AUSTIN, Texas (AP)- The summer hockey season at The Pond Hockey Club got underway last night and last season’s championship-winning team and the arch nemesis to the Bros HC, Layin’ Pipe, demonstrated early on that they are once again the team to beat. Pipe jumped out to a very early 2-0 lead after scoring two goals within the first 90 seconds of play, and with just five minutes into the game, had a commanding grip on the matchup with a 3-0 lead as Rye Wilson and Ryan Macia seemingly blistered the Bros.

Things briefly took a turn in the favor of the Bros when Ross “Unanswered Prayers” Tagtow put the Bros on the board with a slick backhand shot after creeping down into the forecheck. The Bros’ vexillum rallied around their Gonzales Flag and the team put together a flurry of scoring opportunities over a three-minute period. Fabian “New Way to Fly” Figi continues to demonstrate that he’s more than just a pretty face with a European accent. Figi collected a beautiful pass from Bro newcomber Eddie “This Ain’t Tennessee” Valls and scored on a tremendous fadeaway wrist shot that popped over the shoulder of Pipe tendie Justin Sherman. Less than 30 seconds after Figi’s tally, Valls rang a glove side top shelf wrister and tied the game. Defenseman Roy “Mr. Blue” St. John also went glove side top shelf, scoring within a minute after Valls. The bar down banger catapulted the Bros into the lead, which they carried deep into the first period. For his offensive prowess, and solid play defensively, St. John was awarded the team’s much-coveted Gonzales Flag.

The Bros struggled defensively for much of the night. Marc “Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House” Henderson and captain Andrew “Wolves” Feigenbaum felt out of synch with the pace of the game. While they played well, Rye Wilson continuously found ways to score. Feigenbaum struggled to find forwards moving up on the breakout. The Bros fast-paced game relies heavily upon forwards in motion, and without a breakout, the team failed to put quality shots on net. Broalie Steven “Wild Horses” had his hands full with Macia and Wilson. By the end of the first period, Pipe dominated their way to a 7-4 lead with no signs of letting off the throttle.

In the second half it was more of the same for the Bros. Wilson goals, struggling forwards, bad passes, and horrible shot selection. In the second half, the Bros relegated themselves to taking countless numbers of shots from outside the dots which were blocked by Pipe, who then carried the puck down off the turnover for a quality attempt. Scott “Victim of the Game” Van Pelt had two good looks early in the second, but was unable to score. Danny “Same Old Story” Pranno admirably fulfilled his role on the neutral zone back check, and kept himself as in the high slot as a setup man for the breakout.

Unfortunately, there never really seemed to be a strong breakout except for when Steph “Friends in Bro Places” Meyer drew a penalty shot midway through the second half. Meyer deked his way into fans’ hearts, scoring on a beautiful, smooth backhand shot. As the idiom goes, it was too little, too late, as the Bros were routed 12-5 as time expired. The other new face to the Bros, Scott “Same Old Story” Poniewaz, played well and kept himself in position to make plays throughout the night. Poniewaz got called up this season, and it’s only a brief matter of time before he will make his presence known around the league.

The Bros look to bounce back next Monday at 6:30pm when they face the Wolves.

BY THE NUMBERS:
12- The most goals the Bros have given up in more than 17 games.