Over 30 Hockey League

11^th Inductee

Please join us at 5:30PM center rink as we induct Mike Hollingsworth into the Over-30 Hall of Fame as the 11^th inductee.  Part of the original “Twin Towers” on defense with Billy Mack, Mike now joins Billy in the HoF…. Mike was an outstanding player, but not enough to get his jersey number sent to the virtual hall rafters, like Ed Nigro #7, Joe Shannon #44 and Billy Mack #2… and one day Jim Barber #10.

Mylec Winner

The “Season of Giving Back” continues… Congratulations Dale McIssac on winning the $250 Mylec Gift Certificate.  Dale can purchase up to $250 worth of hockey gear direct from Mylec.   He also has the option to visit the facility in Winchendon and take a Mylec tour and pick out his new gear.

Hey Dale!, don’t confuse this win with the 2025 “Mylec Player of the Year” award… we still haven’t voted on that yet and everyone knows that “Goalie Lives Don’t Matter” .

Speaking of the 2025 “Mylec Player of the Year” ballot… Look in your mailbox sometime in March… as we will be requesting the nominees from the captains soon.

Underdog Week

What a week to be an underdog… all of the higher seeds lost to their lower seed competition with the highlight (or lowlight) going to the M*A*S*H for the upset of the week.

M*A*S*H is officially the hottest team in the league with a 3-game winning streak… and last week they almost swept the awards categories, if Steve Iacoviello didn’t photo bomb the weekly awards.

Meanwhile Barney & Friends better bundle up for the rest of the winter as the official coldest team with a 3-game losing streak.

This week in the standings page, there are no warm teams to be had… your team is either hot or cold.  So, what are (you!) going to do to help the cause this week?

“The 11^th Man”

Ironically as we induct the “11^th Nominee” into the Hall of Fame… we have another Over-30 Golf Team that has committed for Golf Day 2025 called “The 11^th Man” starring Bob Snyder who will be shanking and scrambling them around Billerica CC with his foursome.

Rumors are circulating that Timmy Burke’s “Irish Mafia 3.0” is recruiting a new golfer after losing to Jason Carrien, Mike Naczas and Rob Sheridan last year.

We heard “Tito” is replacing one of his hacks with Bryson DeChambeau after watching him hit a hole in one over his glass fronted house.

“Super Dave”

Dave Costa just scored a goal for the 3^rd straight week sparking MVD voters to perk up and watch Dave a little closer.  Despite the loss because his teammates didn’t help him score… we might have to start calling him “Super Dave” Costa.

Watch as “Super Dave” not only scores goals on a weekly basis… but watch him slam dunk a basketball.

Stick to hockey “Super Dave”…. I smell an MVD vote cooking in the oven.

Guys Named Todd

Last week at Giggles it looked like Mark Stickney was trying out some new comedy material by using one of his teammates in the act.

We got some video footage of Mark trashing one of his wingers;

Despite Mark’s opinion on guys named “Toooooodd”… Todd Bryson looked like Pedro Martinez shaking off a 2-2 pitch call from Jason Varitek on Derek Jeter…  as Todd shook off a 1-1 call for a pass from Dave Norton.

Tied 1-1 Todd took an outlet pass into the offensive zone from “That’s a plus” Mike Naczas… Once Todd crossed the line into the offensive zone two things happen simultaneously:

1) Dave Norton who was wide open on the left wing immediately shouted “Todd” – calling for the pass.

2) Mike Naczas shouted “Get me the assist”

Todd, who didn’t recognize who was calling him because Dave has missed the last few weeks… (didn’t send one across)… and, before “Naz” could finish his plead for the assist, Todd had already ripped a BB past Jake Deehan for a 2-1 lead.

Nice goal…. “Toooooodd”

Hat Trick???

Ok, we need to talk here… Dave Norton returns to play only his 3^rd game of the season and celebrates by scoring his first 3-goals of the season… and his hat trick is up for debate.

“Norty”, who spent a few weeks with Tibetan Monks learning to find his inner peace… and it seemed to work as he led the team with 8-shots, had 2-assists and records a hat trick (if we wanna call it one)

Down 4-2 Azores Express captain “Super Dave” Costa pulls Jake from State Farm, (oh sorry, we mean pulls Jake from the net) with still like half the 3^rd period left to play.

Up 4-2 with 1:31 to play “Norty” buries an empty-net goal to make it 5-2… nothing to see here, just your basic “Nail in the coffin” goal.  But “Super Dave” refuses to put Jake Deehan back in net, as he was looking to make a chess move and see if Mike Naczas was still playing for the last 90-seconds to give Azores Express a chance to tie the game.

Norton then tucked in another ENG just 57-seconds later for the hat trick… some may call it a “Punk Move” but shame on Costa for not putting Jake back into the net.

Does “Norty” deserve to call it a “Hat Trick” with two ENG’s?

Comparable Fill-in

Immediately following their 6-4 Win… Cries of “A comparable fill-in” started rumbling from the losing team about Lee Nogler’s fill-in, Cam Long.

Comments like, “Lee would have never backchecked on Paul Firicano’s breakaway attempt” (Like, Cam did)…. “Lee would never be in those spots to score goals” (Like, Cam was)… “Lee is 20-years older and 40-pounds heavier (Than Cam is)”.

Listen we hear you… but it was also part of a social experiment to see what Cam can do with other #1 Stars like Rob Sheridan in the league and before rosters close on Week #11, the League Director wanted to see what the “Cam and Rob Show” would look like in 2025-2026.

Voted Out

With the thrill of victory (and only their second win)… players on Hammertime started asking their captain Jim Barber if he could pull some strings and talk to the League Director and get Cam Long as a permanent addition.

There were all kinds of trade proposals… Giving up the entire second line for Cam.  Putting Lee on waivers and claiming Cam from free agency… and even dressing Cam up in homeless hockey attire and calling him Donny.

In the end, Hammertime held a team tribal council meeting and they voted on who Cam should replace.

“Rob-bed” (Again)

You know why the “Punk Move” exists… it’s not the player’s fault, it’s the Referee’s fault, with their “I didn’t see it” style of refereeing. 

Take Rob Sheridan for example, super talented player, honest guy, so when he scores (and celebrates) a backhanded goal (and the Referee’s don’t see it)… but the Head Statistician witnessed the goal (and told Rob) after the fact, that it went in.

We know phantom assists are allowed on the scoring sheet…, but we can’t allow sympathy goals to be counted for their career stats.  But we did learn a fun fact about other “off the rink” officials.

Both the timekeeper and head statistician have a weighted opinion to call a good goal “if they see it”… but they cannot stop the game and award it.  Only the Referee’s can have a stoppage of play and if they request assistance from the “off rink” personnel, they can rule accordingly.  However, the final decision is left to the discretion of the Referees.

So yes, it was a good goal (that doesn’t count towards anything) except in your memories of all the goals you scored and the Refs missed.

However, with 5-points (1g, 4a) the “RPM” Chart (Rob’s Progress Meter) spiked like the Massachusetts Seismograph did on January 27^th… as the RPM meter registered a 5.0 magnitude game for the comeback kid.

“Great - Firsts”

He’s “first” in points… “first” in goals… “first” in assists… and was the “first” Mylec Player of the Year… and now Matty “The Great First” Iannello has another “first” to add to his resume on the way out the door. 

Matty was the “first” player to be tossed out of a face off draw under the new Faceoff Violations Policy.  Rumor has it that it was an inside job that was carefully constructed with a Referee on the take.

Regardless, he’s got a lot of “firsts” and one looming “last”… and just like his reign of scoring titles, career stats (now league records), they will live on in the Over-30 Hall of Fame after this season… His “last”.

The Gretzky(s)

First there was Wayne Gretzky and his famously wearing #99… the Over-30 League has “Pat” Gretzky… and now we have “Jose” Gretzky as Jose Silva is putting up some Gretzky like numbers in his last two games.

Both games 2-goals and 1-assist for a 6-point jump in the standings brought him from zero to 15^th.  One more 3 or 4 point game this week and “Jose” Gretzky could crack the top ten.

Masters Cut

No Over-30 championship, no scoring titles, no records and now no NBHL Masters team for Mike O’Neill, as news of his cut swirled through “Hecklers Row”.

So, what does Mike do… sit around being bitter?

Nope, he takes his revenge out on the Dominions and scores three (legit) goals for a hat trick (including the GWG) and adds 2-assists for a 5-point game.  Yeah, I can see why the NBHL Masters wouldn’t want a guy like Mike on the team… or maybe there was another reason;

Don’t work Mike… do you really want to play for “The Masters” anyway?   You’ll always have a roster spot in the Over-30 League and just don’t make anymore crazy predictions about “coming for records”… Joe Shannon’s single season records will never be touched… that is, unless Cam Long takes a run at them in 2025-2026.

#1 Draft Pick

Cam Long is the new hot chick that just moved into the neighborhood and every team captain is looking for a date with the 30yo.

We are not sure if Cam has made the rounds to all 6-teams yet… but one thing is certain, some lucky captain is going to have Cam all to themselves next season as he’s already a guaranteed #1 draft pick to replace “The Great One” Matty Iannello.

To all the captain’s… just because you team finishes in last place this season, it does not guarantee that you will get the #1 pick next season…. It means you’re a horrible captain as all 6-captains will have an equal amount of ping pong balls in the draft lottery for Cam.

The only thing that could taint Cam’s eligibility is if he offered a beer to the League Director without it being disguised in a Tito’s Koozie… Oh wait, he did that last week? 

Cam must not read the forum… Can the next captain that he fills in for, please explain the “Open Carry” policy to him.

Biggest Losers

The two goalies that met in the finals last season, one of which was the 2024 Winter Season “Best Goalie” winner, and the other was a goalie that just shut out the defending champions.

Last week, both stunk it up for their teams as the weekends, “Biggest Losers!!”

Sean Roach and Jake Deehan would have had a tough time stopping a beach ball last week as the two combined for 14-goals and the crowd in “Hecklers Row” thought that they were going to witness the first 10-goal game from a goalie.  Thankfully the bleeding stopped at 8-goals and neither walked off the rink.

Defensive Race

Uh-oh!... Look who entered the “Leading Defenseman Race” with 5-points… Coming off his AARP Weekly Award and his #2 Star of the game… could the ALD Mike Naczas be making a run at the top spot?

Thanks to players like Jason Carrien on IR with a thumb injury…, Rumor has it, he forgot to take his thumb out of his ass before riding the pine after coming off a horrendous “that’s a minus” shift…  and, Chris Torres suffering from some bubonic plague ailment… the pack of “fiver’s” could each take a shot at the top spot this week.