In the next few lines I will try to use different keywords that Internet users could use when looking for a hockey league, an ice hockey league, an adult hockey league, a garage league or simply a beer league in Montreal. In our efforts to position ourselves among the leading leagues in Quebec (which we are, but not in terms of our online positioning even if we have mooved from the number six page to top of number two on Google) we have to use the key words when we write on our website. This is key to increase the value of the League Fédérale des As, of the LFA or the Hockey Brotherhood Association and to peak interest in the eyes of potential sponsors, key partners and players alike. Social networks have become very important in the eyes of potential sponsors or partners when it comes time to invest or not in a business like ours. With over 2000 visitors per month on our site, it highlights an impressive year over year increase as compared to last season, but we can not say the same about the traffic on our Facebook page. We are not doing well with barely 225 LIKES and unfortunately in this online age it is our visibility on social networks that count more that our website. Even with strong traffic on the site, the same comments keep coming back about our following on FB. Therefore, if it is not already done, I invite you to visit our FB page, click on LIKE and share it with ALL your contacts (https://www.facebook.com/lfahockey?ref=hl). Also, if you're comfortable on other social platforms and you want to include the LFA on it, "go for it!" Remember also to share our Youtube address for more people to see our videos https://www.youtube.com/user/LFAHockeyMTL.

I must confess that it is as draining for me then it must be for you who follow the LFA News and continually hear me  referencing the same things about the  sources of funding for the league. It is a huge challenge in this difficult economic environment and I dream of the day when the survival of our league will not be on my mind because we will finally have the financial support needed to carry out the activities of the adult hockey league in Montreal who does nothing like other beer leagues in Quebec. Oops, I forgot my original prose.

Being a winter league with asperations of starting a summer league with our 99 goalies and over 400 active members living in the greater metropolitan area, we are well positioned to grow. The Notre Dame College arena in the Côte-des-Neiges area, a few steps from the metro of the same name, not far from the major artery that is Decarie is the ideal place for this growth to occur. We are a competitive but friendly league where brotherhood reigns, without checking and where slap shots are allowed. Unique, different and innovative with a good level of play; recreational but competitive and intense, we are the new face of adult hockey in Quebec! We are one of the best, if not the best organized league in Quebec because everything is centralized allowing the balance between teams and strong healthy competition. The Ligue Fédérale, or its acronym the LFA, is a leader in Quebec, Canadian and world amateur hockey and we are not done surprising you. This ends my statements of different keywords that might attract the attention of visitors to our website, which we hope, will help in our growth and survival in this economic era that is linked to the digital age.

As for our games this weekend where most of our replacements were playing with us for the first time, with the exception of our alternate goalies, we got a very tight game between the Vipers and the Czechers to start the day. The Czechers were knocking on the door all game long but Vipers goalie Carl Gazarian-Pagé stayed strong to ensure the victory for his team. The second game was between the Tomahawks and the Loggers and the red Machine prevailed once again to stay ahead of the herd at the top of the rankings. When their goalkeeper Nicholas Chagnon has all his tools, and especially when he does not give up a goal on the first shot of the game, this team is hard to beat.

Our third match was a festival of goals where each team gave their all, scoring a total of 17 goals in their meeting. With such a pimped-up score and spectacular comeback by the Avengers (that were facing off against the Shamrocks) at the end of the game that left some hope for a miraculous return which did not occur, this game was entertaining to say the least. This game really looked like a garage league game with many errors resulting in goals as  many seemed to forget the basic fundamentals of hockey. To close out the evening in customary fashion, many players of all allegiance -- some accompanied by their lady -- met post-game to break bread. Yesterday’s festivities included a sitdown at La Cabane followed by us jumping over to Bily Kun where other LFA players awaited us.  This is just one of the many characteristics that make our league different from the others and pleasant to be a part of.

Finally, because all good things must come to an end, I had meetings with the manager of the arena and different key figures as well as with the management of other arenas in the Montreal area to validate some information and I hope it will lead to improved ice quality following several complaints we have received. To be continued ....

JFD (AS TRANSLATED BY MAT & TOM FROM THE VIPERS)