Breakfast with Pandora Books

Week 20 results: Borschland Hockey League

Big transaction news: Sajbell has sent their first-string goaltender Sybrandy Spillers to play the rest of the season for Holtzlund in exchange for the services of forward Grundel Masur. Holtzlund also purchased the contract of Nations’ Cup hero Gregory Gatekeeper for 12,000 schillings from Noi-Sporting-West and transferred it to Sajbell in consideration of the Spillers transfer.

Image of an ancient hockey mask and goaltender stick by Morket from Pixabay

“We are playing for the Championship and the Cup,” said Holtzlund general partner Joost Baambler. “If this is not the year to pull out all the stops on the organ and put on the steam, I don’t know what is.”

Spillers has not had the best possible year for the improving but still lowly Sea Gods, with a 2.88 GAA over 17 games including the Flowering Branch Cup, but to be honest, his defense has been among the worst assembled in the league. Holtzlund got Spillers for his proven leadership: he is 28 years old and a five-year veteran of the league with a lifetime .909 save percentage.

His Week 19 performance against Meechen, stopping 40 of 41 shots in the sparkling win over Meechen, may also have pricked up the ears of the Axe Men’s management.

“We are thrilled to get Gregory Gatekeeper,” Sajbell managing partner Koort te Brujswaald said. “We were not looking to move our first-string netminder, but Gatekeeper is the goalie of the future and we are also getting a fine young player in Grundel Masur.”

The goaltender glut in Holtzlund (Schmidt Max and Gareth Velnath) meant a decision to loan Velnath to Noi-Sporting-West for the rest of the year. The Mountain Kings are undefeated in their league with 5 ties thanks in large part to Gatekeeper’s work.

Asked why Gatekeeper was not the (much less expensive) target for this transaction, Baambler said, “We have our goaltender of the future in Gareth Velnath. We needed a big splash in goal to make this last push for the double.”

4 Holtzlund v. Te Staff 4: Another opportunity lost for Holtzlund as they squandered a 2-goal advantage with Gareth Velnath in goal and not looking like the championship goalie the Axe Men need for their stretch run. Multi-point games came from Holtzlund’s Lourens Noordhall (2 assists) and Kaameron Luudjeron (1 goal, 1 assist) and Te Staff's Bernt Gruun (1 goal, 1 assist). Chrujstoff Anselm scored his 6th goal since returning from injury, and third-line center Wils Schauers knotted the score at 4 with 3:33 left in the third period.

2 Rjaward v. Dohmatische 2: Dohmatische fired a shot over the bow ahead of the Flowering Branch Cup semi-finals. The two possible opponents in the final four played to a standstill on the Cattle Drivers’ home ice, a stark contrast from their 3-1 home loss in Week 11. Rjaward’s forwards came up against a stiff Dohmatische defense and the Swamp Hawks again managed to score just enough to keep the Lassomen from 3 points.

1 Meechen v. Tarlunz 2: The Steelmen took advantage of a Proud Lion team that’s spiraling down, opening up a two-goal lead on markers by Gerd Luppink (11) and Pujtr Weeckerstrom (4) and before Meechen finally scored with 4:01 left in the third period and made it a game.

3 Atterische v. Sajbell 3: Sajbell has now gone 1-0-3 since their acquisition of Man Grizzlyfaith, and they are now looking to improve even further with the young, high-energy forward Grundel Masur. Much depends for the end of the year on Gatekeeper’s ability to play in the top league of Borschland, but his Nations’ Cup performance makes him the best bet of any netminder in the lower divisions. Atterische regrets not taking three points at home versus a game but inferior opponent, especially after leading 2-0 and 3-2 in this one.

4 Wrischer v. Bevinlunz 3: With Heiko Moordfors spectating, Wrischer feasted on the Merchantman backup goalie Luukas Kolibruj. First liners Tomas Scheelgrav and Beenz Grechtlin had goals, along with Silvius Silvulus and Tor Blunderbuj, while winger Albuj Ploof got on the scoreboard with a brace of markers for Bevinlunz.

0 Meenesanne v. Bjaward 0: An excellent result for Meenesanne, which is suffering through a typical wasteland of a season. Erick Ritsche, long-suffering goaltender for the Weavers, played a dandy game, making 35 saves. His counterpart on Bjaward, Breet van Hejgl, had a much easier day, having to stop only 21.

4 Matexipar v. Onatten 2: The Iron Sticks got back on the bar with an easy win over Onatten, who will finish at their lowest point in 24 years. Sigiswald Zberg had two markers in this one.

3 Lojren v. Sichebach 1: A workmanlike win for te Lughaus, typically winning at home versus lower-ranked opponents. Backup goaltender Dragoon Camarata had an excellent day with 27 saves and Bengt Jagermann had a goal and an assist.

Bonus edition: Week 19, BHL Division 2

Here are the results for you deep-divers into the #BHL second division. 

Alma is still ahead and looks poised to win their second straight championship and third in the last six years.

Ellafuus has gone 7-3-3 since our last look at the second division and is the best improver in the league. Dafna was undefeated in Week 5 but have gone 5-7-2 since then.

Lassefball has managed to win only two league games and they may end up in the Open Division next year if Kanaal's petition to rejoin the Second Division is granted on the off-season.

 

Current Standings - Second Division #BHL

                                          W    L    T    P

Alma                                 15    3     1  46

Oststaff                             13    4    2   41

Lisandra                           12    5    5   39

UB - Tujrspaarck            10    7    2   32

Ellafuus                             9     5    5   32

Dafna                                 9     7    3   30

UB - St. Elisabeth           7    7     5    26

Bijfhaf                               7     8     4    25

St. Borsch                        8    11    0    24

Tisbe                                 6    10    3    21

Rachenz                           5     10    4    19

Armaruj                           3     8    8     17       

Gottwrischer                  3   10    6     15

Benjaminburg                3    11     5    14

Limpael                           4     14    1     13

Lassefball                        2    15    2     8

Leg 2 of the Quarterfinals of the FB Cup! Semis set!

And then there were four, with one pretty, pretty big upset.

Both second-division clubs go home happy and richer, though not as happy as they would've been if they had been the winning underdogs.

No: The Steelmen of Tarlunz can only dream of a regular-season championship now.

But the Low Country region of Borschland still has both teams in it, Atterische and Dohmatische, for the first time since 317!

0 Tarlunz v. Dohmatische 2: It was a tough game. It was a tense game. It was 1-0 Dohmatische with 1:57 remaining on the clock and 8,847 Tarlunz Ponder fans rocking the rink. The aggregate score was 3-3, but Tarlunz had the edge in away goals. Dohmatische needed another goal. So they pulled Rokus Krenkl and went to work with the extra attacker. At 1:02 they broke through with their first-line center Bastiaan Orp, who shoved in a rebound off of goaltender August Hoock. Orp has been less than spectacular this year, scoring only 4 goals, but he made this one count. “Right place, right time,” he said. “Bit of luck from the Saints, I think. I’ll put a coin in the poor box this week for sure.” Tarlunz coach Ampte Geert shook his head afterwards and took the blame for the loss. “We played too conservatively and then ran out of time,” he said, citing his confidence that the first-leg win and away goals would put the team over the top. “Should’ve gone on the attack,” he concluded ruefully.

4 Rjaward v. Alma 2: The Cattle Drivers advance to the semi-finals at the expense of the Mountain Climbers, who held their own much better than in their home game. They were down only 3-2 in the second period but Rjaward shut them out for the rest of the way. The fourth goal was icing on the cake for the Lassomen, who are in line for a double this year, the Cup win and the regular season championship.  Rjaward’s coach Norbert Grimm said, “We’ll take this one game at a time. Raise a glass of brandy to Alma. They’re a good bunch of boys.” Rjaward is clearly the most complete team left in the Cup now that Tarlunz are eliminated. Holtzlund has a high-powered offense but their goaltending remains a question mark, as it was at the beginning of the year. Alma coach Pujtr Groosman said, “I’m proud of our boys and our organization and I hope this offseason we can convince the league to let us in.” In the past there have been as many as 17 teams in the BHL, including Alma and Gottwrischer when Wrischer was not in the league. Even earlier, Ellafuus and Rachens-Lassefball spent time in the top league.

3 Holtzlund v. Sajbell 2: A hard-fought game finally went the Axe Men’s way. The Timberlanders defense, led by Klaes Dievenhoven, who also had two assists, stonewalled the Sea Gods, allowing only 20 shots to reach goaltender Schmidt Max. Tyger Oostende had the game winner for Holtzlund at 11:58 remaining in the third, though if there had been a tie, they would have won by virtue of more away goals. Sajbell’s longtime coach Bram Brachtebalder, now in his 21st year, summed up the series with a long sigh. Sajbell will need more than a game grizzly named Man to save their team.

3 Atterische v. Ellafuus 0: The Coast Boys’ magic finally ran out on the ice down by the lower Borschland River. Ellafuus has a lot to be proud of getting this far, including a hefty payday of somewhere around 20,000 schillings for participating in three top-league home games during this series. That’s some excellent and much-needed cash for new players and/or renovations to their antiquated facility. Ellafuus coach Roger Ruud commended his team and implied that management was open to selling some of the standouts for a high premium: “We’ve got talent that we want to see playing in the top league.” Atterische scored 3 goals for the first time since Week 12 in the regular season and since beating Lojren 3-2 in the Round of 16. Markus Ortel got the shutout on 17 shots faced, and the goal-scorers were Rick Rijkstad, Quentin van Vleet, and defender Gunnar Haale.

Week 19 results: Borschland Hockey League

For the first time in a very long time, almost all the home teams in this weeks’ set of games held serve at home, going 7-1-0 overall.

In general, home ice is a pretty good advantage in the Borschland Hockey League; home teams win or tie at home approximately 75% of the time. By contrast, the NHL home ice advantage is only in the mid- to high-fifty percent range.

Image: it's about 225 miles from Erichels to Bevinlunz as the crow flies, about the same as from New York City to Washington DC.

But it’s seldom that all home teams actually win in a given week. This week it was Tarlunz spoiling the home-cooking party with a decisive 4-1 win over Sichebach.

Even though Borschic teams do not have to travel very far compared to their NHL counterparts—the psychological difference between venues is actually very great, since Borschic people are not used to traveling all over the country. People tend to be born, grow up, and die in the same town.

So a trip to Bevinlunz, on the foggy southern coast of Borschland, might be considered quite a trek by, say, a Holtzlund mountain tree-cutter. Here is a map to give you an idea of how far Borschic hockey teams travel.

2 Bjaward vs Matexipar 1: Celebration in the Bull City as centerman Norbert Brunner scored the winning goal with about 7 seconds left in the game, weaving through three Matexipar defenders, dragging the puck behind him and then between his legs and scoring on a scoop just under the bar. There was a brief controversy as Matexipar coach Henrick van ter Tapp disputed that the goal had gone in before time expired, but the chimes in the Bjaward clock tower are notorious for being a few seconds fast. Official time kept on the ice indicated the game was not over.

7 Holtzlund vs Lojren 3: Holtzlund is rivalling Rjaward as the most prolific scoring team in the league, with a largely balanced attack and no true “star” forward. Schmidt Max was again in goal and not tested, stopping 21 of 24 shots. Despite having scored 72 goals this season, the Axe Men have no trinities to their credit. This time they got two-goal games from Dujtrick de Jong and Paul-Frujdrick Henricks.

1 Sichebach vs Tarlunz 4: The Steelmen travel well, with a 4-4-3 overall record away from Staff Borsch, and this week they had an even greater advantage in encountering a Fox Hunter team that is having another tough season. Habel Baarda, Wils Oosterijk, Ditmar Glaackenspujll, and back-from-injury Markus Fvulders had the tallies.

2 Sajbell vs Meechen 1: The biggest upset of the day had the Sea Gods getting a big home win controversially as their second goal was ruled by photo to have passed over the line before defenseman swept it away from the crease. Sajbell goaltender Sybrandy Spillers was the first star of the game with 40 saves. New acquisition Man Grizzlyfaith scored his first goal with a Triton jersey on his back. 

2 Onatten vs Atterische 1: Onatten’s home ice has been kind to them: they are 5-3-3 in the Whale City and 0-8-0 away from it. In this game, Onatten’s veterans Laurens van Boom and Gottmar Fvisch provided the goals and battered goalie Cendar Perdath said no on 32 shots.

3 Dohmatische vs Meenesanne 0: A relatively easy win for Dohmatische ahead of their leg 2 match against Tarlunz for the quarterfinals of the Flowering Branch Cup. Grayson Mulebear had the trinity for the roses but, as Bearish custom dictates, declined to give a kiss to any of the rose-throwers but did briefly twirl a lady round on the ice as part of his post-game dance.

2 Rjaward vs Bevinlunz 2: Bevinlunz’s anemic offense can't get untracked, while Rjaward did enough against Heiko Moordfors to grab a point and lose less ground on streaking Holtzlund and Tarlunz. Goalie Franck Pharendaal saved 28 shots for the Cattle Drivers.

3 Te Staff vs Wrischer 1: Te Staff continued its second-half resurgence. This was a total defensive effort on the Citymen’s side, as goaltender Korka made 34 saves and the defending duo of Jeeluj Sudmaas and Gerrit "Castle" te Rook had 7 “true” hits causing Bargemen loss of possession. Overall Te Staff blocked 14 shots as well, all of which took pressure off an offense that scored 3 goals but one on a penalty shot (Chrujstoff Anselm took it), one on a scrum in front of the net (Conraad Gleeph), and one empty-netter (defender Steen Eemerthaaler).

Flowering Branch Cup Quarterfinals: Leg 1 results!

The results are in and it looks like anyone's Cup still for seven of the teams. Only the Alma Mountain Climbers, pushed off a cliff by the Rjaward Cattle Drivers, seem likely to go home after this set of games.

Image: "Grenk," the team mascot for newly-restored Open Division team Genk, presides over the mailing of some D.W. Frauenfelder books.

2 Dohmatische v. Tarlunz 3: The Steelmen will make it hard on the Swamp Hawks coming back to the Staff Borsch suburbs, stealing a win from Dohmatische on hostile ice. What’s more, they had to do it without winger Gerd Luppink, scorer of 8 goals this season with 11 assists. Luppink suffered a lower-body injury early in the first period when he took a tumble off a Clawson Rhododendron hit. “Clean,” commented Tarlunz coach Ampte Geert about the check. Taking his place on the first line was Tor Smeets, who assisted on left wing Pujtr Weeckerstrom’s game winner at 3:12 left in the third. Weeckerstrom is not known for his finishing; previously he had two goals but 10 assists on the year. The other goals were scored by Gerd Hijs-ter Hijde and defenseman Wils Oosterijck. Savujer Ulm and Brock Muller had the goals for Dohmatische. Dohmatische coach Azofer Teekeetl was uncharacteristically quiet after the game, which was witnessed by 7,488 disappointed Swamp Hawks partisans. “Maybe my bears are satisfied with the one cup,” he grumbled. “We’ll see.”

1 Alma v. Rjaward 6: Alma’s hopes for an upset got a rude awakening as the Cattle Drivers broke the Mountain Climbers’ back with a three-goal first period and never looked back. “We’ve gotten a long way and we’re not out yet,” Alma coach Pujtr Groosman said. Rjaward used backup goalie Lemvedeel Schmeechtpujtr in this one, and he was more than up to the job, as Rjaward’s less-than-perfect defense bottled up Alma’s Sjoerd Bommelansch and allowed only 18 shots on goal. Michael Angelbear continued his goal-scoring ways with two markers and was joined by Henrick te Kleerk, Koort Strijker, Gerd Zijterwoode, and Ninujan Glujss.

4 Sajbell v. Holtzlund 4: Schmidt Max was back in goal early for the Axe Men; previously coach Dirk Eechen was going to save him for Week 19 versus , but he had a change of heart just before this game began. Max had a rough day at the Sea Gods’ home rink. Eechen predicted the second leg would not go as the first one had, “As long as we have all our fans with us.” He did not address any goalie controversy. Sajbell rallied for their third and fourth goals in the third period, as Holtzlund held a 3-2 lead after two. The Axe Men's Grundel Masur tallied his sixth of the year with 5:19 left to make it 4-3, but new Sajbell acquisition Man Grizzlyfaith made his presence known in the crease only 1:37 later, screening Max and letting defenseman Davujd van Leeuwen’s shot whistle past him and into the net. Dujtrick de Jong had two goals for Holtzlund.

2 Ellafuus v. Atterische 1: A huge result here. Ellafuus was able to bog down the Atterische forwards and hold them to a single away goal, so they can still lose the next game by one goal and win the series if they score at least two goals. Ellafuus goaltender Victorius Victorillus, who has been brilliant in every round of the cup except for the Wrischer series (2.14 GAA average, 1.20 without Wrischer’s eight goals), stopped 33 Peat Men efforts. Atterische coach Paul Angewejrt finds his team in all-too-familiar territory, down a game with one away goal to their credit, as in the series versus Meenesanne. “Fate does what it does,” he said afterwards. “And this year it seems Fate wants us to prove our mettle at home.”

Week 18 results: Borschland Hockey League

Updated standings in the sidebar to the right ------->

Some eye-opening results in the BHL this week ahead of the quarterfinals of the Flowering Branch Cup! Meechen and Bevinlunz are down while Rjaward and Tarlunz are up.

And Sajbell has a new bear on its squad.

1 Bevinlunz v. Tarlunz 3: Tarlunz is getting stronger by the week and this game is a great example of that. Behind 2-1 with 3:17 left, Bevinlunz coach Florian “The Cleaver” Klavujr took a play out of Tarlunz coach Ampte Geert’s playbook and briefly pulled goalie Heiko Moordfors when Bevinlunz got a face off in Tarlunz’s zone. They had centerman Severin Handschin on the draw, who wins 65% of his faceoffs, and Roger Wijkenschaud, who is usually quite a deadly shot, as the sixth attacker. They desperately had to make something happen, having scored a total of 3 goals in their last 177 minutes of hockey. Geerte countered with Habel Baarda outside his regular shift to take the draw with Handschin. Baarda won the puck and made an outlet pass to Gerd Hijs-ter Hijde (brother of Joost), who found Tor Smeets, who delivered the puck into Bevinlunz’s mailbox. “The boys were alert,” said Geert after the game.

3 Matexipar v. Sajbell 3: The Sea Gods achieved an excellent result away from home against the Iron Sticks, who have gone 12-0-2 against them at home in the last 14 years. New Stormer Man Grizzlyfaith had an assist as the right wing for the second line, and generally looked at home in his new jersey. Matexipar fans grumbled after the game that “That grizzly isn’t going to amount to much. He could be a goalie or a defender, but that [Michael] Angelbear [of Bearland] who scored all those goals at the Nations’ Cup is turning people’s heads about Bearish forwards.” Grizzlyfaith himself, who is proving to be quite the philosopher, said, “You’ve heard the stories of dancing bears. Ice hockey is not that much different from that.”

3 Sichebach v. Rjaward 6: The Cattle Drivers dismantled the Fox Hunters on their own ice, scoring 5 goals in the second period, their most since 321. Rjaward is now threatening the all-time goal-scoring mark set by Te Staff in 329 during Sherm Reinhardt’s first season with the team. At that point in the year the Citymen had scored 71 goals while Rjaward has scored 64, but keep in mind that Te Staff lost Reinhardt for several games in the second half and it ended the year with 119, a 3.97 goals per game average. Rjaward is at the moment at 3.56, not that far off.

3 Dohmatische v. Holtzlund 2: The Swamp Hawks are feeling their oats at the moment. They are in the quarterfinals of the Flowering Branch Cup and they took advantage of goaltender Gareth Velnath’s mistakes to score 3 precious goals and hold the prolific Axe Men to two. The Hawks' Rokus Krenkl made 40 saves as the Timberlanders took it to Dohmatische in the third period with 19 shots in the last 20 minutes. Only one of those shots, ironically from defender Steen Dunkel, went in, and Holtzlund came up short. Holtzlund Coach Dirk Eechen said that Schmidt Max was ready to return to goal and would start the next game against Lojren.

3 Wrischer v. Bjaward 3: Wrischer’s season is in tatters, especially after their optimistic 4-1-1 start that was so reminiscent of their 333 championship run, but in this game at least they came back from a 3-0 deficit to a tie a pretty good team, getting goals from Silvius Silvulus (coming out of a terrible goal-scoring drought with two goals in his last three games), Korin Kugellicht, and defenseman Boris Vorhees--coincidentally, the very same players who scored in the tie with Onatten in Week 17. Bjaward's Alex Meessenhammer scored his 11th goal of the season.

2 Atterische v. Meechen 1: The Peat Men’s best game of the year featured a brilliant performance in goal by Wujbe Minter, who withstood 37 of 38 Meechen efforts. Atterische got goals from third liner Quentin van Vleet and second liner Jaan-Mischeel Savujers, the last at 1:00 of the last period that sent the Diggers’ fans home happy.

0 Onatten v. Te Staff 4: Te Staff’s resurgence continues with a resounding win over the bereft Longshoremen, who have not been this low in the standings since the year 327. Sherm Reinhardt and Chrujstoff Anselm combined for 2 goals and 2 assists, Anselm with the goals and Sherm with the assists. Cityman goalie Korka only had to turn back 21 Onatten shots as they continue to struggle to find some kind of identity on the ice.

3 Lojren v. Meenesanne 1: Te Lughaus continued its solid play at home, while Meenesanne continued to struggle in every aspect of their game. Erick van Meetelin had a goal for Lojren, his ninth of the season, while netminder Fredduj Frujdennackt had a solid game, stopping 24 of 25 shots.

Flowering Branch Cup 336 Quarterfinals: Matchups and Predictions!

It's starting to look a lot like the FB Cup! Down to the wire with the last eight teams in the pool!

Tarlunz v. Dohmatische: This might be Tarlunz’s toughest matchup next to Rjaward. Despite Dohmatische’s ugly 5-9-3 regular season record, they have just finished off Meechen and previously took care of Bevinlunz, so there is no fear of top of the table squads with the tough Swamp Hawks. In the regular season, Dohmatische was able to stymie Habel Baarda and the rest of the Tarlunz offense with a 1-0 victory at home. Dohmatische has just squeaked by in the Cup with a 1-0-3 record and only a +1 goal differential, but they seem to have Tarlunz’s number. Upset: Dohmatische, 100 schillings. Prediction: Tarlunz will need to work hard to get to the semi-finals.

Rjaward v. Alma: Now Alma gets a shot at proving it can play with the really big boys. Sichebach was its first top league victim, an accomplishment but not a huge shocker. Rjaward, at 10-2-5 and having scored almost 4 goals a game, will be an enormous peak to scale for the Mountain Climbers. Upset: Alma, 600. Prediction: Rjaward must have a bad game twice in a row to lose. And even then they could pull it out.

Sajbell v. Holtzlund: Holtzlund get something of a breather in this round as Sajbell vanquished lower-division foes to get as far as the quarterfinals this year. The only x-factor might be goaltending, as Zimrothian Gareth Velnath has not had a shining second half and regular goalie Schmidt Max is approaching being ready to come back. Sajbell normally does not outscore its opponents, and Holtzlund’s offense has been potent, however, so an upset here would be extremely surprising. Upset: Sajbell, 500. Prediction: All Holtzlund.

Ellafuus v. Atterische: On paper, this matchup should go to Atterische, but Ellafuus has brought the magic against two pretty good top-league opponents (Matexipar and Wrischer) already in this year’s Cup. Atterische has only faced Lojren in the Cup, barely getting by te Lughaus, and their regular-season record of 6-6-5 is hardly intimidating. Upset: Ellafuus, 400. Prediction: Ellafuus is rightly a 400 schilling underdog as a second division team, but this will be their easiest top-league opponent yet.

Flowering Branch Cup Quarterfinals set: Meechen eliminated

Surprises galore in the final leg of the Flowering Branch Cup 336 Round of 16: the Meechen Lions are out, unlikely victims of the Swamp Hawks of Dohmatische. Two second division clubs move to the quarterfinals, Alma and surprising Ellafuus.

Image: An early draft of the Skater in a Strange Land cover.

Meechen 2 v. Dohmatische 2 (4-3 SO): A huge defensive stand combined with some luck on the Swamp Hawks' offensive side led to one of the most dramatic shootouts in recent Flowering Branch Cup history, but in the end it was Dohmatische shattering Meechen’s chances for a league double (Championship and FB Cup). Meechen’s netminder Welneth Ungarth gave up an uncharacteristic four straight goals in the shootout, while on the other side, Rokus Krenkl was solved three times in a row before finally stopping Doutze Holweerde's bid. Dohmatische's Steen Kaalt, a forward with a grand total of one goal and 2 assists for the season, then stepped up and skated in, waiting for what seemed like forever before Ungarth made a move to the right. Kaalt slipped the puck off his backhand to the left, and the celebration was on.

Holtzlund 7 v. St.-Nicholaas-Meechenstaff 4: Holtzlund unleashed some offensive fireworks in this one and needed every goal, as the Christmas Saints bowed out of their 336 Flowering Branch Cup run with their heads held high. Only the Axe Men’s last-minute goal in the third period stopped a shootout. The 10-9 aggregate score is the best an Open Division team has done against a top league Borschland team in 11 years. Holtzlund's Lourens Noordhall had a trinity of goals against a Christmas Saints team that had to do without their Zimrothian reinforcements. We should see a number S-N-M players in the Borschic top league before long, including forward Thomas Eechstall.

Rjaward 3 v. Te Staff 3: The Cattle Drivers move on to the Round of 8 with a win in this series, aggregate score 6-3. Te Staff had a huge mountain to climb, needing to win by three goals or more to force a shootout. As it was, they played an entertaining game, tying Rjaward in the 15th minute of the 3rd period to salvage a bit of dignity, on a slapshot from distance by Gerrit "Castle" te Rook.

1 Alma v. Sichebach 2: The Mountain Climbers continued to make their case for being promoted to the top league. Although they split the series (with both teams winning away from home and the aggregate score level at 4-4), Alma won on away goals scored, 3-2. Sichebach pressed its case and made the unusual move of pulling its goalie Arnesten Schupink when they were ahead, to win by 2 goals and go ahead in aggregate goals. Though they got off 7 shots before the end, Alma's Vinasolan netminder Sertorius Traianus stood tall.

4 Wrischer v. Ellafuus 4 (2-1 SO): An identical score to Leg 1 of the series meant a shootout, and no one would have bet against Wrischer’s sharpshooters, but Ellafuus goalie Tujrian te Jeester stopped two out of three shots, while Irish international Aedan Macclonough potted the game winner for the Coast Boys. Wrischer's Beenz Grechtlin continued to shine for the Bargemen with a goal and two assists, but it is unforgivable for the defense and goalie Bengt Ambrooderhejm to have given up 8 goals to a middling second-division team.

3 Atterische v. Lojren 2 (2-1 SO): Atterische tried its best to score more than three goals and give up fewer than two in this spirited contest, but in the end the identical aggregate score (5-5) and away goals total (2) meant that the two teams had to go to a shootout. Lojren’s Kai Ganesmund was the only Lighthouser to score in the shootout, after being shut out on points during regulation. Atterische’s Rick Rijkstad scored on the first set and winger Willem Ijstaachter sealed the victory on the third after Ruud Pampujrmoole missed.

7 Tarlunz v. UB - St.-Elisabeth 0: Another easy win for the Steelmen, with goalie August Hoock picking up a shutout on only 12 UB - SE shots on goal. The Ponders go into the quarter-finals confident and firing on all cylinders. The only caveat may be that they have not faced amazing competition in getting where they have (tiny Hijst was their second-round competition). Tarlunz’s tallies included 2 each from Ditmar Glaackenspujll and Radulf Graf, and one each from Habel Baarda, Wolf Eenders, and Roger Sankt-Willems.

4 Sajbell v. UB - Tujrspaarck 2: The Sea Gods celebrated their entry into the quarter-finals amidst a disaster of a regular season. Centerman Klaes Gootwen had two goals, while Franck Hoockertop had two assists.

Week 17 results: Borschland Hockey League

Updated standings------> sidebar to the right

Leg 2 of the Round of 16 of the Flowering Branch Cup will be posted soon! Upsets, anyone? 

Week 17 highlights: is Te Staff back? Citymen pull to .500 as they pummel Rams of Meenesanne!

Image: Logo of Te Staff Hockey Club

6 Te Staff v. Meenesanne 1: Christoff Anselm has given Te Staff a real spark as it has come out of the gate in high gear in the second half. Anselm again was on the ice for only 13:33, but he assisted on two goals, one by Conraad Gleeph and another by defender Dirk te Beek, a nifty pass from behind the cage to the top of the circle. Sherm Reinhardt had two goals and goaltender Korka stopped 22 of 23 shots.

4 Meechen v. Rjaward 4: "Only in Borschland could Te Staff be the lead story in all the papers when the actual top two teams face off against each other," Proud Lions coach Theedy Klanginen said a day after Meechen's by-a-nose draw with the Lassomen. It was all Meechen could do to keep the Cattle Drivers to the 4 goals that they scored as goaltender Welneth Ungarth gave up his highest one-game total of the year. Rjaward has now scored 65 goals in its 17 games, almost 4 goals per game. First-star honors went to third-line center for Rjaward Christian Zeeberg, who got his fifth and sixth goals of the year.

5 Holtzlund v. Atterische 4: Holtzlund’s offense came alive just at the right time, as goaltender Gareth Velnath continued to have trouble in the cage. Holtzlund's balanced offense saw centerman Tyger Oostende break out with 2 goals and an assist, as his linemates Dujtrick de Jong scored and Laurens Noordhall had an assist. Klaes Dievenhoven contributed his sixth goal of the year, tops among defenders in the league.

4 Tarlunz v. Sichebach 3: Sichebach showed some flair on offense, scoring 3 on only 18 shots although first-line center Marck Munchmann nursed a lower-body injury and was out with the flu. Tarlunz's Habel Baarda only had 10:59 ice time as he also was under the weather, but pairs of goals by Joost Hijs-ter Hijde and Radulf Graf paced the Steelmen over the Fox Hunters.

2 Bjaward v. Bevinlunz 1: The Bulls of Bjaward won the season series 1-0-1 but by the merest of margins, 3-2. The Merchantmen have started off the second half with another power outage, scoring just two goals in their two games, one of them fortunately a shutout. Bjaward's goaltender Breet van Hejgl had first-star honors with 29 saves and defender Joris Sudmaas was the second star, with three "true" hits causing loss of puck possession.

0 Matexipar v. Dohmatische 0: At a certain point, this game was threatening to be called off, as the fans of the Iron Sticks rained pewter, glass, and wooden brandy flasks onto the ice in protest of the officials’ tripping call against Matexipar’s defender Ruuduj Klijnsmeets. "The man tripped himself!" screamed more than one fan. It took some time before the steam-powered vacuum machines which are used for such times had cleaned up all the slivers of glass and the ice had been resurfaced with steam-powered Zimrothi machines, but in the end the fans’ high dudgeon came to nothing as Dohmatische was unable to capitalize on its 5-minute advantage (tacked on because of the unsportsmanlike conduct of the fans), giving up instead a penalty of its own on defender Parn Uptek when Sigiswald Zberg broke out short-handed and was headed to Rokus Krenkl’s goal. Zberg's ensuing penalty shot was poke-checked away by Krenkl, who made 36 saves on the evening.

3 Onatten v. Wrischer 3: Onatten came back from a 3-1 deficit in this one and looked to be the winner when they apparently scored with only 67 seconds left in the game, but the officials ruled that the goal had come off its moorings before the puck went in. Wrischer's Beenz Grechtlin had a goal and an assist for the Bargemen.

Friendly:

4 Sajbell v. Lojren 3: The Sea Gods are showing signs of life, even if this was just a friendly, as these teams have already played each other twice. Sajbell showed spirit in taking a 4-2 lead into the 16th minute of the third period. Franck Hoockertop got what would have been his team-leading 7th goal of the year if this had counted.

Week 16 results: Borschland Hockey League

Updated standings! Click in the sidebar to the right---->

 

The second half of the 336 campaign has begun in Borschland and the top headline is that Meechen has now relinquished sole possession of first place at 10-2-4 and Rjaward's Cattle Drivers have seized the momentum by humbling Matexipar. They are now 11-2-3 and two points ahead of the Proud Lions. 

2 Meechen v. Te Staff 3: Te Staff cracked the code of the Meechen home ice victory formula, taking a fluky but well-deserved win in the city of the Lions. Christoff Anselm was back on the ice for the Citymen, taking only 12:45 in playing time but scored the winning goal with 10:14 left in the third when winger Conraad Gleeph flew past Loflin defender Voga Terker on the left side of the ice and sent in a centering pass. Anselm, homing in on goal, was tripped by Terker's pairing partner Raaf Mornengweg as the puck went past him, but he got a stick on it and it deflected under the top bar and into the goal.

4 Bjaward v. Tarlunz 4: Tarlunz earned its point the hard way, pulling goalie August Hoock with 1:54 left in the game and overloading the Bjaward offensive zone with forwards. They got their tying goal at :42 from second-line forward Tor Smeets then had to endure a brief, hair-raising power play when Laurens Kujrke-Delfvt took a penalty for holding. Tarlunz coach Ampte Geert said afterwards, "We will take this point and put it into our back pockets." Tarlunz wins the season series 1-0-1 with a goal differential of only +1. Bjaward got two goals from centerman Norbert Brunner, his first and second of the year.

3 Meenesanne v. Holtzlund 3: Meenesanne held on to its 3-3 draw with 17 minutes of scoreless hockey in the third, blocking 11 shots in that period alone. Holtzlund wanted three points in this game, but they are very much still in the hunt for the championship as Meechen lost its second game of the season and Holtzlund still has lost only three. Zimrothian goaltender Gareth Velnath looked less than spectacular in giving up three goals to Meenesanne’s normally inoffensive offense, but much better than his last outing, where he stopped only 11 of 16 shots. Laurens Noordhall, lately of the Nations' Cup team, had a marker for Holtzlund.

4 Sichebach v. Onatten 3: Onatten’s death spiral continued as Sichebach split the season series with the Longshoremen. The Rams’ pleased the home crowd with 4 goals in the first two periods and then hung on as Onatten made a spirited comeback. Winger Gunter te Krujg had the best goal of the season so far for the Fox Hunters, stickhandling in front of the Onatten net before using a defender as a screen and slipping it past goaltender Cendar Perdath.

0 Dohmatische v. Wrischer 3: Time’s healing hand helped Wrischer while celebration did not help the Dohmatische defensebears returning from their recent Nations’ Cup victory. Dohmatische was flat and uninspired, lacking their normal energy on defense, while Wrischer’s first line picked up a spark, with a score or an assist on all three goals, one by Silvius Silvulus and one by defenseman, Boris Vorhees, both on power plays. The other went to first-liner Korin Kugellicht. Wrischer’s much-maligned defense had an excellent game away from home and picked up the shutout, turning back 22 Swamp Hawk attempts. Silvulus, who had a miserable Nations' Cup with no goals and one assist, said through an interpreter that it was good to get back on Borschic ice. "Sometimes I feel more at home here than in Altium."

1 Bevinlunz v. Atterische 0: Bevinlunz came away with the season series versus Atterische, but without Goaltender of the Cup Heiko Moordfors. Backup Luukas Kolibruj was responsible for this shutout, stopping 21 shots. Christopher Sacrament, Bearish defender whose defense for his national selection celebrated a 1.50 GAA average, anchored Bevinlunz in this game.

4 Lojren v. Sajbell 1: Te Lughaus easily avenged its recent defeat on Sajbell ice. Kai Ganesmund played sparingly after his excellent Nations’ Cup performance but contributed 2 assists, and goaltender Fredduj Frujdennackt anchored a shutdown defense led by Heening Schultz.

Friendly game:

5 Rjaward v. Matexipar 1: Rjaward centerman Jens Klijnehoop is going to give Tarlunz' Habel Baarda a run for his money in the goal-scoring department this year. He potted a trinity in this friendly waxing of the Iron Sticks to put his total level with Baarda at 12 for the year. Matex’s backup goaltender Nicholas Untergrujn had a terrible game versus the Lassomen’s dynamic offense. To be fair, the defense let him down more than once, prompting coach Henrick van ter Tapp to say, “There will be a lot of skating in the next practice. I need to get a point across.”