Red, Bryce and Blue

Gahanna, OH - The Arrowhawks opened the fall 2012 session with a tough fought victory against the offensive powerhouse Maple Leafs tonight, winning 3-2 in regulation. The Leafs were coming off a strong summer session that ended with a loss in the championship game against a stellar Rirruto club. The Hawks had a summer they'd like to forget and forget they did. Many of the Hawks regulars returned to the ice including Bryce Griffith, Nick Lanctot, Mac Lawless and Jason Jensen in net.

Opening the scoring was the newest Arrowhawk, longtime league point leader Bryan 'Ginger Wizard' Wharton from the Big Pucks. Wharton scored a dandy shorthanded goal within two minutes of the opening period after Nick Lanctot was called for a penalty just :40 seconds into the game.

It appeared the Hawks would roll. They didn't.

"The Leafs are a good team," said slimmed down captain Mark Monahan. Monahan has been training hard for October's Columbus Marathon running an average 40-plus miles per week. "We know each other well and they play very good positional hockey. If we were going to win we'd have to finish tonight," he added.

The Leafs and Hawks traded shorthanded goals tonight. They were the only goals scored on special teams. Defenseman Nick Lanctot was uncharacteristically tossed from the game midway through the second period after taking two back to back hooking calls.

"One was a good call," said Lanctot after the game. "The other two were chalked up to replacement grade." he added with disappointment.

"After Nick was gone we had to readjust," said LW Tom Morgan. "We moved Oleg back to D and evolved from there."

The game was notched at two a piece early into the deciding third period. Normally the Leafs would be more formidable with Mark Waterstreet roaming the ice. Waterstreet didn't dress for the game and the Hawks missed his hot pink pants.

"We needed someone to step up," said top line center Kevin Griffith. "We were hoping for a new color."

Enter BLUE.

Summer holdover Sean Wright, an Olentangy High School phenom stepped up to the plate.

"Blue was dead-on all night and in the end he potted the game winner," said Monahan after the game. "It was a big goal and he deserved the finish after skating hard in both zones."

"I had the Wright kind of medicine tonight," said Blue via text message.

Jason Jensen returned to the pipes for the Hawks and was terrific, sporting a new helmet. "I got caught looking two times. I'll work it out so it doesn't happen much more," said the cat-like netminder.

MISSING IN ACTION
The Hawks fielded a solid roster on the night. Missing from action though were dangler Nate Mensel, Bryan 'I'm really not a lawyer' Griffith and Chris Carpenter. Terry Walker has been moved to forward and he was busy with the Democratic National Convention serving homemade science projects to those willing. "I'm a fan of America," said Walker. "I usually don't get involved in politics but we want a new telescope on Mars and this seems to be the best way to get it," he added.