Pour me some JOHNNiiiiieeeeeeeeeee WALKER!

edit: I guess I really botched the spelling.

Last edited by Thehealthiestscratch (2/25/2021 11:40 pm)

1985 THL PLAYOFFS

Wildcard Round


7 Guilden Barbarians vs 10 Portarra Pioneers
Both teams came to play in a fierce wildcard battle. An OT victory in Game 2 put the Barbarians up by two but the Pioneers stormed back with stingy defense by Thomas Nelissen and a pair of shutouts from goalie Nick Casselman to take the series. [PTP wins 3-2]

8 Abrieden Bucks vs 9 Prestonburg Blazers
With defenseman Kopecky hurt and goalie Wuopio uncomfortable in the net, the Blazers saw opportunity and didn't forsake it as Eric Jorgensen and company stomped all over Abrieden. [PRE wins 3-0]


Quarterfinals


1 Trowburgh Herons vs 10 Portarra Pioneers
The Pioneers rode their momentum to a 2OT win in Game 1 but a brutal OT loss in Game 2 on an own-goal let Mozzy Turk and the Herons warm up to win four straight and make short work of the series.

2 Portarra Whales vs 9 Prestonburg Blazers
The young Whales wanted to prove they could win and freshly minted MVP Bill Bronkowski overcame tough defense from Jan Mikulec and the Blazers in a hellacious series to win a pair of OT games and a wild Game 7 for the series. [POR wins 4-3]

3 Kavalos Electrics vs 6 Fort Bevin Rockets
The Kavs blasted the Rockets 12-1 in Game 1 but Fort Bevin's proud vets willed themselves back into the series. A Leo Stendahl goal in OT of Game 6 sealed the series for Kavalos.

4 Quebel Crusaders vs 4 Vensessor Swans
The Crusaders were feeling good after winning the division but they ran into a brick wall in Andre Kabbani who posted a pair of shutouts for the Swans to open the series and added a third in Game 4 for good measure in a clean sweep. [VEN wins 4-0]


Semi-Finals


1 Trowburgh Herons vs 5 Vensessor Swans
In a tough series, the Swans gave Trowburgh all they could handle even as Kabbani cooled off. Mozzy Turk's OT goal in Game 5 put Vensessor on the brink and the Herons cashed in to advance back to the finals. [TRO wins 4-2]

2 Portarra Whales vs 3 Kavalos Electrics
In an exciting series that saw four overtime games, both teams battled for every puck and scored timely goals. Bronko and the Whales continued their battle-testing in fine fashion but the greater experience of the Kavs paid off as Stendahl and Darren Cain navigated their way to a win in OT to put the final dagger in Game 5. [KAV 4-1]

Up next: 1985 Marcotte Cup

C&C appreciated! Feels good to get the THL going again. Thanks for everyone's patience!

Good to see this back!   Pulling for the Electrics to finally win their first championship, but I'm thinking the Herons are winning it again!

1985 Marcotte Cup Championship Finals

1 Trowburgh Herons vs 3 Kavalos Electrics

These two teams met in 1983 and competed for the Marcotte Cup in an epic series which Trowburgh ultimately won in Game 7. The core rosters are essentially the same with Mozzy Turk leading the Herons and Leo Stendahl leading the Electrics. Kavalos, however, has added goalie Tim Sagendorf and seen growth from young forward Denis Lemieux, now on a top line with Stendahl. The Herons have seen the growth of goalie Jonah Urban to supplant veteran Brendon Ruske for a solid tandem. Much like '83, the Herons are again the #1 seed after a fantastic season. Both teams are hot coming into the series. Trowburgh dispatched the Pioneers with relative ease and locked down against Vensessor. The Electrics took care of a tough Fort Bevin squad before seeing Sagendorf shut down the rising Whales with three shutouts and four overtime games.


Game 1: KAV 7 @ TRO 0 – Tim Sagendorf picked up where he left off and smothered every shot the Herons tried to make. Leo Stendahl and Denis Lemieux found early rhythm with two goals and the onslaught continued from there.

Game 2: KAV 3 @ TRO 5 – The Herons fought back and found their identity as both teams battled for dominance. Tied at three apiece in the third, late goals from Mozzy Turk and Vanja Zoric capped off a strong ending for Trowburgh.

Game 3: TRO 0 @ KAV 2 – In Kavalos, the Electrics saw Sagendorf find his groove again, weathering an early storm of offense from Trowburgh to keep the scoreboard clean. The Kavs fired back and saw Darren Cain score a wicked slapshot and Jed Poe with a late tip-in to seal it.

Game 4: TRO 1 @ KAV 0 – In a tight, very intense game, it was Dimitri Ranko who found a home for a bouncing puck in front of the net that eluded Sagendorf. The Kavs pushed back but Jonah Urban stood tough in the Herons net to tie up the series.

Game 5: KAV 6 @ TRO 0 – Determined not to let this series go the distance, Darren Cain scored a power play goal at the very end of the first period to stun Urban. The floodgates opened after that as Urban got pounded for four goals in the second and was pulled for Ruske who didn't do much better. 

Game 6: TRO 1 @ KAV 3 – Back at the Bright House, both teams were inspired and played spirited hockey. Dean Ciraulo got Kavalos on the board first but Jan Luc Ryba snuck a backhand past Sagendorf to tie it in the second. Later in the period, checking forward Chris Bagwell scored his first goal of the season on a rebound to break the tie. Darren Cain played extra minutes to help Sagendorf lock down the Herons, who made a big push in the third. With their goalie pulled for the extra attacker, Stendahl scored the empty-netter to put the game away and award Kavalos with their first Marcotte Cup since becoming a franchise in 1972. Goalie Tim Sagendorf was awarded Series MVP.

1985 Marcotte Cup Champions: Kavalos Electrics (1)

Up next: 1986 offseason

C&C always appreciated!

Nice to see a first time winner. Hopefully the off-season goes smoothly, unlike last time.