Well folks, nothing beats the excitement of playoff hockey, I don’t care how old you are. United Division playoffs are nuts. Last place Blackhawks have a war chest of ammunition to power through the grind of the post season while the Leafs and Bruins, powerhouses throughout the regular season, look to get back on track this weekend.

United Division:

Flyers 5 Leafs 1: This was a calmer game than expected. Flyers continue to rule the roost when it comes to statement games, something the Haslam’s wear on their sleeves each and every week. Flu or no flu, you play against the fellas in orange, you know what type of game you are lacing up for. 5 different players lit the lamp for the Flyers as they trounced the Leafs 5-1. Jesse Dunham had the lone Leaf goal as they plan to sit down and review the tape to get prepared for week 2 of round-robin action this Friday. Leafs were missing a key cog in the wheel, Kyle Relf who is as reliable as they get. Kyle could play a few shifts with a black sock around his eyes and still fire the damn puck around, changes the ceiling for the Leafs when he is on his game. As for the Flyers, I think they have their guy in Anthony Quaglia in net. His pre-game meal of meatball wellingtons is a bit odd but to each their own.

Blackhawks 5 Bruins 2: And just like that the pucks are going in. Hawks folded up the Bruins like grandma folds the very corner of the napkin to dab her face. Ignores the rest of the napkin, just needs the corner. Ryan “swiss” Chard dropped a deuce for the winning side while the Bruins got a goal from what looks like the letter S on the game sheet, it isn’t a 5 because they don’t have a #5 but it doesn’t matter, they lost anyway. This Bruin team will be ok, they are just getting warmed up. Zach Peachey, got him in the playoff pool, also scored in a losing cause. Let’s be honest, the Bruins were missing Matt “window” Sills. This guy can play the damn game the right way, not a guy that would rather make a line change than hustle back to defend. His effort when in the lineup is second to none.

Masters Division:

Senators 5 Bruins 3: Steve Watt notched a pair of major league snipes and Brock Hotrum added a goal (with 1 second left in the 1st) and 2 apples as the Senators skated past the Bruins 5-3. Past SCOHA journeyman Steve Cuthbert spared in net for the Bruins and kept them in it for the most part. Shots were 14-11 for the Senators (thanks timekeeper) but both teams had plenty of chances in close. Good game by both Veterans of the Vented Verandas” , Cuthbert and Scott Mlekuz. Bill “aluminum” Foley did his usual things out there. A few toe drags, all out hustle each shift and oh ya, chipped in with 2 goals. Dwayne Kavanagh has about 12 goals in his last 3 games with his Wednesday and Sunday SCOHA stats combined. Must be the Jolt Cola he chugs before heading onto the ice surface.

Sharks 1 Leafs 0: I watched this one on my tablet, the score has nothing to do with the tempo this playoff game offered up. A late goal with 3 minutes left by Joad Durst lifted the Sharks to a 1-0 triumph over the Leafs. More ups and downs than a stolen Pamela Anderson vhs tape. Shots were 22-11 Sharks but Leafs goalkeeper Sandro Morrone stole the show in net. Let’s be honest, folks, Sharks goalie Bruno Santanato has has a real good season. Despite apparently tweaking a groin at the midway point of the game, he loomed large in the Shark crease to help secure the shutout. Well deserved. Not sure I am a fan of the bright yellow jerseys the Leafs wore but hopefully the sun shines brighter next game.

Grand Masters Division:

Kraken 1 Stars 0: Steve Kivell plays better when the pressure is on. He cooks ribs in the oven on broil for 4 minutes, now that’s pressure. He scored the eventual game winner with 6 minutes left in the opening period then the Kraken, led by Joe DeFaria between the pipes, cruised to a 1-0 victory. Kraken coach Terry Gudgeon after the game said, “We played a pretty dull defensive playoff game that the fans don’t really enjoy but we are here to win the damn cup. We promise there will be more goals next game, you can bank on that.” Stars coach and GM Chris Barratto commented on the lousy Zamboni effort in his end of the ice that saw the young driver leave a stripe in the middle of the ice. We are still awaiting decision on the protest.

Blackhawks 2 Sharks 2: The Sharks rallied around Ernie Dunston’s 2 goal performance and left the rink satisfied with a 2-2 tie against the powerhouse Hawks. Blackhawks had goals from Nathan Seepersaud and Lee Paule, who skated in his 489th career playoff game, tying Flyer great Reggie Leach in that department. 13 total goals in the 3 grand masters games, now that’s defensive playoff hockey, quick math at the top of my head, that’s an average of 4.3333333333 goals per game.

Bruins 5 Flyers 3: This Bruin team has made some great strides as the season went on. They have now won both round-robin games thus far and have a stranglehold on 1st place. Al Roshko, not the cop from Dukes of Hazzard, scored a pair while Terry “hitman” Hughes scored a highlight reel goal with 9 seconds left in the 1st period as the B’s beat the Flyers 5-3.  Flyers kept this one close with Ghislain Piche’s 2 goal performance but they ran out of gas late. Hope they can muster up a win and stay in the hunt for the 4 spots in the semi-finals. We will have to wait and see.

PREMIUM PLUS TOOL WORKHORSES OF THE WEEK:

UNITED: RYAN CHARD  

MASTERS: STEVE WATT  

GRAND MASTERS: AL ROSHKO  

That’s all from this end of the ice. Masters and Grand Masters are off until the 22nd but there are 2 massive United games Friday night. 8pm first puck drop, come on out and catch the action. Drink and Wing specials up at the canteen. See you there.

Chris Marttila

SCOHA Reporter-in-Chief

Folks, Let’s call a spade a spade here, Grand Masters goaltender Joe DeFaria can not only stop a damn puck but he can be an offensive catalyst as well. Joe picked up a primary assist in the Kraken’s game last Saturday that still has fans talking. His rookie card just skyrocketed over $8.00 so get a hold of one before ebay catches wind of it.

Well folks, just like that another regular season is winding down. I would be winding down on a beach in Cuba this week if it wasn’t for an orange guy but we will leave that discussion alone for now. Not the time or the place, I despise that saying..

Good news from our finance department! According to Questrade, SCOHA shares are up 12% since it was announced that our games will be on Apple Tv+ next season.

Well folks, winter is sticking around for a while longer. Groundhogs are a bunch of liars. Another storm coming this week that will bring ice all over the damn place.

I don’t know about you but Olympic hockey is at a level never seen before. Canada came out of the chute and blasted the Czechs while the Yanks are looking strong against Latvia early on in their opening match. This should bode well for the return to action of Masters and Grand Masters divisions this weekend after a pause for the snorefest we called Superbowl. Turns out Grand Masters Mike Vanderzee followed along with Bad Bunny’s lyrics pretty easily as he is fluent in downtown Spanish.

Well folks, I can’t make this stuff up. After giving some bigtime props to Gord Johnson last week for his first goal of the season, doesn’t he go out there and score again this past weekend. If anyone parlayed this on their ScohaBet app, you must’ve won some serious bucks! Great job, Gord, let’s keep this damn streak going this upcoming weekend.

Hey folks, Welcome to 2026, the year of the Fire Horse according to the Chinese horoscope. A fire horse? Ai says it signifies intense energy, enthusiasm and transformative change. Well if that holds true, the 2nd half of the SCOHA season should be one for the ages. Attendance and merchandise sales are up, we are now on all the Ontario betting sites and TSN is in the last phase of discussions to acquire our broadcasting rights from cable14 for an eyebrow raising $49 for 5 years. Details to follow.

BREAKING NEWS: As we went to press this morning, rumours were confirmed that SCOHA alumnus Paul Cleary will be making his season debut for the Grand Masters Sharks this Sunday at 7pm vs the Blackhawks. Great news, Paul! So happy you are back! Can’t wait to see you and say hi!

Well folks, better late than never. Get ready for another cold snap this weekend, good thing the heat is on at the aren… oh nevermind. Guy Shaver held a bake sale last weekend at the end of his driveway to try and help the rink fund a new heater but I guess his version of mincemeat pies didn’t sit well, especially with the British players in the neighbourhood.

Well folks, another few weeks until the big guy tries to get down your chimney. Better late than never, here’s this week’s abbreviated recap of last week’s action:

Well gang, the United Division games this past weekend were nuts, absolute nuts… I was lucky to catch the action live and meet some of the fellas up at the watering hole. Good bunch of guys, hope they can bring in a few buddies next year so we can have 6 teams. That Jordan Campbell rookie on the Bruins, skates around like that Wayne Jetski guy. Someone stop him, good grief.

I heard over the weekend that Grand Master’s veteran Ron Cooper will be inducted into the 80+ Oldtimers Hockey Hall of Fame on March 28TH, 2026 in Kitchener! This is a remarkable accomplishment and we all congratulate him on this honour. Did you know that Ron first laced up his twirlers at the ripe age 3. He then played minor hockey in Sunderland from 1945-47, in Whitby from 1948-59, various Stelco pickup leagues from 1961-2025 and has been a mainstay in SCOHA since 1997! Details of the gala evening will be posted soon. Well done, Ron! Most of us won’t even be able to bend down to tie up our skates by the time we are 60!