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| January 4, 2002
By Phat Plastered
Insanity and Phatness At The Deuce
Winternats Start and the Action Is Like A Cork Popping In A Room Of Dry Matrons
|  I had to drink heavily to get through the day...little did I know it wouldn't help much.
Now why would you start anything on Thursday, the day Survivor is on? Stupid people. Who knows what these NARCH people will demand next, like after every tournament they will demand you idgits write articles to try and counter the truth only I, Phat Plastered, can dispel. You want the truth? YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE TRUTH.
But who cares. Here goes.
You want the scores, go to the site and get them, I won’t repeat them here because of the real time posting.
Mites start off the day. For most of us these people are just too small to even seen them. But there they are. Great games.
8:25 am - CPH Velocity v. Tour Rebels - Rink 2 Key early game. Mini Velocity took the game 8-0 for a great start. I watched this game to see if the Velocity would falter or keep on keepin on. The latter was the case. But the parents seemed wayy too quick to point out when I accidentally called them AKS “there are only three AKS kids are on this team!” Geez, sorry. The uniforms looked the same...
Mites were weird because the first round of the day were all mercies.
Bantams were next. Key match ups were two 9:50am games. Anaheim Mission Bulldogs go against Empire 86. Empire 86, who are identified as a AA team, play at the AAA level. Can this first year team compete against what may be the best Bantam group in the tournament? Will Anaheim live up to early press and start rolling ? A little of either. First, Hyper 86 lost 5-3 which was respectable.
Got some exercise and ran back and forth. On the other rink, and at the same time, you will see the Nexed OC Blades playing Team Nexed Fieldhouse. Two great programs and two contending teams, playing against competition on the way up? OCB posted a 7-3 win to get them going.
9:50 am - AMBulldogs v. LaVerne Empire 86 - Rink 2 - 5-3 AMB win
9:50 am - Nexed OC Blades v. Team Nexed Fieldhouse - Rink 1 - 7-3 OCB win
The bantams from Saint Louis look very, very strong, as long as they stay focused and disciplined. In a lopsided called game, St Louis was able to covert power play goals that was the ultimate difference in the game. Now, when I say lopsided, I mean that every Rocket penalty called was a penalty, I mean only that St Louis hit and drug down as many players and weren’t. Just the way it goes. St Louis effectively man handled the Rockets in the first period of play with a steady and focused attack. St Louis then lost their composure when faced with physical play by the Rockets in the second. St Louis resorted to Bulldogging players down in headlocks, elbowing heads and hitting behind the play, and the like. The Rockets got 2 unanswered with the one in the first, to make it interesting at 3-5, but then St Louis got back some lost composure enough to pop the sixth goal in. The seventh goal was a gimmie when all Rockets rushed the net in the last minute of play.
On the upside, Saint Louis has in #50, Kyle Kramer, a tremendous player who dominates play. He is one of the best I saw today in bantams, and pulls off a trick back spin while protecting the puck at his skates. NARCh should outlaw it. The boy uses his body as well as Segovia with an old classical guitar. If you get the chance go watch Team Kramer because this kid is key to this teams winning or losing IMHO.
I also watched a great Bantam game between my favored Anaheim Bulldog Bantams and the Oakville Coyotes from some country where they are just learning hockey... AMB scored with a backhander high within two minutes of play. Oakville’s #87 picked up a quick penalty 20 seconds later, and AMB had 2. It was 3-1 going into the second and AMB looked unbeatable and on a roll. Oakville came out, chipped in another, and suddenly it was a defensive battle between Oakville and Hearn’s Doggies. AMB held on, as did their goalie, and though expected, they won. Unexpectedly, new respect was found for Oakville that defined heart in the same game.
The mite Velocity makes the list a second time, and this is THE G-A-M-E OF
THE D-A-Y?
Watched a possible final early.
1:30 pm - Nexed OC Blades Black v. CPH Velocity 1-1 tie
The Velocity was slowed by a pesky OCB Mite team that matched them stride for stride and shot for shot. An odd goalie duel where Morejohn of the Blades kept them in the first period, and the Velocity goalie kept the Blades from running away in the second. Mark Miller (#9?) And JB Green, not only played inspirational defensive hockey, but quite literally with a little inspiration and help from above. All in all, the game was a tale of two periods, where CPH dominated play in the first and could only get one goal, and the Blades dominated the second period, but could only end up with a goal.
The most dominating team over all for the little guys? Anaheim Mission Bulldog Mites who won 8-0 and 5-1.
Back to Bantams for the afternoon.
Empire Sniper Bantams recruited some SoCal bantams and pee wees to do play, so it was important to watch and see how strong they are. Snipers took on the Rodrunners at 3:15 pm on Rink 1, and won 5-2, in a game much closer than the score showed. The Sniper’s test will come tomorrow when they play the Red Army, favored to take their division, and the Nor Cal Mavericks, a first year Bantam team from Northern California.
Then, in D-1 an early showdown occurred between the Empire Snipers and Tour Gretzky Predators at 5:25 pm on Rink 1. Snipers came out ahead, but played very choppy and at times relied on some bouncing pucks. In all honesty, I thought the Preds played better and more consistent. Not enough, they dropped a see saw battle 5-6. Credit New York’s goalie who stacked his pads twice and then threw his leg up to knocked two sure Predator scores aside.
Round it out by watching and laughing at the Dillos hiding in Pama Cyclone uniforms in D-1, playing on Rink 1 at 9:05 pm.
The evening also will have some more D-1, Senior Platinum and old farts in men’s gold and platinum. I am going home to watch Survivor. Dummies.
SPONSORS!
Hey guys, most coaches won’t say anything for fear of being rude. But, you guys need to get the equipment to your sponsored teams earlier. It is not that we want to bite the hands that feed us, but I thought play was affected on every team that got last minute equipment. The first time you use a pair of gloves should not be at a National caliber tournament...
Just a suggestion.
WHERE TO EAT?
While the rest of you are watching hockey, I was out about town looking for some restaurants. Eating is an important aspect of life.
Here are my picks:
The coffee shop at the newest Sun Coast Casino has great Chinese food.
For some good real New York Jewish foods, go to the Palms hotel on Flamingo by the Rio. In their food court they have a Jewish Delicatessen section.
Prime rib? Great town for the prime. My favorite? Lawry’s Restaurant where they ONLY serve Prime Rib. Have it with a hand scrubbed baked potato and creamed corn.
Ahhh...I love Sin City.
Day Two
January 4, 2002
Friday...
Where Should You Be?
Breakfast should start with the Bantam Blades playing the Tour Rebels at 7:40 am on Rink 2. The Blades, well, are the Blades. I always like to go and make fun of them. They are playing the Tour Rebels. This game is important for two reasons. The Blades are favored in game one, but may get tested. This game will also be a test. The Rebels are not a new team, but a reformed old team, and so they will also be tested. Runner up for Game of the Day. But, its too early in the morning?
At 9:50 am the D-1 Bauer Pythons take on Empire Snipers.
But the action today will be centered on what looks to be a great group of college teams and a great afternoon of Hockey. The Michigan State Spartans are favored and the defending champions. However, the Wolverines, Buckeyes and CS Rams look to make strong challenges. And, this is roller, not ice, so the two California teams may also make an impact, as the other teams out there.
College play:
12:50 pm - Michigan Wolverines v. Missouri Tigers
1:30 pm - RIT Tigers v. Cal Poly Pomona Broncos
THE G-A-M-E OF THE D-A-Y: defending champs Michigan State Spartans v. Penn State play at 2:15 pm. Michigan State, Dr. Edgar’s alma mater, are the defending champs and it will be good to see them in action again.
2:15 pm - Michigan State Spartans v. Penn State Altoona Fury
3:10 pm - Iowa State Cyclones v. Colorado State Rams
3:55 pm - Ohio State Buckeyes v. Penn State Nittany Lions
4:35 pm - Cal Poly SLO Mustangs v. Rhode Island Rams
Go eat.
Come back.
In the evening we have the ladies who are out to kill me because of my comment that girls can’t play hockey. They start in the evening. The Pros also start.
At 7:45 pm go watch the Cal Selects from Southern California play the Lady Starz on Rink 2. Cal Selects field national champions level girl ice teams, and it will be fun to see how they do in roller - though a couple of faces look familiar? At 8:30 pm watch and see if CPH’s women can parlay a Gold Championship at NARCh to a strong Platinum bid when they play Tour Riot on Rink 2.
If you get bored there, hop on over to watch the pros, al la, Team Hyper play Team Tour West on Rink 1 at 9:05 pm.
The pros play as follows:
5:15 pm - Team Hyper v. Canadian Backhanders
6:10 pm - Team Tour West v. Sport Court Jokers
7:10 pm - CCM Hosers v. Team Projoy
8:10 pm - Team Mission v. Tour Mudcats aka Team USA
9:05 pm - Team Hyper v. Team Tour West
10:05 pm - Canadian Backhanders
11:00 pm - CCM Hosers v. Team Mission
12:00 a
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