Double Your Drop In Hockey!

Full Sheets For Wednesday & Friday Drop In Hockey

There has been more interest in our skates the last few weeks and the list fills up fast! Soon we will have a new system to organize the skates, but it isn’t ready just yet. For now the Whoozin.com system has been serving its purpose. Yet, it has been a challenge to keep space open for the “regulars” when the list fills up so quick. So, I’ve booked two sheets for a series of Friday nights. I’m working on locking in the goalies, which is the biggest challenge to pull this off. It will work out, but I wanted to give you a heads up on the schedule so you can recruit a few MORE skaters to fill two sheets. With tournaments coming up, generally we have more guys wanting to get some ice time in. I’ve only booked four dates of doubles so far.

Two Sheets Dates

February 10th
February 24th
March 3rd
March 17th

I had expected to start next week, Feb 3rd, but that won’t work with the rink. Also, note that Feb. 17th isn’t on the list for a double, we are off that Friday. So I booked the ice for Thursday the 16th of February. Yep, for some of us that will be back to back nights of skating! Were up to it!

Doan’s Winter Classic

A much smaller, outside 3 on 3 tournament is scheduled for February 25th. Yep, we moved the date back again! Winter and Jim’s family commitments have us pushed back a bit. There is only room for 24 skates. 6 teams of 4. We do a random draft based on a rating system. Everyone brings a dish to pass. You can learn more about Doan’s Winter Classic at https://gears.beer/product/2017-doans-winter-classic/
Contact Dave if you have an interest in joining the tournament.

3 on 3 Ice Battle – June

Jeff, Annabelle and Dave

Annabelle and Jordyn

Also, a heads up on the 3 on 3 Ice Battle. I’ve booked 23 hours of ice time in June! 6 pm – 10 pm Friday June 2nd; 9 am – 8 pm June 3rd and 10 am – 6 pm June 4th. We are running a sanctioned USA Hockey 3 on 3 tournament in conjunction with the GFHA and the EHL. If you missed the New Years Day Ice Battle, you can check out the info at http://gears.beer/battle

The 3 on 3 Ice Battle details are still in development. We are looking for a few sponsors to keep team cost down. More details to follow.

Angry Biscuit T-Shirt

Angry Biscuit T-Shirts are in stock. Limited supply. Full color prints, $15 each.

Charcoal 6.0 oz., pre-shrunk 100% cotton
Double-needle stitched neckline, bottom hem and sleeves
Quarter-turned
Taped neck and shoulders
Seamless seven-eighths inch collar
Satin Label
Medium, Large, XL and XXL in stock

Buy Now

Will Skate For Pints

Will Skate for Pints t-shirt design. The Stanley Pint is the EHL Champs trophy awarded each year.
$15 Each

6.0 oz., pre-shrunk 100% cotton
Double-needle stitched neckline, bottom hem and sleeves
Quarter-turned
Taped neck and shoulders
Seamless seven-eighths inch collar
Satin Label
Medium, Large, XL, XXL in stock

Buy Now

Virgin Tournament Under Belt!

New Years Day Ice Battle

Not Bad For Our First Attempt!

It was one year ago, New Years Day 2016 landed on our regular Friday Night skate. We decided to skate and hang out in Skaters Bar at Crystal Fieldhouse. It was a great afternoon of hockey and fellowship, so the idea was to do it again on Sunday, Jan 1st 2017. I was not content to just run a drop in skate, but to host our first public tournament. We ran an invite only outdoor tournament last February, but this would be our first public tournament. The planning for the tournament started late. Looking at my file dates, the design for the Ice Battle logo was completed on Dec 6th and the flyer was designed on Dec. 9th. We spent some money on Facebook ads, post cards and a lot of word of mouth and emails of course! Fortunately, the Gears Beer hockey community is over 200 strong, so we were able to gather enough players from our list. We had 55 skaters participate with eight teams in the Ice Battle. Let’s go over the results of our “virgin” tournament and look at potential improvements.

New Years Day Ice Battle Hockey Tournament

The Hockey Tournament Bracket

Tom & Jeff of GFHA

Thanks to my friend Jeff Dennings, we figured out how to organize an eight-team double elimination tournament. We had a tight timeline to get it done in three to three and a half hours to keep the ice time bill under control. Our goal is always to be of benefit to our host rink, and they are always generous with their fees and services. The Greater Flint Hockey Association donated the use of their 1/2 ice boards and Jeff Barat and Tom Hutchings helped us set up the boards and time / score boards. Two cuts were executed with the moving of the boards in record time. That was a critical part of the day. Thanks to the Crystal staff for being on their game!

Pep talk for Team Roush

All but one of the teams was in the 18+ division, so we lumped them all into one group – Sorry Jeff! The 30+ team lead by Jeff Rouse held their own as you will see. At noon, the teams and I met to discuss a few ground rules, sportsmanship, and game play. 15-minute run time games, no refs, with one face-off to get things started. A three-tap face-off and game on! Puck out of bounds, possession is lost by the team that knocked the puck out. Goal scored, the team that gets scored on gets control of the puck. Other than that, skate hard and have fun!

Cards were drawn to determine the initial games and the tournament started at 1 pm sharp.

Game 1 Ardis 2 vs Peter Watchers 8

This turned out to be a bad draw for Ardis! They faced the eventual champions and were out matched. Ardis plays in the EHL on Sunday early. Players Alec Rymarz, Alex Richman, Jeff Welker, Johnny Genovese, Rob Lee, Tony Escobedo and goalie James Kurnick. Peter Watchers skaters are Benny McPharlen, Ian Bever, Justin Davis, Kyle Marsh and in goal Josh Pfieffer.

Game 2 Team Rousch 5 vs Multiple Scoregasms 2

The old guys, Team Roush, won their first game with their excellent puck movement. Team Rousch skaters are Brandon Pirtel, Chris Christenson, Curtis Christenson, Eddy Edwards, Tom Hall, Jeff Rouse and in goal David Jackson. Multiple Scoregasms wasn’t able to live up to their cool name. Skaters included Brent Triplett, Brian Dowdy, Matthew Dunn, Mike Kavlakian, Tony Reffert, Troy Fulton, Jordan Scott and in goal Tony Asaro. The extra rostered player was a result of Reffert’s attempt to skate on a broken foot in the first game, with Mike K sitting.

Game 3 Flint Tropics 7 The Other Team 0

Flint Tropics skaters Brandon Hagenbuch, Dominic Gutierrez, Mark Look, Mike Basinski, Steve Basinski swarmed around The Other Team and goalie Chad Bartle stoned them. The Other Team players are Austin Loshinskie, Cooper Kubitz, Michael Massard, Richard Spalding, Steven Learst, Zach Rankin and in goal Alex Bardy.

Game 4 Soloman Plumbing 6 vs Hadley Boys 2

Soloman Plumbing was a standout in two areas. They had cool yellow jerseys that stood out and they had the only injury of the day. Skaters for Soloman incuded Donte Delabbio, Mike Mays, Nick Campbell, Tyler Schofield, Josh Hill and Broc Lemieux with Mike Alexander in goal. Broc’s ankle went the opposite direction of his body while reaching for the puck and broke his tibia and fibula. He is in surgery as I write this. While injury is a part of any athletics, we hate to see this happen. Broc is a regular in our Wednesday night skate. Skaters for Hadley Boys included Drake MacKenzie, Jake Austin, Jake Rousseau, Tyler Russell with Derek Vick in goal.

Game 5 Winners Bracket: Team Rousch 5 Peter Watchers 8

Game 6 Winners Bracket: Soloman Plumbing 6 Flint Tropics 4

Game 7 Losers Bracket: Multiple Scoregasms 7 vs Ardis 1

Game 8 Losers Bracket: Hadley Boys 2 vs The Other Team 4

Game 9 Losers Bracket: Multiple Scoregasms 3 vs Team Roush 5

Game 10 Losers Bracket: Flint Tropics 6 vs The Other Team 1

Game 11 Winners Bracket: Soloman 2 vs Peter Watchers 8

Game 12 Losers Bracket: Flint Tropics 4 vs Team Rousch 0

Game 13 Losers Bracket: Flint Tropics 7 vs Soloman 4

Game 14 Finals: Flint Tropics 5 vs Peter Watchers 2

At this point, the Flint Tropics have played five games in a row. Sure, these are 15 minute games, but to quote a friend, “those are a long ass 15 minutes!”

At game 14, Flint Tropics handed Peter Watchers their first defeat and since this is “double” elimination, there is one more game.

Game 15 Final Final! Peter Watchers 8 vs Flint Tropics 3

So, the champions of our first Ice Battle at Crystal Fieldhouse is Peter Watchers. I had to ask about the name and the response was that when they played together in juniors they would refer to spectators as peter watchers.

Well, as a spectator for the day, it was great hockey to watch! The ½ ice boards worked great, thanks again GFHA! The game was played cross ice. I was concerned about the nets staying in place, but they were fine. We had some challenges with jerseys, so for the next tournament I’ll have a couple sets of jerseys on hand. I did have one set to loan out, a couple more would be a good idea.

I was real concerned about the timeline, but we were all done by 4:40 pm even with a five-minute delay during Broc’s injury. A designated crew to move the boards would be helpful. There was a delay during the second cut as we didn’t have enough skaters still out to help move.

Annabelle and Jordyn

Special thanks to our scorekeepers for the day! Annabelle Ward and Jordyn Wainio toughed it out in the cold and kept us on schedule for the day!

Jeff, Annabelle and Dave

Have any input, ideas of feedback, please comment or email me at dave@gears.beer. Look for information on our next Ice Battle Tournament June 2^nd through the 4^th!

Another note to self… get pics of all the teams before the action starts! Below are the finalists, note that Broc on Solomon was in the hospital at the time, so I Photo Shop’d him into the team pic.

We Are Hiring!

Looking for a Host/Hostess / Registration helper!

This winter will be a busy hockey season for the Gears.Beer family. We are looking to add a hostess to help out on evenings and Sunday at Crystal Fieldhouse. The ideal candidate will be dependable, friendly, outgoing and responsible.

You will be working at Crystal Fieldhouse 5371 Daly Farms Dr. Burton, MI 48509.

The hours starting in September will be Wednesday and Friday from 6:30 – 8 pm. Starting September 25th on Sundays from 11:30 – 3:30. Pay is $10 per hour plus commissions on merchandise.

Duties Include:

Setting up the merchandise table with EHL banner prior to player arrival
Greeting Players on way into the rink with sign in sheet
Helping the league players check into their game on the Hockey Community software
Communicating which locker room for teams
Selling misc items like beer coolies, T-Shirts and jerseys
Ordering beer and gator aid for drop in hockey
Getting locker room keys for drop in hockey
Paying rink for drop in hockey
Accounting for all dollars collected and paid out
Collecting league fee money & drop in fees and providing receipts

Please fill out the form to the best of your ability. We will be contacting the ideal candidates to schedule interviews.

Please complete the form below:

[Form id=”16″]

EHL Playoffs & Banquet

Old Fockers Wins Regular Season!

Playoff Schedule

Sunday, March 20th

11:30 am – 12:45 pm Old Fockers vs MoJoes

12:45 pm – 2 pm Crystal Fieldhouse vs Ergomatic

2:45 pm – 4 pm Battle for Third Place

4 pm – 5:15 pm Finals!

After Party & Awards Banquet

The Hop & Barley Prize Darren Newton of Old Fockers won this $50 prize last December.

The St Paulie Girl Prize $50 Prize to player with lowest number of penalties. Draw your card on the way into the rink – if you don’t have a penalty!

The Guzzler Prize $50 to the player with the most points at the end of the season. Looks like seasoned pro, Don (Doc) Edwards stole the show with 46 points!

The Stanley Pint Prize Custom championship beer pint glasses will be awarded to each player on the winning team. With a case of beer!

Plenty of beer will be available on Sunday for the festivities!

I’m trying to get an idea of how many guys want to eat so I can order enough food. Use the Whoozin.com linke, or call or text me at 810-471-7767 or email dave@gears.beer to let me know your status please.

The 2015 / 2016 EHL Season is drawing to a close. This has been a lot of fun! Thank you to all who take the time to communicate with me, that helps me to make this work for everyone. The positive feedback really helps motivate me to put the time and effort in to keep things rolling along properly. We have made a number of changes throughout the season, the biggest being the game times. There have been few problems. My goal is to tackle the problems as quickly as possible to move on.

We have had some injuries, very sorry to report that. Mike Karas of MoJoes has a few screws in his ankle now, but is recovering. We hope to see Mike on Sunday hobbling along! Wayne Bruebaker is probably one of the older guys skating and he bounced back quick after separating a rib! The usual chipped tooth, cuts and bruises are all stories to tell.

Big thanks goes out to all the team leaders, a thankless job. These are the guys who stress over what team is going to actually show up every Sunday! Darren of Old Fockers has a solid core group on his roster. Bobby from MoJoes brings an army every week practically, but had serious goalie problems. My team skates with a short bench just about every week! Ken Micketti was thrown into running the house team and has done a great job of making a team out of every stray player we could find! Thank you all who help with the teams and keep them functioning.

sue-Friday-check-in-table Now, whoever said that behind every successful man is a good woman doesn’t know the half of it! We were fortunate to have two strong willed women to help all season. Bethany Kurtz brought her skill and passion for the game to our score keeping and organization. She has been my adviser all along the way and isn’t afraid to speak her mind! Without her taking the time to record all the stats on paper as well as in the app, we would have had a mess on our hands. Thanks Bethany! Another constant all season was my wife Sue at the front to act as the information center for the league. Having that point of communication all season helped us work through any challenges quickly.

Quick thanks to Andy Pavolich who runs the refs. We had some challenges early in the season with some younger refs who just weren’t there to work. We have been getting the seasoned refs and they take a more active role in controlling play, thanks Andy!

Final thanks goes to Crystal Fieldhouse, our host. Mark and Michelle have been very accommodating to us. From changes in game time, to access to cheap beer, they have been there for us! Thanks! Crystal Fieldhouse is our home.

Now spread the word! We want eight teams next year in the early Sunday league! Games will run between noon – 4pm next year.

2015 – 2016 Stanley Pint

Playoffs & Party On March 20th!

Here is the official game schedule:

11:30 am 1st vs 4th

12:45 pm 2nd vs 3rd

2:45 pm Battle for Third

4:00 pm Finals

5:00 pm – Banquet & Awards Presentation

Invite other team leaders out to see what we are about!

Plans are under way to expand the league to 8 teams next year.

Special thanks to Mark, Michelle and the rest of the crew at Crystal Fieldhouse for working with us to make this league happen!

EHL Banquet Plans

Our inaugural banquet will be held onsite just after the finals. Those who sold 10 or more raffle tickets get to eat and drink for free!

A pizza buffet is being planned, with a few additions thanks to volunteers. I’m buying a number of beers from Crystal to get things going. $10 will purchase three beer or pop tickets and access to the buffet.

Presentation of Awards:

Stanley Pints to championship team

$50 St. Paulie Girl prize – lowest penalty minutes – card drawing

$50 The Guzzler Prize – top point getter

Special mentions and awards…

Hope to see you there!

EHL Update – playoffs, Mike & Firebirds

Update on Mike from Mojoes.

First things first.

Check out Mike ankle work. Man, he is an iron man!

3 Months and those two big screws come out.

We are all pulling for you Mike. Hope you recover swiftly and we see you at the party.

Playoff Schedule 3/20

Game 1: 1st vs 4th @ 12:15 pm

Game 2: 2nd vs 3rd @ 12:30 pm

Game 3: game 1 loser vs game 2 loser for 3rd and 4th place @ 1:45 pm

Game 4: finals, game 1 winner vs game 2 winner @ 3 pm

I’m making arrangements for the festivities that will be held after the finals. Awards will be given out.

Invite other team leaders that you would like to see join our league next year.

The St Paulie Girl Prize
$50 Prize to player with lowest number of penalties. We will draw cards
if a tie.
The Guzzler Prize
$50 to the player with the most points at the end of the season.

For the winning team, I’m getting feedback that t-shirts would be preferable to a pint glass. Looking for feedback, make it quick!

Flint Firebirds Tickets this Sunday 3/6

I have 19 tickets to move for the 5pm game this Sunday. They are in my possession. Only $10 per ticket for Silver section seats ($15 value)

Please pass the word. My Optimist Club purchased 100 and we have 19 left to move. Bringing the Whaley kids to the game.

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