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Playoffs start next weekend

Playoffs start next weekend

The Eclectic Hockey League (EHL) is gearing up for its postseason showdown, with the regular season closing on March 10th. The playoffs, unfolding over the following two weeks, promise intense competition as four teams vie for the league championship. Here’s a detailed look at the playoff schedule, ensuring fans know what to expect at each turn.

Week 1: The Opening Round

  • 9:30 AM Game: The playoff opener features the 6th seed against the 5th seed.
  • 10:45 AM Game: Next up, the 3rd seed faces the 2nd seed.
  • Noon Game: The day’s final matchup sees the 4th seed taking on the 1st seed.

Week 2: The Decisive Battles

  • 9:30 AM Game: The action resumes with the loser of the Week 1 9:30 AM game playing against the lowest-seeded loser from the 10:45 AM or Noon games.
  • 10:45 AM Game: This game features the winner of the Week 1 9:30 AM game against the highest-seeded loser from the 10:45 AM or Noon games.
  • Noon Championship: The championship game is the apex of the EHL playoffs, with the winners of the Week 2 10:45 AM game and the Week 1 Noon game facing off. This is where the season’s champion will be crowned, in a match that promises to be a memorable climax to the tournament.

The Run For Stanley Pints

This playoff format is designed to maximize competition and suspense, ensuring that every match is pivotal. Each team will enjoy a case of beer on Commissioner Dave.

Key Dates

The playoffs start on March 17th and conclude on March 24th, allowing the EHL to crown its champion before the Easter holidays and the start of various tournaments.

Wrapping Up

As the EHL playoffs approach, we look back at a season with a few surprises. Teams that were at the bottom of the rankings last season are now contenders. The team managers are greatly appreciated as they help make the league work. Big thanks to Ty Burt, Jeff Rouse, Jeff Weiler, Eric Schauwecker, Gerald Edwards, and Tony Endicott.

This season we asked a bit more of our team managers with the task of player check-in. The rosters and game check-in are a big part of keeping this league fairly organized. A few teams did great with the task, but it was less than perfect. Next season we will go back to having a check-in person and I’ll run the scoring and provide a “more colorful” player experience. This will help with our stats, and a little rock n roll will liven up the games.

The draft concept was floated, but the response was not overwhelming for the adoption. We will stay with bringing teams and the plan is to petition for one more sheet to expand to eight teams if possible.

Thanks for being a part of the league, it is an honor to skate with you.

Commissioner Dave

Feb 23 Hockey Update

Feb 23 Hockey Update

A brief update on the week in local hockey.

Sad News

Monday night there was a ceremony at center ice for Eric Schroeder who passed recently. Eric’s long battle with cancer is over. Our condolences to his brother Devin and the family.

I tried to attend the ceremony, but a deer had other ideas for me. Have a good cheap car for sale:)

Greg Parker showed up Monday night with a huge card for Jimmy Desantis. Yeah, cancer took Jimmy on Wednesday. Jimmy was the inspiration for my goalie award I call the Tall Boy. He will be missed.

The week isn’t over yet. On Thursday, Gary Nehring passed away at 58. A brain aneurysm took him out.

I’m a firm believer that we increase our odds of longevity by staying active. According to John Bishop, ice hockey is the type of exercise to reduce your chance of neurological issues. John is my idol at what.. 78 and still playing!

Keep your head up and stick on the ice!

 

EHL News

2024 CCWHA (Central Collegiate Women’s Hockey Association) playoff tournament runs through Sunday. Our league is running while they play a game and there may be a shower issue.

The showers between 4/5 and 9/10 could be our teams and 1/2 and 6/7 could be the ladies, but that would put opposing teams and coaches in a shared shower area with close proximity to competitor locker rooms.

I’ve been told that it would be a bad idea by some. Be prepared for drama on Sunday.

Draft League

I’ll decide on whether to convert to a draft league or stay the same by the end of the season. What I need is your feedback.

Tell me if you like or don’t like this idea and if you would consider running a team and helping with the ranking and drafting of players. If there is enough interest and support I’ll proceed, otherwise we will drop the idea.

Click the button to send over your name and opinion. Thank you.

Oldtimers Hockey Club

Playoffs

Only 8 of the 11 teams make the playoffs. 

1 plays 8; 2 plays 7 and so on.

Two games, Total goals.

Goalies swapped.

Shootout if tied.

Tie breakers are the same as the tournament rules.

 

Friday Night Hockey

Beer

22 Skaters

2 Goalies

Balanced teams

Join the fun!
Fridays in March are available to book.

 

Feb 7 24 Update

Feb 7 24 Update

We have a great community of hockey players in the Flint area. 

This quick update covers the Sunday Eclectic Hockey League, Monday Oldtimers and drop-in skates managed on the PerfectSkate.com site. You can build your hockey list and organize skates using PerfectSkate.com

Plus, the weather is turning colder again next week. The Doan’s Winter Classic is planned for Saturday, February 17th. We hope to skate a few times before the tournament, weather permitting. Get on the list to be invited to Doan’s. Simply visit www.Gears.beer and hit the Doan’s link and scroll down to the form to join the list.

Jan 25 2024 Hockey Update

Jan 25 2024 Hockey Update

Quick video update by Dave or scroll down to read the highlights.

Quick update from Gears Beer Hockey on January 25, 2024.

EHL:

We modified the home page of our league website to show recent games and upcoming games on top of the page instead of having to scroll way down.

Converting EHL to a draft league has been talked about. If this sounds like a good idea, let me know. If you would be willing to help with the draft rankings and or be a team manager, let me know. This is under consideration for the 24/25 season, but not possible without a lot of help.

Outdoor Hockey

Doan’s Winter Classic is tentative for Feb 17th. Registration is open, get on the list.

In the video above you can see a bit of the game action including a funny clip of Jim going over the boards:) Watch the outdoor action posted by Cooper Goalie here: https://www.youtube.com/@CooperGoalie

Oldtimers Hockey

Team Gears Beer has not been scored on since November 27, 2023. On Jan. 29th they face Fastinol, which has not lost a game – yet. Lower-ranked goalies are in the net and it is going to be an epic game!

Standings, stats and rosters can be found at OldtimersHockeyClub.com.

Drop-In Hockey

Save time with the useful tool, PerfectSkate.com. Gears Beer hosts a Friday night skate at 7:30 pm. Register at App.PerfectSkate.com and join the Gears Beer list and notify Dave. Once approved you can Book Skates under the Skater Dashboard.

Tournaments

Flint Lapeer Oldtimers Tournament is April 5-6. Register soon as it is filling up.

All Black Hockey Sticks is recommending a tournament in Chicago. The Denny Pratt Memorial on May 24-26.

 

 

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January 2024 Hockey Update

January 2024 Hockey Update

Quick update mid January about ice hockey.

In NHL action this week the Edmonton Oilers came back and beat Toronto to continue their 11-game winning streak. Matthews scored for Toronto just seconds into the game, but Edmonton came back thanks to some hard work by McDavid and crew. The Wings have been playing well and face some tough competition this week with Florida and Carolina. The Flyers drama with Cutter Gauthier will soon be forgotten if they continue their strong play. I know the NHL isn’t what it was, but it is still fun to watch!

In Eclectic Hockey League news, we have games scheduled through March 10th and the playoffs will be held March 17th and 24th. All teams will be playing both weeks. The scheduled based on seed is listed in the video. You can find all schedules and stats at hockey.gears.beer

Oldtimers Hockey Club is hosting the Flint Lapeer Oldtimers Hockey Tournament April 5-7. Registration is open for teams or individuals looking for a team. Visit oldtimershockeyclub.com for all the details, including the league scheudle and stats. The Gears Beer Hockey Team is on a heater in the Monday night league. Way to go boys! The top eight teams will compete in a playoff tournament at the end of the season.

Start at Gears.beer for all your hockey needs, including great hockey shirts and hoodies. There you will find information about Doan’s Winter Classic which is scheduled for January 28th. The rink is up and we are skating when possible each night under the lights. Get on the list from the webpage about Doan’s.

Want to build your own hockey list and organize ice time? After eight years of trial and error we have the system ready to take hours of effort away and make it easy to create the Perfect Skate. Visit PerfectSkate.com to learn about the features such as automatic reminders and tools to assign jerseys and mark players paid.

That is it for now. I look forward to seeing you on the ice. Keep your head up and stick on the ice!

Dave

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December 2023 Hockey Update

December 2023 Hockey Update

Happy holidays from Gears Beer Hockey. I hope you enjoy time with family and friends and get a break from the routine.

In this hockey update we’re going to touch base on the Eclectic Hockey League on Sunday mornings, the Oldtimers Hockey Club, and some upcoming tournaments. So get ready for some stats and surprises, injury reports, and more.

TLDR? Skip down to the video below, click here.

Eclectic Hockey League

Let’s do a quick update on injuries, standings, and some surprises of the season. Each season we have a few injuries and in the last few weeks, we’ve had two players sidelined with torn biceps David Taylor from Frozen Wings and Kyle Wilson from Gooners Dogs. They both completed injury reports with USA hockey. The insurance you get with your registration helps with the gap in medical coverage. Should you ever have to use it, you’ll find that it’s well worth the registration fee.

The big surprise of the season is the Marauders. They’ve moved up from the basement of the league to be a solid third place behind Gooners, Dogs, and Tucker Attorney. Gooners has always been a tough team to play against. They live up to their namesake most games and despite what Rouse might say, the Tucker team is stacked with a bunch of 40A players, not a bender in the lineup. F’n Wings has fallen from fame and is in fourth place. They remain a fun team to play against. Budtenders have been struggling and have a lock on fifth place with the Shark team or JSJN in last without a win.

All three recent games were close, with Tucker beating Frozen 3 to 2, Budtenders beating JSJN 4 to 2 and Marauders beating Gooners 3 to 2.

All right, now let’s talk about our stats. They’re not perfect. The jersey numbers and score sheets don’t always line up yet. The leading goal scorers are between 10 and 13 goals, so that’s pretty good. Rouse leads the assists at 13 with those sweet passes he’s capable of. Marty Lavallee leads the goals-against stats, but only because he skated in only one game against the Budtenders and shut us out. Brian from Tucker and Dalton from Marauders are close at 1.27 and 1.31 goals against average, respectively. Dalton has the most shutouts with three, and Mike Davis and Brian are just behind with two each. We have nine regular-season games left. The roster will be frozen after our games on January 7th, and illegal players will be a forfeit. By freezing on January 7th, there is still time for new players to get eight games in.

On the money side, most teams are paid in full. Teams not paid in full will start games with a penalty that increases each week that the balance isn’t paid.

A tournament has dropped from Crystal’s schedule in February, so we’re going to be able to get our season in by the end of March.

Sunday Pick-Up Games

I’m going to run a sheet of ice on Sundays after the season ends. It’s going to be available through PerfectSkate.com. It’s not there yet, but once I book the ice, I’ll get it set up in there.

Speaking of Perfect Skate, a Friday night skate is available on the Gears Beer Private list that’s in Perfect Skate. If you have not registered yet, visit app.PerfectSkate.com and request to join the Gears Beer Private list. Once I approve you, the skates will be available in the skater’s dashboard. Should you want to run a sheet, the system automates the texts and emails to fill up your skate. There’s an easy way to mark players paid, and of course, an easy way to assign dark and white jerseys to set up the teams. The cost is only pennies per skater to cover the messaging and saves hours of time. Learn more at Perfectskate.com.

50 and over Oldtimers Hockey League

You can find the standings and stats on OldtimersHockeyClub.com. The top eight teams will compete in the playoffs. There’s a tight points race going on in the middle of the 11-team league. Playing in the draft league has been a blast. You don’t have the same tension and rivalries you find in our Sunday morning league.

Hockey Tournaments

The registration forms are posted on OldtimersHockeyClub.com to register a team for the April Oldtimers tournament. Plus, there’s a tournament happening up in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan early in January. We have at least three teams from our barn that are heading up to the Soo to compete. That’s going to be a fun weekend, boys.

So that’s all the hockey news for now. Thanks for being a part of the hockey community. It’s a blast for me and the guys who are still playing over 70 are motivation for me to do what I can to stay in the game.
If you have any ideas or comments, visit the contact page to send me a message.

CBD Products

Should you need some CBD salve, go to ihempharvest.com to grab a tin. I can ship it or bring it to the rink.

Happy Holidays!

Keep your head up and stick on the ice!

Dave