Week 5 Previews â Part 2
Gouging Anklebiters at Mathematics
by Izzy
It is possible that Sarah and the Biters may have peaked too early this year.  After starting off the season by lighting the lamp on fire with 19 goals scored and only allowing a measly 3 they were labeled the âteam of destinyâ.  However, after last week’s stale fart of a performance their fan base has been left wondering if they pulled the trigger too early on ordering those Derho jerseys. This Sunday weâll find out if they are who think they are.
Mathematics on the other hand are right where they usually seem to be this time of year â hovering above .500 and rounding into mid-season form. Whatâs puzzling though is that a Norris has yet to register a single point and the Kazinator is on pace to score 9 goals this year. But none of that seems to matter thanks to John having elevated his game to a Bergeron-esque level.
Prediction: Both teams manage to stay out of the crease and Rebecca snipes the OT winner for Math, 4-3.
Fuzz (3-1- 0) at Sky Fighters (1-3- 0), Tompkins East, 4:30pm
by Hornswoggle
This division rivalry will put Caroline W. and her comrades to the test because their leading scorer for 2017 will be playing for the first time as their opposition on Sunday. Vegas Line rates high on Mia, Stein, and Greg playing an emotional game (hell, they might not even be there knowing that facing an old rival would be just too much to bear), but maybe James McQ. and Joe may not be too concerned and try to keep the Sky Fighters in the match.
The only thing that should concern Fuzz is ex-Sultanâs bravado. Watch his social media antics continue as off-court banter between him and the refs, likely disturbing any important plays that would have given Sky Fighters the advantage. No longer bearing the responsibilities as league commissioner and short $6,000 for the 2018 fiscal year, heâll be literally gunning for the PBR Cup in an attempt to take the metal and sell it to the highest bidder to recoup what he couldâve gained.
Sky Fighters, you know that Miles and Gil will be the two primary players to watch. âPharoeuxâ is no longer on that team and you probably know that the ex-Sultan is filling his role. With around 17 pace on a good dayânamely because he treats cardio like kindergarteners with vegetablesâpassing Rich is a cakewalk. The rest of the team not so much.
Prediction: In spite of self-designated first-liner Rich getting left in the dust by a majority of Sky Fighters players, Gil and Alexa will tally for the first time this season, and Jeff and Miles will continue to add to their collection. 4-1 Fuzz.
What the Puck at Tompkins Square Riots
by Cat
Riots are still looking for their first win, thwarted once by rain fears and once by overtime penalty shots, and a division game against What the Puck is the prime opp. As an anarcho-commune, captained by none, they know the meaning of hustle, and are at their best digging it out one-on-one in the corners.
As much as I love a hippie cult, I see this coming down in What the Puckâs favor. Zac controls box scores and itâs my firm understanding that he just jots down whatever on the notes app while shaking off a hangover Monday morning, giving the orange (wo)men a distinct advantage. Plus, itâs Mike Dâs birthday, and those motherpuckers are sure to rally to deliver him the greatest gift of all: the division number one slot!
Prediction: Emily and Michael want to know: WTP over Riots 4-2.
Butchers at LBS
by Flighty McWeagle
If the first four games of this season have any predictive power, this matchup is not a favorable one for the Butchers, who are currently sitting uncomfortably in division 1 with a stat line thatâs more like a punch line. Theyâd be laughed out of division 4. Not to pity them too much, given the obvious talent of their players, but âunderperformingâ is an understatement. They boast three losses, and a combined offensive effort of five goals on the season. Meanwhile, LBS has pampered itself with three of the leagueâs top 25 scorers, one of whom has scored as many goals as the whole Butchers team, and thereâs another five secondary scorers so far. The sole stain on LBSâ record is their entirely predictable beatdown by multi-armed regional juggernaut Instant Karma. But last weekend, the Butchers embarked on the first step to correction, knocking the Anklebiters off the top of the standings in a convincing three goal shutout. Unfortunately LBS also squeaked past the nosediving Sky Fighters 6-0.
So what does all this actually mean? Can recent outcomes actually predict future performance? If so, how precisely? Do outside factors have an effect? Does anything mean anything? Do outside hockey games have an effect? Why do we do this to ourselves? Why endure the agony? Why must perfectly decent diasporic Washingtonians endure Sidney Crosbyâs drooling fish-maw on their television in another Caps-Penguins series every fucking year? Nobody actually likes Crosby, they just play with him because he has a Nintendo⌠Ugh. Anyway. Where was I? Oh, right. I donât know. LBS already won a cup. Butchers didnât. The Butchers gotta want it more. Itâs not the records! Itâs the intangibles! Despite all odds, and the outcome of Game 1, I believe Washington takes the series in 7, and game 7 goes to 53 overtimes before Ovechkinâs grandchild scores a goal. And I think the Butchers are going to do it first, also after 53 overtimes, culminating in a scoreless overtime, then an inconclusive shootout, then an inconclusive swordfight, and then at last a karaoke sing-off. Finally the Butchers pull it off, 3-2, because obviously the Butchers have the better singers.
And in the end, isnât that, and also wrestling, what really matters?
Dark Rainbows at Denim Demons
written by An Old Jedi (the Padawan is on vacation this week. Hopefully not on Alderaan.)
This matchup features the team that had the most infractions last season, and the team that had the least (weâll let you figure out which was which). So letâs take a look at these two teams at opposite ends of the penalty spectrumâŚ
The new Rainbows continue to make strides each week, putting a scare into the Gremlins in their recent contest. It took 2 shootout winning goals to get the Grems the W, but they did it. If Tia can make it back in time for the game, and Cat doesnât have yet ANOTHER hot sauce festival to attend, the âBows may have a chance this Sunday. (Yes, apparently hot sauce festivals are a real thing. They draw tens of Americans, every year.) New Rainbows Matt, Brian, Wes, and Karl are starting to get the hang of this street hockey thing, and that may spell trouble for the Levis Lucifers. Even more troubling for the Demons is that Sean R. has been making more frequent appearances lately, and that dude has had the hang of this street hockey thing since the rookies were in diapers.
As for the Demons, they returned Ellaâs dog safe and sound, but didnât show up at Royale this week in order to avoid any potential questioning by police. They also picked up their first win of the season this past Sunday. (Rumor has it that Anshu netted her first goal as a Demon!) Weâre told that the $5 Titoâs and sodas were enough to drag Popack back from the Amalfi Coast this week…but we suspect she may end up skipping the game and heading straight to the bar to take advantage of the deal. It seems that Tracy is also a game-time decision, as she has a Girl Talk Date Line tournament the night before. (Much to her dismay, Brad is going to beat her in this tournament.)
Prediction: Having incredibly low penalty minutes is a designation that Tia and her Rainbows take great pride in (oops, I gave away which team was which). They stay on the right side of history in this one…but on the wrong side of the scoreboard.
JR gets the game winner. 4-3 Demons, in regulation.
Greenwald has to wait another week for that elusive first win.