Alien Hockey

Naughty or (N)ice?

2014-01-05T17:10:00.001-06:00

As the holidays have come and gone, its a good time to reflect and visit with some of our league's players to see if Santa was good to them. Here are some of the great gifts they received.

Paul Adams (Alien) - New Skates

Paul Knight (Kryptonite) - Free Family Photo Shoot

William Jackson (FDM/KB) - Ankle Weights

Stout Family (Puckheads) - Microbrew Sampler

Dusty Beenen (Red Alert) - Stilts

Dave Lundberg (Rink Rats) - Hockey Book

Dave Chongo (Victors) - 2 Tickets to Blackhawks Vs North Stars

Kacy Reeves (Voodoo) - Finger Goalie Game

Brendan McCallum (Alien) & Matt Johnson (Kryptonite) - Meat of the Month Platter

Hoping everyone got what they wanted on their wish list!

Spotlighting the Stars & Predictions

2013-12-17T21:43:00.001-06:00

This week we take an opportunity to spotlight some of our league superstars. We took a top player from each team and asked them the same questions. You may know these players on the ice, but do you really know them off the ice? This should give you a look inside the private life of some our very own.

Name: Brendan McCallum
Team: Alien
Years Played hockey: 34
Favorite Hockey player: Mike Modano

Favorite Hockey movie: Strange Brew
Occupation: Iowa Wild Strength & Conditioning Coach
Pre-Game Meal: NY Strip Steak topped with bacon
Superstition: Always wear a Team USA t-shirt under my gear
Quote: "Ask not what you can do for your team, ask what beer your team can buy for you"

Name: Brad Dean
Team: Cup O' Kryptonite
Years Played hockey: 61,320 hours
Favorite Hockey player: Crosby or Malkin
Favorite Hockey movie: Mystery Alaska
Occupation: Iowa Energy Power Forward
Pre-Game Meal: Cocoa Krispies

Superstition: Always has Rich Huyck tie his skates
Quote: "I am the chosen one....bow down to me"

Name: Andrew Mellein
Team: Forlifts of Des Moines / Kyles Bikes
Years Played hockey: Since leaving the womb
Favorite Hockey player: Jaromir Jagr (but only when he played for the Flyers)
Favorite Hockey movie: Love Guru
Occupation: Used Car Salesman
Pre-Game Meal: 2 shots of whiskey

Superstition: Look in mirror pre-game and say "I will succeed" three times
Quote: "How much puck, would a chuck a puck chuck if a chuck a puck could chuck pucks"

Name: Gregory Propst
Team: Puckheads
Years Played hockey: 3 weeks
Favorite Hockey player: Derek Hickey
Favorite Hockey movie: Slapshot 2
Occupation: Motivational Speaker
Pre-Game Meal: A full tube of Jimmy Dean sausage (uncooked)

Superstition: Show up to the rink 1 full day before game and meditate in locker room 3
Quote: "shhhhhh....someone may hear you"

Name: Shaun Greene
Team: Red Alert
Years Played hockey: 12 (only 4 professionally)
Favorite Hockey player: Zarley Zalapski
Favorite Hockey movie: Hockey Mom

Occupation: Children's Book Writer
Pre-Game Meal: 2 hot dogs, bowl of chili & a diet Coke
Superstition: Puts on all gear first and jock last
Quote: Cross me on the ice, and watch your back"

Name: Brad Bedwell
Team: Rink Rats
Years Played hockey: Not long enough
Favorite Hockey player: Jenny Schmidgall-Potter

Favorite Hockey movie: MVP-Most Valuable Primate
Occupation: Ski Instructor
Pre-Game Meal: Hostess Ding Dongs
Superstition: Take a sip of his goalies water bottle between periods
Quote: "Burn me once shame on you, burn me twice..shame on you again"

Name: Dave Natale
Team: Victors
Years Played hockey: 2 years (since last cioncussion)
Favorite Hockey player: Mickey Mantle
Favorite Hockey movie: Youngblood

Occupation: Unemployed
Pre-Game Meal: Anything Dave Gannon brings him
Superstition: Be the first on the ice and take a slapshot in warm ups on the opposing goalie
Quote: "I can do backwards crossovers while skating forward"

Name: Nick Dawson
Team: Voodoo
Years Played hockey: 47 years
Favorite Hockey player: Brent Gretzky
Favorite Hockey movie: PeeWee All-Star 1997 Home Video
Occupation: Prison Guard
Pre-Game Meal: Tofu Salad

Superstition: Skate to penalty box during warm ups and set down water bottle to visit it later
Quote: "Palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy, there's vomit on my sweater already, mom's spaghetti"

Predictions this week:
Kryptonite (1) Voodoo (2)
Alien (3) Puckheads (4)
FoDM/KB (1) Red Alert (2)
Victors (3) Rink Rats (4)

(they just happen to be same scores as locker room assignments...how coincidental)

Hockey Break coming up for Turkey

2013-11-16T23:21:00.003-06:00

This upcoming week is our last game before a break due to Thanksgiving. The conclusion of those games will put a full cycle of hockey in the record books as every team should have played every other team. I'm happy to say I've not heard very much as a whole in regards to issues or complaints. Just like anything, I'll a few comments here and there, but not anything major.

Keep in mind, a team may have beat you in the first go-around by many goals, but the next go-around may be your week. Don't judge a team, player or season by a few games.

For this week,

Puckheads Vs Rink Rats -

Last season's two expansion teams go head-to head in this week's match up. Rats bring an impressive 3-3 record to this game while Puckheads 2-2-2 (they don't like taking games to OT). Both teams have their star players like Billings, Whipps & Young for Rink Rats and Hunt, Coffie and South for Puckheads, but it's going to be the role players that make the difference in this game.

Propst and Pierce have been non-factors for the Puckheads this season. One often wonders why these 2 even play hockey, but this is their coming out party. Each will earn their first goal of the season and contribute to the team's success. On the flip-side, Rink Rats have their own dead weight with Evans, Dayton & Syverson. These 3 have been a sore spot in the Rats lineup, and only remain due to sheer necessity based on others being injured. This game will have Dayton record a hat trick while Syverson and Evans tally 2 assists each. The game goes to the Rinks Rats by a score of 5-4.

Voodoo Vs Alien

Alien comes off a disappointing loss last week and the difference maker, Bafia was not there to help his team control the game. This week, Bafia will be there and the results should be different. Players like McCallum, Brand & Adams will see much less ice time on defense with Bafia back in the line up as he typically sees 45 minutes of ice times. If guys like Knipper & Dylo don't pull their weight offensively, Joe's not afraid to take the puck up and score as he has done on countless occasions.

Voodoo's ice time hog is none other than Bentzen. It doesn't matter if their are 4 on the bench or 40, Todd will stay on the ice until the end of period buzzer reminds him that there is a break in the action. You'd think he was a contributor to the team with those kinds of minutes, but not so much. Word on the street was that there may have been a Whitaker sighting, but it was just a photoshopped image of a look-a-like running through the forest. Damos, Cohan & Mudge will need to focus on this game and not the fact that they're all missing Nashville on ABC. This one goes to Alien 6-2.

Victors Vs Red Alert

What do you get when you have hot goaltending, a powerful offense, solid defense and a good penalty kill unit? The Chicago Blackhawks. Red Alert on the other hand just needs Greene and Swanson to show up for the game and the rest is irrelevant. A source close to the team (Tom Kirvan asked to remain anonymous) was stating that both Swanson and Greene would both be "no shows" for this week's game. Both are travelling to Gary, Indiana for the filming of "Hoosiers 2 - Hockey in the Corn Fields". That being said, guys like Curran, Worth and Becker bought an extra supply of Depends to bring to the game, as this one may get out of hand in a hurry.

Victors comes in with a strong win last week. Marc LePera had a lights out night last week scoring a hat trick and even assisting on all 3 of his own goals. This week, he duplicates his output and does it all in the 1st period. Nesbit, Bartak & Hudson also have great games and each get a hat trick to add to the obnoxious score of 12-1 in favor of Victors.

Kryptonite Vs. Forklifts of Des Moines / Kyles Bikes -

Will this be the week for the undefeated to fall? I believe so. The FDM/KB team looks to rest their starters in preparation of the Turkey Tourney. "It's no different than Ovechkin telling his team that he's playing in the Olympics for his country because it's important to him" stated the Radcliff duo. "The Turkey Tourney is our Olympics and we're resting up!" Guys like Wahlert and Goodman don't recognize the Thanksgiving holiday so they will play this Wednesday since it's "just another day to stuff your face with turkey". Brekke was heard saying that he won't show up to the game, but not because he's preparing for the Turkey tourney, but rather he doesn't come when he knows his good players won't make it to cover up for his lack of ability on the ice.

Kryptonite is bringing everyone and the kitchen sink. Their full roster consists of 22 players and all will be in attendance. They've already been working on their bench strategy and determining who will sit on who's lap while waiting for their shift. Miller will sit on Dean, Hill

on Close, Gugat on Paoli and Toigo on Huyck. This will allow for quicker and more accurate shift changes. This excessive bench depth will prove to be a great strategy and provide FDM/KB their first loss.....6-4.

Happy Hockey Halloween !

2013-10-29T20:18:00.000-05:00

Adult League Hockey and Halloween go hand in hand. Both involve getting dressed up as something you're really not. Some put on masks, while others just trick (and get penalties) or treat (and get goals). This Wednesday brings some spooky pairings to the evening.

Young showing his scary side!

Red Alert Vs Puck Heads

The My Little Puckhead Ponies

This game will be like Jason Voorhees versus My Little Pony. Have you seen Clark Hawbaker? Word on the street is he's going to break out the Friday the 13th mask and wreak havoc on the scared group of Puckheads. Ross, Young & Curran all plan on wearing the same costume pictured to the right and playing defense in front of the killer Hawbaker in net. Worth & Beenen have decided they're going to tell Puckheads goalie Waters a joke just before they ring him up. "I've got the perfect joke for those guys" said Beenen. "What's black, hard and round and goes into a net?....a puck!" Becker was heard saying that he' going to egg the other teams cars after the game in the spirit of Halloween. The Puckheads take Halloween pretty seriously too. They do it in a more fun-spirited sort of way. "This will be our 5th year getting the team together dressed in matching My Little Pony outfits" said Puckheads captain Pierce. Its a lifelong tradition the Stouts started and now they're bringing the tradition to the team. Coffie & Smiley agreed it sounded weird at first, but once they knew they could choose the color of their "pony" they were all for it. Propst and Christensen refused to do it, but after much hazing and peer pressure, went out and bought matching pick ones. This game is slanted one direction...Red Alert 7, Ponies 2.

Victors Vs. Forklifts of DM/Kyles Bikes

Bartak & Dudechenko

In the 2nd game of the night, Victors try to earn the win to go 3-1 and knock FDM/KB to 3-1 as well. The confidence of Victors is evident based on their actions the night before the game. Where most teams typically rest up the night before a game, Team Captain Gannon decides to throw a Halloween bash. You had the LePera brothers dressed as the Olsen twins, Hudson, Krultz & Koch representing the 3 stooges, the Pirie brothers dressed as Ashley and Jessica Simpson, Dudenchenko & Bartak represented the LA Kings and a Stanley Cup, while Gannon, Natale & Chongo wore nothing but thongs and were covered in BBQ sauce (get it?...the Famous Daves). Nesbit and Gordon bartended the affair and last I knew all crashed at Gannon's house. Then you have the undefeated crew of FDM/KB. You had Mellein & Roskilly reviewing game footage from previous seasons to determine how they shut down Hudson. Williams and Wahlert discussed shift changes and how to better the rotation. The Radcliff boys worked on their "no-look" passing, while Brekke cooked the entire team a nutritious supper before their 8 PM bedtime. Here's a time where I think a team over-prepared and the looser, more relaxed team earns the win. Victors 7, FDM/KB 5.

Alien Vs. Kryptonite

There cannot be a better suited match up than these 2 teams on Halloween for one sole reason. Costumes (aka....Jerseys). These 2 teams have collectively accumulated 27 jerseys over the past 5 seasons and continue to grow their stock. Alien Hockey brings to the table 16 of these and wears them proudly. Guys like the Dylo brothers, LeFleur & Fascian have been with the team since the beginning and have acquired the jerseys in a financially manageable way. They have been able to pay for them over time unlike newcomer Scott Jacobson who got the shock of his life when he was told he needed to pay $5,324 in order to "catch up" on the jersey collection. Each player has a favorite jersey such as Bishop enjoys the "Butterfly Awareness Week" version while Brand's favorite is the Monopoly style where each player represents a different piece of property. 3 years ago, Knipper wanted to quit the team but was so deep in debt with his Alien account, he had no place to go. Team Logo designer Clutts quit his job last year and makes enough money from his designs to afford a nice income and recently purchased a new home.

On the other bench, the Kryptonite team is making headway in the jersey war. "We know we have to obtain 3 new jerseys each season to be on pace to catch them" said Johnson of Kryptonite. They've also had some unique ones like the "Ross Perot for President" jersey and the "Vancouver is Burning" edition. Laura Stein always grab 2 of each style (one in medium and the other in Goalie cut for the maternity months). To save on expense, Schneiders and Toigo get 1 jersey to share and swap it between shifts. Kundel and Hill think the whole idea is ridiculous and feel 1 jersey is enough, but since no other teams want them, they're left with no choice. This game will be more of a fashion show than a hockey game, but word on the street from Rich Huyck is someone may be unveiling a new "Beverly Hill 90210 Limited Edition" jersey that evening.... ALien 6, Cup 5 (in a shootout win).

Rink Rats Vs. Voodoo

Bedwell (Rats) & Wolf (Voodoo) out Trick or Treating together.

The Voodoo name portrays a scary image. Rink Rats aren't the most pleasant of creatures. On this night, the stereotypes of these two hated teams gets put on hold. Both teams know that they are the most feared, most hated and the most disgusting teams in all of the ABC League. Both captains recognized this and decided to throw that out the window on this great Wicken Holiday. After the game, players will unite and one member from each team will spend the night with a member of the other team doing a fun event.
Bedwell/Wolf - Trick or Treating all over Windsor Heights together in matching costumes
Mrachina/Rodriguez - Going to Jordan Creek theater to watch the Shining
Wurzer/Damos - Cooking a steak and pasta dinner together
Bremer/Cohan - Attending a scrapbooking seminar
Dayton/Bentzen - Giving each other manicures
Evans/Dawson - Playing Mario Kart on Xbox
Lundberg/Giunta Brothers - Attending the Des Moines Symphony
Young/Lieb - Tending to Lieb's broken hand
Mulcahy/McDonough - Eating the ever appropriate M&Ms together
Billings/Mudge - Volunteering at Blank Park Zoo cleaning up elephant poop
Syverson/Whitaker - Sharing a cigar talking politics
Gavin/Koenig - Riding a custom built tandem bike around Grays Lake
Kipp/Loverude - Plane ride to Kenosha, Wisconsin
Whipps/Brown - Watching the Cardinals win the next game of the World Series
Miller/Reeves - Having a friendly game of Stratego

Neither team will want to win this one, so an accidental shot that Dawson takes goes in on his own goalie for Rink Rats to win 1-0.

Koenig & Gavin making their rounds.

What's Actually Guaranteed in Life?

2013-10-22T21:57:00.000-05:00

There are only 3 things guaranteed to happen this year.
1) You'll have to pay taxes
2) The Blackhawks will repeat as Stanley Cup champs (duh...)
3) My picks will always be dead on

With that, let's roll to the game predictions for Week #3.

Victors Vs. Rink Rats

Boom. Enough said. Victors 2, Rats 0.

Voodoo Vs. Kryptonite

Kryptonite starts the season off a disappointing 0-2. Goalie Anderson struggling right out the gate this year and seems to be modeling his play after his idol, Bear QB Jay Cutler. Now that Cutler is out with a groin injury, the Cup teams wishes Anderson would follow suit. Knight and Kundel of Kryptonite have an internal feud going and can't agree on who is the better right winger. Then they have Gugat and Miller unable to agree on what they should be drinking as a team after the game. Gugat wants Zima while Miller pushes for an old fashioned Bartles and Jaymes. On the flipside, the Voodoo team is starting to gel. You've got Mudge and Brown leading a pre-game cheer while Giunta and Cohan fight for the title of "most improved player" after their disgusting performance last season. Dan Koenig has created a "MVV" Award for the "Most Valuable Voodoo" and each week's winner will get a free custom built bike and their choice of a neck tattoo. The team has also unified together to support Brett Damos' new business start-up. He's been making "Voodoo Chips" in his basement and hopes to be selling them in stores soon. "I've got a few solid leads from stores that want to carry my chips" proclaimed a confident Damos. "I think we've got Beach Girls, O'Reilly's Auto Parts and the neighborhood elementary school on board to buy a few bags". This type of team bonding leads me to choose them over Cup O' Kryptonite in this week's match up. Voodoo 5, Cup 2.

Alien Vs. Puckheads

After being outscored 19-4, the Alien crew is looking for something...some spark, some sort of ignition switch to get this engine running. This spark plug may be in the form of newcomer Scott Jacobson. Scott comes to Alien via Red Alert. He was drafted in 2012 by Red Alert in the 6th round and they were hoping for a utility player but nothing more. "I needed more than that" said Scott. "I led my Peewee team to the Semi-finals back in the day and everyone looked at me as a leader." It's this type of winning experience Alien is thirsting for. Brand & Knipper of Alien have such heavy loaded long term contracts that there was not anything left to compensate Scott. After much negotiation, he offered to pay the team $4,500, the first 4 weeks of complimentary beverages after the game and would do the team's laundry. Alien accepted and the rest is history. With the Puckheads, a 1-1 start to the season is a breath of fresh air. Newcomers like Richardson, Whipple and Devera bring something to this team that they've never had.....talent. You can make a case that Hickey, Smiley and Hunt had some offense last season, but that still got them a last place finish in their conference last season. Team captain Pierce knows that his role is to make last season's "has beens" mesh with this year's talent. So far, mission accomplished. With guys like James Chung and John "Decaf" Coffie holding the team together, this season will be much different than the last. Puckheads 6, Alien 3.

Forklifts of Des Moines/Kyles Bikes Vs. Red Alert

We need to refer to the last game of the night as the Marquee Match Up. These games are the important ones since nobody knows what to expect in regards to attendance or the state of mind of the players, yet these games count the same in the standings. FDM/KB has generated 19 goals in 2 games thus far. That's more than Rink Rats had all last season. William Jackson leads the team with 5 goals, while goalie Goeke has only allowed 2 goals in both of these games (to which he still says were not his fault and blames his defensemen Lasnek for both). However, none of this has happened in the late game. Players like Roskilly, Seebeck & Hansen are all in bed by 10 PM. The Hrabak boys start their drinking at 9:45 PM, so by game time, they'll be luck to tie their laces. Mellein has already told Captain Goodman to text him game updates while Wahlert and the Radcliffs will be watching the Cardinals/Red Sox World Series game. I'd say Goeke would be thankful if Lasnek shows just to have a body on the ice, but we all know that will hurt them more than help. The Red Alert team has a different approach. Most of their players work for Dusty Beenen's business. He owns a Guinea Pig ranch just outside of Waukee and the majority of his teammates are his employees. "Most of the guys are just wranglers" described Beenen. "Their job is to round up the pigs if they start to stray." Experienced Wrangler and star forward Shaun Greene loves the ranch. He starts his day at 4 AM getting food and water for the GPs (that's what they call the guinea pigs on the ranch) and by the time 9 PM rolls around, he's ready for a hockey break. Brett Swanson and Chris Schroeder share grooming duties. Brett's a 17 year professional Guinea Pig groomer and has worked at some of the most famous GP Ranches in LA. You may think Schroeder is a defensive specialist on the ice, but his real calling is pedicures for the furry friends. He can trim about 4 GPs an hour....5 if he's really pushing. It's the early games that get these guys since Beenen wants them all to finish their chores prior to playing, so the late game he looks forward to. Attendance wins this one with Red Alert 8, FDM/KB 4.

Spotlight - Red Alert

2013-10-19T22:18:00.001-05:00

Our league showcases some of Des Moines' finest hockey talent every Wednesday night. Most fans who attend and follow our league know our players by their hockey skills and ability, but don't know the player's off-ice activities and accomplishments. We will begin showcasing many of our players throughout the season to give all our fans an inside look at the secret side of our athletes.

This edition focuses on Red Alert teammates Josh Feathers and Tony Hansen. Most know Tony as Red Alert's standout goalie last season, and now star defenseman. Josh "Dobbie" Feathers replaced Tony this season as the team's captain due to his leadership on and off the ice. Even though most associate these 2 players as the best in the game of hockey, they don't know how Tony & Dobbie dominate in another arena.

On July 4th, 2001, Tony was sitting on his sofa drinking a Heineken while flipping through the channels on TV. He ran across the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest and witnessed Takeru Kobayashi down 50 hot dogs and buns in 10 minutes to win the event. A phone call to his good friend Dobbie was made shortly after and their future was about top change.

Tony & Dob entered the obscure world of Tag Team Food Eating and began what can now be considered a dynasty. They've traveled the world, competed and won many titles. These titles include:
World Food Tag Team Champions - 2003, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012
US National Tag Team Champions - 2002 - 2012
Italian Pizza Eating Title - 2007, 2008, 2010, 2012
No-Hands Chili Eating Spectacular - 2008, 2009, 2010
Red Lobster "All you can Eat" Shrimp Competition 2012,2013

Once they made the decision to jump into the food eating ring, the results were remarkable. In their rookie season, they took the national tour by storm and won the US title in 2002. They have dominated the American circuit by winning 11 consecutive National titles.

Hansen & Feathers 2009 Nationals

Most have seen the individual eating contests and understand that the winner is decided by who can eat the most in a specific amount of time. In Tag Team eating, the teammates must feed each other. This is where a connection between partners is key.

Young Feathers in training

"I know exactly how fast I can shove a taco in Tony's mouth" stated Dobbie. Most teams buckle under the pressure and panic during an event. They see their opponents leading and they start to shovel food to their partner faster. "Not us" said Tony, "I can sense when Dob is about to hurl and I back off." It's this type of non-verbal communication that allows them to be successful. This was evident in 2007 at the World Championships in Riga, Latvia. With 3 minutes left, Tony & Dob were down to the German team of Zimmerman/Klein. The Germans were ahead by 9 meatballs and felt like the title was in hand. They made the mistake of "gapping" (defined as taking a quick drink between food consumption). Tony & Dobbie noticed this move and believed this was the much needed mistake they were looking for. "I saw that look in Tony's eyes that said 'you just keep feeding me those meatballs' and I knew it was on" said Dobbie They were right. At a rate of 47 MPM (meatballs per minute) during the last 3 minutes, the US duo beat the Defending champs to take the World Title once again.

Hansen showing off in lounge

So the next time you make a move around Tony on the ice, or steal the puck from Feathers when he's on a break away, don't make the mistake of going out to eat with them and trying to challenge to a wing eating competition.

Week 1 for Underdogs...What happens in Week #2?

2013-10-16T13:00:00.000-05:00

Last week I went 3-1 with my predictions. I chose the Underdogs based on last year's performance and it turned out as expected. Although I did not predict the beatdown Alien took in the season opener....but we'll save that for another time.

The league parity is something we've strived for and I've said it many times that any team can win on any night...but a lot of factors come into play. Who shows up? How many on bench? Do we have a sub goalie? Did we go out drinking prior to our 10:45 game? All these can affect the outcome of a game for any team. In the end, it was nice to see some new teams rise to the win column in Week #1.

Week #2 brings more great match ups.

Game 1 showcases the talents of Defending Champs Kryptonite against the always commanding Victors. Do you know wat you get if you do a Google Image search for "Victors Kryptonite"? You guessed it.... a picture of Tim Kirgan (Kryptonite) with a German Shepherd. No, I'm not kidding. Do you know the meaning of this? Loosely translated, it means that Cup O' K plans to "let the dawgs out" all over Victors in this first game.

Krultz (Victors) scored the only 2 goals during last week's games and had this to say about the rest of his team. "Seriously? We sign the LePeras to long term deals and they dont even show up?" questioned Krultz. "They're more like the LePerros....a bunch of dogs." As Gannon was seen leaving their sponsor's establishment, he was asked what he thought of his team's chances against Cup. "All shall pass and unto them shall begotten a true response that is most epic."

On the other side, Kryptonite is ready to move forward from their opening week defeat. It was a bad sign when they raised their championship banner to the rafters only to have Kipp & Gavin from Rink Rats

climb up and set in on fire. Although not a true showing of sportsmanship, it must have worked since they beat Cup last week. This week Cup O' K brings a healthy Gugat (neck sprain) back into the first line. Paoli and Miller of Cup don't believe Gugat is first line material, but linemate Paoli says "Who Dat? Gugat!" Prediction is Kryptonite gets their first win and Victors starts the season 0-2. Cup 5 - Victors 1.

Game 2 has us flashback to a game in 1994. The first ever meeting between these 2 teams made Adult League history. A young 14 year goaltender Hansen (Red Alert) had to show a fake ID to join the league but was able to face 118 shots by an Alien Team that was led by a much older captain LeFleur (Alien). The puck never left Red Alerts zone except for 1 play that appeared to be icing, but a bad bounce off a divot created by figure skaters headed towards a frozen Alien goalie named Ben Hudson and proceeded to go in. At that time, nobody could have predicted that the score would have ended 1-0 based on the shots on goal. The rest is history. LeFleur was demoted to a 3rd line right winger and signed a lifetime Alien contract where he was paid nothing but was required to buy a new jersey every year. Hansen went on to play goalie for many years for Red Alert, but this season is looking to contribute on the scoring end. The added twist to this game is the back room trade deal in the off-season that had top defenseman for Red Alert last season, Scott Jacobson move to the Alien team. "I talked to their captain Feathers and told him that Jacobson broke both his legs in a skydiving accident" stated new Alien captain Beede. "It was such a lie and he bought it, so they put him on waivers and we grabbed him." This bad blood is going to spill over into the game as Jacobson's roommate Scholz for the last 9 years had this to say, "if he thinks he's getting his pink curtains back, he's crazy." Red Alert comes to get even on this night and wins...of course....1-0.

Game #3

Goodman delivering present to his team.

The Rink Rats showed domination last week, so can they continue that over the also dominating Forklift crew? Both teams enter this game with wins last week and now it's time to determine who will be 2-0. Lasnek of Irwins is guaranteeing a win this week and has decided that if Forlifts lose, he will buy everyone from both teams pizza and beer up in the lounge after the game. "I'm so confident in my team's ability that I'm willing to throw my money on the table." Rink Rats captain Dayton feels Lasnek better get his money ready. "We've come a long way since last season" announced Dayton. This is true as their team has been preparing for this season and plans on running the table to a 29-0 record. This will be a tough feat, but one I think they may accomplish. Win number 2 goes to the Rats by a score of 5-2.

Game #4

Voodoo and Puckheads meet in the late night game and both teams expect 100% attendance. Voodoo still stewing about their loss by 1 point last week has made some changes to their line up. They've moved Wolf to a 4th line and may only play him 1-2 shifts. Interim team leader Bentzen felt like anyone drafted as the last pick of a scramble league doesn't deserve to play as much as Wolf does. The Puckheads on the other hand bring tons of firepower to the game. Hickey (who loves late games), Propst (who just had his skates sharpened for the first time in 3 years ) and Davis Stout ( had to get a special driving permit to attend the late game) will all be ready to showcase their speed. Past superstars like Smiley have been overshadowed by some of the new blood on the team. "I feel like a 20 year veteran of the league" said Smiley. "I think I'll retire after this season since I've lost more than just a step". We'll miss you Smiley, but in the end your team still gets the win tonight 6-3 over Voodoo.

5th Year Begins and So Do the Predictions

2013-10-07T22:33:00.000-05:00

Another ABC League season is upon us and everyone is ready to go. I have many goals for this upcoming season (leading the league in scoring is not one of them). I'd like to get back to what I do best and that's analyzing our league games and dominating in the predictions department. Why not start now and show many of the new players why I'm banned from gambling on adult hockey in Vegas and 4 other foreign countries. Here goes:

The 8-Ball don't lie. I asked if Cup O' Kryptonite would repeat as champs and you can CLEARLY see that they will not. The KryptoNOTs return all their players, but in what condition? They have a returning player that will be a mother of 2. Seriously, the best she's going to do is change Gugat's diaper while he lays passed out on the bench with an empty pitcher in his grasp. With guys like Knight, Kundel & Toigo all one year closer to 50 and a guy with a nickname of Chris "Over the" Hill, you're bound to lose a lot of speed. So if Johnson thinks keeping this AARP group of under-achievers together is the best course of action, then we'll see them knocked out in the 1st round f playoffs.

So that being said, my predictions by Conference are:

Hops Conference
1 - Puckheads
2 - Voodoo
3 - Red Alert
4 - Alien

Barley Confeence
1- Victors
2 - Rink Rats
3 - FDM/Kyles Bikes
4 - Kryptonite

League Champions : Rink Rats

Oh, some may think I'm crazy, but I know things. Marine-Biologist and team left winger Brad Bedwell of Rink Rats has been brewing up a concoction to get his team faster, leaner and stronger. Mrachina comes back for his 2nd season and with a supporting cast of some new additions, this team will be tough to beat in the long run. They won't win the conference due to some suspect goaltending, but I foresee Victors bowing out in the 1st round and the Rats winning on conditioning alone.

Now I know many used to count on me for these updates and facts along with the predictions so they can lay a few bucks down on the games, so I must give the Week #1 predictions.

Game 1 - Forklifts of Des Moines/Kyles Bikes Vs. Alien
Long name...no so amazing results. Did the FDM/Kyles team get better in off-season? Yes. The Forklift team of Lasnek, Radcliff & Radcliff designed and built an Alien Forklift to try and have the team scrimmage against a team of these machines to simulate what it's like to play against Alien. Needless to say, you can't create McCallum, Bishop & Clutts in an enginering lab. Mellein (FDM/Kyle) practiced ways to shut down the machine's circuitry, but it ended ugly as he suffered 3rd degree electrical burns and may not play in game 1. This games is close, but Alien still gets the win 4-2 while FDM/KB gets some cool toys that they can train to serve beer.

Game 2 - Cup O' Kryptonite Vs Rink Rats

Here's the highlight game of the week. Last year's worst plays last year's first in this duel. "We want to be the underdog" states Gavin of the Rats, "Nobody expects us to be good, so its time to show them what's up!" Last year, the team new it was a building year. Guys like Young, Wurzer & Whipps couldn't carry the team all alone, so this off-season they've asked for others to step it up. New additions like Mulcahy &
Billings were brought in to get the team fired up and not make Dayton do everything by himself. The Rats were life-less test subjects, but this year they plan on tearing through the competition. On the flip-side, you've got guys who are in the last year of their contract, ready to retire and coming off a lucky win in the championship game. Stein (Kryptonite) just got married and has other things on his mind, while Huyck tries to remember if he's going to play in Omaha or Syracuse this weekend in an adult tourney. "The focus is just not there anymore" exclaimed Kirgan of Kryptonite, "Our team is just trying to do....the fact of the matter is...what was I talking about?" As you can see, the team is falling apart and it's just a matter of time before they ask to shake hands after the 2nd period. Rink Rats win 6-2.

Game 3 - Red Alert Vs. Voodoo

This is a tough one. Red Alert brings in goaltender Clarke Hawbaker and his circa 1924 facial protection. Clarke wrapped up a season in the Malaysian Pro League a few months back where he was 97-1-3. "We often played 4 games in one night, but the $6/day pay was well worth it" said Hawbaker. Newcomers Brueck and Schroeder add some KAPOW to the lineup and each should be good for at least a hat trick per game. Returning power man Feathers looks to lead the Red Alert team to a +.500 season this year and has just the supporting staff to do it. Although Greene did not perform to everyone's expectations, he had a long off season which he spent with teammate Paul Curran and learned a few tricks. Voodoo on the other hand was a powerful force and one I predicted would do well last season. They return almost all their players and plan on being even a greater force. "We're playing as though we're running for office" stated the team's only Democrat Dan Koenig, "You say Obamacare and we say Voodoodontcare". The Nick-Nick combination of Dawson and Giunta are back for another year where they work together like twins separated at birth. "We finish each other's sentences, find each other with perfect passes and even share each other's clothes" proclaimed the better looking Nick. I think goaltending makes the difference this evening and the slight edge goes to Jason Voorhees...Red Alert 3 Voodoo 2.

Game 4 - Puckheads Vs. Victors

"I wish I had all the late games" stated an excited Dustin Gordon (Victors). Gordon, an unemployed butterfly collector, likes to sleep during the days so he gets up by 7 PM to stroll over to the rink to get his weekly exercise. The Victors team team is the NY Yankees of our league. Big payrolls, big talent, big egos and big "fall on their face" when it counts. The only team that has 4 sets of siblings. LePera/LePera, Pirie/Pirie, Dudechenko/Chongo, & Krultz/Schumacher show that family can play together...they just can't win together. Not sure that Gannon can keep this team focused, but he's going to try. Puckheads were another team bottom feeding last season. Guys like Hickey & Smiley were brought in last year to help move the team forward, but the disappointment was evident after the first few weeks. This was even more apparent when only 6 people showed up to Ryan Smiley Bobblehead night. The team leaders of Hunt and Propst stepped it up last season when it mattered , but it wasn't enough. "I had to bring in some young talent" threatened coach and captain Brian Pierce. "Richardson, Whipple and Devera were signed in the offseason to light a fire under some of the lazy veterans like Coffie and Chung" I watched some of their off-season training and the military-like sessions were crazy. I think we're looking at a good team this year. Puckheads 9 Victors 3.

That's all for now and as always, no need to pay me for the picks, but I do ask if you win and coin from my knowledgeable assessments, just buy me a beer when you see me.

Lace 'em Up! League is starting.

2013-10-05T11:32:00.002-05:00

Pictured above is Ben Hudson (Victors) attempting to bat a puck out of the air to score while Eric Jacobson (Alien) works hard to make the save. Here is just an example of what many of our ABC League players do in the off-season to stay in shape for our soon to start regular season.

The 5th year of the ABC League is about to begin this Wednesday and teams have been getting back into game shape the last 4 weeks by playing our scramble games.

Our league has made grown over the past 5 years and we have all the players to thank for that. We still sit at 8 teams and could have grown into even more if the ice time was available. With each year, we look to make changes and improvements and this year is no different. The addition of a scorekeeper was added to help track stats, penalties as well as do "stop clock" the last minutes should a game be within 1 goal.

My hope is that this seasons 5th Year Anniversary is one of our best yet. Hope to see everyone at the arena!

Scramble Hockey Time

2013-09-04T22:02:00.001-05:00

The long awaited scramble draft has occurred and the teams are listed below.
The first person listed is the captain who drafted the team. The order shows how each player was drafted. Much discussion, debate and beer went into each meticulous pick.

I will have a draft recap soon, but wanted everyone to at least see where they are playing next week. Your team number is how the schedule is made. The schedule was sent out in an earlier email on the google group. The "Home" will always wear light and away will wear dark.

If I missed someone, let me know.

Team 1
Darren Stout
Jason Mrchina
Scott Anderson
Joe Bafia
Dan Becker
Nataliya Dudechenko
Jason Seebeck
Shon McDonough
Mike Beede
James Chung
Adam Keller
Will Koch
Jarod Devera
Jason Wolf

Team 2
Dave Natale
Mike Dylo
Tony Toigo
Matt Whitaker
Jerome Miller
Nick Worth
Davis Stout
Andrew Mellein
Dave Lundberg
Ryan LePera
Nate Brand
Cody Gavin
John Coffie
Bill Goodman
Adam Schneiders

Team 3
Rich Huyck
Josh Feathers
Chris LeFleur
Dustin Gordon
Jim Goeke
Dan Koenig
Brent Hanke
Jon Young
Tim Kirgan
Dave Swift
Lisa Schumacher
Tom Kirvan
Mike Herrmann
Dave Chongo
Mike Fascian

Team 4
Nick Radcliff
Erik Keese
Travis Hunt
Nick Giunta
Nick Dawson
Brad Bedwell
Dan Bishop
Mitch Stein
Scott Roskilly
Alex Richardson
Bret Christian
Dave Gannon
David Ross
Scott Brueck
Tim Close

Team 5
Paul Knight
Bret Damos
Chris Hill
Ben Hudson
Chad Waters
Paul Adams
Chris Schroeder
Justin Williams
Pat Houlihan
Tony Hansen
Matt Whipps
Paul Curran
Paul Nesbit
Monty Brown
Shane Young

Team 6
Mark Dylo
Adam Krultz
Ben Paoli
Don Mudge
Rich Hrabak
Bret Swanson
Sean Bremer
Josh Whipple
Kacy Reeves
Aaron Clutts
Dave Miller
Ryan Syverson
Mike Bartak
Brian Gugat
Eric Kipp

Team 7
Todd Bentzen
Marc LePera
Jeremy Knipper
Ryan Smiley
Matt Johnson
Rick Radcliff
Dusty Beenen
Jeff Dayton
Eric Jacobson
Matt Haynes
Tony Lieb
Gregory Propst
Scott Jacobson
Dustin Pirie
Brian Pierce

Team 8
Shaun Greene
Derek Hickey
Javi Rodriguez
Brad Dean
Brendan McCallum
Nathan Pirie
Nick Hrabak
Mark Wurzer
Scott Kundel
Mark Scholz
Adam Lowell
Chris Hansen
Mark Loverude
Rich Cohan
John Evans

May Double Hockey Sticks 3 on 3 Tourney

2013-03-31T20:49:00.001-05:00

To help put a grand finale on the Fall/Winter Season, we present the "MAY Double Hockey Sticks" 3 on 3 Tourney.

Date: Saturday, May 11 (get it... "double hockey sticks")

Time: 4 PM - 9 PM (approx)

Where: Bucs Arena

Cost: $40/player $15/goalie (if registered by April 20th)

Your fee includes:

4 Games guaranteed
Food during event
Jersey (choose your size if register by 4/20)
Great times with great friends

Keep in mind we are limited to 48 player and 8 Goalie spots and the last St. Patty's event was a sellout. Hope to see you there and spread the word.

St. Pattys Event is Success

2013-03-19T10:51:00.001-05:00

Another successful 3 on 3 tourney is in the record books. We sold out another event (all 48 player and 8 goalie spots) were filled and this created a great exciting atmosphere.

Congrats to Team Notre Dame for winning the Championship. The team consisted of Whipps, Henle Jr., N. Radcliff, Strodtman, Gorelik, Becker and Pentico (even though goalies switch).

I have received many emails already from players thanking me for this great event, but in reality, its the interest of all the players that keeps these events going. If it wasn't for the great attitudes and good sportsmanship over the last several tourneys, the interest would die down. So for that I thank everyone.

A special thanks to Aaron Clutts for putting together another fine looking logo. Aaron got sick just prior to the event so this allowed a late minute add on player a chance to play. Thanks Aaron and hope you're feeling better.

See everyone at Cinco de Mayo!

Who Will Hoist the Cup?

2013-01-14T21:35:00.003-06:00

I finally got the cup back from the engravers and it looks good. As the season rolls on, the quest for the cup continues. Here are the standings up to this point.

Voodoo 11-0-0
Victors 8-2-1
Alien 7-4-0
Red Alert 6-4-1
Kryptonite 5-5-1
Puckheads 3-8-0
FoDM/KB 3-8-0
Rink Rats 1-10-0

Who Will Be Victorious?

2012-10-08T21:09:00.000-05:00

Just under 2 days left until the start of the 2012-13 ABC League season. With some roster changes in the off-season, the addition of 2 new teams, and the creation of conferences, the league standings are up in the air.

Here is my best analysis of how things may shake out.

Hops Conference

1. Voodoo - With some added firepower on offense and a solid defense returning, the Voodoo team poses the greatest threat. A well balanced attack along with consistent goaltending should have this team take first in the Hops Conference.

2. Red Alert - This team is the Dark Horse this season. Tony Hansen has travelled to Europe over the summer to fine tune his technique and Tyler Wallace coming off a Top Defenseman season last year will lead this team to a respectable 2nd position.

3. Alien Hockey - No repeat of the last season champs. Although Alien had glimmers of greatness, they spent the entire off season celebrating and not staying in shape. Star forwards, Mark Dylo and Aaron Clutts gained a combined 90 pounds, while defenseman, Pat Houlihan started smoking and is up to 2 packs a day.

4. Puckheads - The new addition to the league brings some great talent. Smiley, Hickey & Coffie are all great players, but too much talent on one team is a downfall. Each one brings a selfish level of talent to the table and will be the team's demise.

Barley Conference

1. Rink Rats - Here we see how an expansion team can find just the right mix of talent to take the number one spot in the Barley Conference. What's the recipe for a winning combination? Look no further than the Young-Scholer-Wurzer line. This team has all the right pieces.

2. Forklifts of DM/Kyles Bikes - Change your name and change your luck. Just like Atlanta used to be the Flames and then the Thrashers, the Forklifts of Des Moines / Kyles Bikes are the rising stars in this conference. Goodman has assembled a fine crew to make a run for the title.

3. Cup O' Kryptonite - They find a way to make the title game every year, and this year may not be different, but they won't be top 2 in their conference. Inconsistent play from Toigo & Gugat along with old-timer Mitch Stein, has this team on the slide. With no reloading of talent, this team will be sub .500.

4. Victors - The perennial powerhouse Puck Hawgs team will not possess the punch of previous years. The majority of the players held out for new deals and new teams. Gannon worked frantically all season to get everyone bought in to his new system and nobody wanted any part of it. This will show this year as each player will play with no passion.

I predict a Voodoo versus Forklifts of DM/Kyles Bikes in the Championship Game with Voodoo as the 2012-13 champs.

Good Luck to all and make sure your first priority is to have fun!

Hops & Barley Conferences Formed

2012-09-16T09:27:00.000-05:00

Hops & Barley are the key ingredients to our ever popular league.

Although the NHL is currently under a lockout (as of midnight last night), the ABC League is showing growth through expansion. This growth has created a need to divide the teams into conferences. After much debate and discussion, the conference names have been selected and the teams have been divided into their new divisions.

Hops Conference

Alien Hockey

Puckheads

Red Alert

Voodoo

Barley Conference

Forklifts of DM/Kyles Bikes

Cup O' Kryptonite

Rink Rats

Victors

Although the teams will still have inter-conference play throughout the season, there will be Conference Finals at the end of the season as part of the playoff format, with the Conference champs playing each other for the Fleming Cup.

Draft Day Approaches

2012-09-03T21:41:00.000-05:00

This Thursday at 6:30 PM, the first ever ABC League Draft will be held. For the entire summer, the 8 captains have studied film, held training camps, tryouts and had players take part in medical physicals. After all this, they are ready to assemble what they believe will be the best combination of players to ever take the ice for 4 weeks.

Although each captain has kept their picks a complete secret until draft day, I am providing some insight as to how the draft order will go. After inputting all the data, here is the way I believe the players will be drafted. Keep in mind, it is not simply talent and skill, but rather intangibles like attitude, beer drinking ability and locker room moral.

Here is the order:

Dave Lasnek
John Riechart
Larry LePera
Adam Krultz
Erik Keece G
Dustin Gordon
Dave Green
Dave Ross
Nathan Brand
Shon McDonough
Jason Wolf
Rick Kavan
Will Koch
John Coffie
Scott Jacobson
David Stember
Dusty Beenen
Chad Waters G
Dave Gannon
Tony Toigo
Brett Damos
Jason Mrachina
Sean Bremer
Chris Hansen
Jason Seebaeck
Mike Dylo
Dave Natale
Rob Wheeler
Mark Scholz
Joe Bafia
Pat Scholer
Jason Tritch
Matt Johnson
Mark Dylo
Lisa Schumacher
Steve Kuzynowski G
Chris LeFleur
Chris Hill
Josh Lohmeier
Doug Beebe
Dan Becker
Jim Goeke G
Dave Swift
Adam Lowell
Brian Pierce
Mitch Stein
Adam Keller
Mike Herrmann
Brett Swanson
Brent Hanke
Todd Bentzen
Brian Gugat
Nick Dawson
Nataliya Dudechenko
James Chung
Dan Bishop
Dave Miller
Darren Stout
Aaron Clutts
Kacy Reeves G
Ryan Smiley
Davis Stout
Nick Giunta
Paul Adams
Scott Kundell
Ben Hudson
Andrew Mellein
Tony Hansen G
Dan Hoy
Nick Radcliff
Gregory Propst
Dan Koenig
Paul Curran
Shaun Greene
Adam Schneiders
Rich Cohan
Jeff Starr
Mark Wurzer
Marc LePera
Dave Chongo
Mike Fascian
John Evans
Tim Close
Rich Hrabak
Pat Houlihan
Nick Hrabak
Ryan Stout
Jon Rech
Cody Gavin
Nick Worth
Cody Fredericks
Ed Brafford
Pat Cashman
Josh Burkhart
Scott Anderson G
Brad Dean
Monty Brown
Brian Woline
Nathan Pirie
Blake Upmeyer
Javi Rodriguez
Jeff Dayton
Jeremy Knipper
Ryan LePera
Jon Young
Bill Goodman
Tom Kirvin
Caleb Harrelson
Tyler Wallace
Frank Meeink
Mike Bartak
Ryan Parker
Rich Hyuck
Scott Roskilly
Justin Williams
Bret Christensen
Mike Beede
Brendan McCallum
Paul Knight
Tim Kirgan
Derek Hickey
Jerome Miller G
Matt Whipps
Laura Stein
Mark Loverude
Josh Feathers
Brad Bedwell
Ben Paoli
Matt Whitaker
Rick Radcliffe
Don Mudge

Possible ABC Lockout?

2012-08-26T15:10:00.002-05:00

As we prepare for the start of our 2012-13 ABC League at Bucs Arena, we read about a possible NHL lockout. As adult rec league players, you would think we would be immune from any of this types of issues, but you would be dead wrong.

As commissioner of the league, my roles of coordinating the league, refs, registration & schedule are only a minor part of my duties. The bigger challenge is that of mediating between the captains and players. Currently there are some big issues dividing the group that could possibly delay our season.

Here are the player's demands:
- Opportunity to choose to skip a shift if they are busy talking to someone on bench
- A dedicated equipment manager to get gear picked up after game
- Sponsored team massages
- On-site skate sharpening available between periods
- Team buses
- Catered meals after game

Here are the captain's demands:
- Players pitch in to pay the captain's league fee
- Private locker room for captain
- All players call captains "Sir"
- 3 practices per week by team (captain exempt)

Although it appears the two sides are far away, I believe we will come together to get an equitable deal done.

Closing Ceremony Starts Countdown

2012-08-12T21:28:00.001-05:00

As I watch the closing ceremonies of the Olympics, I realize we are 30 days from our own opening ceremonies for the ABC League.

Although we won't have the same size venue, we'll still have some great things to showcase. Here is just a sneak peek of some of the great items during our opening presentations.

Replacing the lighting of the torch, we will have the "Filling of the Pitcher". Approximately 6 months ago, Brendan McCallum from Team Alien flew out to New Mexico and started the "Pitcher Run". The tradition is that a member of the championship team has to find their "team beer" and have pitcher poured and run it back to Des Moines. He had a pitcher of Alien Amber Ale poured and started on his way.

As he ran through the states on his way to Bucs Arena, he passed the pitcher to a member of each team for each to run a portion of the leg before finally arriving on Sept 12, to pour it into a Bucs Lounge pitcher to signify the start of our season. All was almost lost when Gugat from Kryptonite attempted to drink the beer during his leg of the run before being foiled by his captain Johnson.

The national anthem will be sung by Voodoo's very own Todd Bentzen. His hit single "I'm just a rusty cage" sold over 11 copies in Des Moines and he took time from his world tour to do our event.

With the retirement of Irwin's Dane Maxwell, a short ceremony retiring his jersey will take place. His number can't be retired since it was unknown what his number actually was. A combination of his poor attendance and his speed when he was here made his number almost invisible. A new addition to Irwins this year was caught on tape showing his reaction to Dane's departure. This video will be aired at the ceremony in Dane's honor, but you can see it it advance here.

Lastly, this season has had the great fortune of adding 2 new expansion teams to the league. In traditional ABC League fashion, a representative from each expansion team must do the "Slide of Sacrifice" prior to the league's first game. The Puckheads have chosen John Coffie, while Team Dayton will have their captain Jeff Dayton make the dive. The dive consists of the chosen player doing a full slide on their belly wearing nothing more than their skates, jock and hockey gloves.

The presentation of events will be nothing short of spectacular which is the expectation of our league. Thanks to all for making the league a success and we'll see you in 30 days!!!

Sad It's Over.

2012-05-07T21:23:00.001-05:00

Another great year for our ABC Hockey League! A huge thanks to everyone for making this a great 33 weeks. We saw Alien Hockey win the title in one of the best games ever played for the Championship. The part that makes me realize that we are doing something right is the fact that we have had 3 different winners in the 3 years we've had the league.

I plan on making even more improvements to the league for next year and have already tossed around a few new ideas. The survey is also out there now, so make sure you fill it out if you were a player this season. Keep up to date by following the blog, registering for the the Google Group and also keeping in touch with your captain. Before we know it, the next season will be upon us.

For now, enjoy your summer, stay in shape and get ready for the next season of hockey!

As the Playoffs Approach

2012-04-10T21:02:00.002-05:00

With only 1 game left in the regular season, I looked at the standings to see how things were shaping up. It's always interesting to me how each year different teams are stronger. I was curious to know how all our teams have done in past years as compared to this year.

Here is a list of each team (in order of standings this year) and the place they finished in the 2 years prior.

1) Alien (3)(4)

2) Puck Hawgs (2)(6)

3) Kryptonite (1)(1)

4) Voodoo (4)(3)

5) Irwins (5)(5)

6) Red Alert (6)(2)

I wanted to take it a step further and see what the combined wins (and win %) was over the last 3 season, so Tony Hansen provided the old numbers. Here are the results:

Team W-L-OL (win %) Pts

Kryptonite 65-21-2 (.773) 132

Alien 51-33-4 (.580) 106

Hawgs 48-39-1 (.545) 97

YDD 44-43-1 (.500) 89

Red Alert 32-53-3 (.364) 67

Irwins 23-61-4 (.261) 50

I thought the mix of points, places in standings & win % were fairly good. I've said this a million times, but I'll say it again. In our C League every season there will be a team in first (pretty solidly) a team in last (with not may wins) and 4 teams in between. The goal is that over the long run, each team has an equal chance of winning with all things being equal. By all things equal, I mean, every player shows up for both teams. Since we don't get perfect conditions every time, stats get skewed, teams get beat and even the strong lose a game.

Hopefully everyone has had as much fun as I have this season and good luck to all in the playoffs!

El Logo Cinco de Mayo

2012-02-16T21:09:00.004-06:00

Thanks to the excellent work of Mr. Aaron Clutts (of Alien Hockey), we have the jersey logo that will be used for the Cinco de Mayo Tourney. Don't forget to register early to get the early bird discount.

Cinco de Mayo Tourney 2012

2012-02-13T18:37:00.003-06:00

In 2011, Mexico won the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships U20 – Division III. This momentous occasion brought the country known for its warm beaches to the forefront of the hockey world.

To honor this triumph, we have decided to dedicate the next 3 on 3 Adult Hockey tournament to those Mexican players. There is much in common between this Mexican team and those of us that play in Des Moines. We come from all walks of life and many times those around us do not "expect" us to play hockey. "Accountants, women, 50+ year olds, short people, police officers, firefighters, comic book readers & vegetarians don't play hockey" is what you may hear. But just a you may not hear "Mexico is a powerhouse hockey team", that was proven wrong and so we prove others wrong every time we take the ice.

It actually worked out this year that the Cinco de Mayo 3 on 3 Tourney will be held on Saturday, May 5th beginning at 3PM. This year's event will be bigger and better than ever! Some of the highlights this year will include:

Looking to have 12 teams
3 games going at once
Free jersey for all participants
Free taco bar in lounge during games
Lounge to sell margaritas
Pond hockey style goal nets
Early bird registration discount (details below)
Prizes for costumes and other random contests (nothing for winning event)

Although the above items will only make the event bigger and better than ever, the following are still part of our traditional 3 on 3 events.

4 game guarantee for all players
2 - 15 minute periods
Free food in lounge during games
Only individual sign ups (will honor request of 1 teammate)
Great atmosphere

With this being the most epic 3 on 3 Tourney Des Moines has ever seen, we expect this to fill fast. Our player limit at this time is 72 (6 per team), and with as many players as we have in our C & D leagues, and all that have done a 3 on 3 in the past, we anticipate this to be a huge event.

Early Bird Registration- From today until Sunday, February 25th we are offering everyone an opportunity to register for $40. You can register directly on the blog through that date for $40.

As an added incentive, we are offering the same opportunity for anyone wanting to come out to Cup O Kryptonite this Sunday, February 19th or Sunday, February 26th between 8-11 AM. You can pay the $40 early bid fee, get 2 free rolls of tape ($6 value) and 50% off coffee from Matty J himself and be able to socialize with some fellow hockey players.

Spread the word and hope to see everyone registered soon!

The Alien Invasion is Over.

2012-02-13T10:43:00.003-06:00

Many doubted that an event of this magnitude would ever actually happen. Last year, 6 hockey players from Des Moines and 1 from Wisconsin decided to give the Labatt's USA Pond Hockey event a try. Once they returned, they feverishly spread the word amongst their teammates and gathered the interest of more players. They thought they could possibly field 2 teams, but with the interest shown by all players, and it was discussed to bring 3 teams. There were 20 players interested in going and in the end 3 teams were indeed formed.

The teams of Polar Alien, Bi-Polar Alien and Tri-Polar Alien consisted of Brendan McCallum, Chris LeFleur, Nate Brand, Scott Blomquist, Adam Keller, Paul Adams, Mike Dylo, Mark Dylo, Pat Houlihan, Aaron Clutts, Mike Beede, Shane Bast, Adam Lowell, Jeremy Knipper, Joe Bafia, Mike Fascian, Matt Johnson, Mike Pedersen and Steve Kuzynowski. This was 100% of the local Alien Hockey team (plus Blomquist and Bast who don't even live in Iowa any more). The addition of Johnson and Pedersen from the Cup O Kryptonite made this a perfect group.

In the past, may groups have tried to get teams together and venture to play some hockey away from Des Moines. This shows that it can be done. We even had the pleasure of running into (and playing against) the Untouchables from DM.

In the end, our 3 teams collectively went 2-7 for the tournament. However, the losses were definitely off-set by the quality "tent time", hot tub, chili gathering, Gee O's bar, pasta dinner night, poker playing, Boondockers, Pick & Save, Fish Fry and so much more.

Glad I could spend 4 days with my closest friends in sub-zero weather, 9 hours from Iowa! 361 days and counting to next year...... can anyone say Quad-Polar?

Hockey Season Update

2012-01-22T20:15:00.003-06:00

After 16 regular season games and 2 scrambles, the league is at the midway point. My hope is that everyone is having a great season, and the 2nd half is just as good as the first. Since we have some new players in the league this year, I thought I'd give my usual comments about league play.

After playing in adult leagues for many years, I have come to realize the following is always true. There will be a team that has a majority of the wins and a team that will have a majority of the losses. For our season, our top 3 teams are within 4 points of each other. In a perfect world, every team would be .500, but that is never the case. There are too many variables that can effect the outcome of a game.

Are your best player's missing during certain games?
Do you have less players show up for the 10 PM game?
Was there a mis-match in lines during some shifts where their best players were against your lesser skilled players?

These are just a few of the factors that can affect the outcome of a game and in turn affect the standings. The goal of our league is to get as close to league parity as possible. We try to do this by creating teams that "on paper" are as even as possible. If we list every team's players from most skilled to least skilled and put these lists side by side, we'd like to see an even distribution all the way down the roster.

We also play a sport that is very competitive and most players in the league play hard and play to win. There is nothing wrong with this as long as it does not come at the expense of sportsmanship or over aggressive play. Too often, I see players that think they have to play "angry" or "physical" in order to be competitive. It's these players that end up being reviewed at the end of the season and possibly asked to not return. We have players in our league that are very skilled (I'm sure everyone knows who these are) and I never hear a complaint about them. These players play with the right attitude and can still play competitive.

At the same time, we have players that play with an attitude that may rub others wrong. These players believe that an extra shove or push in a necessary part of hockey, but they don't realize that this only puts them on the radar and doesn't help them. We are not the NHL and we play in a non-contact, recreational adult league. This doesn't mean you won't get bumped or have any contact, but I see times where players want to take this to another level and flex their muscle or show their hockey toughness. This will only get you suspended and possibly banned to play in the future.

In the end, I'm just asking players to look at their own style of play. Ask yourself if your actions are interpreted as "malicious" or unnecessary. Look at other players around you. Are their players you know who are very skilled, but you enjoy playing against? The idea is to have a good time, but to also have those around enjoy playing with you. This is a primary reason for our scramble games... to get to know those that you may not know.

Hope everyone has a great rest of the season!

It's Scramble Time!

2012-01-14T17:35:00.002-06:00

Just as the NHL All-Star game is fast approaching, so is our scramble game. There are much similarities between these 2 events, but our event is so much better because everyone is an All-Star! Okay, maybe not everyone is an All-Star, but we did pay our league fees so we should all be allowed to play.

I did my best to mix things up again for this 2nd scramble. That doesn't mean it's an exact science, so don't get all Mitt Romney on me and start taking out attack ads. I believe anyone that played a late game last time, should not have the late game again. Outside of that, I went down last weeks rosters and assigned to a different team as I went down the list. This means you may play again with someone you already have played with. Players that "share" a spot are both allowed to play in the scramble, so everyone in the league should be on a team.

If you believe something is wrong (like if someone is missing), let me know. If you think your team stinks and that the teams are unfair, you should let your new teammates know that in the locker room before your game so they can appropriately beat you down.

The schedule will be the same as last time:

7:15 Team 1 vs Team 2

8:35 Team 3 vs Team 4

9:55 Team 5 vs Team 6

Jersey colors are listed by the team name.

Lastly, no substitutions, swapping teams, trades, etc. without league approval. Also, no playing multiple games as this will only screw up the mathematically calculated team balance I have spent days working on.

Here they are:

Team 1 (white)

Kacy Reeves - Goalie

Richard Huyck

Nataliya Dudechenko

Brad Dean

Dave Gannon

Dave Green

Mark Lee

Mitch Stein

Will Koch

Mikey Dylo

Lisa Schumacher

David Stember

Nick Dawson

Brendan McCallum

Dustin Gordon

Andrew Mellein

Shaun Greene

Team 2 (dark)

Eric Keese - Goalie

Adam Schneiders

Nick Hrabak

Laura Stein - IR

Rich Cohan

Ben Paoli

Rob Wheeler

Dave Miller

Dane Maxwell

Adam Lowell

Chad Beyer

Dan Hickey

Dusty Beenan

Pat Houlihan

Terry Sindelar

Chris Hansen

Nick Giunta

Team 3 (white)

Tony Hansen - goalie

Chris LeFleur

Tom Kirvan

Dan Bishop

Rich Hrabak

Jeremy Knipper

Joe Bafia

Pat Cashman

Aaron Clutts

Mark Ramsey

Jon Rech

Shon McDonough

Nate Brand

Rick Radcliff

James Martinson

Ben Griswell

Team 4 (dark)

Scott Anderson - Goalie

Dan Hoy

Mark Dylo

Andrew Lee

Shawn Topliff

David Ross

Mike Fascian

Justin West

Paul Adams

Dave Swift

Ben Hudson

Nick Radcliff

Josh Feathers

Mike Bartak

Bill Goodman

Mark Scholz

Team 5 (white)

Steve Kuzynowski - Goalie

Chris Hill

Adam Keller

Paul Curran

Javi Rodriguez

Paul Knight

Marc LePera

Dan Becker

Mike Pedersen - IR

Darren Stout

Adam Krultz

Tim Close

Todd Bentzen

Tony Toigo

Mike Beede

Nick Worth

Mark Loverude

Team 6 (dark)

Jim Goeke - Goalie

Matt Johnson

Larry LePera

Monty Brown

Brent Hanke

Brian Gugat

Dave Chongo

Scott Jacobson

Matt Whitaker

Tyler Wallace

Ryan LePera

Dan Koenig

Jason Wolf

Scott Kundel

Dave Natale

Brett Damos

Caleb Harrelson