Ajax, Ontario
January 29, 2011
The Hockey Sur Table Québec (HSTQ)
tour, and its quest for the Quebec Cup, held its winter
tournament in the Toronto suburb of Ajax. Billed as the
(first annual) Andrew Ryall Open, it commemorated an exemplary
citizen who gave his all, and whom everyone appreciated.
Andrew's father made a moving speech, exhorting us table
hockey players to give our all as well, and Andrew's mother
took a ceremonial faceoff.
The tournament itself was in a great venue:
the Ajax Community Center. Close to the 401, it had all
the right amenities, including a brightly-lit room (for
a change!). Dave Kraehling and Antonio Ferrera deserve a
lot of credit for organizing this inaugural event, in cooperation
with HSTQ and the Ontario Table Hockey Association.
Dave is the only non-Quebecer in HSTQ's
current top ten, while Antonio has been a regular at many
HSTQ events. And the brain trust of HSTQ also deserves kudos,
for expanding their horizons and sanctioning an event in
Ontario. Everyone benefited from this model of cooperation
between Canada's two largest provinces, and biggest reservoirs
of table hockey talent.
Play it Again, Sam
Sam Anoussis has been a credible threat
to win an HSTQ tournament ever since his comeback in 2007.
Playing weekly in the vaunted Montreal league, which currently
contains 8 of the top 10 players, Sam swiftly rose to a
contending position. He then racked up a succession of 3rd
and 2nd place finishes in the tournaments -- consistently
among the best, yet 1st place continually eluding him. But
Sam is always a fighter and never a quitter, and this time
he found a way to win it all. How? More about that later.
Sam is a classic "back-passer";
that is, his offense is mostly generated from the wingers'
back-hand sides, as he initiates play from the corners.
By contrast, a majority of players initiate play from their
wingers' forehand sides, near the blue line. But Sam has
the most ferocious back-pass in the business, and he can
score off both wings, with high tips or low tips to the
center. He can also score directly with either winger, spinning
out of the corner and picking the short side when it's open.
Morever he has lightning-fast hands, pouncing on loose pucks
and slamming them into the net from anywhere on the board,
with an alacrity that rivals Carlo.
I have known Sam and Alex Anoussis for 30
years. We all played together in the Montreal Table Hockey
League, in the early 1980s. Sam was dangerous then, too,
but still in his late teens. Alex was only 13, but held
his own against the adults, while Sam usually made it to
the finals. He and I had thrilling playoff series, mostly
one-goal games, and frequent overtimes. In the MTHL we utilized
five face-off circles -- center ice plus the four corners
-- and Sam had a patented play from the offensive corners,
scoring right off the draw, at blinding speed.
Early 1980s. left to right:
Alex Anoussis, Sid Marinoff, Sam Anoussis, Lou Marinoff,
Ron Chesick
Ajax Overview
Five top Montreal players piled into their
cars early Saturday morning, January 29, arriving in Ajax
with plenty of time to spare before the opening face-off.
The Montreal league was represented by its four best --
Carlo Bossio, Gino Bossio, Pat Cote, and Sam Anoussis --
as well as by Michel Decarie, a top-ten player who has become
very dangerous these past few years. Chris George, who teaches
math at my Montreal alma mater (Lower Canada College) also
made the trip. A sizeable contingent of Ontarians including
Sid Kloosterman, Josh Kloosterman, Bernie Kunzler, Mark
Sokolski, and Dave Kraehling, threw their hats in the ring.
I was the only US player present.
We started off in four pools of six players
each, single round-robin, the top 2 from each pool advancing
to the 2nd round A-Pool. My first game was against Sam.
We tied 1-1 in consuming Red Bulls, tied 2-2 on the board,
won our other games, and both advanced. Also through to
the A-pool were (as expected) the Bossios, Cote, Decarie,
and Kraehling. The lone surprise, and a pleasant one, was
Ontario's Bryan O'Hagan. He is a personable and talented
young player -- the Raonic of table hockey? -- exactly what
the sport needs to carry on at the same high levels, and
maybe even higher, into the next generation.
In men's tennis, it is still possible for
a teenager to win a grand slam event. Pete Sampras won his
first U.S. Open at age 19. Ken Rosewall captured his first
Australian Open at age 18. Michael Chang won his first and
only major, the French Open, at age 17. But in table hockey,
the prime years come much later. Many great table hockey
players begin to peak in their late 20s or early 30s, at
an age when tennis champions typically start seeing their
greatness fade. And table hockey players can remain in their
prime for decades. Gino and Dany Leclerc both won HSTQ events
in their 40s and, in Ajax, Sam joined that elite circle
of quatragenerian champions. Kraehling, in his early 50s,
remains a solid contender. I am now 59 (!), and still can
hold my own for a few minutes at a stretch :-)
In fact, Ontario has several fine young
players, including Sean Beedham and Matt Walma. It would
have been interesting to see them play against Quebec's
best. They missed a sterling opportunity to do so. (Maybe
next year?) But on this day, it was Bryan's turn to play
the role of enthusiastic youth versus experienced gladiators.
Just before the A-pool round began, Bryan said jokingly
that he felt like a lamb about to be slaughtered, or words
to that effect. But he also understood that he had earned
an enviable privilege, to play a round-robin against some
of the top players in the sport. A great learning opportunity,
a chance to pay some dues.
Apparently, a couple of teen-age table hockey
hotshots from Russia and Finland have dethroned the seasoned
Swedish champions, so I guess anything is possible, at least
on planet Stiga. But on planet Coleco, there is no teenager
in sight who can mow down the men from Montreal. Bryan finished
8th in the A-pool, then got bounced in the playoffs by Mark
Sokolski, but went on to win the B title in a gritty final
series. Bryan deserves applause and encouragement. If he
stays with the board, his day will come.
Bryan O'Hagan (right) in action against
Matthew George (left), refereed by Dave Kraehling
The Quarterfinals
Sam and Gino finished atop the A-pool, a
step ahead of the pack -- Carlo, Dave, Pat, and yours truly.
Michel had a horrendous round, but that is far from fatal,
because the next rounds -- the playoffs -- are all about
match-ups. While it's usually a good idea to finish as high
as possible in the A-pool, because you will then play correspondingly
lower seeds in subsequent rounds, the only numbers that
count are the ones on the scoreboard. And here's the proof:
In the quarterfinals, #7 seed Michel got back in his groove,
and defeated #2 seed Gino in 3 straight games!
In other quarterfinal action, Sam dispatched
Mark in 4 games. The first 3 games were one-goal affairs,
and Mark won one of them. Well done Mark! But in game 4
Sam's explosive offense riddled Mark's box defense, and
Sam shelled him 9-0.
Meanwhile Pat and Dave played a 5-game series,
taking turns taking charge. But in game 5, Pat's productive
offense was dialed-in, and he prevailed 6-1. That put Pat
in the semis, and dropped Dave from 4th to 5th place overall.
Dave would not remain there for long, either, as the men
from Montreal were determined to dominate the top spots.
Gino later dropped Dave from 5th to 6th place with a 5-2
win in their consolation series.
Carlo and I met in the other quarterfinal
series, and for our very first time in a playoff round.
Some of my supporters (thanks, Guy Mason and others!) hoped
for a repeat of our A-pool match. In that game Carlo was
leading 4-3, but I tied it up with 30 seconds to go, and
netted the winner with 5 seconds to play. That was a good
script for the A-pool, but Carlo had a better one for the
playoffs: He elevated his play, stopped donating the puck,
and picked apart my defense, defeating me 5-2, 5-2, 5-4.
The Semis and the Finals
Sam continued his winning ways by defeating
Michel in three straight games in their semi-final series.
Meanwhile Pat and Carlo went at it hammer-and-tong, with
Pat prevailing in four games. Carlo defeated Michel to clinch
3rd place on the day, and the stage was set for a Sam versus
Pat final. This was Sam's golden opportunity to win a tournament,
without having to face either of the Bossios in a playoff
series. Sam could smell the winner's circle, and he unleashed
an eight-goal barrage in game #1 of the final, winning 8-2
over a shell-shocked Cote. Games #2 and #3 were much closer,
with both players finding the range. But Sam prevailed,
eking out two 6-5 wins -- et voila, he had won his first
HSTQ event.
When Sam and I chatted about his landmark
victory, he told me that he had taken my coaching to heart.
It had been clear for some time that Sam has more than enough
firepower to win HSTQ tournaments. Just look at his performances
in the semis and finals at Ajax: He outscored Michel 20-10
(in three games), and outscored Pat 20-12 (in three more
games). Forty goals in 6 games, against two top-ten players!
Sam had outscored everyone in the A-pool as well, and his
differential (goals for minus goals against) was by far
the best in that demanding round.
So why hadn't Sam won an HSTQ tournament
before this date? He had finished 2nd or 3rd on numerous
occasions, yet the final victory had hitherto eluded him.
In my view, Sam was expending far too much energy getting
to the finals, leaving himself with insufficient reserves
for the biggest series. Sam's style is pretty much like
that of a rodeo bull: He comes blasting out of the pen,
bucking for all he's worth. While that's the most effective
way to toss cowboys off your back in eight seconds or less,
it's less effective in a ten-hour tournament, where players
such as Carlo husband their resources, and tend to get increasingly
stronger as the day wears on. I had said to Sam that if
he could find a way to expend less energy in the earlier
rounds, he'd have enough in the tank to win a final.
And that's exactly how it went down. I have
never seen Sam so relaxed. If anything, that relaxation
even enhanced his intensity, without draining his energy.
He remained totally unflappable, even by a couple of crucial
in-and-out goals during the final game against Pat. In past
tournaments Sam had derailed himself; in this one, he stayed
totally on track. His performance was most impressive.
Sam Anoussis: relaxed but relentless
Congratulations also go to
Bryan O'Hagan and Antonio Ferrera. Bryan won the B-division
over Matthew George, with Josh Kloosterman nailing 3rd place
in B, taking down his Uncle Sid en route. (How's that for
respecting your elders? :-) Besides doing a great job as
co-organizer, Antonio won the C-division over Rick Dunlop,
with Chris George taking 3rd spot in C. Congratulations
also go to Mark Sokolski, for playing his way into the top
8 in the A-division.
Antonio Ferrera and Chris George
Three Takeaways
There are lots of interesting takeaways
from this event in Ajax, and here are three.
First, and to re-iterate, I was really happy
to see and to experience this level of table-hockey cooperation
between Quebec and Ontario. I truly hope that it continues
next year, with Ajax becoming a fixture in the HSTQ circuit.
And in that case, I would look forward to seeing more of
Ontario's top players turn out to face the best from Quebec.
I know that Sid Kloosterman was disappointed by his performance
on the day, but at least he showed up and played. I would
love to see John and Sean Beedham show up next year, along
with Matt Walma and his clan, and Vito Brundio as well.
The bottom line: the top five spots in Ajax went to five
Montrealers: Sam, Pat, Carlo, Michel, Gino. No-one else
could crack that lineup -- Dave finished 6th, while I came
7th. There's plenty of table hockey pride in Ontario, and
I hope it manifests next year. Meanwhile, the men from Montreal
have certainly flung down the gauntlet.
Second, and on a personal note, I want to
thank John Fayolle and Kenny Dubois for the intense practice
sessions in January. When the New York City Table Hockey
Association's classic league was operative, 2007-10, our
monthly dates kept us all sharp. Roger Owens, John Power,
and Greg Scoma were spirited sparring partners. I have always
maintained that a league provides the strongest foundation
for tournament play. Just look at the Montreal league: They
boast 8 of the current top 10 players, and they play each
other every week! No wonder they are such a powerhouse.
Although Carlo knocked me out of the playoffs, my record
against the top players was not too shabby. Sam and I played
twice, and tied twice (2-2 and 3-3). I also tied Pat (2-2)
and Michel (5-5). I look forward to more practice sessions
with John and Kenny, and to being even more competitive
in Quebec City in April.
tuning
up with Kenny Dubois. photo by John Fayolle
Third, and most interesting: Sam's victory
in Ajax, coupled with his second-place finish in St. Hyacinth,
gives him a real shot at the coveted Quebec Cup. If Sam
wins the last tournament of the year, in Quebec City, and
if Carlo fails to make the finals, the 2010-11 Quebec Cup
will belong to Sam! Carlo won two of four events this year,
Rawdon and St. Hyacinth, and placed third in the other two,
Montreal and Ajax. Sam won Ajax, placed second in St. Hyacinth,
and third in Rawdon. So if Sam wins in Quebec City and Carlo
does not make the final, Sam's best three finishes would
be 1-1-2, while Carlo's would be 1-1-3. And that would give
Sam the Quebec Cup.
Carlo, 3rd in Ajax. Seeking his 4th
consecutive Quebec Cup.
But if Carlo makes it to the final in Quebec
City, he wins the Quebec Cup no matter what. Even if Sam
were to defeat Carlo in the final, their best three finishes
would be equal: 1-1-2. But Carlo's next two finishes are
3-3, while Sam's are 3-9. So Carlo would prevail in a tie-break.
It would be more decisive if Sam and Carlo met in a semi-final,
or even a quarter-final, in Quebec City. If Carlo eliminates
Sam in any series, the Cup is Carlo's; if Sam eliminates
Carlo in any series except the final, Sam can win the Cup
by winning the final. Carlo has won the Quebec Cup three
years in a row, an unbelievable feat of domination. Suddenly,
Sam has a chance to end Carlo's streak. In any case, as
we discovered in Ajax, Sam Anoussis has "arrived."
Stay tuned. We'll soon see if Sam can "play it again."
Ajax stats, 1st round:
Pool
1, Pool
2, Pool
3, Pool
4
Ajax stats, 2nd round: A-Pool,
B-Pool,
C-Pool
Ajax stats:
Playoffs
Hockey
sur Table Quebec website
Ontario
Table Hockey Association website
