A couple of weeks ago, the IW Crew got the chance to venture out to Palm Springs for the much anticipated unveiling of the new gear that will be released in 2013 at Bauer World. Bauer World is a week long event that gathers the world’s biggest Bauer retailers so that we can get to see and use never seen Bauer gear before it hits the shelves next year. It was also a great learning experience being able to personally interact with the very insightful product managers, picking their brains about the most specific details possible. The most exciting part of the trip was testing out the 2013 products, seeing and feeling the how the new technologies can enhance your performance.

The headlining product for next year is the Bauer Vapor APX2 skate. With an all-new Tuuk Lightspeed Edge holder with a quick “trigger” release and a brand new lacing system, expect this skate to make some noise in the industry. The Tuuk Lightspeed Edge holder is going to add versatility and reassurance to players everywhere with this quick release option. By compressing the trigger and using a wedging tool to pop out the end of the runner, it takes no time at all to do a swap especially compared to the traditional way that can take a player completely out of their game. This quick-release mechanism gives a player peace of mind knowing that if a runner breaks in a game that they won’t miss a shift. The Lightspeed Edge Holder gives the player an option to carry runners sharpened for different ice hardness too, elevating the level of preparedness just that much more. The holder is overall 3mm taller to provide a sharper and tighter turn by preventing the player from “bottoming out” when the boot meets the ice. While 3mm does not sound like much, after skating Easton RS’ and Bauer Supreme ONE100 LE skates a few days prior, the APX2 skate felt like it was the most aggressive skate of the bunch. Extremely tight turns were possible without much effort and leaning cross-overs felt much more gravitationally-assisted than usual. With the gain in distance you can lean one side or the other, it does take a little more distance to recover to a neutral stance but I definitely believe the positive outweighs the negative. The injected stability lacing system is an all new one-piece design that helps to maximize energy return and stability. Unlike the traditional design, this one-piece construction reduces the amount of energy lost providing more power through each and every stride. The one-piece eyelet system is built out of the same material found in the Tuuk holder making it much more durable and stronger than a single-eyelet system.

Earlier in 2012, Bauer made a move to purchase Cascade helmets in order to continue to expand and grow. While Cascade was leading the lacrosse market, their newer hockey department, which includes the M11 helmet, was co-developed by NHL legend and 6 time Stanley Cup winner Mark Messier. Bauer’s acquisition of Cascade brings Mr. Messier on board as well, which will continue to be an exciting journey for both parties. Mark was at Bauer World, hanging out and answering questions like the product managers.  The IW Crew got the chance to shoot some pucks and small talk with him, reminiscing on past times and getting excited for what’s to come.

The first helmets Bauer will release stemming from Cascade will be the IMS 11.0 and the IMS 7.0. These new helmets will have a more streamlined look than the original Cascade helmets with the addition of some of Bauer most popular foams. The IMS 11.0 is essentially Bauer’s spin on the Cascade M11 Pro helmet that uses the adavanced Seven Techonolgy™ along with the addition of Bauer’s Poron XRD™ foam that was seen in the Re-Akt helmets. The IMS 7.0 also incorporates the Seven™ Technology but not the Poron XRD™ foam and doesn’t have as much of a low profile as the IMS 11.0.

That was a quick peek at the 2013 Bauer gear, when it gets closer to their respective launch dates be sure to check back for even more detailed analysis and reviews of all the new gear coming out. Next week look out for more unreleased sneak peeks!

Jonas Hiller. Need I say more? Out of all the helmets in the NHL, I choose Jonas Hiller’s designs because of their simplicity, cleanliness and aesthetics. Let me start out by saying that I am NOT an Anaheim Ducks fan (in fact quite the opposite), but it was his simple matte black mask that first caught my eye back in 2010.

A lot of the goalies‘ masks today seem too busy and leave the viewer reeling and confused about where they’re supposed to look or the meaning behind the design. Hiller’s mask, on the other hand, had a fresh and clean look to it. The gold metal of the cage and screws contrasts the matte black perfectly for questionably my favorite mask of all time.

In November of 2011, Hiller had his mask painted for a noble cause: Movember. If you don’t know what Movember is or what it stands for, shame on you. All kidding aside, Movember is a month long (mustache growing) effort to raise funds and awareness for various men’s health issues including prostate cancer. “I just wanted to do something different,” Hiller said. “I talked to my painter [Alec Voggel] and he said, ‘Yeah, what do you think? We should just do a couple of masks this year. I sent him the whole theme about Movember and guys growing a mustache.” Now when you think of Ducks with mustaches, one name usually pops into mind: George Parros.  But…

Hiller had the ducks team at the time pictured on his helmet with either real mustaches or a photoshopped version of one better than they could actually grow. From this point on, Hiller kept Anaheim and his team on his mind (and his head) when it came to designing future helmets.

One mask lies between the mask that Hiller will wear in the upcoming (hopefully) 2012-2013 season. The 3D Wild Wing mask of the remainder of the 2011-2012 season.

This one is pretty self explanatory. A little busier than we’re used to with Hiller, but still remaining loyal to his team by featuring the Ducks’ mascot Wild Wing in a 3D design.

Ok, now the 2012-2013 mask. It features elements from all of his past helmets and in my opinion will be the sickest looking mask to look for this season. Sticking with the Matte black and metallic golds, Hiller came up with this beauty.

This side of the mask shows Hiller’s love for Anaheim featuring the Ducks’ Home Arena, the Honda Center, and metallic gold Ducks logos with a throwback Mighty Ducks logo.

The other side shows more love for the area with a typical Southern California surfer silhouette and then a shout out to his Swiss home country with the Swiss emblem at the base of the back.

Well this was my two cents about Hiller’s masks but I’d be interested in hearing your argument for another goalie’s mask.

The NHL lockout has left us all with a lot more free time than we would like. No longer the evenings and nights watching the various games or sitting in front of the computer setting the fantasy hockey lineups. Some of us spend their newly acquired time watching lesser sports or living in denial; pretending that EA Sports’ NHL 13 is the NHL season. Others of us though, are spending our extra free time conditioning and training for our own (non-locked out) season. I’d like to share a solid, hockey-specific leg/cardio workout that we did last night. This workout is best done on grass or a track. So don your apparel and head out there.

We begin with a few warm-up laps around the track to get the blood pumping. Following that, make sure to stretch out to ensure that your legs will make it all the way to the end of the work out. After you complete your stretching, set up a beginning marker and an end marker around 50 feet away. Then you run sprints from the beginning marker to the end marker. Run full speed until you reach the end marker and jog back to the beginning marker. Repeat this 10 times and then move the marker back 25 ft. Complete the full speed sprints 8 times and move it back again another 25 ft. Now begin the 100 ft. sprints for 6 repetitions. These sprints are beneficial to hockey specifically because you need to be able to sustain short bursts of speed for 30-45 seconds before going in for a line change.

Once the sprints are completed, move the end marker back to around the 75 ft. mark and hop on one leg to the marker, still jogging back, 7 times. Then switch legs and repeat with the other leg. This exercise works on balance as well as individual leg power and strength.

This next exercise we call hockey jumps because they emulate a players’ skating stride. Here’s how it goes: begin on one foot and jump side to side, moving slowly forward as you jump side to side until you reach the 50 ft marker. This video is an example of just the side to side motion.

Video:

When doing this for distance, move slightly forward with each side to side jump. Also, it helps with balance and launch to kick the leg that’s not on the ground past the leg recently planted into the ground (see picture below) Repeat this 5 times.  

Follow this exercise with frog jumps (squat jumps) to the 50 ft marker again. If done correctly, you should feel this exercise after the first couple jumps. Make sure to go all the way down so that your rear is almost touching your heels. Then surge forward in a jumping motion as far as possible forward and then repeat.

To finish the workout, do a few sets of lunges to both cool down and keep the legs working. I can tell you right now that this set of exercises works well as I can’t really walk correctly right now… But the pain is temporary and increases your game readiness and performance. Good luck in your hockey and exercise endeavors until (and hopefully continuing even) when the lockout ends!

Back in November 2011, Easton made a huge stride in game-changing engineering for their skate department with the purchase of MLX Skate Technology. The MLX skates have been around for a while now, and we’ve seen many pro’s use their innovative design that targets the optimum skating stride. MLX founder Dave Cruikshank with his 16 years of speed-skating experience and research was brought on board with Easton as the Chief of Speed in the newly created Easton Speed Institute. The Speed Institute was designed to develop a new approach on making skates that optimize speed and to create the ideal “skater’s skate” like never before.  In 2013, we’ll be seeing the first-born baby of the Easton Speed Institute, it’s name, the Easton Mako skate. It’s purpose, to provide a player with the optimal skating stride utilizing strategies seen in speed-skating for over two decades.

The Easton Mako skate employs a radical approach that they call the “Art of Speed” to make a player faster and more efficient.  The general idea of this skate is to veer away from the traditional stiff boot that limits movement by providing a new sense of freedom achieving an optimized natural stride. If you look into the running shoe industry we are currently seeing a similar transformation. Nike is headlining this push with their FreeRun shoe that provides support in only the necessary areas so that the uninhibited natural stride may be achieved.

The most noticeable MLX-related mechanic that has been incorporated into the Mako skate is the Extendon™ guard. At the peak in the stride where a player’s leg is fully extended, a traditionally stiff tendon guard will prevent completion of a full stride by inhibiting the toe snap extension.  The pivoting Extendon™ tendon guard was created to be completely unrestrictive during the toe snap process as well as aiding in a speedy recovery to the original position, promoting improved stride frequency.

The next aggressive strategy towards the perfect stride in the Mako skate will be the Asymmetrical boot. The outer parts of each quarter package are elevated higher on the ankle area than the inner parts of the quarter package.  The raised portions of the quarter packages on the outsides of the boots provide extra support when cutting or cornering, while the lower portions on the inside of the boots allow for full rotation and extension in the toe snap process. This asymmetrical pattern of the boot was designed to allow speed and power to be generated through cornering in any direction.

The boot is a hybrid construction with a thermoformable tongue that eliminates any negative space within the boot. The materials Easton used throughout the boot and tongue turn to “mush” after 16 minutes of baking, providing for the ultimate personal fit even though they come quite comfortable out of the box. Another example of how they eliminated negative space is the continuing of the tongue all the way into the toe cap. This provides a great snug fit and decreases negative space as well as lost energy.  Besides the toe, the mid-foot and heel area have a snug comfortable fit that is not the least bit overwhelming. The upper ankle area is not nearly as stiff like the other high-end skates. Easton did this due to the feedback of professional players that claim they either have their skates made without the top two eyelets or they simply refrain from lacing up that high in order to achieve a loose upper fit that allows for a full stride. With that being said, Easton designed the Mako skate to operate freely in the upper-ankle area by using a deep v-cut in front of the tendon guard and by not extending the eyelets too high in that area.

The front portion of the outsole is engineered differently from what is seen in other high-end skates.  Unlike every other skate that has some degree of concavity where the balls of the feet and toes rest on, the Easton Mako will feature a completely flat platform.  This even surface allows you to exert the maximum energy transfer possible through every stride as well as an improved feel of the ice. The brand new CXN holder’s position has an aggressive blade pitch that capitalizes on the newfound range of motion to enable the player to really get over the front of the skate producing a powerful thrust time and time again.

Look for the Easton Mako skate to have a limited release in early 2013 at Ice Warehouse.

Alkali plans to start October off strong with the launch of the RPD line early in the month. We were able to take a close look at the new gear as well as play with some of it, so here’s the inside scoop on the RPD stick and skates in the lineup.

Let’s start with the skates this year: the top of the line CA9 RPD. While it shares similar features to the 2011 CA9 skate, Alkali made some impressive technological improvements. The main focus of the improvement are the carbon fiber fully reinforced heel & tendon pieces.

The reinforced tendon piece allows for better energy transfer and a stronger build with better control and feel.  The boot’s EPP foam and surlyn construction creates a very lightweight design that is heat moldable. Since the trend with roller players recently is to wear stiff, ice hockey-like boot, Alkali responded with the RPD. As a result of the tendon piece and a redesigned structure of the boot, the RPD is significantly stiffer than the previous models. Another feature Alkali added is new and improved internals designed for comfort and better fit. For all you floppers out there, the RPD features an extended tongue length for premier flop.

The RPD rolls on 4 x 80mm Labeda Addiction wheels which will provide incredible grip and durability. Though this setup leaves the skater noticeably higher off the ground, it’s a design to which one can adjust.

Next let’s take a look at the CA9 RPD stick. In previous years, Alkali sticks failed to impress me but the RPD really stepped it up. Alkali designed this stick specifically for roller hockey players (surface & pucks).

The stick has a matte finish with small Alkali logos providing textured grip and an overall soft feel. After shooting with the stick, we found that the blade didn’t need tape. The soft, chalk-like feel of the blade complements the plastic floor and puck to provide excellent feel without the added weight of tape. Overall, the CA9 RPD stick seems like an ideal choice for the roller hockey player looking for a high quality, roller specific stick, without the 200+ price tag.

These items will be available at Inline & Ice Warehouse in early October.

Here we go again with another sad day for hockey fans. The 2012 NHL lockout has sure been unfortunate for players and fans alike with limited information as to if or when the season will start.  It’s been 8 years since the last 2004-05 NHL lockouts that canceled all of the games for the season and forced the NHL All Star game to be played in non-Winter Olympic years. Other recent lockouts happened during the 1992 NHL strike postponing 30 games and the 1994-95 NHL lockout with canceled a lot of the games shortening the season to 48 games without inter-conference games.

AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck

Why is this happening? Well, the short answer is of course money. With many of the teams in the NHL lacking in finances and many others just breaking even, a majority of the revenues comes from the top ten franchises. The collective bargaining of five items that need resolution before the season starts are: Player’s Share, Salary cap “Floor”, Guaranteed Contract, Escrow Payment, and Revenue Sharing.

During the 2005 NHL lockout negotiations a salary cap was established ensuring a salary cap floor. A percentage of the NHL revenues were agreed upon and the player’s share began at 54% in 2005. As leagues revenues increased over the years the percentage has now reached an all time high for the 2010-11 season at 57%. The NHL feels that player’s share is too high and compared to other professional sporting franchises the percentage is high.

Tom Hanson/AP file photo

The Salary Cap “Floor” is the minimum season payroll for any NHL team, $16 million below the salary cap. Teams that are not making a profit would like an option of lower payrolls so they don’t lose even more money. The league might lower the salary floor in relation to the cap or get rid of the floor.

The NHL Collective Bargaining Agreement established in 2005, a player is guaranteed every dollar of a signed contract unless his team buys him out. Buyouts can be pricey as a team is required to pay two-thirds of the remaining contract value and takes on a long-term salary cap hit. Player contracts can be as long as 15 years with huge price tags as well as salary cap issues. The league might push for non-guaranteed contracts or term limits of 10 years or less.

The Escrow payment ensures every team and player receives the correct amount at the end of the season. During the 2010-11 season the NHL withheld 12.5% of a player’s salary in an escrow account and was paid at the end of the season with the rest of the revenues earned throughout the season. The problem is that players are concerned that league operated teams such as the Phoenix Coyotes drags down the overall revenues leaving less escrow money. Players don’t like the idea of losing revenue to teams that can’t support themselves.

AP Photo/The News & Observer, Ethan Hyman

Revenue sharing in the NHL is designed to level out every team financially. Money earned by high revenue franchises is distributed to low revenue franchises ensuring an even financial playing field. The current system is not considered to be overly generous but the high revenue teams are reluctant to give away more money to the teams in need. Since NHL revenues have increased substantially does it make sense that wealthy franchises share with teams that are losing money during the season? Players will most likely suggest increased revenue sharing as a sound solution but we will have to wait and see.

Either way the owners and the players need to come to an agreement and stop this nonsense because we all suffer in the end.

Hey what’s up guys, this is your newest web editor at Inline and Ice Warehouse Chase. I took a trip to Easton Headquarters last Friday to get an inside look at the RS II stick line. Upon arriving, I got to see first hand that the Easton staff literally eat, sleep and breathe hockey; I was honestly a little jealous but I can’t complain one bit working here at IW. Product Manager Mike Mountain ran me through the ins-n-outs of the RS II stick line, dissecting each and every piece of their design. His expertise and comprehensive knowledge made for a far more than an eye-opening experience.

Since I first started playing the great game of hockey, I have always used an Easton shaft or stick.  From the Ultra Lite Shaft, the Z-Bubble shaft, the first generation Synergy one-piece, the first generation Stealth one-piece, the S19 one-piece to today’s Mako one-piece; Easton has been held by my gloves for the 10+ years I’ve been playing.

Photo taken at Easton HQ

As we all know, Easton has continually been pushing the envelope to develop cutting-edge technology in their equipment. The first generation Synergy one-piece stick forever changed hockey.  I still remember using mine for the first time, I was so excited when my dad got it in the mail during a club ice practice that  when he handed it over the glass I didn’t even tape it up. I knew from the first shot, even though it was too tall for me because the end-plug was still in, that this stick was a game changer.  Easton has not strayed from the ideology of game-changing advances to make the hockey player able to be better and better. From the elliptical taper used in the RS II stick line to one-piece Gyro fit E700 helmets, Easton is persistent to staying true to it’s cutting-edge developments. The advances we see in today’s sticks were not of thought as remote possibilities in the past but today they are taken as common commodities and we look to the future thrilled to see what’s to come next in stick technology.

Lets talk goalie equipment for a second… With so many companies and options to choose from it can literally make your head spin! I sometimes get the question, who is the best? Well, figuring out who produces the best goalie gear is like asking the question what fruit tastes better, apples or oranges. Finding the right goalie gear for myself comes down to fit, and that comes with years of experience playing the game. I’m guessing goalies will never come to an agreement on which company is the best, but at least we can figure out who is producing the most popular equipment in the NHL. After all these are the professionals and following in there footsteps is not a bad idea.

Source: Patrick McDermott/Getty Images North America

Goalie masks protect one of the most important parts of our body, our head! Goalie masks have come a long ways since first worn by Jacques Plante in 1959. Today, Bauer is the leading company protecting over half of the NHL goalies, 51 to be exact. Bauer’s most popular model is the Bauer Pro 961 goalie mask and is worn by such goalies as Henrik Lundqvist, and Miikka Kiprusoff.

Reebok is clearly the most popular when talking about the goalie catcher. In the NHL, 32 goalies are using Reebok catchers. Out of those 32 goalies, 26 of them are using the Reebok P4 Pro catcher. Vaughn is nipping at Reebok’s heels with an impressive 27 goalies, and Bauer has 16 goaltenders wearing their catchers. Bauer’s most popular catcher models are the Bauer One 100 and the most current version the TOTALONE.

Goalie blockers not only protect the back of your stick hand but also offer an excellent blocking surface for saving and deflecting the puck. Reebok is clearly supplying the majority of the blockers in the NHL at 32 goalies. Reebok’s most popular model is the Reebok P4 Pro, worn by an incredible 25 goalies. Vaughn’s protective blockers are used by more then 25 percent of the goalies in the NHL, goalies like Marty Turco, and Jonathan Quick use Vaughn just to name a few. Bauer supplies 16 NHL goalies with their blockers, the most popular models being the Bauer One 100 and the Bauer TOTALONE.

When comparing goalie sticks, Reebok is once again the most popular with 31 goalies using their sticks, 25 of them use the Reebok 11K Pro goalie stick. Goalies like Roberto Luongo, Ryan Miller, Jean-Sebastien Giguere, Jonathan Bernier, and Marc-Andre Fluery all sport the 11K Pro. Bauer has a strong presence as well with 24 goalies using their goal sticks. The Bauer Supreme 7500 is Bauer’s most popular and preferred stick with the pros. Warrior is quickly becoming a strong contender in the NHL goalie stick market with 18 goalies, all using the very popular Warrior Swagger.

Last but not least is the largest portion of the goalies protective gear, the leg pads. Reebok, Vaughn, and Bauer’s leg pads protect over 75 percent of the goalies in the NHL. Reebok once again is the most popular, protecting the most goalies at 29. Out of 29 NHL goalies, 25 of them choose to wear Reebok’s P4 Pro series leg pads. Vaughn, being a goalie only company also has a very strong presence in the NHL, outfitting 27 different goalies. Recent 2012 Stanley Cup Champion Jonathan Quick wears Vaughn’s Velocity series pads like the VPG 7800 leg pad.

Well, we might not be any closer to figuring out who makes the best pads but at least we have some direction as to what the pros are using. Additional product information can be seen here at Inline and Ice Warehouse.

Well, it’s that time of year when many of the big brands release their new sticks. CCM came out with the RBZ, Warrior dropped the Covert DT1, Easton releases the RS II on the 7^th, Bauer comes out with the TotalOne NXG on Sept. 17^th, and Reebok moves forward with the 20K on the 15^th. Let’s take a quick look at these new top-of-the-line sticks and the technology that sets them apart from the rest.

CCM RBZ:

CCM teamed up with TaylorMade to create the RBZ and specifically the SpeedBlade Technology for the blade that really launches the puck off like a rocket.  CCM and TaylorMade created the blade with a hollow design with 4 speed channels that run the length of the blade which gives incredible feel to go along with the light weight. All of this is wrapped up in high grade carbon fiber that makes it stiffer and creates a more accurate shot.Another feature that sets the RBZ apart from most sticks is the flex profile. CCM designed what they call the Power Swing which is a fine tuned weight and flex distribution technology that allows for a quicker swing with greater puck speed. The flex profile on the RBZ, similar to Bauer’s Intellisense technology, changes the flex point depending on where the hands are located and what kind of shot is taken.

(SPECS)

Warrior Covert DT1:

The DT1 is an extremely lightweight and balanced stick due to the True 1 piece construction with the highest grade carbon fiber tightly wrapped in an X stitch weave. The main technology of the DT1 is Warriors Dagger Taper (‘DT’ as in DT1). Now the Dagger Taper technology creates a taper that is thinner on the topside of the stick for maximum loading and wider on the bottom that allows for a more powerful, accurate shot. This technology also gives the DT1 a very low kick-point for quick release.In the recent past, the Warrior blade had some issues with durability, but the new blade on the DT1 comes through with a durable design.  For instance, Warrior is using the Hardcore X foam blade core which is very lightweight and 40& stronger and 60% more compression resistance than before. Warrior also utilizes Twinspar stringers and fibers used in bullet proof vests for reinforcement and increased toughness.

(Specs)

Easton RS II:

The second generation of the Stealth RS series features a similar shaft design to the 2011 Stealth RS: a Kevlar wrapped Compression molded shaft. Also similar to the previous model is the Elliptical Taper. The taper itself provides a low kick-point that results in quick and accurate shots. Another result of the Elliptical Taper is the added strength and rigidity to the blade.

The blade in the RS II is a significant improvement over the RS. Easton redesigned the blade to use a micro-bladder process that increases feel and consistency and greater mass in the impact zone to contribute more power to your shots. Easton also ribbed the length of the blade to give it more strength.

Bauer Supreme TotalOne NXG:

Similar to the previous years’ TotalOne stick, Bauer continued using the texturing carbon material that helped give it that incredible feel. Bauer also greatly improved the weight of the TotalOne and it will be the lightest stick available on the market. A feature new to the Supreme line is the eLASTech technology. Bauer used this technology on the Vapor APX stick, but not on any of the Supreme sticks until now. This technology will add life to the stick and add a pop to the stick that will LAST.

Another new feature TotalOne is a blade improvement. Added thickness in the throat of the blade increases stiffness to allow for more power and accuracy. Bauer uses the Dual-Density Blade Core and the eLASTech technology in the blade for an overall increase in durability, accuracy, power and pop.

Reebok 20K:

Reebok used their Pure Fiber™ technology which eliminates any added or unnecessary materials to decrease the weight and allow for the best possible energy transfer.  They also used the Dual Matrix II construction. This design angles the fibers at different directions for the forehand and the backhand to create tension when you’re loading the shot.  The 20K also features the lowest kick-point on the market today.

On to the blade. Reebok uses a brand new blade known as the AccuBlade. This blade becomes stiffer along the blade from the heel to the toe. This gives the player better puck control and unbelievable accuracy.

–So be on the lookout for these sticks in the NHL and also online at Inline & Ice Warehouse.

After our disappointing early exit from the Division 1 age group at NARCh (See previous post), we returned two days later for the Men’s Platinum division. The roster remained the same except for the loss of one player and the addition of another former IW employee Michael Chaloupka. Our first game faced us off against a team called NCR and proved that the two days off did not help as we lost 6-4. The rest of our games had us playing against International teams: The Revision Predators (Alberta, Canada), La Escuela De Hockey (Colombia, South America) and Mission-Bauer France (France, Obviously).

In our second game against the Revision Predators, we really stepped up our game and took them down 10-2. Ryan Burrows led the team with 5 goals, followed by IW former employee Brian Costello with 4 points (1 goal, 3 assists) and IW’s Chris Kumata with 4 points (3 goals, 1 assist). In the lead up to the third game, we didn’t know how to feel about the upcoming game. Their name was La Escuela de Hockey which translates to The School of Hockey or The Hockey School which, I’m not going to lie, is kind of intimidating. Also, they beat the team that we lost to, yet lost to the team that we beat. Anyways, we played against the Colombians and soundly put them away 7-1.

The fourth game against Mission-Bauer France went as well as the last two games. They didn’t put up much of a struggle and gave up early  as we beat them 9-1. The three immense victories put us in 3rd seed going into the playoffs facing off against the 6th seed, the LA Clippers (nope, not the basketball team). The next morning, we faced off against them and we exchanged a few goals until we put up a two goal lead (4-2) and they pulled their goalie with a minute left. A little tussle broke out in front of the net after some pushing and shoving with Mike Chaloupka out in front of the net. The only result was that the other player got tossed out of the game and the resulting power play helped us finish them off.

Our next game was the semifinal. Our previous games proved to us that this was our division and we should be able to easily finish the next two games and take home the trophy. We then faced off against Pama Platinum… The game could be summarized as a very close game, but most definitely ours… until five minutes left. We were up 3-1 and got scored on to make it a 3-2 game. With 1 minute remaining they pulled their goalie and began their 5 on 4 play. We held them off for 45 seconds and we had the puck heading over the half-court line. We then dumped it on net, narrowly missing and their defenseman went and retrieved the puck. He looked at the scoreboard and saw that it showed a little under 2 seconds left. So, from the low dots he fired the puck on net and somehow through screens and bounces, found it’s way into the back of the net… With 0.3 seconds left… Unbelievable…

2 minutes into overtime, they receive a breakaway through a lapse in defense and score ending our final run… We did receive bronze medals though for 3rd place. We’ll be back next year. Also, congratulations to Brian Costello who received the Top Scorer Award for a little over a 2.2 PPG average!

Stay tuned for our a preview of the new Alkali equipment!