Week One of the CSHL Fall 2023 season kicked off with a bang as we anticipated this would be the last games on the Waymer Tennis Court we have called home for years. A late-week update confirmed what we feared, that we will have one more weekend in the Octagon due to our new rink surface needing a week to "cure". PLEASE do not make your way onto the new surface until next weekend as this delay is per the recommendation of Huntersville Parks & Rec who I promise know more about the surface requirements than you.
Let's dive into the action.
*We are including the G1 snippet about JJ Damato as last week may have been the final games pending weather on Sunday.
**Game footage on YouTube is available by clicking the Game Title
This was a special day for the JJ’s Bombers as it’s the last week we are playing on the Waymer Tennis Court, our rink where JJ Damato tragically passed away October 3rd, 2020. JJ was an integral part of the CSHL and NASCAR community, serving as the VP of Marketing Services for Joe Gibbs Racing.
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.
The Mighty Mullet Men franchise kicked off, without THE Mullet Man himself captain Jack Ingalls, in style beating Mike Campbell’s Bombers 4-2 to open the season. In a game where the Mullet Men were severely shorthanded, (C: Jack Ingalls, Pete Becht, Chetta Narach, and G: David Gonsalves all out) they battled their depth issues and fell behind to a Chris Cookingham transition goal in the second period on a high-danger feed from Caleb Brownlow.
Congrats Cookie on leading CSHL in goals this season for approximately 3 minutes until Sernus picked a corner on James Hotchner to even the score.
The Mullet Men took the lead late in the 2nd and never looked back as an empty net goal with 30 seconds left sealed the game. Nappy made some huge saves but an overall lack of high-danger chances from the Bombers cost them the game. Jeremy Hotchner (1G, 1A) took a stick to the face that drew blood during the second period, however, to no one's surprise, that went uncalled by the referees.
Mighty Mullet Men Team Review
Strengths:
Length: Helsinki, Jeremy & (kind of) Ward leave very few passing lanes open
Forechecking: Adding Jack to the length will be scary
Limiting high-danger shots: Sernus, Becht, and Pat Byrnes did a great job over the opening weekend at keeping the ball away from the net, most chances came from the points or edge areas
Weaknesses:
Playoff Depth: Allegedly, Helinski will be out for the Championship weekend
JJ’s Bombers Team Review
Strengths:
IQ: Entire roster is full of players who are really, really smart ball hockey players
Passing: Roster has good passers up and down the lineup
Greco Ball: A lot of big goals and clutch plays especially late in games, can’t count them out until the final buzzer
Weaknesses:
Scoring Depth: Will the Bombers get goals from outside their top couple of guys
In the first game of the season for two teams we saw go with polar opposite draft strategies. Head Wiener in Charge Jim Bateman took guaranteed goals with JY in the first and Captain Eric Levigne decided to draft the CSHL’s best goalie Cale Bowman second overall, and the early results look like Bateman had the edge in strategy. The Wieners jumped out ahead as JY found space in the slot and pounded his..shot through the crease for an early lead. There wasn’t much action until the 3rd when JY put home another, kind of, as video review shows the ball came clean off the crossbar…
...and then chaos erupted. Chasing down a ball in the corner LeVigne blasted CSHL newcomer (and FFH Tournament MVP) Jake Cuomo from behind, sending him face-first into the fence.
The completely unnecessary play drew a major penalty from LeVigne for checking from behind and a minor from HWIC Jim Bateman as he rushed across cross the court in defense of his player. We’re all glad Jake was okay, but holy hell what a welcome to the CSHL moment - one we hope there isn’t any more of. (Editor's note, in the event of a major penalty the opposing team is awarded a penalty shot).
Eric LeVigne was suspended by the league for one game. He will serve this suspension on September 17th against the Mighty Mullet Men.
Waymer Wieners Team Review:
Strengths:
Finishing: Any team with Bateman & JY in the middle will score goals
Goaltending: Danny is arguably the 2nd best goalie in CSHL and can win games for a team
Roster Versatility: There’s a lot of different skill sets on the Wieners, so they should be able to adjust to their competition’s play style
Weaknesses:
Speed: Only a few “fast” players on the team, how will they run on the big rink
Fridge Raiders Team Review:
Strengths:
Goaltending: If Cale is hot on Championship Sunday, watch out
Aggressiveness: Physical players are up and down the Fridge Raiders lineup
Effort: An Eric-led team will give max effort every game
Weaknesses:
Scoring: The crux of going goalie at 1.03, Arkus & LeVigne are potential double digit guys but will they get 5+ from anyone else
This was the Hooligans first game of the season as they took the octagon without Captain James Forbes who was at the youth soccer game, not very Canadian of him, and things started off strong with Cookie almost dying from a Zach McKenna dump into the bench. Dunworth got off the mark with potentially the weirdest goal of the season but we don’t goal shame on CSHLINSIDER.
Greco picked the near post on a pass from captain Mike Campbell to tie it up followed by a Benny Thompson goal where the Hooligans knocked their own net offline. In the third Dunworth tied it up on a rebound opportunity from Frank Lozzi’s shot giving him two goals at a combined 34 mph. Fortunately for Dennis 1 goal = 1 goal and they both counted. The Hooligans had pressure before an absolute dime from Caleb to Greco gave them the lead for good as JJ’s Bombers secured a meaningful win in their last game at Waymer’s tennis court (pending weather this weekend).
Huntersville Hooligans Team Review:
Strengths:
Firepower: Forbes, McKenna, Janiga can let it rip. Zachowicz and Dunworth pick corners, a lot of options for goals
Defense: Depending on where McKenna lines up, the Hooligans go 4 deep with first or second tier CSHL defensemen
Depth: They go 8 deep with players who can impact their games in various ways
Weaknesses:
Goalie: PMart was the 5th goalie chosen, if he can play to the level of their runners they are probably the favorites
“I don’t wanna play this team once they get Jack”
“This is an ass kicking boys”
The Mullet Men couldn’t be stopped their second game of the day. Trapping harder than Rios on a corner in Queens, the Mullets controlled this one from buzzer to buzzer with a forecheck that seemingly covered the entire rink. In the 2nd Nappy made an incredible save on a snapshot from Bateman to take some air out of the Wieners.
Goals from Helinski, Hotchner & Byrnes gave the Mullets a 3-0 lead before a Jon Hotch goal closed the gap in the end of the second to 3-1. Scary moment to start the 3rd period as Scott Urquhart took a deflection to the face splitting his lip and requiring 5 stitches.
CSHL Insider is happy to name Scott their first official DAWG of the Week.
Sernus and Byrnes chipped in another goal, each finishing with 3 on the day. Kevin Helinski had 5 points on the weekend (1G, 4A) en route to becoming our CSHL Insider A Division Player of the Week.
Game Five: Fridge Raiders 1, Huntersville Hooligans 1
Both teams came into this game looking for their first win of the season and neither team was successful as great net-minding suppressed scoring in this one. There were some complaints about the orange balls bouncing as we got into the midday heat. A net side Arkus grabbed his first goal of the season for the Fridge Raiders. PMart had a great period as the Hooligans faced a ton of pressure in their own zone and Cale made a yankee-doodle-dandy save on Jayden Steckler in the 2nd kept the Fridge Raiders in the driver's seat.
Zach McKenna tied the game, tucking one around the goalie through pressure from Chris Bayne. This goal is our CSHL Insider A Division Play of the Week.
The Fridge Raiders had a chance with time expiring but nothing came of it, both teams left the weekend without a victory.
*While every team makes CSHL’s playoffs, it’s not an automatic double elimination in the early rounds anymore. The 4 and 5 seeds have a one game play-in to the modified double elimination tournament, making the regular season more impactful than previous years.
B DIVISION SLATE:
NorMonsters Captain Brandon Brownlow was excited about his team entering their opening game:
…and that excitement didn't last for long as CSHL Insider’s preseason favorite NorMonsters got hammered by new captain Mike Steckler’s Waymer Cowbell to open the season. A battle of the top two goalies in this division, Nappy & Bergie kept the majority of shots out as we had a defensive battle throughout most of the game. The Cowbell’s Steckler duo will be trouble for teams this season as they have as opposite play styles and body types as possible. Steck did what Steck does by scoring on a low shot in the first & Karson extended the lead with some silky hands and an immediate penalty following his celebration, which drew some jeers from the crowd.
Brandon Brownlow made it a one goal game in the 3rd with an absolute ROCKET from the point, earning CSHL Insider B Division Play of the Week.
He wasn’t able to capitalize on an opportunity with 15 seconds left as his shot went wide, and the Cowbell secured their first win of the season. With the youth on the Cowbell (Karson, Heslin, Terjesen, Bowser) they should have fresh legs deep into games.
Waymer Cowbell Team Review:
Strengths:
Goaltending: Nappy won two A Division games before his Cowbell games, he’s the most athletic of these goalies and can single-handedly carry a team
Hustle: We saw it the first game, Steckler and Haley Gourdie bring a lot of leadership and this group won’t take plays off
Speed: Once Tyler Brown gets back this group will be able to get balls deep and keep pressure
Weaknesses:
Size: Will all the youth hurt them in the corners and dirty areas?
NorMonsters Team Review:
Strengths:
Scoring: Brownlow and Hollowell can rip it from the points, Kendall and May are proven CSHL goal scorers
Chemistry: The trio of Brownlow, Kerr and May made a strong run together in last years league league plus they added a ton of talent to the roster
Goalie: Bergie won MVG and a championship last season with CDI
Weaknesses:
Speed: Do they have the natural runners to compete with a couple of other teams in this division
Joe Petrellese’s Charlottans took on Tom Carriero’s resurrected High Voltage franchise to kick off their seasons with an instant classic. Fun fact: Joe P & Tom C shared the same defensive partner in NY ball hockey, Joe playing with him after Tom moved away. Joe P gave his team the lead in the first by going five hole, an early theme among the veteran players, on Voltage goalie Josh Cummings. The Voltage fought back, ending the first period with goals from CSHL newcomer Nick Lavella and Sara Cuozzo who put in her own rebound. Pittsburgh’s own Big John Lavella extended the lead in the 2nd with a week one top play nominee:
The Joe’s combined to close the gap as Berg finished a Petrellese rebound and made it a one-goal game. AJ Yasav extended the lead on a putback from Severins’ shot. The High Voltage defense held strong for most of the period until 30 seconds left when the Charlottan’s pulled their goalie and Jenny O’Handly scored in the middle of a net scrum. Utilizing the extra man they had a handful more chances but Cummings kept the ball out to seal the victory, High Voltage’s first of the season. Editor's note, new CSHL Adult League Commissioner Tom Ward was absent from this game, really makes you question his commitment...
Check out the last two minutes of game footage:
Charlottans Team Review:
Strengths:
High-end Skill: Joe P and Kennedy have the best stick skills in B league and Petrini has had elite old man game since he was nine
IQ: A ton of experienced players who know their roles up and down the roster, always have a net presence in Jenny, Tom Ward winning pedigree
Upside: The inexperience on this team can get a lot better as the season progresses
Weaknesses:
Age: The team is older than others, can they handle 3 games in a day in the playoffs if necessary
High Voltage Team Review:
Strengths:
Defensive Speed: Brad and Sevs swallow up everything in transition
Roster Depth: This is the best group of runners in the B Division AND they add Brian Russell this week
Offense: This team will score a lot of times, in a lot of ways, from a lot of different players
Weaknesses:
Rebounds: Cummings is a new goalie and it showed a couple of times in week one with rebound opportunities, plenty of time to clean that up
A new wrinkle to the B Division this season is one team having to play back-to-back each week and the Charlottans draw the short stick on Sunday. With tired legs and that sweet Charlotte humidity, they got run off the rink by a relentless NorMonsters team looking for revenge after their opening season loss. Last season’s MVG Bergie earned his first shutout of the season, finishing the day with a 1.00 GAA. Will Sheridan scored his first two goals in the CSHL, Kendall put one in, ice convert Hill Hollowell sniped one past a tired James Borusso (goalie sub) and then Mark Kaltschnee finished with a couple of his own. 6 goals and none from Brandon Brownlow is a scary site for other teams in this division.
What better way to end the day than a battle for first place in the division, most of which was streamed live on facebook with play by play from our CEO Josh Greco (link in game title)
AJ Yasav got High Voltage energized by finishing a pass from Brandon Rios to start the scoring, quickly followed by a Rios goal from the slot. AJ's second goal of the day had this one looking like a blowout as Nappy showed signs of fatigue playing his fourth game of the day before Steckler picked a bottom corner off the rush in the middle portion of the 2nd period. Tom Carriero put the fourth High Voltage goal past Nappy as this looked like a blowout before the tides turned. Karson Steckler banged home another as Terjesen got the apple and Nick Harris finished a rebound in front of the net to make it a one-goal game late in the third. Karson Steckler finished the day with 2G and 2A to earn CSHL Insider's Week One B Division Player of the Week. The Cowbell actively worked to get the ball in deep but were unable to close the gap as an empty net goal by captain Tom Carriero sealed their fate and gave High Voltage an early lead in the standings.
As time expired, Nick Severins deflected a Jeff Kennedy pass resulting in Brandon Rios gaining possession in front of the opposition's net. With teammate AJ Yasav wide open on the back side, sitting on a hat trick AND the game won, Rios inexplicably DECIDED TO SHOOT IT HIMSELF.
CSHL Insider would like to congratulate Brandon Rios on earning our first ever NOT Top Play of the Week.
No word yet from High Voltage HQ if there will be any internal discipline for Rios.
BONUS:
CSHL Insider would like to congratulate the Queen City Crowns' James Forbes on winning the NBHL Carolina Division Most Valuable Defender Award! Forbesy finished the season with 6 goals, 2 assists, and 3 cracked ribs due to a butt-end of a stick against the Raleigh Squall.
