by CCH G Cervantes. The Crusaders had a PP but no shots. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">The home side gained some energy from the crowd, and a huge push in the first few shifts led to the opening goal. Star sophomore C Mekala connected (Kohl, Sanschulte) at 3:43, CCH up 1-0. Less than 3 minutes later, 3rd-liner, sophomore winger Todd found the mesh (Zengelowski, Rhodes), 6:17. Big hole to dig out of for the Oaks. They couldn't solve the Crusader defence, couldn't get to Cervantes, a flat period for a team which was so dominant all season long, -3 in chances over the 40 minutes. <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Again, the Crusaders went into lock-down mode in the first 7-8 minutes, Oakridge frustrated at every turn. No clean scoring chances for the visitors. CCH C Mekala rose to the challenge, scoring again at 10:49 (Benabou, Sonnenfeld), 3-0, a come-back almost insurmountable. OAK freshman C Fela took a cheap penalty a few minutes later, which drained any possible momentum last-ditch drive for the Oaks. The Crusaders went +4 in the final period for an extraordinary effort, G Cervantes with a 2nd straight masterful performance. **<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">(CCH 3, OAK 0) **
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">P1) **
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">P2) **
 * <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">P3) **

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">The Catholic Central Crusaders, repeat champions! <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">The Oakridge Oaks, winners of 25 of 28 regular season games, ended up losing //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">FOUR //<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"> games in the post-season. Just can't predict these things, huh? <span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Fun season.

<span style="background-color: #ffffff; font-family: Verdana,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">---