With another BTSH season in the record books, we would like to take one last opportunity to thank you for your loyal and devoted support.  We have really enjoyed providing you with our special blend of hockey insight, humor, and information each week (we call it “hockhumtion”), and look forward to doing it again next season.

This first season at Tompkins Square Park was a banner year for BTSH.  Although the league saw a lot of changes, we both feel the move from Corlears was for the better.  We have many fond memories of the past season and here are a few of our favorites:

• “rain fears”
• The Big Sexy Tour 2009
• Larry “Mad Dog” Zimmer’s wish list
• any time Susannah ate something
• Rubens Rock
• Hockey Night in Tompkins

In addition, we would especially like to thank the following for taking our many jokes in good stride despite being the butt of most of them:

• Adam “Legend Killer” Rubens
• Jeremy “The Foot” Schumacher
• Filthy Gorgeous’ retro lime green jerseys
• Ben Chadwick, Rich Glanzer, and the Happy Little Elves
• team cancer Ant “Father Time” Ventolieri
• Tuques hockey.
• Joe Lops
• Bob “Olmec” Weyersberg

As a token of our appreciation, we would like to leave you with this final gift:

 
Your humble correspondents,
Eli Kazin &
Derek Tagliarino

On Sunday evening, the media had the distinct honor and pleasure to present their third annual Media Awards to some of BTSH’s outstanding players. The winners are listed below:

BTSH Regular Season Scoring Champion
Karsten Pichon (LBS, Inc.)

Best Goals Against Average
Aaron “Coach” Pagdon (Denim Demons)

Best Family
Lourdes Banez & Martin “Ocho Cinco” Cejka (Sky Fighters)

Best Duo
Ben Chadwick & Rich Glanzer (Happy Little Elves)

Most Underrated Female
Mel Raoul (Rehabs)

Most Underrated Male
Shafiq Perry (Tuques)

The Stacy S. Kehoe Award For Toughness & Grace
Abby Meisterman (Denim Demons)

The Jon “Dinner Plate” Feldman Award For Agitation and Instigation
Eric “El Guapo” DiPierri (Happy Little Elves)

The Third Annual Bob Weyersberg Award For Outstanding Achievement In The Field Of Excellence
Eric Devlin (Mega Touch)

The Brendan “Flounder” Hay Memorial Award (Female)
Georgine “Mulva” Paulin (Mathematics)

The Brendan “Flounder” Hay Memorial Award (Male)
Will Kuhns (Cobra Kai)

All-Media Teams

In addition to the awards, as per tradition, here are the year end BTSH All-Star teams, as selected by the media:

1st Team All-BTSH:
G: Aaron “Coach” Pagdon (Denim Demons)
D: Meredith Danberg-Ficarelli (Rehabs)
D: Martin “Ocho Cinco” Cejka (Sky Fighters)
F: Susannah (Unicorns)
F: Jeff Kamen (Denim Demons)
F: Karsten Pichon (LBS, Inc.)

Pagdon gets the nod between the pipes due to his league leading five shutouts and best goals against average.  For the second consecutive year, Cejka and Danberg-Ficarelli fill out the defensive line, as Cejka led all defenders with 20 goals, and Danberg-Ficarelli is the reigning female defender of the year.  Pichon led BTSH in scoring with 29 goals, while Kamen was the driving force on the regular season champion Denim Demons.  Susannah had more goals than Rich Glanzer.

2nd Team All-BTSH:
G: Craig “Ug” LaCombe (Unicorns)
D: Becky Antar Novick (Filthy Gorgeous)
D: Sam Anthony (LBS, Inc.)
F: Dana Kravis (Filthy Gorgeous)
F: John Nielsen (Dark Rainbows)
F: “Gentleman” James Pereira (Filthy Gorgeous)

Ug once again cracks the second team with another strong performance throughout the season.  Anthony anchors the LBS, Inc. defense, which allowed the second fewest goals in the league.  Nielsen remains a top threat year after year and once again finished as a top scorer with 20 goals.  Three players from Filthy Gorgeous round out the second team.  Novick hails from BTSH’s own first family of defense, while Kravis and Pereira both finished among the leading scorers for their respective genders.

All Rookie Line:
G: Joe Boshko (Mathematics)
D: ”The Masterpiece” Ashley McMasters (Filthy Gorgeous)
D: Adam Robertson (Tuques)
F: Alice Bertoni (Sky Fighters)
F: Sean “$howT!m3″ McClain (Rehabs)
F: Denis Miciletto (Tuques)

Despite the Mathematics’ struggles this seaosn, BTSH still selected Boshko as an All-Star represenative.  McMasters won the award for top female rookie at Sunday’s ceremony, while Miciletto won the honor for top male.  Miciletto’s teammate Robertson also gets the call as another key component of Dave Ladanyi’s “new superstar initiative.”  Bertoni was the top female scorer on the BTSH champion Sky Fighters.  McClain took the league by storm in his first season and is ready to take over Hector Melendez’s role as “$howT!m3″ in 2010.

Congratulations Sky Fighters, 2009 BTSH Champions!

TOMPKINS SQUARE PARK – Sky Fighters co-captain Dan Hopper didn’t even see his shot go into the net. Moments later, he heard a whistle, cheering teammates, and a loud uproar from the crowd, and he knew he had put his team back in the lead of the BTSH Final. Hopper’s game-winning goal broke a 3-3 tie with 12 minutes remaining in regulation, giving the Sky Fighters a lead they would never relinquish. The Sky Fighters added two more goals for a 6-3 victory against What The Puck, clinching their second championship in franchise history and the first since their resurrection prior to the 2007 season.

 The Sky Fighters’ victory culminated a dramatic two year rise to the championship, which began with a one-win season in 2007. The following season in 2008 ended with a first round playoff exit, but also saw the Sky Fighters improve their win total by ten and finish with a winning record.

Hopper’s goal gave the Sky Fighters their third lead of the game, but in both prior instances, What The Puck fought back to tie. However, there would be no more comebacks for Larry “Mad Dog” Zimmer’s Orange Juggernaut, as Greg Cohan struck for his second goal of the game just two minutes later. Cohan, who was added to the Sky Fighters roster during the summer, scored his first goal with one minute remaining in the first half, giving the Sky Fighters a 3-2 lead. Martin “Ocho Cinco” Cejka, who led the Sky Fighters with 20 goals in the regular season, closed out the scoring with an empty netter in the final minutes. David Cernan and Robert Kucera also added first half goals for the Sky Fighters.

“I think Martin should just pick up the trophy himself,” noted co-captain Amy Lott, although at the time, Lott did not know that the trophy was a pitcher of beer adorned with the BTSH logo on the front.

Hopper attributed his team’s strong play to a carefree and loose attitude. “We never realized we were in the final, so there was no pressure on us,” Hopper said. The Sky Fighters were also well rested, as they had secured their spot in the championship game with a 4-2 semifinal victory against the Corlears Hookers the previous Sunday.

What The Puck advanced to its first championship game since 2006 with a 3-0 victory over 2008 champion Fresh Kills earlier in the day and had allowed just two goals in three playoff games. Grizzled veteran Tom MacDonald led the way for What The Puck with two goals in the final, including one that tied the game early in the second half. Mike “The X-Factor” Woodsworth scored the first goal of the game on a rare pass from Adriano “Muscles Marinara” Bratta.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
#7 Sky Fighters 6, #2 What The Puck 3

                                1   2    Total
#7 Sky Fighters       3   3    6        Final
#2 What The Puck   2   1    3

First Half:
What The Puck – 2:36, Mike “The X-Factor” Woodsworth (1) (Adriano “Muscles Marinara” Bratta)
Sky Fighters – 4:40, David Cernan (2) (Martin “Ocho Cinco” Cejka)
Sky Fighters – 10:58, Robert Kucera (3)
What The Puck – 16:38, Tom MacDonald (3)
Sky Fighters – 23:53, Greg Cohan (1) (David Cernan)

Second Half:
What The Puck – 3:40, Tom MacDonald (4) (Corey “Chongo” Winters)
Sky Fighters – 13:06, Dan Hopper (2) (Greg Infanti, Robert Kucera)
Sky Fighters – 15:00, Greg Cohan (2)
Sky Fighters – 22:55, Martin “Ocho Cinco” Cejka (2) (empty net)

SEMIFINAL
#2 What The Puck 3, #11 Fresh Kills 0
What The Puck: Tom MacDonald (2), Larry “Mad Dog” Zimmer (2), Corey “Chongo” Winters (1)
Shutout: Roderick “Guy LeDouche” Cruz (1)

Denim Demons (15-2-2-4) vs. Rehabs (12-7-1-3)
Location: Tompkins East, 12:00 PM
All-Time Series: Tied 6-6-1
Game Notes: This is expected to be the cleanest game of the day, with minimal whining from both sides.

Mathematics (5-14-1-3) vs. Filthy Gorgeous (16-6-1)
Location: Tompkins East, 11:00 AM
All-Time Series: Filthy Gorgeous leads 4-2
Game Notes: Filthy Gorgeous is 2-0 against its Woodsworth Division rival the Mathematics this season, with one of the wins coming in OT.

Mighty Squirrels (7-15-1) vs. Gouging Anklebiters (8-13-2)
Location: Tompkins West, 12:00 PM
All-Time Series: Mighty Squirrels lead 5-2-1
Game Notes: These Schloeder Division rivals split their season series.

Unicorns (11-11-0-1) vs. Cobra Kai (5-14-1-2)
Location: Moffo, 12:00 PM
All-Time Series: Unicorns lead 5-0
Game Notes: There are no game notes for this matchup.

LBS, Inc. (16-4-0-1) vs. Happy Little Elves (10-12-1)
Location: Moffo, 1:00 PM
All-Time Series: LBS, Inc. leads 2-0
Game Notes: BFFs Rich Glanzer and Karsten Pichon will face off for the first time since patching up their differences earlier this season.

Mexican Standoff (5-16-1-1) vs. Mega Touch (5-17-1)
Location: Tompkins East, 1:00 PM
All-Time Series: Mega Touch leads 7-6-1
Game Notes: Something wacky is planned for this game.

Tuques (7-14-0-1) vs. Dark Rainbows (15-7-0-1)
Location: Tompkins West, 1:00 PM
All-Time Series: Dark Rainbows lead 5-1
Game Notes: Dark Rainbow Dan “Danny Abs” Abdo will make one final push to win the Jon “Dinner Plate” Feldman Award for Agitation and Instigation in this game.

Corlears Hookers (16-4-1-2) vs. BTSH “All-Stars”
Location: Tompkins East, 2:00 PM
Game Notes: With 15 teams eliminated from the playoffs, the Corlears Hookers are the odd team out and will face a loose conglomeration of BTSH “All-Stars”.  These ”All-Stars” will probably be the Rehabs.

For the third straight season, the media (and some special surprise guests!) will proudly present several prestigious awards this Sunday at the BTSH season-end party. To build your anticipation, here are this season’s media awards and nominees:

The Award For The Regular Season Scoring Champion
Karsten Pichon (LBS, Inc.)

Best Family
Brendan “Dutch” Kearney & Gavin “Dutch’s Brother” Kearney (Corlears Hookers)
Celine Dujeux & Brian Vroom (What The Puck)
Lourdes Banez & Martin “Ocho Cinco” Cejka (Sky Fighters)
Susannah & Victoria (Unicorns)

Best Duo
Amy Lott & Dan Hopper (Sky Fighters)
Ben Chadwick & Rich Glanzer (Happy Little Elves)
Bob “Olmec” Weyersberg (Fresh Kills) & Jeremy “The Foot” Schumacher (Gouging Anklebiters)
Jeff “Hawk” Hawkins (Mathematics) & Jock Paul (Corlears Hookers)

Most Underrated Female
Alice Bertoni (Sky Fighters)
Karen Erickson (LBS, Inc.)
Becky Pear (Cobra Kai)
Mel Raoul (Rehabs)

Most Underrated Male
Alex Derhohannesian (Gouging Anklebiters)
Bill MacGregor (Mega Touch)
Sunny Mehra (Filthy Gorgeous)
Shafiq Perry (Tuques)

The Stacy S. Kehoe Award For Toughness & Grace
Abby Meisterman (Denim Demons)
Rachel “A-Korn” Greene (Mighy Squirrels)
Gina Hackett (Rehabs)
Heidi “The Maple Leaf Muscle” Karst (Fresh Kills)

The Jon “Dinner Plate” Feldman Award For Agitation and Instigation
Dan “Danny Abs” Abdo (Dark Rainbows)
Eric “El Guapo” DiPierri (Happy Little Elves)
Ellery “The Nature Boy” (Mexican Standoff)
League Degenerate Alex Owen (Gouging Anklebiters)

The Third Annual Bob Weyersberg Award For Outstanding Achievement In The Field Of Excellence
Eric Devlin (Mega Touch)
Kevin “The Planet” Foster (Fresh Kills)
Sascha Puritz (LBS, Inc.)
Monica Russo (Filthy Gorgeous)

The Brendan “Flounder” Hay Memorial Award (Female)
Georgine “Mulva” Paulin (Mathematics)
Kirby Ruffner (Mighty Squirrels)
Noelle Safar (Corlears Hookers)
Sarah “T-Bone” Torneten (Happy Little Elves)

The Brendan “Flounder” Hay Memorial Award (Male)
Steve Chernoski (Denim Demons)
Will Kuhns (Cobra Kai)
John Meyer (Dark Rainbows)
Corey “Chongo” Winters (What The Puck)