SHAKE, RATTLE & ROLL Welcome to the 2016/2017 T/P.W.H.L. Season. It’s a draft year, with new teams, new looks and new possibilities! It should be a great one, so fasten your seatbelts and here we go!
Season Opening Week 1 hosted 3 exciting games – the Cheetahs (0-0-0) vs. the Gators (0-0-0); the Grizzlies (0-0-0) vs. Hornets (0-0-0); vs. the Scorpions (0-0-0) vs. the Pythons (0-0-0).
Game 1 (Cheetahs vs. Gators) Period One started out with both sides getting the feel of new team mates and new opponents and it took until the half way mark of the first (7:30) when the Cheetahs’ Isaac Vescio took a Roberto Monteiro pass and slid it by Gators’ keeper Brad Gordon. 1-0 Cheetahs. Less than 2 minutes later (9:08) the Gators drew even when Nicole Neeson (unassisted) picked up an errant pass just inside the Cheetah’s zone and caught the Gators’ keeper Torrance Ho looking (1-1). The resulting face-off saw the Gators’ Neeson win the draw muscle, her way through the offensive and defensive lines, and again with a totally unassisted effort beat a surprised Torrance Ho (9:10) 2-1 Gators. It took a couple of minutes for the Cheetahs’ to recoup their composure and at 11:18 the Cheetah’s Roberto Monteiro made his own unassisted effort winning a puck battle in front of the Gators’ net and tapped it by the Gators’ Brad Gordon (2-2). The stale mate held until the final minute mark (14:00) of the first when the Gators’ Nicole Neeson took a pass from rookie Rob Lagace and found the open side of the Cheetahs’ net giving the Gators the lead (3-2) and her first hat trick of the season. Period Two saw the Gators and Nicole Neeson come out flying and at 00:32 an unassisted effort gave the Gators a 4-2 lead. Less than a minute later (1:25) Neeson took a Scott Allen pass and pushed it by the Cheetahs’ keeper making their lead a margin of three (5-2) and the Cheetahs were left shell shocked. A strategic time out by the Cheetahs gave them a couple of minutes to regroup and it quickly paid off at the two minute mark when their Franco Paonessa (unassisted) took a quick shot from the top of the hash marks and beat Gators’ keeper Brad Gordon bringing the margin back to a deuce (5-3 Gators). At this point the Cheetahs started to take the game to the Gators but it still took until the ten minute mark when another unassisted effort by Franco Paonessa brought the Cheetahs to within one (5-4 Gators). This sparked the Cheetahs to push harder and within a few seconds (10:40) Roberto Monteiro (unassisted) broke in on the left wing and with a nice quick wrister caught the Gators’ keeper moving the wrong way and the game was tied (5-5). The Gators were now on their heels but they held fast and the second period ended with both sides knotted at five apiece. Period Three was going to tell the tale and it was a tight one from start to finish. The only goal of the period was scored on the same play that scored the game opener when the Cheetahs’ Roberto Monteiro fed a nice pass to Isaac Vescio (11:08) and he knocked it past the Gators’ keeper giving the Cheetahs the lead (6-5) and it held until the final buzzer. Final 6-5 Cheetahs over Gators.
Game 2 (Grizzlies vs. Hornets) Period One started much like the first game with both sides getting the feel of their new team mates and their new opponents. The Hornets were the first to strike when Brandy Edwards took a Mike Iacovone pass and beat Grizzlies’ keeper Mohit Sharma. 1-0 Hornets. The Grizzlies only needed thirty seconds to get it back when at 5:00 an unassisted effort by last year’s scoring leader Saverio Romano rifled one past Hornets’ keeper Neil Mercer knotting both sides at 1-1. Both sides exchanged opportunities for the next five minutes but no one could capitalize until the Hornets Mike Iacovone (9:50) broke past the Grizzlies defense and lifted one by the Grizzlies’ Mohit Sharma. 2-1 Hornets/ A little more than a minute later (10:57) the Hornets repeated with a solo effort by Brandy Edwards as she moved across of the top of the circles and fired one into the open side of the Grizzlies net. 3-1 Hornets. Period Two was all Grizzlies and all Saverio Romano. At 1:15 and 10:00 unassisted efforts by Romano brought the Grizzlies even with the Hornets (3-3). Period Three was again all Grizzlies. At 3:37 at tick tack toe play from Sean Celsie to Braden Martz to Saverio Romano gave the Grizzlies the lead (4-3) and there was no looking back. Another two markers from Romano at 7:40 (from Braden Martz) and at 8:30 (unassisted) gave the Grizzlies a 6-3 lead. In the dying seconds (14:50), to add insult to injury, the Grizzlies Erin Vassilakos picked up an errant pass and her and Sean Celsie walked in with only one man back and she made it count beating the weary Neil Mercer for the last marker of the game. Final 7-3 Grizzlies over Hornets.
Game 3 (Scorpions vs. Pythons) This one was a tight one from start to finish. Period One saw these two evenly matched teams quickly exchange some quality chances and it only took a few minutes for someone to capitalize. At 3:15 the Pythons Jeremy Schofield (unassisted) hit the corner with pin point accuracy hand cuffing the Scorpions’ keeper Leo Xu. 1-0 Pythons. At 5:45 another quality shot by Schofield (unassisted) caught the Scorpions keeper flat footed and the Pythons were up 2-0. It took a couple of minutes for the Scorpions leader to step up and at 7:15 Jerry Mariano (unassisted) slapped one from just inside the circle and it slid by Pythons’ keeper Tracey Taylor and the Scorpions were within one. 2-1 Pythons. Period Two only saw one goal and again it was the Pythons’ Jeremy Schofield (unassisted) when he found the ball in tight and slid it through the five hole past the Scorpions’ keeper giving him the hat trick and the Pythons a 3-1 lead. Period Three also only saw one goal and it was a comeback effort by the Scorpions. At 7:48 the Scorpions Jerry Mariano (unassisted) with his second marker of the game brought the Scorpions to within one (3-2 Pythons) but it was too little too late. Final 3-2 Pythons over Scorpions.
On October 22nd 2016, the Hornets take on the Scorpions; the Pythons take on the Cheetahs and the Gators take on the Grizzlies at Sunnyview Public School. Come watch the TPWHL next Saturday from 12:30 to 3:30.
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