1992 Marcotte Cup Championship Finals
5 Dosa City Snappers vs 10 Vensessor Swans

A pair of first-time participants in the Snappers and Swans collide for the 33rd Marcotte Cup. The Dosa City Snappers entered the league in 1976 as the Lecayne Saints before being sold to Ed Harvey and moving to Dosa City in 1987. This is their third playoff appearance since the move after none in Lecayne. The Vensessor Swans were an original franchise and two-time champions in the short-lived United Hockey Alliance in 1975 before entering the THL via the 1980 merger. This is their ninth playoff appearance in the THL and are owned by Wilton Henson. This is the first in-state matchup since the Falcons and Glaciers squared off in 1969, and first time for the state of New Dosa.

The Snappers are led by alternate captain and do-it-all centerman David Tennfjord, 23, born in Norway who was the first draft pick of the Snappers. He is flanked by Will Zimmerlee and Chris Cambo, both big capable wingers with excellent scoring prowess. 20-year-old center John Mark Penny is an exciting young talent in DC, emerging as a valuable player this season. Another two-time All-Star is netminder Jonah Urban, 31, who is one of the elite goaltenders in the league. The Snappers' team-first approach has been very effective under the leadership of coach Blaine Burchette, relying on timely scoring and consistent defense in front of Urban led by a pair of cagey veterans in Steven Orban and Fred Duckett.

The Swans are led by team captain Foster Sherwood, 29, a supremely talented puck-moving defenseman with a brutal slapshot. The two-time All-Star is criminally underrated but is the unquestioned leader on a top-heavy team of big personalities. Two experienced former Whales in Ray Parrino and Eric Caparros bookend the top line with unheralded centerman Bernie Maddox. The approach in the capitol by head coach Roger Harmon is maximizing the top lines to compensate for shallow depth on the roster. Despite their shortcomings, decorated veteran goaltender Andre Kabbani gives the team a chance in any game. The French netminder is a five-time All-Star and has won Best Goalie three times. He's been battling injuries but the Swans are hopeful he can be fully available.



Game 1: VEN 3 @ DC 1 – A packed house at the Docktown Dome set the scene for the 33rd Marcotte Cup between the Dosa City Snappers and Vensessor Swans, bringing exciting hockey to central Torland. The visiting Swans broke the ice first on a goal from Maddox. The Snappers killed off a 4-minute power play at the end of the first period to take the momentum and promptly scored at the beginning of the second as Duckett unleashed a powerful shot from the point. The tide slowly turned back toward the Swans, however, as goals from Sherwood and Caparros gave Vensessor a 3-1 win and early series lead on the road.

Game 2: VEN 2 @ DC 1 (2OT) – Ray Parrino scored a greasy bouncer 45 seconds into the game for the Swans to silence the crowd. The Snappers, however, went to work and the game turned into a hard-hitting closely-contested affair as both goalies stood on their heads until about 5 minutes left in the 3rd when Steven Orban found a loose puck just outside the slot and found a home through traffic. The Swans contested the goal but it stood and the game went to overtime. Both teams had chances but the extra period still had a tied score and went to a second overtime. It was Eric Caparros who broke free and got one-on-one against Urban to score a five-hole goal to win it and put the Swans up by two.

Game 3: DC 3 @ VEN 2 (OT) – The series moved up north to Vensessor at the Victory Plaza Center as the Swans looked to capitalize on their two road wins. The Snappers were determined to regain some momentum and an early goal from Isak Forsberg against his former team set the tone. Another goal from Tennfjord gave DC a further lead but Will Armstead scored on a beautiful assist from Maddox. A seeing-eye shot from Ray Parrino tied it up and the game went to a second straight overtime. This time though, it was fourth-liner Armando Wolfe who scored an unlikely goal to win it for DC.

Game 4: DC 0 @ VEN 1 (OT) – Both teams seemed to show some tiredness from three OT periods in the past two games and the pace of play was slower and heavier. Both goalies made tremendous saves and neither team could get anything going, sending it to yet another overtime. Late in the extra period it was 33-year-old fourth-liner Dom Thames who whipped a wrister in for the Swans to take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Game 5: VEN 1 @ DC 3 – An extra day of rest between games helped both teams recover and the pace of play for Game 5 with the Snappers on the ropes was wild and raucous, featuring heavy hits that left multiple players needing medical attention. A scoreless first was soon forgotten as the second period was sloppy and crazy. Chris Cambo rang a shot off the crossbar and then followed up his own rebound to punch it in for DC. David Tennfjord added another goal minutes later. A few minutes after that, Foster Sherwood got one on the board for the Swans and just before the end of the period, it was Orban who flicked a long weak shot that hit Sherwood's skates and caromed in to give the Snappers a 3-1 lead. The blue line of DC locked in after that and a scoreless third kept Dosa City alive for another game.

Game 6: DC 0 @ VEN 1 (OT) – Back at the “Vic” the next day, Swans fans were greeted with news that Sherwood had broken his foot and was unlikely to play. However, by game time it was announced that Sherwood would play through the injury, though with reduced minutes on the third pairing. Energized by his superhuman commitment, the Swans came out swinging, playing an unfamiliar heavy brand of hockey. Somehow Jonah Urban held the Swans off the scoresheet with a series of brilliant saves and by the third period the pace of play had slowed to a grind. The Snappers looked like they finally broke through in the third on a punch-in by Cambo but the referees ruled that he had impeded Kabbani and the goal was ruled no good to send the game to yet another overtime. With the tensity at an all-time high, it was hometown kid Eric Caparros who sizzled a wrister past Urban's outstretched blocker to crown the Swans as Marcotte Cup champions for the first time. Caparros was named Finals MVP.

1992 Marcotte Cup Champions: Vensessor Swans (1)