ANN ARBOR– In a back and forth game that saw the return of long time veterans Joe DeRose, Joe Crossno, and Jim Socha, Ashley’s Hopslam finished with a 4-4 tie against Sasquatch. “Sorry for skating like crap,” said DeRose. “I have not played in a while and it shows.”
Hopslam blue in tie Saturday night
Despite his self-effacing remarks, the team fought hard against a Sasquatch team looking to rebound from 11-2 loss in the semi-finals last season against Hopslam. Forward Chris Sutton (goal, 2 assists) admitted that he felt exhausted and nauseous following the game, having skated so hard. Forward Andrew Thompson (3 assists) admitted to being fatigued as well.
Hopslam held a 4-3 lead with under ten minutes left after David Branch (flying in from Colorado on a 10-day contract) buried Sutton’s pass. However, with just over a minute left, Sasquatch’s David Lesnau managed to gather a bouncing puck and throw it past netminder Jeff Phillion. “I came over just a bit late,” Phillion explained. “I still go t piece of it, but it managed to sneak in.”
Hopslam will now face the team it beat in the finals, taking on St. Anky Beer Tuesday night.