ANN ARBOR– The Hopslam game Tuesday night was just the tune-up needed for forward Chris Sutton as his team Broom Hilda moves into the finals Wednesday night. Sutton, with just 0:34 left in the game punched in the game-winning goal despite receiving an arm injury on a slash and only tepid applause from the opposing team earlier in the game. “Woo!” he hooted with sheer joy.
“He’s very excited for the finals tomorrow,” said BroomBall commentator Jan E. Torre. “And who wouldn’t be? It’s the BroomBall Finals, baby!”
Indeed, Broom Hilda came into the playoff tournament seed sixth in a field of sixty-four despite being ranked in the top ten in both the Associated Press and Coaches polls. In the nationally televised games, known as “February Sweeps,” Broom Hilda cleaned up the competition, beating such stalwarts as Brusha Brusha Brusha, The Eastwick Witches, the San Diego Chargers, and even Housekeeping! en route to the finals, where they will face the number one seeded Scrub-Bubbles and their leading scorer S. C. Johnsonwax.
Sutton, noted for trash talking on the ice, promised to “clean the ice” with the Scrub-bubbles, though he may have been referring to cleaning his bathroom, scheduled for every other Saturday afternoon.
David Gaydos scored two, while Andrew Thompson added the final insurance goal and an assist. Newcomer Nick Lamb also scored.