Defending Champs P.R.E.A.T. Shine in Opener

Hovet-Gregoire-Boese combo inflicts early damage for first league victory

The season opener for the 2019 Half Brothers Broomball League featured -30° wind chills, 6" of fresh powder, and the hopes and dreams of the growing GF broomball community.

Defending Champion P.R.E.A.T, surprise winner of the 2018 Slushfest Tournament, returned much of the same roster for their sophomore season, with no casualties suffered during the early signing period. In their first tilt, they faced an upstart Sundogs squad, a relative unknown in local broom circles. Captained by Mike Peterson, commissioner of the increasingly popular Sundog Sports Club, the Sundogs' broomball squad was low on numbers but high on heart. Peterson's roster was decimated early that day, most notably when 1/3 of it quit that afternoon upon discovering that broomball is actually played outdoors. A tough blow indeed, but after the Broomball Beacons were lit, aid came in the form of some last-minute pickups.

Becca Perry, an experienced broomballer, Greta Silewski, an experienced hockey player, and Matt Stingum, an experienced programmer, all provided the Sundogs with much-needed reinforcements. Most of that experience proved futile against the defending champs, however, as the combination of Dick Dafoe, Dave "'s a killer" Hovet, Captain Bosco da Gama, and new P.R.E.A.T. power forward Sarah Boese launched their patented blitzkrieg attack. Within three minutes, P.R.E.A.T. was up 4-0 and rolling. The Sundogs did manage to light the lamp one time before the half, sending the Sundog faithful into fits of celebration. The celebration didn't last long, once P.R.E.A.T. goalie Tim "the Broomball Enchanter" Gregoire was let loose on offense to start the second half. Stingum and Peterson stood tall in goal for the Sundogs, with the captain, sans knee pads, admirably taking a Gregoire missile off the knee. As is usual, however, the Enchanter's magic with his broom and the ball were too much. Tacking on a few more goals was the relentless Boese, and P.R.E.A.T. reigned supreme, with a final score of 11-1.

Not unnoticed was the never-say-die attitude the Sundogs put forth. P.R.E.A.T Captain Bosco da Gama was complimentary after his team's first win.

"For a team that just met each other, the Sundogs really battled hard. Mike was a warrior out there. No one wiped out more than him, or sacrificed their kneecaps as much. He was an inspiration. I feel pretty good about where our team is at. We brought a real high level of compete tonight. Dick had great net-front presence and the Enchanter/Killer that is Dave have such heavy shots, we were tough to play against tonight. I have no idea what any of those terms mean, but Brad Berry uses them every week, so they probably mean something."

Awards:

Broken Kneecap Award-Mike Peterson

Yard Sale Award-Mike Peterson

Unsung Hero Award-Dave's a Killer Hovet (snowblowed the rink)