With a combined 62 scores and 65 saves in 45 minutes of play, the Lumberjacks and Nutmegger’s drawn match under this week’s Wednesday Night Lights suffered no shortage of scintillating scenes.

Absorbing a near-continuous series of attacks in the opening minute and a half without conceding a goal, the Lumberjacks fought their way out to an early 6-2 lead. Lumberjacks keeper Kevin strung together 19 saves in the first 15 minutes – a new single period best. The Nutmegger’s kept pressing until attacker Bee put away a goal with 1 minute remaining in the 1st to pull things level at 11 before Kevin and Clint each squeezed one in before the buzzer.

Beginning 13-11 with the Lumberjacks out front, the second period never saw either team build a lead above 3 scores. Opposing attackers Clint and John canceled each other out at 7 goals apiece through the evening’s second 15 minutes, leaving the period to be settled elsewhere. The Lumberjacks recorded 8 defensive actions to the Nutmeggers’ 4 as Kris (credited for 14 this season and tied for first) and Nash (credited with 12 this season) took hold of league-leading spots on the stat board. Combined with Kevin’s save record and Clint leading scoring league-wide, the Lumberjacks are certainly a defense-heavy team with a serious edge. Not to be outdone, Laura put up one of the league’s biggest hits so far and Chris added 4 more. Unfortunately for the Nutmeggers, the latter also picked up a penalty 1:20 before the klaxon. Lumberjacks 21 – Nutmeggers 23 after 2.

The Nutmeggers successfully killed off the last 40 seconds of the penalty to start the 3rd. With 11 minutes remaining, the Nutmeggers’ Morgan was called for a penalty against the far wall. The blue ballers’ toothy penalty kill snatched 2 points despite the Lumberjacks’ player-advantage – reaching 3 shorthanded goals this season. However, the Lumberjacks managed to close the gap further. Successive series of goalmouth scraps saw Morgan, Chris, Clint, and Kris push the match to the wire with scores while Bee, Laura, Mikki, and Kurt continually hunted for their own late-game heroics. The Lumberjacks managed to keep the Nutmeggers scoreless through the last 2 minutes,  netting 3 sliotars in the same time. A dying-seconds shot attempt was saved and sent right back into the Nutmeggers’ net by Kevin to snag the tying goal at the death.

Make sure you catch next week’s match as the already-clinching Panthers play host to a Lumberjacks squad still looking to secure their place the Tacoma Hound’s Indoor League Final!

With a pregame rallying cry of “Go, Nuts!” it seemed, after the first three minutes, that the Nutmeggers were poised to upset the likewise undefeated Panthers. Early control of possession and artful shot selection meant that they were always ahead of the fast-break rushing style of the Panthers. The Panthers were able to turn it around well inside the first period by continuously exposing the nearly non-existent Nutmegger back lines with sharp ball movement. The moments of exposure in the back field saw the Panthers repeatedly go Route 1 and rack up a considerable lead.

The first period ended on a lopsided scoreline of 11-3 and some serious team-talks were underway during the break.  Panthers’ Captain, Sean, opted for more of an attacking midfield role and facilitated numerous scores for his side as well as notching a few of his own. Lawrence was a mobile outlet for Sean as well as a determined clean-up artist who defended from the front. In a similar bid for field advantage, John, the Nutmeggers’ Captain, reorganized their side to feature a more dedicated goalkeeping setup and hared afield for his own scores to good effect.

The Nutmeggers’ strategy adjustment meant they were able to claw back a number of scores but, by the end of the second period, the gap had widened further to 21-10 in favor of the Panthers. The Panthers appeared to adopt a mentality favored by some other Cats of hurling fame and, with one foot on the accelerator and the other on the necks of their opponents, truly put the game to rest. Erstwhile footballer, Ciaran, was denied two goals on could-have-been-measured-with-calipers margins while Leon popped up all over the field swinging heavy timber.

The Nutmeggers did not go down without a fight, managing to double their score from the previous two periods. Laura provided incredible defensive pressure while Bee batted cleanup at the goalmouth, notching her first scores of the League. John knuckled-down and was seemingly everywhere at once both offensively and defensively while Morgan and Chris sought to make themselves available up top. Ultimately for the Panthers, however, the final on field trio of Aaron, Sean and Leon combined for 15 scores which proved to be a bridge too far.

Despite the unflattering scoreline, the match was intensely competed and both teams deserve congratulations for their performance. The Panthers remain undefeated heading into Round 2, but we’re a long way from the Final yet, stay tuned!

Well, folks, Week 2 under those Wednesday night lights was not left wanting for action. In a continuation of last week’s intense see-sawing showdown, the Panthers and the Lumberjacks combined for over a point per minute through tonight’s tight Indoor Hurling match. The match took off with a frenzy as both teams successfully made a number of runs through the middle to capitalize on each other’s backtracking defenses.  Despite the strikes peppering the goalmouths, neither team was able to gather a substantial lead in the flurry of open play that marked the game’s early minutes.

Settling into an ebb and flow the match would see throughout, bursts of downfield attacking movement were interspersed with frequent long-range attempts. Duels of advanced one on one battles supplied by passing from deep showcased the same successful series: snag, shake, shoot, score or save. Taking “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” to heart, defenders found themselves regularly trailing opponents’ lateral runs across the final third, punctuated by shots on goal from around the top of the box.

Opposing attacking midfielders Sean and Clint regularly rattled the black nets with the offensive tactic, putting up the two highest scores by individual players yet in their phenomenal midfield matchup. Regular deep scoring threats supported the attacking efforts, forcing the keepers to stay closer to net throughout the match and providing brief seconds of respite from Indoor’s frenetic pace. A high scoring first period saw the teams very even at its close, the Panthers holding an 11 to 9 lead going into the first intermission.

The second period saw the defensive peak of a match-defining performance by the Lumberjacks’ keeper Kevin, who obliterated last week’s high of 11 saves with a new league record of 27 on the night. The Panther’s goalie tandem of Ciaran and Aaron on the other end of the pitch made up a different type of offensive/defensive blend – the former making 8 stops of his own while the latter racked up 10 goals, many of which from within his own box. Only two matches down, we are already seeing a bit of a trend with deep shots and Keepers who can score themselves in vogue this inaugural season. Concluding with more physical play towards the end of the second period, both teams demonstrated a refusal to let the other rest easy on their way into the final 15 minutes.

In a match that never seemed to stray beyond a 5 point gap between either side, the third period provided plenty of suspense for the crowd in attendance. The Panthers had just begun their attempt to slip away and put the game to bed before smart play through a series of two minor penalties and a couple of goals from deep kept the Lumberjacks right there in the contest. With about 5 minutes gone, the Panthers had a player sent to the box for a high elbow before another joined them mid-penalty kill for an accidental tripping with the stick.

The Lumberjacks notched three scores to capitalize on the two-man advantage, freeing the first Panthers’ player back from the sideline. Back up to 3 on the turf, Leon managed to grab a shorthanded goal while the Lumberjacks made their penultimate press in the penalty’s dying seconds. Back at even strength, a quick pair of snipes by Kris and a charging corner run from Kevin prevented Leon’s emerging scoring threat and Aaron’s late-game foot save from becoming the final chop of the ax. In a match settled by secondary scoring and still-impressive keeper displays, the Lumberjacks and Panther’s top offensive pairs both buried 23 scores a-piece in a high-firing, 29-27 contest that truly went to the wire.

The Lumberjacks started chopping at the scoreboard immediately after the throw-in, notching two quick scores in the first minute. The Nutmeggers rallied, after a grinding run by their acting sweeper-keeper, John, to level it just minutes later. The tone was well set for this match with scores see-sawing at a moment’s notice. Brilliant defensive action coupled cleanly with creative offensive play to keep attendees on their seat-edges.

The first period ended with the Nutmeggers holding the narrowest possible lead at one. After the break, teams went after each other with newly minted strategies that crashed thunderously with the same intensity and outcomes as in the first period. Lumberjacks captain, Clint, sustained a minor ankle injury during the second period but was able to work through it.  Both benches were substituting with rapid-fire intensity, seeking the slimmest of advantages with which to open a lead.

The second period closed with the Lumberjacks making up just enough ground to end even. Attrition and fatigue began to set in quickly upon the restart of the final period. Clint sustained another ankle hit while scrambling heroically on the boards against two defenders. He was ultimately put out of commission for several critical minutes and the Nutmeggers took the opportunity provided and pounced.

With fantastic hold-up and combination play, the Nutmeggers were able to extend their once tenuous lead to 5 points in the closing minutes and maintained the lead at the final buzzer. A great first round match and a clear challenge laid for future encounters.

CORRECTION: Initial reports had the 2nd period score incorrect.