12/09 Marple Recap (Semi-Pro)

The final semi-pro cross division festival of the season took place Saturday at Marple Sports Arena.  For the Northeast division, it was the final games of the regular season and a lot was on the line.  The event kicked off with a marquee match up of perennial super powers, as the Philadelphia Deuces took on the Long Island Snipers (pictured).  The Snipers dominated possession, but the Deuce's Adrian Orio stole the show and pitched a perfect shutout performance.  

For the Snipers, the loss meant, if a second consecutive first place finish was in the cards, they would now need to win all three remaining games on the day in regulation.  The Snipers took care of business in their next game defeating the ISCA Grizzlies 6-1 and then followed it up with a back and forth offensive battle with the Blizzard, which they would win 7-5.  It set up an all important final game match up with the league's highest scoring team Propel MG.  As the end of  the first period was approaching, the Snipers found themselves in a 2-0 hole and would need to mount a comeback to finish in first place in the Northeast division.  Scoring with just 6 seconds left in the first, the Snipers cut the Propel lead in half and then opened up their high flying offense in the second period, scoring the games remaining four goals, as they accomplished their goal with a 5-2 victory.

The loss to the Snipers, as well as a 3-2 loss to the Misfits on Saturday, opened the door in the Atlantic Division.  Propel had been in or tied for first place since opening weekend, but now will need to most likely run the table in their final event to finish in first.  Propel defeated the Sting 6-3 and the Flamingos 4-1 to go 2-2 on the day.

The Deuces, after defeating the Snipers, went on to a 5-2 victory over the Misfits, and continued their struggles against the Sting who defeated them 4-2.  They would finish the day off with a 6-1 win over the Flamingos and a 3 point edge in the standings over Propel MG, with one weekend left on the schedule.

The Fusion Blizzard began their day with a very impressive 3-2 overtime victory against the Sting.  They lost an explosive game 7-5 to the Snipers, followed it up with more offense, in a 10-4 victory over the Flamingos, and finished the day with a tough loss to the Misfits.  The Blizzard find themselves comfortably in the middle of the Atlantic division with an 8-7-1 record on the season.

The ISCA Grizzlies failed to earn a victory on Saturday, but are proving to be a tough opponent, no matter who they play.  Aside from a lopsided loss to the Snipers, the Grizzlies lost three one goal games, including a 4-3 loss to the Flamingos, a 5-4 OT loss to the Misfits, and 6-5 loss to the Sting, in which the Grizzlies mounted a very impressive late comeback effort.  

The Rhode Island Misfits have been gaining momentum as the season continues.  They began their day with a very impressive 3-2 win over a very talented Propel MG squad, followed it up with an OT win against the Grizzlies, and suffered their only loss of the day against the Deuces 5-2.  In their final game of the day, they defeated the Fusion Blizzard 6-4 and earned 8 out of a possible 12 points on the weekend.  Despite their strong finish they finished in 6th place.

The Sting entered the event looking to improve their position in the NE standings.  Having lost their first game in OT to the Blizzard, catching the Legends for third place was out of the question.  They could potentially still pass the Impact, but also needed to keep the surging Misfits from passing them for 5th place.  They won a very impressive game 4-2 against the Deuces, but then fell in a tough 6-3 loss to Propel MG.  This meant a regulation victory was needed to remain in 5th place.  With a three goal lead in the second period against the Grizzlies, things seemed well in hand.  That was until a late comeback effort by the Grizzlies took place.  With the Grizzlies scoring twice in the finals minutes, Danielle Speroff and the Sting had to hold the fort for the final 30 seconds.  Including several last second shots, the Sting were able to hold on against the Grizzlies and earn the 6-5 victory and finish in 5th place.

The Flamingos struggled on Saturday, aside from a late comeback victory against the Grizzlies in their opening game, the Flamingos dropped three straight to finish the season.  They would finish in 7th place, one better than they did last season and will draw a very tough Goofers team in the first round of the playoffs.