THE SUMMER SEASON IS NOW OFFICIALLY STARTED!
/It's now time to clean up the jerseys and start the second LFA summer season! (Photo Alex Paré)
After 2 to 4 weeks of vacation depending on their course in the playoffs, the LFA's veterans have returned to regular matches for the league's 2016 summer season. To the veterans are joining approximately thirty new players, who are mostly delighted by their experience to date.
The first evening of regular season games was initiated by a confrontation between the Tomahawks and Vipers. The 'hawks came out strong during their preseason game, but they found in Alex Paré's men a team that showed a lot of intensity on the forecheck and really good cohesion. The match was tight until the very end, the goaltenders on both sides making splendid saves and the offensive brigades controlling the game in turns. We had our first shootout of the season, which was concluded with the Vipers victory on a backhand goal by Maxime Florant, the ladies favorite bearded man! ;)
This overtime victory allowed the Vipers to get 2 points, against 1 for the Tomahawks. Meanwhile, the teams who wins in regular time obtains 3 points. This new system will help keep the intensity high until the end, because if we rely on the results of recent seasons, each point in the standings can make a difference.
The second game of the evening opposed the Shamrocks and Avengers. The men in green, controlled by the flamboyant Arnaud "Skrudland" Guertin, won the clash in a two way game, where the Shamrocks have taken a 5-0 lead before seeing Sébastien Marchand's team rally and come close to tie the game. Ultimately, it was a very interesting game to watch, offering beautiful plays on each side.
Michael-Anthony Gabriel, goaltender for the Loggers, giving all he got to help his team (Photo Alain Barabasy)
The last game of the evening was the Czechers against the Loggers. The men in gray won the duel with an impressive output of 10 goals. However, the men in black also scored a lot of goals with 7. This was a very offensive game if there is one, one which probably gave the goalies cold sweats! Loggers goalie Michael-Anthony Gabriel is maybe having a poor start to the season in terms of goals against, but we have to take into account the lack of cohesion in front of him and bad luck. Dont be fooled, the Loggers goaltender is recognized to be a fighter who will find a way to adapt to his team and bring them victories. This is not the first time he knows a slow start to finish with big hockey and important saves when it counts, ending up in the final last summer!
Tomahawks' Félix "Datsuyk" Dufour-Labrecque, Avengers' Craig Higgins, Vipers' Simon "Poster Boy" Lavery-Lebeau and a funny man met at McCarold's Pub last sunday! (Photo Sébastien Mainville)
As its custom in the league, the after-games took place at one of our sponsors, Pub McCarold's, last Sunday. Several players of all the teams exchanged anecdotes, manly jokes, good beer and good food in a spirit of brotherhood between teams that is not found in every adult hockey leagues.
