BY Eddie Fabrizio
A different type of March Madness is going on at SUNY Cortland. It is the start of the playoffs for the intramural broomball league.
With every team making it into the playoffs, Here are the top three matches from those rounds.
3. No Regretzkys vs. Happy Housemaids, March 10th
The ball was flying around in this match. No Regretzkys came into the match with a record of 4-1, while the Happy Housemaids had four 4-2 with a wild card round win the night before against the Rink Rascals.
The match started up with a goal for No Regretzkys within the first few minutes of the first half. A few minutes later, a memorable goal was scored when a player for Happy Housemaids came up the ice to shoot the ball. His stick was up, but he fell on his backside. Unintentionally, he kicked the ball, which flew into the top right part of the net for a goal. Not only does the goal tie up the match, but it may give the player the idea of joining the Indoor Soccer league when the Broomball season is over. The half ended with two more goals by No Regretzkys with a score of 3 goals to 1.
The second half didn’t see much action for most of the period, but towards the end, Happy Housemaids did attempt to mount a comeback by scoring the goal. After the goal, the Happy Housemaids kept up the fast-paced offence. But this effort was stuffed by the No Regretzkys defense and the match ended with the team winning 3-2.
Snapshot of the match between No Regretzkys and Happy Housemaids
2. DFCW vs. One Pound Fish, March 9th
This match opened the wild card round with a bang. DFCW came into the match with a record of 1-4, while One Pound Fish’s record was 2-3-2 (or two wins, three losses, and two draws). This matchup is a rematch from a match earlier this season that saw One Pound Fish winning 1-0.
The match started with a One Pound Fish goal within a few minutes of the first face-off. The teams consistently fought for position at both ends of the ice throughout the half, which put a hamper on the offense of both teams. One Pound Fish and DFCW did put the ball back in the net, ending the half 2-1.
It appeared to be anyone’s game heading into the second half, but one play changed all of that.
It happened early in the half, when a One Pound Fish player tried to score a goal but it went wide left. But Angelina Johnson of the same team took the rebound and went right. Johnson then found an opening and blasted the ball into the net, putting the match out of reach. Both teams picked off the ball from each other until the final buzzer. One Pound Fish went on to the next round with a score of 3-1.
Snapshot of the match between DCFW and One Pound Fish
- Ice Spice vs. Bunker Beavers, March 10th
Ice Spice came into the match with a record of 4-1, while the Bunker Beavers went into the match 3-3 with a wild card round win against Puck Off the night before.
Tactics were challenged when Ice Spice’s fast pace offense was stopped by Bunker Beaver’s get the ball defense. This caused many fights for the ball, but not many shots on goals. Both goalkeepers handled the shots that were put up in the half. The half ended with both teams being scoreless but an Ice Spice player was penalized for sticking (or intentionally hitting a player with the broomball stick).
This sets up a power play situation for the Bunker Beavers in the beginning of the second half. Sean Gorman of the Bunker Beavers took the ball on their side of the ice and took it up the gut towards Ice Spice territory. Gorman slapped the ball into the net, scoring the only goal in the match and securing the upset. The rest of the match was the two teams fighting for possession of the ball at the end of both sides of the ice.
The semi finals will be on March 12th with 5 Big Brooms taking on What the Puck at 9 p.m. and the Bunker Beavers will take on No Regretzkys at 9:45 p.m. The finals will happen at 10:30 p.m. on the same day.