CFHL Cherry Cup

 The Cherry Cup Final was a close one, as expected.   Who Gives a Puck vs. R.C. Goon Crew.  One team going for it's 4th Cup and one team going for its first ever.  

The game was tied at 3-3 with the Puck up 10-2 in goals, but only up 1-0 in goalie wins and the SV % was close too at .861 to .828.  Dylan Strome and Drake Batherson combined for 6 of those 10 goals!  The Puck would hang onto all three of those categories.  However with the game tied at 3-3, the Goon Crew would still prevail, as they held the tie breaker.  

The Goon Crew had solid leads in assists (9-3) and in hits (16-10), but only led PPP by one (4-3).  Radko Gudas led the team with 5 hits in the game.  But just one PPP by the Puck on the last day of the week, Thursday, and the Puck would win the game 3-2-1.  They wouldn't get one PPP, but they would get two!  Drake Batherson would score 2 PPP Thursday Night to give the Puck the victory 4-2 and earned Cherry Cup Final MVP!  

Batherson the Cherry Cup Finals MVP!

This gives Who Gives a Puck their 4th Cherry Cup and now trail the Checkers in Cups by only 1.  The Goon Crew came up short once again to get their name finally engraved on the Cup.  Looks like they will have to wait yet once again for next year.

Congratulations to Who Gives a Puck!

CFHL Semis

 

The stage is set for the Cherry Cup.  

The Goon Crew were able to hang on to beat his brother and 5 time Cherry Cup Champion Checkers.  The game ended 2-2-2 and with the Goon Crew the home team and higher seed, they break the tie.  This game couldn't have gotten any closer.  The Checkers dominated, as predicted, goalie categories with Hellebuyck and Vasilevskiy combining for 4 wins and a SV% of .917.  The Crew only had one goalie going.  The teams tied for Goals and Assists but the Goon Crew managed to edge the Checkers in PPP 8-6 and surprisingly hits 46-40.  Leading the way in hits was Olivier with 14 and Tom Wilson with 13 for the  Crew.  This will be the Crew's second trip to the Cup final.  Last time they were here they lost to the Checkers on a last minute empty net goal by Zetterberg...

The other game wasn't quite as dramatic.  Who Gives a Puck dominated the California Raisins 6-0. Goals were close (8-7) but the blew out the Raisins 21-9 in assists, 7-4 in PPP and 42-25 in hits.  Brandon Hagel had 7 assists in the win and Luke Schenn had 14 hits!  

Who Gives a Puck vs. R.C. Goon Crew

For the 2024-2025 Cherry Cup, Who Gives a Puck is going for their 4th title and the Goon Crew are trying to get their name engraved on the Cup for the first time.  If either team plays like they did last week it should be another close one.  The week is short (ends Thursday) and some players only play once.  Adin Hill is coming in for the Crew but plays a back to back so will likely only get one start.  Hits will be close but the Goon Crew might have the edge with Wilson, Olivier and Gudas.  Lucke Schenn for the Puck will be a force on the blue line and the boards.  

Good luck!

CFHL Playoffs

 Hey I'm back!  Yeah I know that the weekly update lamed out this year, but been busy and out of town and just flat out had no writing juice to be honest.  But I thought I better put one out as the regular season has come to an end and we enter the playoffs.  

And for whatever reason, this years playoff format is just the top 4 teams.  I think in the past the two top teams got a bye and the next four played in first round.  Oh well.  This year just semi-finals and finals.  This league has been ever changing....lol

The top 4 teams:  

R.C. Goon Crew snagged the top seed (imagine that) with a final week 2-1-3 win over the Checkers.  Their reward?  They get to play the Checkers again!  Ugh.  

Next at number 2 is Who Gives a Puck.  So we have two teams in the playoffs (Checkers and Puck) that have a combined 8 of the past 13 Cherry Cups.  Checkers have 5, including the first 3 in history, and the Puck have 3.

California Raisins round out the playoff teams and have been hungry to get their name on the cup.  Not nearly as hungry as the Goon Crew who have been in the league from the beginning only to see his brother win 5 times...but I regress...

Round 1:

Checkers at Goon Crew - The Crew will be off to a bad start to this series as they tried to bench goalie Logan Thompson, who is hurt, at 6:58pm, but line ups were locked already.  So they will be taking the ice with only 1 goalie.  If this will be anything like the last game of the season, it will be another nail biter.  They finished tied with goals, assists and goalie wins.  Checkers should have a big advantage with Checkers goalie tandem of Hellebuyck and Vasilevskiy and Crew only having Ottinger.  Just win goalie categories and likely hits and they could steal one more for the win.  

California Raisins at Who Gives a Puck - The Puck are coming off a 6-0 shellacking of the defending champion Greek Empire.  California Raisins are coming off a 5-1 beat down of the Krampus Carols to make the playoffs.  So both teams are coming in hot.  Looking at both teams players, it's hard to pick a winner.  Very even.  Key matchups will be Mikko Rantanen  and DeBrincat for the Raisins vs. Matthews and Dylan Strome from the Puck.  Strome had a huge week last week, so can he replicate it?  

Predictions:  The experience of the Cherry Cup playoffs prevail and we will end up with a Checkers vs. Puck Cherry Cup final.  

CFHL Week 7

 This week we saw new teams move to the top of the divisions.  Space Monkey Mafia have taken a 3 point lead in the Smythe over Slapshots.  Checkers have moved to first in the Cherry Division tied now with the Goon Crew both with 44 points.  Krampus Carols actually third best team in league with 45 points!

Week 7 action...

Goon Crew win a close one against the Raisins 3-2-1 behind 4 goals from Draisaitl and 13 hits from Olivier...Mafia beat the Assassins 4-2 getting 8 assists from the blue line (Fox, Hanifin, Karlsson, and Rielly)...

Draisaitl celebrates one of his 4 goals for the Crew

Checkers had a big game against the defending champion Greek Empire beating them 4-2 taking over the lead in the Cherry Division.  Nathan MacKinnon led the Checkers with 6 assists while in net, Andrei Vasilevskiy had an amazing week getting 4 wins!  

MacKinnon with 6 helpers!!

Krampus Carols continue to be in the playoff hunt beating the Slapshots 4-1-1.  Defenseman phenom Cale Makar had 3 goals to go along with 2 assists and 2 PPP in the win for the Krampus...The White Mambas upset the struggling Puck 3-2-1.  They had 39 hits in the affair with Filip Forsberg getting 13 of them for the Mambas..

Makar playing well for the Krampus

Week 8 we have the 4 Nation Face Off so no games going on.  Every team gets 3 points each in ties....Play resumes in Week 9 but not until Saturday 2/22.  So Week 9 is a quick week, games only Saturday and Sunday!  

Goalie of the Week:  Andrei Vasilevskiy, Checkers, 4 wins .922 SV%

Goon of the Week:  Mathieu Olivier, F, Crew and Filip Forsberg, F, Mambas - both with 13 hits

Skater of the Week:  Matthew Tkachuk, F, Empire - 4 goals, 3 assists, 2 PPP, and 7 hits

CFHL Week 6

 In the Cherry division, things are getting pretty tight.  Only 2 points separates first from 4th with the Greek Empire in first with 38 points.  A slightly different story in the Smythe division as two teams have a 5 point lead over 3rd.  The Slapshots and Mafia lead the way with 43 and 41 points respectively.

Week 6 action...

The Crew and the Checkers staked to a 3-3 tie.  The Crew made sure to beat the Checkers on the boards and finished with 57 hits to the Checkers 35.  However the Checkers had some incredible play between the pipes getting 4 wins and .932 SV%.  Connor "What the" Hellebuyck had 3 of the 4 wins for the Week!

Hellebuyck continues his MVP play

The Slapshots got past the Assassins 4-1-1.  Tage Thompson had a huge week with 4 goals and 4 assists, while Marchand and Ovechkin combined for 4 goals, 4 assists, 5 PPP and 13 hits.  J.T. Miller for the Assassins had 13 hits on his own!

Tage with a big week for the Slapshots

 Krampus Carols had a good day on the ice scoring 12 goals, getting 18 assists and 12 PPP.  Leading the way was Wyatt "Earp" Johnston who had 4 goal, 2 assists and 2 PPP.  The Krampus didn't get a single goalie win, but did edge the Raisins in SV% .916 to .906.

Wyatt had  a hattrick in the win for the Krampus!

Space Monkey Mafia dominated the White Mambas specially in net.  Blackwood and Sorokin combined for 5 wins and a SV% of .948!!  

Blackwood of the Mafia

Who Gives a Puck couldn't even come away with a single win as they lost to the Greek Empire 0-4-2.  The defending champ Empire seem to be shaking off the Cherry Cup hangover with this performance and moving into first place in the Cherry Division.  Matthew Tkachuck led the way for the Empire with 3 goals, 3 assists, and 2 PPP.

Always chewing on that mouth piece!

Goalie of the Week:  Ilya Sorokin, Mafia - 3 wins, .953 SV%

Goon of the Week:  Radko Gudas, D, Goon Crew - 16 hits

Skater of the Week:  J.T. Miller, C, Assassins - 3 goals, 3 assists, 5 PPP and 13 hits

CFHL Week 5

 Since we last met, we have two new teams in first place.  The Raisins have over taken the Crew, who struggled the past two weeks, to take the lead in the Cherry Division by 1 point.  Slapshots now lead the Smythe division after two winning weeks.  They lead the Puck by 2 points.

The Crew finished two consecutive 2-3-1 weeks versus the Puck and the Greek Empire.  A 2-3-1 finish against the defending champs Empire was pretty good considering they were down 5-0-1 at one point.  Aho "A-hole" had a good week for the Empire with 3 goals and 3 assists while "Merlin" Merzlikins" was good between the pipes.

"Merlin" Merzlikins was Marvelous!

The Raisins' charge to the top of the standings was helped by two consecutive 4-2 weeks.  Their recent victim was the Assassins, despite Assassins' foward Clayton Keller's play.  He had 3 goals, 3 assists and 2 PPP.  Shea Theodore "Roosevelt" had 4 assists from the blue line for the Raisins. 

Theodore "Roosevelt"

Are the Checkers hitting their stride?  They took care of the Krampus 5-0-1 behind a huge game from Gabriel "Gabe" Vilardi.  He had 3 goals, 3 assists and 3 PPP.  Threes were wild for Vilardi!  2 wins from Connor "What the.." Hellebuyck helped in the cause.

GABE!

After defeating the Crew 3-2-1 the prior week, the Puck drop one to the Mafia 4-2 this week.  And this was with Martin Necas' 6 helpers and 6 hits!  Jack Eichel had 4 goals for the Mafia and Sorokin had 3 wins and a SV % of .965!

Jack "In the Box" Eichel

And finally the Buffalo Slapshots finished off the White Mambas 3-2-1.  Tage Thompson had 3 goals and Rasmus "Dealing" Dahlin had 3 assists to go along with his 5 hits in the win for the Slapshots.  Neither team did that great between the pipes and need some lineup help...

Dahlin was Dealing for the Slapshots!

Goalie of the Week:  Ilya Sorokin, Mafia - 3 wins, .965 SV%

Goon of the Week:  Brady Tkachuk, F, Assassins - 13 hits

Skater of the Week:  Filip Forsberg, F, Mambas - 3 goals, 4 assists, 1 PPP, 4 hits

CFHL Week 3 - Hockey Wife Edition

 Week 3 action on the ice...

The Goon Crew move into first place after the 4-2 victory over the Krampus Carols.  Goal tending was key as they got 3 wins and a .903 from "King of the" Hill and Oettinger.  Tom Wilson continues his stellar play with 3 goals and 9 hits!

Taylor Pischke Tom Wilson's wife and
Canadian Volleyball star

The Slapshots took down Who Gives a Puck 3-2-1.  Dahlin had 3 helpers , 2 PPP and 3 hits from the blue line for the Slapshots.  Vincent Trocheck for the Puck had a huge week in the loss scoring 3 times, 2 assists, 3 PPP and 8 hits!

Hillary Trocheck, Vincent's wife

The defending champs go down to the Assassins 3-2-1 as well. They managed to only score 2 goals the entire week.  J. T. Miller led the Assassins with 2 goals, 2 helpers and 12 hits!

California Raisins had a good week beating the Space Monkey Mafia 4-1-1 behind a big week from Konecny.  He had 2 goals, 5 assists and 6 hits!  Both teams did well between the pipes tying with 3 wins and the Mafia had .964 SV%. (Blackwood and Sorokin)

Checkers continue to struggle some to start the year, this week skating to a 3-3 tie with the White Mambas.  They lost all offensive categories but then won both goalie and hits of course.  The Checkers goalies were stellar getting 4 wins and .941% between  Hellebuyck and Vasilevskiy.  

Goalie of the Week:  Connor Hellebuyck, Checkers - 2 wins, .960 SV%

Connor Hellebuyck and wife Andrea

Goon of the Week:  Nikita Zadorov, D, Checkers - 16 hits

Alexsandra Zadorov, Nikita's wife 
(oh those Russians...)

Skater of the Week:  Travis Konecny, F, Raisins - 2 goals, 5 assists, 2 PPP, 6 hits

Karly Konecny, Travis' wife