The Cuppa Joe Grinders

A title like that gives promise for the Grinder Girl pic!

Grinders played 3 games and the webmaster was negligent in posting. So here’s a quick summary to get everyone up to speed.Grinders finally get Tim a win, then turn around and do the same for Pete. Scoring seems to be no longer an issue for the team with 11 goals in three games. PSP is squeaking ahead by 1 point to lead the team in scoring. Gordie is one minor penalty ahead of Ashworth for  PIMS leader…. (Gord maybe we should have a talk), Triggsy is leading the PPGA, we just need him to show up to s’more late ones.

The last game against the Grinders was a decent one. chippy at times yes, but all-in-all a good spirited affair. We were especially in good spirits when Andy’s elbow popped off that guys helmet.

This Thursday we plays against the Albino Crackers who hold the title for the longest winning streak at 9 games BUT it all came at the beginning of the season as they were in a lower division. So take it to ‘em Grinders!

The game was an even match-up, true to the standings, with action going to end to end, and both teams managing about 25 shots on net. The Toques goalie was allowing a lot rebounds and when the Grinders figured that out, the shots came  more freely, but the scrambles in front never amounted to any points. The only point in the game came during a 5-on-3 for the Grinders, but for the wrong team.

No names will be mentioned in an effort to promote team cohesiveness and spare the feelings of individuals; but here’s how the play went down. During a 5-on-3 the puck was being moved about brilliantly with shots on net and consistent pressure until the Grinders were Robbed of the puck. With the puck at the point, it was moved to the left hand side for what seemed like a decent chance for a shot on goal.  But as the point man went to shoot he Bobbled the puck (instead of pinching in) and it fluttered onto the stick of the opposition – unfortunately it also happened to be the stick of the Toques’ top scorer. He capitalized on the breakaway an ended Peter’s well deserved chance at a shutout.

The Grinders were skating hard, getting to the puck first and slowly wearing the Toques down, but they just couldn’t score.  Shots were coming in from the point left and right, and high, high enough to remove the two front teeth of a Toques’ defenseman – we all know what he wants for Christmas. Grinders had chances on breakaways with Geiber getting a solid chance, and deflections and rebounds were coming as well but we just couldn’t solve the keeper.  Hmm time to get PSP back on forward?
The Grinders look like they may be without Cracker for a while as he went down with a  groin injury early in the game and was seen after the tailgate in the parking lot hamming it up and using Lovey as a crutch to limp back to the car. “There was pretty much a lot of pain there,” Santa told the media. “Right away, I knew it wasn’t good. It’s very disappointing and frustrating. We were playing great as a team, and I was really happy with my game in the last few weeks.”
Grinders will only officially state it was lower body injury and will not release an official evaluation statement until Tuesday afternoon.

It was a great game from each and every Grinder on the ice last night; from the pipes to point. Possibly one of the best games the CuppaJoe Grinders have played came when needed, against first place Shockers. Cuppa Joe Grinders dominated the play for all periods, whether on the PK, even strength, or on the power play the play was controlled by the Grinders. But again it was the lack of production from the forwards that let us down.  The defense came through with a blast from point as Tidy let loose a bullet that defelected off a Shocker defender and landed in the top corner to put us up 1-0, but with no luck for the rest of the game that was all the Grinders were destined to get. It wasn’t for lack of trying. 34 shots on net and one squeaked through.

Tim also faced over 30 shots throughout the evening and pulled off more than a few brilliant saves throughout the night to keep us in the game and gave us a decent chance to win it.  Going into OT with the score tied 1-1, the Grinders again controlled most of the play, but as hockey games seem to go, it was the opposition’s one chance against the flow that won the game.

The outcome may not have been what we wanted but the play was something to be proud off by all.  It has even inspired the likes of Paris Hilton to pick up a stick and be like the Grinders.

The CuppaJoe grinders win their second game of the season against the SmokeEaters in a 3-2 game. With good puck movement and the ability to hold much of the play in the SmokeEaters end, the Cuppa Joes were able to take an early lead when PSP took a breakaway pass from Cracker and made good on it when he slipped the puck past a sprawling SmokeEater goalie.  In fact it was Paul’s line involved on every goal this game. The Sheppard, Schmidt and Houghton Trio, the SSHT line, amassed 7 points between them in this victory.

Next game is up when we play the 5-1-1-1 Shockers Tuesday at 9pm.  We handed the Shockers one of their ones in 4-4 tie on September 8.  A victory can be in hand if we play smart and stay out the box, as last meeting we  tallied 12 PIMS against this bunch.  This upcoming game, however, Tim the ‘Tude will be in the net instead of in the box.

In the goalie race this season the Save Percentages are almost dead even with Tim at 0.880 and Peter at 0.883, but Peter is ahead when it comes to goals against allowing an average of 2.83  as compared to Tim’s 3.16.

It was foreshadowed to be a tough game, and a tough game it was with 38 minutes of penalties split between the 2 teams. The CuppaJoe Grinders were, for the most part victims of the retaliatory calls. If the refs only called the first penalty then 4 of our sin bin visits could have been avoided.  And the calls the refs were making in general were also questionable, such as the time when Guy bounced off the ice so hard, twice, that he got a roughing call.

The first period was a nondescript affair with no goals and only one penalty going to Santa for interference. That, by the way, was Santa’s only infraction in this rough and tumble affair.

But then the second period happened in which 9 penalties were called and 6 goals were scored. Each team only tallied a single goal on PowerPlays but it was the CuppaJOe Grinders that got the one and only Shorthanded marker late in the second when Triggsy got his second of the game with help from leng and Ashworth. 

After the second period the CuppaJoe Grinders were up 4-2. One period to go for them to get theor 2nd win of the season.  But it wasn’t to be. Less than a minute into the period The Bastard Grinders got their 3rd goal, and then 2 minutes later, the tieing goal came from #15 John Rich. A spare ringer brought in for his first game and getting two points on the night.  And then somehow he ends up having a beer with us at the tailgate.  Ahh the sportsmanship of Beer League Hockey. 

The shots were even, the scored was tied, the teams were grumpy but shook hands afterwards and the beer was cold. That officially means  the only remarkable aspect about this game was the miserable refereeing. Perhaps a new recruitment policy is in order…here’s my candidate:

Saturday afternoon the Cuppa Joe Grinders went face to face with the Insufficient Funds. The Grinders played a strong game and out shot the Funds 34-17 but only managed to come away with a tie. With the Funds lack of fore-checking and willingness to give up the point, the Grinders easily moved the puck out of their own zone. Once at center ice, the Funds defense kept backing in.  This allowed PSP on one shift to stick-handle all the way in with the toe of his stick holding and controlling the puck like a ringette ring.  This raised the ire of the Funds, for about 3 seconds but they simply didnt have the gumption to do anything about it.

The Grinders were clicking and getting many quality scoring chances, including at least two posts, but simply couldn’t get the puck past a hot goalie* see below.  Not until Mr Ashworth received the puck at the point from Tidy and let loose a blast that beat the Funds net minder to tie the game 1-1.  The game would remain that way until Overtime. Gord – was it Gord? – managed to pop one in during a scramble around the net. But alas it wasn’t to be. For the fourth time this game the net was mysteriously knocked off it’s moorings and the play was ruled blown dead before the puck went in.