Well folks, another SCOHA season is in the books as the 3 divisions held their championship games last weekend. There was more drama than that episode of Baywatch when the sand was too soft and they had to jog on it very slowly but we got through it. Let’s recap before someone asks “where the hell is the blog?”…

 United Division:

“FLYERS HOLD OFF BRUINS IN UNITED CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FOR THE AGES”

The stage was set for a battle against the Flyers and Bruins, two teams that find each other irritating after a long season of chirping on and off the ice. Cable14 ditched their usual hour of Stoney Creek City Hall caucus meetings to show this game and many Stoney Creek residents were happy they did.

FLYERS 4 BRUINS 2: Flyers Brent Haslam racked up 2 goals and 11 minutes in penalties before he was handed the key to the dressing room as the guys in orange defeated the Bruins 4-2. This game was fast-paced from the get-go, both teams showing off their skill and speed throughout the night. Both “technicians of the twined tents” made several 5-bel saves to keep their teams in it but unfortunately one team had to win. Jeff “lemon meringue” Pye and Duane “from the far away planet of” Marzi also scored for the Flyers while Bruins had goals from Joe “shoeless joe” Shulist and Steve Ditta in a losing cause. This game went a bit pear-shaped at the end but credit to the referees who kept the lid from coming off the boiling pot of split pea soup (with ham).

Masters Division:

“SOMEONE CALL THE COPS, SENATORS FEEL THEY WERE ROBBED OF A CUP WIN”

BRUINS 3 SENATORS 2 (OT) Well if you talk to any Senators players after this one, they were pretty gutted after falling short of a cup victory. Bruins looked tired from about 5 minutes left in the 2nd period through overtime but found a way to win thanks to a distant wrist shot from the blueline by Wayne Sliwinski with 1:18 left in overtime. At the half, the score was 1-0 for the Bruins thanks to great goaltending from both ends of the ice. Senators went up 2-1 thanks to goals by Brock Hotrum and Eric Pearson and felt like they were into cruise control until Terry Lee (recently back from a rib injury) tied the game with 3:38 left. 4-on-4 overtime saw the Sens take charge with numerous scoring chances only to be denied by newcomer Steve Cuthbert or just missing the net by inches. With 1:18 left, Richard Forster scooped up the puck along the dasher boards, fed it up to Wayne Sliwinski who let a wrister go near the blueline that eluded the Sens netminder for the winner. Tough way to lose the championship but have to move on and get ready for draft day and try it all over again. Bruins played their typical style of swarming the puck handler, trying to force turnovers before quickly moving back up ice. That topped off with a steady diet of defensive play spelled victory for the guys in yella.

Grand Masters Division:

“HAWKS HARPOON SHARKS EN ROUTE TO 8-2 TANKING”

BlackHawks 8 Sharks 2 I had Sharks winning this one on my Scohabet ticket but the hawks had other ideas. Nathan Seepersaud had 4 goals and took home the White Rose Garden Centre player of the game, well deserved as he showed all season why he helped carry this team with some heavy minutes and a desire to win. Lee Paule also chipped in with a pair of goals while 6 different Hawks picked up at least one assist, a solid all-around effort. Sharks goals from Gord “magic” Johnson and Dave Cathcart were impressive but not enough to defeat the barrage of shots the Hawks threw at them. All in all, Grand masters had a great season. New players fit into the league well and the goaltending competitiveness around the division was great to see. Team reps have already started planning for the draft and we will check in periodically throughout the summer to see how the reps are preparing for next season.

At the end of each season, writing a thank you to the people that keep this league running smoothly doesn’t seem like enough credit. Terry dedicates so much of his own time making sure we have a league to play in. He helps with any tough decisions that have to be made along with the rest of his staff. I raise my Timmies regular coffee as I write this to say thank you to the exec, the timekeepers, referees and players for a great season. Enjoy your summer, get signed up for next year and bring some players into the league, we want more guys and more teams!!! Any questions, feel free to message me!

Thanks to all that reach out during the season with a thumbs-up to this weekly scribe, it’s appreciated. After discussing with my family, I have decided to return for another year writing this blog.

 Cheers everyone,

Chris Marttila

SCOHA Blog Guy

Well folks, After a brief pause for Easter, we will wrap up another SCOHA season this weekend as all three divisions hold their championship games. United semi-finals were pretty damn close games, could’ve been anyone heading to the dance but the Flyers and Bruins survived scares from the Hawks and Leafs. Masters has the Senators and Bruins locking horns for the cup while Grand Masters has the Cinderella story Sharks facing the Blackhawks in what should be a spirited game to wrap up the season. In general, playoff ticket sales were up 32% and merchandise purchases (through Guy Shaver’s garage) were steady compared to last year. SCOHA no longer gets a concession stand commision so no one really bothered with the flat pop and stale popcorn all season.

March 26, 2026

Dear SCOHA League Players,

Grand Masters veteran Ron Cooper is being welcomed into the 80+ Hockey Hall of Fame this weekend and we are all excited to see Ron join the ranks of many esteemed players over 80 that have achieved this tremendous feat. His many years in SCOHA is celebrated by every one of us and many are lucky enough to call Ron a friend on and off the ice.

Some facts you may or may not know about Ron: His first pair of skates were at age 3. There has to be a photo of him wearing those! His minor hockey roots began in Sunderland back in 1945 which saw him also play in Whitby until 1959 where he moved on to the University of Manitoba in ’61 before tearing up the Stelco leagues as a gritty goal scorer. His SCOHA career began in 1997 where he now calls his home and we are beyond grateful to see him every week.

There are only about 500 Canadians who can say they have played hockey past 80, majority will never lace them up past 60 so this goes to show how much this amazing induction means to Ron, his family and friends.

There is a pickup game scheduled this Saturday, March 28th at the Waterloo Recreation Complex at 101 Father David Bauer Drive in Kitchener at 1pm where Ron and his fellow 80+ players will watch Ron score a hat trick and celebrate like he’s done it a hundred times.

For those not attending the events this Saturday, make sure to congratulate Ron Sunday at the arena.

Congrats Ron and his biggest fan, his wife Sheila. Just from what I see each week, he has no signs of slowing down any time soon!

Chris Marttila

SCOHA  

Well folks, the semi finals are all set for this weekend. Ticket sales are through the roof thanks to Shoppers Drug Mart offering a 2-for-1 deal if you buy either Advil or Anacin. What a weekend of action as all teams left it all on the ice. Let’s dive into the deep end and recap what the hell happened.

Before we start, a few weeks back I accidentally rewarded Joe DeFaria the Grand Masters Player of the Week when it should’ve said Brian Deanes. We filed a correction notice to Hockey Canada and they in fact recognized Brian’s great game and approved the reversal so congrats Brian on a great performance! Sorry about that!

Well folks, the only action this past weekend was United Week 2 of round-robin action so let’s have a look at what the hell happened.

Flyers 5 Bruins 3: Ryan Haslam of the local law firm Haslam, Haslam and Haslam scored the eventual game winner with only 4 minutes left as the Flyers fended off the Bruins 5-3. This game almost came to a boiling point but give credit to the referees and the players for calming things down and playing a pretty damn entertaining hockey game. Dylan McInherny scored 2 seeing-eye goals for the guys in orange and Adam Briggs put the Bruins on his shoulders with a goal and 2 hamburger helpers. For the Bruins it was Braden Lapointe, Joe “shoeless joe” Shulist and Jordan (don’t call me Glen) Campbell who dented the twine in a losing cause. In the end there were 30 minutes in penalties, not sure if that’s a playoff record, will have to rummage through the file boxes full of old dusty game sheets to find out so ya, not gonna happen.

 Leafs 5 Blackhawks 2: The Hawks gave the Leafs a battle but fell a bit short 5-2. Missing their sniper Kevin Scime, Hawks were behind the 8-ball right off the hop but gave it their best. 5 different Leafs lit the lamp, including Jesse Dunham who is a pending free agent and will be seeking a lucrative, long-term deal in the neighborhood of 2mil a season. John Brindle (john be quick, John jumped over the candlestick) and Ron Cybalski scored for the Hawks who will look to get their resurgence back on track next game against the tough Flyers. Hawks have been missing their workhorse Walt Blagdon. His tenacious forecheck mirrors no one and they hope he slides back into the lineup before the end of the season.

Well, that’s an abbreviated United recap. In lieu of only United teams playing this week, we will reward the Premium Plus Tool Workhorses of the Week to a guy from each game:

ADAM BRIGGS  

PETER DENEW  

Have a great rest of the week, folks!

Chris Marttila

SCOHA Blog Guy

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.

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.