Chris Simard of the Stars received three minor penalties in the late game against the Omegas. This is the second time that this has occurred for Chris this season, so he is still okay to play in the next game this week.

Next week we will reach the 15 game point of the season. This means that this coming week (January 11) is the last chance to use players on your roster who have not yet played this season. Anyone who has not played at least one game after this coming week's games will be removed from your roster and will not be allowed to play anymore this season.

The early game saw the Ice Dogs beat the Flyers 5-1. Joe DeBoer once again had a strong game and earns the Player of the Game with his four point performance. Josh Tamminga's bid for a second straight shut-out was foiled when Chris VanVeller scored a power-play goal half way through the third period.

The middle game between the the Hawks & Cattle Barons went right down to the wire and fittingly ended in a 3-3 tie. The Hawks looked good holding a 3-1 lead going into the third period, but the Cattle Barons tied it up with two goals early in the third. Each team had lots of chances late in the third period and throughout overtime, but Mike Ward & Steve Pastoor held their ground for their respective teams. Ryan Tamming of the Hawks scored his first goal in our league. O.J. Deelstra of the Cattle Barons had two goals and an assist and is the Player of the Game.

The Omegas beat the Stars 6-3 in the late game. The Omegas looked like they might run away with it when they went up 3-0 early in the second period, but the Stars answered back with two quick goals. The Omegas held a 4-2 lead going into the third and it stayed that way for most of the third thanks to an excellent effort by David Noorloos, filling in as the Stars goalie for the game. He had a very busy night and kept the Stars in the game for the most of it. He is the Player of the Game. When the Stars took some untimely penalties late in the third, they took themselves out of any chance to win the game and the Omegas cruised to victory. Dave Giffen of the Omegas scored his first two goals in our league.

The early game was a close one between the Hawks & Flyers and the Flyers came away with a 6-5 win. It looked like it was going to be a blow-out with the Flyers holding a 4-1 lead after the first period. The teams each scored a goal in the second, but the Hawks came back to make a game of it in the third. Pat Dam scored twice for the Hawks, while Matt VanMarum & Kev Karelsen led the way for the Flyers with two goals each. We'll give the nod for the Player of the Game to Ryan Cross of the Flyers, who had three assists in the game. He added some mid-game entertainment with his attempt to jump over the boards. He also took one for the team late in the game when he took a deflected puck to the mouth and had to leave the game.

The Omegas beat the Cattle Barons in the middle game by the score of 6-2. Ian VanReenen & Lance Ross each scored twice for the Omegas, but we'll give the Player of the Game nod to Dave Giffen, who assisted on three of the Omegas' goals.

The late game saw the Ice Dogs beat the Stars to the tune of 9-0. Matt Tamminga, Cam DeBoer, & Chris Pool each had four points for the Ice Dogs. Josh Tamminga earned the shutout. Normally any of these guys would be "gimmies" for Player of the Game, but how can you argue with giving it to Joe DeBoer, who had six goals and an assist?

With the Stars' loss, they have been officially eliminated from the playoffs and take on the role of "spoilers".
The rest of the five teams continue to be separated by only two points going in to 2013.

Once again, everyone was "well behaved" this week. The referees only had to call one minor penalty in the early game, two in the middle game, & five in the late game. That's awesome, boys! Let's keep it up going in to the new year!

I would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for keeping your cool and just having fun playing hockey in the games last night. Last year I spent the whole Christmas week sorting out suspensions. This year will be a lot less stressful week for me and I will be able to enjoy it with my family.

Have a Merry Christmas!!