[quote:2fn5nio8]Er, what’s wrong with them? I thought everything was perfect now.[/quote:2fn5nio8]

Oh no, I found it now. The figures in the little table ‘points after round robin’ – for example bullfrogs: 34 20 (14) add up. But if that was the points we had after the round robin, and we got four more goals in the semi-final, then the player statistics should add up to 38 goals. Either the 36 is wrong, or the 34.

And Rhys Leask is #1. Has been since about the 3rd round.

And, page 2, the second table. The goal difference between for and against hasn’t been updated to reflect the actual for and against figures. It still shows the difference from the table above.

[quote:20u2q3ah]Kings vs Bulls: Kyle’s pick: 4 – 3 to Bulls. Damien and Garrett to get one each, Keiler to score a famous late goal. Bell, Rane Phipps-Black, and Hendry to share the Bulls goals.[/quote:20u2q3ah]

Kings really came up against it here, with neither top player turning up, they had to ride it out. 8-0 isn’t a bad score given that the Bulls were laying it on, and Kings only got one shot at goal the whole game – they played some good defense at times, and have improved throughout the DIHL well. Hopefully we’ll see them all back in the B pool competition in September.

[quote:20u2q3ah]SK8 vs Beasts: Kyle’s pick: Game to finish in extra time, SK8 to come out winners with the golden goal taking them to 5-4. King and Li to net for Beasts, Jessie Roth, Squire and Wick to net for SK8, with Roth taking the winner.[/quote:20u2q3ah]

SK8, with a goalie this week, take this out 6-3, in what developed into a really rough game. SK8 racked up 20 penalty minutes, most of them to previously stood down player Shawn Hinson, who takes ten minutes for roughing on his third time in the box. Beasts also totally unhappy with his actions hacking away at goalie Nick Metzger. The game was already gone though, and Beasts heading to an unhappy finish to the season playing Kings for the wooden spoon. Beasts just unable to put enough shots on the SK8 net to be competitive, though the eight they took, netted three goals, so that’s a good conversion rate. Not entirely sure what’s up with SK8 – six penalties in a DIHL game is a joke, c’mon, it’s just a social competition guys.

[quote:20u2q3ah]Bullfrogs vs Sharks: Kyle’s pick: 4-3 to the Bullfrogs, in a close match decided late in the last period. Smith, Bulling, and van Leuwen to net for the ‘frogs, Christos to get a double and Gilchrist one for the Sharks.[/quote:20u2q3ah]

Oh my god. Controversy will dog this game for years to come. In future times, hockey players will sit around and talk about the Bullfrogs/Sharks semi-final 2006. It’ll be the try that never was on the 1905 All Blacks loss to Wales. It’ll be the Andy Hayden lineout fall from the Lions tour. The 1995 World Cup ‘drugging’ incident, of Dunedin Ice Hockey. What a game.

Big call number one, when referees rule that Megan Gilchrist’s goal, which dribbled past goalie Rhys Leask, crossed over the line. No goal judges (Jack Li, where were your Beasts on duty?!?), and despite a dozen spectators claiming the puck never fully crossed the line, the goal is given.

Number two, late in the game, with the Bullfrogs having pulled their goalie, and hard on attack with the extra skater, Simon Christos gets called for high sticking. Despite the Bullfrogs being in control of the puck, a referee’s whistle blows, just a split second before Pete Sandford buries the puck in the back of the Sharks net, a goal that would have tied it up and taken it to overtime golden goal. The rules are clear though, if the whistle has blown, nothing after that can count, so the ‘frogs just have to fume and call the timeout, with 19 seconds left. They can’t do it though, and Sharks hold on for a hell of a win, which the Bullfrogs will curse the refereeing of forever.

[quote:20u2q3ah]John McGlashan vs Ducks: Kyle’s pick: Ducks to take it away, 4-2. Weir and Cleugh to net for JMs, Tony Pasco to have some big saves in net. Matt and Matt to get two each for the Ducks.[/quote:20u2q3ah]

I was drowning my sorrows in the pub, so I didn’t see this game. Johnnies were never really in it however, with Matt Weir again absent, the game was gone by the end of the first period. Reay and Aitken pick up hat tricks, Hellyer gets an early goal, and Ducks take it 8-1, on their way to face the Sharks in the final.

[quote:20u2q3ah]Off ice: Let’s get some goal-judging going on people! Grumbling from the Sharks that they had a goal which went in last week, which the referees didn’t notice, and no goal judges were present. Things starting to heap up out on the ice as teams stack lines, pick up the aggression, and we start to see what seperates the good from the great. And other sports cliches.[/quote:20u2q3ah]

By crikey, goal judging! It’s the semis! Bitterness! Wrath! The aggression really topped out in the SK8 game, some of those young boys need to settle down a bit. 20 penalty minutes in a DIHL game is a joke! Otherwise the level of play was good hard hockey.

That’s right ladies and germs, it’s all the excitement of the semi-finals.

Kings vs Bulls: A repeat of the final week of the round-robin, and Kings will be looking for a bit of revenge from a 10-1 pounding. Bulls, 2005 champions who have missed out on the semis narrowly this year after a good late run will be looking to prove that they’re still the business with another hammering of the hapless Kings boys. Key for Kings as they wind down a hard DIHL and look ahead to the high schools competition – having both Garrett and Damien available to play (so far this has only happened once I think!) and working hard and building. They looked good and took Beasts out earlier in the year, but so far it’s only been a one-off performance. For the Bulls, who have started to look the business more recently after a string of close losses, they can finish the season on a high if they win this and play off for 5th placing next week. They’ll be looking to put the hammer down. Kyle’s pick: 4 – 3 to Bulls. Damien and Garrett to get one each, Keiler to score a famous late goal. Bell, Rane Phipps-Black, and Hendry to share the Bulls goals.

SK8 vs Beasts: SK8, like the Bulls, have been driving with a too-late run at the semis this season, finding some good form with some players that they picked up a couple of weeks in. Their chance of making the semis last week was taken from them when their goalie didn’t show. They’ve got a good solid team, and despite a rumour that the younger Roth brother might not be able to play (history assignment!), they’ll be liking their chances against the Beasts. Beasts also have struggled throughout, with a painful loss to Kings shutting them out of the playoff race. There’s a stack of good players here though, particularly inline convert Stefan King who should be taking it up more and racking up more goals. Kyle’s pick: Game to finish in extra time, SK8 to come out winners with the golden goal taking them to 5-4. King and Li to net for Beasts, Jessie Roth, Squire and Wick to net for SK8, with Roth taking the winner.

Bullfrogs vs Sharks: On performance so far this year, the Bullfrogs should be a shoe-in for this one, having only two draws blemishing their record. The two teams met in the penultimate week of the round-robin however, and Bullfrogs were leading 2-0 at the end of the first, but Sharks pulled back with two goals in the final period to tie it up. This match might be the game of the week, with both teams wanting to play in next week’s final. Key for the ‘frogs, who put heaps of shots on goalie Bryant two weeks ago – getting the puck past him, as he stopped a heap of shots that week. Key for the Sharks – working their way through a tough Bullfrogs defense, and making smart shots on goalie Leask. Last time they seemed to be aiming more for him than the back of the net. Kyle’s pick: 4-3 to the Bullfrogs, in a close match decided late in the last period. Smith, Bulling, and van Leuwen to net for the ‘frogs, Christos to get a double and Gilchrist one for the Sharks.

John McGlashan vs Ducks: Another repeat of last week, and JMs are really going to have to step up for this game. Ducks have simply looked the business all season, and while JMs kept them close for the first period last time, they just fell away and the game was gone. Apparently they’ll have a full roster, and they’ll need it too if they’re going to be the first team to really rattle the ducks this year. If they play a good hard game, and start to stack the lines and give some of their top players more ice than the more inexperienced ones, then we might start to see a game. Ducks are just going to keep on rolling, key for them is making sure that their star goalie is there, they start to look vulnerable when he’s not in front of the net. Kyle’s pick: Ducks to take it away, 4-2. Weir and Cleugh to net for JMs, Tony Pasco to have some big saves in net. Matt and Matt to get two each for the Ducks.

Off ice: Let’s get some goal-judging going on people! Grumbling from the Sharks that they had a goal which went in last week, which the referees didn’t notice, and no goal judges were present. Things starting to heap up out on the ice as teams stack lines, pick up the aggression, and we start to see what seperates the good from the great. And other sports cliches.

Big last round robin week, with the details of who’s in ‘the four’ still to be decided.

It comes down to this: Ducks and Bullfrogs are away and clear, with 1st and 2nd position already in the bag. Ducks look likely to end up in the top spot. It’s 3rd and 4th that look interesting. Bulls and Kings are out of it, they don’t have enough points to have even a mathematical chance at the semis. Beasts have a mathematical chance, but Johnnies and SK8 would both have to lose, and they’d have to pick up 15 points on goal differential on JM’s – that would be a miracle, so they’re out too.

So the final three spots are open for Sharks, SK8, and Johnnies. Sharks look the most likely to take out 3rd. A win against the Beasts will see them in, and off to a semi-final, most likely against the Bullfrogs, who they came back to draw against last week. A draw, and they just need Johnnies not to win, and they’re still third. The only way they can be out of the semis is if Johnnies win, and SK8 picks up an 11 goal differential – unlikely.

Johnnies, also, can guarantee themselves a semi if they win, or even draw against the Ducks. That’s a hard task though, as Ducks haven’t lost a game all season, so Johnnies are probably hoping as much that SK8 doesn’t beat the ‘frogs. They’ve got it over SK8 in goal differential, so a draw between the Bullfrogs and SK8 would suit them fine. If SK8 win, and Johnnies lose, it’s bottom top four for SK8, and bottom four for Johnnies.

So, onto Kyle’s picks. Bullfrogs play first again, taking on SK8. SK8 have been picking up well in the past couple of weeks, playing a win/draw/loss (Ducks)/win sequence. They’re started a late charge for the semis and will be fired up to win and give themselves a good chance. Bullfrogs had a close draw last week, but have looked the business all season, helping rookie goaltender Rhys Leask never lose a game. Key for SK8 – Kinraid having a good game against a full team of Bullfrog goalscorers, and they’re goal scorers – of which they’ve got a half-a-dozen – getting to the net and taking good one-on-one shots, without defenders in front. Key for the ‘frogs, keeping the shots on their goalie down and putting the heat on the opposition with long periods at the other end, something they’ve done well so far this season.

Kyle’s pick: Bullfrogs to take it 5-3. Bulling, Sandford and Smith to score for the ‘frogs, Jesse Roth to get a double for SK8, assists to his brother. Leask starting to look the business between the uprights.

Bulls vs Kings: Battle of the cellar dwellers here, with both teams looking to get a second win and finish the round-robin on a high note before heading into the postseason rankings race. Kings looked really good against the Beasts a couple of weeks ago, when Wilson and Watson helped them step up and a bunch of players scored goals. Key for them, having them both on ice again, as they just couldn’t do it against SK8 with only one. Devin Williams is starting to show some talent in the net, and looks like a good prospect for future goal-tending. Bulls season just hasn’t seemed to come together. Bob Bell and Rane Phipps-Black have netted a bunch, but they’ve always finished games seeming to need one more goal. If they can rack it up just a notch they should take this game.

Kyle’s pick: Bulls to take a close one, 4-3. Kim Senger to get the winning goal, Bell and Graham Phipps-Black to also score. Watson to get a double for Kings, Pfestorf to net as well. Devin Williams to keep his team in the game almost to the finish.

Ducks vs John McGlashan: This is a crucial game – if Johnnies can pull off a draw, then the result of the SK8-Bullfrogs game earlier will have no meaning. Key for John McGlashans – playing a full tempo hard game of hockey, plenty of shots on net, and hoping that Ducks goalie Toby Schuck gets run over by a car. No one yet has tried marking Ducks stars Matt and Matt like glue, making their life hell, it’ll be interesting to see if Johnnies who have a couple of good rep players, try this tactic. Key for Ducks, keeping on rolling, they’ll be wanting a win to stay on top of Bullfrogs and play the 4th placed team.

Kyle’s pick: Johnnies will push hard, but fail to get it. 4-2 to Ducks. Matt Aitken to miss out on the hat trick, picking up a couple. Darcy and Matt Reay to get the others. Weir and Cleugh to net for JMs.

Sharks vs Beasts. Sharks came back well to cinch a draw and leave themselves pretty safe, last week against the Bullfrogs. They’ll be looking for another couple of points to tie up third place, Beasts are effectively out of it, but will be looking to pick up the bottom end of their season after four losses in a row has shot their title hopes. Key for the Sharks – Christos, MacDonald, picking up some goals, after the rest of the team managed to wring out a double last week – and Bryant continuing his good form in net, after he blocked a bunch of good shots from the ‘frogs last week. Key for the Beasts – there’s a bunch of good players in this team, they just haven’t clicked enough, and Metzger has been good in goal, except for a couple of five minute lapses which have opened big gaping holes for opposing teams. They just need to click, and they’ll push the sharks hard.

Kyle’s pick: (3-3 draw) Beasts to get it together enough to scrape a draw, Bryant to let in an easy one late in the game. Pielak-Jones and King to net for Beasts, Christos and Gilchrist for the Sharks.

Off Ice: OMG! I don’t know when I’m playing next week. Where did we come? What do you mean they’re altering the schedule? Are we in? Excitement! Excitement! Settle down children!

Let me quote:

[quote:5lyywu4j]”Why is there a protected forum that only ryan and kyle can enter in? Is this not discrimination against the common masses of hockey players? I ask you, kind sir, who holds such covert communique about ice hockey that cannot be disclosed to the common man? What kind of secret initiation quest/ceremony must be performed before one is allowed to enter the depths of this “Private” and “Administration forum” ? Some secret rite of passge perhaps? Speculation is rife about the contents of this forum, and silence from its benefactors only fans the flames of mistrust and suspicion.” (Much dribble followed)[/quote:5lyywu4j]

Ahem. Lookee now.

Yeah, it’s nice to have complete stats in multiple formats and all that, but only if they’re correct. I know there has been a woman I don’t know in the box doing scoring, perhaps she got her A and B mixed up.

Ryan,

The goalie stats, I think you need to swap them. There’s no way that Rhys had 23 shots on him in the last game, and there’s no way we only put 10 on Aaron. I put about six on Aaron myself. And I saw the kings sk8 game, and Devin stopped a heap of shots, he must have had at least 15 – 20, I would imagine those 7 shots were put on the sk8 goal, which was empty on and off during the game. I would suggest the same thing would solve the week before – we put a crapload of shots on Tony Pasco, and kept most away from Rhys.

Are you sure you’re always picking the right column, because the goalie stats are pretty messed up. It seems swapping the shots over might lead to the right result.

The ‘points after round six’ are also still wrong on the individual team pages. You’ve got us down as only having 5 games, and the results, goals etc are wrong. The scores up above on that page, also don’t relate to the correct results you have earliert in the stats.

Kyle

The forum also won’t let me upload an avatar image. It gives an error message which disappears too quickly to read it.

Kyle