GOTW: Happy Little Elves at Denim Demons

Our second Game of the Week features one of the league’s nastiest rivalries.  Even though the Elves and the Demons are no longer in the same division, this should still be a spirited affair.  Last week, the Elves took a big step towards retaining the no longer prestigious (but still imaginary) Fairy Tale Cup with a win against the Gremlins, while the Demons suffered a tough loss to LBS, Inc.

Keys for the Happy Little Elves:
Who is this mysterious Boris?  He’s got three goals on the season and has been one of the biggest reasons for the Elves’ 2-0 start (Rob Walsh and his four goals have too, but we’re not focusing on him).  Is he American? Russian? Maybe a Bulgarian brute?  One thing is for sure, though.  Whenever Sarah T. , and only Sarah T., tells Boris to do something, he does.  She can be seen during games pacing the sidelines, yelling out instructions such as, “Boris, cover point!”, “Boris, forecheck!”, or “Boris, score goal!”

Keys for the Denim Demons:
Where’s Coach?  Has anyone seen Coach?  The Demons’ goaltender has been very reliable with his attendance in the past, so his absence is definitely concerning.  There are unconfirmed and unsubstantiated “sightings” of Coach from the past few weeks, once at an East Village Chipotle in early April, and once at a Western Pennsylvania Eat’n Park over the weekend.  We might need to get Leslie Nielsen involved to find Coach.  What’s that?  He’s dead?!  Uh oh!  Unfortunately, the mystery of Coach could take all summer to solve.

Prediction
The Elves have been firing on all cylinders to start the season, and the aforementioned Boris and newcomer John Brügger have given their roster a little more depth than in years past.  If Coach is still not present and accounted for, things could get rough for the Demons.  They might have to use the ultimate unknown factor: a free agent goalie.  Or, you know, Coach could magically re-appear.  Either way, I think the Elves get the win, 3-2.
Rich’s Pick: What do Boris, Walsh and Sarah T. have in common? All probably won’t play this Sunday. Right now we have one girl so I’m not loving our chances. I think I’ll go conservative and just go with Elves 13, Demons 0.
Derek’s Pick: If Rich is telling the truth (which he always does), and Boris, Walsh, and Sarah T. are all AWOL, I have to go with the Demons, 4-2.

Other Games:

Mega Touch at Gut Rot

Here’s a stat for you: through two games, Mega Touch’s Alex “Coop” Eben Meyer is outscoring all of Gut Rot.  Naturally, the sample isn’t big, but yikes, pick it up, Rotters.  You’ve been shutout twice in a row!  That’s not to say that Mega’s 0-2 record is making them look like superstars, but at least they have some goals to show for their efforts.  The good news here is that one of these winless teams will finally get to the pay window, and I think it will be Gut Rot, 4-2.
Eli’s Pick: Gut Rot gets a goal (more than one, actually), and a win, 3-1.
Rich’s Pick: I’m going with a 0-0 game/shootout and the refs forget the new shootout rule. But since we are counting our picks (Elly…that’s your job) I’ll say 3-2 Gutties.

Gremlins at Cobra Kai
As Richie noted in last weeks Not 3 Stars, Jamie is 0-6 on the season already.  And to make matters worse, he was kicked out of the crease when Romeo returned.  Go ahead, watch it again.  Jamie is pissed at the :07 second mark when he is storming off the court and gives the disdainful look back at Romeo over his shoulder.  You do not want to make Jamie angry.  Whoever is playing Jamie and the Gremlins this week is going to lose (let’s go with 4-1).  Oh hey, Cobra Kai!
Derek’s Pick: Sad Jamie finally gets his win, but the Dojo keeps it close in a 3-2 contest.
Rich’s Pick: I was told Cobra Kai has added two really good players. That’s good enough for me, 4-2 and Sad Jamie goes to 0-7.

Fresh Kills at Sky Fighters
It has not been a good start to the season for the Sky Fighters.  Two losses already, and the always imposing Fresh Kills are next.  Sky Fighters captain Dan Hopper wishes this were like a video game, where he could just hit the reset button, start over, and play a weaker team.  Unfortunately, BTSH does not have a reset button, and Fresh Kills rolls, 5-1.

Derek’s Pick: Sorry, D-Hops.  4-1 Fresh Kills.
Rich’s Pick: I’ve seen Stein play against Fresh Kills. It ain’t pretty. 5-1 whitewash. And if Martin doesn’t show up…yeesh.

La Famiglia at What The Puck

So far, both of these teams’ seasons have gone exactly as expected.  La Famiglia has won convincingly in both of its first two contests (each via shutout), and What The Puck has dropped its first two while allowing the most goals in BTSH.  So, why even bother with this game, right?  Whoa, that was way harsh, Tai.  I had the good fortune to meet WTP2.0’s newest acquisitions, Noah, Dave, and Aisling during the break.  Despite the team’s growing pains, the trio is confident about returning What The Puck to its glory days of league domination…and since they’re from Vancouver, I believe them.  I’ll still take the Tuques in this one, but WTP will also be the first team to put one past Tim Kayiatos.
Eli’s Pick: They’re from Vancouver, and we are not making some sort of Canucks/What The Puck comparison joke here?  Weak.  I’m also taking La Famiglia.
Rich’s Pick: I don’t get the reference. But Big Yellow is strong in net, and even if he has a bad game he’s still really big and better than Fleury in the playoffs. With that said, the Tuques are just tooooooo sweeeeeeeet and will win this game.