The hallways of Correlieu Secondary School (CSS) have seen a lot of tension in the past week.
They have resembled the main streets of 1800s frontier towns, where gunfighters would stare one another down, nervously moving their shooting hands towards their pistols.
The cause of the heightened atmosphere on school grounds isn’t a disputed land claim, a spurned lover or some stolen cattle, however – it’s the 2018 CSS intramural floor hockey championships.
When last we checked in, an undermanned The Monkey Guys had relinquished their hold on first place to a hungry Tolitis squad.
We asked CSS English teacher/Nordiques backstop Rob Biller to fill us in on the everything readers need to know headed into the much anticipated May 10 final.
Round one match-ups
Thursday, May 3: Basil! 5 vs. Raj Dawgs 2
• Despite the near meltdown of goaltender Cam Hender in the early going, Basil! proved too much for the offensively challenged Raj Dawgs. The inability to beat the overheated Hender cost the Raj Dawgs a chance to advance to the second round. Ty Watson, last year’s playoff hero, bowed out of this year’s tourney in round one, despite a valiant effort in goal.
Monday, May 7: Brew Crew 10 vs. Nordiques 6
• The youngsters of the Brew Crew, led by sniper Brett Mero, were simply too much for the grizzled veterans of the Nordiques staff team. Pinpoint passing and laser shooting had the Nordiques sucking for breath after a strong start, while Rob Biller didn’t have the juice in goal to keep the young guns at bay beyond the five-minute mark. Ryan Murray played well for the eventual winners, while Fred Rogger and Ted McCart were valiant in defeat for the Nordiques.
Round two match-ups
Tuesday, May 8: Tolitis 9 vs. Basil 1
• Despite circus saves from Cam Hender keeping the game tight early, Tolitis came in waves in the game’s latter half. Excellent tending from Josh Daniels in the early going allowed Chris Thon, Kaden Merritt and the rest of Tolitis to find their legs and take the game over. In the end, a game effort from Basil! and the will of a partisan crowd were not enough to overcome the skill of a talented Tolitis squad.
Wed, May 9: Monkey Guys 10 vs. Brew Crew 3
• The last round two match-up was a hotly contested battle of the backup goalies, that was far tighter than the final score indicated. A late game goal-scoring explosion, led by league MVP Stefan Tipold, saw the Monkey Guys emerge victorious following a tentative start.
This sets up a storybook final between The Monkey Guys and Tolitis. Now that the primate troupe have Tipold back, will they make Tolitis play, or will the tandem of Thon and Merritt prove to be a winning combination for the regular season champs?
Stay tuned for updates.
