The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
“Whoa, Nelly”
[ by Than Acuff ]
Sometimes the Brick Oven has dollar slices, typically the spinning tray refugees. I’m definitely all about reduced-priced slices. Speaking of the Brick Oven and spinning, Wednesday night in town league hockey the Brick Oven was left spinning as the pace and precision of Clark’s Market proved overwhelming as Clark’s Market skated to a 5-1 win in town league hockey action.
Clark’s Market had been struggling in recent town league seasons, finishing last year in last place, but once they got self-check-out registers, a pharmacy and started carrying the bread I like, everything has improved from the aisles to the rink for Clark’s Market.
To quote venerable college football announcer Keith Jackson, “Whoa, Nelly.”
Parking lot? Not so much. But that’s how we “keep it real” here.
The first five minutes of the game proved that we had two very well disciplined teams on our hands. The Brick Oven is near obsessive about their hockey having played in both the Gunnison fall league and the Crested Butte town league for the past several seasons. And while the roster may vary between the two teams, there is a foundation in place that could carry them to success.
On the other side of the puck, Clark’s Market was equally well positioned at all times on the ice, they just had that extra gear. That extra gear eventually paid off six minutes into the game when Shai Ovadia stripped the puck off a Brick Oven player at the blue line, blew past the lone Brick defenseman left in his way and fired the puck past Devon Carrillo.
Eighteen seconds later sweatpants speedster Hunter Grosvenor scored off an assist from Deven Perschke (brother of local famous town league goalie Roan?) and then Grosvenor scored off the ensuing face-off for a 3-0 Clark’s Market lead.
Ben Preston did all he could to keep things in tact for the Brick Oven defense and Ted Trujillo looked to score only to find the post in the waning moments of the first period leaving the Brick Oven to regroup for the second period.
They did and Carrillo came up with some key saves throughout but the Brick Oven continued to struggle in the offensive zone. Granted, they held Clark’s Market scoreless but, conversely, did nothing to cut into the lead.
The shift in energy was in the Brick Oven’s favor until a minute into the third period though as Taylor Reeves slipped free up ice to take a pass from Ovadia and score. A minute later Ovadia scored off a pass from Grosvenor for a commanding 5-0 lead over the Brick Oven.
The Brick did finally ruin Eric DiMarco’s shutout bid during a powerplay as Preston fired a shot and Trujillo tipped it in but the hole was too deep, the slices too stale to sell, and Clark’s market skated through the remaining six minutes to seal the 5-1 win.
