Wizards 2001 Schedule - Results and Events
St. Paul City "D" League
The season schedule (six games):
See Post Game Highlights Below
St. Paul (McMurray Park): Time: Rink:
game #1: vs. Frascones
1/5 7pm SE - 1-0 Win
game #2: vs. Polecats 1/12
8pm SE - 2-2 Tie
game #3: vs. Poor Boys
1/19 8pm SE -
Postponed (rescheduled 2/16)
game #4: vs. Larrys
1/26 9pm SE
game #5: vs. Ted's
2/2 7pm SE
game #6: vs. Broomers
2/9 8pm SE
Tournaments
Winter Carnival:
Jan. 29 - 30
St. Paul - McMurray Park
St. Paul Playoffs:
Feb. 12 - 13
St. Paul - McMurray Park
MSF State "D" tourney: Mar. 10 -
12
Chaska
USBA, National Championships Mar. 30 - Apr 2 Blaine, Mn
Events
Fishing Opener: TDB - Secret Location
Team Banquet: TDB - Larry's Lodge
2000 Game Highlights
St. Paul League Play
Game 1 - Wizards Open with a Win in Snowy Action
Adjusting to snow is one thing, adjusting to a new position is another. In a game that the Wizards appeared to dominate, the boys appeared unable to understand how to score goals. Prima Donna, Journeyman, and sometimes B-line center Pat Cunningham appeared lost playing left wing, being no where near the goalpost in several scoring attempts. Tom Boesen debuted at defense, a position that appears to be a good fit indoors, but put a little snow down and a different outdoor Bose shows up for the game. Dave Rasch made an incredible game saving play, when over anxious goaltender Woody Wolston took himself out of the play. Rasch scored the winning goal, in a game marred by 3 Wizard penalties.
Game 2: "Hang Another Tie Around Dave's Neck" or,
The LLSA is on Dave"
[2 - 2 tie] By: Ace
The second game of the season was played in six inches of snow. The rink looked
more like ground zero during the Winter Carnival medallion hunt, rather than a
Broomball rink.
The opponents were the Wizard's arch rivals, the Polecats. Last year, the
Wizards and the "Polecats tied for the division title [but the Wizard's won
the playoff game].
Future Coach, Tony Angelo scored the first goal of the game - which was the only
goal of the first half. Most of the game consisted of banging the ball across
the unpainted lines through the snow banks. In the second half, the Polecats
scored twice - with their second goal coming with about 2 minutes left in the
game. A determined PJ leapt onto the ice and quickly scored the game tying goal.
With under a minute to go, the referee turned to Coach Dave to ask if he would
confirm the bench-called time out. Dave assessed the situation with the ball in
our defensive zone - and shrugged off the call. >From the bench, an irate PJ
quipped the coach was: "protecting the tie." With the Wizard's, you
can bet this controversy will be retold and the facts modified in the years to
come.
Game #3: DNP (did not play)
The game against the Poor Boys was postponed due to a typical Minnesota winter
snowfall of 8 inches. It's a sad fact, outstate people are infiltrating the
Minnesota culture. We are becoming afraid of our own climate. Barring a
high UV index, it is speculated that the game will be rescheduled on 2/16/00.
1999 Game Highlights
St. Paul League Play
Game 1 - Wizards Whip up a Whiteout in 8-2 Victory over Teds
Staff Writer: PJ
"The Winter of Our Discontent" was the legacy of our match against the
Ted's in the '98 broomball season. It was a game filled with frustration
that ultimately ended in a tie. This legacy of frustration sat with us as
a burning admonition of the knowledge that we must indemnify our desire and
bring closure to the unfinished business that a tie leaves in its quiet
wake. Such was the setting for the rematch with the Teds on the evening of
January 13, 1999. The Wizards 1st regular season game.
The game was held at 700pm CST at McMurray fields in St. Paul. The
temperature was in the single digits below zero and at the start of the
game a dry, heavy snow started coming in from the west. A westerly snow is
uncommon and it played its own game of challenging the west facing team to
the might of nature. It turned out to be inconsequential.
The game started with a flurry that quieted the snowstorm. Shawn Earieau
scored the 1st goal of the season, earning the chevron of The Cherry, which
started an avalanche of deafening ringing as the ball continued to hit the
back of the Teds net. It may have been within 7 minutes or perhaps it was
as little 5 minutes that 4 goals were scored against the Teds. Crisp
passing, great defensive points, and a strong attack of the offensive line
kept the pressure on like a stalled mountain snowfall.
Following into the 2nd half the pressure continued although the Teds
stepped up to show a glimpse of consciousness evidently lacking in the 1st
half. The game was a "guaranteed" win (if we can be so bold) and seemingly
a guaranteed shutout. The shutout was not to be. A choppy goal was
allowed late in the 2nd half that was difficult to play. However, it was
the open rink shot from the blue line with 30 seconds left that scored
(much to our dismay) but still left us victorious with the final score at
8-2.
Tony Angelo, Dave Rasch, Shawn Earieau, and PJ Johnson each scored 2 goals.
Several assists were made and Dave Rasch ended the night leading the team
in points with 2 goals and 2 assists.
Analogous to how the victory of the Gulf war washed away our loss and
feeling of separation over Vietnam, 1/14/99 washed clean the legacy of
frustration the Wizards carried for a year regarding our match with the
Teds in 1998.
Game 2 - Wizards Display Total Dominance over Schwidt's 7-1
Staff Writer: PJ
Yeah, there was a bit of snow on the ice but it wasn't too bad - maybe a
couple 'ah inches, eh? It was warm out. Had my long johns on and I was
sweating like some big ol' palooka from Milwaukee..
I've shot my limit of pheasant in the time is took us to score in the first
half. We spent enough time in their end hitting 'em but they just wouldn't
go in. Their goalie wasn't too bad. It was like a big Norwegian lunch -
everyone kept coming back but nothing too exciting happened. We finally
did score. You betcha. Rasch plunked one in the back of the net (or was
it Tony - hard to remember cuz' Tony spent so much time riding the pine).
Second half all of the guys took some pot shots at 'em like the goalie was
some arcade bear. Shwitz or Shidtz? I can't remember their name...I know
it sounded like Schmidts Sport Pack. You betcha. Before the game was
done, Rasch got a hat, PJ scored a couple, Tony scored one (scored 2 times
in the pine box), and Cunningham put one in too. Hmmmmm...Cunningham spent
alot of time thinking he was playing a position different than the defense
he was supposed to be playing. Damn Irish.
7-1 final. Woody f'd up and "put another shutout in the net for safe
keeping"...heh...heh...heh. You betcha. Beer me. Hey, it's Heather
Tesch
on the weather channel. Looks like were stuck inside today Heather...
Game 3 - The Game That Never Was - Twice
Staff Writer: PJ
"wizards beat elderly from convalescent home"
"emphysema victims no match for the wizards"
"wizards win in forfeiture"
whatever way you want to look at it, the wizards winning because the other
team never showed is no game at all. it's the worst example of coaching a
player could ever witness. it's a 0-0 tie in which a winner is declared.
woweeeee. we won. now we'll go beat up those 3rd graders who were causing
trouble earlier.
c'mon folks, move it along. there's nothing to see here...
Game 4 - A Tie's as Good as a Loss
Staff Writer: PJ
A quick game highlight...
"Ladies and gentlemen, it's a crisp pass right onto the broom of the Wizards
defensemen! The Polecats are bearing down!"
one-one thousand
two-one thousand
three-one thousand
"He's definitely got control of the ball...it seems as though he's stuck?"
four--one thousand
five-one thousand
six-one thousand
"HE'S LOST THE BALL! HE'S LOST THE BALL! Number 2 has LOST THE BALL!
Holy
Mary, the Polecats have scored"
And now to our color commentary with Howie, Chris, James, and Terry...
"Terry, what can you say about this play? I'm not sure which way Cunningham
was going?"
"Thanks Howie. Really when I played football about a bazillion years ago
sometimes people tackled me, took the ball, and scored."
"Terry, how does that even apply to the Wizards? If you really want to look
back to predict the future you would have to address the fact that last year
the Wizards and Polecats ended up in a tie. Shouldn't the Wizards have
worried that history could repeat itself?"
"Chris, all your talk about ties is really important. The Wizards won that
forfeiture 0-0 tie last Saturday against the Rebuild Rebels. Did coach
Rasch believe that his victory in that tie would lead to a victory in a tie
against the Polecats?"
"Thanks James. Another note about coach Rasch is the notable lack of
personal confidence against the Polecats that he had in games 1 and 2 this
year."
"Absolutely Howie. Where was the candy bar coach Rasch kept in his shoe
that he nibbled on between goals? There was no need to nibble, but I don't
even think he had a candy bar at the game."
"Perhaps Joe Ahmann ate it. Either way, the Wizards answer the question of
whether a 6-0 season is within their reach by leaving a 1-1 tie hanging over
them against the Polecats. For those who've read the Rhyme of the Ancient
Mariner, these ties are the albatross around the necks of the Wizards that
they cannot seem to shake. Terry, any closing comments?"
"Yes, thanks Chris. I just want to point our that when I played football a
bazillion years ago we sometimes I threw the ball to the other team."
"We'll that's it folks. We'll see you Saturday as the Wizards revisit their
frailties at the St. Paul Winter Carnival. Certainly this past game has
brought into question Gabe's decision to extend coach Rasch's contract into
a second rookie season. I'm sure coach Rasch's book will completely tell
his side of the story which is due out June, 1999."
But Wait... A defenseman's rebuttal :
Epilog (by Ace)
Sure, I made a few well documented mistakes; acknowledge, learn & move on.
But before we move on -- let me define to the kind readers the definition of a
"Red Herring".
[Webster's 9th New Collegiate Dictionary, 1985]
Red Herring (15th century term)
"The practice of drawing a red herring across a trail to confuse hunting
dogs."
"Something that distracts attention from the real issue."
We played the much frustrated Polecats to a 1 - 1 tie. How bad could the
defense & goaltending have been, with a 1 - 1 tie? The Canadian's would have
been elated with this type of low scoring game. The "real story" of game #4,
was that our offense was anemic. The Polecat's at one point had two goons in
the box at the same time -- and yet we didn't score. The stuff about sloppy
defense, is a Red Herring.
Anemic offense -- that's your story!
[Sounds Fishy to Me - Ed.]
Winter Carnival Tourney Action
Broomball is a game of artifacts when combined into a process, a game plan,
are used to execute the best game possible with the given talent. These
artifacts are remedial in nature and include position play, transition
game, passing, shooting, offense, and defense. Perhaps they could be
enumerated to a more finite level and there may be gray between 2 or more
areas, but the basic nature of these artifacts stands.
It's not possible to play a game with a haphazard use of these artifacts
and expect to win. The game plan must exist to bring a shared vision among
the team on how our strengths and weaknesses can be combined in the most
effective manner possible. If the plan is not working, alternatives should
be weighed and the new plan should be articulated to the team and executed.
The Wizards lost focus of their game plan and the basic artifacts necessary
for good play were wholly absent. 3 games were played and 3 games were
lost at the Winter Carnival tournaments the weekend of January 30th. The
losses were decisive and inevitable.
When such a breakdown surfaces, the rancor that ensues can further push a
team's demise to a point of no return. The Wizards suffered that rancorous
folly and it affected the fabric of the team. Likely, it was not even
possible to win the 3rd game played. We, i.e. the Wizards, need to expunge
this resentment against ourselves and to our team and move forward. We
have the opportunity to be 5-0-1 this year and we will achieve that goal.
However, we want to show our best effort at our subsequent tournament play
as a team with focus and a drive to be successful. We've done it before
and we will do it again. See you at the next game.
Game 5 - Laaarryy's, Sent Home To Mama
(Substituting for PJ [therapeutic skiing]: Ace)
3 -1 Wizard's Win
The rain gauge in Mendota Heights, if not put away for the winter, would have
been able to show a measurable amount of rainfall during the evening of the
game against the Larry's.
Rain, slush & standing water were the game conditions that were present as
both teams squared up for the face-off.
Along with the inclement weather, three of the Wizards had found higher
priorities than being with their teammates on game night: 1) Boze - off
improving his tan, second vacation during the season, 2) Sean - North
Carolina?, 3) Trauma - at the Mayo Clinic, as a bone marrow donor to the
ailing King Hussein. [Tip to Trauma: don't accept that free vacation offer to
Jordan, the King's not doing well.]
Coach Dave came up with a coaching strategy for the game, keeping two full
offensive lines, and have the one defense line on the ice for the entire game.
Larry & Carl played big, and the gamble paid off. The offensive lines hustled,
and Woody stayed home and played a good game in nets.
Last year the Larry's got the best of the Wizards, in a strange twist of fate,
we played each other three times. There were plenty of skeletons in the
coaches closet: Dave avenged his "Couples Shower" incident from last year. At
a tourney, Dave was praying for the Wizards loss, so he could get home to his
wife and make sandwiches for a couple's shower his wife was hosting. Dave's
testicles now reside in a cloudy mayonnaise jar on their fireplace mantle.
Disgusted beyond belief, the Front Office decreed that Dave would start the
1999 season as a second year freshman coach (his contract was extended - see
Choaches Contract , on web page). The victory also
avenged a tie to the Larry's
from last year.
Now, the Wizards look like they have a coach, and players willing to hustle.
Opponents for game #6, will be the warm weather & the Broomers.
Game 6 - Broomer's Almost Swept
7-1 Win
[by Ace: who is filling in for the scowling ape, PJ]
The annual Gabe's teams (Wizards vs. Broomers) season ending match-up, is
similar to the Twin Cities historic baseball match-up of the Minneapolis
Miller's vs. the St. Paul Saints.
The Wizards & Broomers have been playing in the St. Paul league for many
years, and enjoy each others company. Regardless of the game outcome, both
teams meet back at Gabe's and share a few beers together.
On this night, the winter came back for a couple of days - so the outdoor
finale was played on the best ice conditions all season. The Wizard's offense
& defense were hammering the Broomers pretty good; especially tough when the
Broomers regular goalie wasn't playing nets. When the Wizard's were done
scoring, three teammates (PJ, Joe & Dave) were all tied up with a season
scoring total of 17 points each! It should be fun to see who breaks from the
pack at the MSF, State "D" Tourney in St.Cloud. Coach Rasch, wanting to tip
the scales away from PJ's favor, said that there are going to be some line
changes. Last anyone heard, PJ was scowling about nobody going to pass to him
at State...
Near the end of game #6, it looked like the Woody was going to get his third
shutout of the season, but a runaway Broomer broke through the line and
stuffed Woody like a big green olive! (ha, ha, ha)
Another Story on Game 6
by PJ
the meta-physical rematch:
the wizards won a second tie against the rebuild rebels to keep their
record against the rebels at 1-0. coach rasch reportedly couldn't be more
excited because *his* team, i.e. the wizards, didn't have to play again.
some rematch coach. this writer sees a pattern developing...
...meanwhile...the wizards we're able to fill the rematch of the
non-existent rebuild rebels with a non-league game against the poor boys.
an old rival with many new faces, the game against the poor boys was led
with utter defiance as to what does and does not matter by our own tony
angelo. scoring the only 2 unassisted goals in the game, tony led the
wizards to a tie in a game that might as well have been played on some
broken down rink in the middle of north dakota. the game didn't count but
tony was able to increase his goal total by 50% on this non-conference,
premature goal-jaculation. hey tony! we're over here at the games that
count! maybe he'll check in sometime soon...
the doomer of 'da broomers:
the real game 6, against the broomers was all it was meant to be and more.
it was a nominal double header that evening for the wizards as they had
just played the poor boys prior to their match with the wizrds. in real
terms, this was the only game the wizards played that night.
eight to one. 8-1. win by 7. 800% more goals than their oponents.
you
can slap lipstick on a pig but it's still a pig. the big sow the wizards
hacked into bacon that night was a sorry sow indeed. larry, i refuse to
get off the ice, hull played virtually an entire game at defense. not much
to do. joe, bacon boy, ahmann, was set to be the 3rd defenseman but larry
wouldn't allow it. carl, midnight cowboy, peterson held his own (freudian
slip) on defense with a short break to recover. tony angelo blew the bank
roll against the poor boys and didn't have 2 pennys to rub together in the
match with the broomers.
joe ahmann did come out sharp and strong with a nice hattrick. where were
'ya when we needed 'ya? at the end, carl and larry got into cahoots over
some clandestine, non-approved, game plan. "let 'em in on woody", would be
the best way to describe it. it was quite evident from the boards. over
the cajoling and taunting the players received from their pine-bound
teammates, woody could be heard screaming, "what are your guys doing!". we
all, i.e. all but one, knew exactly what they were doing.
it was the end of a millenium. the game against the broomers was the final
outdoor, regular season game the wizards would play in the 1900s. it was a
year of changes. coach rasch moved ace back to defense (the team still
wonders what position he was playing), larry moved back to defense, shawn
and boesen led up center ice, and coach moved himself to wing. we were all
proud of the wizards 5-0-1 season as it was our best ever. however, it's
very important to note one subtle fact...
THE WIZARDS DID NOT WIN THEIR DIVISION AT 5-0-1...THEY TIED.
thanks coach for just being you.
Regular Season Ends.....
Back to the International Broomball Wizards homepage.