MARTIN LABELLE IS THE NY CITY INTERNATIONAL CLASSIC CHAMPION

September 9, 2007
Martin Labelle of Sherbrooke, Quebec, is the NY City International Classic Champion.  Martin defeated Burt Brassard of Quebec, City in the Elite Division finals to win the Empire Cup and $250 in prize money courtesy of the American Philosophical Practitioners Association.  Congratulations Martin on a well earned championship.  You were the best in a very tough Elite division.  Merci beaucoup!
 
Dave Kraehling of Mississisagua, Ontario finished in third place in the Elite Division.
 
Len Mecca of Cherry Hill New Jersey defeated John Power in the First Division finalLen is coming off of his NYCTHA Classic League First Division championship
 
The NYCTHA Classic league had three of its players, Lou Marinoff, Roger Owens and Greg Scoma finish in the top 10.  Congratulations to each of them. Lou Marinoff was especially impressive, defeating the top ranked player in Quebec, Patrick Cote, on this day.
 
 Some photos of the tournament, courtesy of CPTHL champ Steve Dowell, can be seen by clicking on "Photo Album" Then clicking on"NY City International Classic by Steve Dowell." 
 
I want to thank all 22 players who showed up and competed, especially those players who were able to stay on to the end and compete for their final ranking position.  While the day was not perfect, it was a special event that was the culmination of a lot of hard work and without your support would not have been possible. 
 
Special thanks to Martin Labelle for his work with the stats and format.  Adam Zawislak for his work--you have always been there for me and really went the extra mile yesterday.  Mike Caponetti for his computer work; The Applied Philosophical Practitioners Association for donating the $500 prize money; Greg Scoma for his all-around assistance and persistence; All of the Canadian players for their participation and support.  Dave Kraehling for his help setting up the scorers table and support.  The Aviator Sports and Recreation staff for their hard work and accommodating us. And of course the great Sal Capizzi for the terrific tournament website and his assistance.  Sal makes great websites and other table hockey stuff like logos and players; visit his site at Capizzi Web Designs at
 
 
 
Finally thanks to all of the players for making a dream/vision that Lou, Greg and I had about putting on a coleco tournament with the best players in the best city in the world, NY City, come true! 
 
 
 
 

NYCTHA Opening Day 2007-2008

October 10, 2007

On NYCTHA Classic League Opening day Five diehards rumbled for three round robins and
nothing was settled until the last second of OT of the final match.  Upsets in each round led to
a volatile shift in the standings at days end. 
The "Ferocious Five" are (from left) Lou Marinoff, Adam Zawislak, Anthony Sciacca and
Roger Owens; JP takes a knee.
Get in the Picture!  NYCTHA Classic League Date II is Saturday November 3rd.



New York City Table Hockey Association Classic League Opening day 2007-2008 was all about the quality of the players and the tight competition.  Nobody gave an inch all day long. 
 
For example, in the first round robin, the two Classic League rivals Lou Marinoff and Roger Owens faced off right away in game 1 and Roger shocked Lou 6-2--so you're thinking Roger is going to be unbeatable eh?  A little later in the first round Roger takes a loss as JP lucks out in the season's first overtime match 1-0 . . . and the upsets continued throughout the day.  Lou Marinoff, who suffered only 3 defeats in 100 matches last season suffered another loss--in OT no less--to third rate JP 4-5.  Roger took Lou again in round two, 4-3, to rebound from his upset to JP.
You want to know how tough opening day was?  A red hot Roger Owens entered the third round robin with a 7-1 record, only to lose three in a row to finish the day 8-4.  Lou Marinoff took Roger's spot as the top dog on this day, finishing at 9-3 despite his rocky start, and even though he lost 2 out 3 to his rival.
 
Other upsets on this day: Adam Zawislak took down Roger Owens 4-1 and Anthony "Was that an in-and-out?" Sciacca took down JP, fresh off the heels of his OT upset, 1-0.  Adam gutted out a 1-1 draw with JP, knocking him down to third place (rats!) to finish out one of the most intense days of competition in NYCTHA history.  Many rivalries were renewed and some were started on this day . . . . if you failed to show, well, it was really somethin'!
 
Thanks Adam, Lou, Roger Anthony .  It was a rough start, but we made into something special guys: Thanks A LOT!
 
NEW YORK CITY TABLE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION CLASSIC LEAGUE FINAL STANDINGS DATE ONE SATURDAY OCTOBER 6th, 2007;Brooklyn, NY
Player W L T Points Points% GF GA Diff GFPG GAPG
Lou 9 3 0 18 .750 60 29 31 5.0 2.42
Roger 8 4 0 16 .667 50 29 21 4.16 2.42
JP 7 4 1 15 .625 37 32 5 3.08 2.67
Anthony 3 9 0 6 .250 20 59 -39 1.67 4.92
Adam 2 9 1 5 .208 29 47 -18 2.42 3.92
Shutouts:
Lou-3; Roger 1; John 1; Anthony 1.
Overtime wins:
John-2.
 
A big thanks to Mike who stopped by and refereed a few matches--see you in November Mike!
 
The newest addtion to the New York City Table Hockey Association Classic league . . . .
Custom Vintage 5380 by Rich Thill  scrounger4@comcast.net
This beauty is fast, smooth, brand new surface, metal boards, and custom stickers including NYCTHA logo.  A most welcome addition to any passionate table hockey players' lineup!

"Table Hockey is a Growing Sport" or "Table Hockey, Not Prozac!"

  
 


About the Video:
ESOMAR is the world organisation for enabling better research into markets, consumers and societies. ESOMAR’s aim is to promote the value of market and opinion research in illuminating real issues and bringing about effective decision-making.- source ESOMAR's 2007 Annual Conference Programme.
 
As the keynote speaker, Dr. Marinoff adroitly uses table hockey as a means to promote the application of philosophy and the merits to his audience's and the public's social and personal well-being by explaining the the merits of the sport, as well as linking the marketing opportunities to his audience of marketer researchers. The New York Times called Dr. Lou Marinoff “the world’s greatest marketer of philosophical counseling.”
 
Enjoy the video and celebrate with us our new found video capabilities!!!


NYCTHA & Dr. Marinoff
The New York City Table Hockey Association (NYCTHA) is honored and proud to count Dr. Marinoff as Honorary Commissioner, league officer and  2006-2007 Champion. In this video, Dr. Marinoff articulates how philosophy and table hockey can improve our lives. He also discusses the opportunities for table hockey to grow in North America and around the world.

Dr. Marinoff is situated perfectly, as someone who has the knowledge, logic and speaking ability to present a cogent arguement. With his abilities and being situated at the nexus of applied philosophy and table hockey, he can present to us the real-life social and personal benefits to playing table hockey and at the same time serve to grow and market this sport. Currently, Dr. Marinoff is in 1st Place in the NYCTHA's Classic Division and recently achieved Top 10 status in the Canadian province of Quebec.
 
Background
Dr. Lou Marinoff, conducts Philosophical Counseling for Individual Clients, counseling a range of clients, on issues including ethics, decisions, dilemmas and constructive change. He offers keynote speeches, workshops ansd retreats based on the ABCs of any issue your organization wishes to address. The ABCs are the teachings of Aristotle, Buddha and Confucius.
 
Dr. Marinoff publishes regularly in decision theory, ethics, philosophical practice, and other scholarly fields. He is the author of two international bestsellers: Plato Not Prozac (HarperCollins, NY, 1999) published in twenty-five languages, and Therapy for the Sane (aka The Big Questions, Bloomsbury, NY and London, 2003) published in a dozen languages. His textbook, Philosophical Practice (Academic Press, NY, 2001), provides a more technical “insider’s view” of the profession. His latest popular book, The Middle Way, is forthcoming in many languages.
 
His pioneering endeavors have received national and international media attention. In demand world-wide as a counselor, consultant and speaker, Lou is helping to promote a philosophical renaissance in the global village.

Thanks Players For A Terrific Inaugural NYCTHA Classic League Season!

 
These are the players who showed up on Saturday April 28th and made the Aviator Sports Complex in Brooklyn NY Rock! (James Friedl had to leave prior to photo; banner logo by Sal Capizzi of the WTHL: Thanks Sal!)
From Left:
Roger Owens (Joseph Owens in front), Anthony Sciacca, Len Mecca, Lou Marinoff, Jerome Ellison, JP, Adam Zawislak, Nicholas Galatitoto, Bill Galatioto, Greg Scoma.
 
Each of these players made the day a special one and I really appreciate their support.  Thanks Guys!
 
NYCTHA Classic Cup Champion Lou Marinoff has written an article on his first Championship victory in 24 years: read all about it at: http://www.loumarinoff.com/a tale of two trophies.htm
 
Thanks Lou for your great play and terrific article!

Lucky Seven Opens NYCTHA Metal Munro League.

December 7, 2009
Seven lucky players banged out 42 matches over two round robins on a pair of old-time metal (circa 1964) munro games Saturday December 5th at Peggy O'Neill's in Coney Island NY.  Lou Marinoff won the day going undefeated, while JP finished 2nd and South Jersey Bubble Hockey League www.njbubblehockey.org impresario John Gaffney finished 6-6  for 3rd place.  All in all 379 goals were scored, an average of 9.02 per match--those five inch munro nets are tough to cover!
 
Lou picked up where he left off, coming off his NYCTHA Classic League Championship in May, scoring goals when needed and winning all the loose puck battles.  Sweeping JP (10-3, 6-4) and Tony Iommi Cup champ Edworld (4-1, 8-5) was most impressive and showed his munro muscles.  Lou was also the day's best referee, never complaining about taking on the chore, providing in-game analysis and play by play in addition to strict but fair rule enforcement.  Bravo Lou and thanks for everything!
 
JP was so happy to be back in Coney Island with the boys after a too-long layoff.  The rumble of the games--like only metal munro games can--was music to his ears and he got off to a good start winning five straight.  But then he ran into a geared-up Lou Marinoff and took a 3-10 beatdown; JP stumbled into the 2nd round robin winning three and tieing one, but that was good enough for 2nd overall.  Seeing the guys and getting back on the games is good enough for him . . . lets see who finishes 2nd on January 2nd. 
 
John Gaffney took the high road in more ways than one up to Brooklyn to get on a game  he's never played before against a group of guys he barely knows--and finishes in third place!  John had terrific wins over Tony Iommi Cup champ Edworld (6-2), NYCTHA vet Anthony (6-3, 10-3) and a whopper of a match versus NYCTHA  slugger  John F. (6-2).  What other player comes from a Chexx Bubble Hockey league to play on another game in another city??? None other than John Gaffney.  After John started his trip back to his bubble hockey complex in south jersey, the NYCTHA players were asking "where did this guy come from?" The real question IS "Will this guy come back?"  We hope so!  Thanks John.
 
John F. continues his unwavering support of all things NYCTHA, showing up this time for some heavy metal munro.  John was a tough opponent all day long with a better 2nd round robin than his first.  Winning four in a row with big wins over NYCTHA rival Edworld (6-5), a barnburner of a win over John Gaffney (8-7) and a dramatic come-from-behind (2-5 at one point) tie (6-6) versus JP.  If this player could get more consistency in his game, he would be a major threat to win a date.  As it is, JohnF. supported NYCTHA with his usual zest, taking great photos (like the one above--check out where the puck is!) and providing great atmosphere.  Thanks John!
 
Anthony Sciacca made his long awaited return to the NYCTHA, appearing for the 1st time since the Classic League Playoffs in May, and man were we glad to have him!  Mr. "Bodycheck" (formerly known as "Was that an in and out? Sciacca") utilized his famous box defense and set up his low tips to the tune of a 5-7 finish, sweeping Tony Iommi Cup Champ Edworld (3-2/5-2), then asking him "You're the munro champ here?" (a rare flash of braggadocio from this super -polite player--but then the metal munro game does get the juices flowing!).  Thanks Anthony for your support and we hope you can make it on January 2nd.
 
Edworld baffles the pundits . . . Coming off his Tony Iommi Cup Championship in September, and the only player to defeat John Medema in the Hegewisch Cup November 14th, you would think this player would be hell-bent for leather and collect some munro scalps . . . but it wasn't to be on this day.  Edward gets swept by Lou Marinoff (1-4/5-8) and loses a blood and guts match with his NYCTHA rival John F. (5-6).  It wasn't all bad for Ed though, he did knock down his pesky wise-ass of a brother in dramatic fashion (down 1-4 he wins 6-5).  Will the real Edworld please stand up?  January 2nd is a big date for this player . . . . .
 
Rollicking Ray Ruiz  showed his support for NYCTHA and we sure are happy for it!  This player was the 1st to arrive at the venue and was always the 1st to ref a game, or mark down a score.  OK, OK, he did not win a game: so what!  This is not real life, this is table hockey and table hockey is other people.  Ray had a great time and so made sure everyone else did too--cause that's the kind of folks he is.  Thanks Ray for showing up and allowing us to share in your good time!
 
Douglas Ljunkgvist was with us again for another NYCTHA Opening Day.  Last October, Douglas joined us for Vintage League Opening day and took some terrific photos as well as a brewskie or two.  He really added to the mix and we hope he can join us again this season.  Douglas is all about a great vibe and we can use that at the NYCTHA!
 
Thanks Sean, John and Maggie at Peggy O'Neill's in Coney Island.  The beer was cold, the food was great and the service perfect!
 
NYCTHA METAL MUNRO DATE II SATURDAY JANUARY 2ND.  join us!
 MORE PHOTOS IN PHOTO ALBUM UNDER METAL MUNRO OPENING DAY. (thanks John F.)
 
NYCTHA METAL MUNRO OPENING DAY FINAL STANDINGS DECEMBER 5, 2009
 
 Player GP Won Lost Tied Points Points % League Pts GF GA Difference GFPG GAPG
Lou 12  12   0   0   24 .1000

7

76 30

46

6.33 2.50
JP 12   8   3   1   17 .708

6

72 50

22

6.00 4.16
John Gaffney 12   6   6   0   12 .500

5

69 57

12

5.75 4.75
JohnF. 12   5   6   1   11 .458

4

63 65

-2

5.25 5.41
Anthony* 12   5   7   0   10 .416

3

42 58

-16

3.50 4.83
Edworld 12   5   7   0   10 .416

2

52 53

-1

4.33 4.41
Rollickin' Ray 12   0  12   0   0 .000

1

5 66

-61

0.41 5.50
* Won head to head matchup.
 
The Lucky Seven are: (from left to right) Anthony, John Gaffney, JP, Rollickin' Ray, Edworld, Lou, John F.  Thanks
guys!
 
 
 

Scorchin' Septet Sets Coney Island Ablaze.

January 4, 2010
 Player GP W  L T Pts % LPTS GF GA Dif GFPG GAPG
 Edworld 16 12 3 1 25* .781 7* 76 61 16 4.75 3.81
Lou 16 12 3 1 25 .781 6 101 51 50 6.31 3.18
JP 16 10 4 2 22 .687 5 82 57 25 5.12 3.56
John F. 16 5 11 0 10 .312 4 65 73 -8 4.06 4.56
Anthony 16 4 12 0 8 .250 3 43 79 -36 2.68 4.93
James 16 3 13 0 6 .187 2# 46 91 -45 2.87 5.68
Duke 6 3 3 0 6 .500 1 25 26 -1 4.17 4.33
* Won head to head matchup 2-1
# completed required 2 rounds, thus gets advantage.
More Photos of Date II in PHOTO ALBUM under METAL MUNRO DATE II (thanks John F.!)
 
The smoke billowed out over the historic Coney Island boardwalk after NYCTHA Metal Munro Date II was finished . . . 7 red hot competitors blasted out 51 matches over three round robins on three metal munro games.  Dogfight after dogfight resulted in Edworld finishing on top of the heap due to his 12-3-1 final record and takin' down Lou two out of three matches.  The Edworld won one match with a second left on the clock (a 5-4 win over Lou), right after he tied up his brother with 1 second left in the previous match.  Ed swept his rival John F., and went 1-1-1 against his nemesis, JP.  The stats don't jump out as impressive, but this player has the steady hand to win the close games--in the final second if need be.  With one more league date to go before playoffs, will he overtake the munro muscleman for the top spot overall?  Time will tell.
 
Lou showed up and won 12 matches for the 2nd league date in a row, but it was not enough for 1st overall.  Lou's most impressive win was his 2nd match against JP where he went down 0-4 in the opening minutes, and stormed back for a 6-5 win.  But this came on the heels of super-hard losses , with one second left versus Edworld, and on a controversial "no goal" versus James (1-2).  Lou was the high scorer and had the best defense once again, and leads the overall Munro standings with 13 League Points.  A top three finish at our final regular season date Feb. 6th will assure this player a number one ranking going into Metal Munro Playoffs in March.  Before then, Lou has to defend his championship in Las Vegas on January 24th.  Good Luck Lou!
 
JP had a little better game this time around, but 2nd half collapses against Edworld (5-5 tie/5-7 loss) and Lou (5-6 loss and 5-5 tie) denied him the top spot overall.  This player has to play a full seven minutes before too long or he will be bounced quickly from contention.  Horrific losses to Duke (4-6) and the forementioned chokes indicate an alarming pattern of in-game complacency.  But the games were rumbling, the guys were laughin' and the world was right 'cause table hockey ruled the day.  That's livin'!
 
John F. had a tough day at the office . . . . losing four one goal games, getting swept by Edworld and giving up an alarming 73 goals against is out of character for this serious up and comer.  5-11 on the day was good enough for 4th place and 4 League Points, but even John will admit that he is without a doubt more capable than that--just think, if he plays tougher D in those four games and gets a timely goal or two, he's 9-7.  Of course he was his usual self off the boards taking photos, engaging in cross-table banter and good natured trash talk, and was the day's best referee.  I think John F. will be a major spoiler on Metal Munro Date III with playoff seedings on the line and league points at a premium.  He's a battler!
 
Mr. Bodycheck was back in Coney Island with the boys supportin' the NYCTHA in his usual gentlemanly way.  He took down Edworld 6-2 and won a barnburner versus John F. 6-5, both highlights of his day, but could not find the diverse offense necessary in this league to win more consistently.  Every match is a tough match with Anthony, but until he decides he is going to mix it up on offense and defense, the results will not come.  Always the first to arrive and the last to leave, Anthony is a credit to the NYCTHA and we wish him the best of luck at Aj Sarma's Las Vegas Coleco tournament.  Have fun you High Roller!
 
James Friedl answered the call and made his NYCTHA Metal Munro League debut, and although he only had 3 wins, one of them was a 2-1 shocker versus Lou "Muscles" Marinoff.    James almost pulled off another upset but came up just short in a 6-7 match to Edworld.  James has now participated in all three NYCTHA leagues (Classic, Vintage and Metal Munro) and we are grateful for his support and competition.  We hope he can manage another appearance at Munro Playoffs in March.  Happy New Year James!
 
The Duke of Breezy Point showed up at Peggy O'Neill's after work and just before the 3rd round robin.  Opening with a 1-2 loss to Edworld, Duke closed out his day with a 6-4 shocker against JP, where he was up 4-0 at one point!  This player strolls in and finished 3-3 on the day, averaging over four goals a game for,  and vows to return for our final REGULAR season date Feb. 6th.  With his offensive style, quick hands and head feints (who head feints while playing table hockey?) The Duke is a player to be reckoned with.  You better show up on the 6th--I got some business to finish with you! 
 
Thanks Maggie our great bartender, John the excellent Chef (man those sliders were hot!) and Armando at Peggy O'Neill's for your terrific service and hospitality.  As cold as it was outside, it was nice and cozy inside and we appreciate it.
 
NYCTHA METAL MUNRO DATE II IS IN THE BOOKS.  WE HOPE TO SEE YOU FOR METAL MUNRO DATE III SATURDAY FEBRUARY 6th.
 
The "Scorchin' Septet" is (from left): John F., Edworld, The Duke, Anthony, JP, Lou, and James.  Check out that
"Honey" of a game--Munro/Sears model 944, refurbished using Dwayne Stegner design techniques.
 
 
NYCTHA METAL MUNRO STANDINGS AFTER TWO DATES 1/4/10
 
 Player        GP W L T % LGPTS GF GA Difference GFPG GAPG RKG
Lou 28 24 3 1 .875 13 177 81 96 6.32 2.89 1
JP 28 18 7 3 .696 11 154 107 47 5.50 3.82 2
Edworld 28 17 10 1 .625 9 128 114 14 4.57 4.07 3
John F. 28 10 17 1 .375 8 128 138 -10 4.57 4.92 4
Anthony 28 9 19 0 .321 6 85 137 -52 3.03 4.89 5
John Gaffney 12 6 6 0 .500 4 69 57 12 5.75 4.75 6
James 16 3 13 0 .187 2 46 91 -45 2.87 5.68 7
The Duke 6 3 3 0 .500 1 25 26 -1 4.17 4.33 8
Ray 12 0 12 0 .000 1 5 66 -61 0.41 5.50

9

Final Regular Season Date Saturday February 6th. Regular Season League Points determine seeding positions and matchups
For Metal Munro Playoffs Saturday  March 6th.
 
 
 
HEAVY METAL MUNRO, NYCTHA STYLE IN BEAUTIFUL CONEY ISLAND NY, THE HOME OF THE CYCLONES! 
 

Classic League Flashback: November 3, 2007: What A Riot!

November 3, 2007
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Fourteen warriors slugged it out in Coney Island at Peggy O'Neill's at NYCTHA Classic League
Date II on Saturday November 3rd.  It was a day of table hockey, competition and camaraderie.
Thanks guys for making it happen!
(from left: Standing: Anthony Sciacca, John Gaffney, James Friedl, Len Mecca, Bill Galatioto,
JP, Edward Power, Lou Marinoff, Nicholas Galatioto; Kneeling from left: John Labianca, Roger
Owens, Greg Scoma and Steve Dowell.  Adam Zawislak had to leave before photo was taken).
 
NYCTHA Classic League Date II was our biggest regular season date thus far with 14 players coming
out to support us and play some top-notch table hockey.  Players traveled from as far as Las Vegas (John
Labianca) and New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania (Steve Dowell). The level of play in this league has grown
enormously, and while there were upsets, Lou Marinoff continued his winning streak and took first place
overall once again for the second straight league dateLou blew the doors off a hot  JP who entered his
match with Lou undefeated, only to fall 1-11 in the battle for first overall on the day.  Congrats Lou !
 
Making their NYCTHA Classic League debuts were CPTHL Champ Steve Dowell from New Bloomfield, Chexx champ John Gaffney from Burlington, NJ, and John Labianca of Las Vegas.  Each player added talent and class to the NYCTHA Classic league and we are so fortunate to have their company and support.  Please come again, Gents
 
The intense Bill Galatioto continued his hot play (first overall in the NYCTHA Playoff round robin last
April) defeating his fellow Buffalonian Greg Scoma and finishing 5th overall on the dayRoger Owens
once again defeated Lou Marinoff  and finished the day with 11 wins for another impressive day at the
boards.  This player is on the cusp of a first place overall finish, and with a few bounces--especially against
league nemesis EdWorld Power (he is known to slick up the rod-tips with chicken grease prior to his
matches against Roger) --could very well unseat the Champ.  Greg Scoma was not expected to be at
NYCTHA date II but felt the urge to merge with his fellow players and traveled in on the red-eye flight
from Colorado to NY , rested up in his rental car across the street from the venue prior to surprising
us at Peggy O'Neill's on Saturday morning.  Greg did a great job on the stats and despite some wonky
scheduling due to no-shows and late arrivals, managed the day in his usual competent manner.  Thanks Greg
for going the extra mile for the NYCTHA!
NYCTHA prodigy Nicholas Galatioto continued his table hockey development playing outstanding
defense and displaying classy sportsmanship with a 2.69 goals against average and winning five matches;
Nick is the future of table hockey in the tri-state area and is a wonderful represenative of the sport
of table hockey.  Each of the players are impressed with his terrific attitude and really enjoy his
company.  Now all he needs to do is knock off his dad--I guess he is waiting for playoffs for this!
Keep up the great work Nick and Bill--we love to see you at the NYCTHA!
 
Each player played roughly 13 matches ( there were some forfeits unfortunately for the first time in league
history) but overall the day was feisty and fun.  Edward Power made his return to NYCTHA and even
won four in a row at one point, including an upset over NYCTHA powerhouse Roger Owens.  I am so
grateful for all the support I received from every single one of the players and of course our beautiful,
kind and just plain sweet hostess Melissa from Peggy O'Neill's: thanks for making our players feel welcome!
DATE II
Shutouts: Len, 4; Greg, 2; Lou, 2; Edward, 2; Nick, 1; Bill, 1.
OT Wins: Len, 2; Steve, 1; Roger, 1; JP, 1; John Gaffney, 1.
 
NYCTHA Date III is Saturday December 8th at Peggy O'Neill's in Coney Island.  We drop the puck at
11:30AM.  Contact me if you want to play! colecojohnny@yahoo.com
 
NYCTHA powerhouse Roger Owens (right) takes on NYCTHA 2007 first division champ Len
Mecca (left) during NYCTHA Classic League Date II in Coney Island NY.  Greg Scoma--
who traveled Friday night from Colorado to play with us on Saturday--is the referee.  Greg
did a great job on the stats and schedule--thanks Greg! Oh, Roger won the match 5-4 in OT.
Get in the picture!  Join us for NYCTHA Classic League Date III on Saturday December 8th.
 
NEW YORK CITY TABLE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION CLASSIC LEAGUE RANKINGS AFTER
DATES I & II
 
Player GP Won Lost Tied Points% GF GA Dif GFPG GAPG Dates played Rank
Lou 25 21 4 0 .840 156 52 104 6.24 2.08 I,II 1
JP 25 19 5 1 .780 88 63 25 3.52 2.52 I,II 2
Roger 25 19 6 0 .760 114 66 48 4.56 2.64 I, II 3
Greg 13 9 4 0 .692 42 30 12 3.23 2.31 II 4
Bill 13 8 5 0 .615 51 45 6 3.92 3.46 II 5
Len 13 7 5 1 .577 36 36 0 2.77 2.77 II 6
Anthony 25 7 18 0 .280 54 115 -61 2.16 4.60 I,II 7
Edward 13 5 6 2 .462 24 34 -10 1.85 2.62 II 8
Steve 13 5 7 1 .423 40 46 -6 3.08 3.54 II 9
Nicholas 13 5 8 0 .385 31 35 -4 2.38 2.69 II 10
John "Labs" Labianca 13 4 8 1 .346 31 64 -33 2.38 2.69 II

11

Adam 25 4 20 1 .180 51 85 -34 2.04 3.40 I, II 12
John Gaffney 13 3 9 1 .269 36 51 -15 2.77 3.92 II 13
James Friedl 13 1 12 0 .077 22 56 -34 1.69 2.92 II 14
Remember that the NYCTHA tiebreaking system ( love it or leave it, folks) is: WINS;
POINTS PERCENTAGE; HEAD TO HEAD. 
Shutouts:
Lou 5; Len 4; Greg 2; Edward 2;  Roger 1; JP 1; Anthony 1; Nick 1; Bill 1.
OT Wins:
JP 3; Len 2;  Steve, Roger,  John Gaffney-1.

Len Mecca is the NYCTHA Breezy Point 5340 Champion!

June 25, 2008
Len Mecca is the NYC king of vintage table hockey
 
Who said vintage table hockey is dead?  On Saturday June 21st, 7 players got together in Breezy Point, NY to see who would be the best player on the Eagle 5340 with the metal men with plastic sticks--as authentically vintage as you can get in North America.
 
The New York City Table Hockey Association organized this rare vintage table hockey event utilizing three 5340 slot pattern games that we will be using for our NYCTHA Vintage League that will open up in Ocotber of 2008.  The players played a double round robin (12 games) of ten-minute matches (plus one minute OT if necessary).  42 round robin and 15 playoff matches were played on this beautiful sunny Breezy Point day. 
 
Len Mecca had a pretty good round robin, finishing 9-3, leading the pack in goals scored at 47, and had wins over Steve and JP.  Len then finished off a tough JP in a grueling 3 game series, 4-2, 3-5, 3-2OT and then met the day's hottest player Steve Dowell who was 13-1 coming into the finals.  Len shut him out in game one 3-0, then Steve came back to win game two in OT, 3-2.  Len dug deep into his bag of tricks in game three, jumping out to a 2-0 lead; Steve fought back to make it 2-1 and thought he scored a goal on a freeze to make it 2-2, but the puck was frozen according to the rules so the goal did not stand.  Len quickly scored a goal to make it 3-1 and thats were it ended.  Len won the Breezy Point 5340 in front of his daughter Laurel, to make it even more special.  Congratulations Len Mecca: you are a worthy champion, and a  bona-fide NYCTHA supporter. 
 
 
Steve Dowell mowed down the competition in the double round robin, finishing 11-1.  Steve had the fewest goals against (17) and had wins over JP (2-0; 2-1) and Len (3-2).  He then met an extremely tough and much improved Jerome in the semifinals, but Jerome was no match for Steve (2-1; 1-0).  Then Steve hit the brick wall that was Len, losing in the finals, but forcing a third game with a gritty, gutty game two OT win.  With a few bounces Steve could have been the champ on this day, but it was not meant to be.   Thanks Steve for your support and for installing the glass on a game prior to the second round robin, which he finished 6-0. 
 
JP had his hands full on this day: running a historic table hockey tournament while playing in it was no easy task.  But it was worth it.  He played a total of 18 ten minute matches on this day, 3 solid hours behind the rods on the 5340 with the MMWPS (his favorite combination).  JP finished at 7-5 after the double round robin, with a big win over Len in the first round robin and an epic battle against Steve in the 2nd round, a 1-2 loss.  In the first round of the playoffs he met  Joe, a player whose game improved with every single match.  JP took game one 6-1, and then took game two 4-0.  JP then met his nemesis Len Mecca in the Semifinals.  Len put JP out in game 3 after a full three minutes of OT.  This was the most fun JP had playing table hockey. Thanks to all the players for making it happen.
 
 
Jerome is from Philadelphia.  He is a tough player, but never a bully.  This player had no experience at all on the 5340 with the MMWPS, but he learns fast and has enough pride in his game to learn from his mistakes.  As a result, he was a different player in the second round robin than he was in the first; and even better in playoffs--where he went all the way to the semis. Jerome went 4-6-2 with a big win over JP (2-0) in the second round robin.  Jerome met James in the First Round and eliminated him  in two (1-0/2-1) and then met Steve in the semifinals, but could not slow down the Marauder, losing in two: 1-2/0-1.  Jerome then took on JP in the third place match and lost 2-1.  Fourth place ain't no disgrace!  Good job Jerome!
 
James Friedl is an NYCTHA Classic League veteran.  Winner of the 2006-2007 Most Gentlemanly Player award, James missed NYCTHA Classic League Playoffs on April 26th due to a college reunion.  So he was champing at the bit to play some table hockey when he showed up at the Breezy Point 5340.  James went 3-7-2 in the double round robin, with a big win over JP (2-1) and a nice 4-4 tie versus a hot Jerome.  James and Joe were tied for 5th at the conclusion of the second round robin, and so had to play a five-minute playoff match for fifth: James won this dogfight 3-2 to earn a bye into the first round of the playoffs, where he met Jerome in a continuation of this NYCTHA Classic League rivlary.  This time, Jerome prevailed in two (0-1/1-2), but James proved to us all that he ain't no easy game on the vintage MMWPS.  Thanks James for your rock-solid support and great attitude. 
 
Joe Gurney was making his Breezy Point debut.  Driving all the way in from Central PA with Steve Dowell, Joe had made an impressive NYCTHA Classic League appearance back in February and was ready for some vintage NYCTHA style.  Like Jerome, Joe has pride in his game and so is always improving.  I met him in the first round and he was up on me 1-0 late in the 2nd half when he made a tough mistake, putting the puck in his own net.  He then lost that match in OT, but bounced back in the round robin to paste Jerome 6-2 and shut out Edward 5-0.  Joe finished 3-7-2 and dropped the 5th Place Playoff match and so had to face Edward in the preliminary round.  Joe came back from a 1-3 defecit to win game one 4-3 and then finished off an improving Edward 3-2 to move onto the 1st Round.  Joe met JP in the 1st round and lost two tough matches, 1-6 and 0-4.  I hope this player has the time to come back and visit us at the NYCTHA--he has the passion, skill and attitude to fit right in with us.
 
Edward is always there for NYCTHA.  Case in point: he never played the vintage 5340 with MMWPS.  And once he did, he declared he did not prefer these men.  But he loves table hockey, his fellow players, and we need him because he is the life of the party!  Poor Edward went 1-9-2 in the double round robin with a big win over Len (2-1) and a tough OT loss versus JP where he scored 3 goals in 17 seconds to send the match into OT before losing 6-5.  Edward then met Joe in the Preliminary round where he jumped out to a 3-1 lead in game one before losing 3-4 and then dropping game two 2-3.  Ed, you're a better player than your record and you're an MVP to me. Thanks my brother!
 
Thanks to the Power family for all that you did.  Thanks to Anthony Sciacca for all that you did.  Thanks to Dwayne Stegner for all your assistance and inspiration.  Thanks to Rich Thill for all your assistance and inspiration.  Thanks to Jim Rzonca for your assistance and inspiration.  Thanks to Edward Power for your assistance, inspiration and guidance.  Thanks Susan Keegan for your assistance.  Thanks to all the players for making this day the best day I've ever had playing table hockey.  Table Hockey is other people and you guys really went the extra mile for me.  Muchas gracias amigos!
 
photos from the Breezy Point 5340 can be found by clicking on Photo Album; click on Breezy Point 5340.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Winners Announced - Glenn Anderson's “Hockey New Media Awards"

 
 
June 17, 2009

Dear Hockey Fans, Writers, and other Pioneers of the New Media Frontier,

It is with great privilege that I am writing to you today from Las Vegas to announce the winners of the First Annual Hockey New Media Awards.

Over the past year the burgeoning success of new media in sports has been something that I have viewed with great interest and intrigue. And perhaps no other sport has been as successful in using new media to its full advantage as hockey. This success is a credit to the thousands of devoted writers, video producers, fans, and other online "connectors" that have given hockey a surge of new life on the web.

With that said, I am excited to present the 2009 award winners each through a series of videos we recorded on Monday from Central Park in New York City. A big thanks to my fellow judges Eric McErlain, James Mirtle, and Scott Taylor for sharing their insight and opinion on the field of candidates, and to our sponsors Zamboni and "Glenn's Global Games" for helping to provide great prizes for our recipients.

Congratulations to all the recipients and nominees for a job well done! We look forward to seeing great things from you during the upcoming season.

Until next year, have an ice day and score your goals!

Glenn Anderson
-----------------------------

To read the whole article and follow on to some great links read Scoma's Editorial (top left corner of this page) or go to:
 
By the way, here's our own NYCTHA President John Power and NHL HOFer Glenn Anderson, squaring off on the table hockey board.

 

BREEZY POINT 5340 FINAL STANDINGS AND STATS

June 25, 2008
FINAL STANDINGS AFTER DOUBLE ROUND ROBIN
Player GP W L T Points % GF GA Dif GFPG GAPG
Steve 12 11 1 0 22 .916 44 17 27 3.67 0.92
Len 12 9 3 0 18 .750 47 21 26 3.92 1.75
JP 12 7 5 0 14 .583 36 34 2 3.00 2.83
Jerome 12 4 6 2 10 .417 21 30 -9 1.75 2.50
James 12 3 7 2 8* .333 19 37 minus18 1.58 3.08
Joe 12 3 7 2 8 .333 30 34 -4 2.50 2.83
Edward 12 1 9 2 3 .167 18 42 -24 1.50 3.50
*won 5th place playoff match 3-2.
 
 
 
jerome (left) and steve duke it out in the semifinals.  Steve won series 2-0.
BREEZY POINT 5340 PLAYOFF RESULTS
Preliminary Round (#6 v.#7) All series best of three.
#6 Joe v. #7 Edward:
Joe 4 Edward 3
Joe 3 Edward 2
Joe Advances to 1st Round
 
Edward (left) lines up a center shot as Joe centers his goalie
 
1st Round  (#3 v. #6, #4 v. #5) All series best of three.
#3 JP v. # 6 Joe                                            #4 Jerome v. #5 James
JP 6 Joe 1                                                         Jerome 1 James 0
JP 4 James 0                                                    Jerome 2 James 1
JP Advances 2-0                                              Jerome Advances 2-0
 
Semifinals (#1 v. #4; #2 v. #3)
#1 Steve v #4 Jerome                                    #2 Len v #3 JP
Steve 2 Jerome 1                                               Len 4 JP 2
Steve 1 Jerome 0                                               JP 5 Len 3
Steve Advances 2-0                                           Len 3 JP 2 OT
                                                                            Len Advances 2-1
Third Place Match (#3 JP v #4 Jerome)
JP 2 Jerome 1
JP wins third place
 
NYCTHA BREEZY POINT 5340 FINALS (best of three)
Len 3 Steve 0
Steve 3 Len 2 OT
Len 3 Steve 1
Len Mecca wins NYCTHA Breezy Point 5340: 2-1
 
Final Rankings
1. Len
2. Steve
3. JP
4. Jerome
5. James
6. Joe
7. Edward
 
Jerome (left) and Edward battle it out on the Rich Thill Custom 5340
If you would like to join the fun and try out the Eagle metal men with plastic sticks on the 5340, we will be having a Vintage League beginning October 2008.  To sign up, email colecojohnny@yahoo.com
 

NYCTHA Classic League Final Playoff Rankings cont.

Player Dates Played GP W L T Pts% GF GA Dif GFPG GAPG tournament points Playoff seeding points Playoff Ranking
John "Fitz" Fitzpatrick 2 35 6 21 8 .286 44 109 -65 1.26 3.11 60 (50,10) 17.1 15
"Slammin" Adam Zawislak 1 16 5 8 3 .406 31 36 -5 1.94 2.25 30 (30) 12.1 16
John "Giacomin" Poulianos 2 40 2 31 7 .137 32 115 -83 0.8 2.87 30 (20,10) 4.1 17
Dante Handel 1 24 3 20 1 .146 29 78 -49 1.21 3.25 10 (10) 1.4 18

The top six players automatically qualify for Second round Quaterfinals.
Players 7-18  will play a double round robin starting at 11:30 AM on Saturday April 28th for the final two Elite Division Playoff berths.  Top two players will advance to Elite Second Round Quarterfinals.
 
Remaining players from playoff round robin will be placed into Second Division and will play for NYCTHA Second Division Championship.
 
Four eliminated teams from Elite Second Round Quarterfinals will be placed into First Division and play for Empire Cup.
All players will have something to play for on Saturday April 28th!  Join us at our new venue, The Aviator Sports and Recreation Complex on Flatbush Avenue in the town Ralph Kramden made famous, BROOKLYN USA!
Player GP W L T Points Points% GF GA Diff GFpg GApg Tournament Points Dates attended Rank
Eric Nichols 19 1 18 0 2 .053 8 71 -63 0.42 3.73 10 & 1 15&
John Poulianos 16 0 14 2 2 .000 7 46 -39 0.44 2.90 10 1 16
&More wins; achieves higher ranking based on first tiebreaker
 
Player Rank and Playoff seed determined by Tournament Points.  First tiebreaker is Wins; 2nd is Head to Head; Third is Points Percentage.  NYCTHA Playoffs are Saturday April 28th.  All players who have participated are welcome to join us on this historic day.

NYCTHA Classic League Stats After Six Dates continued

Player
Dates played
GP
W
L
T
Pts
%
GF
GA
Diff
GFPG
GAPG
Tournament points
 
John Fitzpatrick
2
35
6
21
8
20
.286
44
109
-65
1.26
3.11
60 (50,10)
 
Adam Zawislak
1
16
5
8
3
13
.406
31
36
-5
1.94
2.25
30 (30)
 
John Poulianos
2
40
2
31
7
11
.137
32
115
-83
0.8
2.87
30* (20,10)
 
Dante Handel
1
24
3
20
1
7
.146
29
78
-49
1.21
3.25
10 (10)
 
* Indicates fewer wins
Players Gallagher, Elkans, Nichols have been taken off rankings due to retirement from league.
Tournament points awarded each week based upon player standing and number of players who have shown up and played.
 

NYCTHA Date IV: Dogfight In Progress!

James Friedl battles hard during NYCTHA League Date IV against league tough guy Greg Scoma.
James and Greg are two of our Original Members--otherwise known as the "Magnificent Seven."
 

TABLE HOCKEY TAKES OVER THE WHARF!

November 19, 2006
The Wharf Bar and Grill was the Table Hockey Capitol of NYC on Saturday November 18th as 9 die-hard players met up and played a rock solid 3-1/2 hours of table hockey.  Two new players came out from "the Island" and got 2 round robins in (16 matches) while the "Silver Seven" of NYCTHA Date I played a third for a total of 22 matches. 

Totals for the day, Nov 18, 2006

 Player

GP

wins

losses

ties

Points

goals
for

goals against

diff

GF ave

GA ave

Shut Outs

Tournament Points

1

 Marinoff

22

19  

39

94 37 57 4.27 1.68

3

90

2

 Scoma

22

18  

36

92

36 56 4.18 1.64

3

80

3

 Power, J.

22

13  

30

72 46 26 3.27 2.09

4

70

4

 Owens

22

12  

27

69 47 22 3.14 2.14

3

60

5

 Freidl

22

3  

10 

15

33 63 -30 1.50 2.86

2

50

6

 Power, E.

22

6  

14 

14

31 57 -26 1.41 2.59

3

40

7

 Ellison

22

 5   14 

13

42 73 -31 1.91 3.32

2

30

8*

 Gallagher

16

2   11 

7

16 55 -39 1.00 3.44

1

20

9*

 Fitzpatrick

16

2   11 

7

19 54 -35 1.19 3.38

0

10

 * Positions 8 & 9 ranked based on head-to-head results

You want passion?  "Fitz" and Sean joined us on Saturday and jammed for two rounds: Fitz almost toppled NYCTHA Classic League frontrunner Lou Marinoff in the first round robin (4-4 with the buzzer beating Fitz's last shot into the net), and "Gallagher" almost beat me in a 1-1 dogfight!  Greg Scoma was hot on this day, defeating Lou Marinoff and winning two of the three round robins (with Lou winning the other). Lou is now an incredible 30-2-2 overall in NYCTHA league play.  Upsets in each round robin just added to the intensity of the intra-league rivalries which are building rapidly.  Four more dates to go . . . . . COME OUT AND JOIN US! Our NEXT DATE IS SATURDAY DECEMBER 16th.
 
It was a phenomenal turnout and an outstanding day of table hockey.  THANK YOU TO THE WHARF AND TO EACH OF THE PLAYERS WHO SHOWED UP AND PLAYED.  IT WAS A GREAT TIME!
 

More on NYCTHA Classic League Date II to come . . . check back for standings, photos, highlights and "rivalries." 
colecojohnny@yahoo.com

* tournament points determine seeding positions for NYCTHA playoffs 4/28/07

NYCTHA Classic League Updated Season Rankings

November 20, 2006
The New York City Table Hockey Association has gotten off to a roaring start.
 
At NYCTHA Classic League Date I, seven players stepped up and blazed a new table hockey trail in the Big Apple.  Two round robins were played, as the gauntlet was thrown at The Wharf Bar and Grill. Rivalries were born; games were won in the final seconds; great saves won many a game; each player left everything they had on the table. 

It was a sweet beginning.  But guess what: THE BEST IS YET TO COME!
 
NYCTHA Classic League Date II picked right  up where Date I left off: top-notch competition became even more ferocious with the addition of two more players, one of whom almost knocked off NYCTHA top-dog Lou Marinoff.  There is no fear in the NYCTHA: only desire.

What will Date III on Saturday December 16th bring?  Come and see for yourself.  You'll be glad you did. 

Here are the latest updated and corrected rankings from the NYCTHA. Tournament points are up to date.

colecojohnny@yahoo.com

NEW YORK CITY TABLE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION CLASSIC LEAGUE UPDATED RANKINGS 11/20/06

        NYCTHA

 

Totals - October and November

 

 

Player

GP

Wins

Losses

Ties

Points

goals for

goals against

diff

GF ave

GA ave

Shut Outs

Tournament Points

 

1

Marinoff

34

30

2

2

62

161

56

105

4.74

1.65

6

160

 

2*

Scoma

34

24

9

1

49*

127

73

54

3.74

2.15

4

120*

 

3*

Owens

34

20

9

5

45*

114

74

40

3.35

2.18

5

120*

 

4*

Power, J.

34

19

8

7

45*

111

69

42

3.26

2.03

7

120*

 

5

Freidl

34

5

18

11

21

50

107

-57

1.47

3.15

2

70

 

6

Ellison

34

7

22

5

19

59

112

-53

1.74

3.29

3

60

 

7

Power, E.

34

7

22

5

19

44

101

-57

1.29

2.97

4

50

 

8

Gallagher

16

2

11

3

7

16

55

-39

1.00

3.44

1

20

 

9

Fitzpatrick

16

2

11

3

7

19

54

-35

1.19

3.38

0

10

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* Tournament Points tie broken was sorted first by Points earned, then second by wins.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* This page's statistics have been carefully checked against the original game sheets for accuracy and errors found on this sheet were corrected and related to the Player -vs- Player, October and November sheets. ~gbs 11/23/06

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

        NYCTHA


#Retired after second round robin on Date II
 
 January 3, 2007:
After reviewing each Date's standings and resulting Tournament Points, this chart needs some adjusting. 
JAMES FRIEDL had 30 Tournament Points after Date I; 50 points after Date II for a total of 80 Tournament Points.
JEROME ELLISON had 20 Tournament Points after Date I; 30 points after Date II for a total of 50 Tournament Points
All other totals on this chart are correct.

THE MAGNIFICENT NINE!

November 20, 2006
Here are the passionate players who made NYCTHA Classic League Date II a smashing success: some reviews:
"We had a blast!"
SEAN GALLAGHER
 
"The best league in the Northeast!"
ROGER OWENS
 
"You guys are great.  Keep it up!"
Wharf Bar and Grill Manager Maureen (thanks MO!)
 
From top left to right:
Lou Marinoff, Jerome Ellison, John Fitzpatrick, Edward Power, Sean Gallagher.
Seated from left:
James Friedl, JP, Roger Owens, Greg Scoma.
 
GET IN THE PICTURE: JOIN US FOR NYCTHA CLASSIC LEAGUE DATE IV SATURDAY JANUARY 2Oth!

Statistics "Galore" - All the NYCTHA Statistics (official), Vol. 1, No. 3

November 23, 2006 – 05:15 PM
Statistics "Galore"

(Mea Culpa. I fixed any errors, rankings and cross-referenced all of the original work to the spreadsheets and among the spreadsheets. I also added some statistical categories and automated some features to speed things up at future league-play dates and in entering and producting quality data more quickly. This is the best copy I've produced. ~gbs)

I like statistics for many reasons. One is they tell you where you are, where you've been and if you are trying to improve yourself, they give you an idea of what areas or against who you need to improve. If you look closely, statistics also tell stories.
 
If you are interested in statistics like I am, then click on "Statistics Galore" written and underlined up by title of this headline (possibly in blue on other pages), by the date and time, which will take you to Excel spreadsheets. Individual spreadsheets include a sheet for: the standings from October's play, standings from November's play, the combined results of October and November (Current Standings), and Player-vs-Player tallies.

There is an additional sheet, "All-Time," which includes games where NYCTHA players met in league and tournament play. I indicate which and provide the date and location. Tournaments include the "Montreal Classic 2" or the "Original Six." I will include the results from future tournaments such as the upcoming "Coleco Classic" to be held in Las Vegas on Tuesday, January 30, 2007.  If you are interested in going, contact us. I've included games against a few non-NYCTHA players, such as Ken Dubois or Vic Handel, because they might drop in to play some NYCTHA games, to do something interesting, and to provide some perspective. I also posted the date, location and whether the event was a tournament or league play.

I will continue to improve the statistics, maybe adding things like trendlines so you can have a picture of how you are doing over the season. If you find any errors, have comments or questions, please feel free to contact me (Sabre_in_Virginia@Yahoo.com). It took a lot of work over a few days. I hope you enjoy it!

Sincerely,
Greg Scoma
VP Classic Division, NYCTHA
 
Sabre_in_Virginia
December 19, 2006
Finish Player GP Won Lost Tied Points GF GA Tournament Points
1 Lou 20 19 0 1 39 82 15 90
2 John Power 20 12 5 3 27 65 41 80
3 Kevin Struss 16# 11 4 1 23 49 29 70
4 Edward Power 16# 8 6 2 18 31 38 60
5 Greg Scoma* 20 8 11 1 17 44 53 50
6 Jerome Ellison 20 6 9 5 17 43 56 40
7 Adam Zawislak 16# 5 8 3 13 31 36 30
8 James Friedl 20 2 14 4 8 22 60 20
9 John Poulianos 16# 0 14 2 2 7 46 10
*Had more wins to achieve first tiebreaker, therefore gets higher standing and tournament points.
# Retired after two rounds.
 

NYCTHA Date III Rocks The Wharf!

December 19, 2006
10 Players showed up at the Wharf Bar and Grill on Saturday December 16th and played some terrific table hockey.  4 new players showed up, three of which played two round robins (one had to retire early) and a dedicated group of five players stayed on and battled for a third round as the sun set on a goregous December day.
 
Adam Zawislak, Atlantic Continental Table Hockey League founder, and his sidekick from Queens, Jerry Randell, supported us and played some great table hockey.  Kevin and John from the Ronkonkoma table hockey league joined us as well.  All four players challenged 6 of the Silver Seven (Roger couldn't make this week--we miss you man!) and the new competition was great!  The overall level of play in the NYCTHA Classic League has jumped up a level or two as every single player has improved tremendously. 
 
Adam Z stepped up and tied Lou Marinoff in one of the day's surprises.  Kevin S.  tied me and later beat me in his NYCTHA debut.  We want to thank the new players for showing up and playing hard. 
 
The Ronkonkoma league will be having a "get together" on Friday Night December 22nd at the Lake Ronkonkoma VFW (55 Lakeshore Road, Lake Ronkonkoma NY) at 7pm.  Contact "Killer" Kevin Struss at srkgolf1@aol.com for more information.  I'll be in attendance and look forward to seeing you there.
 
Players are awarded tournament points based up on their final standing.  Players who stayed for the third round were rewarded for staying and earned more points than the folks who left after two rounds.  Third rounds will be here to stay in the NYCTHA since we have players who travel great distances to support us and they want to play as much table hockey as they can.  Please remember this when you attend NYCTHA Classic League Date IV Saturday January 20th at 11:30 AM.

THE NEW YORK CITY TABLE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION WOULD LIKE TO THANK VIC HANDEL FOR THE LOAN OF HIS LABELLE GAME.  THANKS VIC, YOU'RE A GOOD MAN: HOPE TO SEE YOU HERE IN 2007!
 
Below are the final standings and tournament points.  They will be updated by Greg Scoma in the days to come.
 
Below photo:
9 of the ten players who showed up and supported the NYCTHA on Classic League Date III, 12/16/06.
From left;
James Friedl; John Poulianos; Kevin Struss; Jerome Ellison; Jerry Randell (retired early); Lou Marinoff.
kneeling from left; Greg Scoma; JP; Adam Zawislak.  (Edward Power had to leave before photo.)
Thanks guys for your support!

NYCTHA Classic League Updated Rankings After Three Dates

January 3, 2007
Player GP Won Lost Tied % Points GF GA Diff GFPG GAPG Tournament Points Midseason Ranking
Lou Marinoff 54 49 2 3 .907 101 243 71 172 4.5 1.31 250 (70,90,90) 1
John Power 54 31 13 10 .574 72 176 110 66 3.26 2.04
200
(50,70,80)
2
Greg Scoma 54 32 20 2 .592 66 171 126 45 3.16 2.33
170
(40,80,50)
3
Roger Owens 34* 20 9 5 .588 45 114 74 40 3.35 2.17
120
(60,60)
4
Edward Power 50 14 29 7 .280 35 65 139 -74 1.30 2.78
110
(10,40,60)
5
James Friedl 54 7 32 15 .129 29 72 167 -95 1.33 3.09
100
(30,50,20)
6
Jerome Ellison 54 13 31 10 .240 36 102 168 -66 1.89 3.11
90
(20,30,40)
7
Kevin Struss 16# 11 4 1 .687 23 49 29 20 3.06 1.81
70
(70)
8
Adam Zawislak 16# 5 8 3 .312 13 31 36 -5 1.94 2.25
30
(30)
9
Sean Gallagher+ 16@ 2 11 3 .125 7 16 55 -39 1.00 3.44
20
(20)
10
John Fitzpatrick 16@ 2 11 3 .125 7 19 54 -35 1.19 3.40
10
(10)
11
John Poulianos 16# 0 14 2 .000 2 7 46 -39 0.44 2.9
10
(10)
12
+ won head to head matchup
* did not play NYCTHA Date III
# did not play NYCTHA Dates I & II
@ did not play NYCTHA Dates I & III
Tournament Points determine playoff seeding for NYCTHA Classic League Playoffs April 28, 2007; Two round robins are mandatory for each league date; third round robin is optional although all results are counted in overall standings and determination of seeding points: Players are rewarded for showing up and playing.
TOURNAMENT POINTS DETERMINE RANKING POSITION; EACH DATE'S TOURNAMENT POINTS EARNED ARE IN PARENTHESES UNDER YOUR TOTAL.  TOURNAMENT POINTS HAVE BEEN CHECKED AND RE-CHECKED--TOURNAMENT POINTS UNDER NOVEMBER 18TH TOTALS ARE NOT ACCURATE: go to bulletin board and view Date I Final Standings; then go back to Welcome Page and view Date II Final Standings; Finally, view Date III Final Standings: add each Date's Tournament Points for your total: For example, Jerome Ellison earned 20 Tournament Points  for Date I; 30 Tournament Points for Date II; 40 Tournament Points for date III; 20+30+40=90 Tournament Points: good for 7th overall.

PLAYERS WHO MADE DATE IV ROCK!

January 21, 2007
These are (most of!)  the players who showed up and played hard to make NYCTHA Classic League Date IV the most successful of the season so far!  We have grown from "The Magnificent Seven" back in October, to "The Mighty Eleven."
 
13 players actually showed up, 11 played, and we are expecting more growth for Date V.  The NYCTHA is growing and we are grateful for the players, and our Venue's support.
 
Not pictured above are Roger Owens, John Fitzpatrick (who gave up one goal or less in his last four matches!) and Bill Galatioto and his son.  We'll get you  SATURDAY FEBRUARY 17th at NYCTHA CLASSIC LEAGUE DATE V boys!
 
above, from top Left: James Friedl, Jerome Ellison, Raoul Elkans, Eric Nichols, Lou Marinoff, Greg Scoma.
bottom from left: Anthony Sciacca, JP, Len Mecca

TABLE HOCKEY MADNESS BLOWS INTO THE WHARF!

January 21, 2007
Player GP W L T Points Points% GF GA GD GFPG GAPG Tournament Points
Lou Marinoff 19 18 1 0 36 .947 120 21 99 6.32 1.11 110
JP 19 14 4 1 29 .763 54 29 25 2.84 1.53 100
Roger Owens 19 13 3 3 29 .763 92 42 50 4.84 2.21 90
Greg Scoma 19 13 5 1 27 .710 65 42 23 3.42 2.21 80
Len Mecca 19 9 5 5 23 .605 44 41 3 2.32 2.16 70
Jerome Ellison * 10 4 1 5 13 .650 21 13 8 2.1 1.3 60
John Fitzpatrick 19 4 10 5 13 .342 25 55 -30 1.32 2.9 50
Anthony Sciacca 19 5 12 2 12 .316 36 57 -21 1.9 3.0 40
James Friedl 19 5 13 1 11 .289 32 65 -23 1.7 3.4 30
Raoul Elkans 19 2 16 1 5 .132 23 72 -49 1.21 3.8 20
Eric Nichols 19 1 18 0 2 .052 8 71 -63 0.42 3.74 10
* Had better goal differential in second round robin
 
13 players showed up and 11 players competed in NYCTHA Classic League matches.  Only two round robins were played this week but we had THREE NEW CUSTOM COLECOS AND FOUR NEW PLAYERS join us for a long day of the beautiful game as gale-force winds pounded the Wharf.
Greg Scoma's newest boards, made by Pascal Leclerc (contact carlobossio@hotmail.com ) made their NYCTHA League debut as did table hockey fanatics Raoul Elkans and Eric Nichols (they were the first to arrive!), Bill Galatioto and his son (who played exhibition matches only due to a now-altered league rule) as well as table hockey sages Len Mecca and Anthony Sciacca (who was the last to leave!) all supported us for the first time.  I hope they come back!

The "Man" on this day was Lou Marinoff, who almost ran the table if not for Roger Owens who took him down in the first round.  Lou was obliterating players left and right and took the time to conduct an impromptu "table hockey clinic" after the games were over.  Thanks Lou!  Greg Scoma and (hopefully) Lou Marinoff will be at the Wharf at 11AM on Saturday February 17th just prior to NYCTHA Classic League Date V league play holding a table hockey clinic for all you new players.
 
The NYCTHA had the run of the Wharf on this day and we played table hockey from @11AM to 4PM.  Jerome Ellison, driving in from Philadelphia right after he finished work, arrived late but still kicked-ass losing only 1 of 10 matches and setting notice that this player is ready to be counted among the league's elite.

Jerome would like to know if he can drive in from Philadelphia, and not miss a single NYCTHA Classic League date, then why can't players who say they play table hockey show up when they live much much closer?  Good question Jerome . .  
I want to thank all of the players who showed up and traveled great distances, braving cold weather and evil traffic to support us at the NYCTHA.  Your support means EVERYTHING.  I hope to see each of you for NYCTHA DATE V ON SATURDAY FEBRUARY 17th at THE WHARF BAR AND GRILL 11:30AM. 

NYCTHA Classic League Rankings After 4 Dates

February 5, 2007

Player

GP

W

L

T

Points

Points%

GF

GA

GD

GFpg

GApg

Tournament Points

Dates played

Rank

Lou Marinoff

73

67

3

3

137

.938

363

92

271

4.97

1.26

360(110,90,90,70)

4

1

JP

73

45

17

11

101

.692

230

139

91

3.15

1.90

300(100,80,70,50)

4

2

Greg Scoma

73

45

25

3

93

.637

236

168

68

3.23

2.30

250 (80,50,80,40)

4

3

Roger Owens

53

33

12

8

74

.698

206

116

90

3.89

2.19

210(90,60,60)

3

4

Jerome Ellison

64

17

32

15

49

.383

123

181

-58

1.92

2.83

150(60,40,30,20)

4

5

James Friedel

73

12

45

16

40

.274

104

222

minus118

1.42

3.04

130(30,30,50,20)

4

6

Edward Power

50

14

29

7

35

.350

65

139

-74

1.30

2.78

110(60,40,10)

3

7

Kevin Struss

16

11

4

1

23

.719

49

29

20

3.06

1.81

70# (70)

1

8#

Len Mecca

19

9

5

5

23

.605

44

41

3

2.32

2.16

70

1

9

John Fitzpatrick

35

6

21

8

20

.286

44

109

-65

1.26

3.11

60 (50,10)

2

10

Anthony Sciacca

19

5

12

2

12

.316

36

57

-21

1.89

3.00

40

1

11

Adam Zawislak

16

5

8

3

13

.406

31

36

-5

1.94

2.25

30

1

12

Sean Gallagher

16

2

11

3

7

.219

16

55

-39

1.00

3.44

20*

1

13

Raoul Elkans

19

2

16

1

5

.132

23

72

-49

1.21

3.80

20

1

14

The Terrific Ten Lights Up The Wharf

February 17, 2007
These are the players who set the records, scored the goals, made the saves, fought the good fight and supported one another to create what was a really fun day of table hockey at The Wharf Bar and Grill on NYCTHA Classic League Date V.
Standing From Left:
Len Mecca, Edward Power, James Friedel, Bill Galatioto, Anthony Sciacca, Nick Galatioto, Lou Marinoff, Roger Owens.
Kneeling: JP, Greg Scoma
Thanks Guys and I hope to see you on March 24th!

IT ALL CAME TOGETHER AT THE WHARF ON NYCTHA CLASSIC LEAGUE DATE V

February 19, 2007
Saturday February 17th was a record-setting day of of table hockey, camaraderie and just plain good times at The Wharf Bar and Grill in Rockway Park.  Ten players showed up and played extremely hard (one player cut his hands he was playing so hard) resulting in a record 135 matches played.  The Terrific Ten played three rounds of coleco 5380 after a table hockey clinic was given by Lou Marinoff prior to the first round robin.  Lou kept up his clinic winning 27 straight  (and I had tied him up 3-3 with less than 10 ticks on the clock in our third round match!) to set another NYCTHA Classic League record.  Bill and Nick Galatioto made their NYCTHA Classic League debuts and played a record 27 matches.  It was perhaps the greatest Date of our first season, and since each league date has been better than the last, I cannot wait to see what happens on NYCTHA CLASSIC LEAGUE DATE VI SATURDAY MARCH 24th!
 
We had FIVE CUSTOM COLECOS set up and were playing our first round robin by 12:15.  During the lunch break, as I tallied up the standings, I thought , well, maybe I'll just write down that we want to play a third round robin and see if half the players will stay.  EVERY SINGLE PLAYER STAYED TO PLAY FOR THE THIRD ROUND ROBIN, another NYCTHA-Classic- League- first.
 
Each of the players did their part to make this day happen.  From taking their own scores down, to encouraging each other after a  tough loss, and then staying for a third round. Everything fell into place on Saturday.  Thank you Lou and Greg for the Table Hockey Clinic, and each of the players for showing up and supporting the NYCTHA Classic League. 
above photo: Lou Marinoff  instructs his fellow players with some table hockey techniques and philosophies prior to the first round robin. 

NYCTHA Classic League Date V Final Standings

February 19, 2007
Player
GP
W
L
T
 Points
Points%
GF
GA
Diff
GFPG
GAPG
Shutouts
Tournament Points
Lou Marinoff
27
27
0
0
54
.100
151
24
127
5.59
0.89
10
100
Roger Owens
27
20
5
2
42
.778
95
52
43
3.52
1.93
5
90
Greg Scoma
27
18
8
1
37
.685
84
57
27
3.11
2.11
6
80
JP
27
16
10
1
33
.611
85
62
23
3.15
2.30
6
70
Len Mecca
27
14
11
2
30
.556
76
74
2
2.81
2.74
2
60
Bill Galatioto
27
8
15
4
20
.370
57
90
-33
2.11
3.33
2
50
Edward Power
27
8
17
2
18
.333
45
71
-26
1.67
2.63
3
40
Nick Galatioto
27
7
17
3
17
.315
37
79
-42
1.37
2.93
2
30
Anthony Sciacca
27
4
19
4
12
.222
29
96
-67
1.07
3.56
1
20
James Friedel
27
2
22
3
7
.130
30
82
-52
1.11
3.04
1
10
 
NYCTHA Records Set:
MOST MATCHES PLAYED IN ONE DATE: 135
MOST WINS BY ONE PLAYER: 27, LOU MARINOFF
MOST GOALS SCORED ONE DATE: 151, LOU MARINOFF
MOST MATCHES PLAYED IN NYCTHA DEBUT: 27; NICK GALATIOTO, BILL GALATIOTO
 

NYCTHA Classic League Updated Rankings After 5 Dates

February 19, 2007
Player Dates Played GP W L T Points Pts% GF GA Diff GFPG GAPG Tournament Points Rank
Lou Marinoff 5 100 94 3 3 191 .955 514 116 398 5.14 1.16 460 (100,110,90,90,70 1
JP 5 100 61 27 12 134 .670 315 201 114 3.15 2.01 370 (70,100,80,70,50) 2
Greg Scoma 5 100 63 33 4 130 .650 320 225 95 3.20 2.25 330 (80,80,50,80,40) 3
Roger Owens 4 80 53 17 10 116 .730 301 168 133 3.76 2.10 300 (90,90,60,60) 4
Edward Power 4 77 22 46 9 53 .344 110 209 -99 1.43 2.71 150 (40,60,40,10) 5*
Jerome Ellison 4 64 17 32 15 49 .383 123 181 -58 1.92 2.83 150 (60,40,30,20) 6
James 5 100 14 67 19 47 .235 134 304 minus170 1.34 3.04 140 (10,30,30,50,20) 7
Len Mecca 2 46 23 16 7 53 .580 120 115 5 2.61 2.50 130 (70,60) 8
Kevin Struss 1 16 11 4 1 23 .719 49 29 20 3.06 1.81 70 (70) 9
Anthony Sciacca 2 46 9 31 6 24 .261 65 153 -88 1.41 3.33 60 (20,40) 10*
John Fitzpatrick 2 35 6 21 8 20 .286 44 109 -65 1.26 3.11 60 (50,10) 11
Bill Galatioto 1 27 8 15 4 20 .370 57 90 -33 2.11 3.33 50 (50) 12
Nick Galatioto 1 27 7 17 3 17 .315 37 79 -42 1.37 2.93 30 (30) 13*
Adam Zawislak 1 16 5 8 3 13 .406 31 36 -5 1.94 2.25 30 (30) 14
February 19, 2007
Player Dates Played GP W L T Points % GF GA Diff GFPG GAPG Tournament Points Rank
Sean Gallagher 1 16 2 11 3 7 .219 16 55 -39 1.00 3.44 20 (20) 15
Raoul Elkans 1 19 2 16 1 5 .132 23 72 -49 1.21 3.80 20 (20) 16
Eric Nichols 1 19 1 18 0 2 .053 8 71 -63 0.42 3.73 10 (10) 17*
John Poulianos 1 16 0 14 2 2 .063 7 46 -39 0.44 2.90 10 (10) 18
PLAYERS RANK AND PLAYOFF SEEDING DETERMINED BY TOURNAMENT POINTS.
*More Wins; $ More points;
In cases of ranking ties, tiebreakers are: wins/points/head-to-head/points-percentage. 
Players are rewarded in the rankings if they show up and play games.  Due to fluctuations in attendance, the tournaments points system is utilized in the NYCTHA.
 

NYCTHA CLASSIC LEAGUE DATE VI FINAL STANDINGS

March 24, 2007
#
PLAYER
GP
Won
Lost
Tied
Points
GF
GA
GD
S/O
Tournament Points
1
Greg Scoma
24
21
1
2
44
110
29
81
8
130
2
Roger Owens *
24
18
4
2
38
84
50
34
3
120
3
JP *
24
17
3
4
38
94
42
52
2
110
4
Len Mecca
24
15
5
4
34
62
46
16
3
100
5
Kevin Struss *
24
14
10
0
28
91
55
36
5
90
6
Bob Cuozzo *
24
13
9
2
28
74
58
16
3
80
7
Victor Handel ^
24
10
12
2
22
60
64
-4
1
70
8
Bill ^ Galatioto
24
10
12
2
22
53
71
-18
3
60
9
Nicholas Galatioto
24
8
12
4
20
31
73
-42
2
50
10
James Friedl
24
5
17
2
12
35
76
-41
3
40
11
Anthony Sciacca
24
4
18
2
10
37
74
-37
1
30
12
John Poulianos
24
2
17
5
9
25
69
-44
2
20
13
Dante Handel
24
3
20
1
7
29
78
-49
3
10

 
* Signifies Points tie broken by total wins
^ Signifies Points tie broken by goal differential
This was our final regular season date.  All tournament points will be added to determine final playoff rankings.

NYCTHA CLASSIC LEAGUE BIDS FAREWELL TO THE WHARF!

March 25, 2007
 
The New York City Table Hockey Association Classic League held its final regular season date of 2006-07, at The Wharf Bar and Grill in Rockaway Park NY.  Thirteen players (including two father and son groups) played rock-solid table hockey from noon to five pm on 5 custom colecosThree players had undefeated first rounds on this date. Each player played 24 matches and we had a new Date Winner today, Greg Scoma of Mt. Vernon VA won 21 of 24 matches to take first place and the 130 tournament points.  Congratulations Greg! 
 
 
 
Roger Owens
was up to his old tricks; the last to arrive, he just stepped in and kicked ass winning 18 games and 120 tournament points and setting notice that he will have a say in who wins the New York City Classic Cup on Saturday April 28th.
 
 
JP had a terrific first round, but too many Sam Adams' and not enough skill resulted in a disastrous second round robin, but he still accumulated 110 tournament points.
 
Len "The Meccanisim" Mecca
 
 was extremely tough on this day, finishing 15-5-4 after an undefeated first round robin. 
 
New players Bob Cuozzo,


Victor
and Dante Handel,
 
 drove in from Connecticut and played all day, including an exhibition third round.  Thanks for your support guys and I hope to see you for playoffs.
 
Above are the players who closed out our regular NYCTHA Classic League Season at The Wharf and who made NYCTHA Classic League Date VI Rock! with passion and sportsmanship
from left:
(Standing) Bill Galatioto, Anthony Sciacca, Kevin Struss, James Friedl, Bob Cuozzo, Len Mecca, Roger Owens, Victor Handel, Dante Handel
(kneeling) John Poulianos, Nicholas Galatioto, Greg Scoma, JP
 
Thank you all for coming and for your support.  I enjoyed spending time with each of you and hope you can join us on Saturday April 28th as we play for the New York City Classic Cup.
 
 

NYCTHA Classic League Stats After Six Dates

April 3, 2007
Here are the updated statistics after VI NYCTHA Classic League Dates.
Player Dates Played GP W L T Pts % GF GA Dif GFPG GAPG Tournament Points
JP 6 124 78 30 16 172 .693 409 243 166 3.3 1.34 480 (110,70,100,80,70,50)
Lou Marinoff 5 100 94 3 3 191 .955 514 116 398 5.14 1.16 460 (100,110,90,90,70)
Greg Scoma 6 124 84 34 6 174 .702 430 254 176 3.47 1.42 460* (130,80,80,50,80,40)
Roger Owens 5 104 71 21 6 148 .711 385 218 167 3.70 2.10 420 (120,90,90,60,60)
Len Mecca 3 70 38 21 11 87 .621 182 161 21 2.6 2.3 230 (100,70,60)
James Friedl 6 124 19 84 21 59 .238 169 380 -211 1.36 3.06 180 (40,10,30,30,50,20)
Kevin Struss 2 40 25 14 1 51 .634 138 84 54 3.45 1.35 160 (90,70)
Edward Power 4 77 22 46 9 53 .344 110 209 -99 1.43 2.77 150 (40,60,40,10)
Jerome Ellison 4 64 17 32 15 49 .383 123 181 -58 1.92 2.83 150* (60,40,30,20)
Bill Galatioto 2 51 18 27 6 42 .412 110 161 -51 2.16 3.16 110 (60,50)
Anthony Sciacca 3 70 13 49 8 34 .243 102 227 -125 1.46 3.24 90 (30,20,40)
Nicholas Galatioto 2 51 15 29 7 37 .363 68 152 -84 1.33 2.98 80 (50,30)
Bob Cuozzo 1 24 13 9 2 28 .583 74 58 16 3.08 2.42 80* (80)
Vic Handel 1 24 10 12 2 22 .458 60 64 -4 2.5 2.67 70 (70)
The Silver Seven from NYCTHA Classic League Opening day:
(from Left) Roger Owens; James Friedl, Lou Marinoff, Edward Power, Jerome Ellison, Greg Scoma; (kneeling) coleco Johnny

NYCTHA Classic League Opening Day: We did it!

October 15, 2006
On Saturday October 14, 2006 seven players came together at the Wharf Bar & Grill, stepped up on 4 coleco games, played their asses off and made NY table hockey history.  Two round robins were played, rivalries were continued and begun, passion filled up the room overlooking Jamaica Bay, and the SPORT of Table Hockey was celebrated!
 
The enthusiasm of the players was remarkable.  I had founded this NYCTHA, but was the second to arrive at the venue! as Greg Scoma, NYCTHA VP and League Officer (who had traveled all the way from Mt. Vernon VA) was waiting for me in the parking lot of the Wharf. 
 
After setting up my games, James Friedl (never one to be punctual) arrived 15 minutes early!  I knew then that the players would be champing at the bit to play some top notch table hockey and that is exactly what we had.  The rest of the players trickled in, including top professionals Lou Marinoff and Roger Owens, as well as Jerome Ellison, who drove all the way from Philadelphia (over 100 miles) to play some table hockey.  Each player's passion was off the charts as we just drove through two round robins and a group meal in about 3 hours.  While there were some kinks to be worked out, things went so smoothly that Roger Owens, one of the most well-traveled and experienced players on the Planet commented that the day went "better than I had expected."  This was high praise indeed from a player I have not defeated since Februrary--but I'm getting closer! 
 
People were astonished to see us playing table hockey with such intensity.  The Venue hosts were impressed with the caliber of the players and they were grateful for our presence in their establishment.  It was a beautiful day of table hockey, camaraderie and fun.  I am expecting big things for our League Date Two on November 18th!  Hope to see you then! 
Stats and photos on the Bulletin Board.
 
Our big winner on the day was Lou Marinoff who went 11-0-1 ( I tied him and lost a tough one-goal game with 20 seconds left) while Roger Owens could not solve the DR but finished second with a record of 8-2-2.  Bravo gentlemen!
 

NYCTHA Classic League Standings: Opening Day

October 14, 2006
Player
Won
Lost
Tied
Pts
GF
GA
seeding pts.
Lou Marinoff
11
0
1
23
67
19
80 *$$ (70)
Roger Owens
8
2
2
18
45
27
60*
John Power
6
3
3
15
39
23
50*
Greg Scoma
6
5
1
13
35
37
40*
James Friedl^
2
8
2
6
15
38
30*
Jerome Ellison
2
8
2
6
17
39
20*
Edward Power
0
9
3
3
13
44
10*
 
 
* Seeding Points system still to be determined; players will keep all their seeding points if system is revamped, however.
^ Won head-to-head matchups,therefore gets higher number of seeding points.
$$: Tournament Points system adjusted 12/06: Lou finished first place in a field of 7 players: the adjustment made was that the first place finisher would win the most tournament points based upon the size of the field.  7 players X 10 points= 70 points for first place.  The "extra" ten points was deemed "un-necessary" by me after consultation with Greg Scoma, Lou Marinoff and Ron Chesick: Lou earns the most tournament points after Date I, but they have been adjusted to 70 in order to uphold the integrity of the tournament points system.
Two round robins of six matches per-player were played on Classic League Opening day (Date One); 
Players must attend 3 dates to qualify for playoffs; All seeding points will be used to determine playoff seedings; Seedings system has been adjusted as of 12/06. 
 
I want to thank each of the players for supporting the NYCTHA Classic League.  My brother and I really value our relationships with each of you.  Special thanks to Greg and Jerome for traveling great distances and for our post-league table hockey action!  The Benej is a great game and the "King Of The Mountain" Coleco Session was AWESOME.   
 
More to come on Classic League Opening day but now I must switch gears and prepare for STIGA LEAGUE OPENING DAY NOVEMBER 4TH !

"Original Six" Tournament Statistics - Enhanced, Vol. 1, No. 2

November 22, 2006 – 06:30 PM
"Original Six" Tourament Statistics - Enhanced

    I have enhanced the statistics from our "Original Six" tournament this past September. You can now see who played who in the Introductory (preliminary/round 1). Before my recent work, the spreadsheet was just letters of the alphabet versus another letter, which took some work to figure out who's who. Now you know right away.

    By the way, I have incorporated those scores and scores from tournaments where NYCTHA players have faced off against one another and placed them in the "All Time" category tab of the current NYCTHA Statistics that you can find by clicking on "Statistics Galore."

Greg Scoma
~VP Classic Division, NYCTHA
 
Sabre_in_Virginia

ORIGINAL SIX CLASSIC FINAL STATS AND REVIEW

September 11, 2006
 Here you will find the standings/stats/results/reviews of the celebration of the sport of Table Hockey that was the Original Six Classic Table Hockey Tournament, Saturday September 9, 2006. 

An extremely competitive field of 15 players played a  Preliminary Round of 14 matches on six tables (four Labelles); then the top six players got a bye while 7-14 played the Playoff Round Robin for the final two playoff seeds.

From there the top 8 played a best of five; the final four played a best of five; final four runners' up played a best of three series for third place; and the two finalists played a best of seven for the Dr. Lou Marinoff Cup.

Final tournament player rankings can be found at the bottom of the page.
All stats courtesy of Greg Scoma's hard work.  Thanks Greg!

                                                           PRELIMINARY ROUND

Player GP W L T Pts GF GA Diff
Kenny Dubois 14 13 1 0 26 84 10 74
Lou Marinoff 14 10 1 3 23 67 19 48
Roger Owens 14 9 4 1 19 43 31 12
Bob Cuozzo 14 7 3 4 18 46 32 14
Greg Scoma 14 8 5 1 17 38 33 5
John Power 14 7 5 2 16 33 28 5
Len Mecca 14 7 6 1 15 34 36 -2
Edward Power 14 5 5 4 14 26 34 -8
James Friedl 14 5 8 1 11 20 40 -20
Adam Zawislak 14 4 8 2 10 26 37 -11
Vic Handel 14 4 8 2 10 28 44 -16
Craig Sierak 14 3 7 4 10 24 53 -29
Steve Dowell 14 3 8 3 9 20 44 -24
Duke Pierce X X 2 9 3 7 14 27 -13
Joe Handel 14 2 11 1 5 19 54 -35



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 









PLAYOFF ROUND ROBIN (7-14)
 

Rank player GP W L T Pts
7 * Len Mecca 7 5 1 1 11
8* Edward Power 7 4 1 2 10
9* Steve Dowell 7 4 2 1 9
10 Vic Handel 7 3 2 2 8
11 Adam Zawislak 7 2 1 4 8
12 Craig Sierak 7 1 4 2 4
13 Joe Handel 7 1 4 2 4
14 James Friedl 7 0 5 2 2

* Len Mecca had to retire early from tournament; Edward Power takes over top spot and advances as 7th seed; Steve Dowell moves into second place and takes 8th seed.

A DIVISION BEST OF FIVE (PLAYOFFS SECOND ROUND)
1 DUBOIS v. 8 DOWELL
        5                    0
        9                    1
        4                    1
DUBOIS WINS 3-0

2 MARINOFF v. EDWARD POWER
          6                      0
          7                      2
          6                      3
MARINOFF WINS 3-0

3 OWENS v. 6 JOHN POWER
        7                     2
        4                     3 OT
        5                     3
OWENS WINS 3-0

4 CUOZZO v. SCOMA
         1                  3
         1                  4
         5                  4
         3                  2 OT
         3                  4 0T
SCOMA WINS SERIES 3-2

SEMI FINAL MATCHUPS: BEST OF FIVE.
1 DUBOIS v. 5 SCOMA
Kenny Dubois was on a roll, but so too was Greg Scoma.  Coming off his dramatic OT win in game 5 against coleco master Bob Cuozzo in a highly competitive and dramatic series which indicated the value of tournament experience to all who witnessed it,  Scoma was simply no match for the Champ. 

Game 1: Dubois 7 Scoma 2
Game 2: Dubois 7 Scoma 0
Game 3: Dubois 9 Scoma 1
Dubois advances to final, winning series 3 games to 0
Neither player had their final say on this day after this series was over.

2 MARINOFF v. 3 OWENS
This was a battle of the titans. Both players are old friends and have competed many times.  A very intense Lou Marinoff  took the lessons of a game 1 loss and applied them in game two for the victory; Roger Owens, being the consummate professional behind the rods (trust me, I lost to him four times on this day), dug a little deeper and pulled out a win in a game three Thriller.  But Dr. Marinoff's intensity was just too much for Owens who lost the last two matches as Lou seemed to just have a little bit more in the tank on this day.  Perhaps one player was fresher and dealt with the first round delays a little bit better. 
Game 1: Marinoff 3  Owens 5
Game 2: Marinoff 5  Owens 2
Game 3: Marinoff 2  Owens 3
Game 4: Marinoff 4  Owens 1
Game 5: Marinoff 4  Owens 1
 Marinoff advances to the final winning series 3 games to 2.

THIRD PLACE
With the finals set, the final award had yet to be determined.  #3 Roger Owens and #5 Greg Scoma would have to play a best-of-three for third place.
Game 1: Owens 2  Scoma 5
Game 2: Owens 4  Scoma 2
Game 3:  Scoma 8  Owens 3
Greg Scoma wins third place in the Original Six Classic.

CHAMPIONSHIP BEST OF SEVEN
1DUBOIS v. 2 MARINOFF
 The best table hockey players would now grace Breezy Point and The Original Six Classic would come to an exciting close with a highly anticipated Dubois/Marinoff matchup.  This was a dream final and the level of play was impressive, as was the passion of the two players. 
But on this day, Dubois would not be denied.  Marinoff fought the good fight like the top pro that he is, but was not ready for the powerhous that Kenny Dubois has become during his absence from the table hockey scene.
Game 1: DUBOIS 4    MARINOFF 2
Game 2:  DUBOIS 4   MARINOFF 2
Game 3: DUBOIS  6   MARINOFF 2
Game 4: DUBOIS 7    MARINOFF 2

The sheer specatacle of this matchup was enough to draw neighbors to come and check out the sport of table hockey played at a very high level.  They were not disappointed.  Kenny showed us all how this game can be played if we apply an attention to detail, a total game and a ton of will.  Congratulations Kenny.

FINAL TOURNAMENT RANKINGS/STANDINGS

Rank
Player GP W L T Pts geography
Ken Dubois 24 23 1 0 46 Worcester MA
2 Lou Marinoff 26 16 7 3 35 Hudson Valley area NY
3 Greg Scoma 25 13 11 1 27* Mt. Vernon, VA
4 Roger Owens 25 15 9 1 31 Brooklyn, NY
5 Bob Cuozzo 19 9 6 4 22 West Haven, CT
6 Edward Power 24 9 9 6 24 West Islip, NY
7 John Power 17 7 8 2 16 Breezy Point, NY
8 Steve Dowell 24 7 13 4 18* New Bloomfield, PA
9 Len Mecca^ 21 12 7 2 26 Cherry Hill, NJ
10 Vic Handel 21 7 10 4 18 West Haven, CT
11 Adam Zawislak 21 6 9 6 18 Vernon, NJ
12 Craig Sierak 21 4 11 6 14 Marysville, PA
13 James Friedl 21 5 13 3 13 Long Island, NY
14 Joe Handel 21 3 15 3 9 West Haven, CT
15 Duke Pierce ? 14 2 9 3 7 Breezy Point, NY

* Ranked by the fact they made the Quarter Finals and then by winning percentage (games played X2/points earned)
^  Had to retire before end of tournament; did not appear in third round of playoffs.
? Had to   retire before end of tournament

Thanks Greg Scoma for the Stats/Rankings.
 

ORIGINAL SIX CLASSIC NEWS UPDATE

September 17, 2006 – 11:00 PM
ORIGINAL SIX CLASSIC CHAMPION KENNY DUBOIS OF WORCESTER MASS.

The New York City Table Hockey Association was proud to hold it's inaugural event, The Original Six Classic on Saturday September 9th in Breezy Point, New York.

After phoning me Friday night around 9PM and asking me if I could "squeeze him in" into the Classic, I immediately blurted out YES PLEASE! Kenny came down to Breezy Point and showed a very talented and competitive field of classic table hockey players that he is the best all-around table hockey player in the World.

Kenny lost one game all day (to fourth place finisher Roger Owens, himself a champion) and swept a very, very intense Dr. Lou Marinoff 4-2/4-2/6-2/7-2 (another champion) to win the Original Six Classic.

A field of 15 players braved the temptations of a sunny beach day and played their asses off, tolerating some scheduling issues and format controversies, to kick off the 2006-07 New York City Table Hockey Association season.

One exciting feature of our tournament was the playoff round robin. The top six players after the preliminary round were given a bye into the second round of the playoffs; 7-14 (15 had to bow out) played a round robin to determine the final two playoff spots. This round was table hockey bliss for all the players involved. The games were dogfights and the round robin ended without a hitch. This was just the prelude to a smoothly run and skillfully played second, third and final rounds (including the 3rd place best of three) culminating in some of the finest table hockey playing I have ever witnessed (and all caught on tape) in the Grand Final between Kennny and a very intense Lou Marinoff.

While there were some bumps (only natural in an inaugural event) the players all agreed that the tournament was a success. More photos and video documentation to follow in the days and weeks ahead.

I want to thank Martin Labelle for his last-minute assistance and for his always being there for me (May God Bless you and your family Martin--you truly are a wonderful man with tremendous class) and for building these fantastic games that bring so much joy to so many people.

I want to also thank Greg Scoma for his leadership, initiative and for taking care of the standings/stats all day long. He did not have to do this. The man drove over 5 hours from Washington D.C. to play table hockey and instead had to take care of the schedule and stats in addition to playing. Greg has exhibited organizing acumen, great character, and is a hell of a player (third place!). Thanks so much Greg.

Thanks Kenny and Lou for taking the time to travel to our tournament and lending it additional panache. Both of these Gentlemen are champions off the table as well as on.

Thanks to Vic for bringing his table and for his enthusiastic support; Vic, you are a great friend; Roger Owens for attending and for stepping up and joining us in the NYCTHA: Roger, you are a great player and person and I am so fortunate to know you. Thanks man!

Thanks to my family, my brother Edward who did great! And my parents who treated the players like the special folks that they are.

Thanks to Steve Bernstein, Carlo Bossio, John Gaffney for their assistance during the days before the tournament and for their support.

Thanks finally to all the players and spectators, Cecy Friedl and Tom Mulrain, for their company and class.

Please visit the Bulletin Board and Photo album for stats/standings/photos/reviews.

NYCTHA CLASSIC TABLE HOCKEY LEAGUE OPENING DAY SATURDAY OCTOBER 14th.

NYCTHA STIGA LEAGUE OPENING DAY SATURDAY NOVEMBER 4th.

Contact me at COLECOJOHNNY@YAHOO.COM for registration and information. The first ten players to register will get a gift DVD of the table hockey champions.

My Day With Table Hockey Legend Lou Marinoff

October 1, 2006
Table Hockey is all about supporting your fellow players, so when table hockey legend Lou Marinoff invited me over to his house to get some games in as he prepares for the extremely difficult Montreal Classic tournament next weekend, I jumped at the opportunity to rub elbows with this table hockey giant.

Lou lives on the side of hill in a tiny hamlet along the Hudson River just north of New York City.   As I parked my car at the foot of the hill where Lou's house is located, I spotted wild deer roaming about.  This is a beautiful spot.

Lou greeted me warmly and after some conversation and snacks, we headed down into the game room where Lou had his Martin Labelle 5380 set up (see photo above).  We chose to play a best-of-seven series to start the day, and Lou just steamrolled me in five games:
Lou 5 JP 2; Lou 0 JP 3; Lou 5 JP 2; Lou 7 JP 4; Lou 3 JP 2.
 
The man had actually lifted his game since The Original Six Classic where he finished second against very tough competition, and was looking forward to competing in Montreal.   We took a break and chatted about the New York City  Table Hockey Association, of which he is the Honorary Commissioner.  Lou had some ideas about how the league format should be and was incredibly supportive of all my ideas concerning how we should run the NYCTHA. 

After putting on one of Lou's classical guitar albums (in addition to being a  top table hockey pro, he is an accomplished guitarist and an expert on music) we returned to the "belly of the beast" and played another best-of-seven.  Lou played even tougher than the first series, dropping only one of five games (and that in OT after he scored with 5 seconds left to tie it).
Lou 5 JP 2; Lou 4 JP 5 OT;  Lou 3 JP 1; Lou 2 JP 1; Lou 6 JP2.
So far I had not been able to mount any consistent offense against Lou whose wing-to-center pass was becoming tougher and tougher to stop as the day went on.  Lou proudly displays the poster from "Table Hockey: The Movie," a film which he was the star of, in his game room and when you play the man, you cannot help but be impressed with his intensity level.  Dr. Marinoff is a very, very competitive player who never gives an inch on the table.  I learned that my intensity level must be raised if I am going to compete with this table hockey champ. 

We then took an extended break as Lou showed me around his place and we took to discussing the current state of affairs  going on in the world.  Dr. Marinoff had just returned from Geneva where he had  given a speech at a Global Economic Forum.  It was quite a thrill to hear what such a learned, respected and passionate man had to say and I learned more than just how to improve my table hockey game, that's for sure.  Lou gave me a book for my mother and a novel he had written in the early 90's that is very, very controversial.  This is a man who takes no prisoners and does not suffer fools gladly, both on and off the table. 

Heading back down to the game room for a best of five, we sparred in what was the most intense series of the day. As Wayne Shorter played in the background, Dr. Marinoff  found his rhythm and I tried to match his intensity but could only win one of four games:
Lou 2 JP 0; Lou 4 JP 1; Lou 3 JP 4 OT; Lou 6 JP 3.

At this point, Lou graciously invited me out to dinner at his favorite Japanese restaurant.  We drove down to the villiage and ate some excellent Japanese cuisine.  I had never used chopsticks before, so Lou gave me some expert advice and in no time I was stuffing my face with bean curd, rice, beef teryaki, japanese soup and finally, red bean ice cream (excellent stuff!)  We had  an extremely interesting conversation over dinner (I think the hot sake loosened up the Dr.!) and once again I learned more about global politics  in one conversation with Lou than in one year of reading the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.  But now it was time to get down to what really matters in this life: TABLE HOCKEY.

Back at the Ranch, Lou and I decided to play a bon-voyage best of seven.  The Dr. picked up right where he left off.  He basically tore me a new orifice, whipping me 3-0; 5-1; 5-1.  I came close in the final game, but fell in OT, 2-1.  While we were developing a tremendous camaraderie off the table, Lou was all business on the table.  His game is ferocious, as he ended the day with a 15-3 record; 70 GF-35 GA.  And I had practiced 2 hours a day for the 7 days leading up to our meeting.  Oh well, you learn more when you lose;  and I discovered that
THERE IS NO FAILURE, ONLY FEEDBACK.

So, after a warm hand-shake with this Table Hockey Legend, I drove back to the Big Apple, cognizant of what I must do to improve my game and confident that I had one of the best mentors any person could have in Lou Marinoff.

Thanks Lou for your kindness in taking time from your busy schedule to play some top-level table hockey with me.  The Sport of Table Hockey is lucky to have you.

(Lou Marinoff will be attending the New York City Table Hockey Association Classic League Opening day, Saturday October 14th, 11:45 AM at THE WHARF BAR & GRILL in Rockaway Beach).