It is with deep sorrow and a heavy heart that I write this posting. Normally, I can't wait to recount the previous evenings adventures on ice, but the news this morning changed everything. When the phone rang and a friend and fellow teammate informed me that Rex had passed away , a sudden wave of disbelief and shock overcame me. I was speechless, my mind was just not accepting the words that were trying to register . Not Rex, we just had a beer with him after last weeks game for Christ sakes ! He gave me some sort of painkiller pills and a knee brace and said, " Here Rob, take these, keep the brace and use it until I get back in a couple of weeks. Don't lose the damn thing, I will probably need it for the tourney." And with that , Rex said a few quick good byes on his way out of the dressing room. You see Rex only stayed for one post game whiskey that night, as he informed us that he was told by Bev , that perhaps he should maybe consider to start packing for their 2 week Mexican family vacation, which he was leaving for at 6:00 am the next morning. But that was Rex, never taking things to serious. Just when you thought he wasn't gonna make the game, who wheels in, 1973 Molson Canadian hockey bag in hand, but the Golden Vet. Never one to let his teammates down, Rex always had a cure for what ailed ya. Whether it was a pill or a whiskey from his mobile vet kit, or maybe a smile and a story, the Golden Vet always knew what to prescribe . Rex was and will forever be a "Swan Valley Credit Union Oldtymer" . You will be missed dearly my friend.
With less than a minute left in the extra frame, SVCU defense men Craig "Zammer" Zamzow completed a dramatic comeback with a goal ala Alexander Ovechkin. The winning goal was Zamzow's second of the evening. With SVCU's front end struggling to mount any offense, the highly mobile back end proved to be to much for the Swan River Raider's. Blaine "Soup" Campbell notched three, while his free wheeling defensive partner Warren Gray added two more. The game was all but over mid way through the second period, with the Raider's holding a commanding 7-3 lead. Expressing his frustration Wheels was qouted " somebody start moving their fucking feet" , providing his teammates with some constructive feedback. Knowing this may back fire, Gray's view of the game seemed to get the SVCU train back on the rails. Fighting the puck for most of the evening, SVCU net minder Mike "Smitty" Smith came up with some huge saves down the stretch to keep the come back alive. Final score SVCU 8 Swan River Raider's 7.
Once again , SVCU Oldtymers put on an impressive offensive showing, chalking up a 10-4 win over Swan River Action . Mike "Thrilla" Miller lead all scorers, finishing the contest with four. Rick "Whiskey" Liske Jr. continued his scoring streak by adding a goal and two assists. Warren "Wheels " Gray provided the offensive punch from the back end with two goals and six assists. In the post game celebration, Randy "Howie" Mateika held court with any teammates who would listen, as he re accounted one of his two high light reel goals. Pulling out the now defunct telestrator, Mateika "X" ed and "O" ed the play to Howie Meeker perfection. Mateika was quoted as saying"if any one missed my goal I have attached a telestrator account of I seen it go in as I was falling down."
After a last minute come back in last weeks' tilt, the much anticipated rematch with the Kenville Flyers turned out to be a one sided affair. Scoring early and often, SVCU jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the Flyers knew what hit them. Dana "Handcuffs" Harris doing what he does best, skated, fore checked, and lead all scorers with four. Rob "Thirsty" McDonald somehow managed to score a hat trick, but should be overlooked by the countless give aways and errant passes performed at his expense. Line mate, power forward Rick "Whiskey" Liske Jr. had an outstanding game. Tape to tape passes, relentless corner cycling, and hard nose net crashing , rewarded Jr. with a 2 goal 3 assist evening. Jeremy "Giving" Gray although held scoreless, set the table more often than a waitress at the Credit Union Annual supper and general meeting. Showing that it isn't all about scoring, the flashy right winger finished the game a impressive plus 12 !! The SVCU blue line was not to be denied, as all three D men went end to end finishing off we high light reel goals. Goaltender Mike "Smitty" Smith had a steady game, despite one or two that he would of liked to have back. Facing shot after shot around the chin strap , Smith was more than willing to give his trapper a work out. SVCU has yet another 3 games in three nights, starting next Wednesday against Action Oldtimers.
After back to back wins against the Silver Seven, SVCU continued their winning ways with a 11-3 win over the Minitonas Loggers. Icing eight skater's, SVCU was held scoreless until the mid way point of the first period. Four quick goals put SVCU ahead and they never looked back. With the Logger's pressing early in the second, the game took a huge momentum shift when SVCU power forward Rick "Whiskey " Liske Jr. administered some "Old School" stick work to an over zealous Logger forward. Leading all SVCU scorers was Warren "Wheels" Gray potting a hat trick on his 20 plus shots on goal performance. Warren "Clarkie" Clark, Rob "On the Wagon" McDonald, Randy "Knees" Matekia, and Whiskey Jr. added a pair each. Mike "Smitty" Smith's penalty shot woes continue, however upon further video review, it appears that the net minder may have actually gotten a piece of his glove on it before watching it glide into the net.
The second game of the dreaded "Three in a Row" tour, proved to be a character builder for the SVCUOldTymer's. Leaving the friendly confines of the Swan River Coral, 8 dedicated members headed south down Highway 83 for a rematch with the Kenville Flyer's. Late scouting reports had the Flyer's running at full swagger after knocking off the Outlaws earlier in the week. A disappointing loss to Kenville last week was all the motivation needed for this tilt. The McDonald-Gray-Gray trio , reunited for the first time in three years, blew out of the blocks, giving SVCU an early 2-0 lead. Moved up to the front end, Warren "Wheels" Gray did not disappoint. Registering an unofficial 14 shots on net, Gray led all scorers with 2. Fatigue became a factor, as the Flyer's youth and speed quickly shifted the momentum of the game.Trailing 3-2 with a 1:32 remaining , Rick "Whiskey " Liske Jr. picked up a loose puck in the Flyer 's end, and blindly fired it on net. Chris "Lanks" Zamzow, trolling in front , willed the rebound past the sprawling Kenvillenet minder. On the ensuing play, Jeremy "OT Kid", relived the magic one more time. With less than 30secs remaining, the calm , cool ,flashy right winger, showing the patience of a Saint, picked up a loose puck, deftly walked around two Kenvilledefence men and a confused /interfered with, goaltender, and deposited the puck into a wide open net. Mike "Smitty" Smith once again showed why he is considered the premier goaltender of the league by keeping the game within reach . Craig "Zammer" Zamow and Blaine "Soup Dog" Campbell, the twin towers, had little to complain about ice time. Playing for the full sixty minutes, the dynamic duo had a combined weight loss in water of about 90 lbs. by games end. This fits nicely into the big strapping D-Man's new training regime. Always one to offer struggling teammates words of encouragement, Campbell has volunteered to loan his personal shooter tudor and training DVD's to a certain forward who needs to work on his shooting skills. SVCU rounds out their "Three games in Three Nights" tour with a trip north to Bowsmen to take on the Silver Seven.
Coming off perhaps their worst defensive effort this season, SVCU having something to prove, came out of the gates flying. Mike "Thrilla" Miller and Dana "Handcuffs" Harris, the dynamic duo, posted hatricks and provided a tenacious fore check . The line of Rick "Whiskey Jr." Liske, Jeremy "Jake" Gray, and Pat "Crash " Morden , rumoured to be plus 10 on the evening, contributed offensively with Gray bagging 2, and Morden adding one. Held scoreless , Jr. was relugated the dubious task of "Stats Man", providing updates of the line's current plus/minus after every shift. Warren "Clarkie" Clark and Rex "Golden Vet" Leach rounded out the scoring for the SVCU front end. Leach , skating like a 55 year old, was all over the LP net minder, and was rewarded for his efforts by buring a loose puck for his 5th goal of the season. Turning point of the game came when Warren "Wheels" Gray went end to end a rang a rocket off the post beating the Lp netminder. Tender Mike "Smitty" Smith held the LP shooters at bay ,once again coming up with the big save when called upon.
Last Wednesday saw SVCU take on a rather youthful group of Kenville Flyer's. With a combined age less than Rex "Golden Vet" Leach and Dennis "Surgeon" Bowles, the Flyer's skated to a 7-6 victory. Up by 2 with less than 8 minutes left in the game, SVCU's strong defensive play collapsed. Hemmed in their own end for minutes at a time, the Flyer's sustained pressure finally paid off with two quick goals to tie the game. Despite numerous words of encouragement from the SVCU back end, the once well disciplined forwards, found themselves floundering around their own end aimlessly. Quick to pick up on this mass confusion, the Flyer's tallied once more to secure a 7-6 lead. Pulling tender Mike "Smitty" Smith in the dying seconds proved exciting, but SVCU was unable to find the back of the net. This week has the OldTymer's playing 3 in a row starting with L.P. on Wednesday night.
.JPG)
