Week 9 Must be BETTER!

No comment on going 1-5 last week. Every season has its upset week, so I'm calling week #8 my "trash can" week and throwing those picks away.

Its time for redemption and time to go 6-0 to show everyone I can analyze with the best of them.

Legends Vs. Plaza
This has got to be better than the Colts / Patriots match up. You've got 2 teams looking to come out as champs in the CLW division (C League Wednesday). This should be a tight game with the lead changing several times. Since my prediction is Colts over Patriots, I have to go with Plaza on this one as Plaza Printer starts with "P" and so does Peyton Manning.

Mike Vs. Joe
After the first match up goes to a shoot out, this one will not. Alien Joe will be missing some key players. Topliff is in Florida on a try-out for the Orlando Express Men's B League team, Van Patten is rehabbing a shattered spine but should be back next week & Mertz is out indifinitely as his agent is asking for more money. Although the fire power of the Dylo Bros., and Kielty Bros. will be strong, they will all be calling for their moms as they lose this one.

Bearings Vs. Irwins
Irwins coming off back to back wins and Bearings off back to back losses makes this game an obviously easy pick. Obvious how you ask? The number 3 is the answer. The game is played on Oct. 31st which has a 3 in it. Irwins has 3 ladies playing. This is the 3rd game of the night and Wednesday is the 3rd day of the business week. Therefore Irwins wins their 3rd in a row and Bearings loses their 3rd.

Sunday
Dons VS Coke/YDD
Going back to the Colts / Patriots comparison, this game will be a good one. Since neither team's name starts with a "P" as in Peyton, we have to dig deeper to get this one right. Coca Cola/Yankee Doodle Dandy wins this one for one big reason. The Indianapolis Colts were originally named the "Indianapolis Cokes". Due to legal issues that were unresolvable, they changed their name. Coke wins this one.

Team 4 Vs. Waste Management
As tempting as it is to take this upset, and finally pick Team 4 to win, not gonna happen. WM also stands for "Win More"..so we're going to pick them to edge out a win and keep Team 4 hungry for the elusive first win.

Cup O Kryptonite Vs. Alien Hockey
This week has Alien losing to the up & coming super power of Kryptonite. Alien will show signs of strength early on, but will not keep up with Johnson's crew of scoring maniacs. Goaltending may be a factor here, but Bailey will eat too much at the Machine Shed and be sluggish all game.

To Recap
Favorite Spread Underdog
Plaza 1 Legends
Joe 2 Mike
Irwins 3 Bearings
Coke/YDD 3 Dons
WM 4 Team 4
Kryptonite 3 Alien

Get ready for 6-0.

Updated Adult League Stats

If you haven't looked yet, there is a new Standings and Stats page for C & D Leagues.

On our main homepage, the C/D Adult League link goes to a site designed and updated by Tony Hansen, He plays out in C League on Wednesdays for Bearing Group and as a goalie for 11 to 7 Insurance in D League. www.dmahockey.com

I will continue to blog info about the league and make sure all bettors know the spreads each game.

He has taken it upon himself to significantly improve my thrown together stats page and make it more complete and "cooler".

Give him some thanks when the opportunity arises but more importantly, send him your emails when your big game winning assist was missed in the stats book.
Please be patient with any requests or suggestions as he has other things to do and we don't pay him enough to complain.

Thanks Tony!!!

ISU Hockey Game

On Saturday November 3rd, ISU Hockey plays Michigan-Dearborn at the Bucs Arena at 1:30 PM.

For those who do not know, Brian Wierson is coaching the team. Brian was the rink manager at Metro Ice a short time ago and was instrumental in working with me to help grow, coordinate & organize the men's league at MISF. He put on Beginner Adult Clinics , as well as many kids camps for Intro Level kids.

It is our time to say thanks and support him in his new position and get the numbers up at his game here in Des Moines.

We have vouchers for "2 for 1" tickets to this game at our store. Stop in to get your voucher today. Ticket prices are as follow:
Adults $8
Students $6
Kids (12 & under) $4

For those who can't do math, $8 with this coupon gets 2 adults in. Thats $4 per ticket. Small price to pay for some great hockey and more importantly, supporting a great coach & developer (Brian owes me for saying that)

Lets get a rowdy crowd going to cheer him on!!!!

*** Note-This ticket does NOT get you into the Bucs game that night, but don't be a cheapskate. Buy a ticket to the Bucs game as well and support them too!

Desperate Times....

On Tuesday October 23rd at 4:27 PM, the call came in. "Can you do it?", "Can you come out of retirement and strap on the pads?", "Will you defend the net once again?"

There was a Novice League Game scheduled at Wells Fargo during intermission last night. The Cup O' Kryptonite Team was to face 11 to 7 Insurance. A last minute issue had Cup O' Kryptonite's goalie unable to attend. Captain Matt Johnson's began to sweat and worried about the fate of his team. He even contemplated putting the pads on himself, but then he may have made the boldest decison ever. "Would Joe Bafia put the pads on once again?"

After talking with me for over an hour, begging for my services, I agreed. Although I felt it was unfair to the other team, that a person of my ability would once again entertain the world (or in this case Des Moines), I wanted another opportunity to be on the grand stage.

As we geared up in the locker room prior to the big event, there was a deafening silence as Tony Hansen (the other goalie) and I stared each other down. No words exchanged, just an unspoken rivalry that has lasted decades.

I had my team focused. "You guys worry about scoring", I proclaimed. "The puck will never enter the our net", I guaranteed. As the puck dropped, I flashed back to 1964. My first game against the Swedish National Team had us up by 1 goal with 2 minutes left. We were shorthanded with 3 players in the box and they had pulled their netminder to throw 6 players against our 2 defensmen. (Back in the European Elite League, thats how we played). Although that was the longest 2 minutes of my goaltending life, it was my proudest moment. As my 2 defensemen both had broken sticks that they had to discard, but could not get off to change, I faced a record breaking 114 shots in those 120 seconds. Glove side, stick side, five hole...nothing got through.

Back to the current game, nothing changed. As my unorthodox "caterpillar" style of goaltending took over in place of the more common "butterfly" style, I once again stopped them all. It gave fans another glimpse of greatness that they thought they would never see again.

As Tony stood 176' away, he remained solid as well. The pressure of facing one of the greatest goalies ever did not have him panicked.

As the game ended in a 0-0 finish, we skated off the ice. Players celebrating, smiling & congratulating each other for a game well played, while Tony & I continued where we left off. Silent stares through the corridors heading to the locker room. Quietly, I removed my gear while listening to teammates describe their outstanding play. As everyone exited the locker room, I exchanged glances with Tony one last time. I gave him the traditional "head bob" indicating "nice game" but I did not utter a sound. Surprisingly, the long standing goalie code was broken when Tony muttered under his breath "nice work."

And so the saga continues. Another perfect performance by 2 outstanding goaltenders in the record books. Until next time Tony...oh yeah..and "Nice Work."

Place Your Bets!

A wild and crazy Week #7 has me going 3-3 with picks. Lets review.

Wednesday was full of upsets as every pick I made was wrong. Plaza beats Bearings in a close one. 2 goals by Sedrel and 3 assists by Patava sealed Bearings fate as my first pick was wrong.

In game #2 Alien Mike decided they were going to take the night off. My prediction made Mike the favorite by 3 and they end up losing by 6. I think they may have felt pity on the Irwins team and allowed them to get their first win. Goodman led his team with 4 points like a true captain should and Madson added 2 goals. Great job Perry getting the lone goal for Alien Mike.

Game #3 was another close one. I had Alien Joe winning by 1, but the score was reversed and Legends wins by 1. Alien Joe was ready to pull goalie Barker after a poor performance, but we realized we had no back up. Lenhard earns 3 points for Legends while Bishop, Topliff and Van Patten earn points for Alien Joe.

Redemption happened on Sunday as I go 3-0 with these picks.
I had Don's Auto winning by 7. Final score was Don's 10, other guys 4. I asked Don's Auto Team Captain about why they didn't cover the spread. "We had opportunities to score that last one, but didn't want to run up the score."

Waste Management loses 8-1 to Coca Cola/Yankee Doodle Dandy . Although I had this game closer, a win is a win. Wehrenberg gets 4 points in this victory for Coke while Hutton is lone scorer for WM.

A 6-3 Cup 'O Kryptonite win over 11 to 7 Insurance finishes off my perfect streak on Sunday. Grahm scores a goal for both teams (don't ask its complicated). Newcomer Richter lights it up with 2 goals & 2 assists as well for Kryptonite.

This week's picks
Wednesday C League
Bearings & Legends square off in the opener. With Legends coming off a close win and Bearings coming in after a close loss, this will be the EVEN game of the week. No points given here as I predict Bearings wins this one in a game that may see OT.

Alien Joe squares off against Irwins. After a big win for Irwins last week, Alien Joe will make them realize that they still are a last place team. "The cellar is where they belong" stated Topliff, "and we're gonna send them there." Big words Shawn, hope you step up. Final score: Alien Joe 5, Irwins 1.

Plaza matches up against Alien Mike in the Wednesday finale. New addition to the ranks, Katie Patterson will join Alien Mike tonight for her debut. This, however will not be enough to stop the onslaught by Plaza. Plaza wins this one by 3.

Sunday C league
In what could be the biggest thrashing of the season, Coca Cola/ YDD puts on an offensive clinic in this one and blows it wide open in the first period. Team 4 does not get a win tonight as they lose by 12. Donuts (and coca cola) for everyone.

Don's Auto faces Waste Management in the Sunday night. This is my ULTRA-SUPER LOCK, TRIPLE A, SUPREME PICK of the Week. Waste Management brings the heat for this one and gets the upset win over the over cocky and confident team of Don's. I hope Don's Auto has a wrecker waiting after the game to pick up the pieces of there broken down team. WM by 2 in this one.


Sunday D League
11 to 7 Insurance faces Alien Hockey. 11 to 7 is not happy with their performance last week and will let Alien Hockey know about it. This one goes in the books as 11 to 7 winning by 3.

To Recap:
Favorite Spread Underdog

Bearings EVEN Legends
Alien Joe +4 Irwins
Plaza +3 Alien Mike
Coke/YDD +12 Team 4
Waste Management +2 Don's
11 to 7 +2 Alien Hockey

Good luck and you bet the house on these!

Support our Bucs!

Tonight at Carlos O'Kelly's located at 4371 Merle Hay Road from 6-7pm “Bucs Talk Live”. Come talk hockey with Head Coach Regg Simon, Kyle Bailey, and Rody Selk. Additional Bucs players will be in attendance so make sure to come on out. There will also be drink specials during “Bucs Talk Live”. "Bucs Talk Live" is every Monday at Carlos O'Kelly's on Merle Hay.

This is from an email I received from the Des Moines Bucs. Go out and show some support!

Another Playing Opportunity at Wells Fargo

Didn't get a chance to play at Wells Fargo last year? Didn't get in on the first game this year?

Well here are 2 more opportunities to skate at Wells Fargo after an Iowa Stars Home game.

On Friday, November 16th, players from the D League will have an opportunity to skate a full game after the Stars Game. We will take the first 24 players & 2 goalies that register.

On Friday, November 30th, players from the C League will have an opportunity to skate a full game after the Stars Game. We will take the first 24 players & 2 goalies. HOWEVER, we will give an opportunity to those players who have not yet had a chance to skate their this year. I will give new players until Wednesday, October 31st a chance to register. After that, I will open up to whomever wants to do it from C League.

Important notes for both these games.

• We need to sell a minimum of 100 tickets to the Iowa Stars Game that night.
• The tickets are $9.50 each (this includes the Stars Game, your playing time, a hot dog, chips & drink)
• Each player is required to sell a minimum of 4 tickets (there is no maximum)
• To secure your spot, you must pre-pay $38 (for the 4 tix min.)
• Once you have paid your $38, you can still order more tickets (deadline is typically 2 days prior to the actual game date)
• Once I turn in all money and orders, tickets will be given to me to distribute

Start spreading the word for these 2 events. We had 200 tickets sold for the first game we did, so let's keep it up so more opportunities like this happen.

The registration starts now!

Select Try Outs

If you would like your child to tryout for the Select Team, the deadline for registration is Thursday, October 18th. Tryout dates and times are posted on Des Moines Youth Hockey's website www.dmyha.com . If you want more info on the Select program, visit the DMYHA website as well.

Delayed Update...sorry.

My apologies for not getting the update sooner. There will be no recorded update this week, so here is the review & preview.

Since I was "money" for last Wednesdays picks, let's review Sunday.
I had Team 4 winning their first game by 2 over Waste Management. Although I was wrong with this pick, its not totally my fault. Who would have thought that Ulrich, Mitchell & Carlson woould step up to be heros? That was an unpredictable factor and should not go against me.
On the other hand, I was DEAD ON with my Coca Cola/YDD +4 pick. A final of 6-2 had Don's Auto losing and me winning.

For D league, another unpredicatble game had Alien Hockey win by 5. My pick was Kryptonite by +2, but Grahm and Gugat teamed up for 6 goals to pull out the upset win for Alien.

My record last week is 4-2 and which in Vegas would be pretty darn good. Now to this week's match up.

Wednesday C League
Game 1 - Plaza Printers Vs. Bearing Group.
This is a tough one. As Plaza comes off a disappointing loss to Alien Joe, they want people to know they are still the team to beat. The Bearings Group has refocused after a tough loss to Alien Joe 2 weeks ago, to beat a very solid Alien Mike team last week with no effort. I've got to go with Bearings Group this week as they are beginning to gel better as a unit.

Game 2 - Alien Mike Vs. Irwins
Wow! Irwins hangs in there with Legends last week in a game that goes to OT. Although they lost, you can see a new sparkle in their eye. New addition Brekke adds a bit more offense and now makes Irwins a contender. Alien Mike's team is inconsistent. They get destroyed by Bearings Group last week, but beat a first place Legends team. Doesn't make sense, but helps me with my prediction. I will follow the roller coaster ride and pick Alien Mike to beat Irwins.

Game 3 - Legends Vs. Alien Joe
Legends continues its winning ways by taking their record to 5-1. Confidence is setting in and Davis in net seems to not even be trying at times. Alien Joe is 3-0-1 in its last 4 games and has seemed to find the winning way. I think these teams will be fighting for the #1 & #2 spots all season, so this should be a preview to great match ups to come. Alien Joe's streak will continue as they upset the first place team.

Sunday C League
Game 1 - Team 4 vs. Don's Auto
The LOCK of the week. You can put your mortgage on this one. Don's Auto will regain is elite status and destroy Team 4. Sorry Team 4, nothing personal, as you just happen to be the team that has to play them after a disappointing loss last week.

Game 2 - Atlantic Coca-Cola / Yankee Doodle Dandy Tattoo Vs. Waste Management
Both teams coming off big wins last week give each team momentum. Coke/YDD is a consistent team that should be a force all season. Waste Management has the talent, but needs everyone to come together for each game in order to succeed. Coke/YDD's consistency will pay off this week as they defeat Waste Management.

Sunday D League
11 to 7 Insurance Vs. Cup O Kryptonite
The caffeine drinking, comic book reading players of Kryptonite will start a "rookie" goalie in net. A tough loss to Alien Hockey last week, will have Kryptonite wanting a win. 11 to 7 Insurance brings their 2-2 record to the table and hope to go over .500 this Sunday. Although a very close game, Kryponite edges out 11 to 7 Insurance.

Vegas / Des Moines Line

Favorite Spread Underdog
Bearings Group +2 Plaza Printers
Alien Mike +3 Irwins
Alien Joe +1 Legends
Don's Auto +7 Team #4
Coke/YDD +2 Waste Management
Kryptonite +1 11 to 7 Insurance

I should have the rest of Sunday C & D Leagues schedules finalized this week for the remainder of the season. Thanks for being patient and good luck this week.

Adult Novice League Needs Your Support

My goal from day one of opening the store was to see the growth of hockey at all levels. By hosting some Learn to Play for Adults with Brian Wierson & beginning a Novice League, we have seen all levels of adult hockey grow.

Many of the current C League Players, got their start in the D League (our poster child, Tom Kielty pictured to right was one).

We have close to 40 players currently involved in the D League this Fall / Winter session and want to expand this even more. This helps fuel the growth of all levels and makes each league more fun & competitive.

To help generate awareness of the Novice League, we have an opportunity to have D League players skate during intermission of the Tuesday, October 23rd Iowa Stars Game. I am asking for support from all hockey players to make this event a success. Players will only skate for approx. 2-4 minutes.

What can you do?

• D League Players - I need at least 10 players to play during the intermission. This is an opportunity for the fans to see that you can start playing hockey as adults even if you have never played. Some players have mentioned that it could be embarassing to skate during this event, and my response is that is correct. We want the fans to say "I can do that!" We already have several who have decided to do this and are helping expose the sport to more players. Please contact me if you are a D League player and can do this.

• Adult League Players - Show your support for growing hockey. Some of you may have started in the D League or play in the C League that now has 10 teams. This wouldn't be possible without the D League, so show your support and come out to this game.

• Fans - If you are just a fan of hockey, the Iowa Stars or the Adult League, be a part of our group. Power in numbers gets us opportunities like this to skate at Wells Fargo.

We are offering the same group deal as before. A $9.50 ticket gets you into the game, hot dog, chips & drink. There is no maximum as to how many tickets, but we need to sell at least 20. Since 10 players will be skating, we are 1/2 way there. Spread the word to casual fans, co-workers, teammates, neighbors, enemies, etc.

Stop by Alien Hockey to pre-purchase your tickets. I will need a final count on Monday October, 22nd.

Stars Win, Adult League Wins

The Iowa Stars earned a nail biting win in their home opener last night. Our store put together a group night to show our support and to get an opportunity to skate & play a game after the Stars Game.

Big thanks to the Iowa Stars organization, John Olver, Frank Meeink & Derek Hickey for coordinating our group and giving us the opportunity to play there.

More importantly, an even bigger thanks to our customers, fans & players that came out to support our group night. Our goal was to sell 100 tickets and we sold close to 200. Its support and success of events like this that will keep hockey strong in Des Moines and allow more players an opportunity to play at Wells Fargo in the future. We have more of these events to come in the future, so keep up with the blog.

The game afterwards was a huge success as well. The fact that some players were drinking beverages during the Stars game, made their playing ability after a bit questionable, but everyone had a great time.

Thanks again and hope to see everyone at more games throughout the season.

I'm a Genius

So far this week, I am dead on as far as predicting the winners. I had Alien Joe, Legends & Bearings Group all winning...surprise...I was right on every one. Thats what happens when God gives you a special gift...
The line was slightly off. I had Alien Joe winning by 4 goals, and we won by 1 goal. I factored in the normal goal by Topliff and Fascian, but as luck would have it, sad showing by both. I kept up my end and scored 2 goals that would have made ESPN, but unfortuneatly no cameras were at the game. Our goalie, Barker let in a soft one which I could have stopped. With the 2 missing goals & the easy save, the final would have been 5-1 and I would have been correct. Thats what I get for counting on my teamates.

For game #2, I had Legends winning by 2. The final was 4-3 in a shootout. If I knew Irwin's golaie Brown had gotten a new prescription for his contacts, I would have given them a bit more credit and called the OT score, but this info was left off the medical report (which is being investigated as we speak).

The final game, had Alien Mike get smoked by the Bearings Group. Although I predicted the winner, I was a bit off on the point spread. No explanation on this one...wait...Bast is in net...can anyone truly predict his performance.

We'll see how I do this weekend with C & D Leagues.

Get Some New Gear

As the official hockey season gets going, so does our inventory. We have recieved shipments from many of our suppliers, with more intems coming in daily.

New TPS protective has arrived, so if you are in the market for some shoulder, elbow, shin or gloves, stop by and check it out.

TPS alos makes a range of composite sticks (for under $100). If you haven't made the leap to composite, or just need a reasonably priced back-up stick, these are ones to look at.

We have our "regulars" who stop by and vist daily, so they see the latest deliveries. If you don't visit us every day, come on in every one in awhile to see what new stuff has arrived (or call).

The next few months will have more items and products arriving, so we hopr to see you soon.

Week 6 Update

Going into Week #6 for C & D leagues, we begin to get an idea as to who the team to beat is. Even with teams showing early season power, any given night, an upset can occur.

Here is the line for this week's games.

Favorite Pts Underdog
Alien Joe 4 Plaza Printers
Legends 2 Irwins
Bearings Group 1 Alien Mike
Team #4 2 Waste Management
Coke / YDD 4 Don's Auto & Truck
Cup O Kryptonite 2 Alien Hockey

Have fun & play hard.

Last Call Stars Home Opener

If you are still interested in attending the Iowa Stars Home Opener this Friday, I have extended the deadline to buy tickets. The new deadline is Tuesday, October 9th at 2 PM. At that time, I will have to turn in our total order.

To recap, a $9.50 ticket gets you into the game, hot dog, chips & drink + the opportunity to watch an adult league game after the game.

Joe

Stars Home Opener Oct 12th

We are full for our game AFTER the Iowa Stars home opener.

To recap, we needed to sell a minimum of 100 tix to an Iowa Stars Game in order to get the ice for 1 1/2 hours afterwards Friday, October 12th.

Tickets are $9.50 each and include hot dog, chips & drink.

We had enough players register and presoldd over 100 tix. If you did not get in on this deal, but still want tickets, or know people who want them to this game, you can still get the $9.50 ticket deal through us at Alien Hockey.

So even if you want to come out for a great game, support a local team, get some snacks included for a low price, stop by before October 8th. There is no limit to the number of tickets as long as you go through us.

We will have a few other games and I will give those who have not had a chance to play first crack at the next one. Keep watching the blog for the next opportuntity, but for now, come out and support your fellow adult league players.

Week 5 Predictions

Here is the same "recorded" update going into Week #5. I had to take the old one off as somehow I got a "corrupted" MP3 player that provided links to some questionable material.

Enjoy.