Wednesday, February 20 - 10:24pm

The month of February has been a wild one in CHAAAL hockey action!

Following the below highlight photos, the February CHAAAL scoreboard can bring you up to date on all the final scores as we get set to close the regular season tomorrow night (Thursday, February 21 at 9:30pm) as the C-Men face off against the Original Sixers.

The Whiskey Dekes are the first team to finish the regular season.  The club clinched second place in the league with an impressive defeat of the C-Men Tuesday night (2/19). Dekes super star Adam Pasque made a surprise appearance at the game and inspired his team to overcome the first place C-Men.  The Dekes also unveiled custom third jerseys for their final game of the season.  Pasque scored a goal in the contest and is currently tied with C-Men forward Don Terkalas leading the league in points with 38 each.  Terkalas will have a chance to take home the scoring title as he faces off against the red-hot Original Sixers to close out the regular season.

In other news, the Sixers are playing their best hockey of the season. Prior to Tuesday's C-Men/Dekes contest, the Original Sixers were hoping to come up from behind and finish in second place.  However, while that's no longer a possibility, the Sixers have won four out of their last six games and hope to carry that momentum into the playoffs.  The Original Sixers have been counting on the hot stick of Tom Maldonado as of late.  Tommy has been on fire and is now third in the league in assists with 18.

In the goaltending race, C-Men goalie Cody Ross has a large lead and is set to win the top spot in both Goals Against Average (3.94) and Save % (.866).  With Barney Slayton's impressive win against the C-Men Tuesday (The Barn Door stopped 34 of 38 shots, a .895 save % on the evening), Barney has reclosed the gap and is in a complete tie with Original Sixers goalie Josh Noullet for second place.  Both goalies are deadlocked with a season save % of .836.  Noullet's performance in the final game of the season will settle that score between the two bitter rivals.

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Other races are not so close.  C-Men Matt Milley is poised to take home the goal scoring title, leading the league with 24 goals on the season (including three hat tricks on the season).  Milley edged out the Whiskey Dekes John Hubbard by one goal and Milley has a chance to further widen that lead against the Original Sixers Thursday.

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The Silver Stallion looks to have the Assist race locked up as well.  Terkalas leads the league with 24 apples.  The only player with a shot to overtake Terkalas is Original Sixers defenseman Tom Maldonado.  However, in order for Tom to take the title he'll need an unlikely 7 assists in the final game.

After the regular season ends this Thursday, the CHAAAL Playoffs kick off on Tuesday, February 26th at 8:30pm at the Columbus Ice Rink.  The second-seeded Whiskey Dekes will host the third-seeded Original Sixers in the first game of the playoff tournament. 

LATE SEASON CHAAAL RESULTS:  

Tuesday, February 12 - 12:03am

Today's Player Profile video focuses on Whiskey Dekes defenseman John Hubbard.

Hubbard started his hockey career in Texas with inline hockey and now is living the dream of millions of kids across the great US of A playing in front of screaming CHAAAL fans each week.

Tuesday, February 5 - 10:07pm

Former 6th round Hartford Whalers draft pick, pro player and coach legend, and now CHAAAL middle-of-the-pack player Jerome "Boom Boom" Bechard is tonight's spotlight Player Profile Video!

Jerome is on a VERY tight schedule and we were able to get extremely limited rare footage of the legend. 

Please enjoy.

Tuesday, February 5 - 1:45pm

The C-Men had back-to-back road games last week, facing off against the second-placed Whiskey Dekes on Tuesday and the Thursday Original Sixers (riding a two-game win streak headed into the contest).

First, the spunky C-Men came out in a hurry against the Dekes, outscoring them 2-0 in the opening period.  The Dekes battled back in the second period scoring two of their own, but the C-Men kept pouring it on and led 5-2 after two.  The Dekes managed one more goal in the third (to the C-Men’s two) and lost the contest 7-3.

The C-Men continued to explode in the second game, scoring 7 more against the on-fire Original Sixers.  The Sixers opened the scoring with the first goal of the game, but were completely covered by C-men firing on all cylinders as the pesky boys found their target with 7 unanswered goals.  The Original Sixers looked completely shocked and overwhelmed by the C-Men assault.

With their leading scorer (Matt “Shooter” Depuydt) working on his conditioning training for the remainder of the season, the C-Men boys stepped up with 10 different players contributing in scoring. In the two-game span, C-Men scoring was (unimaginably) led by Dan Corso.  Corso put up 6 points in the two contests (1G 5A) and is now tied for season points with Whiskey Dekes’ captain Phil Beaver (both with 12 points on the season).  The M Brothers (Matt Milley and Perry Meyers) both had 4G 1A each in the last two contests.  The Silver Stallion… The Bronze Hammer…. But not the Gold Goal-Getter Don Terkalas was completely shut out against the Original Sixers, scoring zero goals on 10+ shots in the game.  However, he did have a pair of assists and in the two-game stretch Don put up 1G 3A.  Also scoring over the last two games for the C-Men were Gary Langbo (1G 2A), Jerome “Boom Boom” Bechard (0G 2A), rookie Max Betten (1G 0A), Pat Holland (1G 0A), Matt Velmer (1G 0A) and Will Christian (0G 1A).

For the Whiskey Dekes (vs. the C-Men Tuesday), the big story was defensemen Johnny Hubbard was completely blanked (0G 0A). Hubbard contributing nothing really hurt the Dekes in the contest.  Stepping up through Hubbard’s slump was Adam Pasque (2G 0A).  Pasque now leads his team in scoring on the season and has moved up to third in the league with a balanced 14G 18A 32PTS.  Also scoring for the Dekes were Brandon Healy (1G 0A), Ian Thighs (0G 1A), and Phil “Flip” Beaver (0G 1A).

Original Sixers scoring against the C-Men Thursday came from Dustin Blomeyer (1G 0A) off a pass from Adam Passck (0G 1A).

In net for the C-Men, goaltender Cody Ross has been on fire.  Ross has only relented 4 goals in the last two contests combined, making a total of 50 saves on 54 shots in both games (.926 Save %).  Against the Sixers Thursday, Ross gave up a goal in the first 90 seconds of the contest but shut the boys in blue out for the remainder of the game. 

Whiskey Dekes goalie Barney Slayton and Original Sixers netminder Josh Noullet did not fare so well.  Salyton made 25 saves on 32 shots (.781) and Noullet stopped 28 of 35 (.800).

We caught up with Adam Pasque over the weekend to discuss the week’s events and the upcoming rematch (tonight, Tuesday Feb. 5) against the C-Men.

CHAAAL:  Mr. Pasque, thanks for chatting with us.  You currently trail Don Terkalas in the CHAAAL scoring race.  Care to comment on your plans?

PASQUE: Don uses the transitive properties for his points. Milley scored, he touched the puck, Don touched every puck during warm-ups, therefore Don got the assist.

CHAAAL: Interesting theory.  Any predictions for the contest tonight?

PASQUE: Lamps will be lit tonight boys. Lamps will be lit.

There you have it.  We’ll see you all tonight at 8:30pm as Pasque and the Whiskey Dekes look to get Revenge on the soaring C-Men.

Wednesday, January 23 - 10:21pm

Over the last week in CHAAAL action, the Original Sixers saw action in two games.  In the first game, the Sixers faced the Whiskey Dekes and in the second match-up the Original Sixers went toe-to-toe with the first-place C-Men.

GAME 1 - Thursday, Jan. 17th - Whiskey Dekes vs. Original Sixers

The Whiskey Dekes and Original Sixers faced off for the 7th time on the season on Thursday night.  Prior to Thursday's contest, the Dekes led the season series against the Sixers 4-2.

The Whiskey Dekes dominated play in the 1st period, outshooting the Sixers in the frame 15-12 and taking a 3-0 lead into the locker room after one. 

In the 2nd period, the Original Sixers found some life and were able to answer with three goals of their own. However the Whiskey Dekes beat Sixers' goalie Josh Noullet twice more and led 5-3 after two.

Noullet completely fell apart in the third period. He was beat five more times in the period and gave up a season high 10 goals against in the game (making 25 saves on 35 shots, .714 save %). Dekes goalie Barney Slayton gave up three more in the third, but finished the game with a .857 save %.  Slayton turned aside 36 pucks and faced 42 shots. So, despite outshooting the Whiskey Dekes, the Original Sixers came up empty and lost the contest 10-6.

Both teams played a clean game and there were zero penalties.

Scoring for the Whiskey Dekes came from 8 different skaters.  Adam Pasque was on fire, making crisp passes throughout the night and finishing with five points (1G 4A).  Ian Brambs contributed with his first hat trick of the season (3G 0A). Blue-liner John Hubbard netted a pair (2G 0A). Phil Weaver had his best game of the season with three points on the evening (1G 2A).  Also scoring for the club were Dan Megiel (1G 0A), Kodey Ross (2G 0A), Mike Nash (0G 1A), and Graig Huffmeier (0G 1A).

For the Original Sixers, Tom Maldonado had his highest points game of the season with four points (1G 3A).  Maldonado moved into 11th in overall league scoring with 13 total points, one more than teammate Corey Fossa and one less than teammate Matt Hammond.  

Also scoring for the Sixers were captain Ian Butts (2G 1A), JP Scriberg (1G 2A), Mark Briden (1G 1A), Matt Hammond (1G 0A), Bob Cowles (0G 1A), and goalie Josh Noullet (0G 1A).

After the game, we caught up with Matt Hammond of the Original Sixers and asked him about the sub par play of his goaltender.  "I mean... listen, the guy gets an assist in a game where he's giving up 10 goals.  What is that..?  I wish he'd focus more on stopping pucks and less on trying to be an Apple King.  But.. I mean, the guys... we got his back still.  Heck, what choice do we have, right?  There's no back-up goalie."

With the loss, the Original Sixers extended their loss streak to 7.  Meanwhile the Whiskey Dekes improved to five hundred (7-7-0) with the victory, winning 4 out of their last 5 contests.

GAME 2 - Tuesday, Jan. 22st - Original Sixers vs. C-Men

Coming off a tough loss to the Whiskey Dekes, the Original Sixers were very focused in the locker room prior to the contest against the league-leading C-Men club Tuesday night. The players seemed calm and ready to get down to business.

From the drop of the puck in period one, the Sixers appeared ready to play and caught the C-Men off guard early. The Sixers began peppering C-Men goalie Cody Ross often in the first.  Neither team could break through for much of the period, but Sixers forward Will Quesnell was finally able to solve Ross with just 26.6 seconds remaining and gave his team a 1-0 lead after one.

In the second period, the C-Men began pouring on an offensive attack. However, the Original Sixers defenders back-checked well and kept the C-Men forwards wide and forced shots from the perimeter. And, on a nifty breakout counterattack Will Quesnell was able to score at the halfway point of the second period to give his club a 2-0 lead. The Sixers seemed to have the game in total control as they found themselves on a two-man advantage.  However, the C-Men turned things around, killing the first penalty and then scoring a great rebound short-handed goal with 1:37 to go in the second period (The Silver Stallion gathering his own rebound and firing a puck off Noullet's blocker that ended up in the back of the net).  

2-1 Sixers after two.

In the third period, the teams kept battling.  The goaltenders were both solid throughout the period again. However, an errant attempted breakout pass was intercepted by C-Men forward Matt Milley with 3:42 remaining in the game and he capitalized with a low wrist shot to tie the game at 2-2. 

At this point, the Sixers' Marcel Richard put the game on his shoulders and skated a puck from the neutral zone through defenders before burying it high stick side to give the Original Sixers the lead again with 1:42 remaining in the contest.  The C-Men pulled their goaltender in an attempt to tie the game but were unable to do so. The final buzzer sounded with the Sixers taking the game 3-2.  This was the Original Sixers' first victory against the C-Men of the season.

Scoring for the Sixers was mixed between their young guns and veteran players. Will Quesnell had a pair of goals (2G 0A) and his former Columbus Jr. Snakes teammate Quino Mora assisted on one of them (0G 1A on the evening for Mora). Also scoring for the Sixers were aging skaters Marcel Richard (1G 0A and recently celebrating his 58th birthday) and old timer Bobby Cowles (0G 1A, and the oldest skater on the Sixers at 72 years of age).

For the C-Men, Don Terkalas' led by example and tallied short handed (1G 0A).  Also scoring was Matt Milley (1G 0A).

League-leading scorer Matt "Shooter" Depuydt was held scoreless and shotless in the contest. And, immediate rumors were swirling around in the press that perhaps Shooter was being sent down to the minors for conditioning after the abysmal performance.  We were able to catch Depuydt after the game. 

"Yeah," he said dejected. "I'm done for the rest of the season.  I'll be back next year though."  It's a harsh reality when you're playing in "The Show" and an excellent lesson for any of you young hockey stars trying to make it into the CHAAAL.  We wish Shooter luck as he tries to claw his way back into the big leagues.

In net for the Original Sixers, netminder Josh Noullet had his best game of the season. The goalkeeper was able to turn aside 23 of the 25 pucks sent his way (.920 save % on the evening). When asked about it, he had this to say, "It felt good.  Getting the win... it felt good.  Nice to wipe that smug stupid little smirk off Terkalas' face. Ick."

Cody Ross had the start in net for the C-Men and had a solid performance himself. The balding backstopper battled 21 of the 24 biscuits away (.875 save %).  Ross leads all league goaltenders (playing at least 2+ games) in both Save % (.871 on the season) and Goals Against Average (4.00 on the season).

CHAAAL action continues Thursday night as the Original Sixers rematch against the Whiskey Dekes. The last time the two faced off against each other 16 goals were scored between the two clubs. Both teams are hungry for a win. We'll see you all there, 9:30pm EST at the Columbus Ice Rink.

Wednesday, January 16th - 10:41pm

The Whiskey Dekes faced off against the C-Men over the last week in a home and away CHAAAL battle.

GAME 1 - THURSDAY, JANUARY 10TH

In game one, the C-Men traveled into the hostile Whiskey Dekes arena. The C-Men were looking to continue their storybook one-loss season while the Whiskey Dekes were out for revenge.

In the first period, the game went exactly how the C-Men drew it up in the locker room and the team was up 3-1 after one. However, the Whiskey Dekes pulled it together as an entire unit and scored 6 unanswered goals in the second and third period and stunned the C-Men with a crushing 7-3 victory.

After the game, C-Men forward Matt Milley had this to say, "I'm mostly just disappointed in my own performance and I have no one to blame for myself.  And Don."  

The Dekes shut down the C-Men in dramatic fashion.  League leading scorer Shooter Depuydt was held to a single assist in the contest.  And The Silver Stallion was unable to score any points, ending Don Terkalas' 10-game point streak.  Other high-production players such as Matt Milley, Perry Meyers, and Jerome Bechard were all held without a point in the contest.  

In fact, leading the way in scoring for the C-Men on the evening was Dan Corso (1G 1A). Also scoring for the club was Gary Langbo (1G 0A), Will Christian (1G 0A), and then (as previously mentioned) Matt "Shooter" Depuydt's 1 apple.

For the victorious Whiskey Dekes, John Hubbard led the charge (3G 1A).  Additional production came from Ian Brambs (1G 1A), Adam Pasque (1G 0A), Captain Phil "Flip" Weaver (1G 0A), Andrew Bae (1G 0A), and Ryan Smith (0G 1A).

In net for the C-Men, keeper Cody Ross had his second worst performance of the season. Ross made 25 saves on 32 shots (.781 save %).

Barney Slayton was the difference maker for his club. Facing one shot less than Ross, Slayton made 28 stops on the 31 sent his way (.903 save %). After giving up 3 first period goals, Slayton was perfect in the 2nd and 3rd periods.

As the Dekes celebrated the victory, the dejected C-Men left the ice with their second loss of the season.  

But, neither team would have to wait long for the rematch....

GAME 2 - TUESDAY, JANUARY 15TH

Special Recap Introduction by Matt Milley

My name is Matt Milley and I hit new lows in my life recently. First, I've been sucking at hockey lately.  Like... really really sucking. I used to think I knew how to play the game, but after my performance the last few games I was starting to question myself quite a bit (Editors Note:  Milley was held scoreless in back to back games prior to the contest). I even started attending C League games to see if that would be a better fit for me. I looked up learn-to-skate sessions. And I hit a new low as I was forced to skate laps while skating with Jerome's 14-year old team.

To try to cope, I started going out of town and began trying to pick up really big women. Sometimes they women were twice to three times my size. I felt it was all I was worth. And, adding insult to injury, I was rejected by these portly princesses; they could see my self loathing and wanted no part of it. So, I became even more self destructive and ate as many donuts as I could cram in my tear-covered mouth. 

I had hit rock bottom.

As a last ditch attempt to right my life, I ordered a new black helmet and a pair of new sticks and paid overnight shipping. It was the night before our rematch with the Whiskey Dekes and I pulled up high-res images of John Hubbard's sticks and taped my new sticks just like my idol. The last thing I remembered as I cried myself to sleep that night was massaging the tape job and knowing I had one more chance for redemption....

You all may be wondering where I'm going with this intro to the recap.  Well, I'll tell you where I'm going!  I DID right my wrongs and I DID succeed (as you'll see in the recap below).  And I owe it all to big women rejections and donuts. 

So the moral of my story is, when you feel really truly low, always remember that you can dig yourself out of that slump by allowing yourself to be mocked by behemoth women, stuffing your face full of sweet treats, wasting money, and crying while thinking of your idol. There is hope.  If I can do it, anyone can.

Thank you.

 - Matt Milley, C-Men for life

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The C-Men skated in front of their home crowd Tuesday night looking to redeem themselves after a heartbreaking loss to the Mighty Drunkards the previous Thursday.

The C-Men did just that.

The team jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after the first period. Then, the C-Men added 4 more in the 2nd. The Whiskey Dekes answered with a pair of their own in the frame but trailed the C-Men 7-2 after two. In the third, both clubs scored twice and the final buzzer sounded with the C-Men taking the contest 9-4.

The story for the C-Men was the huge turnaround of Matt "Emo" Milley.  Milley found a way to pull out of his slump and contributed with an astounding 5 point evening (3G 2A). Also scoring for the C-Men was Jerome Bechard (2G 1A, including a shorthanded goal on the first goal of the game), Perry Meyers (2G 1A), Matt Depuydt (1G 1A), Don Terkalas (1G 2A), Matt Velmer (0G 1A), Gary Langbo (0G 1A), and Dan Corso (0G 1A).  Corso has now scored points in the last three consecutive games for his club, averaging 1.67 points per game during his scoring streak.

For the Whiskey Dekes, Adam Pasque led scoring with 1G 2A. Ian Brambs added 1G 1A for the Dekes.  John Hubbard, coming off a four point night, was held pretty much in check and only managed 1G 0A on the evening. Greg Goetz also scored for the Whiskey Dekes (1G 0A). After scoring goals in 4 of his last 5 games, captain Flip Weaver was held goalless and scoreless in the contest.

Another big story on the night was missed opportunities on the Power Play.  The C-Men were wild and angry on the ice and provided the Dekes with five Power Play chances.  The Whiskey Dekes not only went 0 for 5 on the Power Play on the evening but they also gave up a short handed goal.

Don Terkalas committed two of the five infractions and further cemented his place as the league leader in Penalties in Minutes with 14. In fact, C-Men players hold the top four league slots in PIMs on the season (Perry Meyers with 12 PIMS, Jerome Bechard with 6, and Gary Lango also with 6).

In net for the Whiskey Dekes, goalie Barney Slayton went from building the wall in the previous contest to having the wall torn down and becoming Barney Rubble.  The frisky netminder made 21 saves on the evening but tied his worst performance of the season with a .700 Save % on the night.

For the C-Men, Cody Ross bounced back and stopped 32 of 36 shots (.889 save %).

We were able to approach Matt Milley after the game and requested that he write an intro to this recap. He agreed but also added his take on the game, "I love the eruption in unison." And erupt the C-Men did. The C-Men's 9 goals marked their highest goals in a single game on the season. The Whiskey Dekes, however, lead the league this season in highest goals in a single game when they defeated the Original Sixers 10-3 on January 3rd.

Hockey action continues Thursday, January 17th at 9:30pm as the Whiskey Dekes face off against the Original Sixers.

Wednesday, January 9 - 10:11pm

We've got lots of CHAAAL action to get you updated on coming into 2019. 

Tonight we'll be bringing you recaps on the first two games of the new year.

In the first game of the New Year, a special event took place.  The Original Sixers agreed to face off against the CHAAAL All-Star team in a special prime-time televised event!

The Sixers team was in high spirits and prior to the start of the contest the locker room was buzzing with energy. 

As the teams took the ice in the first period, it was quickly evident that the Original Sixers were in for a long night against the All-Stars.  19 of the All-Stars 40 shots on goal on the evening were fired at Noullet in the first period. And the superstars were able to beat the goaltender twice and lead 2-0 after one.

In the second, the Sixers managed to get a puck in the back of the net. However the high-flying CHAAAL All-Star team added three more of their own and took a commanding 5-1 lead into the locker room after the second period.

In the third, the speed and offensive attack of the All-Stars was just far too much for the dejected Sixers. The Original Sixers never gave up, though, and did score two third period goals.  However, the CHAAAL All-Star team added three more and was up 8-3 with just over two minutes remaining in the contest.  The Sixers elected to pull their goaltender to try to get a few more goals for the fans.  The plan backfired, however, and the All-Stars arrogantly flipped two pucks into the empty net. At this point, the fans were loudly booing at the lack of sportsmanship from the All-Stars as the final buzzer sounded with a 10-3 victory for the All-Star team.

The game was a pretty clean game and no penalties were committed by either club.

Scoring for the underdog Original Sixers was JP Scriberg (1G 1A), Corey Fossa (1G 1A), and rookie newcomer Max Betten (scoring a goal while playing in his first CHAAAL game).

For the CHAAAL All-Star team, Mitt Malley led the way (3G 1A) for the club.  Also scoring was Ian Brambs (2G 0A), Shootierre Depooyt (1G 0A), Dan Megiel (2G 0A), John Hubbard (1G 0A), and Ryan Smith (1G 0A).

In net for the Original Sixers, goalie Josh Noullet had a rough night facing an onslaught of break aways and odd man rushes.  The aging corpulent goalkeeper gave up 8 goals on 38 shots sent his way on the evening (the All-Stars had 10 goals on 40 shots including the empty-net goals).

CHAAAL All-Star goaltender Barney Slayton kicked away 27 of the 30 pucks sent his way (.900 save % on the evening).

After the contest we spoke with CHAAAL All-Star Team Captain Phillip "Flip" Weaver about the lopsided contest.  When asked if he thought the game was a fun game for the fans to watch, he had this to say, "We had fun out there. And that's really all that matters." Flip then proceeded to cackle as he made his exit from the ice. We were unable to obtain a comment from Flip about the controversy surrounding him being voted onto the All-Star team in the first place. Additionally we've been unable to validate the claims of voter fraud.

With the loss, the Original Sixers fell to 2-9-0-1 on the season.

Special Guest Recap Writer: Don "The Silver Stallion" Terkalas

Tuesday night Don Terkalas fearlessly led his C-Men onto the ice against the evil Original Sixers. The Silver Stallion had his boys ready to play. He knew how deeply the boys admired his dedication to duty, fierce loyalty, and stalwart leadership and Terkalas gazed proudly at the boys that he had turned into men throughout the season as his club took the ice. He could see the looks of admiration in their eyes but choose not to say anything and embarrass his men.

The Original Sixers had key scratches in the contest and were missing power forwards Clyde Glenn and JP Scriberg, defenseman Marcel Richard, and starting goaltender Josh Noullet. They probably were missing other guys too, but that pales in comparison to the C-Men scratches. The C-Men were forced to take the ice without Gary Langbo and Perry Meyers, yet not once did you hear a peep of complaining from the team. Even the referees were impressed by the extreme professionalism exhibited by the C-Men skaters.

In the first period, the C-Men were a bit rusty coming off the Christmas break. The C-Men were caught on their heels as the Original Sixers took advantage and scored two quick first period goals. The Sixers' new guy Max Betten scored his second of the season and then Andrew Goddell scored his first for the Sixers.

However, captain Terkalas pulled his club together on the bench and inspired the team with an earth-shattering speech midway through the opening frame. And (as it always does), The Silver Stallion's fire was contagious and flowed out of him and into his players.  Three quarters of the way through the first period Jerome "Boom Boom" Bechard took a massive slapper from the point.... back-up goalie Berney Slayton flinched and the puck found its way into the top corner of the net. It was at this point that captain Don Terkalas took the game and put it squarely where it belongs: on his shoulders.  Excitement began to build as Matt "Choo Choo" Velmer found Terk coming off the bench and hit him on a clean breakaway. With buttery easy, our hero accepted the pass and used his breathtaking speed to race towards Berney Slayton on a clean breakaway. Terkalas' combination of speed and silky hands were too much for Slayton and Don tucked the puck past Berney with ease to tie the game 2-2. The first period buzzer sounded with the score still tied at two. 

Between periods, Don gathered his reinvigorated team around and looked each man in the eyes. He didn't need to say much, and it was clear that his team was ready to follow him to the ends of the Earth if need be.

In the second, Matt "Shooter" Depuydt took an early penalty and quietly skated to the box. He gently closed the door, sat down, and then erupted with a barrage of unprintable words. The rink was silent. But Don Terkalas knew just what to do. He locked eyes with Shooter as Depuydt hung his head in shame in the sin bin. The Silver Stallion gave him a wink and flashed him an award-winning smile as if to say, "You got this, buddy." 

And, as always, Terk was right.

On his next shift, Shooter did the smartest thing he could possibly do. He found The Silver Stallion at the side of the net and Terkalas handled the rest, burying his second on the evening. On the same shift, Terk scores his third goal of the evening during a scramble at the side of the net. The puck was sitting vertical on Berney's pad and was flipped up and in. The ice was littered with hats from the capacity crowd. Replays showed the puck was not frozen and no whistle had blown. However the referees had a conference and ruled no goal. It would be the only goal of the second period and we headed to the third with a close 3-2 C-Men lead.

The third period was tight until midway through the third period. Ian Brambly scored a pair of goals for the club to put the C-Men up 5-2. With the game seemingly out of reach with under 2 minutes left, C-Men forward Dan Corso refused to come to the bench at the end of his shift. Since Corso expended very little energy for much of the evening, the gamble paid off. He unleashed a one-timer from a pass from Shooter and scored his first of the season to give his team a 6-2 lead. And then, still inspired from Terkalas' wink/smile in the second, Shooter added insult to injury and scored to make the final 7-2 C-Men.

After the game, Terkalas refused to sign autographs and instead made his way through a crowd of fans chanting "Stallion!  Stallion!" and "Terk makes it Work!" to get to the parking lot. Terkalas knew that his work wasn't done and pulled a fresh cooler of brews out of his car for his team. And, being the gracious host that he is, Don even shared his bounty with the defeated Original Sixers. Both teams were eternally grateful for the gesture and were heard commenting that without the Silver Stallion the CHAAAL would have went under years ago.

Scoring for the losers was newcomer Max Betton (1G 0A), Andrew Goddell (1G 0A), and Corey Fossa (0G 1A).

Scoring for the C-Men was basically listed above. The main take-away here is that Don Terkalas' 2G 1A night moved him into 1st Place in Assists and 2nd Place in Overall Points in the CHAAAL. Also for the C-Men, Shooter had 1G 3A, Ian Brambly had 2G 0A, Jerome "Boom Boom" Bechard had 1G 2A, Dan Corso had 1G 1A, and both Will Christian and Choo Choo Velmer had 0G 1A.

The goalies... I mean, who cares what they did. No one notices the goalies anyways. They were there, I think.

With the win, the C-Men cemented their top spot in the league with a record of 10-1-0-0. The C-Men play again Thursday night (1/10 9:30pm) against the Whiskey Dekes. 

After the game, Dan Corso was seen driving to Burger King for a Double Whopper to celebrate his goal alone. 

Thursday, December 20 - 10:08am

The C-Men played their mid-season game in the CHAAAL Holiday Classic battle against their rival the Whiskey Dekes Tuesday night at the Columbus Ice Rink.

Both teams saw the return of star players for the contest.

For the Whiskey Dekes, defenseman John Hubbard returned to the line-up from Finland (where he competed for the All Army hockey team). Hubbard was able to dig himself out of a mountain of diapers and obtain a temporary evening pass from his wife to attend the game. A rumor is floating around the league that Hubbard will be forbidden to continue CHAAAL hockey action sometime after the New Year as he will no longer be provided with temporary night-out passes from his wife. We'll continue to monitor this as the season progresses.

For the C-Men, Matt Milley was also fresh from All Army action and returned to the line-up. While in Finland, Milley found the love of his life both on and off the ice.  Off the ice, a sweet gal sucked all testosterone from his veins and left a sniveling "yes dear" behind. On the ice, Milley found true love in his new yellow helmet (shown at left). 

With both players back in the line-up, the teams were ready to hit the ice.

In the first period, The C-Men's Shooter struck first as he scored just 1:18 into the contest.  The C-Men then went up 2-0 with 5:55 remaining in the period as the yellow-bucketed Matt Milley beat Barney Slayton. The Dekes' Adam Pasque just over a minute later to bring his club to within one. However, oldtimer Gary Langbo (still riding high off his number one star and overtime winning goal Thursday against the Original Sixers) buried a shot with 3:50 to go in the opening frame to give the C-Men a 3-1 lead. Whiskey Dekes power forward Flip Weaver answered with a goal of his own with 2:59 to go (Weaver is now on a two-game scoring streak and has now predicted that he will win the league scoring championship).  The period ended with both teams battling in a close-fought 3-2 C-Men lead.

The second period was an absolute rush of C-Men overcoming the Dekes.

Shooter scored first (a shorthanded goal midway through the second). Then, the C-Men scored twice in the final minute of the second as Perry Meyers and Matt Milley (again) scored and deflated the Whiskey Dekes as they entered the locker room down 6-2 after two.

The Whiskey Dekes' resolve strengthened entering the third period and the team did not give ground until 5:58 left in the period as Perry Meyers scored his second. Despite facing a daunting 7-2 deficit, the Whiskey Dekes never gave up.  Andrew Bae scored 41 seconds for the Dekes. And the team kept fighting all the way through as Ian Brambs scored two more with 0:24 and 0:01 remaining in the contest.  The team held their heads high but were unable to overcoming in the end and fell to the C-Men 7-5.

Scoring for the Whiskey Dekes came from Ian Brambs (2G 1A), Adam Pasque (1G 2A), Phil Weaver (1G 0A), and John Hubbard (0G 2A). The game was the first game Hubbard has participated in where he was held without a goal (averaging 2.25 goals per game entering the contest).

For the C-Men, Matt Milley returned with a golden-helmet love-struck vengeance.  Milley scored a pair of goals and tackd on an assist for good measure.  Also scoring for the C-Men, Matt "Shooter" Depuydt kept his scoring streak alive (2G 0A).  Shooter is averaging 2.70 points per game and has scored in all ten C-Men games this season. Don Terkalas had a pair of assists on the evening, solidifying the top spot in league assists with 14 on the season. C-Men also received production from Perry Meyers (2G 1A), Matt Velmer (0G 2A), Gary Langbo (1G 0A), and Jerome Bechard (0G 1A).  Bechard also took both penalties for the C-Men on the evening.

In net, Dekes' goalie Barney Slayton was able to turn aside 24 of the 31 shots sent his way while Cody Ross made 21 saves on 26 shots.  After this game, all three league goaltenders are in a deadlock with each goalie now posting a save % of between .841 and .845.

The final CHAAAL hockey game of 2018 takes place tonight (Thursday, Dec. 20 at 9:30pm EST) between the Whiskey Dekes and Original Sixers.  CHAAAL action kicks back up after the holidays on January 3, 2019.

Monday, December 17 - 1:17pm

Last week in CHAAAL hockey action, the Original Sixers faced off against both the Whiskey Dekes and C-Men.  This week, league action continues through Thursday and then takes a break for the holidays.

GAME 1 - Tuesday, December 11th:

ORIGINAL SIXERS AT WHISKEY DEKES

In the first game of the week, the Original Sixers looked great coming out of the gate.  Pedro Slayton scored for the Sixers at the midway point of the period and they blanked the Dekes through one period. 

In the second period, the Sixers continued to play strong but relented a goal from Whiskey Dekes forward Andrew Bae.  The score finished tied 1-1 after two.

Then, the game got away from the Original Sixers.

The Dekes scored 5 third period goals (including an empty netter) while the Original Sixers managed just one goal, a power play goal with 2:11 left.  At the final buzzer, the Whiskey Dekes had broken their losing streak with a definitive 6-2 victory.

Scoring for the Whiskey Dekes was led by free agent Perrierre Meyers (2G 0A), Flip Weaver (1G 0A), Brandon Healy (1G 0A), Andrew Bae (1G 0A), Adam Pasque (0G 3A), Marcel Richard (1G 0A), and goaltender Barney Slayton (0G 1A).  The assist was Slayton's second point on the season.

For the Original Sixers, Will Quesnell and Pedro Slayton had the goals and assists came from Tom Maldonado, Patrice Holland, and Matt Hammond.

In net, Barney Slayton was on fire and posted a .929 save % on the night (26 saves on 28 shots). For the Original Sixers, Noullet gave up 5 goals and made 32 stops. 

GAME 2 - Thursday, December 13th:

C-MEN AT ORIGINAL SIXERS

When the C-Men took the ice to face off against the Original Sixers Thursday night, the tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

The Original Sixers, like Tuesday night, came out flying and Adam Passck and defensemen Matt Hammond both scored goals in the first two minutes to give the Sixers an early 2-0 lead. The Sixers dominated first period play and the C-Men didn't register their first shot on goal until 6:24 into the period. At that point, the C-Men mustered a shot on goal and rebound with the rebound finding the back of the net off Don Terkalas' stick. However, the Original Sixers immediately bounced back and Marcel Richard and JP Scriberg answered with two quick goals both under a minute after the Terkalas' goal.  Jerome Bechard answered with a rifling slapshot that found the mark high glove side to bring the score to 4-2 Original Sixers after one.

In second period action, both clubs fought hard and the goaltending tightened up in the middle frame.  Only one team managed to find a goal as the Original Sixers' JP Scriberg netted his second with 2:48 remaining in the frame.  5-2 Sixers after 2.

Between the second and third period, the C-Men sat and stared at each other, reached down deep, and decided they would not quit. The team had trouble generating much offense to this point and all hope seemed lost heading into the third. Then, quite suddenly, Gary Langbo stood up on the bench and provided an inspirational speech, "Gentlemen," he said. "I'm out here playing my heart out. I'm 78 years old and I won't quit!!  C-Men! C-Men!  Give me some C-Men power!!!!"  A lone tear trickled down Langbo's cheek and turned to ice. But that tear melted the C-Men's hearts and lit them on fire.

In the third period, Langbo led the team by example. First, he assisted on back-to-back goals from Jerome Bechard and Shooter Depuydt (bringing the club to within one with a 5-4 score). His inspiration then led Bechard to complete his hat trick, tying the game at 5 with 5:03 remaining in the contest. But, the Original Sixers were not done and Corey Fossa beat goalie Cody Ross to give the Sixers a 6-5 lead with 3:39 remaining.

Langbo slammed his stick on the boards, hopped over onto the ice (skating through the pain as his old man ankles nearly crumbled under the force), and skated to the face-off circle. He gritted his false teeth and whispered, "I'll not be denied" as the puck was dropped at center ice. The faceoff was won by his club and came back to Bechard who hit Terkalas entering the zone.  Don dished the puck off to the inspired Gary Langbo.  Langbo somehow reached down deep and turned on the afterburners streaking in from the left wing side. Langbo outskated the Sixers' defensemen, cut through the slot as he stickhandled around Noullet's poke check attempt, and tucked the puck inside the far post to tie the game 6-6.  We were set for our first CHAAAL overtime of the season!

In the overtime period, the C-Men would not relent. The momentum continued as Matt Velmer rang a shot off the pipe behind Noullet as the home Sixers crowd gasped in the near miss.

And then, Langbo heroically took to the ice again.

2:10 into the overtime period, Perry Meyers centered a pass from the leftwing side to Langbo as he streaked towards the net on the right wing circle. Goaltender Noullet dropped expecting Langbo to one-time the shot, but Gary danced around the bewildered goaltender and gently slide the puck into the gapping cage to take the victory 7-6 in OT for the C-Men.

We have a video replay of the game winning goal:

C-Men Gary Langbo (2G 2A) and Jerome Bechard (3G 1A) both led the way with 4 points each. The C-Men's other ancient player, 72 year old Silver Stallion Don Terkalas, did not want to be upstaged and also added 1G and 2A.  Shooter Depuydt continued his race to league scoring champion with three points (1G 2A) on the evening. And Perry Meyers and Matt Velmer each tacked on an apple.

For the Sixers, defensemen Matt Hammond had his best game of the season (1G 4A).  The performance moved Hammond to fourth place in league assists and fifth in overall scoring for the CHAAAL. Also scoring for the Sixers were JP Scriberg (2G 1A), Marcel Richard (1G 2A), Corey Fossa (1G 0A), and Adam Passck (1G 0A).

In net, the goaltenders both had season-low performances in the stats category.  Cody Ross made 21 saves on 27 shots (.778 save %) and Noullet stopped 22 of 29 (.759 save %).

After the game, the Terkalas had this to say about his aging linemate, "Gary [Langbo] was on fire tonight. No doubt about it. He was all over the ice." At this point, the Silver Stallion was unable to hold back the tears and ended the interview.

CHAAAL action continues Tuesday night as the C-Men battle the Whiskey Dekes at 8:30pm EST.

Sunday, December 9 - 10:21am

The Original Sixers were coming off back-to-back victories against the Whiskey Dekes as they came to the rink Thursday night to face the C-Men. The C-Men, however, have only one loss on the season and were looking to extend their win streak to five.

From the opening whistle, the C-Men erupted like they were shot out of a gun. Just 46 seconds into the game, Matt "Shooter" Depuydt continued his scoring streak to open up scoring on the first shot of the game. After this initial hiccup, though, the Original Sixers found their footing and neither team was able to find the back of the net for nearly 9 minutes.  Then Ian Butts scored for his team with 3:41 remaining in the period to tie the game at 1-1. Just 14 seconds later, though, the C-Men's Silver Stallion penetrated the Sixers' defense and tapped in a centering pass to make it 2-1 C-Men.

The teams battled it out for much of the second period without anyone finding the net. The first goal of the period came with 4:21 remaining as Shooter scored his second of the contest with a wrister from the slot that went post and in past Noullet's outstretched glove.  Then, Don Terkalas netted his second of the contest with a quick low slot that slipped under Noullet's pad to give the C-Men a 4-1 lead. But, the Original Sixers weren't out of it yet. Adam Passck (free agent pick-up playing in his first game as a Sixers) scored with 1:12 to go in the second and then Sixers defensemen Tom Maldonado brought his team to within one with 0:57 to go in the period.  The second ended with the C-Men up 4-3.

In the final period, the C-Men's Will Christian scored 1:33 into the frame. Then C-Men newcomer Ian Brambly scored with 7:55 to go in the contest. And then, adding insult to injury, Brambly scored again with a nifty deke and rising backhand shot to score shorthanded and give his club a commanding 7-3 lead. The Sixers' Adam Passck scored a power play goal minutes later and then Original Sixers' forward Matt Hammond added a goal of his own to bring his club to within 2 with 1:27 remaining.  The Sixers elected to pull their netminder in an effort to tie the game but were unsuccessful and the C-Men skated to a 7-5 victory.

Scoring for the C-Men was led by Matt Depuydt (2G 2A). With the four points, Shooter leads the league in points with 22. His linemate Don Terkalas is second in league scoring with 17 points and had 3 points on the evening (2G 1A). Terkalas also leads the league in assists with 10.  Also scoring for the club were Ian Brambly (2G 1A), Gary Langbo (0G 3A), and Will Christian (1G 1A).

For the Original Sixers, defenseman Tom Maldonado led the charge with 1G 2A. Also factoring in on the scoresheet were Adam Passk (2G 0A), Ian Butts (1G 1A), Matt Hammond (1G 1A), and Will Quesnell (0G 2A).

Both goaltenders pitched identical save percentages on the evening, each stopping .821 percent of the shots sent their way.  Cody Ross made 23 saves on 28 shots and Sixers goalie Josh Noullet turned aside 32 of the 39 biscuits sent his way.

Afterwards, we chatted with C-Men forward Gary Langbo.  Langbo had his best offensive game of the season and factored in on three of the goals with assists.  

"Thank you, I had a nice game," Langbo commented. "But I just couldn't get a goal. Great job by everyone, though." The rest of the C-Men were unavailable for comment after the game, but the below photo surfaced online on social media later:

CHAAAL hockey action kicks back up Tuesday night as the Original Sixers look to rebound from the loss as they take on the Whiskey Dekes.  Puck drops at 8:30pm Tuesday, December 11th at the Columbus Ice Rink.

Thursday, November 6 - 9:07am

In the Tuesday night CHAAAL scene the Whiskey Dekes grappled with the C-Men. 

Both teams made roster moves prior to the contest. For the C-Men, the team called up James Cameron from the CHA B League. The speedy Cameron got his call-up after preforming well in the B League (2G 2A in 3 games).  The Whiskey Dekes picked up free agent Ian Thighs. 

The C-Men's Pat Holland beat Whiskey Dekes goalkeeper Barney Slayton 28 seconds after the opening puck drop. However, Slayton immediately recovered and blanked the C-Men for the rest of the period. The Whiskey Dekes weren't able to solve goalie Cody Ross, though, and the first period saw the C-Men up 1-0.

The goaltenders continued to be tough in net and neither team scored again until the 7:27 mark of the second period. Matt "Shooter" Depuydt gave his team the 2-0 lead. However, Brandon Healy finally solved Cody Ross with 3:35 remaining in the second to bring the score to within one. But, the C-Men scored twice more (Pat Holland's second and Shooter's second) to close out the period up 4-1.

In the final frame, the Whiskey Dekes were the team to strike early. Healy found the back of the net for the second time on the evening and closed the gap to 4-2. The teams continue to trade goals as the C-Men's Matt Velmer scored with just over 9 minutes remaining and the Deke's Adam Pasque answered with 2:11 left in the contest to bring the score to 5-3. With just under two minutes remaining, the Whiskey Dekes elected to pull goaltender Barney Slayton and try to tie the game. Unfortunately for the Whiskey Dekes, rookie James Cameron made his presence felt, winning a neutral zone race to the puck and scoring a breakaway empty net goal to give the C-Men the 6-3 victory.

For the victorious C-Men, Matthew Depuydt (2G 0A), Pat Holland (2G 0A), Don Terkalas (0G 2A), and newcomer James Cameron (1G 1A) each contributed with two points. Also scoring for the club were Matt Velmer (1G 0A), Gary Langbo (0G 1A), Jerome Bechard (0G 1A), Perry Meyers (0G 1A), and Will Christian (0G 1A). The points moved Shooter Depuydt to first in the league in goals (11 goals) and overall points (18 points) while the Silver Stallion Don Terkalas moved into the number one spot in assists with 9. Terkalas' four penalty minutes on the evening moved him up to the number one spot for PIM's as well with 10 on the season.  Forward Pat Holland continues to have a career season and has moved up into the third place slot for goals scored with 8.

Brandon Healy (2G 0A) and Adam Pasque (1G 1A) led the scoring for their squad. Also scoring for the Whiskey Dekes were Ryan Smith (0G 1A) and Andrew Bae (0G 1A). Pasque's two-point night moved him up into fifth place for goals (6), assists (4), and overall points (10).

Between the pipes for the C-Men, goalie Cody Ross turned out a solid performance. Of the 27 shots sent towards his cage, he was able to handle 24 of them (.889 save % on the evening). Of goaltenders playing at least two games, Ross is now first in the league in both goaltender stat categories with a season .862 Save % and 3.34 Goals Against Average.

Whiskey Dekes netminder Barney Slayton was in a bit of a slump leading up to the contest and it seemed as if his slump would continue when he let in the first goal seconds into the contest. Instead, Slayton was strong throughout the evening and gave his team a chance to stay in the contest. Barney also made 24 saves on the evening (29 shots on goal, .828 Save %).

After the game, we were able to get a quick quote out of league leader Matt Depuydt as he provided his own recap of the contest.  "Red Light Pat [Pat Holland] pumped in 2. Don [Terkalas] made a bunch of terrible passes but I was actually nice about it. Cody Only One Hole In [Code Ross] played sweet. Barney Slayton had a great game. C men won. The end."

After the players were able to get out of their gear and enjoy victory showers, our field reporters also tracked down C-Men goalie Cody Ross.  Ross mumbled his own version of a recap of the game and then remarked, "Pretty intoxicated. Not sure if that's accurate."

The first-place C-Men are back in action tonight (Thursday, Dec. 6 at 9:30pm EST) as they face off against the red-hot Original Sixers. The Sixers look to increase their winning streak to three games while the C-Men are looking for five straight victories.

As a special promotion, the 1000th fan through the doors this evening will receive a limited edition Silver Stallion bobblehead (see Don Terkalas' player profile video for more details).

Friday, November 30 - 10:09am

The Original Sixers faced off against the Whiskey Dekes Thursday night for a rematch of last Tuesday's 6-4 thriller.  The Sixers hoped to extend their winning streak to two, while the Dekes were in the middle of a bit of a slump coming off back-to-back losses to the Original Sixers and C-Men.

The Whiskey Dekes were sporting special Christmas jerseys (shown above) for the home fans.

Thirty six seconds into the contest, Sixers' defenseman Corey Fossa was able to beat Dekes goalie Barney Slayton to open up the scoring. However, after the opening goal both teams were slow to gain an offensive footing and the majority of the first period saw the teams battling for puck possession and fighting to get shots on the goaltenders. Sixers foward Bob Cowles was forced to leave the contest after his first shift with a skate issue and did not return for the rest of the game. The Original Sixers were finally able to break through late in the period with goals from Ian Butts with 2:41 remaining and then a last-second goal from Corey Fossa again with 0:02 on the clock.  The first period ended with the Original Sixers soaring with a 3-0 lead.

The Whiskey Dekes came onto the ice ready to play for the second period. The team found its legs and began getting pucks to the net.  Neither team was able to score, however, until midway through the second.  Ian Brambs opened the scoring for his team, closing the gap to 3-1. Then, four seconds after a late-period Original Sixers power play expired, Brambs scored again to make the score 3-2.  JP Scriberg answered with 1:44 remaining with a goal of his own for the Sixers, giving his team a 4-2 lead.  But the Whiskey Dekes kept pressing the attack, and Adam Pasque made a nifty move driving to the net and cutting through the crease to tuck a puck just inside the post with just 17 seconds left in the period to bring his team to within one at the buzzer.  4-3 Sixers after two.

Original Sixers Captain Ian Butts netted his second of the contest, though, just 18 seconds after the opening third period faceoff to put his team up 5-3. And Pedro Slayton beat his brother Barney with a low spinorama shot with 5:32 left in the contest to put the Sixers up 6-3. The Whiskey Dekes were able to stage a last-second comeback attempt (scoring 4 goals late in the third period) against the C-Men Tuesday evening and they intended to repeat that late in the third here. They got their opportunity as the Original Sixers took a hooking penalty with 2:33 left in the contest. The Dekes were unable to score early on the power play but pulled their goaltender with 1:11 left to try to get it jumpstarted. Unfortunately for the Whiskey Dekes, it was not to be and when the clock ticked down to zero the Original Sixers had the victory 6-3.

Sixers defenseman Corey Fossa led the way for the team with 2G 1A. The assist for Fossa moved him up to fourth place in the league in assists. Also finding the net were Captain Ian Butts (2G 0A), JP Scriberg (1G 1A), and Pedro Slayton (1G 1A).  Quino Mora and Matt Hammonds also added one assist each for the club.

Ian Brambs (2G 0A), Adam Pasque (1G 1A), and Dan Megiel (0G 1A) scored points for the Whiskey Dekes.  Pasque's two-point night moved him into the number five spot in overall points in the CHAAAL.

In net, the goalies saw a season-low combined shots on goal of 49. The Whiskey Dekes outshot the Original Sixers 29-20 but Sixers goaltender Josh Noullet was able to turn aside 26 of the 29 shots. His counterpart Barney Slayton made 14 saves on the evening.  

After the game, Bob Cowles of the Original Sixers had this to say, "I guess I'm glad I forgot my skates and left. Good job guys. You'd've definitely lost had I stayed with those rental skates." 

With the loss, the Whiskey Dekes fall to 2-4-0-0 and the Original Sixers improve to the same record, 2-4-0-0.

CHAAAL action continues Tuesday, December 4th at 8:30pm as the Whiskey Dekes go on a road trip to face the first-place C-Men in hostile territory on their home ice. Rabid C-Men fans are already rushing the box office attempting to purchase tickets for the game.

We'll see you there, hockey fans!

Thursday, November 29 - 7:41pm

Three members (two current, one former) of the CHAAAL have been invited to participate in the All Army Men's Hockey Team Trial Camp at Fort Drum, New York.  Congratulations to John Hubbard of the Whiskey Dekes, Matt Milley of the C-Men, and Colby Burling of U.S.eh (2017-18 season) on being selected for this honor. We know you'll do the CHAAAL proud.

Additionally, we have an injury update from the C-Men.

Forward Dan Corso has been diagnosed with a MCL sprain and will be out for approximately two week. 

Get well soon Danny Boy! 

Wednesday, November 28 - 8:25pm

The C-Men returned to the ice after a long break to face off against the Whiskey Dekes.  The Dekes were coming off a loss to the Original Sixers and were anxious to get back on the ice. 

The teams battled hard for most of the first period without finding the back of the net.  The 0-0 tie was broke with 5:24 remaining in the first as Ian Bramb beat goaltender Cody Ross and gave the Whiskey Dekes a 1-0 lead. However, the C-Men answered with goals from Jerome Bechard and Don Terkalas and the first period came to a close with the C-Men leading 2-1.

In the second frame, the Whiskey Dekes were completely overcome by C-Men attacks. Pat Holland, Matt "Shooter" Depuydt, and Perry Meyers all tickled the twine behind Dekes' goaltender Barney Slayton and the C-Men carried a commanding 5-1 lead into the locker room after two.

In the third period, Don Terkalas struck again for the C-Men, increasing the lead to 6-1 with 7:58 remaining in the contest.  It seemed like there was little hope for the Whiskey Dekes. Yet, their fans stayed in their seats and began feverously chanting "Who We? WD!"  

The reinvigorated Whiskey Dekes dug deep and began an offensive deluge on C-Men goalie Ross.  Adam Pasque scored first with 4:29 remaining in the contest to cut the lead to 6-2.  Then, Pasque scored again just over a minute later to cut the lead to 6-3. A buzz began to circulate through the packed arena.

The Dekes kept pouring it on.  Next, Whiskey Dekes free agent pick-up Corinthio Fossa (twin brother to Sixers defenseman Corey Fossa) scored his first goal with the club and cut the lead to 6-4.  And, with 49 seconds left in the contest, the Dekes scored again off the stick of Ian Brambs.

However, it would not be enough and the C-Men held on in dramatic fashion to win the contest 6-5.

The C-Men scoring was led by Shooter Depuydt (1G 3A).  Shooter now leads the league in scoring with 16 points. Don Terkalas had a great night as well, scoring two goals and tacking on an apple.  His three-point night moved him into second overall in league scoring with 12 points. Also scoring for the C-Men were Perry Meyers (1G 1A), Jerome "Boom Boom" Bechard (1G 0A), Phat Pat Holland (1G 0A), Gary Langbo (0G 1A), and Dan Corso (0G 1A).  Corso's all-time league record 285 days scoreless streak was snapped. Corso joins the ranks of goaltenders Josh Noullet and Barney Slayton with 1 point on the season.

For the Whiskey Dekes, Adam Pasque was the scoring star (2G 1A), scoring all three points in the last-minute attempted Dekes comeback. Also scoring were Ian Brambs (2G 0A), Corinthio Fossa (1G 1A), captain Phillip "Flip" Weaver (0G 1A), and Mike Nash (0G 1A).

In net for the C-Men, Cody Ross got the win making 24 saves on 29 shots (.828 save % for the evening). Dekes goalie Barney Slayton turned aside 24 as well, stopping 24 of 30 (.800 save %).

After the game, we caught up with Matt "Shooter" Depuydt. When asked about his temper throughout the game on the evening (and resulting penalty), Depuydt said, "I think I'm going to be nicer next game.  I believe I was making Don [Terkalas] nervous so he was trying too hard and in turn gave me 27 passes.  I gave him tap ins...."

CHAAAL action continues Thursday night as the Original Sixers try to extend their winning streak to two as they battle the Whiskey Dekes.  Puck drops at 9:30pm EST.

Monday, November 26 - 1:39pm

Today's video features Whiskey Dekes goaltender Barney Slayton.

Besides playing goalie, Barney volunteers with the Columbus Hockey Association as a goaltending coach and also has a job somewhere (I'm reasonably certain).

Sunday, November 25 - 9:23am

Our third player profile video focuses on the C-Men's Don Terkalas.

Besides playing hockey, the Silver Stallion also works as a CSR on the phones selling grills or something.

Friday, November 23 - 2:25pm

Our next player profile video features the Original Sixers Captain Ian Butts. Besides playing hockey, Dr. Butts is a professor at Auburn University and also fancies himself an expert in scarfs.

The scene Tuesday night outside the Columbus Ice Rink.

Thursday, November 22 - 9:45pm

Thanksgiving hockey action swept the Southeast by storm as the Original Sixers returned to the ice Tuesday night to face off against the Whiskey Dekes. The fans packed into the arena to gobble up CHAAAL hockey action after the two week break (official attendance of 4).

The action started immediately after the refs dropped the first period puck. The Original Sixers won the draw, marched into the attacking zone, and 36 seconds into the contest Sixers forward Will Quesnell buried a shot past Dekes goaltender Barney Slayton to open the scoring.  Six minutes later Quesnell scored his second on the evening.  Then, just 13 seconds later Quino Mora beat Slayton and gave the Original Sixers an early 3-0 lead.  However, Whiskey Dekes defenseman John Hubbard was able to beat Noullet with 52 seconds remaining in the opening stanza and the first period buzzer sounded with the Sixers up 3-1.

In the second period, the teams traded offensive tries for the first five minutes of the period with no goals. However, Sixers defenseman Tom Maldonado came alive with two goals 45 seconds apart giving his team a commanding 5-1 lead.

But the Whiskey Dekes weren't done yet. On the power play late in the second period, defensemen John Hubbard scored his second on the evening with an assist from his goaltender Barney Slayton. The Sixers answered with a controversial last-second goal with 0:01 remaining on the clock as Dustin Blomeyer gave his team the 6-2 lead heading into the second intermission.

The Whiskey Dekes seemed to have a bit of rust on their skates through two, but came out flying in the third period. The Dekes rained down shot after shot on the Sixers' goal and Dekes defenseman John Hubbard scored his hat trick with 7:58 remaining and then his fourth goal 50 seconds later to bring his team back to within two.  The Dekes' attack never let up for the remainder of the contest, but they were unable to find the net again and the arena erupted in thunderous applause as the Original Sixers skated to the 6-4 victory!

Scoring for the victors was led by forward Will Quesnell (2G 0A), Tom Maldonado (2G 0A), Corey Fossa (0G 2A), Bob Cowles (0G 2A), Quino Mora (1G 0A), and Dustin Blomeyer (1G 0A).For the Whiskey Dekes, John Hubbard scored all four (4G 0A).  The loan apple for the Dekes on the evening came from goaltender Barney Slayton (0G 1A).

In net, Original Sixers goaltender Josh Noullet had his best performance of the season. Noullet turned aside 40 of the 44 pucks sent his way (.909 save %). When asked about his performance after the game, the portly goalkeeper had this to say, "It felt great to get the win. I'm supposed to say this was a team effort, but... I mean, c'mon. It was all me tonight. I put the team on my shoulders and won it all myself." We asked the netminder if he'd scored all six goals as well, but he had no further comment.

In net for the Whiskey Dekes, Mexican-born goaltender Barney Slayton's border wall had a few cracks in it. The feisty goalie started the game rough (giving up 3 goals on the first 7 shots sent his way) but finished the contest with 25 saves on 31 shots (.806 save % for the evening). When asked about the loss, Slayton lamented, "Yeahhhh.  Unos agujeros en la puerta del granero anoche."

CHAAAL hockey continues Tuesday night (11/27 8:30pm) as the Whiskey Dekes (2-2-0-0) face off against the first place C-Men (4-1-0-0).

Monday, November 19 - 11:22am

Due to the overwhelming amount of fan mail received by our players throughout the league, periodically we're going to have small video clip player profile videos spotlighting the CHAAAL superstars.

Our first clip focuses on CHAAAL Original Sixers rookie Will Quesnell:

Wednesday, November 7 - 10:20pm

The Original Sixers put their best game on the ice of the season, but were forced to swallow a C-Men assault with a 6-4 loss.

To boost the team, the Sixers signed free agent defenseman Corey Fossa (12G 19A in 12 games played in the 2017-18 season with team USeh).

The Sixers were incredibly impressive in the first period of play. The team backchecked well, received solid goaltending, and moved the puck well in the period. The disciplined hockey paid off and the team found the board first. Original Sixers captain Ian Butts lit the lamp behind a bewildered C-Men goaltender Cody Ross with just 30 seconds remaining in the first.  And, despite being outshot 10 to 4 in the period, the Original Sixers headed to the locker room up 1-0 after one period of play.

Then, it all fell apart for the Original Sixers.

1:32 into the second period, right winger Shooter Depuydt tied the game up with an unassisted goal for the C-Men. And things continued to snowball from there. Under a minute later, Depuydt scored again.  And just 50 seconds after that, the C-Men's eldest player Gary Langbo (87 years old, three hip replacements) scored to give the C-Men a 3-1 advantage. A frustrated Will Quesnell (Quesnell now leads the league in penalty minutes with six) was then penalized for the Original Sixers and the C-Men cashed in on their only power play as Perry Meyers increased the lead to 4-1. A devastating late goal from Matt Milley gave the C-Men a commanding 5-1 lead in the period.  However, Corey Fossa made his presence known and inserted the puck into the C-Men's goal with just 8 seconds remaining in the period.  Shots were tied at 12-12 in the period (22-16 C-Men in the game) at that point, but the C-Men took a 5-2 lead heading into the third.

The third period was a close-fought battle for much of the frame.  With 5:33 remaining in the contest, however, Matt Milley netted his second on the evening and seemed to end the Sixers' hope of a comeback, giving the C-Men a 6-1 lead. 

Yet, much like the pesky and delusional Stacy Abrams, the Original Sixers would not admit defeat despite insurmountable odds.

Sixers forward Bob Cowles put the team on his shoulders and scored with 24 seconds remaining in the contest.  Then, Cowles scored again with just under 5 seconds to go.  However, it would not be enough. The Sixers crumpled under the weight of the C-Men barrage and lost the contest with a final score of 6-4.  Shots on goal were 38 for the C-Men and 22 for the Original Sixers.

Scoring for the C-Men was led by Matt "Shooter" Depuydt (2G 1A) and propelling Depuydt to the top of league scoring with 12 points.  Also scoring for the C-Men was Matt Milley (2G 0A), Gary Langbo (1G 1A), Perry Meyers (1G 0A), Don Terkalas (0G 3A), Jerome Bechard (0G 1A), and Matt Velmer (0G 1A).

For the Original Sixers, Bobby Cowles netted two (2G 0A) to lead the way. Corey Fossa also contributed to his new team (1G 1A). Also scoring were Ian Butts (1G 0A), Tom Maldonado (0G 1A), and Matt Hammond (0G 1A).

Goaltender Cody Ross had his worst performance of the young season, giving up 4 goals on 22 shots (18 saves, .818 Save % on the evening). Ross was solid throughout most of the night, but seemed to lose focus with under a minute remaining as he gave up two late goals. The C-Men coach advised that his goaltender had lost his buzz at that point and was trying to endure the rest of the game and get off the ice for another beer. When asked about this, Ross had this to say after the game, "I mean... you make fun of all of us equally in the recaps. Who cares? Yeah... yeah, I want a beer."

His counterpart on the Original Sixers, goaltender Josh Noullet, was solid most of the evening. However, the game was decided in the second period as Noullet gave up 5 of the 6 goals in the second frame in a 4:38 span.  Still, the follically-challenged portly goaltender turned aside 32 of 38 shots sent his direction (.842 Save % on the evening).

After the contest, we were able to get comments from both Original Sixers defensemen Tom Maldonado and captain Ian Butts.  "We won the first and third periods," Maldonado lamented. "Just need to put a complete game on the ice."  

"My students read this," Dr. Ian Butts remarked. "Just... don't make it too embarrassing." Clearly, the offense force of the C-Men raining down on Butts and his crew was not embarrassment enough.

The CHAAAL takes an early season break for the Columbus Fair and a regional cheerleading competion.  Hockey action returns to Columbus as the winless Original Sixers face off against the Whiskey Dekes.  Puck drops at 8:30pm Tuesday, November 20th.

Saturday, November 3 - 11:30am

The Adult A League is ready to unveil its rebranding!

The league has transformed into the exciting new Columbus Hockey Adult A League, or CHAAAL (pronounced CAWWWWL in a loud bird-like shrill).  

Special thanks to Barney Slayton for coming up with the name, acronym, and pronoucation.  

Friday, November 2 - 6:15pm

In Thursday night CHAAAL (Columbus Hockey Association Adult A League) action, the winless Original Sixers came to town to face off against the C-Men.  During the last meeting between these two clubs, the C-Men defeated the Sixers 8-2.

Original Sixers Captain Ian Butts met with the coaching staff and front office prior to the game and worked out a plan for revamped lines and put together a strategy to get the team on the right track.

The planning paid off and the reinvigorated Original Sixers came out flying from the original puck drop.  The C-Men were initially caught on their heels but were able to weather the first period storm.  For their part, the C-Men offensive attack was relentless in the first, peppering Noullet with shots.  The C-Men also were awarded a two-man advantage in the period for 1:06 but were unable to capitalize. The period ended scoreless.

The second period, however, was a different story.  The C-Men offensive assault continued and the team finally broke the 0-0 tie with a beautiful centering pass from Gary Langbo resulting in a one-timer off Perry Meyers stick with 1:06 elapsed in the period.  The Original Sixers were not phased, however, and just 23 seconds later Sixers defenseman Tom Maldonado buried a slap shot stick side and tied the game 1-1.  The Sixers continued to press and forward Pedro Slayton beat C-Men goalie Cody Ross with 6:21 remaining in the 2nd to give the Original Sixers a 2-1 lead (prior to this lead, the Original Sixers have only held the lead in a game for 1:02 of total time all season).  The tide began to turn, though, and the C-Men tied the game up at 2-2 with 4:38 to go in the frame as The Silver Stallion himself, Don Terkalas, made a nifty move. 

Goaltender Josh Noullet had this to say on the Terkalas goal after the game, “Listen, when the Stallion was meandering through the slot from my right to left, I fully expected him to stay glove side with his momentum.  I couldn’t have been more surprised when he shifted the puck on his stick and tucked it inside the post on his backhand.  I mean… listen guys, no one’s ever seen Terkalas do anything other than sort of flip the puck in the general direction of the net.  I was in complete and total shock. I’m kind of surprised that he didn’t snap his wrist or something; brittle old bones on that guy, y’know?”  We were unable to obtain an injury and/or health update on Terkalas from the C-Men medical staff following the contest.  We’ll list him as day-to-day leading up to the next C-Men game (Tuesday at 8:30pm).

The third period began with the teams deadlocked at 2-2. But the C-Men, inspired by the Antics of their Aging Avenger, came out of the locker room with fire. Matt Milley beat Noullet 1:56 into the period to give his team the lead. Then, Matt “Shooter” Depuydt scored two minutes later to put the C-Men up 4-2.  Shortly after the fourth C-Men goal, the Original Sixers found themselves on the Power Play again (their fourth of the night) but were unable to capitalize.  And Matt Milley sealed the deal for the C-Men with 1:19 remaining, scoring his second of the contest and giving his team the 5-2 victory.

Scoring for the visiting Original Sixers on the evening was Tom Maldonado (1G 0), Pedro Slaytong (1G 0A), Dan Hogan (0G 1A), Clyde Glenn (0G 1A), Matt Hammond (0G 1A) and goaltender Josh Noullet (0G 1A).

With the apple, Noullet has leapfrogged ahead of C-Men forward Dan Corso in the scoring race. Corso was a healthy scratch (due to poor production) and was out of town in Pennsylvania, but we were able to catch up with him electronically after the game for a quote.  He had this to say, “Hey @Josh[Noullet] I hope u take a puck to the throat.”

Corso’s scoreless streak has now been extended to 260 consecutive calendar days.

Matt Milley led the way for the C-Men (2G 2A) on the evening.  Also scoring were Don Terkalas (1G 2A), Matt Depuydt (1G 2A), Perry Meyers (1G 1A), and Gary Langbo (0G 1A). The evening production has moved Shooter Depuydt and Matt Milley into a two-way tie for first place in points in the league.

In net for the C-Men, goalie Cody Ross continued to remain steady and unwavering. He turned aside 17 of the 19 attempts sent his way (.895 Save % on the night).  With the night’s performance, Ross is now giving up just 2.68 goals per game (just behind Whiskey Dekes goaltender Barney Slayton at 2.67 GAA).

Original Sixers netminder Josh Noullet played his best game of the season.  Besides his assist on Pedro Slayton’s goal, Noullet was tested with 38 shots on goal.  He was able to turn aside 33 of them (a .868 Save % on the evening).

Bob Cowles of the Original Sixers also stayed behind to answer questions for the media.  When asked about his performance specifically, Bob said (while sipping his beer), “Listen… I feel old. Really really old and slow. I need to get in shape.”  So far, Bob has implemented a strict diet of post game beers. We have no official word on the other steps he's taking to improve his fitness level.

A heated rivalry is developing between these two clubs and more fuel will be added to that fire Tuesday night as the C-Men travel to the Sixers’ home ice to face off again (11/6/18 8:30pm). The game will also be Military Appreciate Night (in honor of Veteran’s Day).  Fans dressed in military swag (to include t-shirts, pins, hats, ribbons, etc.) will be given free admission to the game and will receive special rinkside seating (option to sit anywhere in the first 20 rows behind the glass).

Wednesday, October 31 - 5:52pm

The Whiskey Dekes skated into town Tuesday evening to face off against the home team underfeated C-Men. During their previous meeting, the C-Men edged the Whiskey Dekes 5-3 and the WD players were out for revenge.

In first period action, however, the C-Men struck first.  Don Terkalas found the net with 8:09 remaining in the opening frame.  Two minutes later, Dan Megiel answered for the Whiskey Dekes, tying the game at 1-1. But, the Silver Stallion would not be denied and Terkalas added his second tally of the evening with 2:36 remaining in the opening period. At this point in the game, Terkalas' unending self praise and boasting could be heard throughout the arena causing a few of his home crowd fans to even exit the building in disgust.  The period ended with the C-Men leading 2-1.

Second period action started with the two teams dueling back and forth with no clear advantage.  Both teams moved well through the neutral zone while both goaltenders were solid when shots on goal found their way to the net.

However, the game dramatically changed with 5:10 remaining in the second.

Within a 33 second window, the Whiskey Dekes offense broke through.  Anthony Pollice, John Hubbard, and Adam Pasque scored three goals on three consecutive shots, rattling C-Men goaltender Cody Ross and shocking the C-Men squad.

The team never seemed to find themselves for the remainder of the contest.

The second ended with the Whiskey Dekes now leading 4-2.  For much of the third period, the score remained at 4-2. Then, with 1:35 left to play in the contest, the C-Men opted to pull goaltender Ross. 29 seconds later Andrew Bae found the empty net, increasing the Dekes' lead to 5-2.  Matt Depudyt was able to find the back of the net once more for the C-Men with 10 seconds remaining. However, the Whiskey Dekes held on for the 5-3 victory, handing the C-Men their first loss on the young season.

Scoring for the Whiskey Dekes was led by John "Yes Dear" Hubbard (1G 1A) and Andrew Bae (1G 1A). Adam Pasque and Anthony Pollice each added a goal a piece. And Mike Nash tallied his first point of the season assisting on Bae's goal late in the contest.

C-Men scoring was led by their captain Don Terkalas (2G 0A). Matt "Shooter" Depuydt scored a goal as well and Matt Velmer and Gary Langbo added apples for the club.

In net for the Whiskey Dekes, goalie Barney Slayton backstopped the team with 15 saves on the C-Men's 18 shots sent his way. Slayton leads the league in goaltending with a Save % of .909 and a GAA of 2.67.

For the C-Men, goaltender Cody Ross turned aside 27 of the 31 biscuits. Other than the 3 goal barrage on 3 shots in the second period, Ross played a strong game in net for his squad.

After the game, we caught up with C-Men assistant captain Shooter Depuydt. Depudyt had this to say, "Our defensive plan kinda backfired on us this evening. We sent Jerome [Bechard] to coach his daughter's soccer game and hoped that'd give us an edge. It did not."  

Don "The Silver Stallion" Terkalas, still intoxicated with glee from his two goal evening, had this to stay, "We will make [the Original Sixers] pay for our loss last night." Terkalas is questionable for the contest as he continues to seek treatment for dementia. 

Official attendance was 3 fans on the evening (though 2 left mid game unable to endure Terkalas' boasting any longer).

The C-Men are back in action Thursday night (11/1/18, 9:30pm EST) as they face the winless Original Sixers. 

Saturday, October 27 -  2:40pm

The Whiskey Dekes skated away with their first win of the season in dramatic fashion, taking down the Original Sixers 6-0 with a shutout victory.

Goaltender Barney Slayton backstopped the Dekes with 36 saves on 36 shots (1.000 Save %) for the shutout.  The victory moved Slayton into the #1 slot for season Save % (0.929 on the season) and earning him Star of the Game honors. When congratulated on this performance, Slayton responded, "Thanks. I felt really good out there tonight."  A man of few words, but a man with zero goals against.

Defenseman John Hubbard came alive for the home crowd, netting himself a hat trick.  Hubbard scored on the first shot of the game 1:16 into the contest, skating through the slot area left to right and firing a low shot past Sixers goaltender Noullet's stick side.  His second tally came on the power play as he attempted a centering pass that deflected off a Sixers defenseman and found the net.  Hubbard's third goal came midway through the second as he lifted a blistering one-time shot just under the crossbar past Noullet's waffleboard.

Also adding points on the evening for the Whiskey Dekes were Brandon Healy (1G 0A), Andrew Pollice (1G 0A), Dan Megiel (1G 0A), Ian Brambs (0G 2A) and Greg Goetz (0G 1A).

Penalties played a role in the contest as well. The Original Sixers were penalized five times on the evening, and the Whiskey Dekes took advantage going 2 for 5 (40.0%) on the Power Play.  The Whiskey Dekes were penalized once with a tripping call to Andrew Pollice with 1:53 remaining in the game.

In net for the Sixers, goaltender Josh Noullet started rough with the opening shot making its way into his net.  However, he seemed to find himself as the contest progressed and finished the evening with 34 saves on 40 shots on goal (0.850 Save % for the evening).

Offensive production has been a challenge for the Original Sixers to start the season. Forwards Clyde Glenn and Will Quesnell were activated and made their season debuts but were unable to solve Slayton.

Part of the issue for the team is that defenseman Tom Maldonado has had a difficult time adjusting to the faster paced speed of the game at this level. 

After skating six seasons in the SPHL (averaging 0.5 points per game in six seasons), Tom got his chance in "The Show" and was called up to the CHA Adult A.  He flourished in his first season but is back down producing 0.5 points per game.

Hockey Night in Canada Coach's Corner host Don Cherry had this to say, "Listen, it's a difficult adjustment for players to play at this level. Give the kid some time. I called it, and I'll keep callin' it.  Tom'll find his way."

Maldonado was not available for comment after the game.

Attendance was a season high 9 fans!

CHA Adult A action continues Tuesday night (Oct. 30, 8:30pm) as the Whiskey Dekes look for revenge on the C-Men.  It's Halloween night for the fans.  The first 1,000 fans (must be in costume) will receive free admission to the game and will have the opportunity to meet the players after the contest.

We'll see you there hockey fans!

Wednesday, October 24 - 12:52am

It took just 35 seconds for the Original Sixers to score their first goal on the first shot of the night. The home crowd was on their feet as the season started just right.

Then, it all came crashing down.

The C-Men roared back with an unbelievable six first period unanswered goals on their first eight shots of the game. A silenced Original Sixers crowd watched their team limp into the locker room down 6-1 after one period of play.

The teams returned to the ice and played a pretty even contest for the remainder of the game.  But the damage was done and the C-Men took the victory 8-2.

Scoring for the visiting C-Men was led by the hat tricks of both Matt "Shooter" Depudyt (3G 0A including a short handed goal) and Matt Milley (3G 0A).  Defensemen Jerome Bechard added to his league-leading assists with two more on the evening (1G 2A).  Also, offensive power forward Pat Holland continued adding to his points total (1G 1A on the night).  And the Silver Stallion Don Terkalas tacked on an assist.

Forward Holland has been the surprise star for the team.  In the 2017-18 season, Pat Holland played two games with the C-Men before being traded to the Mighty Drunkards. Last year, Pat finished with 17 games played but scored no goals and had one assist with the Mighty Drunkards. 

However, in the 2018-19 season Holland was reacquired by the C-Men and moved from defense to forward. The change has paid off.  In 2 games Pat is tied for league leading goals (4) and total points (6).

On the other bench, the Original Sixers opened the season with scoring from captain Ian Butts (1G 0A), Matt Hammond (1G 0A), Dan Hogan (0G 1A), and Tom Maldonado (0G 1A).

Rookie Cody Ross made his goaltending debut for the C-Men tonight and solidified the starting goaltender position with his performance. After giving up the first goal on the first shot of the game, Ross buckled down and made 15 saves on the Sixers' 17 shots (.882 Save %). Ross was solid throughout the night and only relented 2 goals on the evening.

174 feet away his opponent did not fair so well.  Original Sixers goaltender Josh Noullet had the worst start to a CHA hockey game in league history. He gave up 6 goals on the first 8 shots on goal in the game before snapping out of his slumber. He finished the night stopping 27 of the 35 shots sent his way (a league worst .771 Save % to start the season, significantly worse than Noullet's .857 Save % in the 2017-18 season). 

After the game, we caught up with Noullet and he had this to say, "Look... what can I say? That was the worst opening to any hockey game I've been a part of, and that's gotta fall on my shoulders. But hey... I mean, even though the C-Men put up 8 goals, somehow Dan Corso didn't contribute on the scoresheet. So when I feel really low thinking about tonight, I can take comfort in knowing there are players out there that are way way WAY worse than me."

Corso has yet to register a point in the 2018-19 season. He finished the 2017-18 season with 3G 11A (0.78 points per game) with 18 games played.  In fact, the last time Corso registered a regular season point was an assist in a 5-3 C-Men victory over the Mighty Drunkards on February 15, 2018 (251 calendar days since registering a point in CHA regular season action).  

He was unavailable for comment after tonight's contest.

The official attendance was 3.

CHA Adult A hockey action continues Thursday night as the Original Sixers look to right the ship facing off against the Whiskey Dekes.  Puck drops at 9:30pm EST.

Friday, October 19 -- 4:41pm

Last night, the Columbus Hockey Association Adult A League kicked off its season with a thrilling game between The Whiskey Dekes and the C-Men. 

During the offseason, gritty forward Phil "Flip" Weaver and defensemen John "Homebody" Hubbard were traded from the C-Men to expansion team The Whiskey Dekes.  Both players took the trade personally and were excited to get revenge on their former team. Homebody Hubbard had this to say before the game, "I'll score 12 goals on you. But 9:30pm start time?? I'll have to ask the wife."

First period action saw the Whiskey Dekes come out of the locker room flying. In the period, the Dekes outshot the sluggish C-Men 12-6 in the frame. And, the relentless offensive assault paid off. With 6:07 remaining in the opening period, a C-men neutral zone turnover led to a 3-on-1 odd man rush for the Whiskey Dekes. On the rush, an attempted centering pass was pokechecked by C-Men goaltender Noullet. However, the pokechecked puck ended up on defensemen Hubbard's stick and he buried the gift in the back of the net. A frustrated Don "The Silver Stallion" Terkalas also took a first period Hooking penalty for the C-Men (though the Whiskey Dekes were unable to capitalize).The Dekes took a 1-0 lead into the locker room for the first intermission.

In the second period, the C-Men coaching staff must've ignited the team in the locker room as the C-Men were flying everywhere. 0:49 into the second, forward Pat Holland found the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1.  Under two minutes later Holland gave Whiskey Dekes goalie Barney Slayton fits again and netted his second of the evening.  Adding insult to injury, rookie Matt Milley scored his first of the season with 0:35.9 left in the second period. The C-Men had turned the tide and led 3-1 after two.

In the third period, the Whiskey Dekes once again found life.  Forward Adam Pasque banked a sharp angle shot off the back of the C-Men goaltender's leg 1:15 into the final period to close the gap to 3-2. However, C-Men forward Pat Holland took the game on his shoulders and buried an incredible third goal with 9:51 remaining in the third. Hats littered the ice as the rabid sold out crowd chanted Holland's name. Then, Matt "Shooter" Depudyt tallied three minutes later to give the C-Men a commanding 5-2 lead in the game.  The Whiskey Dekes answered with a goal from defensemen Anthony Pollice with 2:30 remaining but it would not be enough. The C-Men took the contest 5-3.

Scoring for the C-Men was led by right winger Pat Holland (3G 1A). C-Men blue liner Jerome "Boom Boom" Bechard added three apples on the night (0G 3A) for his team.  Also scoring were Shooter Depuydt (1G 1A), Matt Milley (1G 1A), and Gary Langbo (0G 1A).

For the Whiskey Dekes, Adam Pasque (1G 1A) and John Hubbard (1G 1A) led the scoring. Anthony Pollice (1G 0A) and captain Phil Weaver (0G 1A) also added points on the night.

In net, the C-Men turned to their back-up goaltender Jaussh Noullet (no relation to Team B starting goaltender Josh Noullet) as starting C-Men goaltender Cody Ross was a scratch on the evening.  Noullet turned aside 30 of the 33 shots on the evening (.909 Save %) and was solid throughout the evening controlling rebounds and making key saves in key moments to help his team win the contest.

Across the rink in net, Barney Slayton got the call for the Whiskey Dekes.   Slayton was traded from Team USeh in the offseason and posted excellent numbers with their club in the 2017-18 season (record of 13-2-0-1, 4.44 GAA, .835 Save %).  Last night, Barney hoped to keep the starting goaltender job for the Whiskey Dekes and came out strong stopping 6 of 6 in the opening period and continuing on to finish with 29 saves on 34 shots (.853 Save %).

Last night's official attendance was 2.

CHA Adult A action continues Tuesday night as the C-Men look to continue their win streak as they take to the road to face the speedy Team B for Team B's home opener.  Puck drops at 8:30pm EST on Tuesday, October 23rd.  We'll see you there hockey fans!