After a few weeks of activities in the LFA, as the summer season is short, the time has come for a league analysis so that the teams at the bottom of the ranking can stay in the dance without losing too much ground. Not only are the teams shuffled on paper, but the league administration is reviewing its way of running the playoffs to give an equal chance to everyone as some teams had a tuff start. The repeated injuries and absences of some players having their effect on the score sheet while the league gives a chances to new recruits to show off their stuff. This practice is common in the LFA but sometimes can weaken or strenghen the level of play of some teams struggling with missing players.

This is a real headache which the league faces due to tandems and particular situation of players who somewhat handcuffs the administration wanting to balance the forces. That said, some decisions had to be made by thanking players who did not make the ccut after having played a few games with their teams. It was not with a heartfelt heart that the CEO (myself) made these calls, but they are necessary for the happiness of our participants. Without shuffling the cards too much, those who are attentive will see significant changes in some teams that were either too weak or strong. It is up to you to judge whether the exercise will have been worth the effort and if the adjustments made were the right ones.

The goal of the league is for everyone to have fun while giving you an optimal hockey experience.

Play for Play
JFD

SUMMARY OF THE SECOND WEEK OF ACTIVITIES IN THE MONTRÉAL DIVISION

Having had to fill the loss of some players and adjust the balance of the league with regard to the strengths and weaknesses of some teams, it is with a different color jersey that some players began their second game of the regular season schedule. On Sunday June 4th, the Rhinos were going to try to bring their number of victories to two, they who faced the Hackers in the first game of the evening. Defeated by the same Rhinos during their first game, the Loggers were going to want to recover as they faced Gio's Vipers. The late night game finally pitted the Shamrock's to the Torpedoes, two teams that have not yet been defeated.

In the first game, the Rhinos and their goalie Jonathan Gagnon caused a serious headache to Hackers attack, unable to penetrate the mystery of the red defense. Carried by a goalkeeper, on fire, who had a total of 33 stops on 34 shots, the Rhinos came out like lions (or Rhinos?) On the other side of the ice, It took 7 minutes for Joël Marceau to register his hat trick in the second period. Final score, 4 to 1.

For the second game, we would witness a fierce fight between two teams in search of their first victory, while the Loggers faced the Vipers in the second duel of the evening. Welcoming their regular goalkeeper, who was not available in the last few weeks, the Loggers seemed to have somehow modified their trios for their confrontation. The changes will have paid off quickly as newcomer Craig Higgins needed only 6 minutes to impress his new teammates, scoring his first goal of the campaign. Being behind 3-1 at the start of the third - courtesy of a double from the logger Nick Reviakin - the Vipers were not out, they who would be buzzing for a good 8 minutes in the opponent zone, capitalizing twice to force the match to go in shoot-outs. Coupled with the gusto of goalkeeper Guy Ritchot, also named player of the game by his teammates, it is finally Louis-Nicolas Veilleux of the Loggers who gave the victory to his band. Note that Raymond Riffon will have scored his first two goals of the season in the defeat.

In the final clash of the night, one of the two teams was going to try to catch the Rhinos in first place of the Montreal division, while the Torpedoes met the Shamrock's. While exchanging penalties (4 penalties on the side of the greens versus 3 on the white side), both teams seemed determined. With a two-goal deficit at the start of the third, the Torpedoes managed to find the back of the net twice, so that the winner was still going to be decided in the shootout. As with the Loggers, the Torpedoes thanked their goalkeeper - 38 stops -  by scoring 2 shootout goals, keeping their perfect record alive.

And as if life could not be better, the perfect Torpedoes will face none other than the undefeated Rhinos in the third and final game of the evening, next Sunday, June 11th. Be there, it shoud be a good one !

Thibault Varin

MONTREAL THIGHT SCORES PROVOKE CHANGES ON THE SOUTH SHORE

Since the beginning of the season on the south shore, we have noticed a trend, many goals ar scored south of the river. Contrary to the scores of our games in Montreal that sometimes go in shootouts, in Brossard we saw scores of 11 to 0, 10 to 7 and 8 to 2 to name a few and it did not look good for the up-coming  Inter-division games scheduled at the end of the month. That's why the league management following consultations with some players made the decision to replace two goalkeepers as well as a defenceman to make room for new blood that hopefully will give a second life to teams that had difficulty winning. We can not put all the blame on the goalies, guys who were otherwise very nice and good teammates but they were a little overwhelmed by the workload which sometimes exceeded 50 shots per game. Whether it's Carey Price or Red light Racicot (the worst goalkeeper in the recent history of the Habs) in the goals, the teams concerned will have to tighten their defensive play if they want to succeed. Basic things like covering the blue liners in your zone or covering a defenceman making a rush are elementary if you want to win. As well as showing up well ahead of your game and staying well after because a winning team starts in the room.

Play for Play
JFD