Gonzo Gobbledygook was added to the Up-and-Comers. To the surprise of many, he was one of five total Winnipeg Aurora players who have not hit their prime yet but show loads of promise to become future superstars. That is correct, it's Aurora all the way down! Gobbledygook is joined by fellow Season 60 draftee, Marcel Beck, the young defender via St Louis. As well as, hold onto your butts, THREE Season 62 draftees; Newfoundland Berserker Right Winger Tommy Tightpants, Regina Elk Goaltender Rebecca Montagne, and Anchorage Armada Left Winger Spack Jarrow.

In preparation for the upcoming tournament they've all been selected to be a part of, the five met up for brunch in Winnepeg before their first practice together. Gobbledygook, a self-proclaimed brunch aficionado, ordered the chicken and waffles, and all but Beck followed suit. Later that day at practice, all but Beck impressed with their young speed and skill. I guess Beck should have ordered the chicken and waffles.

2-1 and what a fantastic win by the Up-and-Comers. Gonzo Gobbledygook was in special form scorings twice from tight angles. They certainly deserved this one after carrying play through most of the game. This was one of, if not the best, games of the round-robin tournament so far.

The Up-and-Comers seemed to be buzzing all night and created a ton of chances even though only two went in. Tommy Tightpants will have to finish some of his opportunities soon, otherwise being snake bit will turn into being unable to finish in some people’s minds - though not surprising for a young gun, even one who has been stunningly consistent night in and night out.

Rebecca Montagne came up big tonight, as although the Grizzled Vets didn’t have too many Grade-A chances they still managed to pour on 37 shots. There was a period late in the 3rd where the Vets were consistently pressuring the youths and Montagne kept it tied.

Big win for the team tonight! The future is bright for these Aurora prospects!

The Hall-of-Famers(Superstars) were aggressive early against the Up-and-Comers. The Superstars swarmed Rebecca Montagne early and got a few nice scoring chances, but the Up-and-Comers held the line. The Up-and-Comers would respond in kind with a couple chances of their own, but nobody could move the needle early.

Early in the second period Gonzo Gobbledygook was caught with his head down and got drilled, but it was a clean hit. Still, in the modern SHL, you fight over that stuff, so Tommy Tightpants went after the Superstar who got a couple of good swings in, but Tightpants won the fight and both went to the box. The Superstars would get the last laugh, though, as they pressed in Up-and-Comers’ zone, created chaos in front of the net, and the Superstars got a lucky bounce straight onto a stick. Easy shoot-in, 1-0 Superstars.

The Up-and-Comers got a little bit of a morale boost on a bad play by the Superstars' goalie midway through the third period that led to a Gobbledygook goal, but the Superstars went on to score a pair of powerplay goals in the closing minutes of the game, 3-1 Superstars, which is where the game would end.

The Up-and-Comers need to stay out of the box moving forward.

The majority of the first period was dominated by the Grizzled Vets. This should come as no surprise: The Vets have scored 8 points in their last couple of games in the round-robin. Still, the Up-and-Comers showed no signs of slowing, working hard to stifle the lethal scoring weapons at the Vets’ disposal. At one point, the Up-and-Comers’ first line secured a turnover. Unfortunately, Spack Jarrow slipped, losing the puck before a scoring chance could be had. The Up-and-Comers defensive pairing did a remarkable job of stifling The Vets’ offensive efforts through the first.
A two-on-one saw Gonzo Gobbledygook play too cute with the puck as the period came to an end. Eggs for both sides through the first and second.

Marcel Beck and the young defensive core stayed dominant throughout. At the start of the third, the elite youngster halted yet another shot from the old folks. A back-and-forth sequence from both the Vets and Up-and-Comers left both teams without a goal. Gonzo Gobbledygook played savior, creating a turnover, slipping past several Vets, and scoring the game-winner!

With one game left in the tournament, The Up-and-Comers head coach made a couple of tweaks to his lines, moving Gonzo Gobbledygook to Center, and swapping around some wingers. No changes on defense were made, and it was of course Rebecca Montagne starting in net once again.

This is it, one final game to determine the champions. I think it would be perfect if the Up-and-Comers win the tournament, but that’s probably because I’m an Up-and-Comers fan. Sadly, this year they have to settle with second place, as they fell to the Hall-of-Famers 6-4 in the final. It was an exciting, frustrating, eventful, suspenseful game that ended disappointingly for Up-and-Comers fans.

The Hall-of-Famers had a better start to the game, jumped out to a 2-0 lead early, the Up-and-Comers battled hard to try and come back, but it felt like they were constantly trying to swim upstream. Despite their best efforts, they couldn’t net a goal when they deserved one, and the Hall-of-Famers seemed to have all the luck. They came close to coming back late in the third period but just couldn’t pull it off.

Though the Up-and-Comers left little doubt they'll be suiting up for the Hall-of-Famers in the future.