2002/2003 Season

Highlights and Commentary

Training Camp 1

The day finally came. Golf clubs were put away, and the frantic search was on for all your pieces of hockey equipment that were scattered about.

Sticks and tape were bought, and blades sharpened. 

Dusty's Training Camp had arrived. 

Dusty's again was ravaged by retirements and free agency.  To fill up the gaping holes management again went out with the team chequebook to sign some big guns.  Management convinced Andre Beauchemin and his little brother Joe to suit up for the local heroes.  Hopefully they would be able to fill the gigantic shoes left by Marc Hebert, Ward Fyke and # 2 Meatball, Robert Tremblay. 

A search for a proven rearguard was still on.  Richard "Barney" Bernat was leaning towards coming out of retirement to suit up once again and deliver his many classic quotes in the dressing room, but team management were not too optimistic. 

First night of training camp started off badly.  Mike Dumaine called and said he was holding out.  Andre Beauchemin forgot to read his email, and Pierre Leclaire was OTS, Out there somewhere.

Frantic for some warm bodies, management coerced the once premier power forward, Ward Fyke to come and lace them up.  Still needing at least one more body, Meatball #2 was contacted and he gladly accepted the team's plea. 

With only 8 bodies, the first night would be difficult as an exhibition game was set up. 

The first 10 minutes of the game went very well, as everyone was filled with adrenaline.  But reality soon set in.  It was obvious that Barry Lavallee forgot to use his batch of Jergens during the summer as his granite hands re-appeared.  Was this the Barry that actually scored 60 goals last year?  Joe looked a little confused as he was trying to fit in with his new teammates. Donny "two sport" Trudeau had a permanent grimace on his face for the entire game.  Robert Perron looked very smooth in the early going.  JP Lafleche played it smart and avoided injury by picking his spots.  At times Brian looked like the goalie that won 26 games last year, but he also looked like a goalie capable of giving any game away.

In the end it was a good test for the local lads.  The beer was there to comfort us and hide any anxiety we had.  Off to the bar for some premium snacks and everything in the world was good.

It got even better when Barney showed up and announced that he was definitely coming out of retirement to lace them up once again!! 

quote of the evening 1:  yeah, give me a gross of condoms!

Training Camp 2

With the final training camp session under their belts, Dusty's Hockey Club has some serious questions surrounding them.

1.  Offence - With the departure of Marc Hebert, Ward Fyke and Robert Tremblay, management thought they had filled those holes with the acquisition of the Beauchemin brothers.  But training camp showed something a little different.  The team struggled to score some goals, and team timing appeared to be a little off.  Will Mike Dumaine get the sophomore jinx, and fail produce?  Will Barry Lavallee  prove to be a one season wonder?  Can the new blood fuse together with the old too create a well oiled unit?

2.  Defence - With Robert Perron holding out for the first three games of the season, the Big Three will have to be JP, Donny and Barney.  Will Barney respond after coming out of a one year retirement or will the ICE Man return?  Will Robert Perron get the sophmore  jinx?  Will Kelly Wallace be an effective spare defenseman? 

3.  Goaltending - Another huge question mark.  First session of training camp, Brian looked alright to very good.  But he seemed to take a step backward during the second training camp session. Will his 26 win season of last year be repeated?  Or will he go down as a one year freak show!!

Starting Monday, these questions will have to be answered, as the local heroes will be taking on one of their arch nemesis, The Broncos.  Hopefully Pierre Leclaire can read the schedule and realize the game starts at 8:45 in IDC.

Stay Tuned!!

Dusty's Ridden Hard by Bastard Bronco's

With training camp over, it was now time to see if the free agent dollars spent by Dusty's management. 

With the dropping of the puck, the first game of the 02/03 season began. 

And it began with Brian making a save on the first shot.  But, the second shot eluded him.  (an improvement from last year)  The Broncos played the unpopular trap, and Dusty's could not figure it out. 

Barry Lavallee continued to demonstrate his hands of stone as Brian struggled for some sort of form in goal.  The offence wasn't showing tonight, apparently, they lost their tickets for the big show. 

With 15 minutes left to play, the local heroes found themselves down 3-1.  Joe, Mike, Robert, Andre, all rattled the biscuit off the posts so far during the game.  But it was now crunch time.  The lads got one more, but the Broncos increased their lead to 4-2 

With a tremendous push, Dusty's got to within one. But then, Barney got a "how you doing" on his own blue line, and a Bronco broke free on Brian for the insurance marker. 

Knowing he had to redeem himself, Brian stared him down and denied the old man his piece of glory.

Pumped by the first big save of the year, the boys came back and tied it all up to save some face.

Final score was Bronco's 4, Dusty's 4.  Joe B.  was the star of the game with the first hat, and Mike Dumaine was the other goal scorer.  Barry Lavallee was shut out!!

Quote:  from Brian "gentlemen, I can tell you that the goaltending does get better, but it also gets worse"

   Storm Rise Up and Smother Dusty's

Another chapter in the heated battle between the Storm and Dusty's was played out this evening.  The Storm had not been able to beat Dusty's in the last three years.  Unfortunately, that trend would not continue tonight.

Was it because it was a back to back week for the boys?  A hot opposition goaltender?  Kelly Wallace playing defence?  Total lack of focus?  Who knows, but Dusty's could bag enough pucks behind the Storm goalie.  Posts and pads were the order of the evening for the local lads. 

Barry Lavallee finally managed to put the puck in the net with Joe and Robert T. rounding out the scoring.  But Dusty's was playing catch up all night long and could not pull out or salvage anything out of this game.

The Storm mangled the mesh behind Brian for 6 big goals.  Final score was Storm 6, Dusty's 3. 

Its a good thing the beer was cold, and the platters big and hot.  The winless start does not seem to be bothering the local heroes at this time.  Team chemistry is evolving.  Pierre is starting to come to the games on time.  All we need now is for Mike Dumaine to finish his frickin house so he can attend all the games.  The team is also looking forward to seeing Robert Perron back in uniform as word has it, he got cut from his latest European tryout. 

Don Trudeau is staring to heal, after a grueling baseball season.  Barney is rounding out into perfect form as demonstrated by the icing calls.  Andre is learning to adapt to his new skates, and Gerald is not missing his brother, yet.  JP finally got some real stretching in and should revert back to his steady style of play. 

Will the team find the winning ways soon?  Stay tuned till next week.  Tuesday at 8:45 vs the Lorette Eagles.

        Lorette Eagles Claw Dusty's Goaltender

With the local Heroes looking for their first win, optimism was abound in the dressing room.  Their task would not be easy, as they were facing the smooth skating Eagles.  Would the much vaunted Dusty's offence finally show up this evening?

The puck was dropped and the game was on.  In no time it was 6 - 2 for the Eagles.  Dusty's was being burned at every facet of the game.  Offence, defence and especially goaltending.  

Enough was enough.  The newly hired guns that signed on the dotted line for Dusty's dug down and found some inspiration.  The tempo increased and Joe and Mike put on a clinic.  

The game was tied and back and forth it went.  But unfortunately Brian was in a pile of quicksand all night.  The local heroes mustered 10 goals, and on most night, that would guarantee a win.  But it took all 10 goals to come away with a stinkin tie.  Final score Eagles 10, Dusty's 10.  

SilverHawks Feast on Dusty Flambé

Trying to rebound from a disaster on Tuesday, the local lads made their way out to St. Adolphe to try and find their first win. 

But Dusty's took a couple of early blows, even before the game started.  Robert Perron and Mike Dumaine abandoned their team once again. With only 8 healthy bodies, and a fragile minded goaltender, things were looking grim.  

A long story short, it was a catastrophic evening.  Brian looked even worse on this night.  The eight skaters were worn into the ice.  The biggest highlight was Don Trudeau with the hat!!

Final score was The SilverHawks 14, Dusty's 8.

    Gunners Get "Trapped" By Dusty's

Dusty's still looking for their elusive first win, made the long trek out to the Mitchell arena.  Once again, they were abandoned by their teammates, Mike and Robert.  With Barry, Stonehands in Toronto, Dusty's stepped onto the ice with only 7 skaters and a goalie looking for some kind of identity.

During the pre-game huddle, it was decided to implement the Classic Dusty's trap.  The scourge of many opposing hockey teams!

It was looking like the strategy was paying off, as the local heroes took a 3 - 1 lead.  But the Gunners kept on coming and Brian was still having hard time putting a handle on his game, as 3 weak goals went behind him. 

Andre tied the game at 4 on a penalty shot.  But seconds later, the Gunners were awarded their own penalty shot.  The classic confrontation between good and evil awaited.  As the team held their breath, the Gunner forward headed straight for Brian. 

Knowing he had to redeem himself, and find some confidence for him and more importantly his team, he steadied himself and stared down the opposing player and turned him a way with a big dose of rejection.

Spurned on by this momentum shift, Dusty's into the Gunners zone, and knocked in the biscuit for the winning goal.  Dusty's first win was in the Bag!!!

Final score was Dusty's 5, Gunners 4. 

Next game is Tuesday night at 8:45 in IDC.

Dusty's record is now 1 win, 2 losses and 2 ties.

.500 Hockey, Dusty's is Back

With their first win under their belt, the local heroes took to the ice on Tuesday we renewed vigor and confidence.  The team also welcomed back Robert Perron, but Mike Dumaine was still very much absent. 

Barry Lavallee was still boozing it up in TO so Dusty's called up Kelly Wallace and Robert Tremblay.  Even with the new faces in the lineup, the smell of victory was in the air.

Except for Brian, all he could smell was the stench from his first 6 outings in goal.  Was there ever a goalie with less confidence than Brian?  Who knows.

The game was on and Brian stopped the first shot, but quickly enough let the second shot go by.  In no time it was 2 zip for the WPG Eagles.   You could feel the sigh of hopelessness from the local bench. 

The boys did manage to put the early deficit behind them and poured it on the opposition.  The game ended and Dusty's was the victor by a score of 10 - 6. 

The offence that was missing early on in the season was now found.  Maybe all these goals scored is a direct result of having Stonehands in TO for the past week. 

In any case, if the goaltending could just improve a little, things will go very well this season.  Also, if Mike Dumaine could ever finish building his frickin house and show up for a game!!

Dusty's now stands at 2 wins, 2 losses, and 2 ties.

Next game is Tuesday at 8:45 at the IDC Arena.

Blues Singing Them, Dusty's Writing the Notes

With the local Heroes at .500, optimism was abound in the dressing room.  Tonight they would be facing the Blues, a huge nemesis in the side of Dusty's.  But for the first time this season, the entire team showed up to play tonight.  Dusty's had already won one battle this evening. 

A passing clinic was put on by Joe and Andre as Dusty's stormed out to an early lead.  With Brian finding some form in goal this evening,  the game looked to be well in control. Both lines were firing tonight, and the defence was solid.

In the end it was Dusty's 6, Blues 2.  Dusty's record is now 3 wins, 2 losses and 2 ties.

After hours at the bar was another battle waiting to be fought.  It was Dusty's vs 9 pounds of chicken fingers (approx 100 fingers). With cold Coors Light, and Molson Canadian at their side, the chicken stood no chance.  With the victory in sight, Dusty's grabbed the few remaining strips and swallowed them whole!!   A doubleheader of victories tonight for the good guys. 

                    World Wild Life Fedaration Called out, As Dusty's Lowers the Boom on Hapless Seals!

Back on the road for the 8th game this season, the boys were feeling confident even though they knew Mike Duamine would not be making the trip tonight. 

In the past the Seals have not been able to muster much of challenge to the local Heroes.  Tonight was no different.  Another clinic of passing was put on by the forwards.  It is very obvious that something is wrong with Pierre L. hands.  Did some voodoo doctor put a spell on him?  Did Barry "Granite Paws" Lavallee kidnap Pierre and amputate his hands for his own?  Whatever happened, its an ugly sight.  Even with his new gloves, Pierre cannot find his form from last year.  Maybe that "form" has been lost with the implementation of Molson Canadian into the Dusty's cooler. 

As it was, the boys ripped out to a huge lead, let the Old Men come back a little.  The closest the score got was 7 - 4, but the final score was 12 - 4 for the good guys. 

Dusty's has now won 4 straight and their record is now 4 wins, 2 losses and 2 ties. 

Next game is Tuesday night vs the Glenwood Stars at 8:45.

Dusty's recored is now 4 wins, 2 losses and 2 Ties

Dusty's See Nothing But Black Hole, As Stars Shut Out Dusty's

Last night was a huge test for the local heroes.  They would be facing an impressive, fast skating, aggressive hockey team.  This game would be the biggest challenge of the season.

With the entire team present, the local heroes knew they had a chance.  But it was revealed before game time that Pierre and his compadre Barry, close down the Corner Bar the night before and were looking a tad on the pale side.  The question was posed to Barry, What time did you get home last night?  And Barry just replied, late, as he could not piece together Monday night. 

The puck dropped and the anticipation of a high intensity game came into being.  Fast skating and and the occasional (un)intentional body check was the norm for the evening. 

Dusty's penetrated the opposition zone but could not find the trigger as Stars never game up on the backcheck.

At the other end of sheet, Brian was having his best game of the year, and was successfully holding the Stars at bay.

The first goal against the local heroes was a bit of fluke, but that was all the Stars needed. Dusty's could not bury any pucks into the mesh.  With the defence playing a solid game,and Brian remaining hot the game remained close at 2 to 0 for 30 minutes.  But the relentless Stars broke through to add 3 more goals to their tally.  Dusty's was not outplayed, but outchanced and outscored. 

The final was Stars 5 - Dusty's 0. 

But the boys quickly put the loss behind them with some cold Coors Light and and some premium steak sandwiches at the local tavern. 

Next game is Thursday night at 8:30 in Ste. Agathe.  We are hoping that our two members of AA can stay home Wednesday night and get some rest. 

Royals Sentence Dusty's Back to .500 Hockey

Attempting to shake off the shutout from Tuesday night, the local Heroes got on the team bus and made the trek south to Ste. Agathe for an encounter with the Royals. 

Missing tonight was Rob Perron and Richard Bernat.  That would mean a forward would have to volunteer to play defence. 

Pierre Leclaire was the man to attempt the blue line position, and early on, it was not the right move.  The Royals with their relentless forecheck forced Dusty's into uncharacteristic mistakes and soon they were up 1 to nothing.

Dusty's responded with 3 quick goals of the highlight reel fashion to take the lead.  With Brian having another strong game in the pipes, things were looking good. 

But the wheels fell off the bus in a hurry as the opposition scored 4 quick goals.  It broke Dusty's back.  The local lads could only watch in disbelief as the Royals quickly dismantled this proud franchise. 

Final score was Royals 13, Dusty's 6.  Dusty's drops to 4 wins, 4 losses and 2 ties. 

To regroup, the team headed down to the Corner Tavern and devoured 140 chicken wings and analyse the game.  The concensus was:  forget about it, we play again on Tuesday night!!

Broncos Busted By High Flying Dusty's

Reeling from a 2 game losing streak, the local Heroes knew they had to muster up a better effort tonight than they did last week.  historically facing the Broncos  would bring a little more of an edge to home town team.

With the entire squad available for this evening's tilt, confidence was high.  The Local Heroes busted out of the gate to a 3 - 1 lead and then for some reason hit the coast button.  The Bronco's made it 3-2 but that was as close as they could get.

Joe B. continued demonstrating to Dusty's management that they made the right decision as he potted 3 more goals to increase his tally to over 30 goales in 11 games so far this season.

Even Barry "Marble or is that Granite Hands" Lavallee bagged a big one tonight on a sweet breakaway set up beautifully by Johnny Lafleche.  Just like we drew it up in practice!!!!

In the end the final score was 8 to 4 for Dusty's

Dusty's is now 5 - 4 - 2 on the season.

        WPG Eagles Scream to Defeat, As Dusty's Take it  to Them on The Road

It was looking mighty bleak on Saturday afternoon as game time was closing in.  Dusty's would be without some key players today.  Donny and JP, two of the Big Three from the defence were absent.  Mike "please finish building your fucking house" Dumaine was AWOL and Pierre Leclaire had to miss the match at the last minute.

But this is why Dusty's has THE major scouting system.  Calls went out and some positions were filled.  Coming out of semi-reitirement  was Bones "magic man" Bouvier with those sweet hands of his.  Next up was Al Comeault, a youngster with tons of speeed and Robert Perron brought out another youngster by the name of Scott.  Yes, Dusty's managements fingers probe deep into the heartland of hockey.

If with these acquisitions the local Heroes would only be fielding a team with 8 skaters this evening.  To make matters worse, Andre B had the flu, Joe B with a pulled groin, and Brian with a neck so stiff he was already questioning his effectiveness in the pipes tonight before the game even started.

Just before the puck dropped the boys huddled together and settled on the strategy for the game.  The formidable Dusty's Trap would be put into effect tonight.

But from the huddle to the face-off, the strategy was changed.  Instead of the trap it was "Put the peddle to the Floor" hockey.  And the boys did. 

The offence was all over the pitiful Eagles, and the defensive coverage was right there as well.  When the opposition did manager to break through, Brian was there, heaping out big doses of rejection.

The home team did not know what hit them as Dusty's stormed to a 5- nothing lead.  That pedal never come off the floor, even in the waning minutes of the game, Barry Lavallee was still pouring it on, in the style that only his teammates could appreciate. 

The Magic Man demonstrated why he is such a commodity in the hockey world with his great work in the face-circle and those sweet hands in the offensive zone.  AB trudged on like the veteran trooper he is, and led the young ones on the attach.

Richard Bernat, with his wife and kids in stands, popped one from the Blue Line. Joe B. continued to add to his record breaking goal total. Robert Perron bagged another one tonight and was a force in his own zone all night.  Al Comeault, shook off some early game rust and flicked the the frozen biscuit by the opposition goaltender.

In the end it was a tremendous effort by these 8 road warriors.  Final score was Dusty's 7, Eagles 3. 

Next game is Monday night at 9:15 vs the Fames in the Glenwood Arena.

Flames Singe Dusty's in Tight Contest

Monday night hockey has never been a strong point for Dusty's.  Undaunted, the local lads headed on the road to Winnipeg to face a villainous enemy known as the Flames.

The night was looking grim as the dressing was short 4 skaters.  Andre was out with some old man diesease,  Donny was AWOL, Mike Dumaine was OTS.

An urgent call went out and the and coming out to rescue the team was Corey "Chains" Belot".  Just as  the game started, Mike Dumaine appeared, but Donny never showed.

It was a defensive struggle, with end to end action but in the end, it was Flames 4, Dusty's 3. 

ps Barry scored 3 goals

   Gunners Implode as Dusty's Had all the Bullets

Looking to get back on the winning track, Dusty's was looking forward to tonight's game.  The Gunners have not been able to match up well against Dusty's on their ice, and tonight would be no different.

Joe B.  kept on with his scoring ways.  It was a slaughter, as Dusty's pounded the opposition net with both barrels. The Gunners finally broke through and put one behind Brian to break the shutout bid.

In the end it was Dusty's 13, Gunners 4. 

ps Barry scored 3 goals again

Dusty's Get Burned by Goaltending, Toasters Cook Brian for 9 Scores

Tonight was like any other night.  The boys were on the road for this game.  The scene for this upcoming debacle was the Ste. Agathe Arena.  

The Local Heroes would be facing a team that they totally outclassed.  It looked like a sure W.

But Brian didn't bring his A game.  He just brought a game.  With one of the poorest outings of the year by Brian, Dusty's could only salvage a tie.  Even with Joe B. scoring another six goals and assaulting all Dusty's scoring records, even with Rob Tremblay with the Hat could not turn this match of shinny into a win for the good guys.

Brian could not "see" the puck all night.  But all blame cannot be laid at his feet.  Dusty's Energizer Battery Impressionist, Barry Lavallee looked more like a standard Ray O Vac as he was SHUT OUT this evening.

Final Score was Dusty's 9, Toasters 9.

Dusty's record is now 7 Wins, 5 Losses, and 3 ties.

Dusty's Tame Renegades With Merciless Offensive Attack

Stinging from their last effort, Dusty's was looking to inflict their revenge on some unsuspecting foe. Tonight it would be the Renegades from St. Norbert. 

The game had a very tentative start as Dusty's came gingerly out of the gate.  Right off the bat, it was very noticeable that Brian had brought his game tonight, as in the early going he shut the door down on a Renegades penalty shot. 

The local heroes went ahead by one but the Renegades tied it up.  Dusty's took two one goal leads but the opposition tied it up both times. 

All of sudden the dam burst and mighty offensive powerhouse of Dusty's shook off its cautious playing and took it to the Renegades.  Robert Perron, Rob Tremblay, Barry Lavalee, Pierre Leclair, Gerald Hebert, all put biscuits into the meshed cupboard this evening.  With only 15 mins left in the game, Joe B had not scored yet, but he finished the night with 3 or 4 goals. 

Victorious again the boys headed to the corner tavern to devour 3 King Sized platters and consume some ice cold refreshing Molson Canadien. 

Final score was Dusty's 11, Renegades 3. 

Next game is Monday night vs the Lorette Eagles. 

    Revamped Squad Handles Fast Skating Eagles

It was proven again, that Monday night hockey is not high on the list of favorite nights for the local Heroes to play on. Missing 4 skaters, Dusty's management went to its scouting system again and banged the bushes and found some capable bodies.

On the positive side, Andre B. returned from sickness to play his first game in two weeks. 

The puck was dropped and the game was on.  Back and forth it went, with the Eagles striking first blood with their first shot on net. 

Undaunted, Dusty's stormed back to tie it up.

Andre B put on clinic of shooting and passing this evening and was rewarded with 4 goals.  With the absence of Barry Lavallee, Pierre L. took it upon himself to do all the crashing and banging. Effective he was. 

At one point, it looked like the local Heroes might have lost Donny Trudeau as he went down and awkwardly twisted his bum leg.

Mike Dumaine played defense tonight but Dusty's overcame that piece of flawed strategy. 

With the usual offensive output from Joe B and some timely saves by Brian, Dusty's went on to win the game 11 to 7. 

Next game is Tuesday night vs The Fools.

Army of Fools Take Down Dusty's

Maybe one of the biggest games of the year was about to be played out this evening.  The Fools from Winnipeg with some players cast adrift by Dusty's would be visiting IDC tonight. 

The Local Heroes felt and looked confident as the entire squad was out,  even though Mike Dumaine showed up only 5 minutes before the game started, and he would pay the price for it later on.

The game began and Dusty's started out very gingerly, as The Fools had 15 skaters this evening.  Their biggest turn out.  To combat this, Barry Lavallee was back from sickness, and the boys were counting on him to aggravate the piss out of the opposition. 

As in the previous game, the first shot on Brian went in.  Brian looked shaky from the get go and never really found his groove.

The game was intense and back and forth all night.  The Big three along with Barney successfully kept the The Fools' big guns wide all night, but Brian could not hold the fort.  The turning point might have been the penalty shot that Brian did not stop. 

As for the good guys, Barry Lavallee, with his antagonizing play, was rewarded with two penalty shots but could only convert one of them.

Mike Dumaine had a strong game with a couple of goals but shredded his groin because of the lack of a proper warmup.

The final was Fools 5, Dusty's 4. 

Next game is Saturday afternoon vs Glenwood. 

   Short Handed Dusty's Cannot Overcome Shoddy Goaltending

If Sunday Hockey is the worst night, and Monday night is a close second, team Management has no idea what to call Saturday night hockey.

Again the local Heroes were shorthanded for a Saturday evening contest.  To make matters worse, some players were still feeling the effects of previous evenings festivities.  For sure the Brian the goaltender was.

With a total lack of warmup, and the opposition fielding 16 skaters to Dusty's 8, it appeared it would be a long evening for the boys.

For the third straight game the first shot on goal blew right by Brian.  Weak in the knees and fuzzy in the mind from last nights indulgence of red wine, the second shot of the night also went right by him. 

Things were looking mighty grim as the bad guys took a 3 nothing lead.  After each goal Brian longingly looked over at the bench wishing he could see a back up.

But the Boys never gave up.  Led by Barry Lavallee's third hat trick in 7 games, the Local Heroes were about to make a game of it.  Dusty's got as close as 5 to 4 but Brian who appeared to have alcohol poisoning was still trying to find some form. 

After the halfway point of the game, Brian shook off enough cobwebs to finish strong, but the boys were too far in hole to come all the way back.

Donny Trudeau bagged a couple with Joe and Andre adding some offense as well.

Alas, with sub par goaltending, the Local Heroes fell 11 to 7 on the night.

Dusty's record is now 9 wins, 7 losses and 3 ties.

Next game is Tuesday night in IDC. 

Quick Wrap UP

Following the past debacle, Dusty's reeled off 3 straight wins.  Dusty's outscored their opposition 37 to 19 over the past three games.  Maybe Brian was still feeling the effects of the wine.  Dusty's record now stands at 12 wins, 7 losses and 3 ties.

   New Year, No Resolutions Needed

With all the turkey finally digested, bodies free of alcohol, wallets emptied of money, it was time for the local Heroes to return to the ice .

To mark the halfway point in the season, Dusty's would be taking on the pain in the ass Storm.  Still stinging from defeat at the hands of the Storm in the opening game of the season, the boys had something to prove. 

The game had a very sluggish start, as Dusty's had not been on their blades for over two weeks.  But as the game wore on, the Boys found their legs. 

Is there a more talented player than Joe B?  With only half the season gone, estimates are that this man has over 60 goals for the local heroes.  Its a good thing, as last year's goal leader, Mike Dumaine has gone into the tank.

But tonight was another Joe B evening.  With 4 goals, all of the highlight reel variety, the boys took it to the Storm.  The Barnyard Dog, still bitter from the lack of communication from team management was a force in his zone all night, laying down the lumber when he had to. 

Pierre Leclaire and Barry Lavallee were obvisouly bad during the past year, as Santa DID NOT bring them a new set of hands.  Robert P, and Donny T. looked strong.

Andre B and Gerald H both had strong performances showing that the old guard still has some left in the tank for the 2nd half of the season.

Brian G, though not busy in goal this evening did stop a penalty shot and was good enough to get the victory.  (Mind you , he did not have to be that good)

In the end it was Dusty's 12, the Storm 2.  Dusty's record is now 13 wins 7 losses and 3 ties.  Next game is Tuesday night at IDC. 

Mid Season Stats

GP 23   W 13  L 7  T 3

Goals For 187  Goals Against 139

Avg Goals per Game 8.13

Avg Goals against per game 6.04

Home Record

GP 11   W 7  L 3  T 1

Away Record

GP 12 W 6  L 4  T 2

Dusty's Climbs the Mountain, All the Way Back!!

The Local Lads were looking to continue their winning ways and get their winning streak to a season high 5 games.  Standing in their way were the Toasters.

Boosted by the return of Mike "I think I'm still a Northstar" Dumaine, and having the entire team out, the boys were confident of victory

But the game did not start on a positive note.  It looked like Dusty's had not digested all the holiday turkey yet. 

The Toasters jumped out to a 3 nothing lead before Mike Dumaine replied for the good guys. But before they knew, the Toasters took a 5 to one lead.  Dusty's thought they were going to be in for a long evening. 

But the troops rallied and cut the lead to 5 to 3.  With the game hanging in the balance, Mike Duamine was awarded a penalty shot.  Mike choked, the Toasters increased their lead to 6 - 3.

Undaunted and unfazed Joe B took matters into his own hands.  Leading the charge, with some beauties by Gerald and Andre the local lads tied up the game. 

Brian shaking off some more rust found some form, and held the Toasters off the score-sheet for the remainder of the game, including a couple of breakaway saves. 

A tied game was not enough this evening and the boys stomped on the throat of the Toasters and added 3 more tallies.  

Final score was Dusty's 9 - Toasters 6.

The boys went to the local tavern for snacks and refreshments.  As the plate of bird was brought out, Richard had the quote of the night "Better dig in boys, or you're going home hungry tonight!"

Dusty's Fall Off the Mountain

Riding a season high 5 game winning streak, the Local Heroes hit the road for a Thursday night tilt with the Landmark Senior Blues.  Dusty's would be without Rob Perron tonight, but they brought up Corey Belot from the farm.

Mike Dumaine showed up late, and that caused much stress for the Barnyard Dog.  Dusty's stepped onto the ice and that was about as positive a play as the boys had all night. 

The  Blues simply outclassed Dusty's this evening.  From the goaltending out, it appeared the local heroes were in a trance all night.  Even the scathing outbursts from Richard could not shake Dusty's out of their doldrums. 

The problems of the night were exemplified when Gerald broke his brand new stick in the boards of the rink. 

The final score was Blues 9, Dusty's 3. 

Barney said it best when he stated:  This game should just be erased!!!!

Next game is Tuesday night at IDC. 

Hitmen Set Sights On Dusty's Hapless Goaltender

Needing to shake off their losing ways, the Local Heroes wee looking to lower the boom on the Hitmen.

Robert Perron was unavailable for this evening's contest, so Team Management brought up Kelly Wallace from the farm club.

The game started off and it was all Dusty's. Andre Beauchemin scored the first 4 goals of the game for the Local Heroes to build up a 4 - 1 lead.   But somewhere it is said, that no matter how many goals you score, you still need a goalie decent enough to keep enough pucks out of the net.

Tonight, Brian Gareau did his best imitation of Patrick Roy, aka, December 6 1995, when Patrick was burned for 9 goals vs the Wings.  But, he was not being helped by Kelly Wallace as he looked to have the big club jitters and gave the puck away three times.

Still, Dusty's was beating the Hitmen in every aspect of the game except goaltending. In spite of the black hole in the Dusty's net, the local heroes had the lead for most of the game.  The Hitmen finally tied it up at 8 and then went ahead by 2.  It looked like the boys could not believe the implosion happening in their own goal.

Dusty's came back with one more goal, but that was it.  The final score was 10 - 9 for the bad guys.

To put an exclamation point on the game, JP was nailed for tripping which resulted ina penalty shot.  As JP skated by Brian, he apologized.  Brian's response:  "The way I'm playing tonight, this is going to be a snap!!!"  Brian was then promptly beat upstairs to the blocker side.

Game over. 

Dusty's Not Intimidated by SilverHawks

Questions were swirling around all night before game time.  Would Brian bounce back, could Robert Tremblay take Mike Dumaine's place, Could Andre Beauchemin keep up his torrid scoring pace after turning 39 the day before? Would Barney's new Nike Lumber hold up?

This game was all about old fashion in your face hockey. Many battles were fought all over the ice.

Round 1:  Robert Perron leveling a Hawk in front of the Dusty's goal.

Round 2:  A puke of a Hawk attempted to decapitate Donny behind the goal.

Round 3:  Barry Lavalle is almost be-headed by the Puke Hawk.

Round 4:  Big Surprise, Barry Lavalle mixing it up with another Hawk

Round 5:  The Puke Hawk in Brian's crease.  Brian gives him a shot, Puke strikes back then Brian power slams the Puke into the ice. 

Decision goes to Dusty's on points. 

Besides the old fashioned hockey, some pretty goals were scored, Brian bounced back with a strong performance.  Pieces of Nike Lumber were stuck in many of the Hawk,s arms and legs, Joe B and Andre B put on another show, Robert Tremblay notched a score, JP Lafleche sacrificed his body on more than one occasion and the beer was cold.

Final score was 7 - 7. 

Summary of the Past 5 Games

Two wins, Two losses and a tie.  Brian out for two games with the flu. Kelly Wallace and Dennis LaFleche filling in admirably for him.  Kelly with a win and Dennis with a tie. 

Joe B still scoring.  Mike Dumaine, still missing in action.  Donny Trudeau still hurting.  Barry still needing some hands.  Barney still barking.  Andre still skating.  Gerald still going.  Pierre still checking to see if he somehow has Barry's hands. 

       WPG Eagles Pull Out Win in Final Minute

Another Saturday game for the local Heroes and that meant another dip into the talent pool of the Dusty's farm system.  Needing four warm bodies, the scouts recalled Dan "magic man" Bouvier, Corey"Chains" Belot, Junior Lavallee, and Warren K. from Brian's work.

With a full lineup for tonights game, expectations were high.  But the wily veteran, Andre Beauchemin, was seen carousing at the Local Tavern from 11:00am until an hour before game time.

Barry and Brian rescued him from the rye and hauled him to the game.

The match opened up at a crisp pace and the local lads went up 1 nothing.  Back and forth the game was until the Eagles tied it up.  Most of the action was in the Eagles zone, but Dusty's could not bury their numerous chances.

At the other end, Brian was fighting the puck sometimes, but generally holding things together.  The defensive pairing of Bones and Chains was something to behold.  It took them about 59 minutes to gel and by that time the game was over. 

Andre B must have been drinking some pretty offensive rye, as the team never saw him on the backcheck. The turning point of the game could have been this.  Brian robbing an Eagle forward with with a double stacked pad save, and then Andre being sent in all alone. this would have put the boys up by 3 but instead AB could not deliver.

Momentum was clearly on the Eagles side as they pressed the attack.  The local lads managed to tie up the game at 7, but Barry Lavallee took an invisible roughing penalty with a minute left in the game.

All eyes were on Brian as he needed to turn away the penalty shot to preserve the tie.  But about 10 seconds later, all eyes were rolling as Brian could not make the save when it counted. 

Final score was Eagles 8 Dusty's 7. 

Dusty's record is now 16 wins, 11 losses and 5 ties.

Fools Turn Tables on Dusty's, Dusty's Look Like Jokers

Another Monday night hockey game for the local Heroes.  Another Monday night debacle. 

With Mike Dumaine still looking for the Bertrand Arena as of this day, Dusty's was shorthanded for this evening's tilt with the fools.

Two minutes into the game it was 1 - 0 for the Fools, and the hurt kept coming.  With a total lack of intensity for all facets of the game, offense, defense and goaltending, the Local Heroes were easy meat for the primed up Fools.

Final score was Fools 9, Dusty's 4.

Dusty's Put It All Together and Take Out Built up Frustration on Feeble Storm

Reeling from a stretch of total underachieving, the Local Heroes were looking to put the pieces back together.

To assist this effort, management brought up a speedster by the name of Kelly Wallace.  Looking to maybe stick with the Big Club, Kelly set out to prove he belonged in the big leagues.

He did not let the team down.  Playing a well disciplined game, Kelly bagged 4 big goals tonight and showed team management that he may be ready for this league.

The rest of the team also picked it up a couple of notches.  The Storm opened up the scoring on a weak goal but this seemed to wake up the sleeping guns. 

Wave after wave of offense was hurtled at the opposition Storm who could not turn the tide, no matter what they tried.  When they did break through, Brian was steady enough in the cage to turn them back.

It was a complete effort and the final scored demonstrated it.

Dusty's 13  - Storm 3.

Sunday Night's Are Meant for the Couch and Remote Control

Another Sunday night, another trying effort by the Local Lads.  Shorthanded with only 7 skaters, it was looking grim.

Tonight Dusty's would need an all star effort from their goaltender to escape with any dignity.  Dusty's is still waiting.

Final score was the Gunners 13, Dusty's 3.

Bronco's Beat Beleagueured Dusty's

Still stinging form the whooping on Sunday, team management decided to make some changes to shake things up.

Out was Brian.  Team management found a new goalie for this evening, and put Brian out on right wing.

In the early going, all was well as Dusty's opened up a 3 to 1 lead.  But then darkness descended.  With the score 3 -1 the Bronco's scored 3 goals on the same shift to go ahead 4 - 3. 

To add insult to injury, the old netminder at the other end was holding the vaunted Dusty's attack at bay.

With the Bronco's up up by 2, Dusty's notched a tally to cut the lead to 5 -4. With only 2 minutes remaining, a questionable decision to pull the goalie occurred.  The Bronco's gained possession of the puck and fired the biscuit into the yawning cage.

Final score Bronco's 6 Dusty's 4.

Dusty's record is now 17 wins, 15 losses and 5 ties.

Determined Effort Pushes Dusty's Past Toasters

Reeling from Tuesday loss, and trying find some consistency, Jeckyll and Hyde Local Heroes hit the road for this evening's tilt.

With the retune of 70 goals Joe Beauchemin, there were some positive vibes in the room prior to game time.  The game before, JP asked Donny Trudeau if he was going to ever score again and Donny's reply was, I haven't scored since November.

One big negative was the mysterious absence of Rob Perron. Dusty's would be going with 3 D tonight.

As for the norm, the Toasters opened up the scoring with a weak goal on Brian, but the local lads tied promptly tied it up.

Donny "Sweet November" Trudeau graced the team with a heater to the right corner that had the Toasters goalie still looking for the puck. Barry Lavallee chipped in a couple of goals. 

Joe B scored a some beauties and the Angry Farmer had another strong game. 

With the local lads leading 5 - 3 the Toasters mounted a counter attack and went ahead 6 to 5. 

Digging deep the local lads pressed the opposition. With Brian making some Hasek type saves at the other end, Dusty's vowed not to let this game go.

The boys tied it up and then iced her away. 

One hell of a gritty performance for a bunch looking for some confidence and identity.

Dusty's record is now 18 wins, 15 losses and 5 ties.

Next game is Tuesday night.  A rematch of the Royal Rumble with the SilverHawks.

No Rumbling, No Goaltending, No Win

It was looking good on Tuesday, as the Dusty's arch nemesis, the SilverHawks showed up with only 8 skaters. 

With no Joe, the big club called up Kelly Wallace.  The big club was anxious to see if Kelly could put back to back games together for the local heroes. 

With much penetration, but no satisfaction, Dusty's was frustrated most of the evening.  Kelly could not find the trigger this evening, as every shot he put into the pads of the opposition goaltender.

At the other end, Brian was shaky at best.

In the end it was not much of a contest as the Hawks blew 8 goals past Brian, Mike Dumaine did not pick up the reins, and Barry Lavallee's new stick brought him little success. 

The problem this evening was exemplified when Pierre L. missed a wide open net. 

Final score was Hawks 8 - Dusty's 4.

Quote of the night:  Hey, pass me that pizza cutter, you're holding it like a girl holds a cell phone!!!!

   Character Tie Buoys Local Heroes

Tonight the local heroes would be making the trip south to face the ST. Pierre Pioneers.  In the past this would be guaranteed win night, but with a re-tooled opposition, and an underachieving local squad, the sure things were no longer so sure.

Pierre Leclaire showed up with a new weapon, but similar results followed. 

JP Lafleche jumped into the defenceman scoring race with a beaut, and Rob Perron also added one. 

Mike Dumaine was a force all night, but tunnel vision seemed to inhibit his effectivenss to his linemates.

In the pipes, Brian made some saves (we'll take it) but no stellar performance was forthcoming. 

With the score 6-5 for the bad guys, Mike Dumaine was awarded a penalty shot. With only a minute left in the game, could the man who owes a box beer to the team pull them into a tie?  The moment was tense but Mike Dumaine delivered.  A goal that is, still waiting for the beer.

Final score was Dusty's 6, Pioneers 6.

Dusty's record is now: 18 wins 16 losses and 6 ties.

Where Have All the Heroes Gone?

Going down the home stretch, the Local Lads are struggling.  Trying to right a sinking ship, the boys faced the evil Flames on this night. 

Without their superstar Joe Beauchemin, a win tonight may not be feasible option. 

At the huddle Brian told Barry that he saved himself for this game by not running, or aerobics before.  Five minutes into the game, as a shot from the blue line went over Brian's left shoulder, Barry skated by and said, "maybe a little jog would done you some good"

Not to fear, the local lads came back to tie it.  It was a sloppy game, as Dusty's had no goaltending again, some atrocious giveaways in the defensive zone and two penalties that resulted in one goal. 

Brian continued his year long struggles in goal as he could not come up with the big save when needed.

Barry Lavallee looked like the Barry of old, as his stone hands potted him two BFI type goals as he was all over the ice tonight. 

Pierre Leclair, still fighting the disease that has affected his once smooth hands missed a glorious opportunity.  Andre also missed a wide open net.

The Barnyard Dog was 200 pounds of frustrated farmer has he laid out the verbal abuse to his teammates.  This is man who just wants to win.

With the score 7 - 4 for the bad guys, Dusty's turned up the dial another notch and scored two big goals to cut the lead to 1.  But time ran out and another loss on record is recorded. 

What is wrong with this machine we call Dusty's?  It appears its missing a few ball bearings and it is not the well oiled unit it once was. 

But all was forgotten at the local tavern as the delicious bird was brought out.  The question went out about a new team picture and Barry responded:

"I've got super trick digital camera at work, I just don't know how to use it"

Next game is Thursday night vs the Hitmen.  Come out and watch, as it will be  revised lineup as 4 regulars will be missing in action.

To plug the holes management is bringing out the smooth skating Kelly Wallace, #2 meatball Robert Tremblay, Corey"Chains" Belot and the newest spare, Martin Nolet.

Hitmen Pegged by Andre Beauchemin

With a revamped lineup for tonight's match, the outcome of this evening's game was not a sure thing. 

Andre B., who was going to take the night off, decided to suit up and Dusty's is sure glad he did.

The Hitmen opened the scoring on a weak goal (nothing new for Brian) but Andre tied it up for the Local Heroes.  It was a good thing as Andre  was the only Dusty forward who brought his A game to the rink.

The score went back and forth, with Brian dipping down to new levels of ineptitude.  But every time the Hitmen went ahead, Andre was there to put in the equalizer.

With the score 5 - 4 for the bad guys, the wily veteran Andre, went to work. He single handedly tied the game and potted the winner. 

Barry "Granite Hands" Lavallee, and Pierre Leclair ( Barry's newest protege) played with meatball #2 tonight, but could not generate any positives. 

The Big three on defence had a strong game, and the Barnyard Dog played with his usual intensity. 

As for the goaltending, well there are only 3 games left and Brian won't be there for two of them. 

But the star of the night was 39 year old Andre Beauchemin who scored two natural Hatricks.  Final score was Dusty's 6, Hitmen 5. 

The bar was lively tonight as the team celebrated their victory.  Platters and beer go a long way. 

Dusty's record is now 20 wins, 17 losses, and 6 ties.   Next game is Tuesday night in IDC versus the WPG Eagles. 

        Farm-Hands Propel Dusty's to Victory

As this evening's tilt rolled around, team management again had to go to the farm and bring up some talent.

Missing tonight would be Joe Beauchemin, Mike Dumaine, Gerald Hebert and Brian Gareau.

To fill those gaping holes management brought up Cory"Chains" Belot, Robert "Meatball #2" Tremblay, Martin, "I just want to play" Nolet and Dennis"BigFoot" Lafeche in goal.

Without their superstars, the team would have to pick it up a few notches.  With the Big Three still intact with the Barnyard Dog, and Andre Beauchemin coming off his 6 goal performance, optimism was still hovering pretty low. 

Cory, who was told to beat it last week as Andre did make the game, took it upon himself to show Dusty's management that he can still get the job done.  He led the attack with 3 slick goals and demonstrated why the Portage Terriers send him a letter 16 years ago. 

BFI Barry has returned.  He potted 2 more to add to his tally this.  But maybe the biggest surprise of the evening, was Pierre Leclaire with 2 goals.  We think that doubles his output for the second half of the season. 

The Frustrated Farmer also flung the biscuit behind the opposition goaltender and Andre round out the scoring. 

In the defensive zone, BigFoot was moving as well as his namesake.  It appeared he was mired in quicksand for  most of the evening, but he did get all beat up in the warmup. 

Even with Barney blowing a tire, and Dennis' shaky stance, the Local Heroes were able to come up with the 9 - 7 victory. 

Next game is Tuesday night in Ile Des Chenes. 

Record now stands at 21 Wins, 17 losses and 6 ties.

       Dusty's Stumble Past Seals

With the addition of All Star Goalie, Scott Wallace, tonight's match should have been a total slaughter for Dusty's.

But, Scott Wallace did not bring his A game.  But the local lads persevered in spite of Scott's dreadful performance and came away with the 10 7 victory.  Dusty's record is now 22 wins, 17 losses and 6 ties.

   The Final Conflict:  Young Storm Fall to Revved Up Dusty's

It was finally here.  The Big Game of the year.  Good versus Evil.  The Old versus the Young.

Still stinging from the 13- 3 whipping from the hands of Dusty's the Storm went out and found some reinforcements to assist them in the attempt to dethrone the Local Heroes. 

Down the stretch run, the Local Heroes had pieced together a 3 game winning streak, but at times, looked very shaky.  For Dusty's to pull out this major victory, this is what would have to happen:

Could Brian find some form in goal and piece together 60 full minutes to hold the Storm shooters at bay?

Joe Beauchemin would have to keep supplying Dusty's with the highlight reel goals, and lots of them.

The Big Three would have to become a wall of invincibility and hopefully pitch in with a goal or two.

Would the Barnyard Dog's Swoosh Stick hold up to the heaving going?

Could Andre Beauchemin deliver another quality performance on his 39 year old legs?

Would Mike Dumaine show up?

Barry Lavallee would have to continue his Kamikaze attitude and hopefully pick up whatever garbage he could. 

Gerald Hebert would have continue with his steady play.

And Pierre Leclaire would have to continue with his hard nosed style, and any type of offense from his hands would be a bonus.

The time was over for words and inspirational speeches.  It was time to strap on those game faces and lay down the law to the Storm. 

When the puck dropped, Dusty's was without Mike Dumaine.  Undaunted, Dusty's took to the Storm early and hard.  Even with tons of pressure in the early going, Dusty's could not convert any chances. 

The game started going back and forth, but the Big Three thwarted most attempts at the Dusty's goal.  Mike Dumaine finally showed up, and optimism and determination settled upon the Local Heroes. 

But the Storm and some effective pressure in the Dusty's zone,  and opened the scoring with a puck past Brian.

Knowing that his team could not go down by two, he reached down deep and found his A game.  The game continued back and forth with action and saves at both ends. 

Mike Duamine tied the game with a wrister to the top corner. Dusty's went ahead 2-1 but the Storm tied it up. 

JP Lafleche made and astounding play to break up a 3 on 1.  Barry Lavallee was a pain in the ass to the Storm all night. 

The good guys went up 3- 2 with a laser from Don "March Madness" Trudeau but the Storm came back with 2 goals to go ahead.  On the fourth goal Donny Trudeau was attempting to repair his damaged helmet when the puck was dropped and it was a two on nothing.  Brian stopped the first two shots but could not stop the third.  Would this break Dusty's? 

With steel determination the boys took it up another notch.  Joe B scored another highlight goal to the roof of the net.  With the game tied, Brian saved his best stop of the year for this moment, robbing a Storm with a lightning quick glove.  With everybody's jaw hitting the ice, Barry yelled from the bench "That's gotta be good for a leg or two!!"

That was all the boys needed as Dusty's went up 6 - 4.  In the final minutes of the game the Storm replied with one goal, but Andre Beauchemin sealed the deal with a burst of speed that left the young Storm in awe, and he went in all alone and bulged the twine. 

When the final buzzer range, it was Dusty's 7, Storm 5.  Even with all their reinforcements, the Storm could not match the skill and desire of the old boys.

Another chapter in the epic struggle went to Dusty's.

After the game it was time to celebrate with about 80 pieces of Champs chicken, some cold Beer, Ceasars, Barney's friend Gibby, and a room full smiles.

The festivities ended around 6 am the next day. 

Look for the year end wrap up coming soon. 

2003/2004

Training Camp 1

Team Management trotted this year's edition of Dusty's this evening to see what had to be done before the season started.  

Dusty's had already taken a blow to the solar plexis this August, when it was discovered that Don "Sweet November" Trudeau had busted his left arm, leaving a gaping hole on defense. 

As the player's hit the ice, it was obvious that some things never change.  Brian still fighting the puck in goal.  His new 145 pound body seemed to wither as the game went on.

Barry still has his granite hands and Pierre, well, at least he showed up on time.  Johnny Lafleche picked his spots with care, Gerald looked good in the early going, Andre looked almost 40 and Chains and Kelly will turn out to be competent spares.

Mike Dumaine did show up and actually bagged 5 or 6 goals this evening. Too bad they don't count for the stats. 

Barney, the frustrated farmer never did get out of the barn on this night.  Its obvious some cows must have felt the frustration boil over!!!

But its the exhibition season and team management will breakdown the tapes and make some big decisions next week.

        Training Camp 2

Dusty's roster was finalized this evening.  Some positives and some negatives were discovered.

The positives.

The Barnyard Dog has committed to the team for another year.  It was iffy for awhile, but after bagging the first goal of the game, and breaking his swoosh branch, Dusty's veteran Dean of Defence made the right decision. 

Joe Beauchemin looks ready to terrorize opposition goaltenders once again, as demonstrated by his 3 or 4 cross bar shots this evening. 

Mike Dumaine actually showed up two nights in a row!!

Scoring goals should not be a problem this year.

The not so positive.

Goaltending.  Even with new pants and new skates, Brian is struggling in the blue ice. Can he bounce back? 

Barry not only needs a new pair of hands, but maybe some eyeglasses as well.  Evidence for this was when he leveled his line mate Pierre at the blueline. 

Can Don Trudeau be replaced?  This evening his skates seemed to big for Kelly to fill, as Kelly was continuously fanning on his passes. 

But training camp is behind us, just like the chicken fingers from last week and last nights Bid Dude Platters.  The post-game events are already in mid-season form!!!

First game is next Tuesday in IDC versus the Storm. 

Dusty's Too Old, Too Slow?

The dawn of a new season was upon the high class organization known as Dusty's.  With all the pieces of the puzzle in place, except for Don Trudeau, the local lads hit the ice without trepidation.  Tonight's opponent was their arch nemesis, the Storm.

The Storm, after taking 3 beatings from the local heroes last year, went out and re-tooled their hockey club.  To make matters even tougher tonight, the Storm showed up with 3 full lines of young studs.

The grizzled veterans of Dusty's looked over at their bench with utter disdain at this low class play.   Trying to put it behind them, the boys lined up for the face-off.

In a matter of seconds it was 1 nothing for the Storm as they broke in and buried the first shot behind Brian.  Reeling, the local heroes tried to find a gear to match the young legs.  But tonight, all Dusty's had was a 4 speed with no overdrive. 

Andre scored a beauty to tie the game but that was as close as the local heroes would come this evening to knocking off the young'uns. 

Wave after wave of Storm crashed the Dusty's goal.  The Barnyard dog was doing his best, but he looked like the kid with his finger stuck in the dam.  The defence was holding but the offense was invisible.  Joe B was neutralized and Mike Dumaine could not find the trigger.  Even BFI Barry couldn't bust through with any type of garbage tonight. 

The final score was Storm 7, Dusty's 2. 

To ease the pain of this loss, the local lads went to the corner office for some high end Club Subs.  The pain of the loss was soon forgotten (probably right after the cooler was opened).

Next game is tomorrow night vs the  Seals. 

            Too Old, Too Slow, but Not Dusty's This Time

Not wanting to go to an 0 - 2 start, team management made sure a confidence booster was scheduled in the early going. 

The Seals have never posed a problem to the local heroes but tonight half the squad was missing and patchwork team was put on the ice for this contest. 

Just before the puck was dropped, it was mentioned that once the score was out of hand, the local lads should just hang back.

Again once the puck was dropped, a wave of opposition waltzed into Dusty's zone and promptly beat Brian with the first shot again. In no time it was 3 to 1 for the old and slow Seals.  What was happening tonight?  With some jobs on the line, the local heroes slowly started putting it together.

Brian steadied himself and rejected the Seals for the rest of the night.  JP Lafleche buried a frozen biscuit to ignite the boys.  Barry Lavallee crashed and banged his way to a four goal performance.  Mike Dumaine who showed up for the fourth game in a row potted 2 goals as well. 

It was not the prettiest game of the year but in the end it was a 13 to 3 victory for the local heroes.  With the record evened at one and one, the next game will be against the Bastard Broncos, another too old and too slow team, who usually take it to Dusty's a couple of times a year.

Dusty’s Batter Bastard Bronco’s with Firepower

This evening Dusty’s would be going up against another arch nemesis.  The Bronco’s.  Though old and slow, the Bronco’s have been a thorn in the side of the Local Heroes for many years.  Tonight would be different.

With Meatball #2 called up, Chains Belot on the Blueline, and Joe salivating at the thought of some quick goals, tonight had the makings of a potential slaughter. 

When the puck was dropped the Bronocs started out as there scrappy self and had some early pressure on the Dusty’s defence and goaltender.  But the wall held and the boys up front started putting on show. 

With Robert Tremblay and Joe B. each bagging four goals, the decision was not in doubt.  But to make matters interesting Brian gave a few “gifts” to the Bronco’s just to give them that tiny sliver of hope that could be crushed again and again after each offensive attack.

In the end, the Bronco’s were too old and too slow.  The final score was Dusty’s 14 – Bronco’s 5.

At the corner tavern it was Dusty’s special pizza’s along with a side of chicken fingers for the real hungry boys.

Pioneers Brought Into the Modern Era

Riding a Two game win streak, the local heroes made the road trip out to St. Norbert this evening.  Having not played the Pioneers in the last few years, the lads had no scouting report to go on.  There was a feeling that the boys may be in over their heads tonight, but undeterred they put the pads on anyway.  Dusty's was not about to mail in the victory.

With a couple of holes in the lineup tonight, Dusty's brought back Chains Belot to bolster the blueline and dragged Larry "I love the couch" St. Laurent into the starting lineup.

The game was a see-saw battle from the moment the puck dropped.  The Pioneers looked to be a formidable opponent, and the game might come down to who had the hottest goaltender. (Not a good strategy!)

In the early going, Brian was holding Dusty's in the game but suddenly the wall crumbled and the bad guys went ahead 5 - 2.  In a critical moment, Brian stopped the first penalty shot of the season with a double stacked pad save, which seemed to ignite the offensive machine.

Even with Joe B getting shutout, Dusty's leaned on the defence for some offensive input.  Robert Perron and JP Lafleche took it upon themselves to turn this game around. Robert Perron, with some coast to coast rushes resulted in the Pioneers taking some penalties.  Robert buried both his penalty shots and then added another goal for the Hat.  JP let go with a howitzer to the top corner to add to his early season goal total. 

In all the local lads scored 6 unanswered goals to go up 8 - 5.  The pioneers responded with one more, but the wall was rebuilt and held for the rest of the game.

A huge moral victory as Dusty's showed some real grit and character in coming all the way back. 

Dusty's record improves to 3 wins and 1 loss.  Next game is in IDC on Tuesday.

Royals De-Crowned as Dusty's Win 4th Straight

Another road trip for the local heroes was upon them this evening.  The positive, it was an early game (that means we could still have snacks at the corner office), and Mike Dumaine was showing up for his 7 outing in a row!!!

The negative:  half the team was not able to make it out.  So Dusty's management went into their network of scouting systems and pulled out the following warm bodies.  Martin Nolet, Corey "Chains" Belot (again), and the two Balcean Brothers.

Even with the new replacements things were looking favorable for a victory as Joe B was there, Robert Perron was coming off a huge 3 goal performance the week before and  the BFI Man's easily bruised leg was healing. 

The local heroes took it to the Royals right off the bat and raced out to an early 2 nothing lead. With Brian having a solid outing in goal, it appeared that maybe the two goals were all that would be needed. 

But then reality set in as the Royals pumped 4 fast ones by Brian with the help of some defensive miscues.  Still, Brian re-focused, explained to Chains that we were the guys in dark and Dusty's regained its momentum. 

Mike Dumaine who appears to be on a mission to win the scoring title, (obviously he isn't scoring at home) deposited 3 sweet goals behind the Royals tender.  One was a classic Mike Dumaine coast to coast rush that left the people in the stands yearning for more.  But that's all he had.

Chains redeemed himself for his lapses in the defensive zone with another goal to his total with Dusty's. 

In the end, with a rock solid effort from Brian, a gritty performance by the new recruits and JP covering Cory's ass, the local lads prevailed with a 6 to 5 win. 

That's for in row for you people counting at home.  After the game it was off to Dusty's headquarters to dissect the game and feast on some bird. 

Next game is Monday night vs the SilverHawks at 8:45.

SilverHawks No Match for Revved Up Dusty's

The game was a strange one, as the opposition arrived with no goaltender.  The official game did not start until there was only 20 minutes left to play.

But that was all the local heroes needed as they quickly stormed out to a 2 nothing lead.  The Hawks tried to make a game of it but could not penetrate the wall of defence. 

In the end this strange outing turned into the 5th straight win for Dusty's.  Final score was 4 - 2 for the good guys.

  Dusty's Keep Rolling, Hitmen Become Dusty's Sixth Target of the Year

When was the last time this team had won 6 in a row?  Maybe the old times, like Mark, Ward, Terry, Ted, could find something in the back of their minds, but nothing in the recent past can match tonight's ground breaking 6th straight win.

With Donny "Sweet November" Trudeau making his triumphant return to action tonight after healing his broken wing, the local lads went out with some gusto.

Dusty's opened the scoring and went ahead 2 zip with a constant wave of pressure.  But two penalties resulted in two penalty shot goals for the bad guys as Brian was completely fooled on both plays. 

Not to be outdone, the Dusty's offense went back to work and but the team back up by 2. But the stubborn Hitmen were trying to make a game of it and tied it up once more. 

Tasting that 6th victory, the boys put the peddle back to the floor and poured it on.  You know things are going your way when Pierre Leclaire scores two goals in the same game.  And they were not of the BFI type that Barry is famous for. 

In the end the boys took it to the Hitmen and pulled out their 6th straight win with a 9 to 5 pounding.

Dusty's record is now 6 wins and 1 loss.  

Next game is Monday night in Lorette vs the Eagles at 10 pm.

Dusty’s Soars to New Heights; Eagles Latest Casualty of Dusty’s Juggernaut

Monday night hockey.  History has shown that Monday night Hockey is detrimental to the health of the Local Heroes in mind in body.  Monday night  ranks right behind Sunday night in terms of no-motivation for Dusty’s.

But tonight the local lads could do something very special.  They could possibly go out and win their 7^th game in a row.  It appeared everything was in place as the entire squad was present for the evening’s match. 

The Eagles, a talented and swift skating club could give Dusty’s a run for the money tonight, but confidence remained high.

As soon as the puck was dropped the boys took it to the Eagles.  If it was not for the spectacular goaltending, the Eagles would have been down 4 to zip in a matter of minutes. 

At the other end, Brian was holding his team in at the crucial moments, but the Ealges finally banged two pucks past Brian to take the lead.  Undaunted, the offensive machine of Dusty’s kept hurdling themselves at the opposition and it finally paid off with two goals. 

With the game tied, it looked like Dusty’s was to take control of the game.  But Don “Sweet Novmeber”Trudeau  coughed up the puck in the defensive zone, right by the net.  A startled Brian made one and then two saves but could not prevent the third shot from going in. 

Receiving condolences from his teammates, Donny made his way to the bench.  Not wanting to let their MVP defenceman down Dusty’s pressed the attack once more  to be rewarded with two goals to tie the game.

The Eagles then went ahead by one but that was it.  Dusty’s poured it on and added 6 more goals to make the score 8 to 4.  The Eagles added one more for cosmetic effect but that was it.  The 7^th straight win was in the bag.  Stars on the evening were Joe B with 5 goals, all of the highlight reel variety, Pierre “holy shit” Pierre with 2 and BFI Barry with the other.  The “other” highlight of the night was the 3 on nothing spearheaded by the BFI man which resulted in squat.  We can only shake our heads. 

Next game is Tuesday night at 8:45 vs the St. Nob Pioneers

Dusty’s Make History of the Pioneers

Looking for their unprecedented 8 straight victory the local lads made their way to the local barn tonight.  The Frustrated Farmer would not be available for tonight’s contest, so Team Management put the call out to Corey “Chains” Belot to man the point. 

It was apparent that some members of Dusty’s forget to read the time on the schedule as two players, A.B. and Mike D, were late for the contest.  When the puck dropped, Corey was moved to forward and the team went with 3 D for the early going. 

The lateness of the two seemed to frazzle the boys as the first 5 minutes looked like organized chaos.  The Pioneers, benefitting from a rare Robert Perron giveaway, buried their first shot of the game behind Brian to take the early lead. 

Mike D finally made it to the ice but that didn’t seem to help things out at all either as the Pioneers went up by two.  A.B. finally made it to the bench as well, but he looked like he was still sleeping. 

But the local lads finally broke through to pot a goal.  The Pioneers pushed back hard and were rewarded with a penalty shot.  Brian stared down his opponent but he made a great shot to the top shelf to beat the Dusty’s goaltender.

Enough was enough.  Led by inspirational performances from Gerald and Pierre the lads took it to the Pioneers.  From the goaltender out, Dusty’s dominated the game for the next 40 minutes.  The local lads scored 7 straight goals.  Pierre and Gerald led the way with 2 each. 

Its obvious somebody must have stroked Pierre’s shaft as he has tallied goals in the last 4 games.  The comment was made that maybe Gerry received some special loving before the contest to aid in his performance. 

The bottom line is Dusty’s has now won 8 straight games and the record is now 8 wins and 1 loss.  What a way to celebrate Mike D birthday.   We all hope he scored when he got home.

The celebration was topped off with two big Dude Platters and a small side of Chicken Fingers.

Next game is Thursday at 10:15 in IDC vs the Mob Dogs.  

Wheel's Fall off Dusty's Victory Wagon

Playing their 3rd game in four nights, Dusty's looked a little haggard in the dressing room this evening.  They local lads would be without their smooth skating defenceman, Rob Perron due to the flu.  Team management called up George Balcean to try and fill the hole, but it would be a tough transition from forward to defense for George.

The haggardness seemed to disappear once the puck was dropped as Dusty's took it to the Mob Dogs from the get go.  The local heroes were rewarded with an early 1 nothing lead but the Dogs came back to tie and go ahead 2-1.  There seemed to be yellow opposition jerseys around Brian all night as he grittily attempted to thwart the Dog shooters. 

The boys tied it up and back forth the game went.  You know things are not going Dusty's way, when the two big guns, Mike D and Joe B miss on their penalty shots and breakaways.  A sure 3 goals was not to be had.

At the other end Brian stoned a Dog on a penalty shot and rejected a couple of breakaways.

Even with the tide slipping the game was tied at 4, courtesy of another 3 goal performance from Joe B and a contribution from George.  But by the halfway point it looked like the two Big Dude platters from Tuesday had caught up with the boys.

Wave after wave of yellow dog Jerseys crashed the Dusty's goal.  Even with 200 pounds of frustrated Farmer giving it everything he had, the Dogs broke through to add 3 goals to their total. 

Undaunted the local lads kept plugging away and the wily veteran, A.B. brought Dusty's to within 2 but that was it. 

It was a good effort and no shame should be felt by these local warriors.  The game was intense with even a little hate in it.  Dusty's Hockey at its best.

Final score was Mob Dogs 7, Dusty's 5.  Dusty's record now stands at 8 wins and 2 losses.  Next game is Tuesday night at 8:45 in IDC vs the Seals. 

Seals Slaughtered:  Dusty's Feast Twice This Evening

Wanting to get back into the win column, local lads were looking very forward to this encounter with the Seals.  The Seals have never been much of a challenge in the past and with the entire Dusty's squad showing up tonight, it didn't appear that things would change.

But the Seals re-tooled their club for this contest as the first 10 minutes of the game went by.  Brian had to make some quality saves to keep the game scoreless.  Finally Dusty's buried a puck past the Seals goaltender.  This ignited the local heroes as they slowly started pressing down on the gas peddle. 

Led by Mike D's 5 goals, the attack was relentless.  Somebody obviously stroked Pierre shaft's again as he potted two more goals.  Maybe Barry should touch Pierre's shaft now and then to get some magic into his space shuttle rod.

Brian's shutout bid was ruined with the two gifts he gave to the Seals.  Somebody should tell him Christmas isn't for another month yet.

Bobby Perron put one home for the defence.  A.B. did lots of talking and when that didn't work, he let the lumber speak for itself.  The Frustrated Farmer could not bury one tonight with his Sher-Wood but the effort was there. 

Joe B with his usual contribution of a couple of goals and another strong performance by Gerald put the Seals away for good. The final score was 13 to 2. 

The second feast came at the local tavern where Triple AAA steak sandwiches awaited the victorious crew!!! 

Dusty's now has a record of 9 wins and 2 losses.  Next game is Thursday night vs the SilverHawks.

SilverHawks Decimate Dusty's Defence;Offence Almost Pulls it Out

Dusty's hit the road this evening, and made their way to the unwelcoming confines of the Hawks Nest.  In years past this venue has produced much tragedy for the local lads but tonight with the entire squad showing up, a victory could well be within in the cards.  

The game started and it was looking very positive for the boys as they stormed out to a 2 goal lead.  But at the other end, Brian did not bring his A game.  

Even with the Dusty's mighty offence pouring it on and scoring, the defensive side and the goaltending were not keeping up their end of the bargain. 

But three quarters of the way through the boys found themselves up 7 - 5 and looking to put things away.  The Hawks had other ideas and came down and scorched Brian for 3 quick goals to take a 10 - 7 lead. 

Undaunted, the boys up front revved it up once again, led by a truly inspirational performance by Mike D, tied the game at 10.  With only 45 seconds left it appeared Dusty's and the beleaguered Brian would escape with a tie.  

It was not to be!!!  The Hawks won the face-off in Dusty's zone and a Hawk walked in all alone on Brian, gave him a huge "how ya doing" and rifled the puck into the yawing cage for the 11- 10 victory. 

A tragic end to a great performance by the offence and a hall of fame outing by Mike D.

Dusty's record is now 9 wins and 3 losses.

Next game is Saturday vs the WPG Eagles. 

The Boys Bounce Pack; Too Much Offense no Good for the Birds

Wanting to get right back in the win column, Dusty's headed out to the Peg looking for their 10th victory.  Gerald H wouldn't be able to make the game so the call went out to Larry "Are we going to the Pal" St. Laurent. 

With the rest of the mighty offence showing up, it was looking positive.  Everyone, including Brian was hoping that he brought his A game tonight.

Before the game was 8 minutes old, Joe B and Mike D put on a clinic and staked the Boys to a 4 - 0 lead.  Consensus on the bench was this was going to be a cakewalk. 

Oh but fate had other ideas for the lads from IDC.  In a matter of minutes the Eagles whipped 5 goals behind Brian.  The entire Dusty's squad was stunned.  Picking up their jaws from the ice, they went back to work and tied the game.  Brian found some form in goal and was successfully holding off the Eagles for the time being. 

Barney, with his new stick that can actually raise the puck, was not lacking in effort as the Bernat family was in the stands looking on.

The boys took the lead but the Eagles would not be put out.  They kept on pouring it on as well.  With the score 8 - 6 Dusty's banged home the final nail in the coffin. The Ealges scored one more, but it was more for cosmetics on the scoreboard. 

Moral of the story, Dusty's offence has the ability to shred its opposition. Little fine tuning for the defence and the goaltending, and this season could break all kinds of records.

Next game is Tuesday night vs The Flames.

Big Bad Flames Snuffed Out By High Flying Dusty's

It was one of those games where for 45 minutes, you look like you could be anybody, anywhere, anytime.

For the first three quarters of the game tonight, Dusty's looked like the Oilers of the 80's.  With beautiful passing, highlight reel goals, quick breakouts, a goalie making the big saves, this game was a classic.

But, and there is always a but for the Local Heroes.  With the score 7  to 2 and with only 15 minutes left, the wings fell off the damn airplane. 

To start the rapid descent, Mike D decided to score on his own goalie to make the score 7 - 3.  No worries right?  Another mistake and another goal.  Now instead of looking like the Oilers of the 80's, the boys were starting to look like some expansion team. 

The local lads let the Flames come all the way back to tie the game at 7.  Ripples of shock were going through the bench!!

But then out of nowhere, Joe B took the game into his sweet hands.  Bagged the game winner with less than 5 minutes left and assisted on the insurance marker. The boys came away with a 9 to 7 victory!!!

With a such a high end victory, the boys were looking forward to some high end snacks at the local tavern. Instead, we all took it up the ass with smokies!!!!!!

Dusty's record is now 11 wins and 3 losses.  Next game is Friday night vs the St. Anne Flames. 

    Dusty's Abandoned, But Flames Still no Match!!!

When Friday rolled around, things were looking mighty grim.  Five skaters from the squad would not be making the roadtrip tonight.  Management went out and recruited from the farm Marty "just let me play" Nolet, George"the Hunter" Balcean and Kelly "soon to be snipped" Wallace.

Would this squad of 8 guys be enough to conquer the frozen pond in St. Anne's Manitoba?  An arena with many bad memories for the local lads.  

But Mike D was still in the line up, and the way he is performing this year, that could be enough to push the boys over the edge.

Once the puck was dropped all fears and trepidation disappeared.  Dusty's stormed out to a 8 nothing lead!!! Tonight they looked like the Canadiens of the late 70's. 

The boys were showing no mercy.  But, again another but, tonight's game was 90 minutes long, not the customary 60 minutes. 

With the game drawing out, the Flames started to mount a come back. With the score 8 to 6 Dusty's went back to work and the next update was 10 to 7 for the good guys. 

But the game went on.  11 - 7, then 12 - 7.  Soon is was 12-8, 13- 8.  the next time the boys asked for an update, the score was 15 - 9 for the good guys.  Firewagon hockey was back!!!

When the defensive mess finally ended, it was 18 - 12 for the local heroes.  George the Hunter bagged 8 big ones. After the game he was quoted as saying" just like shooting Bambi's mom in the ass".

Dusty's record is now 12 wins and 3 losses.  Next game is Tuesday in IDC vs the Winnipeg Warriors.   Its the return of Cyclops!!!!!

    We're back online.  The following are brief descriptions of what has transpired over the past month.  Some awesome and not so awesome hockey has been played!!  

Cyclops Turns Into Brian's Worst Nighmare

It has been many moons since Dusty's has faced Cyclops and the rest of the Winnipeg Warriors.  The Dusty's veterans tried to pass on in vain the wicked tales of Cyclops ravaging the local heroes.  As the stories were told in the dressing, the newest members of Dusty's refused to believe.

In the end, Cyclops proved too much for Brian, as he somehow managed to get into his head and cause Brian's own personal nightmare that night.  With four goals for the monster, the Warriors and Dusty's skated to a 7 - 7 draw.

    Dusty's Ain't Got No Blues Tonight!!!

The local lads headed on the short road to the Landmark Arena.  Tonights foe, the Blues have historically laid a beating on the local lads on their home ice.  But tonight the boys brought their A game and gave the Blues a few homemade notes of their own.

The final score was Dusty's 10 the Blues 6.

Bronco's Sent to the Glue Factory; No Match for Dusty's

Monday night Hockey in IDC.  Broncos vs Dusty's.  The old vs the young.  Hooch vs Coors Light and Canadien. 

The Broncos, looking to beat the local lads, brought out 3 lines to tonight's event.  They should have brought 4.  With Joe B, Mike D, Gerald H, Barry L and the rest of the gang following suit, it was a slaughter. 

But with Christmas near, Brian gave them a few gifts so the Bronco's would not go to far into depression. 

Final score was Dusty's 9, Bronco's 6

   Royals Nip Dusty's for Win

This year, Dusty's has been averaging 9 goals a game and 5.5 goals against per game. With those numbers in mind, tonight's contest was a defensive struggle. 

A back and forth game that ended in defeat for the local lads.  Final score was 5 to 4 for the bad guys.

Gunners Fire Blanks; Dusty's Blow Them Away

The Gunners looked like the Iragi Army as Dusty's steamrolled through them like the US Forces in Iraq.

Tonight was a game to stretch the legs out and pad up your stats.  Final score was Dusty's 11, Gunners 6

      Dusty's Terrorize Pioneers

Back in the early 1800's, the Pioneers were terrorized by roaming bands of Indians.

Tonight, the present day Pioneers were mutilated by the traveling Dusty's squad.  With half the team opting out of tonight's contest, and with only 8 skaters to the good, the local lads still laid a massacre on the putrid Pioneers.

Final score was Dusty's 16, Pioneers 3

                       Lorette Eagles Plucked by Dusty's

Tonight's game had the potential of being a fast skating tight contest.  But when Dusty's brings their A game, not even Mr. Fancy Stick and the rest of his team can tear down Dusty's Meat House.

In a game where Dusty's showcased the skating, passing and scoring skills, they pulled out the 9 to 5 victory much to the satisfaction of Robert Perron, who did not want to see Mr. Fancy Stick skate away with any type of victory.

Skidmarks Lay Down the Rubber on Road Weary Dusty's

With Barney and Barry out with the flu, Mike Dumaine Christmas Shopping the boys took to the road to a new and strange location to take on a new team, the Skidmarks. 

Upon arrival it was discovered that the game would be 90 minutes long and played with no red line.  Still the boys were confident as the Skidmarks looked a little older and slower.

Well, looks are deceiving.  The local lads could not adapt to the no red line rule, Brian's glove hand appeared to be tied to the ice, and the entire game lacked any intensity. 

Mix this altogether in an ice rink, and Dusty's suffers their 5th loss of the season.  Final score 8 - 7 in favour of the Skidmarks.

Dusty's record is now 17 wins, 5 losses and 1 tie.

Next game is the Xmas Classic vs the hated Storm.

No Silver Bells for Storm: They Just Got Their Bells Rung!!!!

It was 8:44pm, not creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The boys were tense and looking forward to getting loused.

Thoughts were abundant, and wishes some are below.

An A game for Brian, a hat trick for Joe.

Barry was thinking of snacks, Barney was hoping Mike would show.

Pierre was putting an edge on his blades; Gerald and Andre were getting better with age.

Bobby was sick, he had the flu; JP had bought a ring, but nobody knew.

Donny was ready, the goals against would be few,

It was time to bring it to the Storm, and give them a big FUCK YOU!!!

The young Storm were about to step into a high intensity game that they could not fathom.  Hell, it wasn't even fair.  At the drop of the puck Dusty's a little older but whole lot wiser put their A game to the test. 

With a determination unseen in the IDC Arena since the days of the Allan Cup Champions, the Storm were overwhelmed at both ends of the ice.  Dusty's offence, relentless, the Defence stingy.  The Goaltending solid.

Total domination is what you would call it.  The few times things broke down Brian was there with his own recipes of rejection. 

The young Storm could not believe their eyes as the local lads had turned it up 3 notches since the last visit. 

In the end it was a 7 to 3 thrashing.  A score that flattered the Storm.  But hey, it was Christmas time.  No use putting the Storm in a holiday depression.

With the great victory it was time for snacks and drinks.  Out of the dressing, to the bar and more cheers were heard when Bones showed. 

The snacks were prime, and the drinks were tasty but it was time to head to Barney's kitchen.

Upon arrival, more food and snacks awaited the Xmas champions.  More laughter, more stories.  It was a truly festive evening.

Then Bones gave us show, while Barry was out demonstrating the finer points of his 4Runner to JP.  Barney could not believe his eyes, as Bones whipped it out for all of us to see.  The frustrated farmer was no longer frustrated but flabbergasted!!!

All in all it was a great night with special thanks to Yvette for making the snacks.

As well we would like to thank our Sponsors, White Cap Foods for the great chicken fingers and Wrangler's Bar and Grill for the great party at the bar and for the use of the sign. 

Merry Christmas.

Flames Doused, Dusty's at the Top of Their Game

With such a huge victory at the XMAS Classic, there was some fear that there could be a huge letdown for the next game.

All the boys were available for tonight's contest which was a huge positive.

The Flames a fast skating club should have been a pretty good match tonight.  But tonight, the Boys brought their A game again. 

With the peddle stuck to the floor, the boys came away with a huge 7 - 3 victory.

At midseason Dusty's record now stands at 19 wins, 5 losses and 1 tie. 

Next game is Tuesday night at 8:45 vs the SilverHawks. 

SilverHawks Served Up on Platter

Another traditionally tough contest was upon the local lads this evening.  The Hawks and the Boys have had some real battles in the past and tonight should be no different.

With Mike D out for the night, the team called up Corey "Chains" Belot to try and fill Mike's huge skates.  Dusty's was not to be disappointed. 

The local Heroes took it to the Hawks from the get go and stormed out to a 4 nothing lead. Led by AB and Chains things were looking good.  The first shot on Brian this evening hit the post, the second was penalty shot which he did reject. 

With the game 4 nothing, the boys sagged a bit in the late going and let the Hawks back in the game.  With the score 4 - 3, Brian made some Big saves and Joe went and took care of business at the other end.

Final score was Dusty's 6, Hawks 3. 

In the dressing room after it was discovered that maybe the Barnyard Dog has a touch of colour blindness, as he was trying to tell his underwear was not purple  but "Fucking Red".

Ahh, the classics never stop pouring out of Barney's mouth!!

Off to the bar for some high end subs.  Next game is Thursday vs the St. Nob Pioneers. 

Dusty's Disinterested Display of Hockey

Last night was not one for the classic scrapbook.  All the boys were there but something was lacking.  That lacking ingredient may have been just plain gumption. 

The game started in the correct fashion with Joe B burying two goals, and the team going up 4 to 1.  In spite of this the local heroes never really got into the groove.

With a few mental miscues the Pioneers kept chipping away at the lead until it was 4 - 3. 

Then, Don Trudeau had the opportunity to put the game away on a penalty shot but as he skated in on the opposition goaltender, he stumbled, and fumbled the puck right off his stick and ended up in a crumpled heap in the corner. 

A few minutes later, an ill advise clearing attempt by Donny resulted in the tying goal for the Pioneers. 

With the game tied and mere seconds left, the Pioneers were awarded a penalty shot.  Could Brian preserve the tie?  Could he come up with a big save when it mattered the most?

Final score Pioneers 5 - Dusty's 4.

Dusty's record falls to 20 wins, 6 losses and one tie. 

Next game is Monday night vs the Flames

Dusty's Abandoned; Evening Goes from Bad to Shit

Blow 1:  Gerald, Pierre, Bobby, Andre, Joe were missing tonight's action

Blow 2:  Bones had to be called out of retirement.

Blow 3:  New, Untested spares were brought out for the evening

Blow 4:  Dusty's Management screwed up on the schedule and the boys were late for the game.

The last blow meant that for the first 10 minutes, the local lads played with only 5 skaters.  In no time it was 3 nothing for the Flames. 

The local lads and the new spares sucked it up and and gave it some effort.  But even with with the Magic Man Bones Bouvier and Mike Dumaine, the boys could not overcome the early deficit. 

You know things are bad when the Barnyard Dog is playing forward!!  (to make matters worse, he forgot his stick at the arena after the game)

In the end, it was a 7 - 3 loss.  The first time this season that Dusty's loss back to back games. 

Next game is tomorrow night vs the Landmark Blues.

Dusty's Slide Down the Slippery Slope Continues

After this evening's performance and third straight loss, this dedicated Dusty's reporter will try to break down the reasons why this team is now facing its most severe case of adversity in recent memory.

1.  Brian brought his A game for 57 minutes.  Unfortunately the game is 60 minutes long.  Two floaters and a breakaway that he should have had may have cost the team the tie.

2.  Stone Hands Lavallee.  He could have won the game on a beautiful set up from Mike D, but that space shuttle was not designed to be used by granite paws.  (Maybe staying up until 2 am the previous night, drinking beer and eating snack contributed to his lack of touch)

3.  Mike Dumaine.  Hard to point fingers at your MVP but what the hell, this is Dusty's.  An ill advised giveaway provided the breakaway for the winning goal against Brian.

4.  Bobby Perron.  Too much steak in the belly.

5.  JP Lafleche.  Hey, the guy's getting married!!!

6.  No Don Trudeau this evening.

7.  Richard Bernat.  The sight of Bones in the dressing room still gives him nightmares of the xmas party.  Or was it the absence of the purple underwear?  Or the fact that he left his stick behind last night?

8.  No Andre, No Gerald, No Pierre  meant we had George and Marty and Bones.

All in all it was a decent effort, but very messy.  being held to 2 goals was a shocker.  Only allowing 3 goals and still losing the game is unfathomable.  Maybe it was the absence of veteran leadership.  Maybe it was the fact that it was the second game in two nights.

Whatever it is, the perfect cure for the sickness is a visit from the St. Pierre Pioneers next Tuesday.  See you then.

Repairs Made, Devastation Follows

For the past three games, it appeared the Local Lads were constipated.  Well it that's the case, then the Pioneers are the laxative, the ex-lax, the Metamucil, whatever you prefer.

Reeling from their first losing streak, the local lads were looking forward to stretching out the legs, and lighting up the opposition. 

But Mike D did not show up, which put the Frustrated Farmer on edge.  Barney's eyes glazed over and all he could say was:  "we better phone Chains" 

The game finally began and a slaughter was in the making.  AB started it off with 2 beautiful quick goals and it was all downhill from there for the opposition. 

Sixty minutes later it was 17 to 3 for the good guys.  Even with the landslide victory in the making, Barney was still dribbling out of his mouth, still calling for Chains to show up. 

Off the bar for some Triple AAA beef Burgers, and a victory in the bag. 

Next game is Thursday night vs the Storm.

Storm Rises Up, Dusty's Meets them Head On

Chapter 3 for the season was about to unfold this evening.  The Storm, still licking their wounds from the Xmas Massacre were looking to put the hurt on the local heroes.

The Local Lads would be without two key cogs.  One on offense, one on defence.  Mike Dumaine who was celebrating the birth of his brand new daughter Ashley, and Robert Perron, who was doing some father - son bonding at home. 

To counter these two gaping holes, the management called out the grizzly veteran Martin "no fear" Nolet and the smooth skating Kelly Wallace.  Dusty's management was hoping Kelly could repeat last years 5 goal performance against the Storm to pick up the slack from an absent Mike.

As soon as the puck dropped, it was quite obvious the Storm were out to avenge their previous loss.  The Storm pressed the attack but were repelled early by the Dusty's big Four on defence.  With a quick transition it was 1 nothing for Dusty's. 

The Storm tied it up but then with opportunistic precision the local lads pumped in two more to take a 3 - 1 lead.

The boys were in the lead, but they were riding the ragged edge all night. With close calls, huge scrambles, the boys were looking a little haggard.

Finally the Storm broke through and pumped in two goals to tie the game.  The Local Lads took a standing 8 count, but were not out yet.  With about 8 minutes left it appeared the Storm delivered the knockout blow to go ahead 4 to 3. 

Barney realizing that Dusty's pride was on the took it upon himself to rally the troops. With a few " PUT IT IN'S"  and "GET IT OUT'S" Barney revived the hope like some backwoods preacher.

With two minutes left in the game, Barney made the call to pull Brian and put the 6th Dusty's attacker on the ice.  It looked like the gamble was not about to pay off, but Marty saved the day with a sweeping check at the Dusty's blue line to prevent the Storm from getting the insurance marker.  Seconds later Joe B walked in all alone, beat the goalie like Barney beats a mad cow, but somehow the puck did not go in.

Undaunted, and with time dwindling, the boys pressed the attack  Don Trudeau kept the puck in the offensive zone and fired it at the net, in the proximity of Joe B.  This time Joe made no mistake and tied up the contest with only 30 seconds left to play.

The game ended in a 4 - 4 tie. A well earned tie for the local heroes.  As the Storm just shook the heads, you could tell they had no answers.  Without Rob Perron and Mike D, the Storm wasted an opportunity to avenge their previous loss.

But a hell of a gritty performance form the local lads was the Storm's downfall. 

Off to the corner tavern for some fries and bird capped off a great evening. 

Next game is Saturday vs the Warriors and the dreaded Cyclops.

Cyclops' Reign of Terror Ended; Dusty's Terrorize Warriors!

After the big inspirational tie on Thursday night vs the Storm, the local heroes were headed on the road to face the Warriors.

Brian was already having nightmares of Cyclops but the team was looking good tonight as some high quality spares were brought up.  This included Bones "I'm not a creep" Bouvier.

With the drop of the puck the game was.  For the first 15 minutes Dusty's held Cyclops in check and spurted out to a 4 - 0 lead.

But then all of sudden, The Dreaded Cyclops used his powers to put a spell on Robert Perron, as he walked all around him and came in alone on Brian.  Brian, his jaw still on the ice from witnessing Bobby losing his shorts was quickly and easily beaten by the monster.

With no time to recover, Cyclops came right down after the ensuing face-off and put another one behind Brian, who looked like he was in some kinda of coma!!

But the boys revved her up, and poured it on the Warriors.  With some beautiful passes, came some classy goals.

In the end it was Dusty's 11, Warriors 4.  The Dreaded Cyclops ended the night with 3 goals, but no victory!!!

Next game is tomorrow night vs the Gunners.

Robert Perron Puts on PuckHandling Clinic:  Gunners Shot Down !!

Sunday night hockey.  The worst night for the local heroes.  But tonight, the lads had 9 live bodies to suit up!!  A record for recent times.

The boys looking for two straight road wins were determined to get the W tonight.  With the absence of Mike D, Robert Perron was moved up to center.  Bad news for the Gunners!!

During the course of the game Robert Perron put on a clinic.  Looking like a natural centermen he scored a couple of beauties and laid that black disc right on the tape all night.

At the other end, the defence were holding the Gunners at bay, and Brian was thwarting them at every other opportunity, while having a one of the most solid games of the season.

In the end it was too much for the Gunners.  With Barry and Pierre doing all the crashing, Gerald and AB doing a ton of skating, Joe and Rob doing some serious scoring the boys walked away with a 6 - 1 decision.

Dusty's record now stands at 23 wins, 8 losses and 2 ties.

Next game is Wednesday night in IDC at 8:45

Shindas Fall Before Dusty's Offensive Might

Looking for their 3rd straight win, the local lads would be taking on a new team this evening, the Shindas from Steibach.

With a tentative start and some shoddy goaltending from Brian, the boys looked to be in a little trouble tonight.

But Mike D, Joe B, and the rest of the squad, they got things turned around and came away with a 12 to 5 victory.

Dusty's record is now 24 wins, 8 losses and 2 ties

        Royals Lay Another Beating on a Beleaguered Brian

The Local lads scored 8 goals. 

Ten pucks went by Brian.

Enough said.

Toasters Latest Victim of Dusty's Offensive Machine

Coming off a stinging loss to the Royals, the boys had to buckle down to take on the Toasters, a team not overly talented, but in recent years has given Dusty's great troubles.

Barry Lavallee started it all off with a rocket to the top corner.  No BFI goal here, but a real beauty.

The game was back and forth until the boys put their foot on the throat of the Toasters.

Final score 8 - 4 for the good guys.  Next game is Monday night vs the Hitmen.

Dusty's record is now 25 wins, 9 losses, and 2 ties.

Hitmen In Dusty's Sights

Looking to build on their momentum, the Local Lads were about to take on a pesky determined Hitmen squad. 

The first 20 minutes of the game was a stalemate until Mike D broke through to add to his goal total.  With the game 1 nothing, the boys kept the pressure on but were thwarted throughout.  Finally, all the hard work paid off as Dusty's bagged 2 more goals to take a 3 nothing lead.

The Hitmen finally hit the scoreboard but it took a couple of things for this to happen.  1.  Just previous, Brian took a puck right to the gonads and was attempting to deal with a severe screeching pain that was making its way into his stomach.  If felt like an alien was coming out. 

2.  Dusty's wins the faceoff and Robert Perron has the puck.  A very rare, almost extinct play on his part reared its ugly head as he through the frozen biscuit up the middle where it was intercepted.  Barney his partner had no idea where to go or what to do as the giveaway caught him by surprise.

Brian dropped to his knees ( partially because he was still in pain) and made the first save off the screen shot, but with no mobility existing in his body at this time, the second shot went in for the HItmen's first goal.

The boys came right back and made it 4 - 1 but the Hitmen had no quit it them.  The score was 5 - 2 after a Hitmen player blew one right through Brian. 

Near the end it was 6 - 4 for Dusty's with the Hitmen pressing.  But with some solid goaltending, and two more beauty goals the Local Heroes took it away with a 8 - 4 win.

After the big game, it was off to the Corner Tavern for two Big Dude Platters, with shrimp, mozza sticks, chicken fingers, onion rings.  Oh man, Bobby, can't you just taste it?  That's right, you missed out.

Dusty's record is now 26 wins 9 losses and 2 ties.

Next game is Monday night vs the Flames at the Glenwood Arena at 9:15.

Flames and Dusty's Take It To Each Other

Dusty's hit the road tonight for  their final clash with the nemesis, the Flames.  Dusty's coming off an entire week off were hoping that there would be no showing of rust. 

With three regulars out, management called upon Marty "Arctic" Nolet, Warren K, and Little Lavallee. With the big guns, Mike D and Joe B showing up the dressing room was optimistic. 

The game started and the rust clearly showed on everyone.  The Flames took the lead with a weakish goal on Brian and then made it 2 nothing on a shot off Brian's ass. 

With the boys playing in a trance, Brian did his best to keep them in the game after shaking off his own early cobwebs.

Joe cut the lead to 1 and then 7 seconds later Mike D tied up the game.  Could be a Dusty's record. 

The game went back and forth.  Brian showed flashes of his A game, but the odd D minus reared its ugly head now then.  The lead changed hands until it was 5 -5 .  With less than two minutes remaining Joe, Mike and Barry went to work scored the go ahead goal.  With only 24 seconds remaining the game looked to be in the bag. 

On the ensuing face off the Flames centermen took the puck and skated into Dusty's zone.  With the seconds ticking away and the opposition almost in the corner, he fired a harmless bad angle shot at the net.  Off the inside of Brian's leg and into the mesh for the tying score.  D minus.

Great effort, but it should have been Dusty's 27th win, instead the local heroes settled for an unrewarding tie.

To breakup the bleakness of tonight, the boys headed to Don"Will I Ever score" Trudeau's place for some greasy bird in a bag, and some no name pizza.  Hey, for $34 bucks what do you expect!!!

Next game is tomorrow night at 8:45 vs the the St Nob Pioneers.

Pioneers Pummeled;  By Goals and by Fists

Tonight was the 4th and final meeting between the two teams.  Dusty's was looking  for their 3rd win out of the 4 game series.

With the absence of their wily Veteran AB, management called up Corey "Chains" Belot.   Management was hoping Corey could add some toughness and scoring touch to tonight's contest.

Brian showed up and would be test driving a new set a pads.  Would this come back to haunt him and the team?

The contest turned into another show piece for Joe B as he bagged 3 goals and two were rockets to the top corner.  Cory showed us some sweet moves and bagged a goal of his own.

With steady defence and decent goaltending the game was Dusty's from start to finish.  With mere seconds remaining in the game, one bad ass from the Pioneers pushed Mike D over the edge.  With the buzzer sounding the gloves were off and before you could count to 3, Mike D had already pulverized the sad sack Pioneer with 3 blows to the face.

With Corey doing the play by play, and the boys circling the battle, it was obvious that this was Mike D venting some serious frustration.  The loser of Pioneer did get a few shots in, but Mike D won the bout with unanimous decision.  

All agreed, (even some of the opposition) that the guy deserved what he got. 

The final score was Dusty's 6, Pioneers 3. 

Dusty's record is now 27 wins, 9 losses and 3 ties.

Next game is Tuesday night in IDC at 8:45

Powerful Pierre Pummels Puchless Toasters with an Offensive Battery of Epic Proportions

It was a breakout night for one of Dusty's veterans.  Ever since joining the team 3 years ago, management has been waiting for Pierre to have another breakout game.

Two years ago the man was a solid scoring machine.   But last year, his once semi soft hands hardened up with some kind of sick granite disease, called the "Barrymynphoma Virus"  After a series of operations, cleansing and soul searching, those semi soft limbs have returned.

Last night, Pierre was the big man on the ice with 5 big goals.  From pretty to garbage he had them all. 

The Toasters could not come up with an effective strategy to corral Pierre.  Other notable performances by Mike D, Gerald H, and an another solid effort from Bobby P propelled Dusty's to their 28th victory. 

Don Trudeau even finally got a shot on goal tonight.  The Barnyard Dog had some quality chances after investing the $60 he prostituted himself for on Tuesday night. 

Joe B could not make his new Sherwoods work this evening, but we are all confident that problem would be rectified. 

Barry Lavallee actually scored a beauty to the top corner.  Things were going our way.

JP, after just turning 33 on Monday, showed that he still has some good years left in him.  And watching the flock was our wily player coach , AB who noted that Brian had lost most of his mobility with the new goalie pads on loan.

The final score was Dusty's 12, Toasters 5.  The loaner pads are going back!!!  As per Barney's suggestion.

 Joe Snuffs out Flames;  Dusty's Questioning Goaltending

Last week, Dusty's scored 12 goals, but Joe B was shut out.  This evening, Joe was not going to be denied. 

With his new stick, Joe was focused and ready.  Joe opened up the scoring and the highlight reel show was on.

With strong performance from the supporting cast (except for Brian, we'll get to that) the local lads scored 9 goals with Joe potting 5 of them. 

At the other end, Brian was having one of the worst games of the year.  He looked more like a pylon with a big stick. If there would have been a goal light, his neck would have had sunburned. 

Even with all of Brian's struggles, the local heroes came away with their 29th victory of the season.

Off to the corner bar for some premium Canadian Beef Burgers and all was good.

The Last Two Weeks

Here is a brief, but albeit somewhat comprehensive run down of of what has occurred over the past few games. 

1.  After dousing the Flames, goaltending still seems to be a big concern for the local heroes going down the stretch drive.  With a road game vs the Royals (who blew 10 goals past Brian last time) it appeared Brian still was having nightmares from his last visit.  This time out, 8 pucks went by Brian and the lads had to take the loss.

2.  Back on the road to Sanford where Dusty's was planning on exacting some revenge from a previous loss.  Early on, the boys were in a mess and it was 4 nothing for the bad guys on 4 breakaways.  But undeterred, Joe B put on another clinic and the lads came away with a 12-6 victory. A valiant effort from Rob P who was suffering from some sort of viral infection.   

3.  Now it was the third game in 4 nights in Steinbach.  Again, shoddy goaltending was the curse of Dusty's.  As well, Rob P was out with the same viral infection, Donny was healing his leg and celebrating 30 years on the planet, Joe B had to stay home as child # 3 was due anytime soon. With only 8 skaters, and a total lack of focus, the Shindas put the boots to Dusty's with a 6-2 win. 

4.  Last night's game was going to test the mettle of the veteran Dusty members as the following stars were out of the lineup:

Joe B - Bringing new baby home.  About 60 goals of offence missing

Mike D - Allegedly repairing watermain break.  Barney to investigate.  About 60 goals of offence missing.

Andre B - not sure, but maybe he is being rested for the big game next Thursday. About 40 goals of offence missing.

Robert P - Stuffing his face at 529 Wellington with some expensive vino and prime expensive beef.  The only good thing, he's bringing the 24 next Tuesday!!!  About 20 goals of offence missing.

That left the local heroes with Brian (need a good game anytime soon), Pierre (seems to be cured of the Barrymyphona disease), Barry (granite does not equal goals), JP (still suffering from SARS), Don (wounded limb and no goals since October), Gerald (looking puzzled), and the Barnyard Dog (praying for the Druggie man to walk thorugh the door)  The rest of the team was made up of Al "face plant" Comeault, and Marty ( I expect to get laid in my trailer!!) Nolet, and Kelly "marginal ref" Wallace. 

Obviously with all of the firepower missing, a defensive strategy should have been implemented.  Should have is the key phrase here.  Instead the boys took a 1 nothing lead and thoughts of victory were dancing in the local hero's heads.  That was short lived.  But after the first 20 minutes the boys were still in it at 5 - 3 for the bad guys, but that was it.

With some questionable play selection, and goaltending, (yet some was good too) the boys went down to their worst defeat of the year, 11 - 3 . Memories of previous seasons, nightmare flashbacks, the foundation of Dusty's rocked, it was all bad.

As Barney put it "hey, that high priced talent is nice, as long as the f**king blowers show up!!!"

In the end it was Dusty's 11th loss of the year to go against 30 wins and 3 ties.

The boys are struggling down the stretch. In their last 10 they are 6-3-1, not bad on the surface, but they are going to have to get it together for next week. With only one game remaining before the Storm Classic, the lads are going to have to try and put it all together. 

Next game is Tuesday night in IDC. 

Dusty's Send Mob Dogs to the Pound!!!

Looking to find some character before the going up against the Storm on Thursday, the local lads were taking on a solid, nasty team, the Mob Dogs.  The Dogs had ended the boys 8 game winning streak early in the year, so the lads were looking to exact some revenge.

Dusty's would be without two regulars, Gerald and Donny.  To pick up the slack Marty (I'm ready to go) Nolet and Junior Lavallee were called up to fill the holes. 

The game started with a bang as the local heroes jumped out to a one nothing lead.  The two teams were evenly matched and dishing out the punishment to each other.  Dusty's got into some penalty trouble and the Dogs scored on their first penalty shot of the game.

Junior Lavallee was looking a little rusted as he was only out for the third time of the year.  (It showed).  The Dogs broke out on a 3 on nothing and buried the puck behind a shocked Brian .

The boys dug deep and kept coming, even when they fell behind by two goals.  With the score 5 - 3 for the bad guys, the local lads scored 3 goals to take the lead. 

With only 8 minutes left the Dogs tied it.  Needing a win, Mike D took it upon himself to haul this victory out of the flames of defeat. 

With a dynamite effort he shelved the winning goal into the top corner, same place his box of un-openend condoms are!!!

The boys came away with a 7 - 6 victory and are looking good for the Storm on Thursday.

No Final  Victory; Year End Classic Becomes a Painful Ending

Coming down the stretch the local lads were 6-3-1 in their last 10 games.  Very respectable numbers, but the winning was disguising some hideous attributes of the team.  One was goaltending.  Even though Brian was still providing the wins, he was looking tired and worn out in the end of the schedule.  The team was still scoring goals, but were just below their average per game pace.  The defense was also having their problems, and their play was spotty at best.

Nevertheless, it was time to bring it to the Storm.  Even with all the above concerns, the boys were feeling confident.  Dusty's had not lost the end of year game since the 1997/1998 season.  All the boys were available for the contest, Brian usually squeezed out 58 minutes of an A game for this one, and the Local Lads knew how to handle the pressure.

The game began and was scoreless for the first 15 minutes as each team took it to each other.  Dusty's was all over the opposition Storm but could not tickle the twine behind their goaltender.  At the other end, things were very quiet as the  Dusty's D would not let the Storm penetrate and had held them to about 3 shots so far.

Joe B opened up the scoring, and from that point the game opened up a little.  The Storm tied it with a partially screened form the top of the circle, but Brian knew he should have had it.

But not to worry, the Dusty's offence that terrorized the most opposition this year reverted back to the old for and scored 4  straight goals to take a 5 - 1 lead.  With only 28 minutes left in the game it looked like things were in the bag, as the Storm normally would fold at this time.

But this year, things were different.  The Storm started to come back and chip at the lead.  Brian was not having his A game tonight.  The Storm scored some pretty ugly goals but they scored enough to take a 6 - 5 lead.  Dusty's was stunned.  The offence appeared to be stuck in 3rd gear.  

But the foolish Storm took a penalty on Joe B.  Instant dividends as Joe B buried his penalty shot to the roof of the net.  With less than 3 minutes the game was tied at 6. 

The momentum did not shift as expected as the Storm kept coming back and pressing the attack. The Storm were rewarded with another garbage goal with 35 seconds left in the game to win the Year End Classic.

The boys were devastated, especially their goaltender.  The boys took the loss with class and vowed this would never happen again.

To ease the pain, Hot KFC chicken, cold beer and tasty rye were waiting for the local heroes in the dressing room.  Once the initial pain went away the evening turned festive as the boys knew they had one hell of a season. 

Final record for Dusty's was 31 wins, 13 losses, and 3 ties. 

Look for the final wrap up coming in the next few days. 

2003 – 2004 In Review

The season is now finished.  The equipment washed and put away.  It is time to sit back and reflect on what was  Dusty’s Season like in  2003-2004.

It was a year of adversity, transition, great goals, great goaltending, not so great goaltending, commitment, laughs, snacks, babies, beer, free 24’s, wins and losses.

The year started out poorly as Donny would be out until about mid November.  The smooth skating defencemen had broken his arm trying to make a diving catch in the outfield in August.  Many spares were called to replace Donny, but nobody could step up and be the  presence that he was. 

To add to the doom of the start , Dusty’s lost the first game of the season to the Storm.  A 7 – 3 butt kicking had the Local Heroes spinning their heels.

Things soon righted themselves as the Boys went on a tear and won their next 8 games.  Probably a record for the modern day Dusty’s.  The reason for the big streak?  All the boys were back for the year and Mike Dumaine found some commitment.

Mike Dumaine went on the ‘NO SEX’ workout plan and this seemed to work out the best for him.  Mike never missed a game until December and he produced some huge goal totals this year. 

Offence was not a problem for Dusty’s as they averaged over 8 goals a game for.  With the big gunners like AB, Joe, Robert , Gerald, and timely chip ins from Pierre and Barry, the lads broke their previous best average goals per game record. 

The defence also tightenend up this year, allowing only 5.5 goals per game.  An improvement of over 1 goal per game from last year and one of the lowest averages in recent years.  With some solid goaltending and great efforts from the BIG three, the defence performed well.  Barney went through a “few” pieces of lumber this year but his partner had one of the best offensive seasons for a defensive. Conservative estimates put Bobby with over 25 goals this.  At the other end of the spectrum,  Don Trudeau could not find his form of the 15 goals season of years past and had to settle for one goal this year.  JP and the Frustrated Farmer (Richard) had solid games throughout the year. 

Barry Lavallee still had his granite hands this year, but magically, the stone disease left the mitts of Pierre.  Pierre reverted back to his form of two years ago and bagged many timely goals.  Barry, who never quits on the play, is still trying to figure out if his 60 goal season of  two years ago was just a dream. 

The Spares.

We had a few this year.  Chains Belot, Martin Nolet, Kelly Wallace, Dave Madden, Bones, Junior Lavallee, the guy with the nice tan and others.

 Marty was the most called out spare of the year as he was always ready to go.  Defence or forward, blizzards or not, Marty answered the call.   Chains was a close second but needs to start staying home more often on Tuesday nights. 

The Snacks

What would a hockey season be without the snacks.  Barry out did himself this year as the team was treated to a variety of delectable delights at the corner tavern.  Pulled pork Buns, Steak Sandwiches, Big Dude Platters, the ever popular chicken fingers, Expensive Beef Burgers, Dusty’s Special Pies and sides of fries, were some of the decadent dishes served after many of our games.  Snacks has now turned into a twice a week ritual.  Home or away, Barry finds a way!

The Beer

Pierre did a great job with the Beer this year with some assitance from the King of Beers himself Donny Trudeau.  Dusty’s was treated to 2 free 24’s this year.  One from JP and one from Bobby.  The new 24 rule makes everybody more dedicated to the cause. 

Babies

What a year for some of the boys.  Mike D with a brand new daughter, Joe B with a brand new son.  Barry with another one due any day now.  At least Barry had the decency to plan the birth after the season was over.  And Chains Belot went deep to produce a set of twins due sometime in June. 

There you are folks.  Special thanks to Wrangler's Bar and Grill for the great snacks, Barry for taking care of us, Pierre and Donny for the Beer, the wives and girlfriends for letting us out twice a week to play. And to Barney, for all the memories!!!  See you next year. 

See Below for all the stats. 

Here are the stats for the year

Wins - 31  Losses - 13    Ties - 3

Home Record

Wins - 16  Losees - 4    Ties - 1

Away Record

Wins - 15  Losses - 9    Ties - 2

Goals For - 384  Average - 8.17