What an incredible end to CSHL's Fall Adult Ball Hockey Season. Between late combacks, overtime thrillers, and our new hockey facility, this capped a perfect season for our organization...and two teams in particular.
Before the start of our playoff coverage, we are proud to announce the CSHL Insider Fall 2023 Associated Press All-Star Teams. For each team there are two forwards, two defensemen, one hybrid (positionless players who contributed all over the rink), and one goalie this season.
The voting process explained: The Associated Press (me) picked the teams. A mix of the following was taken into account when selecting the teams:
Two-way Play: Empty points aren't rewarded
Availability (For example, missing games by playing other tournaments over your CSHL team, or going to the beach for a month, hurts your cause).
Games Played: 10 was our cutoff outside of one exception
Team Impact: Carrying the team through a deficiency
A-League Notes:
Bobby Arkus of the Fridge Raiders GPG of 1.1 was second in the league to Zach McKenna with 1.21
Huge assist numbers were put up from the DMen with elite vision
Jim Bateman ended up playing defense for the Waymer Wieners
B-League Notes:
Tom Carriero played 2 games at Goalie with a 2.00 GAA
Nick Petrini started the season on D and switched to F
Bergie only played 8 games due to a wedding (congrats!), honeymoon & illness
Joe Berg's play saw a huge jump
B-League Hypothetical: Would a team of the 5 "best" OGs (in this case, OGs=Old Guys) beat a combination of the 5 best younger (u35 not the teens) B Division players?
C: Jeff Kennedy, Charlottans
LW: Big John Lavella, High Voltage
RW: Tom Carriero, High Voltage
LD: Mike Steckler, Waymer Cowbell
RD: Joe Petrellese, Charlottans
Weekend One: Seeding
Editor's Note: If you're wondering why there are no game clips for the elimination weekend, check after the game logs!
CSHL’s Adult Ball Hockey Leagues run a modified double elimination playoff format…with four teams. CSHL’s A Division added a fifth team this season and that meant an 830AM play-in game between our fourth seeded Waymer Wieners and fifth seed JJ’s Bombers.
Jon Hotch returned from a wrist injury and got off the mark for the Wieners putting a wrister past his dad James, goalie for the Bombers. Things were back and forth for most of the period until Caleb tied it with 15 seconds left in the first. The return of Hotch seemed to stabilize the notoriously shaky Wieners defense however an atrocious two minutes turned this game crooked as Henry & Brownlow both scored with under a minute left in the second & Campbell kicked off the third with a goal; making this game 4-1 with 7 minutes left. This one looked sealed but JJ’s Bombers missed the vas deferens and the Wieners came out firing mid third. Inexplicably, the boys in blue forgot that guarding HWIC Bateman is important and he banged home two, making this a one goal game with 3 minutes remaining. James Hotch was able to hold off a heavy load of shots as an empty net goal by Cookie finally sealed this one for the Bombers.
It’s hard to play in CSHL’s playoffs & even harder when you don’t have any subs. Our preseason favorites in the B Division, the NorMonsters, have been in shambles due to injuries & absences over the latter part of this season. Things didn’t change as the playoffs kicked off; only expected to have one sub, star forward Will Sheridan caught a flat on the way to Waymer. The NorMonsters managed to jump out to a 2-0 lead on goals from Nick Russell & Erik May as High Voltage AGAIN fell behind early in a game. Sniper Ajay Yasav put in a bad angle shot late first to close the gap, while Brad McLane took a roughing penalty to kill Voltage momentum as the period ran down. High Voltage started the period off with another penalty, this time a roughing by Big John as they continued to shoot themselves in the foot with penalties. Nick Lavella found fellow Nick Sevs in the slot to tie this game at two. The third period was powered by a High Voltage charge as Sevs & Rios both put one in. Severins smartly took a loose pick from his own crease to fire one in from the Voltage blue line past Bergie making this a 3-2 match. Nick Severins put on a show this game & has elite upside as a CSHL & potential NBHL player moving forward. Lavella & McLane make up the other 2/3s of the most athletic B Division trio.
Cale Bowman is very good at hockey, turning away an onslaught of shots from the Hooligans snipers all game. With Prusia out the Tim Hickey-Robert Arkus pairing showed great connection as they each scored and assisted on goals giving the Fridge Raiders a 2-0 lead. The second was particularly pleasing as Hickey laid a backhand dime to Arkus who proceeded to undress Hoolies replacement goalie James Borusso. Unable to beat Cale with 100mph slapshots, McKenna tried a different approach as he sent a header in off the crossbar to pull this game within one.
A one-goal game with half the third left, the Hoolies had some momentum here pouring a consistent stream of (far) shots on net. What followed was a complete meltdown from defenseman Jerry Janiga that cost them a chance to put this into overtime. In the span of two minutes, Janiga received a roughing penalty for shoving Fridge Raiders Captain Eric LeVigne, an unsportsmanlike for cursing at head ref Allan, then a seconds unsportsmanlike & game misconduct for cursing at the other ref Greco. Remember CSHL players #REFSAREPEOPLETOO, not emotional support punching bags. Derek King blasted a slapper in & LeVigne showed off the hands to make this a 4-1 win for the Fridge Raiders.
Jeff Kennedy, Joe Petrellese, that's the kind of player it takes to beat a goalie like Nappy. As the (much) younger Waymer Cowbell gave the Charlottans all they could handle, this one was tied 1-1 heading into the third as goals from Jeff Kennedy & Tyler Brown made this an even match. Cowbell superstar Karson Steckler looked good next to Tyler as their speed played off one another, however there was a lag in chemistry as Brown has been to maybe half of their games this season. Nappy kept this one close as the rink was definitely tilted in the Charlottans favor, however a full court blast from Captain Joe P sealed their fate. The Cowbell don’t really have a net-front presence to take advantage of Carson’s inexperience in net & he made a couple big late-game saves to close this one out.
Finishing first in the standings, the Mighty Mullet Men didn’t have much trouble this season however JJ’s Bombers always played them close. Early on this game had the makings of a blowout as we saw a little more Hotch-on-Hotch crime with Jeremy sniping one far corner on his pops. The depth…death line of Chetta & Ward finished a long shift with another goal as the Bombers couldn’t get it out of their zone. The Bombers, a team with elite top-end talent, didn’t go quietly as Greco sent a bad clear past Gonzo & the sliding Jeremy to shorten the Mullet’s lead.
Nick Carey went full 2017 and sniped one past Gonzo in the second as a stickless Greco was able to keep the ball away from Mullet Captain Jack. Gonzo tried to get in on the fun and was subsequently called for a trip on Carey after the following face off. Not sure who was the better actor here, Nick for going full American Sniper or Gonzo pretending he didn’t trip Nick. Mid-third period Chetta put in a back wall rebound from an Ingalls slapper, using some slick footwork to slide this one under the arm of a recovering Hotch to win 3-2.
Instant. Classic. These two teams have battled tough all season with a lot of late game comebacks & ties between them (and honestly between everyone else High Voltage has played). For once this season we had a High Voltage lead early as Brad McLane finished a Rios pass about a minute in, however Joe P quickly tied things up midway through the first. We saw quick offsetting goals in the second as Rios & Kennedy had this one sitting 2-2 after two. The third period turned into a “let’s launch slapshots” fest as this game quickly turned ugly, with neither team valuing possession or high danger chances. At 2:13 we saw High Voltage’s penalty problems continue as Tom Carriero was called for a hook. Surprisingly, the Voltage looked great on the PK and kept pressure on the other end.
Overtime saw the same play style as both teams looked to keep the ball as far away from their own net as possible, then Nick Severins went full Sevs with two holding penalties in OT1. Was he held on both of these first? Yes, but it’s hockey and the refs always see the retaliation so you have to be smarter than that in OT. High Voltage survived and we saw a beautiful ending in OT2 as Nick Lavella capped off his first CSHL overtime with a backhand goal on a backhand pass from Rios. This game sent High Voltage directly into the B Division Championship and the Charlottans to the semis to face the winner of Cowbell at NorMonsters.
This was not the Cale Bowman Fridge Raiders captain Eric LeVigne selected 1.03 in the draft. Helsinki continued his insane season by picking a corner first shift giving the Mullets another early lead, then this one settled down for a bit as the Fridge Raiders showed the same grit they’ve had all season…for a little while. Gonzo chested a ball off the draw down to Jack who put it in from the far side of the court after taking a weird redirect off a stick & the ground. On the next faceoff he Ingalls shot another off a won draw and it spun on Cale’s pad, allowing Chris Ward to race down and pick up the free rebound & goal as he tried to locate the ball. After a boring second period Jack blasted a slapper off the draw to open the third and seal the game. Chetta sauced a sweet pass to Helinski who batted it in for the 5th goal and give the Mullets a win via mercy-rule.
The Mighty Mullet Men advanced to the A Division finals with a victory, while the Fridge Raiders play the winner of the Bombers & Hoolies in the semifinals.
CSHL PLAYOFF PHRENZY
Redzone, but better. Watch all of the opening weekend games "LIVE" bouncing back and forth between the action.
Editor's Note: I heavily recommend watching this on your CELL PHONE as the quality didn't convert well from the video editor and I didn't have time to redo it
AWARDS
CSHL Announced their Fall 2023 Award Winners before the semifinal matchups of our championship weekend. We saw new and old (literally) faces take home some hardware, let's check in below.
A DIVISON AWARDS
MVP & MVD: #75 Zach McKenna, Huntersville Hooligans
17G & 10A
Moved to North Carolina from New Hampshire
First season in CSHL, won the CSHL's Summer Slapper tournament as part of the Mighty Waymer Power Rangers
As the CSHL expands to three NBHL teams, McKenna will be leading the (redacted) in 2024
MVF: #19 Helinski (Not Pictured), Mighty Mullet Men
11G & 12A
Not Jack Ingalls
Formed an absurdly long forechecking duo with Jeremy Hotchner this season
Won the CSHL's Summer Slapper tournament as part of the Mighty Waymer Power Rangers
MVG: #37 Cale Bowman, Fridge Raiders
1.83 GAA & 1SO
Played two games as a runner, accumulated no points but had a penalty
Very good at goalie
B DIVISON AWARDS
MVP & MVF: #00 Karson Steckler, Waymer Cowbell
12G & 10A
Won the CSHL's Summer Slapper tournament as part of the Mighty Waymer Power Rangers
Predicted his MVP after the Summer Slapper
MVD: #12 Joe Petrellese, Charlottans (C)
11G & 5A
King of full court slappers
Kept his streak of one player tackled per season going (Current Streak: 2)
Last won MVD at the 2002 Canadian American Ball Hockey Championships
Editor's Note: Modern technology allows CSHL Insider to bring this photo to you in COLOR for the first time
MVG: #39 Chris Napierala, Waymer Cowbell
2.92 GAA & 1SO
Went 4-0 for the Mighty Mullet Men in the A Division
Accidentally put leg pads on backwards at the start of their elimination game
JJ Damato Sportsmanship Award Winners
CSHL gives the JJ Damato Sportsmanship Award to both one player from the A and B Divisions at the end of each season. Many players around the league wear helmet decals to honor JJ who tragically passed away during pickup at Waymer Park.
Congratulations to our two winners for their SECOND JJ Damato Sportsmanship award each:
A Division Winner: #24 Jim Bateman, Waymer Wieners (C)
B Division Winner: #45 Nora Castillo, Waymer Cowbell
CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND
NATIONAL ANTHEM
Down go the Cowbell as a promising start to the season fizzled out as their offense completely let MVG Nappy down in this one. There was a hectic opening as the Cowbell Captain Mike Steckler was forced to burn their timeout early due to Nappy putting his goalie pads on the wrong legs. In his defense he said he, “Never wore these pads before”... except in warm ups & he got into the first period before realizing it wasn’t possible to go down. The refs gave an extended timeout for him to correct the issue and that was the end of our Cowbell coverage as they got completely shut down by the more physical NorMonsters team. It’s the second season in a row we saw the primarily kids team flame out in the playoffs via shutout and honestly, it was expected. NorMonsters defenseman Hill Hollowell has two assists on the game and a number of other close shots and Nick Russell scored with time expiring in the 2nd to give them the lead. Russell’s goal came on a play many in yellow thought should be blown dead but the ball was loose outside of Nappy's pads.
Sniper Will Sheridan sealed this one late in the third picking a corner after stickhandling through the Cowbell Defense.
Nick Carey came alive for JJ’s Bombers these playoffs and gave them a lead in the seconds as the Hoolies missed chance after chance on a hot James Hotchner to start the A Division Slate. One of the more disappointing teams in CSHL from a record-to-talent standpoint, it was nice to see them take and hold onto a shutout for approximately 92% of this game. The Bombers killed off a first period penalty, Carey scored two goals, the Hoolies seemed flustered as their misses started to add up… then the Hoolies stars arrived. Zach McKenna snapped one in on off a Forbes faceoff win with 1:49 left. Immediately after, Cookie robbed Forbes of a putback with an elite pokecheck to hold the lead. With the goalie pulled and pressure on, Hoolies Captain James Forbes sent a pass out from behind the net onto Connor’s tape for a one-timer to tie this game up, and had another chance for himself off a back-wall rebound that he missed an open net on to win this at the end of regulation. In overtime, Jayden Steckler drew a tripping penalty from Matt Henry and the Hooligans took advantage with Forbes finishing a one timer from Andy Zachowicz to seal this one. Watch the sequence below.
Next up for the Hooligans, a rematch against Eric LeVigne's Fridge Raiders.
We love a high-scoring game at CSHL Insider and this one had a bit of everything; late period goals, penalties, and an even matchup late in the third. Jeff Kennedy surprised his team by rescheduling his flight and surprised his Charlottans teammates at the rink..then scored the Charlottans first goal of the day on a deflection from a Petrini centering pass.
Hill Hollowell showed off the hands by pulling a loose-ball deke around Joey Petrellese in his own crease and finishing off the first with an end-of-period goal from the neutral zone. 1-1 entering the second, the Charlottans jumped ahead on a quick Beachy backhand goal after NorMonsters Captain Brandon Brownlow took a slashing penalty. Petrini extended the gap on a one-timer from Kennedy giving the Charlottans the most dangerous lead in hockey. NorMonsters Alternate Captain Kendall Kerr scored with :55 left in the 2nd and then Will Sheridan hustled to force a turnover and beat Philemon five-hole to make it an even bout. Jacob Burns hooked Petrini on the hands to stop the clock and Joe P took advantage of the extra man by burying a slapper off Kenendy’s faceoff win. Three goals in 45 seconds is our kind of playoff hockey. Cynthia Clay tied this one on a sweet backhand finish about a minute into the third giving us 5 goals in our last 4 minutes of play. Jenny won a ball in the corner and found Petrini at the net for his second of the game and their 5th & final goal, winning this one and sending the Charlottans to the B Division finals.
When you hear the name Hoolies, you think of the powerhouse line of Steckler & Dunworth and they kicked things off with a bang.
Both goalies played spectacularly in this game as it took high-danger chances to beat them, far or unscreened shots weren’t working here. There was a lot of pressure in the Fridge Raiders end as their runner depth lacked the talent of the Hooligans so Cale in particular faced a higher than normal shot volume in the first period.
This was the typical Fridge Raiders - Hooligans game. PMart didn’t have to face 24 minutes of constant action, but needed the focus to make big, timely saves on counter attacks and during changes. It’s not easy to concentrate with the ball at the other end 80 percent of the time.
Sean Byrnes used his size to take Andy 1v1 and beat PMart to tie the game with 2:45 left. In OT the Hoolies took advantage of a bad turnover by Fridge Raiders Captain Eric LeVigne and put this away. A Division MVP Zach McKenna flicked it over to Forbes who hit McKenna cutting for a one timer that blew past Cale. Two down, one to go for the Hoolies.
Fierce rivals, multiple combacks, chippy play, family dynamics, our Commissioner's final game, THE rivalry of CSHL's B Division is what the fans wanted in the final, and that's what they got.
The Charlottans offense went crazy with 5 goals in their semifinal win and it looked like more of the same here as Joe Berg blasted a one-timer from Matt Stecher to give them a lead.
Just like that, Tom Carriero's High Voltage were behind AGAIN early. This one played even throughout the first as we saw close chances from both teams, especially with the typical shaky goaltending both teams produce. Nick Lavella absolutely SNIPED a corner off a blocked Sevs shot and this one was even going into the break. Neither of these goals fall on the netminders as we are 2/2 on snipes this afternoon. The younger Lavella is another of the High Voltage top-level athletes and will draw interested from the A Division next season.
A close game in the second period and the High Voltage penalty issues started again, these were their 6th & 7th of the playoffs (3 games). Big John & Tom Carriero both took hooking penalties that were killed off. A trend we've seen on the larger rink is hooking calls from older players as the quick doesn't twitch as fast anymore. The rink seemed tilted in the Voltage's favor while playing a man down as they speed was too much for the Charlottans to handle. The third period was nice and calm for about 10 seconds before Nick Lavella buried ANOTHER after a deep shot from converted defenseman Brian Russell. As the game sped up for everyone else, it slowed down for Lavella who was by far the best player on the rink this game.
Nothing Charlottans goalie Carson Philemon could do here as he played by far his best game of the season to keep this one close. Not to be kept down for long, Joe P showed off his notoriously silky hands before blasting one full-court through a Petrini screen to tie this game at two-a-piece.
With this game heading into OT and a champion to be crowned, why waste time say lot word when few word do trick?
After putting the team in front of his career & scoring the game-winning-goal in overtime, Jeff Kennedy is CSHL Insider's Fall 2023 B Division Playoff MVP. Kennedy finished the playoffs with 4G & 2A in four games.
League Commissioner Tom Ward of the Charlottans announced his retirement from CSHL during the week. He goes out in style with his 6th CSHL Adult League Championship.
Let's hear some Words from Worters^tm on this matchup:
The B Division Championships between the Charlottans and High Voltage delivered a rollercoaster of emotions and some outstanding individual performances. Captains Tom Carriero of High Voltage and Joe Petrellese of Charlottans led their teams with intensity, but it was the players on the court who truly stole the show.
Nick Lavella's presence on the court was nothing short of electrifying for High Voltage (ba-dum-tiss). The forward showcased his scoring prowess by netting two goals, two blocks, with 5 shot attempts (3 that turned into shots on net), resulting in an impressive game score of 16. However, it wasn't enough to stop the Charlottans trio of Joe P, Joe B, and Jeff Kennedy. Joe Berg stepped up from the blue line, contributing one goal and one assist. Berg not only found the back of the net but also demonstrated playmaking abilities that added a layer of unpredictability to Charlottans' attack. Captain Joe Petrellese led the way, combining leadership with a timely scoring touch. With a crucial rink length slapper to tie the game and an assist, Petrellese demonstrated his ability to rise to the occasion in high-pressure situations. His six shots and two steals reflected a captain determined to lead both offensively and defensively. Jeff Kennedy, a linchpin in both offensive and defensive capacities, played a big role in Charlottans' triumph while adding a two point night.
Editor's Note: Commissioner Tom Ward holding up "6" for his Six CSHL Adult League Championships
Before the season CSHL Insider had this to say about the Hooligans & Mighty Mullet Men rosters:
Weaknesses:
Goalie: PMart was the 5th goalie chosen, if he can play to the level of their runners they are probably the favorites
Weaknesses:
Playoff Depth: Allegedly, Helinski will be out for the Championship weekend
Helinski is out for the Mullets. PMart & the Hoolies coming in hot off two OT wins. Let's dive into the action.
The Mullet's expectedly started slow as they sat through awards & five other playoff matchups. Even with pressure in their end, things looked steady until McKenna gave the hoolies the lead on a shot from his own blue line that bent in to the bottom corner pasted Gonzo.
It's not often you see flat-footed goal from the other side of the court, and against a team with this much firepower you absolutely can't give the Hooligans any easy breaks. The lead held for another couple of minutes as Gonzo made a nice glove save:
However the Mullet Men were unable to clear the zone on the following faceoff and Forbes deflected a Lozzi pass in to give the Hoolies a 2-0 lead heading into the break.
The second period saw the Mullet Men turn up the heat. With constant pressure in the Hooligans zone we saw a barrage of shots go towards PMart. This was the Mullet team that terrorized our A Division all season, however nothing went past PMart as he made big save after big save.
Down two with the tide shifting, Patrick Byrnes scored a tight wraparound to make this a one goal game. The ball barely crossed the line and per usual all the defensemen pretended the net being off had anything to do with the goal.
Forbes immedately wrang one off the crossbar, PMart made another huge save and as things were winding down, Zachowicz got his stick caught between Jeremy's legs giving the Mullet Men a powerplay with 2:26 remaining. With trouble getting shots on target the Hoolies killed this one easily and were able to reset as PMart covered a slapshot. With under a minute to go and the Mullet's goalie pulled, PMart made another save through a screen and Byrnes just missed on a floating deflection.
The Mullets took a timeout and were unable to get anything on target on the upcoming faceoffs and just like that, the Hooligans are your CSHL A-League Champions.
After a dominating performance in the final, PMart is CSHL Insider's Fall 2023 A Division Playoff MVP. CSHL's Mr. Irrelevant, the 40th pick in our A-League draft, PMart gave up 4 goals in 3 playoff games including 2 overtimes. He saved 22 of 23 shots in the finals to deliver the Hoolies a championship. It took an incredible performance to take the MVP away from Hooligans Captain James Forbes who had 7 points (2G 5A) in four games. Congratulations to Forbes & Lozzi, longtime CSHL members who haven't won a championship before this season.
For an analytical look lets go to our Words from Worters^tm:
The A Division Championship between the Huntersville Hooligans and the Mighty Mullet Men was as tight knit as they come with the Hooligans ultimately prevailing 2-1. The difference was Zach McKenna, who backed up his MVP performance with his play in the finale. McKenna showed up all over the rink, recording a goal, four shots, three shot attempts, and three blocks to record a total Game Score of 13.5. A whopping 4 more points than the next person. Our model has loved McKenna's play all season and this game is no different, with the New Hampshire native posting a dominant performance.
While otherworldly, McKenna's impact on the Hooligans victory was not alone. James Forbes and Frank Lozzi also stepped up, contributing a combined 16.5 game points. The Mighty Mullet Men's success this past season was attributed to the chemistry, vigor, and depth of the roster, as seen in the visualization, their depth was outpaced by the star power of the Hooligans. The unspoken hero of the match however is goaltender Patrick Martin (a.k.a "P-Mart"), who made the saves when his team needed him to, against a stacked team with countless weapons. P-Mart made 22 total saves while putting up a save percentage of .958. While I haven't created a Game Score model for goalies (in the works for next season), I would put my money on P-Mart being right up there with Zach and Forbes.
*Note: Hoolies F #22 Dunworth played sparingly with a hurt foot, and is currently recovering from surgery
Congratulations to the Charottans and Hooligans! Til next season.
FALL 2023 PLAYOFF STATS LEADERS
A Division
B Division
Upcoming Dates and Events:
Our website has a new calendar! Please check out our upcoming events HERE.
KEY DATES:
Tuesday, 12/12 - Hockey Night at Carolina Beer Temple
Monday, 12/18 - Adult Ball Winter Registration Opens
Saturday, 1/6 - Almost Winter Classic
Sunday, 2/18 - CSHL Checkers Night, buy tickets HERE
ALL PLAYOFF GAME VIDEOS HERE
ALL CHAMPIONSHIP PHOTOS HERE
Comments