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Pictured from left to right: John Usich, Bob Jamieson, Jason Binstock, Craig Moore (C), Misha Petrenko (kneeling), Jack Hutcheson, Richard Wood (kneeling), Eric Boucher (A), Mark Maxham (kneeling), Luke Bergstrom (A), Scott Mentzer, Matt Heron (kneeling). Not pictured: Dale Miller, Blair Wheadon
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on the picture for the full size version! |
IceCutters Over Vikings 6-5 In Hard Fought
Championship Game! In the roughest, hardest-hitting game of the season, the
IceCutters prevailed triumphantly over the Vikings, finally getting that
illusive PHA Cup! The crowd erupted as the clock ticked over to 0.0 in
a highly competitive contest that saw the 'Cutters come back from an early
1-3 deficit to capture the championship. Unquestionably the highlight of the night was the hat
trick from Matt "Fuzzy Sweater" Heron! Also scoring were Luke
"The Prosecutor" Bergstrom, Craig "Garbage Man" While these guys all had great games, this reporter
would be remiss for not mentioning how hard EVERY IceCutter played out
there. While dominant in three of their four regular seasons, the
IceCutters have found it difficult to close out those seasons with a
championship. Tonight every man on the bench (and the one in the net)
played with total heart. It was evident that they weren't about to let
another one slip through their gloved fingers. Following the game, the 'Cutters were paid a HUGE
complement as the league administrator was heard as saying that they had just
set hockey back twenty years, referring to the 'Cutters rough and tumble
"Old Time Hockey" style. While their play has given the
IceCutters a reputation in the league as being "big meanies", in
reality their size, as well as their desire and ability to put notches in the
win column, has simply frustrated other teams in the division, resulting in
cheap shots and retaliation. While last night's game did see "da boys"
rack up 16 penalties, their opponents sat only three times less, started two
fights, AND had a player tossed from the game, but that always seems to be
overlooked as the 'Cutters just continue to rack up the wins. These
"nasty" games are NOT by IceCutters choice, but rather more often
than not brought on by frustration and poor sportsmanship on the other bench. Also of special note are the sabbaticals of three of the
'Cutters players. Their captain, Craig Moore, will be taking the summer
season off along with both alternates, Eric Boucher and Luke Bergstrom.
"It was great to go out on top." said And lastly, the IceCutters would like to say a big THANK
YOU to all of their dedicated fans, especially Mark "Flyboy"
Maxham's fiancé Shannon for the great IceCutters pennants, Jason "Jack And The"
Binstock's girlfriend Angela for the cooler full of cold beers she brought to
the game tonight for our locker room celebration, and Eric "The
Laminator" Boucher's wife Wendy and Craig "Garbage Man"
Moore's girlfriend Sarah for being regulars at the games, cheering on the
guys and keeping the refs honest. While I can't mention all of our fans
(because I don't who they are), there were many others who came out to
support the team throughout the season, and we thank you all. So, congratulations to "da boys" for a super
season, and we'll see you all in the summer! |
With a dominating win over the Red Army, the IceCutters
move on to the playoff finals!
This one was the IceCutters all the way. Looking to
put behind them two playoff defeats in two appearances since the team's
inception three seasons ago, the 'Cutters came out skating with a ferocity that
made their regular season dominance of division C look like child's play.
The boys put one up on the board just two minutes into the
first period with a quick steal behind the Red Army's net by Eric "The
Laminator" Boucher leading to a beautiful five-holer for Jason "Jack
And The" Binstock. Then in the second, line number two came up big
once again with a goal eerily reminiscent of the first, only this time it was
Craig "The Canadian Sanitation Engineer"
Helping tremendously in the victory was netminder, Misha
"The Russian Wall" Petrenko, stopping all 22 shots thrown at him by
the Red Army. Way to go Mish! Now what's really scary is that two
members of the IceCutters star-studded number one line were absent for the
game. One can only imagine what the final score would have been had these
two been on the ice. Let's all hope that Blair "Speedin"
Wheadon and Jack "Steamroller" Hutcheson turn out for the season
finale this Thursday night.
Worthy of mention is the fact that the contest ended with
one of the Red Army's players throwing a tantrum and skating off of the ice
with four minutes remaining in the game, followed by a few other Red Army
players deciding not to take part in the hand shake line. It's
unfortunate that a few players aren't able to leave their emotions on the ice
and show some sportsmanship. The IceCutters play a solid, physical game
of hockey (evident by the fact that they lead the league in penalties), and for
this receive their fair share of hard hits and sticks in the face, but always
come out to congratulate their rivals on a game well played. Let's hope
these guys either grow up and learn how to show some sportsmanship, or quit
hockey and chose a somewhat less physical sport. Badminton perhaps?
March 17th vs. The Grizzlies
IceCutters 4 - Grizzlies 3
With this latest win, the IceCutters secure 1st in their
division!
The Grizzlies again prove a difficult opponent as this was
the third one point game between these two teams this season.
Fortunately, The 'Cutters have come out on top in each of these close contests.
The Grizzlies got on the board first at 13:13 in the
first, but 17 seconds later Bob "Really, all I did was slam the door"
Jamieson slapped one in from the point to tie it up. Just a couple of
minutes later Jack "O'hit" Hutcheson knocked in the second of the
night, giving the 'Cutters a lead they would not relinquish the rest of the
evening. However, the Grizzlies did put their second one in just a few
minutes later, resulting in a 2-2 game at the end of the first.
Hutcheson again went on the charge in the second, scoring
number three for the team, assisted by Max "Flyboy" Maxham, and Blair
"Speedin'" Wheadon. This lead held until a power play goal by
the Grizzlies at
With this win the 'Cutters secure the top spot in the
PHA's division C. Come on out and cheer on your favorite team next
Sunday, March 24th at 4:45pm at San Mateo's Bridgepointe Arena for the final
regular game of the season.
March 10th vs. The Vikings
IceCutters 2 - Vikings 4
Tonight was all about survival of the smartest, or is that
least dumb????
A quick analogy to set the stage: Tonight that
incredible hockey machine we call the IceCutters skated out onto the ice in the
third period, down only by a goal mind you, and promptly shot itself in the
foot. Then, not feeling as though it were challenged enough, hobbled over
on one foot, picked up the gun, and proceeded to put a bullet through the
second foot. Finally, it clawed it's way over to the gun, chambered a third
round, and blew its own head off! And yet it fought to the last, nearly
pulling itself back into the game, that by all rights, should have been a total
blow out by the opposition.
So now for the details. At the drop of the puck in
the third the 'Cutters faced somewhat of an uphill battle, as they trailed the
hard-charging Vikings 1-2. Then, suddenly they found themselves with only
25% of their four-man, league leading defensive squad remaining, as the other
75% felt it necessary to strongly and loudly disagree with some
calls by the refs. The refs didn't take kindly to this, giving all three
players game misconducts and booting them from the rest of the game. This left
their teammates stranded, having only two remaining players on the bench ,which
allowed the Vikings to put another one in, increasing their lead to 3-1.
But all hope was not lost as a beautiful up from Bergstrom to Boucher, followed
by a centering pass from Boucher to Mentzer, resulted in an awe inspiring goal
from Mentzer, keeping Da Boys in the game. And then it happened.
The hockey machine chambered that final round and fired it through its heart,
taking its last breathe and collapsing lifelessly on the ice. With just
three minutes remaining, the Vikings went on the power play and capitalized big
time, potting their fourth goal of the night and nailing the coffin shut on a
very tired IceCutters squad. Kudos to the few 'Cutters left standing for
hanging tough and making the Vikings work until the last seconds for this one.
March 3rd vs. The Shaft
IceCutters 11 - Shaft 0
IceCutters declare open season on Shaft's netminder.
Not a whole lot to cover here so we'll make it short and
sweet. Jack Hutcheson: Hat Trick and an assist. John Usich: Hat
Trick and an assist. Scotty Mentzer: 2 goals and an assist. Eric
Boucher: 2 goals and an assist. Craig Moore: 1 goal and 2 assists.
Luke Bergstrom: 2 assists. Bob Jamieson: 1 assist. Dale Miller: 1
assist. Jason Binstock: 1 assist. And finally, Misha Petrenko: 25
Saves!
Congratulations to Misha on his second shut-out of the
year, and to the rest of the IceCutters squad for a great game!
February 17th: vs. Red Army
IceCutters 5 - Red Army 3
Red Army keep it close until the 'Cutters bring it home in
the stretch to win in the 3rd.
The "Russian Cavalry" gave the 'Cutters a run
for their money tonight, keeping it close until halfway through the third
period, when "da boys" potted two more to assure victory.
Scoring twice on the night was Jack "O'Hit"
Hutcheson. Also finding the back of the net were Luke "The
Prosecutor" Bergstrom (who also tallied an assist for two points on the
night), Bob "The Enforcer" Jamieson, and Matt "Fuzzy Bear"
Heron. Of special note was the play of Blair "Speedin'"
Wheadon, who assisted on two goals before getting a game misconduct in the
second. Wheadon comes with a reputation as one of the most brutal,
hard-hitting, dirty bastards in the league, so the game wasn't a surprise to
most.
Another relatively meaningless note on the night; Eric
"The Laminator" Boucher tripled his penalty minutes on the season,
sitting twice tonight, once for slashing, and a second time for a
crosscheck. Look for more of this play from Boucher to make up for his
lack of skating, stick handling, and scoring!
The Rumor Mill: IceCutters management was unavailable for comment on
rumors that star defenseman Richard "Morning" Wood had signed a
multi-year contract to "sweep" (whatever that means) for the US
Curling team. (Um, does anyone know what the hell Curling is anyway?)
This would be a huge blow to the team's blue line, so stay tuned here for the
latest on this unfolding saga.
Lastly, in recognition or our awesome and totally
dedicated fan club, we'll be introducing a new monthly segment called Groupie Gossip.
Each month we'll hear from a different fan, getting their off-the-ice
perspective on this amazing, incredible, hero-like team. Click here for this month's
first installment.
Next game: Sunday March 3rd,
January 27th: vs. The Shaft
IceCutters 10 - The
Shaft 3
The Shaft keep it
close for the first period, but fail to show up for the rest of the game.
Yep, you read that score
right. The IceCutters again seemed to have the Shaft's number tonight,
absolutely obliterating them in the second and third periods. The icing
on the cake were three 'Cutters breaking some painfully long scoring
streaks. Mark "The Flying 'Cutter" Maxham, Craig "Garbage
Man" Moore, and Eric "The Laminator" Boucher all put pucks in
the net, Boucher one of three 'Cutters finding the net twice. Scotty
"Cannon" Mentzer, and Jack "O'Hit" Hutcheson also potted
two this evening. Both of these guys also tallied assists resulting in
three points apiece.
Great play came from ALL
OVER the bench tonight though. Blair "Speedin' Wheadon" got a
goal and an assist (And a second assist according to Wheadon, although his
story is questionable since we all know the boys in stripes don't miss a
trick!), Bob "Bad Boy" Jamieson the same, while Jason
"Jack And The" Binstock, Matt "Fuzzy Sweater" Heron, and
Luke "The Prosecutor" Bergstrom all tallied assists.
Lastly, a shot out to
Bergstrom for again filling in on defense and doing a killer job! And
let's not forget our fans. Binstock's better half, Angela, has become a
usual fixture at the games cheering on the boys, and tonight we had a visit
from former IceCutters defenseman (who's now a netminder) Brad Amodeo.
Don't miss the 'Cutters next game on Sunday, February 3rd at Amodeo Memorial
Arena at Bridgepointe in
January 20th: vs. Vikings
IceCutters 1 - Vikings 2
Two late game penalties go against IceCutters who give up lead with five minutes remaining.
The 'Cutters appeared to have this one in the bag, but with five minutes left and a one-nothing lead, two bad penalty calls by one of the refs saw them go down five men to three. The other ref actually skated over to the IceCutters bench and APOLOGIZED for his counterpart! Anyway, the Vikings took advantage, converting on BOTH of their next two shots, taking the lead and the win out from under our noses. This is the first time in two season that the Vikings have been able to get the better of the IceCutters. Don't expect it to happen again.
January 13th: vs. Grizzlies
IceCutters 9 - Grizzlies
0
IceCutters Avenge
Earlier Loss to Grizzlies with Dominating Performance
Last night's performance
by the 'Cutters against the Grizzlies can only be described as awesome; an
awesome display of offense, an awesome display of defense and an awesome
display of goaltending by Misha "The Wall" Petrenko, who recorded his
first shutout in the PHA Adult Pee Wee League! Determined to pay back the
Grizzlies for the pounding they had given the 'Cutters the last time these two
teams had met, the 'Cutters broke out the cans of WhoopAss early, with Jack
"O' Hit" Hutcheson scoring the eventual game winner 33 seconds into
the game. Once staked to the early lead, the 'Cutters buzzed the Grizzly net
like bees around a hive, racking up a 2 to 1 advantage in shots, many of which
were fearsome blasts launched from the points, especially by Bob "Bunker
Buster" Jaimeson and Dale "Killer" Miller.
Great performances were
turned in by all the forwards who rolled two lines on short shifts all night,
but special honors go to Matt "Puppy's Breath" Heron, who tallied two
goals (and possibly a third, but the score sheet says otherwise) and an assist,
Jason "Jack and the" Binstock, who potted two goals as well, and
Scott "Mr. Quik Stik" Mentzer, who followed up on last week's great
performance with a goal and two helpers. Not merely a one-dimensional offensive
machine, the 'Cutters also showed that they know how to play D. Rarely, if
ever, did the Grizzlies have a chance to get near a rebound, thanks to the
stellar play of the defense, and the 'Cutters' forwards, who made a concerted
effort to help out in their own zone. The defense also did a great job of
bringing the puck out of the defensive zone, especially Richard
"Morning" Wood and John "Big Punisher" Usich; Paul Coffey
and Bobby Orr have nothing on those two! Finally, more power to Misha for
rebounding from the last game against the Grizzlies and playing his best game
of the season. Misha played with a fierce conviction and steely resolve that
clearly threw our ursine foes off their game. Next up for the lads is a tilt
against the Red Army at
IceCutters Send Vikings Home On The Boat They Paddled In On.
The IceCutters were again victorious over the Vikings, tonight beating them by the score 5-3. Scoring for the 'Cutters were Scotty "Cannon" Mentzer, and Matt "Call Me Honeybear" Heron, both with two apiece. Heron added an assist to take home three points on the night. The fifth and final goal was shot home by Blair "Speadin" Wheadon. Also garnering points tonight were Dale "Killer" Miller, John "The Punisher" Usich, and Luke "The Prosecutor" Bergstrom, all with assists. Oh, and it was the typical game against the Vikings, with nine penalties for the Vikings, and ten for the 'Cutters.
However, the BIG news of the night
was not related to the team at all, but to our awesome fans. More
specifically, Max's fiancee, and pilot extrodinaire,
For next Sunday's game, the
'Cutters return to home ice in
IceCutters Beat The Shaft.
Yeah, so what's new. Next
game, Sunday June 6th,
Missing IceCutters Website Administrator Finally Found!
After going missing more than two weeks ago following the 'Cutters last game, forward and website administrator, Eric "The Laminator" Boucher, was found at a local pub. After being asked about his mysterious disappearance, Boucher replied, "I was just havin' a few beers man."
Anyway, to bring everyone up to
date, the IceCutters find themselves on a prolonged three week break following
a tie against a hard hitting Red Army, bringing their winless streak to two
games. They hit the ice next on Sunday December 30th at
November 26th: vs. Grizzlies
IceCutters 2 - Grizzlies
9
IceCutters suffer
first defeat of the season, and it's an UGLY one!
Yep, you read that
right. The IceCutters were soundly beaten tonight by a hard hitting
Grizzlies team. While not a group to make excuses, it cannot be
ignored that exactly half of the team's defensive squad was MIA for this
evening's match up. While the forwards who stepped back to fill in
did an admirable job, we all know that a dramatic change-up such as that is
bound to create some difficulty for any team. In addition, one of the
team's leading forwards was absent from the bench. On the plus side, the
shot differential was only three shots when all was said and done, the
Grizzlies posting 24 shots to the IceCutters' 21.
Scoring first for the
'Cutters tonight was defenseman, and team points leader, John "The
Punisher" Usich, with a beautiful unassisted tally. The Grizzlies
put one more up on the board to take a two-one lead late in the first, but with
The game then took on
sort of a dream-like quality (actually, more of a nightmare) for the normally
dominant IceCutters squad, who watched as the Grizzlies tallied FIVE unanswered
goals in the second period, and followed that up with two more in the
third. While the 'Cutters were hurting on their own side of the blue line
as mentioned earlier, let's not take anything away from the Grizzlies.
These guys played a great game tonight, and really didn't put a puck wrong
through three solid periods of play.
The 'Cutters again have a
week off, and won't hit the ice again until Sunday December 9th at
November 18th: vs. Vikings
IceCutters 7 - Vikings 1
Despite
Questionable Play By Opponents, IceCutters Still Dominate!
IceCutters' defenseman
Bob Jamieson finally has a nickname. Yes that's right, from this point
forward, Bob will henceforth be known as Bob "The Enforcer"
Jamieson. After the first period, which saw the IceCutters pull out to an
early two nothing lead, the Vikings again turned to their usual tactics of
dirty hits, slashing, roughing, tripping, boarding, the list goes on (Penalties
for the Vikings totaled 16, two of which were game misconducts!).
Jamieson wasn't about to stand by and watch his teammates take cheap shots, so
at 8:38 in the third Jamieson threw one of the most brutal open ice checks ever
seen in adult pee wee league ice hockey. What made this particular check
extra harsh was the fact that Jamieson threw it right in front of the crease,
slamming his victim into the crossbar at full speed, and knocking the net clear
to the back boards! Needless to say, Jamieson's game was done, but he
skated off the ice to a standing ovation from his adoring fans and teammates.
Ok, now to the scoring,
which just happened to be opened up by The Enforcer himself, with a beautiful
slapper from the point at
Both captain Craig Moore
and alternate captain Eric Boucher expressed displeasure after the game with
their opponents. "It's always the same crap with these guys."
said Boucher. "They get behind and start throwing the cheap
shots. They're some of the poorest sports I've ever seen. It's just
not fun playing them anymore. I'd rather have a close game against a
worthy opponent than have to put up with this." Those sentiments
were echoed by Moore who said, "These guys suck!"
The 'Cutters return home
to Amodeo Memorial Arena at Bridgepointe in San Mateo next Sunday, November 25th
at 7:45pm vs. a rebuilt Grizzlies team. The last meeting between these
two teams ended very close at 5-4 in favor of the IceCutters, so this one
should be a barn burner!
November 11th:
vs. The Shaft
IceCutters 11 - The
Shaft 2...Enough Said.
October 28th:
vs. The Red Army
IceCutters
Victorious over Transformed Red Army
This week's battle pitted the IceCutters against the undefeated Red Army, a D division team that has quite successfully made the jump to C. The last time the 'Cutters faced this team, they were in their first season, dominating the D division, while the Red Army sat at the bottom of that particular heap.
Well two years later this is far from that original Red Army team.
These guys came to win, proving that by getting on the board just thirty six
seconds into the game with a wrister from the top of the circle. The
'Cutters answered five minutes later with a similar shot from John "The
Punisher" Usich. That goal was followed up at
The second period proved to be entirely defensive as both teams went scoreless. However, the third was to be a different story. The Red Army found themselves stuck in a nasty penalty killing situation down two men. The 'Cutters quickly capitalized, with Miller potting his second of the evening, assisted by Jack "The Russian Wall" Hutcheson, and Max "Screw The Lady Blair!" Maxham. Usich put the nail in the coffin with an empty netter at 0:06.
The team has next week off, but will be returning to the ice on Sunday,
November 11th at
October 21st: vs. The Grizzlies
We came. We played. We Won!
October 14th:
vs. The Vikings
With the Kodiaks not
returning for the winter season, it looks like the IceCutters' primary
challengers for the Cup will be the Vikings, the only other team that managed
to defeat this powerful squad during the summer.
This evening's game saw
both teams with only four players on the bench, so let's just say that pace by
the third period was less than frantic! Getting the 'Cutters on the board
first was Luke "The Prosecutor" Bergstrom, firing off a scary
fast slapper from the point with 3:22 left in the first period that found it's
way past the Vikings' netminder. Both Luke and Matt "Fuzzy
Sweater" Heron stepped backed behind the blue line to fill in for
defensive regulars Dale Miller and John Usich, so many thanks to those guys for
their great job back there tonight!
Scoring next for the
'Cutters' in the second was none other than "Fuzzy Sweater" himself,
with another beautiful slap shot from the point, this one assisted by Blair
"Speedin" Wheadon. The third period proved to belong to the
Vikings, as they fought their way back to within one, scoring two goals to the
'Cutters' one, put in by Wheadon and assisted by Scotty "Cannon"
Mentzer.
The IceCutters were able
to hold on to a slim 3-2 margin for the win, and return next Sunday, October
21st to their home ice at Amodeo Memorial Arena in
October 7th:
vs. The Shaft
IceCutters Off To a
Flying Start
After a disappointing
loss in the last 18 seconds of the championship game last season, the 'Cutters
came out skating with a vengeance to start the Winter 2000 season, soundly
beating The Shaft by the score 8-2. Scoring for the IceCutters was
captain Craig "The Garbage Man" Moore, Jack "The Russian
Wall" Hutcheson, John "The Punisher" Usich, Scotty
"Cannon" Mentzer, Dale Miller, and number fifteen, whoever the heck
that is.
Come on out and watch as
the IceCutters take on the Vikings at the Belmont Superplex Ice Center next
Sunday, Oct. 14th at 10:45pm.