Zombies beat Leafs!

CADavers(2) vs. NESHL Leafs
Tuesday May 11th
10:20pm Canton

4-2 victory for the Dead in Red.

The Cads were back in action on Tuesday night.
Here is the gamestory from SuperGuestBlogger Dr. Jasse:

Hopes were high as we saw the assembled team of newbies gather in the Canton lobby and procure their bran’ spankin’ new blue jerseys. Games vs. clinic teams in the past usually guaranteed not only a victory but huge deposits in individual stat-whores score sheet accounts. So, confidence in the locker room was high as we knew we had a solid line-up against what we assumed would be a pushover of an opponent.
Brian ‘long arm of the law’ Carey (looking very undercover bad-ass with his new chops) would be ‘twixt the pipes.
The formidable D would be the foursome of
Mark R, DWH, Mike Daley and fresh off the IR, Kevin Parker
We had one no-show so Larry and Jason Seaver would center the 3 pairs of wings made up of:
Jasse & AK
Eric & Matt Elliott
Scott Pounds & Dan Greggson

Right off the bat the line of Larry, Jasse and AK would attack the offensive zone, swarm the net and have 2 near-misses; Jasse couldn’t quite tuck the puck in off the side of the net and Larry almost banged home a rebound out front. Good start but no finish.

Lines would change and Jason Seaver (let us applaud management’s scouting and farm system) would make his presence immediately felt. 1 shift, 2 shots, 2 pieces of rubber touching the twine. For a squad that found itself offensively challenged much of last season this guy is an immediate upgrade and welcome addition.

Speaking of upgrades, Eric Bauer may not have made the scoresheet but his impact was felt throughout the game and another obvious improvement to our forward lines. He had consistent, hard-working shifts all night and it won’t be long before this guy joins the scoring parade; he too has hockey smarts and skill.
So, 2-0 good guys at the end of one.

Not too far into the start of the second, Jasse and AK put on (if I dare say) a dazzling passing clinic which was essentially a tic-tac-toe through the neutral ice into the offensive zone which ended up with AK taking a cross ice pass from Jasse at the doorstep and bangin’ it home. Pretty stuff and 3 nill.

This was not your father’s clinic squad. They too had some skaters and anytime an opposing player dons a no shield helmet, defense beware. This guy made a pretty twirl in the slot move and blew one by Brian to cut the lead 3-1. No worries; Jasse with a touch pass to Seaver who threads a pretty pass to AK parked in the EXACT SAME SPOT as before to slam it home. 4-1.
The Leafs would find the back of the net to make it 4-2 and then really turn on the pressure but our D and Brian Serpico Carey would shut the door.

Game Stars:
3rd Star: Reynolds, Daley, DWH, Parker. Don’t let the name of the opponent fool you; the assemble clinic group brought it last night and had their chances. But the puck control of DHW & Daley combined with the tough shut ‘em down tenacity of Parker & Reynolds really shut the door on these guys.
2nd Star: Ken AK Douville. He is always around the net. Ak is always a pest in the offensive zone with his wheels and his high-motor persistence. His effort netted him 2 goals and an all around excellent game
1st Star: Jason Seaver, 2 goals and a helper. This guy is going to be huge for our team, obviously. But what I also liked about him was his self-less play. Anyone remember Dixit? Clearly the best skater on the ice (poetry in motion on blades) but his 8 ½ minute shifts and no-pass attitude got him shipped out of town (that and a job offer). Seaver was feeding the wingers all night, strong on face-offs and in the D zone. Good stuff

The IR turnstile: The IR gives and taketh away:
We welcome back Brian (who looked sharp) and Parker (who always plays a consistent hard-fought game) from the MASH unit and we say adios to Jasse. A pulled groin a few months back turned into something worse last night and he’ll be on the shelf for a bit.