Week of February 1(Game 1) – Two teams needing the points in the standings faced each other as the Shooting Stars built an early lead, only to watch it disappear in forty-eight seconds, then had to come back late in the game to earn a 5 – 5 tie against White Lightning. Scott Young got his White Lightning team into the lead with just under four minutes left in the first period, set up by Derek Shaw out front. Two minutes later, Mark Stickney answered for the Shooting Stars, as he was set up by John Mastrocola and Matt Reghitto. Just over thirty seconds later, John Mastrocola gave his team its first lead, set up on the wing by George Medeiros and Ray Dow.
In the second period, the game remained close until Matt Reghitto scored from the point with three minutes left in the period to give the Shooting Stars a commanding two-goal lead and control of this game. However, that would all change in a span of less than fifty seconds at the end of the period by Pat Pirone. First, Pat found himself in the right spot at the right time to pounce on a rebound of a shot off the defenseman. Then, with two seconds left in the period, and the goalie slow to react to cover the far post, Pat swooped in to steal the ball and wrap it into the open net while his team was short-handed. Game tied.
Desperate to regain the momentum and control of this game, the Shooting Stars Ray Dow scored a power play goal five minutes in on a bomb from the left point. However, White Lightning scored the next two goals, one by George Zeinert, the other by Tony Bono. With just under two minutes to play in the game, George Medeiros made his shot count and tied the game for the Shooting Stars. This was a well-earned point by both teams.
Week of February 1(Game 2) – This was the best game of the season so far, and perhaps last season as well. This game was a hard fought, intense, quick paced, physical yet clean back and forth contest, played like a tournament level game between Cuckoo’s Nest and Blame the Girl. Both teams matched each other in goals, hustle and work ethic. We even watched Ray Nickerson actually run hard in this game. In the end, Cuckoo’s Nest won 5 – 4 in overtime to hand Blame the Girl its first loss of the season. Blame the Girl came out running and gunning in the first period, carrying the play with a strong fore check. This style paid off as Blame the Girl’s Carlos Machado found himself open on the right wing and scored just over four minutes in. Keeping up the pressure resulted in Tony Medeiros scoring from the slot three minutes later to give his Blame the Girl team a commanding lead.
Heading into the second period, the defense of Cuckoo’s Nest made some strategic adjustments to give themselves some separation from Blame the Girl’s strong fore check. The move paid off as Cuckoo’s Nest moved the ball out quickly to generate some scoring chances. Late in the period, Angelo Deluca scored off the left wing and thirty seconds later, Matty Iannello scored in tight off a highlight assist by Shawn Wyatt. However, Tony Medeiros answered right back, scoring his second goal with thirty seconds to play in the period.
A minute into the third period, Shawn Wyatt changed the momentum by scoring on a breakaway followed by Nick Romano’s top corner sniper goal only thirty seconds later. A late power play opportunity for Blame the Girl resulted in a goal by Dominic Defrancisco from the high slot, sending this game into overtime. Halfway through the overtime, the defense of Blame the Girl shot the ball into the netting giving Cuckoo’s Nest a power play. Matty Iannello’s heads up steal behind the net and pass back to the point paid off as Joe Shannon took a cross point feed and scored the game winner. Somehow during this game, Shawn Wyatt transformed himself into the silky smooth Patrick Kane.