Game 1: Tusken Raiders vs. Jar Jars
These two teams came into this meeting tied with the worst record in the league. Equal across the board, this could have gone either way; however, missing the leadership of team captain David Penn and to a much lesser degree, the stalwart knowledge of Brad Repka, the Jar Jars often looked lost and confused.
Not to be outdone, the Tusken Raiders had to handle this game without the age old wisdom of Colin Lang. Nick McMahon suited up in his place and performed exactly as we expected him to. Nothing more. Nothing less.
The game started off slow as the first half of the first half only saw one goal. Meanwhile, the last 6 minutes of the first half saw 6 total goals as the Raiders took a commanding 7-3 lead into the intermission. It was noted by Raiders goalie Felipe Rodriguez that all 3 goals scored on him were directly the fault of his team blocking shots and redirecting pucks – either into the net or right back to an open JJs skater. It’s officially on the record Felipe. Calm down.
League newcomer Abdiel Amador netted 4 of his 6 goals on the night in that first half. “It’s easy when you have great teammates,” said Amador. “Just imagine what I could have done if I had those great teammates.”
The second half was a much tighter contest as the JJs mounted a late-game comeback attempt. Placing Evan Cumpston and sub-Marley Ros on a line gave the team an immediate kick start, but the hole was too deep. This one ended 12-7 in the Raiders’ favor.
Said Cumpston on his way out, “It’s great to be alive!” Indeed it is.
Game 2: R2D2s vs. Bounty Hunters
This was billed as the heavyweight game of the night, and it did not disappoint. Both teams came into this game undefeated. Only one could leave unscratched. Who would it be? TLDR: It was the Bounty Hunters. Spoiler Alert After the Fact
It took less than a minute for the Bounty Hunters to get on the board and it looked like this one might be over quick. It was the only goal the Hunters would score in the period while giving up 4. R2D2s forward Gary Burdge lead the way in goals and trash talk. Surprisingly, the trash talk was directed at ref Mike Mallery. No one has any idea why, though.
During the intermission, Hunters forward Robert Robles reenacted his favorite Game of Thrones meme. Down on one knee, he let out a deafening roar, “Brace yourself! Second half Chad is coming!”
The second half went just as Robles predicted. The Hunters went to work scoring 5 unanswered goals giving them a slim 6-4 lead. The R2s, meanwhile, couldn’t get back on the offensive. They did trade a goals to push the score to 7-5, but time was running out.
As the period was drawing to a close, we ran into stop time, and the screeching about the clock started as we neared the 2-minute mark and came to a crescendo at the first whistle. The R2s got back on the offensive and drew to within 1, but the age-old strategy of leaving your goalie in the net in a close game did exactly what it was supposed to do – nothing.
The clock eventually ran out on the R2s comback chances, and the game ended with the Hunters taking a victory lap on a 7-6 win.