2016 Winter League Finals

Most Points

Male—John Hunter of Havel’s Greenhouses

Female--Makenzie Lein of Painesville Furniture and Carpet

Semi Final # 1

Havel’s Greenhouses 9 (forest green) Conway Land Title 3 (red)

December 7th marks the end of Dek Hockey with semi-finals followed immediately by a championship in a single evening. Luck was with us as a snow storm followed quickly behind. Momentum was evident as Havel’s took their undefeated season a step farther defeating Conway’s Reds with points from John Hunter, Danny Bolda, Connor Stump, Tristan Koen and Jeff Havel. Andrew Steinmetz, former Mentor High School ice hockey goalie stood tall for Havel’s as he has all year. Conway’s Reds countered with a hat trick from Brandon Tackett, supported by goaltender Pat DiCicco, Mike Wright and Christian Abraham.

Semi Final # 2

Painesville Furniture & Carpet 11 (blue) Zero Puck Given 2 (yellow)

PFC’s Jeremy Letterman set the pace with 5 goals, supported by teammates Tony Parenti with a flashy breakaway goal, and points from Makenzie Lein, Mike Burhenne and Nick Larkin. A red hot Michael Thompson in net help deflate an otherwise resilient ZPG offense finishing strong in league play, only to fall in the semi-final. Former Mentor High hockey player Brendan Moreau, University of Miami’s Gregg Crissman, and Mark Contorno added a point each, and a roaming Brian Bly in net and Mike Cottos and Erik Schmidt on defense some interesting battles.

Championship

Havel’s Greenhouses 6 (forest green)

Painesville Furniture & Carpet 3 (Blue)

The championship match seemed like a defensive hourglass waiting to shatter. Both team’s dug in on the red line, with some electrifying effort in both creases by goalkeepers Andrew Steinmetz (Havels) and Michael Thompson (PFC).Tristan Koen rocked the night after ten minutes of denial with the first goal(his first of 4), only to be answered by Jeremy Letterman(hat trick) scoring a wrister from close in front of the net. The result was an early 1-1 draw. This set the pattern for an evening dual under the lights—with Connor Stump adding goals, and assists from John Hunter, Dan Bolda and Jeff Havel. PFC’s Mike Burhenne and Makenzie Lein totaled 3 assists. This completed a brilliant, fast-moving final right down to the last 2 minutes of stop time, when Tristan Koen scored to cap the last game of the 2016 Dek Hockey Winter Season for Havel’s, as well as the first ever perfect season record.