Hawks battle to 4-3 OT win

COLUMBUS, OH - What a game. As adult rec league action goes, tonight's game was a doozie. The Hawks spotted the Big Pucks two goals in the first couple minutes of the game and somehow clawed their way to a 3-3 tie in regulation. The game had it all. Physical play, skilled passing and sniper shots from all areas of ice. Both teams did their thing, skating with passion and not willing to give up in either zone. It's clear these teams know each other well. It took an overtime shootout to decide a winner. If it's true a picture is worth a thousand words, how about over 500,000 words to fully illustrate the game? In the end it was Andrew Daniels, Arrowhawks goalie, who stood a touch taller then Jamie Santho who was equally good on the night. He had Oleg Chetverikov and the Monahan, Morgan line to thank when it was all said and done. Click here for the full photo gallery.

Click below to hear post-game interview with Arrowhawks Barry Snow, Joe Factor, Jason Jensen and Tom Morgan.

Mamas tough SOBs

POWELL, OH - Wow, what a game. The Arrowhawks won a nail-biter on a brilliant toe save with one second left on the clock, 4-3. The Mamas and Papas are a very good hockey team with some good finishers around the net. They also sport one of the league's top defenseman, #2 Weir. When that guy has the puck, watch out. He skates very well and is tough as nails in his defensive zone.

The Hawks needed 3 third period goals to get the win. The Mamas pulled their goalie and scored with :58 seconds left in the game to cut the lead to one goal. The Hawks dug in and were determined to hang on, though. James Santho was dynamite in net and so was the Mamas goalie. He must have made 35 saves on the night. It was back and forth with excellent save after excellent save.

The offensive heroes for the Hawks were Mark Monahan and Oleg Chetverikov with two goals a piece. Leading point man Kevin Griffith had 3 Hellers on the night. Tom Morgan and Jason Jensen also had points.

Hawks open summer with 5-2 win

COLUMBUS, OH - The Arrowhawks opened the summer season with a new lineup but the result was the same, a 5-2 victory of the talented CS Bank. The Hawks were sporting a new goaltender, 2 new forwards and the return of D-man Nick Elswick. The new faces all made their presence felt but it was the core of the team that made the difference.

Sniper Kevin Griffith opened the scoring with 8:25 to go in the 1st on a tip in off of a Tom Morgan shot from the point to make it 1-0...more on Morgan's stint on D later. CS Bank roared back with 2 goals in .06 seconds on consecutive 2 on 1 breaks with William Cooper and Tood Aiello connecting to take a 2-1 lead with 3:00 to go in the 1st.

The Hawks had a few late arrivals and that forced LW Tom Morgan to play D for a chunk of the 1st. After the Griffith goal earlier in the period Morgan could be overheard on the bench saying "1 shift, 1 point! D isn't so hard!" well, he should have quit while he was ahead...now fast forward. "He came up to me and asked if he could have another run", All Star Defencemen Nick Lanctot said of Morgan as he spoke to the media after the game, "so I said, why not?" Well Morgan found himself on the business end of back to back odd man rushes with brutal results. Thank goodness Oleg Chetverikov wasn't paying attention to the debacle on the ice as he rifled a shot past goalie Brian Cooper on a feed from Griffith to tie the game at the end of the 1st.

The Hawks regrouped between periods and the rest of their lineup finally made it to the rink, including Bryan Wharton who was making his much anticipated debut with the Hawks. Wharton made his presence felt early as he burst through center ice with the puck and found Morgan trailing as he entered the zone. Bryan made a beautiful pass and Morgan went top shelf to make it 4-2 with 8:23 to go in the 2nd. Griffith capped off the scoring on a laser pass from Lanctot and that was all she wrote. Bret MacDonald also made his Hawks debut and didn't disappoint. The 19 year old from Utah should good puck skills and had several scoring chances. GM Rick Titus was reportedly giddy from his perch in the press box as he watched his new acquisition..."the kid can play!" he told the media after the game "let's see what he can do next week" he concluded. Jamie Santho was stellar in his Hawks debut and made several big save with his quick glove hand, "you're not going to beat him there" said regular netminder Jason Jensen who is playing wing this summer. "If it wasn't for Morgan's putrid D he would have blanked them!" he added.

The Hawks play defended league champs The (Freakin')Eskimos next week, we'll see if they can bring the same effort.

EDITOR NOTE: I added the Freakin' to the Mo's, since that's how we all know them. The Freakin' Mos.

Mo's ground Hawks 3-1

DUBLIN, OH - Despite a short bench, the Arrowhawks gave the Eskimos fits Friday. But they couldn't overcome the Mo's talented wingers -- ultimately losing the game 3-1.

Some were worried the score might have been worse. It certainly could have been, but the Hawks skated hard in spurts. Terry Walker, Mike Gauthier and Mac Lawless were brilliant defensively.

The Eskimos jumped to the lead at 8:42 of the first period. #16 Eric Ott scored on what is normally a routine save for Jason Jensen.

"He shot from just outside the red line and somehow it found a crease. I should have had that one," said Jensen after the game. Outside of that goal, Jensen stood on his head, turning away nearly everything.

"Take away those three goals and you were perfect," said Mike Gauthier from the locker room.

The Mo's struck again with an unassisted goal by #3, 2 minutes later to make the score 2-0. It appeared the Mo's were going to go on a run of goals but the Hawks dug in.

Mac Lawless scored the Hawks lone goal at 8:18 in the second with a brilliant coast-to-coast job and a deke past the skilled and very large Eskimo netminder.

The Eskimos entered the night in first place and exited just the same.

"We made them work for it," said Oleg Chetverikov. Oleg played well and many opportunities to score.

"We'll see them again. Next time we'll have our full team. That'll be fun," said Lawless.

MIA
Mark Monahan, Tom Morgan, Jason Torsok, Barry Snow, Nick Lanctot, Nate Mensel & Kevin Griffith were all out for the game. That's a ton of goal scoring power on the shelf. No worries folks, they'll be back on the ice next week.

Arrowhawks skate to 5-2 win

DUBLIN, OH - Let's start with the basics. The Arrowhawks entered tonight's contest against the new team in the division, Rirruto, tied for the league basement at 1-3. Both teams needed a win. The Hawks next two games are against league powerhouse Eskimos and Maple Leafs, so a win was a must. They didn't disappoint.

The Arrowhawks, wearing their new red sweaters and really tight socks, started fast with 3 quick goals in the first period. Kevin Griffith potted a rebound after controlling play deep in the offensive zone. Oleg Chetverikov, the Hawks favorite ever European player, helped set up the goal keeping the puck in the zone.

"Did you know Oleg has a sauna in his basement?" said LW Rick 'Blind Squirrel finds a nut' Titus. "220 degrees is a good temperature." he added. Oleg invited the entire team over for a cleansing session, but there were no takers.

"I've been in hot places before," said Mac Lawless, a frequent visitor of Mexico, Columbia and African hunting trips. "I use a long bow like that crazy long haired elf from the Lord of the Rings. But I usually hunt small game since it's easy to carry and won't interfere with my beer stash. I only sweat when I kill game and I like Oleg," he added.

Hawk fans should be proud of that decision.

A decision the fans wouldn't be proud of happened early in the third period. Rirruto had scored two goals, one even strength on a breakaway and one on a 2 man advantage. An Arrowhawk whispered ever so gently, "#37 isn't wearing shoulder pads." It was a classless move, one never before taken. The refs made the player leave the ice for his pads.

"Gutless, crap call on our part." said captain Mark Monahan. "I'm going to find out who did it and send him down to the minors like we did last week with our minor league callup Big 'Don't call me cup' Ryder. He's a hell of a guy and probably a good rugby player and golfer, but we had to send him down because he made me look small."

Ryder, 6'4" and 260 pounds is a former WWE wrestler. "He was overrated," said Kevin Griffith, a big WWE fan. "Good player and good guy, but he made fun of Mac being too skinny and looking like a tooth pick and we didnt like that."

Despite the gap of integrity, the stoppage in play seemed to work for the Hawks, Rirruto seemed rattled by the call and the momentum quickly turned back to the Arrowhawks favor.

"I didn't like it. We owe them an apology,"" said Nick 'Chara' Lanctot after the game. "Total bush. Not like the beer, but like those funny Australian's with bones in their noses."

The Hawks killed their penalties and seemed to get their legs back to close the game. Chris Carpenter notched his first goal on the session with a timely slap shot from the blue line. The puck deflected off a Rirruto defenseman and found twine.

"Carp's goal was huge. Even Nate was impressed. He seems to have a thing for pretty things. He's always talking about sunsets and iPads and stuff," said Mike Gauthier.

The Hawks prevailed 5-2 on a back and forth affair. Rirruto should do well in the division. #19, #1 and #37 are very good players.

"They are a good team," said LW Tom Morgan. "We had many chances but they did their thing, controlling rebounds and keeping us out of the slot."

Nate Mensel manned the right wing for Jason Torsok, who was a healthy scratch. "Jay is probably the most committed guy on the team, always watching tape. He fell asleep in the film room this week trying to prepare and spilled his milkshake all over the computer equipment. He tried to fix it, but the duct tape didn't work. So he wrote a note that he was sorry and baked a cake for the technology manager," said John Kenyon. "Then he drank all the beer in the team room and passed out. That was probably the worst of it."

Jason Jensen played well, like usual. Nick Lantot has a really heavy shot. "Ryder wouldn't even be able to lift it," Lawless chirped. Not to be outdone, Lawless blitzed a heavy shot of his own, adding the Hawks fifth goal.

In the end, it was a much needed win for the Hawks.

Hawks blank CS Bank, 5-0

The Arrowhawks evened their record to 1-1 in the division with a solid win over the pesky CS Bank club Friday, 5-0. The Hawks opened strong, scoring 4 goals in the final 7 minutes of the opening period and never looked back. Jason Torsok notched 2 goals with assists from linemates Mark Monahan and Tom Morgan. Morgan also had a goal, as did Kevin Griffith and Barry Snow. Monahan continued his offensive touch, dangling with the puck and setting up snipers all night. Jason Jensen pitched the shutout and the defenseman played strong in the win. Terry Walker returned to the lineup and skated without vomiting, which is always a plus. Nick Lanctot and Mac Lawless also joined the fray, continually clearing traffic in front while bringing a solid transition game to the offensive attack. John Kenyon and Oleg Chetverikov worked their magic in the offensive zone, throwing the puck in deep and digging it out all night.

The win was hopefully the first of many in the team's new red Team Canada 2006 sweater.

Hawks fall to Leafs 4-3

LEWIS CENTER, OH - Friday's matchup against the Arrowhawks and Maple Leafs, two powerhouses within the Friday night CAHL division, was everything it was supposed to be and maybe a little more. The night began with a crash, literally. Starting goaltender Jason Jensen and some of his Arrowhawk teammates were stuck in traffic and were late getting to the rink. The Arrowhawks called their timeout before the puck even dropped, hoping their netminder would enter the building. All eyes were on the arena doors, but there was no Jensen.

"Let's start this thing," said Danny, the head ref.

The puck dropped and Barry Snow was in net. He looked a little light in the equipment department (insert crude jokes here), but was fast and mobile in his crease.

"I have dabbled in goal before," Snow admitted after the game. "I could have played better but I think I did OK all things considered."

Realizing the Hawks would have to carry the puck to have a chance to win, they did just that. They passed, carried and dangled their way through a period and a half with Barry in net. The score was 2-1 Arrowhawks with 7:30 to play in the second period with the agitated Jensen waiting to take the ice. It appeared the Hawks were going to carry a lead against the league's top scoring team despite not having a goalie, but it all changed in an instant.

The Hawks failed to touch-up a high stick deep in the Leafs offensive zone, leading to an odd-man rush the other way. Two tape-to-tape passes later and the score was tied, 2-2.

Oleg and Kevin Griffith's goals weren't going to be game winners.

"It was a bad error on our part," said dejected second line defenseman Mike Gauthier after the game. "Championship teams can't give away chance like that. There was a clear momentum swing after that."

The Leafs seemed to control play for the next period.

"I think we were tired from all the skating," said Mac Lawless from the golf course. "Here, let me put my beer down and I'll illustrate." Lawless begins simulating skating strides around the tee box in a rather excited fashion. He's quick -- a long strider, but able to maneuver around his soon to be empty can of Coors Light. "See, I'm good now but last night I would have hit my beer and that tells you everything."

Huh?

The second and third period were, as usual, chock-full of scoring chances at both ends. It took two brilliant goals from the Leafs -- one on a deflection in front and the other on a great individual, unassisted breakaway -- to notch their four tallies.

Nick Lanctot and Nate Mensell were paired together for the first time this session. They were like Batman and Robin, without all the annoying THWAP! and BLAMS! Each was dominant controlling the puck and setting up the Hawk forwards. Mensel added a dandy goal early in the third period to tie the game 3-3.

The Hawks rolled three lines of offense during the game. Most of their scoring chances came from the first and second lines but the grind line of Titus, Snow and Kenyon played a good role neutralizing the Leafs top offensive threats.

"It's a good thing we were on the ice," said Snow, released from the net to play center. "We bring energy like fighting bull in small china shop," he said while looking at Oleg. Oleg just shook his head and walked away.

The Hawks trailed 4-3 with 1:15 to play. They pulled Jensen and blitzed the Leafs with 9 shots but couldn't put one past the Leafs goalie. Bryce Griffith had the puck on his stick, wide open after a rebound as the buzzer sounded.

"It was that type of game," said Bryce Griffith. "I thought I had a millisecond more, but as it turned out..."

He didn't.

5 questions - Oleg Chetverikov

1. Are you really from Russia or do you just say that so chicks dig you? Yes, but chicks dig me anyway. The accent is just a nice bonus. I actually did an experiment once, did not speak for a week and was still a raging success with the ladies.

1a. If yes, are Def Lepperd and mullets still the rage over there? Yep, I have to wear a mullet wig when I go there to visit.

1b. Have you ever met a member of the Russian mob? I am the Russian mob. How else would I get the money for the crazy league fees?

2. Describe your playing style for the Arrowhawks. (do you like vodka?)

[Oleg] I like beer just as much, but vodka still holds a special spot in my heart. Wait, are you talking about the games or going out after?

3. Did you play hockey growing up or were you just born with the mad-crazy skills your posses?

[Oleg] My parents scotch taped a hockey stick to my hands when I started walking. I had to sleep and eat with it. So, I would say I was almost born with the skills.

4. If you were a contestant on Dancing with the Stars and Mac Lawless was your only remaining competition, how would you guarantee a Ukrainian victory?

[Oleg] There is only one true Ukrainian answer: drink lots of vodka. Have you seen them dancing with those leg kicks and jumps? This is possible only when you are drunk.

5. Besides yourself, who is your favorite Arrowhawk?

[Oleg] I would say Mac. He reminds me of the pushy Russian jerks in Moscow subway. I feel like I am back home around him.

The Oleg Factor

Never question the power of Russian bloodlines with the Arrowhawks. At least when it comes to Oleg Chetverikov and his large Ukraine family. Looking for proof? Check out the most recent monthly site view map below, proving that the Arrowhawks have a truly international following and a Russian fan club of 4 people. Wow.

Arrowhawks move to 2-0.

The Arrowhawks scored the first 3 goals and went on to win 7-1 against a skilled Warpig team. Defenseman Terry Walker opened the scoring at the .44 mark and the Hawks never looked back. Bryce Griffith and Oleg Chetverikov follow with unassisted 1st period goals and Jason Jensen made several key saves to keep the contest at 3-1 after the opening period. Jensen fresh off a playoff MVP campaign is off to an impressive start this season allowing 4 goals after 2 games. Mark Monahan opened the 2nd period with a highlight reel goal on a beautiful feed from Bryce Griffith and Tom Morgan followed 23 seconds later on feeds from Jason Torsok and Kevin Griffith to put the game out of reach. Kevin Griffith followed with a breakaway goal that left the Warpig goaltender flat on his back, Jason Torsok closed the scoring on an assist from Monahan. After the game Mac Lawless was overheard saying "Those Warpigs had some real good players, but tonight we were better" and Joe Factor agreed "A couple of bounces and the game would have been a different story." Next up for the Hawks is a bye week before taking on Buffalo Wings and Rings.