| Nordiques downed in playoffs; Tamura awarded Torchiere |
July 6, Stamford, CT: The Nordiques were downed 8-3 by the Puck Bandits in the semifinal round of the Spring Tier 6 playoffs. However, it wasn't really a Tier 6 squad that beat the Nordiques, but a squad consisting of chiefly Tier 5 Puck Bandits, with a sprinkling of Tier 4 players thrown in.
Sour grapes? Not really. Just the truth. Although the Nordiques played their regular roster in this playoff game, the Puck Bandits did not.
In happier news, Ichiro Tamura was awarded the Torchiere trophy, to universal acclamation and cheers. The trophy is awarded each season to the player who most represents the spirit of the Nordiques. Last season's winner, Kevin Forner, passed the torch in a gracious and moving speech.
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| Nordiques feast upon Mangia 9-4 |
June 25, Stamford, CT: You would never know the Nordiques were coming off a 1-month layoff. Skating hard from the beginning, the Nordiques traded goal-for-goal with Mangia until the score was even at 4-4; then the Nordiques pulled ahead and never looked back, ending the game at 9-4.
The Nordiques continued to show their depth, with scorers on all lines and among defensemen; and Matt Buecker deserves special mention for several exceptional plays, notching a hat trick along the way.
Kevin Forner, returning to the lineup after many months sidelined with an injury, asserted: "La parfaite valeur est de faire sans témoin ce qu'on serait capable de faire devant tout le monde."
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| Nords Hold Up Puck Bandits 5-1 |
May 29, Stamford, CT: The Nordiques put up a walled defense, killed several penalties, and held up the Puck Bandits 5-1 on Tuesday night.
Ichiro Tamura set off the Nordiques scoring, followed by Mark Houston. The Nordiques Defense, bolstered by Paul Modugno, Jim Cook, Joe Reilly, and Matt Buecker, anchored the Nordiques as they killed off two 5 on 3 deficits, and led the Nords to a 4-0 lead at the end of two. Bill Tenca played solid net, staving off many quality shots by the Bandits.
The Nords enter a 30 day hiaitus, playing their final Spring game on June 29th. Rock (foot on the mend) will update with skates beginning next week.
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| Fischer to Re-Join Nordiques, Bruno Elated |
May 29, Stamford, CT: Original Nordiques Stephen Fischer will be donning his legendary #33 blazened with les fleur-se-lis when the Quebecois face the Puck Bandits on Monday, May 29th at 10:15 pm. While it took some coaxing by GM John 'Rock' Nawrocki, Fischer recognized how much he loves the blue and white, and how he misses his teammates, "When I saw Pedlow skate his old ass out there three games in a row, it started to rekindle the fire inside, the fire when I stare down an offense when they try and get over my blue line. I had to put off watching a Golden Girls Marathon with my wife, but I think this is really worth it."
Gary Pedlow will also be joining Fisch on Tuesday night, as the Nords look to stay in the Playoff Hunt. Tickets are still available, so come on down and Support Les Quebecois!
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| Nordiques best Thrashers 6-2 |
May 19, Stamford, CT: The Thrashers held firm with the Nordiques 1-1 throughout most of the first two periods, but then the Nords surged ahead 5-1 and never looked back, finishing off the Thrashers 6-2. Included in the Nordiques total was shorthanded goal, and a goal in the final second of the game.
Goalie John "Rock" Nawrocki was between the pipes, making some spectactular diving saves in the first period. He summed up the game with: "On ne saurait faire d'une buse un 'pervier."
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| Mad Dogs tranquilized by Nordiques 7-0 |
May 17, Stamford, CT: The Nordiques showed in tonight's game that they continue to develop depth across the bench. Each of their 7 goals was scored by a different Nordique, and the goals were split by the two lines' ice time 4/3. Billy Tenca played a solid game in net for the Nords, stopping the Mad Dogs cold for a shutout.
The game was remarkable for fair play, without a single penalty called on either team the entire game. The Mad Dogs, drastically short on manpower, were outgunned and outskated, but played like sportsmen and did not give up.
The highlight goal for the Nordiques was an elegant flourish by Matt Buecker, who grabbed the puck at the blue line after a failed attempt to clear by the Mad Dogs' goalie, skated around two defenders, and drilled the puck past the goaltender. Commenting after the game, Buecker said, "Qui chapon mange, chapon lui vient."
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| NFD forfeits, Nordiques record stands at 6-4 |
May 15, Stamford, CT: NFD (Norwalk Fire Department) unfortunately had to forfeit today's game due to lack of available players.
The Nords next take the ice Thursday 5/17 against the Mad Dogs.
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| Farrell's Mom Sees Son Net 2 in Nordiques Win |
May 13, Stamford, CT: When Bill Farrell muddled through an hour of traffic to get to the Throgs Neck Bridge at 9pm ,he wondered if he would see any action when the Nordiques faced off against NFD at 10pm. Lucky for the Nordiques, Bill pressed on and netted two goals to push the team to a 5-1 victory over the Norwalk Fire Department. His Mom got to see both of his goals.
Ron Kim, Rick Gioia, and Rob Diabarca joined Bill, each with a goal in the effort against NFD. The Nords played a solid game from end to end, cycling the puck well, and covering well in the defensive zone. Ichiro Tamura had a remarkable game, turning on the jets frequently, and wreaking havoc as the Nords entered the offensive zone. Andrew Vranos narrowly missed scoring another goal, capping off a brilliant weekend on the ice.
Sunday night also marked the second straight game where legendary, and original Nordiques Gary Pedlow skated with the squad, this time on offense. The old man even lit up Rock on a few breakaways as the two sparred on the ice after the game. When asked about how it was to be playing again with the Nords, Pedlow remarked "C'était impressionnant pour patiner hors là-bas. Pas aussi impressionnant qu'un concert de Luther Vandross, ou les Barres de Colombe alimentaires pendant que regardant un festival de film de Guirlande de Judy, mais c'était impressionnant !"
Nords skate again against NFD Tuesday night, May 15th at 10:30pm.
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Puck Bandits steal win in shootout
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May 11, Stamford, CT: Although the Nordiques jumped ahead of the Puck Bandits 5-2 in the second period, then 6-4 in the third, the win slipped away from the Nords as the Bandits pulled their goalie and tied the game 6-6 with 38 seconds left. The Bandits then outlasted the Nords in a tiebreaker shootout that went into sudden death.
Despite the heartbreaking loss, a bright spot for the Nordiques was a hat trick by Andrew Vranos, who exploded for 3 goals in the first period (and this after scoring his first goal as a Nordique in the previous game). Clearly on a roll, Andrew commented, "Apres la feste et le Ieu, les pois au feu."
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Nordiques straitjacket Thrashers 8-3
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May 9, Stamford CT: The Thrashers sowed the wind in the first period of a Wednesday night contest with 3 straight goals, but then reaped the whirlwhind in periods two and three as the Nordiques came back with 8 unanswered goals. Billy Tenca, in goal for the Nordiques, stopped a penalty shot in the first period, but then did not have much to do for the rest of the game as the Nordiques found their stride and kept the puck in the Thrasher end virtually continuously. The Thrashers played valiantly but could not keep up with a full three-line Nordiques squad. During one remarkable four-minute stretch, the Nords controlled the puck so convincingly that onlookers kept peering into the penalty box, convinced that the Nordiques had a two-man advantage, even though in fact the teams were at even strength.
After the game, defenseman Ron Kim observed, "Mon chien n'a aucun nez. Comment sent-il ? Terrible."
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Nordiques turn aside Mangia in shootout
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May 8, Stamford CT: Mangia Mangia matched the Nordiques goal-for-goal in a 4-4 match on Tuesday night, but Mangia fell at last in the shootout as goalie John "Rock" Nawrocki spectacularly stopped the shooters cold.
The game was actually not as close as the score indicates. The Nordiques dominated the game, passing and carrying the puck well into the Mangia zone with great forechecking, but somehow with each Nordique goal Mangia came back a few minutes later to respond.
Kevin Unger scored two goals for the Nords and was vying for a third, but decided instead to pass to Andrew Vranos, who notched his first goal as a Nordique. The other Nordique goal was scored by Rich Gioia. Kevin also scored in the shootout to lift the Nordiques over Mangia.
In the locker room after the game, goalie Nawrocki noted: "Faire de l'arbre d'un pressoar le manche d'un cernoir."
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Puck Bandits 2, Nordiques 1
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May 6, Stamford, CT: (No game report available.)
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Nordiques muzzle Mad Dogs 4-1
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April 30, Stamford CT: At least one of les chiens furieux was truly mad on Monday night, as the Nordiques pulled together to defeat them 4-1 in a 3rd period push. The Mad Dogs quickly notched a power play goal in the first period, and the Nordiques, clearly rusty after a longish layoff, were unable to answer until 10 minutes into the third period.
But then, what an answer it was. The Nordiques exploded for 4 goals in 8 minutes, convincingly dominating the remainder of the game.
The game was marred by a fight, rare in Tier 6, when a Mad Dog (who shall remain unnamed) clocked a Nordiques defenseman and then elbowed goalie Billy Tenca (substituting in goal for John "Rock" Nawrocki) in the face. Paul Modugno charged in and exchanged blows with the Mad Dog. The Mad Dog player, as the instigator, was given a game misconduct penalty and is barred from their next game also. Paul had to sit out the rest of this game, but will be back for the next game, when the Nordiques take the ice against the Puck Bandits on Sunday, May 6.
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NFD are no-show for 3rd game
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April 22, Stamford, CT: NFD (Norwalk Fire Department) did not show up for the 3rd game of the spring season, so they forfeited to the Nordiques. The occasional no-show is an understandable occupational hazard of the firefighting gig. We wish our friends at NFD good luck and safe fire fighting.
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Norsemen down Nordiques in tough, physical game
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April 14, Stamford CT: The Nordiques were beaten 7-3 by the Norsemen in the second game of the Spring 2007 season. Playing with a short bench of only two forward lines, the Nords skated hard and were buffeted hard, but were hampered by a string of penalties and were flagging by the 3rd period. Among the few bright spots for the Nordiques were a pretty goal by Jon Blumenfeld, and Ron Kim's first goal as a Nordique. John "Rock" Nawrocki, back in goal after being sidelined by for weeks by a concussion, played creditably but was constantly swarmed by a suspiciously strong contingent of Norsemen. Rock commented on the game thusly: "Entre bride et l'éperon, de toute choses gît la raison."
At this date the schedule for the remainder of the Spring season has not been vouchsafed to the Nordiques by STR hockey league management. Stay tuned to this web site for further developments.
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Mangia edge Nordiques in Spring opener
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April 1, Stamford, CT: An undermanned, weary Nordiques squad was turned back by Mangia Mangia in the opening game of the Spring 2007 season. Skating with a retinue of only 3 defensemen and 5 forwards for most of the first period, the Nordiques played hard, but were beginning to lose steam when fortunately latercomers Kevin Unger and Andy Vranos arrived to supplement the bench. Substitute goaltender Billy Tenca, in net for the sidelined John "Rock" Nawrocki, played a sharp game, allowing only one goal when the the puck got loose between the pads.
The Nordiques absolutely dominated the second and third periods, with Mangia hardly able to get the puck out of their zone for long stretches, but Mangia goaltender Seaweed was in top form and repeatedly turned back a swarm of chances by the Nords.
The score remained 1-0 for the second and third periods, closing at 2-0 when Mangia took advantage of an open net with 20 seconds left in the game.
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