“This is the year,” Fred would confidently proclaim about his Crushers hockey team. Sadly, he was wrong many of those seasons, but he did have reason to be proud.
The Underground Crushers, after all, had won the local recreational hockey league playoffs seven times since being formed as an unsponsored team in the 1980-81 season. Until the rise of the Hornets, they had in fact won the title more than any other team. In their first season, they won the ‘B’ side and in 1985-8 6 season they had become a league power house, winning the first of four consecutive playoff titles.
Fred... the Crushers are back! Finishing fourth in regular season play, they beat the odds and went three games undefeated in the playoffs to claim the Caribou League title, Apr. 5.
The Crushers played the fifth seeded Wolves, 6-2, in the first round to advance in the ‘A’ event. The Mar. 30 game was closer than the score indicated, with two of the Crushers’ goals coming late in the game.
That win earned the Crushers a dance with the top ranked Hornets squad. The Hornets had won the regular season and received a bye to the semi-finals, a rest that apparently didn’t help them any. The Crushers came out hard and controlled the game to win 5-2.
With the second-place Cobras being beat up by the Roughnecks, 6-1, in the other semi-final matchup, the stage was set for a new playoff champ. The Hornets had won the playoffs since the turn of the century, failing one year when the Ice Dogs (now the Cobras) nipped them in a memory duel in the 2004-05 finals.The Roughnecks are in their second season in the Caribou and have proven to be a force to reckon with when they come out to play. They finished third in the regular season.
With a sea of orange on the bench, the Crusher came out in force and scrambled to a 6-1 win.
Where you finish in regular season doesn’t seem to matter on the ‘B’ side of the Caribou playoffs. That remained the case this season when the Rangers came on strong to win the ‘B’ playoffs.
The Rangers fell prey to the Roughnecks in the first round, losing 10-4, to slide to the ‘B’ side. In a close fought battle, they came out on top of Da Blades, 4-3, to earn a berth in the finals.
Based upon their fifth place finish for the season, the Wolves earned a bye into the ‘B’ side final after losing to the Crushers.
The Rangers came out hard and scored early to take the lead in the Apr. 3 final. The Wolves answered back with two goals to take a 2-1 lead into the dressing room at the half. In Mutts-like fashion, the Rangers pressed their checking game to tie the game, then take the lead. They held on to win 3-2.
The Rangers are in their second season in the league and finished sixth, just ahead of Da Blades.
Photo/Noel Edey
RYAN McNEIL had lots of support from the “Orange Crush” in the ‘A’ final of the Caribou league. The Crushers outpaced the Roughnecks, 6-1, in the one-game final. They beat the Wolves, then defending champion Hornets to earn their berth.
RYAN McNEIL had lots of support from the “Orange Crush” in the ‘A’ final of the Caribou league. The Crushers outpaced the Roughnecks, 6-1, in the one-game final. They beat the Wolves, then defending champion Hornets to earn their berth.