FNHL News Archives - 2006 / 2005 / 2004 / 2003

See you Friday!  

12/06/06 - Lineups for the one sheet at 10:15 Friday are

White - Chip O'Connor, Dan Jervis, Dave Cavallaro, John Albanese, Duane Pardee, Brian Banks, George Fleischmann, Bob LaBarre, Pete Thompson, Rob Niemeier, Chuck Austin.

Blue - Jesse Nistico, Tony Pompo, Brian Pompo, Mike Comartos, Terry King, Joe Gracz, Steve Kokkoris, Steve Olson, Ron Maydole, Nick Smith, Phil Valeriano.

See you then!

12/05/06 - The spots for this Friday have been filled. I'll post the teams tomorrow or Thursday. If you're on the list and can't make it please let me know so we can fill in. It was a dark day last Friday as Team Cheval just managed to squeak out a 5-4 overtime win over Team Experience. Adam Rufa was the hero for the young team "roofing"  Experience sub goalie Carl a few minutes into the extra session. All in all it was a great game and a lot of fun to be a part of. Carl filled in admirably for regular goalie Chuck Austin and allowed Experience to rally from a 4-2 deficit to tie the score and force the extra session. John Oakes also played well in the nets for Cheval and earned a bit of redemption following two tough games prior. Cheval will have the opportunity to end the series in six when the teams meet again. Something tells me this one will go to seven.... Stef Boutin sent a letter inviting everyone to a live nativity scene that will be performed at his family farm in the next few days. See his letter in the Ice Chips section for details. I will post the schedule for the next session beginning Friday 12/15/06 as soon as I get it.

Have a good week...! 

12/02/06 - Just a quick update. There will be no regular hockey this Friday 12/08/06, but one sheet at 10:15pm is open. We are putting together a list of guys who want to play. If there are 20 names on the list by Wednesday, George will go ahead and rent it. If you want to get in on that please send me an e-mail right away. Also the regular rosters and Sunday schedule have been updated. 

11/27/06 - Schedule and rosters are posted for this week. As always, please e-mail me asap if you can't make it or have been omitted. I'm still waiting for confirmation on a couple of the goalies and there were one or two skaters I wasn't sure about so it is possible that a few last minute changes will be made. George asked me to mention that there are quite a few people who still owe money so please take care of that this week, I also heard that Matt Marchitto's young son was severely ill recently but is (hopefully) doing better now. Also Germain LaPointe will not be able to make it back this week because his mother is in the hospital. Best wishes on behalf of the entire FNHL to both the Marchitto and LaPointe families. Some good news also as George mentioned that Rich Fleischmann is back to work. He still has a long way to go in his recovery but it's nice to hear that he's making progress... As for me, I'm sharpening up the new elbow pads in anticipation of what should be a very interesting game 5 of the Experience vs Cheval series.... Lenny keep your head up!!  

See you Friday!

11/22/06 - On behalf of George and the entire FNHL family I'd like to wish everyone a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday. Just a reminder that we are off this week, both the regular Friday night games and the Sunday group. George sent me a message this week that the games for the ABC week on 12/1 will start 1/2 hour late on the NHL side. I've updated the schedule page and should have the final rosters posted for those games soon. As always, please let me know asap if you can't make it for those games or if your name does not appear on the roster but you are available. My elbow is healing much slower than I'd hoped for but I'm still planning to be available the next time we hit the ice. Until then....

Happy Thanksgiving...!!!

11/14/06 - Sorry for the lack of updates lately. Things have been rather quiet around the league and I've been on the road as usual. Also my elbow problem flared up again and will keep me off the ice until December.... hopefully just in time to help Team Experience take the lead in the series with Cheval. Not too much news but Carl Erickson did ask me to mention that if anyone is interested in getting FNHL jerseys, please let us know. I don't know how many people they need to fill an order but this has been mentioned before by a few other people so maybe it's a good time to get it done. Maybe Lenny will be interested... I've always said he needs to get a set...... Speaking of Len, we did have the pleasure of meeting his sister Kate and her friend Tiffany after our game two weeks ago. They've promised to return on 12/1 to witness another big win for the good guys (and then drink and dance the night away)... If we could get all of our fans together on one night it would almost fill one section of the bleachers - or at least a row at the bar... In other news, Dave Rigg checked in recently and I've posted his letter in the ice chips section. Also, Rich Berlinski sent a link to his Sunday night league which I've posted on the home page for anyone who'd like to check that out.... Planning for Montreal in April has already begun. As of right now, we are hoping to send two teams - 1 in the over 40 division and 1 in the open division. Cavy and I are working on the rosters for the two teams and intend to have everything in place by early next year rather than waiting until the last minute. If you are interested in going this year, please let us know asap. I don't have the exact date but the flyer is on my table at home and I'll bring it to the rink in December. It's usually around the end of April and is always a good time both on and off the ice.... Finally rumor has it that the Yellow team is on an unprecedented three game losing streak and is considering a name change - to the Pink team. At least Bobby stopped wearing the ridiculous ski hat and is back to a more suitable baseball cap.... Remember we are off on the Friday after Thanksgiving. Feel free to drop me an e-mail if there's anything to report in the next few weeks....

See you on 12/1...!!

10/25/06 - Not much to report this week. George did mention that unfortunately Rich suffered a setback and would require back surgery due to his injuries. I believe that was scheduled to happen this week. I haven't gotten any calls this week so hopefully it was a success. Other than that, the only news is that the mission statement and player conduct guidelines are now posted. Special thanks to Joe Gracz who put a lot of work into the text. Also thanks to the other committee members for their input as well. One important point about these items is that the FNHL was, and continues to be a self-policing league. Nothing should change with the posting of the mission statement and conduct guidelines other than offering a clear understanding to all of what we stand for and expect from our players. Committee members are not expected to be referees on the ice and it is our sincere hope that the number of incidents they actually have to review are few. Hockey is an intense, fast paced game and things happen in every game. People occasionally run into each other, or get tripped, people get mad at each other, etc. The bottom line is intent and self control. We have no plans to "referee" every issue in every game, only to deal with specific behaviors or patterns on behavior that are far outside the bounds of what's reasonable as posted in the guidelines. If everyone makes it a point to take care of their own actions, there should be little need for further intervention by the committee....enough said. Finally, I've updated the team rosters with the most current info that I have. Please look them over and let me know if you see any mistakes. Thanks

See you Friday!       

10/18/06 - It was a pretty good week overall for the ABC games. From what I was told in the bar both the A/B mix and C++ games were decided by one goal. In the late game, as predicted here, Team Experience maintained the momentum from last sessions 14-3 trouncing of the kids from Team Cheval and took home another lopsided victory, this time by the score of 9-5. Dan Jervis, Dan Jennings, and Chris Baldwin each chipped in two for the good guys while Bill Hopkins, George Fleischmann and John Albanese added singles. Chuck Austin had the answer in nets for what little offense team Cheval could muster. With the series now tied at 2, things can't look any worse for the young guys. Germain Lapointe has now moved on to his new job (though he says he'll be back for the next game), Cavy is knee deep in motherhood, Lenny is in a fog, and several key players just don't bother to show up. Swami sez this series should not last much longer..... On a more serious note, George sent me an e-mail to recap the unpaid spots. Money was due the week before last Friday and at this point we have no choice but to list the spots that remain unpaid and therefore cannot play again until it is resolved. The list is as follows; Orange - Wayne Morse, Steve Olson, Open Spot #9, Open Spot #10. Black - Ron Morgan, Mike Davidson. Red - John Griffith, Nick Julian Sr. Blue - Mike Masello, Greg Caldera, Rich Berlinski. Remember that you can pay your captain, me, George, or use the payments page here on the website. Obviously it's not fair to expect George to cover these unpaid spots and it puts all of us at risk of not being able to continue if everyone doesn't pay. If you see an error in the list, please let me know asap or call George at 436-6882 to discuss it. Also, as you can see, we've lost a few guys recently and have a need for some new blood to fill out the rosters. If you know of someone who'd like to join (or return to) the league, please let George know...... Rich Fleischmann is resting at home now but still faces a tremendous challenge on his road to recovery. Hopefully people will continue to keep in touch with Rich and let him know that we're behind him all the way.... New schedules are posted for both regular FNHL and Sundays. It should be noted that this Sunday's start time will be 8:30am instead of the usual 7:00am.

See you Friday!

10/11/06 - The rosters for the ABC games are posted. As always, please let me know asap if you can't make it or have been omitted. I don't have my regular cell phone with me this week but you can try 315-224-4500. Also George mentioned that there were quite a few people who did not pay last week, Please make it a point to pay George, me, or your captain this week. We start a new session a week from Friday and unpaid spots will not play. Finally, Melissa Fleischmann sent a letter updating Rich's condition. I've posted it in the Ice Chips section of the website. It sounds like he's up to getting some phone calls and visitors so hopefully we can help to keep his spirits up. That's about all for now. Big game #4 this week in the Experience vs Cheval series!!!

See you Friday!

10/08/06 - This is just a quick update, the regular news will go up later in the week. Very bad news today from George. His brother Rich was doing some work around the house and was severely injured when he fell from his roof. George said that Rich suffered (at minimum) a broken back (L2) and and very bad gash to the back of his head from the fall. Doctors are still trying to get a handle on the full extent of his injuries but as you can see, it's a very unfortunate situation and the road to recovery will be long indeed. At this point (thankfully) George did not think paralysis was going to be the end result since there does seem to be movement in Rich's arms and legs. Rich has been a good friend and member of the FNHL family for as long as I can remember (and more I'm sure). I don't know what we can do at this point except keep Rich, his wife Melissa, their children and the entire Fleischmann family in our thoughts and prayers. George said Rich is at University Hospital, room 5116. I will post more info as it becomes available.

10/03/06 - The rosters are in progress for the ABC week next Friday. I've heard from a couple of people so far about availability. If you are not going to make it, please email me asap so adjustments can be made... Brad Beran sent a letter which I've posted in the Ice Chips section.... The Sunday group will not have ice this week at Cicero however, there is ice at 7am at Lysander. If you want to play, please e-mail me asap. As always, the first 20 guys to contact us get the spots.

Have a good week!

09/27/06 - Not much going on right now in the FNHL. I am trying to get the agreed upon mission statement and conduct guidelines posted for the Committee. My apologies for the delay but hopefully it won't be much longer. Also I've gotten very little feedback as far as the possibility of posting player profiles and/or any other suggestions for the 2007 version of our little place here in cyberspace. On the ice things were about the same. Tempers seem to be running a bit high in some cases and hopefully this will not escalate any further. Just because we haven't officially posted the guidelines yet shouldn't mean that it's open season. This is true for all teams and not directed at any one team or player..... I did learn this week that Len Slack and Heather have officially called it quits (for the 12th time now I believe). Fortunately this new lack of a love life has not changed anything on the ice as Len was once again on the losing end of yet another horribly lopsided score due at least in part to yours truly. It's nice to see that some things never change. He did have an assist though (and still nobody cares)... We did get some bad news recently. It seems that our own Germain (CHEVAL!!) Lapointe will be departing the FNHL soon to take a new job downstate. Of course we wish Germain the best in the future and hope that he'll stop in whenever he does come back to town. I also have it on good authority that his final game will be very memorable as his Team Cheval will receive a thorough beating from surging Team Experience. Between Germain jumping ship and Len slacking off, the series is not looking good for the younger guys. Maybe Cavy (aka Mr.Mom) will return to lead his team to victory (yeah right).... Since I am starting to look at the rosters for the ABC week, please let me know asap if you can't make it. The rosters have been updated recently so those are the players that I'm planning to include. If you're not on a roster but want to play that week (Oct 13th) let me know and I'll try to work you in.

See you Friday!!

09/21/06 - Not much to report this week. One noteworthy item though is that we do have hockey this week. The original schedule showed us as being off, but that was corrected. Also, last week George asked me to remind everyone that helmets do need to be worn at all times (including warm ups) and pucks should not be shot on the ice until the rink staff if clear and the door closed. I guess we've had some minor problems recently with that so please keep these little common sense points in mind.

See you Friday!

09/14/06 - A pretty slow news week overall. Dave Rigg sent a letter that I posted in the Ice Chips. It was nice to see him back on the FNHL ice if only for a visit. Bob's party was a great success last week and I'm sure he appreciated all the people that stopped in to wish him well. I thought the cake was exceptionally good - probably better than he deserves but at his age I guess he's earned it.... I did find out last Friday that Jesse's girlfriend is named Lynn. Once again, my apologies for the oversight. It was probably all Jesse's fault anyway. I've decided to leave the headline up for at least one more week just to make sure that Team Cheval doesn't forget.... Also, the schedules and rosters have all been updated now. Notable is the fact that we do have hockey next Friday. It was originally listed as an off week. The Sunday schedule has been updated as well.

See you Friday!

09/05/2006 - Trivia question for everyone - What does last Friday's Cheval vs Experience game have in common with The Alamo and Custer's Last Stand?? The answer of course is - nothing because at least Custer and the boys at the Alamo kept it close for awhile..... It was bound to happen sooner or later. Young Team Cheval had managed to squeak out wins in the first two games of the best of seven series but their luck finally ran out. Last Friday the series shifted to the home ice of Team Experience and they responded by posting an overwhelming 14-3 victory. I could run down the scorers for Team Experience but it would be quicker to go over who did not score..... no one... well that was easy enough. Brian Banks, feeling generous and a bit greedy even tipped one into his own net just to make the kids feel a little bit better. Of course the endless trail of excuses has already begun and I'm sure there will be dozens more before our next meeting. The number one excuse so far for Cheval is that several players were missing, which may be true, but from our perspective that was secondary to the fact that most of the players on the ice were MIA as well. Lenny slacked off, Woody was soft, Oakes was blown over, Rufa was flat..... I could go on but you get the idea. When John Albanese finishes a perfect three-way you know you're in trouble. So enough about that for now.... The other games last week were pretty good as well (and a heck of a lot closer). The A/B mix game was nearly a sellout thanks to the fact that Jesse's girlfriend (whose name I apologize for not remembering) showed up. Jesse did not disappoint, scoring six of his teams seven goals in the very entertaining 7-7 tie. The C++ game yielded a surprise as well because Dave Rigg was back for a visit and between the pipes to do battle with his arch rival - sub goalie Del Hoyt. Unfortunately I didn't get to see the entire game but it looked like Rigg's team was in the lead when I left. It was nice to see Rigg back on the ice and hopefully he'll be able to stop in again sometime..... In other news, a new session starts this week and I will post the schedule as soon as I get it. George did send me updated rosters and they are now posted. Please take a moment to look them over and let me know if there are any errors or omissions... A good suggestion was made for the website recently and I think it could be done if there is enough interest. Matt Marchitto suggested that we post player profiles - age, occupation, hobbies, family info, contact info, etc. Basically whatever people want to share with the group. Please give me some feedback on this as I am presently working on a new version of the website and plan to have it in place by the end of the year. If enough people like the idea and are willing to participate then I will make it happen. Thanks Matt for the suggestion.... My status for next week is questionable right now due to a pain in the foot but hopefully I will be able to make it.... Mark Lasinski did e-mail me recently and said that he is on his way to recovery after suffering a broken nose and 14 stitches due to taking a slapshot in the face during Steve Olson's recent tournament. He was at least a little bit lucky because surgery was not necessary and his eyes and teeth are still intact. We wish Mark well in his recovery and hope to see him back on the ice when he's ready....

Have a good week!!

08/21/06 - Unfortunately I have to pass along some bad news this week. Mark Lasinski was seriously injured on Sunday during the finals of the tournament. He was subbing in for Steve Olson's team and I'm told he took a slapshot directly on the nose. That's all I know at this point but I'll post additional details as they become available. It was a pretty hectic few days with our regular games on Friday and then the tournament. As has been the case recently, our FNHL team held it's own and managed to win a few periods but no games. Regardless of that, we had a good time and wish to extend out thanks to Steve and his group for pulling things together. In other news, the ABC games are a week from this Friday and I'm starting to put the rosters together. If you can't make it, please let me know asap. Also if you are not sure of your roster status but would like to play, please drop me an e-mail so I can take that into consideration as well. I'm in Houston again this week and won't be there this Friday but George will and the money is due. As far as I know the payments situation has improved so let's please keep that going. The FNHL Committee met last week to discuss the recent incidents and expects to have some decisions and written guidelines in place in the near future. Thanks to all the members for their participation and their continuing efforts to keep the FNHL the group that we all enjoy being a part of. Finally, the Sunday group gets to sleep in a bit this week as we will be starting at 10:00am (this week only) instead of our usual 7:00.

Have a good week...

08/10/06 - It's only been two weeks but it seems like much longer. While I was away I got word that my teammate and good friend Dave Cavallaro (Cavy) and his wife Megan celebrated the birth of their first child. Mason (aka Molson) Cavallaro was born at the end of July and (except for a bit of sleep deprivation) all is well, mother and baby are both doing fine. So congratulations to the Cavallaro family on behalf of the entire FNHL. Dave claims he'll be back on the ice in the near future so hopefully we'll see him again before too long. He's also promised to supply all the details and photos so I will post any and all updates as soon as I get them. On a less happy note, George reminded me that this will be the last week on the ice for Brad Beran as he is leaving to start his new job in NC. We'll see if he can net a few goals tomorrow to take with him on the trip. Finally there were apparently a couple of incidents during the last two weeks and, regrettably, we will have to get together for our first official FNHL Committee meeting in the very near future to decide what action, if any, will be taken..... Anyway, it will be good to get back on the ice tomorrow and I hope to see everyone there (yes, even you Bob)....

See you tomorrow..!! 

07/25/06 - I'm off for vacation for the next two weeks so this will have to be quick. The new schedule is posted for those who have paid. If you still owe George, please see him or pay your captain prior to stepping on the ice this week. Hats off to Team Cheval as they moved one game closer to drinking from the coveted "Cheval Cup" with a well earned 8-7 win over Team Experience. Next session the games shift to the Experience Arena and I am certain that being down 2-0 in the series will only serve to motivate the veterans.... If anything needs to be posted while I'm away, feel free to drop me an e-mail and I will get to it asap...

See you in 3 weeks!!!

07/18/06 - The rosters for this weeks games are posted. George will be out of town so don't call him if there are any changes. Please e-mail me here or give me a call at 315-246-2940. Thanks to those who did respond to my e-mail request. I've tried to cover all the games based on the info I got. If you were left off the list or put on by mistake the sooner I know, the better. One other note from last week. I almost forgot to mention that Red goalie Chuck Austin somehow managed to coax (coerce?? blackmail??) two special guests into the stands for his game. Of course we routinely draw such large crowds that I can't always mention our fans by name, but thanks to Kelly and Pam for their support (even though I still suspect a wrong turn may have been involved). The big question this week is since Len's team is due for a big loss will Heather show up to console him......

07/16/06 - It's been a pretty slow in terms of news for the past few weeks and I've been quite busy so the updates aren't coming as quickly as usual. We did get word that long time Blue team member Brad Beran has accepted a job in Charlotte, NC and will be leaving us in a few weeks. Brad was a member of the famed "Civil War Veterans" line and has been a fixture in the FNHL group for a lot longer than I can remember. Though not known for his blazing speed, Brad has always been a quick thinker and often manages to find a way to knock the puck past an unsuspecting goaltender. His presence will be missed on the ice, in the locker room and (of course) in the bar each Friday. Also, due to his departure, the gap between Bob LaBarre and the next oldest FNHL player has just risen exponentially (I think it's about 30 years now).... Anyway, on behalf of George and the entire FNHL I'd like to wish Brad all the best as he begins his new adventure down South and say thanks for his many (and I do mean many) years as a teammate and friend here in the FNHL. With all the recent departures it may be time to start a FNHL Hall of Fame....???  In other news, we've had a lot of the usual summer sub games recently but there has clearly been a much better feel to the games compared to the problems we had last month. It's evident that everyone is at least trying to keep things in perspective and that makes a big difference. Hopefully we can keep that going in the right direction. Along those lines, money was due last week and George will be out of town this weekend so if you do still owe please pay me or your captain by Friday, The fee per session is now $55 and I will be updating the payments page on the website this week, We are planning to enforce the no pay, no play rule for any spots not covered by the beginning of the next session.... Finally, I am in Houston again this week but should be able to post the rosters for this weeks games in the next day or so. Because of all the comings and goings as well as George and I being generally busy, the rosters have become somewhat outdated. If you are reading this, please take a minute and e-mail me to let me know if you will be there or not on Friday (7/21). If you know the status of someone else who doesn't have access to the web, please send me that info as well. I don't usually need so many e-mails from people, but in this case it would help a great deal. Thanks in advance....

See you Friday!!

07/04/06 - First of all I'd like to wish a happy 4th of July to everyone. Last week's games were a lot better overall and I sincerely hope that the problems we've experienced recently will be a thing of the past. Along those lines though we are happy to announce that the FNHL Committee has been established. The members are;

Joe Gracz - Blue
Bill Hopkins - White
Chuck Austin - Red
Brett Boismenu - Orange
Mark Schumacher - Black
Pete Thompson - Yellow

All of these guys have been involved with the FNHL for years and know what the league is all about. Their task will be to handle any disciplinary matters that may arise during our games. In addition they will be provided with a list of unpaid spots at the beginning of each session and will see to it that our "no pay, no play" rule is enforced. The same goes for outside sub money. In the event that an incident occurs during a game and disciplinary measures are needed, the committee will gather information and meet to decide what, if any, action will result including suspension and/or expulsion from the league. Each member has one vote and George will cast the deciding vote if there is a tie. Their decisions will be final. As I said before, we hope that this group will not have to meet very often. Thanks to each of them for being willing to help out!!!

In other news, I've been a bit busy lately and haven't had a chance to post some info that came in from our readers recently. Congratulations are in order for the Marchitto family as they recently celebrated the birth of a baby boy. Brandon Matthew Marchitto was born June 24th and I'm sure will be skating circles around us in just a few short years. Matt sent a photo which is (finally) posted in the fun photo gallery. Also Tom Ferrara sent in a letter regarding an adult skills clinic that USA Hockey is hosting in Rochester the weekend after next. Again, my apologies for the delay in posting the info but you can check out the details in our Ice Chips section.

See you Friday!!

06/28/06 - Overall not a great week here in FNHL land. I've been around here for a few years now and in all that time I don't think I've seen George as upset and ready to throw in the towel as he was on Sunday. Having just completed a very difficult negotiation with the rink where we narrowly avoided a large jump in price as well as a (potentially) equally expensive insurance demand, we get some details on the ugly game #2 last Friday between Red and Orange that apparently ended with a brawl or near brawl. I've heard several points of view on the subject and the only thing that's entirely clear and the only thing that really matters is that those types of incidents should not occur and in fact must not occur if we want to keep the league going. I've tried to make that point abundantly clear over the past few months and sadly the message just is not sinking in. Everyone involved has an excuse and what they consider to be a justification but the bottom line is that there is no excuse and there are no justifications for this crap and it's time for people to go. To make matter worse we are already two full weeks through the new session and there are several spots that remain unpaid. George doesn't have time to hunt people down and understandably is not interested in paying for them from his own pocket so once again the only solution appears to be getting rid of the problem(s) once and for all. Effective immediately, if you fight, you're out and if you still owe for this session do not step on the ice until you have paid. Future sessions must be fully paid when due or the same rule applies. George is not hard to find and in his absence you can pay me, your captain, or use the payment link on the website. Plenty of options, none of which involve skating your game and disappearing before George has a chance to ask you for the money. This goes for sub money as well. If you get an outside sub, collect the sub money before they play - no exceptions. I don't know what the final resolution will be with regards to the game last week, but moving forward we are putting together a committee to handle disciplinary matters of all types (not just fighting). At George's request I have been working on getting that in place and hopefully it will be done very soon. The plan is to have one representative per team and their decisions will be final. In the event of a tie on an issue, George will cast the deciding vote.

I apologize to the 50 or so guys who really don't need to read this, but the other 10 or so between stupidity on the ice and/or lack of payment really need to get the message. We've got a good thing going and hopefully will not allow a few bad individuals to ruin it. Finally, as I alluded to earlier, the rink did push for a large rate increase but that was largely avoided. Beginning next session, the rate will go from $52 to $55 per person.  

06/22/06 -  The 4th Annual FNHL Golf Tournament is in the books and by all accounts it was a great success. The weather was hot but no rain was a plus. The food was great and there were more door prizes than I've ever seen at any tournament anywhere. My father in-law and I enjoyed the opportunity to golf with Bob and Patty. We would have done better though if Bob had kept a hat on. With the sun bouncing crazily off his head in all directions it's a wonder we all weren't blinded by the end of the round. Thanks to everyone who participated and also to those who helped organize the event and/or donated the door prizes. Special thanks to George Fleischmann who, as usual, went above and beyond the call of duty to make sure that everyone had a great time. We look forward to next year and the 5th anniversary edition..!!.... The new schedule is finally posted. It took a while for the rink to confirm the dates but we are now back on track. The Sunday group schedule is also posted for what remains of the session. Next step is to work on the rosters.... I have gotten a new letter or two and will post them when I have a chance. Also I am seriously considering adding a "classifieds" section where people can offer equipment, etc that they have for sale. If that is something you think would be worthwhile please let me know.

See you Friday!! 

06/14/06 - George has been very busy with work but he gave me the schedule for this week. The rest of the session, Sundays and updated rosters should be posted soon.

06/13/06 - I haven't gotten the new schedule and updated rosters from George yet. As soon as I do they will be posted. The Golf Tournament is this Saturday and we are scheduled for a 1:00pm start. I've heard that the weather is supposed to be good so let's keep our fingers crossed. It should be a great time and we hope to see you all there. Last weeks games were good overall. The kids of Team Cheval did manage a hard earned upset 5-4 win over Team Experience but as they will learn soon enough... nothing's over. We'll see you at Game #2 in six weeks and Bob just might not remember to wear his helmet.... The A/B mix game was also a success with White finally sealing the 10-8 win with an empty net goal in the closing seconds. As for the C++ game, all I can say is people please check for late roster changes. In a perfect world I would know well in advance who can make it and who can't but this is not a perfect world it's the FNHL and therefore things happen. Last week Mike Olin, for example,  was switched to Blue because of some late cancellations but he never got the memo. The bottom line was an uneven game that could have been avoided (maybe)... Anyhow, I repeat, someone please print the rosters just before leaving for the rink on ABC weeks to make sure that everyone is aware of what side they are scheduled for. Sorry to be so brief but I'm studying for a promotional exam that just happens to fall the morning of the Golf Tournament.

See you Friday!!

06/07/06 - First of all the rosters for this week's games are posted. I've avoided the term "ABC" this session because it really does not apply. Thanks to a challenge issued in Montreal by Germain (CHAVAL!!!) Lapointe and seconded by Cavy, our opening game this week will pit a team of players all over age 40 against a team of the youngest players we have in the league. I know we tried this once before with not so great results for the older guys but we are confident that this time around things will be different. The only exception to the age requirement was goalie John Oakes who will join the kids for this game as we really don't have any young goalies at the moment. For the other games this week I just tried to divide the groups as evenly as possible. One game should have a bit quicker pace than the other but hopefully both will be good. As always, there was no intention to slight anyone in the team selections and if you can't make it or were not placed on a team but should have been please e-mail me immediately so that I can make the necessary changes..... In other news, with great disappointment I've got to announce that this will be goalie Dave Rigg's last week in the FNHL because he's moving to the Albany area. Dave successfully made the tough transition from forward to goalie not that long ago and has continued to improve each week. Besides that though he's an all around good guy and fellow Flyers fan and always good for some beers and conversation after the games. On behalf of George and the entire FNHL family I'd like to take the opportunity to wish Dave and his family nothing but the best as they undertake their next adventure..... Also, due to my present schedule crunch I'm going to have to temporarily suspend the regular game recaps. I apologize for this but things are very hectic for me right now and I just don't feel that I can devote as much time to the website as I'd like. I will continue to post current news, schedules, etc and special features as time permits and advise the mailing list when new things are posted. Along those lines, the schedule for the next session will be posted as soon as George is able to hammer out the details with the new owners. I guess there's been some bumps in the road lately and we're hopeful that everything can be resolved.... Ron Maydole contacted me recently to advise that the planned Adult Skills Clinic had to be canceled due to a lack of registrations. We haven't given up on the idea completely and will see what we can do to eventually make this happen..... Finally, the 4th Annual FNHL Golf Tournament is less than two weeks away. All payments should have been made by now but if you still owe, see George this week,

See you Friday!! 

05/23/06 - We are back to our regular schedule beginning this week and hopefully it will stay that way. Ron Maydole sent me an e-mail this week asking me to remind everyone about the adult skills clinic planned for June 7th, 14th and 21st. So far registrations are rather slow and he needs at least 20 guys to be able to make it work. If you're interested but haven't signed up yet please e-mail me asap. Also the golf tournament money is due so please see George this Friday to settle up on that if you haven't already. Otherwise it's been a pretty cold and slow week so I'm going to cut the update short. George did ask me to remind the Sunday group that we will be starting at 8:00am this week. Please make a note of it.

See you Friday!

05/18/06 - Final List and lineups for the informal skate at 10:15. If you are on the list and can't make it please let George know right away. Thanks
 

05/17/06 - Last week was our "on again" week but since I had the late game there's only one write up which we'll get to in a moment. First of all I want to remind everyone that this is the last of the off weeks on the schedule. Beginning next Friday we should be back to normal. There is a 10:15 sheet this week but the list is already full so if you haven't e-mailed us already then unfortunately it's too late. The 4th Annual FNHL Golf Tournament looks to be all set thanks to a recent flurry of registrations. It should be a great time and if you haven't signed up yet it's not too late but please contact me immediately. Money for the golf is already due so if you still owe George, please pay him asap. You can also pay by credit card here on the payments page of our website but there is a small fee to cover the costs we are charged by Paypal. Last week's games seemed to range from great to awful. I heard Yellow trounced Black but don't have any other details. Same with Red vs Orange. I believe Orange won 10-3 and Rigg was outstanding but that's it. In the late game it was Blue vs White and that proved to be a good one....

Blue 14 - White 13 (ot) - Talk about a seesaw battle... After (sub) Matt Marchitto got the first goal for White, the Blue offense jumped to life. Cavy and George scored to give Blue the lead and then Rich Fleischmann scored a nice goal by deflecting a hard cross ice lead pass from Duane Pardee into the top corner of the White net. Cavy added another before the end of the period and Blue was rolling 4-1. But in period two the tide shifted - and shifted quickly. Blue sub goalie Del Hoyt who was great in the 1st period suddenly forgot to do...... well anything... and White roared back. Bill Hopkins started the rally and before it was over he would score again, as well as John Albanese (2), Chris Baldwin, Jason Vogel (2) and Matt Marchitto. In the span of about 15 minutes, thanks to eight unanswered goals, the Blue 4-1 lead was now a 9-4 deficit. But the period was not yet over and Blue began to tip the scales back towards even on goals by Brad Beran, Dan Jervis and Dave Cavallaro (his third). After two periods, White lead only 9-7. Blue continued with the momentum to start the final period. George Fleischmann scored his second of the game to close the gap to one and then Cavy tied it. Rich Fleischmann put Blue back in the lead with a nice wrist shot and Dan Jervis made it 11-9 midway through the period. But White was far from done and John Albanese completed his hat trick to make it 11-10 and Chris Baldwin tied it at 11 shortly thereafter. Another goal by Dan Jervis put Blue ahead again 12-11 but giveaways in the defensive zone allowed Baldy to score 2 more for White and it was 13-12 White. With just seconds left to play Brad Beran tied it for Blue from in close and this marathon was going to overtime. White had some chances early in ot but Del made some nice saves to keep the game alive. With just under three minutes left, Jervis skated around the White goal and tossed a pass out to Cavy which he buried in the twine for his fifth goal of the night and (finally) a 14-13 Game of the Week victory for Blue and goalie Del Hoyt.

In other news the game tapes have been reviewed and here are the final stats from Montreal.

It was a great time and one that those of us who can remember it will not soon forget. Long live the third wheel lesbian.....!!!

05/09/06 - What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.... fortunately we were not in Vegas last weekend but Montreal so I'm free to do my best to try and recap the festivities. I think it's safe to say that there were more memories made off the ice than on. Our first game Friday night was against a team from Toronto. Despite having an average age of 37 and 6 guys over 40 (including one over 90) we ended up in the 25 and over division and the pace was quick. The game was a good one and close throughout but we simply didn't get the bounces. Chuck Austin was great in net and Dave Cavallaro scored our first goal from a strange angle to keep us within reach. But two third period goals on slapshots by Derek Crowley were not enough to avoid a 5-3 defeat. The game was fun but that evening things picked up considerably. We wandered through what felt like half the city before we finally found the bar - Cheers - that we were looking for and made the most of their $2 beer special. Since last call is sometime around 4am it was quite a long night. John Albanese managed to catch a nap on a bar stool towards the end of the night and some might even say he looked damn good doing that (I can't agree but oh well.....) Germain also had quite a night and even though he walked into the bar as the smallest player on the team, he left as "Cheval...!!!." After a greasy late night meal at some diner I can barely remember it was back to the room just before sunrise for some more beer, and free hotel movies. A 12:30pm game seems like a pretty good schedule but considering sunrise was a little after 6am and I was still up it was evident that our next game would be a challenge and it was. This time we played a team from just outside Toronto (Woodbridge ON) and once again they were young and even a little faster than our last opponents. Chuck and the defense as a group kept us in it and this one went right down to the wire. Cavy knocked in his second goal of the tournament with an assist from yours truly and we started the 3rd period trailing only 2-1. But that was all the scoring we could muster as the opposing goalie played very well and even held off a last minute flurry with the goalie pulled. They added an empty net goal for the 4-1 win. There was a minor altercation late in the game because my stick somehow ended up a little high on the face of one of our opponents (accidentally of course) but order was quickly restored. Sometime during that game we realized that we had the biggest cheering section of any team in the tourney thanks to the presence of quite a few of Germain's local relatives. They were a welcome sight indeed - some more so than others... but I digress... The final game of our tournament was not until 6:30pm so we had some time to reflect (and/or sleep) in between. Determined to go out winners we took the ice against a team from Calgary and they had about 16 guys on the roster. This time we put it all together. Matt Moran opened the scoring for us to tie the game at 1 in the 1st period. From there it was all FNHL - Cheval LaPointe went wide and finally got a goal with his family cheering him on and we took the lead for good. Dan Jervis added what would prove to be the game winner with a quick wrist shot past a sleeping Calgary netminder (think Rigg roast). Calgary got one back in the third but Chuck was outstanding for the third straight game and they were done. Hopkins, LaBarre, Klem and Crowley played solid D and Matt Moran got two more goals to finish it off. Final Score - FNHL 5 Calgary 2...!!  So at this point it might seem that the weekend was over - but it was just getting started. With no game to play in the morning the entire team took full advantage of all the famous Peel Pub had to offer. After several gigantic pitchers of beer and several dozen wings we were offered shooters and let's just say that business picked up a bit. I'm sure several people won't have much recollection of the night past this point.... but it's not often that the waitress agrees to drink 10 shots if the group buys 1 each, but she did, and continued to keep up with us for the balance of the evening (don't worry ladies, her mother actually picked her up from work). She did rub Bob's bald head for luck late in the evening but I'm sure that was just the bad judgment brought on by too many shots on her birthday.... Bottom line, it was a good tournament and an even better weekend with friends. Out of six teams we had the bad luck of drawing the two teams that would eventually meet in the finals but everyone played well and if a couple of bounces had gone our way it could have easily been a different outcome on the ice. Off the ice, all I can say is that no marriages were harmed in the making of this tournament but there is now a significant shortage of beer in Canada... Thanks to everyone who made it memorable!!! We conclude this special edition of the news with my tournament top 10 list.

10. The smell in the hallway of our hotel - took me back 20 years at least.....
 9.  Our neighbors and their large Korean mascot...
 8.  Dan's meeting on our bench during the Calgary game....
 7.  The chat with the movie critic....
 6.  Germain's cheering section
 5.  John catches a nap at Cheers
 4.  A big win over Calgary..
 3.  Chuck's goaltending all weekend
 2.  Petra and the birthday shooters
 1,  CHEVAL...!!!..........!!!....

We still need a couple more teams for the golf tournament and George is planning to collect the money this Friday so please don't forget.....

Have a good week!!!

05/02/06 - First of all the registrations for the golf tournament have begun to pick up but we still need approximately seven teams to fill the course. I spoke to a lot of people on Friday and I know there are more teams out there that haven't registered yet. Thanks to everyone who did take the time to submit the form. If you still haven't registered please do so now. A few people told me to "put them down" for it on Friday but I have no idea who that may have been so please fill out and submit the form. As I've said in weeks past, this has always been a lot of fun whether you're a "golfer" or not so we'd really like to keep the tradition going. George would like to collect the golf money a week from this Friday on May 12th. If you want to pay by credit card you can do so on online using our payments page. Also I got word this week that Ron Maydole has taken the lead and scheduled ice time for an Adult Skills Clinic. Here's what he had to say.

I reserved ice for June 7th, 14th & 21st at 7:40pm to 8:55pm for an adult skills clinic. I am going to post a flyer at the rink so it's not exclusively for the FNHL group (this should help pay for the ice rental).  I would like to have at least three instructors (one for each zone to run station drills and enough to work one-on-one if necessary). I'm thinking the price will be 30.00 per person (paid up front for all three dates). If we have 20 players the ice is paid for.

Several people have mentioned this in the past but we never had anyone to take the lead so thanks to Ron for his efforts in getting this together. It should be a good opportunity for guys to work on many of the fundamentals that just don't get enough attention on game night. If you want to participate you can send me an e-mail here and I will forward them to Ron, or feel free to speak to him directly at the rink. Hopefully this will be a success and something we can run from time to time in the future. I will post more details as they become available. As with the golf tournament, please don't wait until the last minute to register...!!!

Still more news to pass on this week. We are off again this Friday but George and Brian Banks will be renting the 10:15 slot and are looking for players. As always, the first 20 guys to contact them will get the spots. I am leaving for Montreal on Friday but will be in town until then so you can send me an e-mail here and I will be happy to forward them to George and Brian or just give them a call.

Plans are in the works to update this website and I'm looking for your feedback and suggestions on things you'd like to see or any other comments people have. Along those lines, does anyone still use the mirror site I set up at www.dailygripe.com ? A few people asked for it because they were blocked from this site at work. If people are using it then I'll leave it up but if not then I'd just as soon not keep updating two sites. Thanks in advance for your input.

Finally and unfortunately we need to once again mention that our main goal here at the FNHL is to get together and have some fun and friendly competition (and beer of course). Last week was marred by yet another ugly incident and the situation has gotten to the point where the next step is for George to kick a few individuals out. We really don't want it to have to come to that but when a few players can't seem to "get it" and continue to act like idiots then there's no other choice. Probably 95% of the players in the league don't need to read this but the other 5% are truly on "thin ice". We have always had a no checking rule and most people try to follow it. No checking does not mean no contact of course since that's pretty much impossible but it also does not mean that you can take a guy down by grabbing him or "slew footing" him as he goes around you, or by "rubbing him off" along the boards or by pushing or (worse) cross checking someone who sets up a screen in front of your goalie. Even the NHL has severely cracked down on that type of play and clearly this isn't the NHL. We play without refs and that means people have to take it upon themselves to play within the rules. When that doesn't happen then things start to get out of hand and the nonsense that we've been seeing more and more of starts. By the same token everyone needs to realize that it's not a perfect world and people will occasionally (hopefully unintentionally) do stupid things. That does not mean that you've got license to retaliate and "teach someone a lesson". We don't know or care how tough you are and if I hear someone say "you have no idea who you're messing with" one more time I think I'll puke. Bottom line is that a few players need to get over themselves and let the rest of us have a good time. If you want to prove that you've "still got it" (even though you never had it) then go somewhere else. Enough said - probably too much over the last few weeks and I doubt that George will have much more to say other than "goodbye" if things don't change...

Remember we are off this week so our next regular session will  be Friday, May 12th. See you then!

04/25/06 - The new schedule is posted and has a few holes in it which are beyond our control. We had a pretty good off week skate last Friday on the Olympic ice with the majority of the Montreal team notching a hard fought win over a team led by Jesse and Tony Pompo. Unfortunately for the Montreal group Chris Baldwin, who is not making the trip, led the team in scoring with 6 or 7 goals. Predictably, Jesse led the opposition with about the same number. Dave Rigg had a good outing in the nets for the bad guys despite the loss. We are back on for this week and the on again - off again rotation continues for a while longer so please check the schedule closely before making the trip to the rink. The registrations for the Golf Tournament have continued to trickle in and we definitely need more players. Remember that you don't have to be a "golfer" to have a good time in this event. If you want to play but don't have a foursome you can register as an individual and we will pair you up. George told me this week that he'd like to have the money for the tournament during the first week in May. You can pay here on the website or catch up to him in the bar after the games on Friday.

04/18/06 - I spoke to George and there will be no regular FNHL hockey this week. We do have the one sheet available at 10:15pm and Bill Hopkins has offered to coordinate the rental. Same as always, only 20 spots and 2 goalies available - first 20 guys to contact Bill are in. His e-mail address is hopkinswr@cdm.com or you can reach him by phone @ 458-7379 (w) or 434-3230 (h). Please contact Bill directly as George will be at the Crunch playoff game that night. Unfortunately it looks like we will be "on again, off again" for the next few weeks. George is trying to get in touch with the new owner to try and iron out the situation but there may not be much he can do. As soon as the final schedule for the next session is available I will post it here. The registrations for the 4th Annual FNHL Golf Tournament have begun to slowly roll in but we need many more to fill out the event. The date is Saturday, June 17th and I'm sure it will be a lot of fun as always. Click here to go directly to the information and registration page and remember this is not just an event for the "golfers" in the league. The Captain and Crew best ball format ensures that even the occasional duffer or first-timer can participate and have a good time.

04/12/06 - The schedule for this week is posted but that's all for now. George has been having some difficulty getting a straight answer from the rink and is dealing with that immediately. As soon as things are finalized we will post the rest of the schedule. Of course there is no Sunday hockey this week due to the Easter holiday.... On an important note, the money was due two weeks ago and as of a couple days ago 8 people still had not paid. That's over 10% of the league and that's just not acceptable. George already puts in enough time keeping the league running and absolutely should not have to chase people down weeks after the money is due nor should he have to front the money out of his own pocket. Bottom line is he shouldn't have to chase people down at all. The money due dates are clearly posted on the website and we also have an internet PayPal payment option available that a few people use regularly with no problems. If you still owe from the last session please see George immediately to get this resolved. At this late date, don't step on the ice if you still owe. Most people do pay regularly and on time and that is much appreciated but the few guys that consistently don't puts the whole thing in jeopardy..... The ABC games went pretty well last week but I didn't get much of anything in the way of details to report. Russ Cole was outstanding in the A game leading Blue to an 8-6 win over White..... George has gotten quite a few opinions on last week's comments regarding changing up the teams and no firm decisions have been made yet. I think there will probably be an open meeting held sometime soon to hash things out. If you haven't had a chance to voice your opinion yet please feel free to drop us an e-mail and let me know if you want it posted for the group. That's all for now, since I'm on a bit of a vacation I won't be at the rink this week. As always, if anyone wants to e-mail the game recaps I will post them.

Have a nice Easter...!   

04/05/06 - First of all I was mistaken last week when I said the scorekeeper experiment had faded. I did receive the scoresheets from Patty but I haven't had time to post any more this week. I'm still not sure if this will end up working out in the long run but I hope we don't give up too soon. It's been a great help for me and as a player I've appreciated being able to look at the scoreboard and have it be accurate during the game. I know Patty was out of town last week and since I was gone as well all I can post is one recap graciously provided by an anonymous observer - lets just call him "The Schu"...

Black 10