THE 1958/59 GAUNTLET
 

#1  Salt Lake Bees  vs  #4  Las Vegas Flamingos
     The “Birds and the Bees” series started with Las Vegas welcoming the highly favored number one seed to their city. The Flamingos were criticized from the start for their lack of hospitality. But this was justified after they gave Salt Lake “the bird” by promising rooms to the black and gold roster at “The Fabulous Flamingo” just to pull the rug from under Salt Lake by claiming to be overbooked when they arrived.
     
     After a long night sleeping on the bus, the Bees would go to work, scoring three goals in the first thirteen minutes of Gauntlet hockey. Vegas would save face before the period break by netting one, but they would go down by another at the start of the second. The teams then exchanged goals before Vegas exploded in a comeback that forced overtime. Unfortunately for the Flamingos, Frank Oleson decided he was no longer amused by the back and forth, taking the game into his own hands, scoring with only 8 seconds removed from the extra period.

     Salt Lake players got to sleep in their own bed prior to game two in Utah, but the glamorous slumber would come back to hurt them. After a groggy start, the Bees found themselves down by four after the first. Las Vegas had reversed the roles from the previous game too perfectly, letting Salt Lake trade out their night caps and come back to force overtime with minutes left in the third. This time, it was Vegas forth-liner Ken Payne who scored 39 seconds into OT on a breakaway following a line change by a first-line player who broke their stick. Vegas captain Al Stone would joke in an interview that night that he “wish the kid hadn't taken so long”, referencing the goal that was scored by the Bees 31 seconds sooner in game 1.

     To correct their play, Salt Lake’s coaching staff made it mandatory for the team to sleep on the bus the night before game 3. While many complained, no one missed this slumber party. Even Buissen made it half way through the night, arriving with honey and Bees mascot “Baked Ziti”. With 22 goals already scored in the series, game three looked like it would be a barnburner. Vegas came out hot, scoring a goal in the first three minutes, but were immediately extinguished and never recovered. Norris Childress led the Bees to 5 unanswered goals, ultimately ending a stunning Las Vegas season in a very underwhelming way.
 
 


#2  Two Towns Hockey Club  vs  #3  Long Beach Earthquakes
     Old friends and older rivals met when Anastasio Moran skated in to take a draw against Joe Benoit for the first time playing in a gauntlet game since leaving the Quakes. The hype of the narrative would be overshadowed by a hardnosed game. Outside of a stunning pass by Moran in the first and a rocket of a shot from Scott Kehler in the second, much was quiet. Two-thirds through the game it seemed that both teams agreed they had put in enough work for the night, leaving the third how it started, 2 – 1 in favor of TTHC.

     After seeing the absurd amount of scoring in the other series, fans of both teams started to get nervous, believing their teams would have to put up numbers if they wanted any chance at competing in the finals. Two Towns and Long Beach would address this concern by giving more reason to fear. While Billy McGorrie proved he was capable offensively by scoring 2 of Long Beach's 3 goals, Benton Brownschidle gave the TTHC crowd nothing to celebrate by shutting down Moran and any other player who felt decent enough to challenge the Quakes goalie with a shot.

     The combined total of goals in game three would match the lowest amount of goals Salt Lake was scoring a night from the other side of the bracket. After a scoreless first, anxiety set in for both teams. Finally, the fear and frustration led to desperation that sparked a race down the final stretch. The two would trade goals in the second before TTHC pulled away in the third with a goal by Moran that made it 3 to 1. A Joe Benoit goal scored with Long Beach’s goalie pulled generated a dramatic final 30 seconds, but the TTHC fans who managed to not pass out while holding their breath were the ones celebrating at the end of it all.


​
     The reservations are set, and this is one you won’t want to miss. Will the Salt Lake Bees force TTHC into submission with their ungodly amount of scoring to take their second title? Or, will Moran snap his playoff funk and lead the baby-faced Two Towns squad to the promise land? We will see soon enough, when the teams meet in “The Magnum Climax presented by CBS”.


     (Fun fact, this will be the fifth trip to the Magnum for both Andress Riekstins and Anastasio Moran. Riekstins has gone a perfect four for four in the finals, while the WCEHL poster child has only earned the right to smash glass once. You’re the one that gets to decide if Moran deserves credit for his cork. Sure, he has been the undisputed best in the league since it started, but it is worth mentioning that his championship came the only year a certain someone was on a team with him… I won’t give any hints.)

Edit: Home and away are mixed around in the graphics. I will fix it later so that the higher seed gets game 2 and 3.

Last edited by Thehealthiestscratch (3/18/2021 10:25 pm)

The 1958/59 WCEHL Finals
 
MAGNUM HOCKEY ON CBS INTRO
     After a tightly contested season, it was number one and two who still remained. The Salt Lake Bees were playing the role of Goliath for the first time in their history. The higher seed has brought different attention to a team who has consistently entered the postseason with no expectations at all.

     Two Town Hockey Club would be Salt Lake’s unlikely partner in the dance. Up until this point, TTHC have only been able to play past April once in their organization’s history, and this achievement is still discredited due to it taking place during the one season that saw six teams make the Gauntlet.

     This race for the Magnum isn’t just about the opportunity to smash some glass. This Magnum marks a turning point for the team who wins it, and we get the pleasure of witnessing it. Moran and his Two Towns against Riekstins and the Hive, next.
 

GAME 1

SALT LAKE BEES  2  v  6  TWO TOWNS HOCKEY CLUB
     Salt Lake’s crowd was ready to tear the arena down by puck drop, bringing the electric atmosphere that they had grown a reputation for in recent years. The loud buzz visually intimidated the majority of TTHC, but former Bee turned Two Towner Smail Podrabsky treated it like another day in the office. Smail, better known as an aging enforcer, would be cast in a role that seemed out of character for his career. Only 12 seconds had ticked off the clock when Smail blocked a shot on Salt Lakes first break down the ice. No one saw the puck hit the tiny man’s shins, leaving Podrabsky as the only one skating towards the Bees end while everyone else flew by him. Backcheckers were almost able to catch the aging legs, but a slapshot ripped from the top of the circle would halt the chase and set the tone of game 1.
     
     With the crowd silenced, TTHC went to work scoring 2 more in 5 minutes. As the Salt Lake goalie made his way out of the net to be relieved by his backup, he would look up and see a score of 3-0 in favor of TTHC with 14:48 still remaining in the first frame. Smail would return for an encore in the second, setting up Carl Dillard for the team’s 4th goal, ending his 4-point night. Dillard would pick up where Podrabsky left off, scoring another before the second ended. The Bees pushed back in the third, but their two goals seemed more like consolation considering that TTHC had already started resting their stars for game 2 by then.
 

GAME 2

SALT LAKE BEES  4  v  3  TWO TOWNS HOCKEY CLUB
     The Bees were back to sleeping on the bus again due to fear of losing, and, to the dismay of many restless players, it worked out for them. The Bees opened the scoring in the first frame, and when TTHC didn’t respond they continued. The Stephens / Varonen / Oleson line would tally a few, securing a 3-0 lead for Salt Lake going into the third. This deficit would promptly be erased by TTHC. The first of the Town’s comeback came 3 minutes in, while the one that forced OT would be scored by Moran with less than 5 minutes left in the game. 
     
     The fans who rushed to the bathrooms before overtime were irritated when they found out that they could have used the first period of extra hockey as an extended break, with absolutely no excitement happening in the 10-minutes. The series was finally sent to Los Angeles when former first overall pick, Rezvan Ruohong scored on a one timer from the half wall, underlining what many would claim was Ruohong’s year of revitalization.
 

GAME 3

TWO TOWNS HOCKEY CLUB  5  v  3  SALT LAKE BEES
     The two high powered teams flexed their scoring muscles in the first period of game three, managing to fit a games worth of excitement into 20 minutes. TTHC found the scoresheet 8 minutes in and it pinballed from there. SLC responded 30 seconds later to tie, and Ruohong struck again within a minute. Seeing all these goals, Moran knew he wanted to get in on the fun and found one for himself only 36 seconds after losing the lead. The tie was then broken again with 44 seconds remaining in the first period when Melvin Walker’s stick deflected the puck on a TTHC dump into the zone. When asked about the embarrassing bounce that found its way to the net, Bee’s goalie John Randall responded by saying, “the puck just seemed like it belonged in the back of the net tonight, and who am I to stop that”? The snarky remark irritated Salt Lake fans, but the veteran goalie was quickly forgiven.
     
     TTHC would keep the flurry going with another by Smail 18 seconds into the second, making it the fifth goal scored within a minute of another. The game would lose pace, seeing no red lights shine behind traumatized goalies until the third when both squads exchanged celebrations one more time.
 

GAME 4

TWO TOWNS HOCKEY CLUB  0  v  1  SALT LAKE BEES
     Game 4 gave TTHC the chance to celebrate their first Magnum with fans on home ice. Unfortunately for the Towns, John Randall didn’t like the idea of being the prime suspect in a series that would surely be remembered for marathon offense paired with inadequate goaltending. Randall would go on to alter history by deteriorating TTHC’s explosive offense to nothing, earning a 43 save shutout in the process. The lone goal would come from Frank Olesen in the first period.
 
 
GAME 5

SALT LAKE BEES  5  v  4  TWO TOWNS HOCKEY CLUB
     The unexpected result in game 4 would force the series to a decisive final game in Salt Lake City. TTHC were able to find footing early, scoring 2 quick goals in the first 5 minutes. Of course, the Bees answered with two of their own, and when the period looked like it would end tied, it was Melvin Walker who once again claimed the lead for TTHC going into the first intermission. Anastasio Moran would use his team’s momentum to grab his 8th point of the series, putting TTHC up 4-2. The Bees would find a goal out of desperation before the end of the second, but struggled to produce any chances for the majority of period 3. Finally, Rezvan Ruohong rose to the occasion again by slapping the puck from the backside of TTHC’s crease into an uncontested net during a hectic scramble.
     
     While it wasn’t the prettiest, Ruohong’s goal saved SLC, and earned the team some overtime. The first OT came and went, being highlighted by miserable execution on high potential chances. The conclusion seemed inevitable in the second overtime when TTHC took two minor penalties in a minute, giving the most potent offensive team a two-man advantage for a significant amount of time. Miraculously, TTHC’s defense pulled through, leaving SLC to feel like their opportunity had slipped right out of reach heading into a third OT period. This was not the case, as TTHC would again earn a penalty, giving the Bees an opportunity to rectify their mistake. The unavoidable took place immediately as Norris Childress won an offensive zone faceoff back to Paul Ryding who released a shot that was kicked aside by Samuel Sabourin onto the stick of Rezvan Ruohong who was filling space on the far side of TTHC’s net. All eyes in the Hive were locked on Ruohong, as Ruohong’s eyes locked on the open top corner of the net located on the side closest to him. His eyes closed as the puck lifted with enough velocity to make the crossbar shriek. The crowd went quiet and it seemed like all spectators had lost sight of the puck in the moment. 
 
     The silence was finally torn open by the Salt Lake Bees announcer when he exclaimed:
 
     “Short side?.... yes! YES! SHORT SIDE, GOODBYE, TWO TOWNS!”
 
     Ruohong had claimed Salt Lake’s second Magnum with his second goal of the night. The Bees would go on to smash glass as Moran taught his new, young family how to swallow their first loss in the finals. Finally, the Bees were no longer a Cinderella team.


 

Incredible series! The Bees certainly earned the Magnum but Two Towns put up quite a show. Hopefully they earn themselves a Cup soon enough.

WCEHL 1959 Owner’s Table

(While the table at the WCEHL owner meeting now had enough chairs to fit 9 comfortably, there were only 5 seats filled. Some looked uncomfortable in the space while others decided to sprawl out. The variety of personalities showed in every individuals’ body and expression, but the same uncertainty was on the minds of everyone in the room. The silence was broken by Cooper Dust, who was strung across every piece of furniture his yarn-like limbs could reach.)
 
Cooper Dust
     Maybe they been murdered.
 
Zamboni
     Dust.
 
Tin Canton
     All of them?
 
Jed Diggins
     I heard there be stories of the big foots making the less fortunate disappear in the woods at night.
 
Tin Canton
     Why would Friday, Buissen, Sgt. Johnson and Stumbles be in the woods together at night? Wait, why were we not invited?
 
Cooper Dust
     If I was fixin to shoot a fella, I say I’da dress up like a fur guy and stage the pow wow.
 
Tin Canton
     You would dress up like Big Foot…
 
Cooper Dust
     Mhmmmm.
 
Tin Canton
     To shoot a man… with a gun? Why… why would Big Foot have a gun?
 
Cooper Dust
     Fer shootin, idiot.
 
Jed Diggins
     The perfect crime
 
Zamboni
     WILL ALL OF YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTHS FOR ONE SECOND?!
 
(Zamboni collects his thoughts, readjusting his blazer)
 
Zamboni
     Friday is sick. Something about a nose running as fast as he would if he had the chance to leave Long Beach.
 
Tin Canton
     That is one silly guy. Always get a kick out of him saying he wants to leave, or insisting that he hates us.
 
Zamboni
     Buissen said it was the time of year when he needs to, “bump with some bees”. I had no desire to ask about that. As for Stumbles… well… he gets lost on his way to about 50 percent of these meetings.
 
Cooper Dust
     I wish they didn’t make the poor scout take a tandem bike from the desert to these get togethers. Why they even give the extra seat?
 
Jed Diggins
     Amen. How about the Sgt, Zamboni?
 
Zamboni
     Well, he won’t be back, boys. He got mixed up in some microwave mess over Wichita and now our boy is on Lady Liberty’s short leash. Johnson is going back to government work.
 
(The room falls silent while all mutter their own goodbyes that surely did not reach who they were meant for.)
 
Irwin Stevenson
     With that said, the Oakland Patriots are now under ownership of the Sacramento Zoo and I.
 
Jed Diggins
     What the capital want with a team in the second best Northern California city?
 
Zamboni
     Unless… No… I can’t put another team in nothing but dust and heat, Stevenson.
 
 
Irwin Stevenson
     Either that or you are down to 7 teams as fast as you went up to 8. To be honest, that would raise some red flags around the league for those on the outside looking in. Would hate to see the WCEHL lose their CBS backing. Of course, all that can be avoided by moving one sorry franchise a tiny bit north.
 
(Zamboni slumps over, putting his hands on his temples, a move he reverts to consistently when stress shows its face.)
 
Zamboni
     Gentlemen, the WCEHL is going to Sacramento!

Ohh baby, Irwin and the zoo. This is gonna be good.