Eldo beats Talk, advances to Toilet Bowl

Town league championship game Thursday at 9

by Than Acuff

Town league hockey is wrapping up the 2016 season and things on one end have reached a feverish pitch while things on the other end… not so much.

As of Tuesday morning, March 1 there were four teams battling for a spot in the town league championship game and four teams battling for a shot at the town league hockey consolation finals, a.k.a the Toilet Bowl.

By the end of Super Tuesday Altitude Painting secured their spot in the town league finals with a 4-0 win over Ska Brewing, and the Eldo punched their ticket to the “Toilet Bowl” as they skated to a 3-1 win over the Talk of the Town—not only ending the season for the Talk team but also bringing an end to a prolific season for second-year player Bruce Winchenbach. Rumor has it that Winchenbach, often considered one of the best snowboarders in town, may have scored more goals this year than days he’s ridden. I know I personally saw him score five goals in my coverage of town league, including another one Tuesday night.

The energy Tuesday night was somewhat subdued at the Talk/Eldo game and the Talk used the opportunity to switch things up by taking their best player, Billy Watson, and sticking him in net and unleashing their goalie Montana Wiggins and letting him skate.

Furthermore, the Eldo’s goalie was nowhere to be found so they called upon WEHA Wolverines net minder Remy “Remdog Millionaire” Zanotto to stand between the pipes.

After the first few minutes of confusion on the ice, the Eldo settled into their rhythm to take control of the game sparked by Paul O’Connor. John Hickey picked up the puck in neutral ice and pushed it wide to O’Connor and when no one got in the slot to set up for a goal, O’Connor took it himself to fire a shot just inside the near post for a 1-0 Eldo lead.

The Eldo continued firing away on the Talk, and while the Talk managed to hold off the barrage for the most part and Watson managed to deny shots with some cat-like, yet unconventional saves, the Eldo added a second goal as Patrick Curvin pushed the puck past Watson during a full on melee in front of the Talk net.

But the Talk did manage a few odd rushes from their zone and they finally broke through in the final minute of the first period as Molly Keating carried the puck behind the Eldo net and fed Winchenbach in the slot for another classic Winchenbach goal.

The two teams spent the majority of the second period trading off jabs at each other. Talk would surge, Eldo would hold off. Eldo would surge and Watson would make a save with the handle of his stick, back and forth, a shot here and a shot there.

The Talk got what appeared to be a break when Hank Deroche picked up a mystery penalty for something someone else did, but the Talk power play turned into an Eldo shorthanded goal when O’Connor stripped the puck off a Talk player and skated straight to net to bury it at the buzzer for a 3-1 Eldo lead heading into the third period.

The defensive effort of Niki O’Connor and the work of franchise players Deroche, Pete Curvin and Hickey handcuffed the Talk attack as the Eldo continued to set the tone for the game. Occasionally, John Wirsing would release a shot or Thomas Mclean would go on one his one-man mystery attacks but the Eldo had things sewn up tight and slid to the 3-1 win to advance to the Toilet Bowl.

Town league hockey comes to a close on Thursday, March 3 with the Toilet Bowl at 7:15 p.m. and the town league championship game at 9 p.m.

Speaking of toilet bowls, Donald Trump appears to have taken one step closer to winning the Republican Presidential nomination.

Is it still funny?

Kind of, but it’s more nervous laughter now.