| Hookers Advance to League Play-off Finals
Dramatic Comeback and OT Shoot-out Wins Earn Dual Berths
May 18, 2007 - The Las Vegas Hookers defeated the Leafs 5-4 in an overtime shoot-out to advance to the "C" league finals, then rallied from a four goal first period deficit to beat Kilroys 7-5 to earn a spot in the "B" league finals.
In Monday's game against the Leafs, the Hookers started slow, but Mike Reed and Patrick Bailiey scored a goal apiece and Paul Kasztelan added a pair to force an over-time shoot-out. Goalie Tom Brown shut down the Leafs in the shoot-out, enabling Mark Bonner to score the winning goal.
In Thursday's match against Kilroys, the Hookers were victimized by a pair of fluke goals, then coughed up two more to trail 4-0 at the end of the first period. But Kevin O'Connor sparked a second period rally that saw the Hookers draw even at 5-5 heading into the third period. The Hos finished the game with one of their best periods of the season, gaining the go-ahead goal, then adding an empty-net tally in the closing seconds to secure their second straight "B" league finals appearance.
The Hookers finished the regular season on top of both the "B" and "C" league standings for the second consecutive year. The club's 2006-2007 record stands at 58-12-2 including tournament victories.
Notes: The win was the Hookers' fourteenth in a row, dating back to mid-March. The win tied the club record. The Hos have won fourteen consecutive games twice before, both time this season.
Hookers Slip Past Shucks in Play-off Shoot-out
Bailey Forces OT, Hoover Scores Game Winner
May 4, 2007 - The Las Vegas Hookers defeated Shucks 3-2 in an overtime shoot-out to advance in the "B" league hockey play-offs. Patrick Bailey scored with seventeen seconds left in regulation to force overtime, Tom Brown came up with big saves in the shoot-out, then Josh Hoover scored the game winner to lead the Hookers.
As they have in past play-off seasons, Shucks showed up ready to play the spoiler. They jumped out to an early lead when Micah Sanford turned the Hooker defense at the goal line, deked Brown off the goal post, and slipped a shot through a one inch crack to give his club a 1-0 lead five minutes into the match. Shucks played like a team possessed to thwart every Hooker scoring chance and hold their lead through the period.
The second period turned ugly when a Shucks defender took the knees out from under Hooker forward Kevin O'Connor, flipping him head over heels. Strangely, the officials called coincidental minors instead of an obvious intent-to-injure major or match penalty. Once the dust settled, Shucks took advantage several powerplay opportunities, but Brown and the Hooker defense were up to the task.
The Hookers turned up the pressure in the third period, sending wave after wave of attackers at the Shucks net. But the Shucks defense did an excellent job of denying the middle of the ice, forcing the Hos to shoot from the perimeter. Sanford managed two more rifle shots from the slot, but Brown knocked both aside. With Shucks clinging to a one goal lead, tempers flared midway through the set as a Shucks player was ejected for assaulting an official.
The Hookers took advantage of Shucks' lapse in composure to even the score. Paul Kasztelan ripped a shot on goal that rebounded to Keith Capobianco who swatted the puck in with five minutes remaining in regulation. But the officials were not about to be upstaged by the players and with 3:30 left, they sent Hoover to the box on a questionable interference call. Shucks took a time-out, then set up a back-door play to score the go-ahead goal.
But the Hookers were not through yet. After pulling the goalie with one minute remaining, team captain Patrick Bailey showed why he was last year's play-off MVP, deflecting a shot over the shoulder of the Shucks goalie to knot the game with just seventeen seconds left on the clock.
The teams went to an over-time shoot-out where Brown shut down the five hole on several Shucks shooter before Hoover finally faked the Shucks goalie, cut left, and slipped a shot into the net for the game winner.
Notes: The win was the Hookers' fourteenth in a row, dating back to mid-March. The win tied the club record. The Hos have won fourteen consecutive games twice before, both time this season.
Hookers Rout Kilroys In Regular Season Finale
Capobianco Scores Six Goals to Lead Hookers
April 26, 2007 - The Las Vegas Hookers concluded their "B" league regular season with a 14-3 victory over second place Kilroys on Thursday night. Keith Capobianco scored six goals and Kevin O'Connor added four goals and three assists to lead the Hookers. The win improved the Hookers' "B" league record to 24-6-1 (48-11-2 combined league, 52-11-2 overall.) The Hookers finished their schedule on top of both the "B" league and "C" league standings for the second straight year. The Hos held a nine point lead over second place Kilroys in the "B" league and an eleven point lead over second place Vagrants in the "C" league.
Thursday's match started out even with both teams exchanging chances through the first ten minutes of play. Goalie Tom Brown demonstrated why he finished as the league's top goalie at the eight minute mark when he robbed Kilroys of goal with a diving glove save on a "back-door" play to keep the game scoreless. O'Connor broke the tension for the Hookers at 8:40 when he scored on a play from Mike Reed and Mark Bonner to make it 1-0. Paul Kasztelan doubled the score at 4:22 on a set up by Capobianco.
O'Connor opened the second period with a quick goal at 19:02 from Josh Hoover and Jim Cizdziel to make it 3-0. Then Kasztelan went end-to-end off the face-off at 18:55 to make it 4-0 in favor of the Hos. But Kilroys took advantage of a defensive lapse a minute later to score when Wally Lacroix slipped one past Brown at 18:10. But their hope was short lived as Capobianco scored two in a row, the first at 12:53 from Hoover and the second at 8:38 from O'Connor and Bonner. O'Connor added his second goal of the night at 7:28 from Bonner to make it 7-1 for the Hos.
Tom Fraiser got a lucky roll when his shot trickled into the Hooker goal after Brown blocked it between his pads at 6:36. But this season's Hooker MVP, defender Todd Brautigam, took exception and rushed forward to score his 44th goal of the season at 5:16. Kasztelan and Reed picked up assists on the play. Lacroix countered for Kilroys by faking a shot to pull Brown out on the angle, before feathering a pass across the crease to Jeff Hensley for a tip-in at 3:23. But the Hookers continued to dominate with Capobianco netting his third goal of the night with only 1:41 remaining in the period.
With a 9-3 lead starting the third period, the Hookers showed no signs of slowing down. Kasztelan completed his hattrick at 13:04 with a helper from Bonner. Then Capobianco made a mockery of the game by scoring three consecutive goals. The first came at 10:23 unassisted. O'Connor sent him in for his second at 5:49. Then O'Connor and Kasztelan combined to help Capobianco score his third goal of the period at 4:50. Capobianco's six goals in one game were one short of the club record of seven set by Kasztelan. O'Connor closed out the scoring at 1:20 when he knocked in a shot from Reed and Cizdziel for his fourth of the night and a 14-3 Hookers victory.
Notes: Kasztelan's second period goal was his team leading 13th game winning tally. Kasztelan wrapped up his blitzkrieg on the record book with an amazing 113 goals and 174 points. Capobianco finished second in scoring for the club 56 goals and 113 points. Reed finished third with 47 goals and 104 points. Patrick Bailey nipped Brautigam for fourth with 96 points versus 95. O'Connor averaged more than two goals per game in his ten games played. Brown finished the season as the top goalie in both the "B" and "C" leagues. Brown finished with with a club record 43 wins in 54 starts and a record of 43-10-1. He allowed 213 goals, 43 less than in his 54 starts last season. Brown's 3.94 goals against average set a new club record.
Hookers Crack Shucks to Take Regular Season Title
Hoover Scores Twice, Bailey Adds Game Winner
April 13, 2007 - The Las Vegas Hookers defeated Shucks by a score of 5-4 to clinch their second straight "B" league regular season title. Josh Hoover scored two goals and Patrick Bailey added the game winning goal for the Hookers.
The first period was a goaltending dual through fifteen minutes of play. Tom Brown made ten saves for the Hookers before Paul Kasztelan finally gave his goalie a 1-0 lead. Mark Bonner picked up the assist. But Micah Sanford scored with one minute remaining in the period to even the match for Shucks.
Bonner put the Hookers back in front early in the second period when he nabbed a rebound of a Keith Capobianco shot and rammed it into the net for a 2-1 lead. It was Bonner's 40th goal of the season. The Hookers kept the pressure on in the Shucks zone with Hoover adding to the lead thanks to a pass from defender Rob Sayer. But Shucks saw an opportunity to catch the pinching Hooker defense and sprang Sanford free on a one-on-one break that allowed him to pull his club within one goal at 3-2.
Hoover got help from the Hooker defense again to score his second goal of the night. Defender Jim Cizdziel notched the assist. But Shucks' Sanford managed to slip in for another break to score his hattrick making it 4-3 Hookers.
The Hookers hung onto a one goal lead until midway through the third period when Sanford got tangled up with Hooker defender Todd Brautigam. Sanford was awarded a questionable penalty shot. After a lengthy discussion with the officials at center ice, Sanford skated in on his solo chance, only to be stopped by Brown. But the officials allowed Sanford to shoot again, claiming the Hookers bench was too loud. Nowhere in the USA Hockey rules is there a penalty for making noise, but Sanford was given a second chance anyway on which he managed to snap a shot through Browns pads to tie the game.
Adding insult to an already unjust call, the officials put a Hooker in the box even though Shucks scored on the penalty. This infuriated the Hookers, leading to a final five minutes of intense hockey.
After killing off the penalty, the Hookers turned up the pressure. Several Hookers had excellent chances, but it was team captain Bailey who knocked in the fifth and deciding goal on a set up from Mike Reed with just three minutes remaining in regulation. Shucks called time out to discuss options, but to no avail. The Hookers defense held giving the club a hard-earned win and their second regular season title.
Notes: The win preserved the Hookers' five point lead over second place Kilroys, allowing their foes no chance to overtake them in the games remaining. The Hookers open the Monday "C" league play-off tournament with a 10:45 PM game against Desert Ice on April 16. The Hookers will host the annual awards presentation during a special Fan Appreciation Night on Thursday April 19.
Hookers Extinguish Fire to Finish Atop Standings
Capobianco Passes 100 Points, Kasztelan Scores Four
April 10, 2007 – The Las Vegas Hookers defeated the Fire by a score of 12-4 in their final Monday contest of the regular season. Paul Kasztelan scored four goals and Keith Capobianco added two goals and three assists to lead the Hos. In addition to concluding a championship campaign, two individual milestones were reached during the game. Capobianco became the second Hooker to top 100 points this season and only the third in club history. He now has 103 points including 48 goals. Goalie Tom Brown notched his club record 40th win of the season and finished with the league’s best goals against average.
The Hookers started the game with the intent to make a statement. The Fire was the only team to hold a winning record over the Hos going into the match. Fire players had openly boasted during two earlier meetings. Capobianco had the first word when he scored on a set up from Rob Sayer at 15:15 of the first period. The speedy forward struck again on the same shift, converting a pass from Mark Bonner at 14:20 to make it 2-0 in favor of the Hos.
Kasztelan opened his can of whoop-ass at 4:40, taking a feed from Todd Brautigam and John Rauch to score his 106th goal of the year. Mike Reed scored the first goal by a non-Scorpion line player at 2:10 to give the Hos a four goal lead before Bryan Cox finally snuck a goal past Brown at 1:10 to make it 4-1 Hos heading into the break.
Brautigam went coastal to start the second period, taking a pass from Capobianco and beating several Fire players to score his 42 goal of he year at 18:10. Peter Ricardo got past the Ho defense to score for the Fire at 15:45. Then Cox took used a two-man advantage with Kasztelan and Erik Bagger off for the Hos pull the Fire within two at 11:53. But the Hos shook it off with Bonner popping in a rebound from Capobianco and Kasztelan at 7:12 for his 38th goal of the year. Reed scored his second goal of the night at 6:29 to make it 7-3 going into the final period.
The Scorpion line dominated the remainder of the match. Kasztelan scored two in a row with the first coming at 12:26 from Bonner and Capobianco and the second at 10:30 unassisted. Ricardo scored for the Fire on a break-away at 6:45 before Patrick Bailey answered at 4:13 with help from Reed and Kasztelan. The big Ho scored another unassisted goal at 1:15 then assisted on Bonner’s second goal of the night at 30 seconds to give the Hookers the win and even their season series at three games apiece.
Notes: Penalties were 8-1 in favor of the Fire. Erik Bagger earned pink for the first time by taking three minors plus an 10 minute misconduct. Kasztelan’s four goals and three assists give him167 points. Chasing Kasztelan and Capobianco to the 100-point club are Reed with 96 points, Brautigam with 93, and Bailey with 92. The Hookers finished atop the “C” league standings for the second straight year. The club finished eleven points ahead of second place Vagrants with a record of 24 wins, 5 losses, and one tie for 49 points. The Hos led the league in goals scored with 251 and fewest goals against with just 118. The Hookers had three more wins than last year. They also scored 39 more goals and allowed 29 fewer goals.
Hookers KO Kilroys to Open Five Point Lead
O'Connor Scores Hattrick to Lead Hos Toward Repeat
April 6, 2007 - The Las Vegas Hookers played their best game of the season to defeat a strong Kilroys club 5-2 in Thursday night hockey action. Kevin O'Connor scored three goals, Paul Kasztelan notched his team leading 12th game winner, and Keith Capobianco picked up an insurance goal for the league leading Hos.
The game got off to a furious start with both teams skating fast and exchanging chances. Kilroys goalie Chris Tate, starting in favor of Mike Hamilton, relied on his tradmark butterfly stance to come up with five early saves. Tate's counterpart, Ho goalie Tom Brown, did the splits to blocker aside a Wally LaCroix slapshot, then scrambled to smother a series of shots in the crease to keep the game scoreless.
Kevin O'Connor finally broke the deadlock midway through the first period with his 15th goal in just eight games to give the Ho's a 1-0 lead. Kilroys evened the score when Mark Rice turned Josh Hoover to fire a wrist shot past Brown from inside the left circle.
The Hos took the lead in the second period as O'Connor fired a wicked shot through Tate's five-hole. But a series of penalties left the Hos two men short, allowing Kilroys to even the score on the powerplay. The Hos killed one more penalty before escaping the period.
After calming things down on the bench, the Hos opened the third period with a lazer shot from Kasztelan for his league leading 105th goal of the year. The Hookers kept the pressure on
until O'Connor completed his hattrick with ten minutes remaining. Then the Ho defensive corps of Todd Brautigam, Josh Hoover, Rob Sayer, and Jim Cizdziel took over to smother any thought of a Kilroys comeback. Brautigam repeatedly carried the puck clear of the Ho zone, Sayer frustrated LaCroix, Hoover contained Kilroy sniper Rice, and Cizdziel hustled after every loose puck.
With time ticking away and Kilroys' top line worn down, Capobianco snuck past the Kilroys defense and snapped a shot off two posts, then into the net for a convincing insurance goal that gave the Hos a 5-2 victory.
Notes: The win puts the Hookers (21-6-1 Thursday, 44-11-2 overall) five points up on second place Kilroys with three games remaining in the regular season. A win next Thursday against Shucks will clinch the Ho's second consecutive "B" league regular season title.
Capobianco needs four more goals to reach 50. Capobianco, Brautigam, Mike Reed, and Patrick Bailey are all within range of 100 points. Brown needs just one more win to reach 40 on the season.
Hookers Melt Desert Ice
Reed and Capobianco Score Hattricks
April 3, 2007 - The Las Vegas Hookers defeated Desert Ice by a score of 11-4 in Monday night hockey action. Keith Capobianco and Mike Reed lead the way with three goals each. Reed needs just five goals to reach 50 for the second straight year. With one game remaining on the Monday schedule, the Hos hold an eleven point lead in the standings, ensuring them of their second straight regular season title.
The Hookers jumped out to an early lead when Mark Bonner took a nifty pass across the crease from Paul Kasztelan to score his 37th goal of the season at 17:10. Reed doubled the score at 15:00 on a set up by Patrick Bailey. Kasztelan joined the fun, slamming in his 103th goal of the season 12:30 from Capobianco and Jameson Peacock. Desert Ice converted Chris Crotty's shot off a face-off at 11:30 to make it 3-1. Then the Icemen's Jeremy Kash scored at 6:20 with Rob Sayer and Kasztelan in the penalty box for the Hookers to make it look like a game heading to the intermission.
Reed opened a big second period for the Hos with his second goal of the night at 17:36 thanks to a helper from Sayer. Kasztelan removed all doubt with his team leading eleventh game winner at 14:45 from Capobianco. Three minutes later, Sayer rushed from defense to score at 11:17 with help from Capobianco and Reed. Not to be outdone, Todd Brautigam took the puck behind his own net to go end-to-end for his 41st goal of the season at 1:14. Capobianco closed the period with his second goal of the night with just 12 ticks left on the clock to make it 8-2 in favor of the Hookers.
Capobianco scored his second goal of the night at 10:13 of the third period with an unassisted goal. Crotty gave the Icemen a little lift with his second tally as well at 8:35. Reed completed his hattrick at 7:01 thanks to Erik Bagger and Bailey. Capobianco followed suit, completing his trick at 5:00 from Bonner and Kasztelan. Doug Stones ended the scoring for Desert Ice at 4:30, giving the Hos an 11-4 victory.
Notes: Penalties were 4-3 in favor of Desert Ice. The win was the Hookers' 43rd of the year, eclipsing their club record of 38 achieved last season. The Hos are 23-5-1 on Monday night (43-11-2 overall.) With five games remaining in the combined schedule, Capobianco and Reed need just five goals each to reach 50 for the season. Bailey (42) and Brautigam (41) both have an outside chance as well.
Hookers Hang on to KO Shucks
O'Connor Scores Four and Brown Saves the Day
March 23, 2007 - The Las Vegas Hookers held on to beat a much-improved Shucks 7-6 in a wild Thursday night hockey game. "KO" Kevin O'Connor scored four goals including the game winner and goalie Tom Brown played with pain to deliver key saves for the league leading Hookers.
Things didn't look good for the Hookers from the outset. They started the game short two starters and out-manned with just nine players to Shucks fourteen. Despite the odds, the Hos struck first when Todd Brautigam converted a pass from Jim Czidziel at 9:30. Shucks tied the score at 6:07 as Dave Noble tapped in a cross-crease pass.
Shucks carried the momentum for the next five minutes. With a minute remaining in the period, Brown dropped to the butterfly to block a shot that missed his pad and hit his knee. The officials ignored the injured goalie as he lie prone on the ice, allowing play to continue around him. Realizing he wasn't going to get a stoppage, Brown reached back and dislodged the net, drawing a minor for delay of game. Play was then stopped for several minutes until the injured goalie was able to return to action. With Brown hobbled, Shucks turned on the pressure, but the Ho defense held firm and killed off the penalty.
The Hookers took the lead at 11:38 of the second period when O'Connor took a pass from Rob Sayer and ripped home a shot to make it 2-1 Hos. Paul Kasztelan scored his 102 goal of the season at 4:58 thanks to a set up from O'Connor and Mark Bonner. Both teams exchanged chances through the remainder of the period, but the Hos held off their opponents thanks to strong positional play to take a 3-1 lead into the break.
Shucks stormed out to start the third period, tossing a barrage at the Hookers goal. The Hookers managed to hold them off until Noble broke through on a break to score at 13:00 making it a 3-2 game. Clinging to a slim lead, the Hooker found themselves short when Brautigam got the gate for roughing at 12:43. But once again the Hos penalty killers rose to the occasion. Frustrated at their inability to dent the Ho defense, Shucks took a series of penalties that left them shorthanded for nearly six minutes. This proved to be a crucial mistake.
With Shucks down a man, O'Connor took a feed from Patrick Bailey to score at 9:13, followed by Brautigam from Bailey and Josh Hoover at 6:26, then O'Connor again at 6:07 from Bonner. With the Hos leading 6-2 and just six minutes remaining, it looked like the game was over. But Shucks caught a break when Micah Sanford's slap shot from inside the circle caught Brown in the same spot as the earlier blow.
With the Ho goalie wincing in pain and barely able to stand, Shucks turned up the pressure another notch. As a result, Brown and the fatigued Hooker defense were victimized for two quick goals. Mike Sullivan struck first at 4:06, followed by Sanford at 3:33. O'Connor countered for the Hos at 2:44 to make it 7-4, but Shucks kept pouring it on with Noble scoring at 2:41 and Sanford at 2:08 to make it 7-6.
Hanging onto a one goal lead, the Hookers found themselves under siege in their own zone. Brautigam and Kasztelan did their best to hold the puck in the corners, but Shucks managed to fire eight shots on goal in the last two minutes. Brown scrambled to turn each aside, but still the Hos couldn't clear their zone.
After forcing a face-off in the Hooker end with just 3.5 seconds left on the clock, Shucks got the puck to their ace, Sanford, just ten feet up the slot for a clear shot on goal. The Shucks forward fired a slap shot toward the left side of the net, but Brown managed one more save, doing the splits to deflect the shot into the corner of the rink as the buzzer sounded.
Notes: The win was Brown's 36th of the season, setting a new club record. Brautigam's two goals elevated him to the 40 goal plateau, breaking his own team record for defenders. O'Connor's four goals raised him to nine in just six games. The Hookers remain three points up in first place in the "B" league with a record of 39-11-2 overall and 19-6-1 on Thursdays. The Hookers face Shucks again on Monday night.
Kasztelan Nets 100th Goal of Season Naturally
Big Ho Scores 4 to lead Hookers Past Vagrants 12-4
March 20, 2007 - At the beginning of the season, goalie Tom Brown told forward Paul Kasztelan that if he avoided suspensions, he would score 100 goals before the season was done. Last night, the biggest Ho did that and more, scoring four goals including a natural hattrick to lead the Hookers past second place Vagrants by a score of 12-4. Kasztelan set new club records for goals (101) and points (151) in just 41 games.
With the Vagrants coming out strong in the first period, Ho goalie Tom Brown made a series of crucial saves to keep the score even while is teammates got organized. Keith Capobianco was able to convert a set up by Kasztelan and Mark Bonner to give his team a 1-0 lead at 15:00. The Vagrants Randy Kyle evened the score at 14:06, but Capobianco struck again unassisted at 13:02 to put the Hos in front to stay with his 39th goal of the year. Erik Bagger ripped his 14th goal of the year with 10 seconds left in the period to give the Hookers a 3-1 lead heading into the break. Jameson Peacock and Todd Brautigam set up the play.
Brautigam scored his 38th goal of the year at 17:17 to open the second period. Bonner picked up the assist.
Bagger, last seasons most improved player, scored his personal best 15th goal at 13:07 thanks to a set up by Patrick Bailey. A minute later, Brown stopped a Vagrants shot and dished off a pass to Kasztelan who went end to end to score his 98th goal at 12:01. Kasztelan then scored his 99th goal at 10:21 and 100th goal at 9:06 as part of a natural hattrick. Bonner and Capobianco had assists on number 99 and 100 came unassisted.
Rob Sayer picked up his 10th goal of the season at 7:14 from Bagger.
But with Sayer off for high sticking, Matt Levine snuck a shot past Brown on the powerplay for the Vagrants at 2:26 to end the period with the Hos leading 9-2.
Instead of folding, the Vagrants came out strong to start the third period. Kyle notched his second goal of the night for the men in orange when he blasted a slapshot at 12:00 to make it 9-3. Carl Ager added a fourth goal at 10:12. But the Hookers regrouped with Kasztelan scoring his 101st goal and Bailey adding his 40th to end the scoring at 12-4.
Notes: With the win, the Hookers (38-11-2 overall - 21-5-1 Monday) opened up an eleven point lead over the Vagrants in the Monday standings. Three more Monday night wins will clinch the Hookers' second consecutive league title. The team has scored 391 goals with 17 games remaining season, topping last year's mark of 382. Besides Kasztelan, the Hookers have at least four players with the potential to reach 50 goals and 100 points before the season concludes. Last year the club had two players score over 100 points. The win was Brown's 35th of the season. It ties his club record from last year. Brown's set up on Kasztelan's 98th goal was his fourth assist of the season, another club record for goalies. Mike Reed was scratched from the line-up due to illness.
Hookers Vanquish Vagrants
Kasztelan Scores Four Goals, Bonner Four Points
March 6, 2007 - The first place Las Vegas Hookers defeated second place Vagrants by a score of 8-2 in Monday night hockey action. Paul Kasztelan scored four goals, Mark Bonner notched four points, and Keith Capobianco picked up three points as the Scorpion Line led the Hos.
The Vagrants took an early lead when Randy Kyle took the puck away from a Ho defender to lift a shot shortside just one minute into the match. Ho goalie Tom Brown shook off the goal to make several clutch saves until his team was able to even the score. Kasztelan did the honors, taking a pass from Erik Bagger to beat Vagrant goalie Sean Mullaney at 8:51. Mike Reed picked up the second assist. Kasztelan scored an unassisted goal
at 3:03 to give his team the lead heading into the second period.
Reed started a big second period for the Hos at 16:40 when he converted a pass from Todd Brautigam to make it 3-1. Mark Bonner score on a break-away at 14:00, followed by Capobianco at 13:40 from Bonner and Rob Sayer. Kasztelan snapped in two more goals before the period was done. The first came at 12:30 from Bonner and Capobianco and the second at 2:00 with Bonner and Capobianco picking up the assists again. The Vagrants managed a late goal when Kyle was left alone in front of the Hooker goal to shove a rebound under Brown at :40.
Leading 7-2 to start the third period , the Hookers turned up their forecheck to pen the Vagrants in their own end. The Vagrants managed a few late challenges, but Brown was equal to the task. Brautigam
took a rebound off the Ho goalie to go end to end at 4:25 to extend the Hooker lead to 8-2. Then Reed finished the scoring at :57 by converting a pass from Bagger to make it a 9-2 Hooker victory.
Notes: The win gave the Hookers a commanding seven point lead in the Monday standings. Kasztelan's four goals gave him 90 for the season. The Scopion Line of Kasztelan, Bonner, and Capobianco accounted for five goals and eleven points. Brautigam's assist tied his best from last season at 45. With his 32nd tally, Brautigam is the third Hooker to pass the 30 goal mark this season. Bagger's two assists matched his 13 from last season. With 13 goals to go with his assists, Bagger now has 26 points. That's six more than last year in four fewer games. Brown picked up his 32nd win of the season and needs just three more victories to tie his team record. He continues to lead both Monday and Thursday leagues in lowest goals against. The Vagrants played without their ace, Kevin O'Connor. Keegan Dhue was a healthy scratch for the Hookers.
Hookers Extend First Place Lead
Kasztelan Tricks As Capobianco Bangs Kilroys
February 23, 2007 - The Las Vegas Hookers defeated Kilroys by a score of 9-6 in a crucial Thursday night hockey game. The win moved the first place Hos five points ahead of Kilroys with just eight regular season Thursday games remaining. Paul Kasztelan notched a hattrick and Keith Capobianco scored his team leading eight game winner for the Hookers.
The Hookers struck drew first blood when Mark Bonner finished a play set up by Patrick Bailey at 13:50 of the first period. Keegan Dhue, sporting a new pair of pink socks as the current holder of the Pink Towel Award, set up the second Hookers goal with a wild move into the Kilroys zone. After dancing past two players, Dhue dished a short pass across to Josh Hoover who hopped over a sprawling defender before dropping the puck back to Todd Brautigam. The big Ho defender finished the play with a one-timer past Kilroys goalie Mike Hamilton at 10:12.
The game turned ugly early when Kilroys’ Jay Mercer shoved Rob Sayer from behind as the Ho defender was chasing a loose puck. Sayer fell head-first into the boards and had to be helped up from the ice. Mercer got away with only a minor for roughing.
Leading 2-0 with 3:06 remaining, Kasztelan was whistled for interference. After entering the penalty box, the Hos’ leading scorer muttered some harsh words about the call that prompted referee Todd Owen to lose his composure. After back away to center ice, the official attempted to bait Kasztelan into taking another penalty. Hos goalie Tom Brown called out to his player and the official to calm down, causing Owen to threaten, “I’ll get you too!”
Sensing the game was about to get out of hand, Brown called time out to settle his team and ask the other official to speak to his counterpart. The cool-off period worked as intended. As play resumed, Brautigam took a rebound end-to-end to score shorthanded for the Hos at 2:45 to close out the period.
The Hos continued to dominate play in the second period with Kasztelan scoring at 14:20 from Bonner. Kilroys’ Mercer finally dented Brown at 9:07 with a slapshot from the left circle. Dhue responded with goal for the Hos on a set up by Bailey at 5:07. Then Wally Lacroix faked Brown into covering shortside before blasting a goal long side to make it 5-2 heading into the final period.
Hoover opened the third period with his 18th goal of the season at 14:19 from Bonner and Capobianco. Then Kilroys finally decided to make a game of it. After gaining the zone and putting two players in front of the Hos’ goal, Doug Arnold fired a shot that forced Brown to scramble to save through the screen of players. With the goalie down, Mercer lifted the puck high toward the top of the net, only to see the Brown’s leg pad dart up to kick the shot away at the last instant. The Hos’ Brautigam pulled down the rebound and fed a neat outlet pass to Capobianco who rushed end-to-end to score what would be his team leading eighth game winning goal at 10:25.
Kasztelan continued the punishment with his second goal of the night at 8:02 from Bailey giving the Hookers an 8-3 lead. But Kilroys didn’t quit. The men in maroon continued to stack players in front of Brown and succeeded to bank three goals past him on rebounds inside the crease. Mercer got the first at 7:38, followed by Steve Poscente at 5:45, and finally Arnold at 5:05. But that was as close as they would get
The Hookers defense tightened up for the next four minutes until Sayer was called for hooking at 1:14. Kilroys managed three shots, but Brown turned them all aside. Still shorthanded, Capobianco connected with Dhue to send Kasztelan in for his third goal of the night making it 9-6 in favor of the Hos. But while the scoring was over, the fireworks were not.
With less than a minute to play, Dhue fired a puck toward a Kilroys defender. The puck shot past the defender and hit referee Gary Stevens in the skates. The other referee, Owen, over-reacted and ejected Dhue for attempting to shoot the puck at an official.
Notes: The win extended the current Hookers winning streak to nine games. Kasztelan’s three goals gave him 85 for the season. Dhue played his way out of pink, then back in again. After playing strong defense and adding a goal, he received two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct, a ten minute misconduct, and a game misconduct. He’ll sit out the next Thursday game on suspension. Kevin O'Connor, Mike Reed, and Don Webster were healthy scratches for the Hos. Mike Mandas was behind the bench for the Hos. Anthony "Deuce" Ravare has been called up from Reno and will make his first appearance in the Hookers line-up on Monday night.
Hookers Shoot Down Hawks
Bonner, Brautigam, and Brown Lead Hos
February 16, 2007 - The Las Vegas Hookers defeated the Hawks by a score of 8-2 in Thursday night hockey action. Todd Brautigam scored the game winner and joined goalie Tom Brown in adding some excitement in the form of a second period altercation that saw last year’s top defender ejected from the match.
The game started normal enough with Kevin O’Connor giving the Hos an early lead at 16:14 thanks to set up by Don Webster. The Hawks countered when Landon Heinz blasted a shot over the Brown’s left shoulder at 9:30. Paul Kasztelan regained the lead for the Hos with his 81st goal of the year at 4:46. Webster, sporting a new, trim frame and playing in his first game for the Hos in almost a month, picked up his second assist of the night on the play.
Brautigam scored what would be the game winner at 16:45 of the second period by converting a feed from Mike Reed to beat Hawks goalie Mike Katz. The Hawks responded with another shot by Heinz at 6:40, but it would be the last time they dented Brown.
Things heated up with 3:58 remaining in the period when Brown covered a dump pass, but the official failed to blow the whistle. The Hawks’ Brian Anderson rushed in late and jabbed at Brown, forcing the net minder the juggle the puck before covering it again behind the goal. With Brown smothering the puck again, Anderson tried to swing around the goal for a second swipe, but Brautigam cut him off.
Anderson took a jab at the Ho defender with a high stick, causing Brautigam to knock him to the ice. Unfortunately for the Hawk, he fell on Brown who immediately began working him over as the two lay prone behind the goal. When the officials finally blew the whistle, Brautigam was sent to the showers with a double minor for roughing and a game misconduct.
The Hos responded by killing off the penalty and scoring while shorthanded. O’Connor did the damage, rushing in alone with two minutes to go in the set to score and give his club a 4-2 lead heading into the break.
In the third period, the Hos kept the Hawks penned in their own end until Josh Hoover scored unassisted with 5:10 remaining on a wicked forehand shot. Mark Bonner got his 30th goal of the season at 4:45 thanks to Kasztelan and Keith Capobianco. Then Capobianco ripped the Hos third goal in less than a minute at 4:19 from Bonner and Kasztelan.
Katz lost his composure after the onslaught, taking a whack at O’Connor in the Hawk goal area. O’Connor and the Hawk goalie exchanged words, but the officials moved to separate the pair. Patrick Bailey closed out the scoring at 2:44 with a goal from Bill Walo and O’Connor.
Notes: The Hookers now sit atop both "B" and "C" league standings. Bonner joins Kasztelan, Reed, Bailey, and Capobianco as the fifth Ho with 30 or more goals. The Hookers had four 30-goal scorers last year. Kasztelan and Capobianco lead the Hos in game winning goals with seven each. Brown notched his 28th win in 35 starts. Brown leads both leagues in lowest goals against.
Hookers Sweep Labatt Blue USA
Hockey Tournament
O'Connor, Bailey, and Capobianco
Lead Hos to Victory
February 11, 2007 - The Las Vegas Hookers swept their
division at the Labatt Blue USA Hockey Pacific Regional
Tournament. The Hos were led by Kevin O'Connor with
five goals. Patrick Bailey and Keith Capobianco contributed
four goals each. Goalie Tom Brown allowed just five
goals and earned a shut-out along the way.
The Hookers opened the tournament on Friday night with
a 12-3 win over the Bakersfield Killer Bees. O'Connor
scored a hattrick and both Mark Bonner and Josh Hoover
netted two goals each. Bailey, Paul Kasztelan, Mike
Reed, and Todd Brautigam each scored once for the Hos.
The Hookers tipped the Reno Brew Crew by a score of
8-0 on Saturday morning. Eight different Hookers scored
in the match. Bailey, Hoover, Brautigam, O'Connor, Capobianco,
Bonner, Jim Cizdiel, and Keegan Dhue each nabbed a goal.
Brown turned aside 12 shots for the shut-out.
The Hookers swept the division with a 10-2 victory on
Saturday afternoon over the Las Vegas Hangovers. Keith
Capobianco led the way with a hattrick. Bailey and Kasztelan
contributed two goals each. Brautigam, Hoover, and O'Connor
each tallied once.
Notes: The Hookers out-scored their
opponents by 30-5. The Hos will look to continue their
dominance in May during the USA Hockey Adult Hockey
National Championships.
Hookers Rally to Beat Kilroys
Reed Scores Three Goals Including Game Winner
February 2, 2007 - The Las Vegas Hookers defeated Kilroys by a score of 9-6 to pull within one point of first place in the Thursday night B League. Mike Reed scored three goals and an assist and Kevin O'Connor tallied five points to lead the Hos.
Kilroys got off to a fast start on the strength of back-to-back first period goals by Wally Lacroix. The former ECHL official snapped a shot from a sharp angle for a goal at 18:00, followed by slap shot from the circle at 16:40 to give his team a 2-0 lead. But the Hookers fought back with Reed streaking in on the Kilroys' net for unassisted goal at 13:40. It was Reed's 30th goal of the season.
The Hookers worked hard to contain Kilroys' Mark Rice, also known as the Hooker Killer, by dropping a man back to cut off outlet passes headed his direction. But the crafty forward evaded coverage to score unassisted at 8:49. With Kilroys leading 3-1, Patrick Bailey scored his 25th goal of the season for the Hookers at 3:01 thanks to a set up by O'Connor and Mark Bonner. But as has been the case too often this season, a lapse of concentration as time ran out in the period resulted in a bad turn-over, allowing Jay Mercer to score through a screen at the 13 second mark.
Trailing 4-2 to start the second period, the Hookers finally settled into their game plan, successfully shutting down both Rice and Lacroix, while mounting sustained pressure in the Kilroys' zone. Reed gave the Hookers new life with his second unassisted goal of the night at 11:02. Then with Rob Sayer off for tripping, Todd Brautigam took a pass from O'Connor to tie the game with a shorthanded goal at 6:52. Steve Poscente put Kilroys back in the lead on the powerplay at 5:16. With Sayer off again, this time for holding, O'Connor added the Ho's second shorthanded goal at 1:20 from Brautigam and Paul Kasztelan.
With the score even at 4 to start the final period, the teams exchanged chances. Continued pressure by the Hos' forecheckers forced Kilroys into a string of four penalties. But with Kilroys shorthanded, a turn-over at the Hooker blue line allowed Mercer to cut across the slot and use the defender as a screen to score an unassisted goal for Kilroys at 8:27.
The Hookers regrouped, but failed to score on the powerplay. However, they used the advantage to wear down the Kilroys defense. This allowed leading scorer Kasztelan to convert a nifty back door goal off a cross-crease pass from O'Connor at 6:12 to even the game for the Hookers. Sensing weakness, the Hos seized the momentum with Reed notching his third goal of the night, the game winner, thanks to a slick pass from O'Connor at 5:42. Bailey sealed the deal with his second goal of the night at 5:21 from Reed.
Down two men with time running down, Rice streaked free down the right side and was about to turn in toward the goal when O'Connor made a diving play to bring down the Kilroys forward before he could do any damage. Kilroys called time out to get their goalie off for an extra attacker as O'Connor headed to the penalty box. But the Hookers won the ensuing face-off, allowing Brautigam to break out for his second goal of the evening at the 25 second mark to close the scoring at 9-6 in favor of the Hookers.
Notes: Reed's three goals gave him
32 for the season and moved him ahead of Keith Capobianco
into second place on the Hookers' goal scoring board.
Kasztelan continues to lead all scorers with 70 goals.
Both Bailey and Brautigam moved closer to the 30 goal
plateau with 26 and 25 goals respectively. O'Connor
has 12 points in his first two games as a Ho. Josh Hoover
missed the game with a one game suspension for misconduct
in last Thursday's win over the Hawks. The win evened
the season series with Kilroys at 3 wins apiece. The
Hookers are 14-4-1 on Thursday nights (28-9-2 overall.)
The Hookers lead both Monday and Thursday leagues with
the lowest goals against.
Hookers
Continue Shucks' Nightmare
Kasztelan Shows Teeth by Scoring
5 Goals
January 31, 2007 - The Las Vegas Hookers defeated Shucks
13-1 in Monday night hockey action. Paul Kasztelan scored
five goals and Mike Reed contributed three to lead the
Hos to their second straight defeat of Shucks.
Keith Capobianco opened the scoring with a solo effort
at 6:48 of the first period. It was his 31st goal of
the season. Mark Bonner followed up with a goal a minute
later to make it 2-0. Todd Brautigam and Kasztelan got
the assists. Shucks got their lone goal of the night
with three minutes left in the period when Justin Hawker
saw his shot trickle through Ho goalie Tom Brown's armor.
Mike Reed started the second period with a goal at
18:56 from Patrick Bailey to give the Hos a 3-1 lead.
Then Kasztelan put on a show. First the big Ho took
a drop pass from Bonner and ripped a slapshot into the
top shelf at 16:00. Capobianco picked up the other assist.
Next Kasztelan took a feed from John Rauch to fire another
blast past Shucks' goalie Derreck Haverson at 7:00.
At 4:36, Kasztelan scored a natural hattrick (three
goals in a row) with an assist from Jameson Peacock.
Then with 4 seconds left in the period, Kasztelan slipped
a shot in from close range for his fourth goal of the
night. Rauch picked up the assist and the Hos went to
the break leading 7-1.
Peacock, fresh from a three game suspension, got back
into the swing with a goal at 13:15 from Reed. Reed
scored one of his own at 10:08 from Bailey and Kasztelan.
Kasztelan put an exclamation point on the night with
his fifth goal of the night at 8:51 from Bailey. Peacock
struck again from the point at 7:50 from Capobianco
and Almany. Reed picked up his third goal of the night
at 4:18 from Brautigam and Bailey. Then with Shucks
looking for the exit, Bonner snuck in with a garbage
goal at 2:11 from Almany and Kasztelan to end the game
at 13-1.
Notes: Shucks must have felt they
were trapped in a nightmare. They were defeated last
week by a score of 14-1 by the Hookers. Kasztelan scored
five goals and three assists giving him 60 goals and
100 points for the season. But he wasn't smiling. The
big Ho took a cross check to the mouth during practice
on Sunday night resulting in several broken teeth. Where
have you gone, Bobby Clarke? RIP Gump Worsley.
Dan Niederriter Succumbs to
Cancer
Las Vegas Hookers Mourn a Good
Friend
January 20, 2007 - Dan Niederriter, the league's official
scorekeeper, passed away today after a long battle with
lymphoma, a form of cancer. Dan was 25 years old.
Dan played hockey for the Kilroys Hockey Club before
taking over for his father, George, in the scorekeeper's
box at the Las Vegas Ice Center. Teammates and opponents
alike will remember Dan as a talented player who loved
the game. Dan always displayed a strong sense of fair
play and positive attitude on the ice. These qualities
and his devotion to the game caused his fellow players
to rally around him with two benefit games during his
illness.
Dan is survived by his wife Angelique, son Daniel, mother
June, and father George.
The Las Vegas Hookers Ice Hockey Club, their fans, and
all the players of the LVIC Hockey League wish to express
their condolences to Dan's family. We have all lost
a good friend.
Hookers Overwhelm Shucks
Kasztelan and O'Connor Turn Tricks
January 19, 2007 - The Las Vegas Hookers demolished
Shucks by a score of 14-1 in Thursday night hockey action.
Paul Kasztelan scored three goals to tie his team record
for most goals in a season and reach the 100 point plateau.
Kevin O'Connor scored four goals in his debut as a Hooker.
The Hookers dominated from the start of the game, but
managed just one first period goal. Mark Bonner took
a pass from Keith Capobianco and fired into the net
at 9:30 for his 25th goal of the season.
Patrick Bailey opened the second period with a goal
at 19:20 from O'Connor and Rob Sayer. The Hos continued
to wear down the Shucks defense until Todd Brautigam
rushed from defense to score the Hos' third goal at
11:17 from O'Connor. With the goal the flood gates opened
for the Hookers. O'Connor scored on a set up by Sayer
at 8:50. He scored again unassisted on a nifty run through
the middle at 3:40. With the clock winding down, the
Hos continued to press, with Josh Hoover scoring at
1:48 from Kasztelan and Mike Reed, Reed scoring at 1:10
from Jim Cizdiel, and Kasztelan scoring with just 8
seconds remaining from Reed and Hoover.
Shucks managed their lone goal when Dan Airee scored
after a scramble in front of the Hookers net at 12:30
of the period. But the Hookers responded immediately
with goals from Sayer at 11:50 from Kasztelan and Brautigam
followed by O'Connor for the hattrick at 11:20 from
Kasztelan. Sayer scored his second goal of the night
at 9:30 off a feed from O'Connor and Cizdiel.
Kasztelan continued his rampage, scoring twice in the
final four minutes. Capobianco and Brautigam set him
up at 3:48, then he nailed his hattrick at 1:57 with
a helper from Brautigam. O'Connor finished out the scoring
with his fourth goal of the night at 1:15 from Sayer.
Notes: Kasztelan's three goals raised
his season total to 63 in just 26 games. He set a team
record last season with 63 goals in 23 games. Kasztelan
is just the second player to score 100 points for the
Hookers. Reed set the team's single season scoring record
last year with 128 points. O'Connor's four goals and
three assists for seven points was the best debut by
any Hooker. Kasztelan scored five goals in his first
game last season.
Vagrants Overcome Hookers
Hos Blow Early Lead to Lose in
Shoot-out
January 16, 2007 - The Las Vegas Hookers blew a 6-1
first period lead, losing to second place Vagrants 8-7
in an overtime shoot-out. Kevin O'Connor led the comeback
for the Vagrants.
In a game marred by penalties, the Hookers played most
of the third period short-handed. Two Hos were sent
to the room early, with Todd Brautigam ejected for misconduct
and Keegan Dhue for fighting. Dhue's fight was perhaps
the most decisive of the season, leaving his opponent
with a swollen face covered in blood.
While entertaining for the crowd, the non-stop barrage
of penalties allowed the Vagrants to creep back into
the game on a series of powerplay goals. Then clinging
to an 8-7 lead with less than a minute to play, the
Hookers were victimized by a horrible non-call.
With the Vagrants goalie on the bench in favor of an
extra attacker, the Hos struggled to kill the clock.
The Vagrants managed a final shot with less than five
seconds remaining. Hos goalie Tom Brown dropped to the
butterfly position and stopped the shot. With the puck
out of sight between Brown's pads and two Hos standing
behind him in the crease, the officials watched the
clock instead of blowing the play dead. This allowed
a Vagrants player to rush in and jam his stick between
Brown's legs forcing the puck into the net with just
three seconds remaining in regulation.
The overtime shoot-out went through the initial three
shooters from each side with the goalies each stopping
one out of three. But the Vagrants scored on their fourth
shot to win the match.
Notes: The Hookers remain in first
place in the Monday league with a record of 13-4-1 (24-8-2
overall.) The overtime loss got the Hos a point, keeping
the Vagrants four points back. The Hos played without
their leading scorer, Paul Kasztelan. Both Brautigam
and Dhue will miss next Monday's game with suspensions.
Jameson Peacock has one game remaining on his three
game suspension. For more, see the post
game analysis.
Hookers Melt Ice
Kasztelan and Bailey Light Up Desert Ice
December 12, 2006 - The Las Vegas Hookers extended their unbeaten streak to 13 games with a 14-5 drenching of Desert Ice in Monday night hockey action. Paul Kasztelan set a new team record for points in a game with 9 including five goals. Team captain Patrick Bailey added four goals and three assists for the Hos.
The Hookers got off to a quick start, but failed to finish several early opportunities including a missed open net by Keith Capobianco that drew a chorus of "Pink Towels" from the bench. But the Ho's constant pressure left them vulnerable to a counter attack and Desert Ice wasted little time capitalizing with two goals. The first came at 12:56 followed by another at 9:37. The Hookers remained calm, refocused their attack, and promptly took control of the game with goals by Erik Bagger at 8:35 from Mark Bonner, Bailey at 7:74 from Kasztelan and Jameson Peacock, and Kasztelan from Capobianco and Todd Brautigam at 5:32. Desert Ice managed to get one back on a break at 3:18, but Bailey responded immediately at 2:31 with help from Peacock.
The Hookers stormed out to three goal lead in the second period on the strength of goals from Kasztelan at 18:29 from Bailey and Capobianco and Bonner at 15:48 from Bagger and Kasztelan. Desert Ice nicked one back at 14:02, but Bailey cruised in to score unassisted at 12:18. Desert Ice closed the period and their side of the score sheet with a goal at 1:24 to make it 7-5.
The third period was all Hookers. Capobianco regained a measure of respect with a goal at 14:29 from Kasztelan. Kasztelan scored a hattrick with his third goal of the night at 11:54 from Bailey and Bonner. Then defender Todd Brautigam decided to get involved, scoring back-to-back goals at 10:05 and 7:39. Kasztelan and Capobianco picked up assists on the first and the second was an end-to-end unassisted effort that screamed, "Look at me!"
Not to be outdone, Kasztelan rumbled in for two more goals at 5:32 from Bonner and Capobianco then at 4:36 from Bailey. Captain Bailey closed the scoring at 2:09 from John Rauch and Brautigam.
Notes: The win was the team's 20th of the season. Thanks to a Fire win over second place Vagrants, the Hookers now hold a commanding seven point lead on Monday night. The Hookers can tie their team record for consecutive wins on Thursday night versus the Hawks. The win set a new individual record for goalie Tom Brown with 13 consecutive wins. Brown will be looking for his 100th career victory in a Hooker uniform on Thursday night. Kasztelan has already broken team records for the most goals in one game (7), most points in one game (9), most penalty minutes in one game (19), and most penalty minutes in a season (74 and counting.) With 52 goals already, he may break his own single season scoring record (63) before the mid-season break!
Hookers Deliver Early Christmas Present
Kasztelan, Capobianco, and Bonner Lead Hos Past Kilroys
December 8, 2006 - The Las Vegas Hookers unwrapped a can of woop-ass on previously unbeaten Kilroys, gaining an 8-3 victory in Thursday night hockey action. Paul Kasztelan scored three goals while linemates Keith Capobianco and Mark Bonner tallied twice each to lead the Hos. Goalie Tom Brown had a big night in net, stopping 35 Kilroys shots on the way to his 19th win of the season.
After exchanging chances early, Kilroys opened the scoring at 5:25 when Dave Logan scored on the powerplay. The Hookers responded at 4:06 with a goal from Josh Hoover. Todd Brautigam picked up the assist. It was to be the only goal scored by the Ho's first line. The Ho's took a 2-1 lead with 53 seconds left in the period on a goal by Kasztelan from Capobianco and Jameson Peacock, but Kilroys answered ten seconds later when Mark Rice took the face-off and broke in alone for an unassisted goal.
Kilroys opened up their attack in the second period, but the Hookers forwards did a great job of backchecking to prevent any odd-man breaks. Brown came up big five times early in the period, including an acrobatic glove save to deny Kilroy's stud, Wally Lacroix, on the powerplay. Then it was time for the second line to take over for the Hos.
Kasztelan emerged from the penalty box to score his second of the night at 12:22 from Bonner and Brautigam to give his team a 3-2 lead. Two shifts later at 6:36, Capobianco knocked a goal past Kilroys netminder Mike Hamilton to make it 4-2 Hookers. Jim Cizdiel and Hoover picked up assists. Sensing blood, Bonner crashed the net to score his first goal of the night at 5:02 from Don Webster. Capobianco kept the pressure on with his second tally of the evening at 4:08 from Kasztelan to give the Hookers a 7-2 lead going into the third period.
Kilroys managed to get a goal back at 11:25 of the third period when Doug Arnold scored on a slap shot from the left circle. But Kasztelan answered with his 47th goal of the season at 10:57 from Webster and Capobianco. Kilroys managed a few last gasps late in the game with Kasztelan off for tripping, but the Hookers defense was up to the task. Bonner closed out the scoring with an unassisted goal at 38 seconds.
Notes: The win moves the Hos within four points of Kilroys for first place in the Thursday league. It was the first loss of the season for Kilorys. Kasztelan's three goals gave him 47 with five games remaining before the mid-season point. Mark Bonner and Mike Reed need one goal each to reach the 20 goal plateau. Kasztelan has shattered the team record for penalty minutes, racking up 74 already. Brown will go for his 20th win of the season on Monday when the Hookers take on Desert Ice. The Hookers goalie leads the Monday league in lowest goals against. The Hookers are in first place in the Monday league with a record of 11-2-1.
Outnumbered Hookers Down Shucks
Bailey Scores Five Goals to Lead Magnificent Seven
December 4, 2006 - The Las Vegas Hookers defeated Shucks in the back end of a home-and-home series by a score of 7-1 in Monday night hockey action. Playing with just seven men, the Hookers dominated a Shucks team that had two full lines. Captain Patrick Bailey scored five goals and goalie Tom Brown had 28 saves to lead the Hos. Paul Kasztelan and Todd Brautigam added a goal each. Keith Capobianco, Erik Bagger, and John Rauch each had strong games for the Hookers.
Hookers Outlast Shucks
Hos Shave Clams in Overtime
November 30, 2006 - The Las Vegas Hookers defeated Shucks 7-6 in Thursday night hockey action. The game was decided by an overtime shoot-out. The Hookers led 6-3 in the third period, but Shucks took advantage of some sloppy turn-overs to even the score with two minutes remaining in regulation. Ho goalie Tom Brown stopped two of three shots in overtime to win the game.
Hookers Oust Vagrants
Hos Take Sole Possession of First Place
November 28, 2006 - The Las Vegas Hookers defeated the Vagrants by a score of 3-2 in Monday night hockey action. The win puts the Hookers in first place with 20 points to the Vagrants' 18. Paul Kasztelan, Patrick Bailey, and Mike Reed scored for the Hookers.
Hos goalie Tom Brown gave up an early goal on a break-away in the first period, but stopped four more breaks and held the Vagrants scoreless in the third period on his way to his tenth win of the season. Last season's top scorer, Mike Reed, showed he's tough off the puck too by picking up a fighting major with four minutes remaining.
The Hookers have a record of 10-3 on Monday night. The Ho's lead the Monday league with 105 goals for and just 58 against.
The Hookers are just past the one third point of the season. The Hookers were 14-8 overall at this point last year. They are currently 16-6.
Hookers
Swallow Clams
Brautigam and Bonner Pace Hos
Past Shucks
September 8, 2006 - The Las Vegas Hookers extended their
winning streak to thirteen games with an 8-2 win over
Shucks in Thursday night hockey action. The Hookers
demonstrated why the best offense is often a good defense
as defenseman Todd Brautigam scored two goals including
the game winner. Two other defenders scored and back-up
goalie Mark Bonner scored twice to lead the Hos.
The Hookers dominated play early, but it was Shucks
that struck first. With the Hos on the powerplay, Shucks'
Kevin Brown managed to get the puck deep into Hooker
zone. After killing time in the corner, he fired a sharp
angle shot that deflected off the edge of Ho goalie
Tom Brown's glove and into the net at 11:54 of the first
period. Shucks then started short shifting their players
to keep them fresh and attempted to hold their blue
line against a constant Hooker attack.
In the second period the Hookers adjusted to Shucks'
tactics setting up Brautigam for his first goal of the
night at 11:41 from Patrick Bailey. Bonner, a goalie
turned goal scorer, made it 2-1 for the Hos with a tally
at 10:06 from Josh Hoover. Brautigam struck again at
1:32 thanks to a pass from Mike Reed. But Shucks got
another lucky break with just 21 seconds left in the
period when Brown turned a Hooker defender and managed
a close-in shot that snuck under Brown's pad to close
the gap to one. Confused yet?
The third period was all Hookers, starting with an unassisted
goal by defenseman Donald Webster at 14:00. Fellow defender
Bill Walo then got his first goal of the season with
a slow floating shot that eluded Shucks' goalie Chris
Hanson at 11:34. Josh Hoover picked up an assist on
the play. Bonner added to Shucks' frustration with his
second goal of the night at 9:54 unassisted.
Tempers flared at 7:21 as Hoover's sneaky retaliation
for a blatant elbow resulted in a two minute minor for
unsportsmanlike, a major misconduct, and a game misconduct
being assessed to Shucks' Brett Leone. Shucks killed
the minor, but missing their best player they were no
match for the Hos. Paul Kasztelan continued his three
game scoring streak with a blast at 2:15 from Brautigam.
Then Reed capped the night with a goal at 1:24 from
Webster.
Notes: The Shucks received 5 penalties
to the Hookers' 1, thanks largely to Leone's misfortune.
Kasztelan took the Hos' only penalty, a lazy hooking
call in the third period, earning him the Pink Towel
Award. The Hos face two tough opponents this week. On
Monday they take on the Leafs and on Thursday they face
an improved Kilroys club. Thursday's game is a special
charity Hooker Ho-Down. Josh Hoover went to a gay bar
after the game.
Hookers
Swallow Clams
Brautigam and Bonner Pace Hos
Past Shucks
September 8, 2006 - The Las Vegas Hookers extended their
winning streak to thirteen games with an 8-2 win over
Shucks in Thursday night hockey action. The Hookers
demonstrated why the best offense is often a good defense
as defenseman Todd Brautigam scored two goals including
the game winner. Two other defenders scored and back-up
goalie Mark Bonner scored twice to lead the Hos.
The Hookers dominated play early, but it was Shucks
that struck first. With the Hos on the powerplay, Shucks'
Kevin Brown managed to get the puck deep into Hooker
zone. After killing time in the corner, he fired a sharp
angle shot that deflected off the edge of Ho goalie
Tom Brown's glove and into the net at 11:54 of the first
period. Shucks then started short shifting their players
to keep them fresh and attempted to hold their blue
line against a constant Hooker attack.
In the second period the Hookers adjusted to Shucks'
tactics setting up Brautigam for his first goal of the
night at 11:41 from Patrick Bailey. Bonner, a goalie
turned goal scorer, made it 2-1 for the Hos with a tally
at 10:06 from Josh Hoover. Brautigam struck again at
1:32 thanks to a pass from Mike Reed. But Shucks got
another lucky break with just 21 seconds left in the
period when Brown turned a Hooker defender and managed
a close-in shot that snuck under Brown's pad to close
the gap to one. Confused yet?
The third period was all Hookers, starting with an unassisted
goal by defenseman Donald Webster at 14:00. Fellow defender
Bill Walo then got his first goal of the season with
a slow floating shot that eluded Shucks' goalie Chris
Hanson at 11:34. Josh Hoover picked up an assist on
the play. Bonner added to Shucks' frustration with his
second goal of the night at 9:54 unassisted.
Tempers flared at 7:21 as Hoover's sneaky retaliation
for a blatant elbow resulted in a two minute minor for
unsportsmanlike, a major misconduct, and a game misconduct
being assessed to Shucks' Brett Leone. Shucks killed
the minor, but missing their best player they were no
match for the Hos. Paul Kasztelan continued his three
game scoring streak with a blast at 2:15 from Brautigam.
Then Reed capped the night with a goal at 1:24 from
Webster.
Notes: The Shucks received 5 penalties
to the Hookers' 1, thanks largely to Leone's misfortune.
Kasztelan took the Hos' only penalty, a lazy hooking
call in the third period, earning him the Pink Towel
Award. The Hos face two tough opponents this week. On
Monday they take on the Leafs and on Thursday they face
an improved Kilroys club. Thursday's game is a special
charity Hooker Ho-Down. Josh Hoover went to a gay bar
after the game.
Hookers
Clip Hawks
Kasztelan, Reed, and Hoover Score
Two Apiece
August 31, 2006 - The Las Vegas Hookers continued the
scoring rampage that started in Summer league by defeating
the Hawks 9-5 in Thursday night hockey action. Paul
Kasztelan, Mike Reed, and Josh Hoover scored two goals
apiece to pace the Hookers. The win continued a twelve
game unbeaten streak for the Hookers stretching back
to June.
Patrick Bailey opened the scoring at 14:53 of the first
period by taking a pass from Todd Brautigam and Reed
then firing a shot past Hawks goalie Mike Katz from
ten feet out. The Hawks broke out on a two-on-one minutes
later to even the score at 12:49. The Hookers controlled
play in the Hawks end for most of the period, forcing
the Hawks to look for break-aways by leaving a forward
deep in the neutral zone. The tactic paid off with two
late period goals. The first came at 1:28 and the second
at the 27 second mark to put the Hos down 3-2 going
into the intermission.
The Hookers adjusted in the second period by keeping
a forward high in the attack zone to cut off the Hawks'
passing lanes. This allowed the Hos to attack with impunity.
Donald Webster evened the match with his first goal
of the season for the Hos just over a minute into the
period on an unassisted rush at 18:58. Hoover followed
with a goal at 18:17 from Mark Bonner. Kasztelan scored
on a wicked snap shot at 8:44 after taking a pass from
Webster. Then Keith Capobianco scored his first goal
of the season with an assist by Hoover to cap a four
goal period for the Hos.
Leading 6-3 going into the third period, the Hookers
showed no signs of slowing down. Reed slammed his second
goal of the night past Katz at 9:44 with help from Kasztelan
and Brautigam. Hoover finally converted again at 6:08
after missing several chances. Brautigam and Bonner
picked up assists on the play.
Leading 8-3 with five minutes remaining, the Hookers
eased up allowing the Hawks to score two late goals
on breaks. The first came at 4:13 and the second at
2:40. But Kasztelan scored one more goal, punctuated
with a "sword back in the sheath" celebration
with just 27 seconds left on the clock, as a reminder
of who was boss.
Notes: The Hawks had two penalties
to the Hos' one, a two minute minor for hooking to Brautigam.
Kasztelan's second goal was his fifth of the season
to lead all Hooker goal scorers. After the game Hoover
was awarded the pink towel for lady-like play.
Hookers Extinguish Fire
Hos Open Fall Campaign with 12-3
Win
August 28, 2006 - The Las Vegas Hookers opened the 2006-2007
season with a 12-3 win over the Fire in Monday night
hockey action. Paul Kasztelan scored three goals and
Anthony Greener had six points to pace the Hookers.
The win continued an eleven game unbeaten streak for
the Hookers stretching back to June.
Kasztelan opened the scoring at 15:34 of the first
period when he converted a pass from Todd Brautigam.
Greener scored his first of two goals at 12:58 by finishing
a play set up by Patrick Bailey and David Almany. The
Fire got one back when Kevin Bowman stepped around two
defenders to score at 8:17. But the Hookers countered
on the powerplay as Mike Reed ripped a shot past Fire
goalie Joe Kovac at 4:13 with an assist by Brautigam.
Kasztelan struck again at 1:09 to make it a 4-1 game
with a mean wrist shot set up by Keith Capobianco and
Jameson Peacock.
The Fire kept it interesting midway through the second
period when Peter Ricardo broke free to score at 11:50
unassisted. Captain Bailey wasted no time with the Hooker
response, taking a pass from Greener and Peacock and
scoring at 11:09. Reed scored his second of the night
at 9:46 thanks to a nice set up by Almany and Greener.
The Fire showed their last spark when Dana Ross finished
a neat passing play with a goal at 6:27. But the Hookers
defense responded with a powerplay effort by Brautigam
that saw the big Ho defender finish a tic-tac-toe play
with the help of Greener and Bailey at 3:18. Capobianco
switched lines to get in on the orgy, scoring with just
16 seconds left in the period from Greener and Almany
to give the Hookers a 8-3 lead heading into the final
period.
The Hookers extinguished any thoughts of a comeback
by the Fire when Mark Bonner scored at 12:10 of the
third period. Kasztelan and Brautigam assisted on the
play. Greener got his second tally of the night by capping
a play from Reed and Bailey at 11:01 to put the Hookers
in double digits. The Hookers sat up for the remainder
of the game, shutting down the neutral zone and playing
a game of catch in the attacking zone. Kasztelan tried
to liven things up with a brief skirmish at the Fire
blue line, but the officials were quick to separate
the combatants. With just under two minutes remaining,
Bonner lifted a pass from Greener into the top shelf
from the edge of the crease to make it 11-3. With time
running out, Kasztelan found himself in alone on Kovac.
The big Ho fired a wicked wrist shot under the Fire
goalie with 15 seconds on the clock to finish his first
hattrick of the season.
Notes: The game saw just three penalties
called, all to the Fire. The Hookers scored twice on
the advantage. Almany and Peacock returned after taking
the Summer off. Almany scored two points while playing
a defensive roll. Peacock finished with three points.
The Hookers face-off against the Hawks on Thursday night
at 8:15 PM. |
