Early Game – Ireland vs Portugal

The early game featured Guinness vs Port. Potatoes vs piri-piri chicken. Riopelle vs Brideau.

Portugal substitute goalie Mike Kvasni and Ireland’s Tony Cioffi looking sharp early until veteran Johnny Annan found net halfway through the first period. It looked like the period would end that way when suddenly a FIVE GOAL TSUNAMI to end the period!!

• 3:27 – Leo Brideau (Portugal)
• 3:17 – Joe Peacock (Ireland)
• 2:43 – Tim Randa (Ireland)
• 2:24 – Rich Chalovich (Portugal)
• 1:59 – Paul Riopelle (Ireland)

FIVE GOALS IN 90 SECONDS!! THAT’S FIREWAGON PCOHL HOCKEY!! AND A 3-3 TIE AFTER ONE PERIOD!

Both goalie coaches had a word with their backstops during the intermission. After the 5-goal flurry to end the first period, there were absolutely no goals for the first 13 minutes of period two. And then they cranked up the scoring machines again! Three goals in four minutes — Randa and Tim Freeman scoring for the Irish with D-man Bryon Wright adding one for the red team. 5-4 for the Irish after two periods!

Kudos to Team Portugal for keeping up with this red-hot Irish squad on a 4-game heater, but the Lisbonites ran out of gas in period 3, managing only a goal from stalwart veteran Jay Cummings. In return, the Irish squad pumped a quad off the sticks of Riopelle (2 for the hat-trick), Joe Peacock for his second of the night, and one more by Team Sponsor and veteran sniper Brian Spence.

Final Score Ireland 9, Portugal 5, but this one much closer than the scoresheet suggested, Portugal gaining confidence for their game next week against Scotland.

Portugal’s Player of the Game goes to veteran warrior and MVP Leo Brideau, while Tim Randa’s fancy dancing through the Portuguese Defence earns him Irish Honours.

Late Game – Scotland vs Slovenia

The late game featured 2nd and 3rd place squads looking to make ground on Ireland and to start getting in playoff shape.

Two VERY solid performers in net for these squads. Furious action both ways in period number one, but the firm of Henderson, Senkowski was having none of it. Both team’s shooters absolutely BLANKED in the first period. Nice work Stewart and Arty!

On to the second period where surely the ice would be broken early. Five minutes passed. No goals. 10 minutes passed. STILL no goals! Was this going to be a 0-0 tie??? Has that ever even happened before? While the crew upstairs scoured the historical stats, Peter McKay made the point moot when he bulged the twine with 7 minutes to go. TWENTY-EIGHT MINUTES OF SHUTOUT HOCKEY BY BOTH GOALIES!! Dave Woodside added one for the Scots as the period waned, but the Scottish Fortress remained unbreached.

No goals for the first half of period three until Agostino Falcone put his squad up 3-0, this one starting to slip away on the Slovenians. Team Sponsor Dave Dodic brought his squad within a pair with eight minutes to go, giving some home to the Lads from Ljubljana, but those were quickly extinguished by McKay with his second of the night followed shortly by Dave Vincelli with the last goal of the night.

Like the early game, this one was a lot closer than it looked on paper, particular kudos to the goalies.

Scotland’s Player of the Game with an almost perfect match was goalkeeper Stewart Henderson, while lone goal scorer Dave Dodic, fresh off a new sponsorship deal with Slivovitz Plum Brandy, takes the honours for Slovenia.