| ...................................Continued
from Above......................................
As they did in the semi-finals, the Hookers started
the championship match with a plan to shut down their
opponent's top line with a special checking line while
gaining a favorable match for their own scoring line.
As it did in the game against the Frogs, the plan worked.
After holding off the Sabres' top line on their first
shift, the Hookers power line took the ice and wasted
no time drawing first blood. Todd Brautigam was sent
cruising into the Sabres zone on a pass from Mike Reed.
Brautigam drew attention then found Francis open for
the goal at 18:20 of the first period.
Rob Sayer proved that playing on a checking line often
provides offensive chances when he stole the puck in
the neutral zone, zoomed down the right wing, and blasted
a shot from the circle to score at 10:44. Francis teamed
with Brautigam on another tic-tac-toe play at 5:02 to
give the Hookers a three goal lead. A stunned Sabres
team fell into disarray, arguing amongst themselves,
taking cheap-shots behind the play, and complaining
to the officials over any perceived slight.
The rough stuff continued in the second period with
several Hookers victimized by violent play behind the
backs of the officials. The Sabres used their intimidation
tactics to get a goal back on a play by Jason Jasek
15:09. Then they managed to draw a retaliation penalty
that resulted in a powerplay goal at 11:26 by Jasek
to make it a 3-2 game. But the Hookers stuck to their
plan and weathered the Sabres' storm, eventually scoring
their fourth goal at 2:11 when Leypoldt completed a
neat passing play from Francis and Brautigam to end
the period with a 4-2 lead.
The officials finally started calling penalties in the
third period, but unfortunately for the Hookers, the
calls went the wrong way. The Hookers found themselves
shorthanded four times in the third set. Inexplicably,
in three instances the officials penalized a Hooker
player for a foul committed by a Sabre.
The Hookers killed the first penalty, then scored their
fifth goal when Francis tapped in a pass from Leypoldt
at 8:43. The Sabres picked up a powerplay goal from
former Hooker Wally Lacroix at 7:43. But then the Hookers
killed off the remaining two penalties thanks in large
part to some great goaltending by Mike Katz while nabbing
a final goal by Francis on a break with 56 seconds remaining
to seal the deal and seize the cup.
Notes: The Hookers' late season addition,
Francis, outscored the Sabres' deadline acquisition,
Jasek, 4-2 thanks to solid checking work done by Sayer,
Keith Capobianco, and team captain Patrick Bailey. The
Hookers defense of Brautigam, Tim Mitchell, Josh Fender,
and Ryan Hoffman held the high scoring Sabres to their
lowest total in 17 games dating back to their 3-9 defeat
at the hands of the Hookers on January 8. The Hookers
out shot the Sabres 38-33 with Hookers' goalie Katz
stopping thirty attempts to earn the win. Picked up
on waivers late in the season, Katz proved to his old
team and the entire league what the Hookers knew all
along - given a little support "The Kat" is
capable of beating anyone.
Hookers Smother Frogs to Earn
"A" League Finals
Leypoldt Scores Five Goals to
Lead Hookers
May 22, 2009 - The Las Vegas Hookers defeated regular
season champion Royal Frogs 7-5 to advance to the "A"
league play-off tournament finals. The Hookers will
face the Sabres on May 28 at 8 PM for the cup. Steve
Leypoldt scored five goals against his former club and
a stifling Hookers checking game shut down the Frogs'
top line for the victory.
The Frogs scored first at 18:09 when Joey Pesche stole
a pass and broke in alone on Hookers' goalie Mike Katz.
But the Hookers remained calm and relied on their game
plan of using a special checking line to limit the chances
of the Frogs' top players while getting a mismatch for
their own scoring line.
The plan worked with the Hookers getting the equalizer
at 16:07 when Leypoldt converted a pass from Mike Reed
to tie the score. The pair teamed up again at 10:12
along with help from Todd Brautigam to make it 2-1 in
favor of the Hookers. Leypoldt struck again at 5:36
from Brautigam. Rob Sayer, playing on the checking line,
teamed with line mate Josh Fender to score at 1:32 to
give the Hookers a 4-1 lead heading into the intermission.
The Frogs managed to score four goals in the second
period, but never managed to get control of the game.
Pesche scored his second goal for the Frogs at 18:44,
but was answered by Reed's goal from Chris Heckman and
Leypoldt at 15:41. Winston Feyereisen scored for the
Frogs at 12:23, followed by another tally by Pesche
and another by Feyereisen to tie the game. But the Hookers
remained calm, stuck to their plan, and got the go-ahead
goal with just 11 ticks left in the period when Leypoldt
danced in on a pass from Brautigam to make it 6-5 in
favor of the Hos.
The Hookers shut down the Frogs in the third period,
keeping their top scorers outside and not allowing any
goals. In the meantime, Leypoldt added an insurace goal
at 9:27 to secure the Hookers' place in the finals.
Notes: It was the Hookers' second consecutive
win over the Frogs after two seasons of frustration
against them. The Hookers beat the Frogs in the round-robin
phase of the tournament as well. Shots were 41 - 39
in favor of the Hookers, but many of the Frogs shots
were from the perimeter. Katz came up with several clutch
saves in the third period with the Hookers shorthanded.
Penalties were even at four apiece.
Hookers Sink Shucks to Reach
"B" League Finals
Brautigam Scores Three to Lead
Hookers
May 18, 2009 - The Las Vegas Hookers overwhelmed Shucks
10-1 in their final round-robin match to earn a place
in the "B" league finals against the Fire.
Defender Todd Brautigam scored three goals and added
an assist to lead the Hookers.
Steve Leypoldt scored two goals for the Hookers, while
Tim Mitchell, Rob Sayer, Ryan Hoffman, Josh Fender,
and Chris Heckman contributed one each. Hookers goalie
Gianno Buonaguro saw his shut-out bid foild at 7:20
of the second period on a goal by AJ Pagano.
Elements Joins Hookers Team
Premier Exhibit Company Sponsors
Club
October 15, 2008 - The Las Vegas Hookers announced the
addition of Elements
as their official jerseys sponsor for the 2008-2009
season. Elements is a full-service exhibit company that
provides exhibit and environment design and marketing
services for tradeshows and events. The company is based
in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Hookers Introduce New Graphic
T-shirts
Pimp Your Wardrobe with These
Hot New Shirts
January 21, 2009- The Las Vegas Hookers introduced a
new line of team t-shirts in the official
Las Vegas Hookers Shop. Profits from the sale of
Hookers merchandise help support the team.
The new products include a men's and ladies black t-shirt
with an all-new graphic treatment spelling out what
it means to be a Hooker splashed over sexy silhouettes
and a list of the club's championship titles.
Products are produced by CafePress and all transactions
are safe and secure. Buy your Hookers merchandise today
and support your favorite Hookers!
Fletcher Jones Supports The Las Vegas Hookers
Local Auto Dealer Keeps the Hookers on the Street
October 1, 2008- Fletcher Jones Imports once again renewed
it's deal as the official automobile sponsor of the
Las Vegas Hookers for the 2008-2009 season. The dealership
is located at 7300 W. Sahara in Las Vegas. The firm
sells and leases new and pre-owned Mercedes Benz automobiles.
The Hookers ask all their fans to support their sponsor
by dropping by for a test drive. Be sure to mention
that you are a Hooker!
| 
