After 2 to 4 weeks of vacation depending on their course in the playoffs, the LFA's veterans have returned to regular matches for the league's 2016 summer season. To the veterans are joining approximately thirty new players, who are mostly delighted by their experience to date.

The first games of the LFA’s 2016 Summer Season took place Sunday, May 15. With six teams facing off against each other, compared to the four that made up the league last summer, it marked a new page in the LFA’s history. The expansion allows more hockey fans to play their favourite sport 12 months of the year. We’ve also welcomed 30 new regular players to the league, allowing us to have more equally balanced teams. The captains of each team – all of them veterans of the league who have demonstrated their commitment by taking part in its on- and off-ice activities – seem already to have things well in hand.

That's it ladies and gentlemen, the third LFA Grand Final took place yesterday! From 6pm on, the players fans, their families and friends as well as many spectators from every horizons came to this benefit game for Sun Youth's Food Bank. Nearly 200 people came and offered their support for the cause with a donation in cash or non-perishable food of their choice. Spectators could enjoy the music, Tremblay beer and the BBQ operated by Sun Youth during the Tailgate party which started at 5pm. At the preliminary count, considering donations in cash and food and the result of sales at the BBQ, its over $ 5,000 that was collected for the Sun Youth's Food Bank! A gesture that means a lot in this time of the year when we seem to forget the food distress too many families are living. It is not only during the holidays that solidarity should take place, and the LFA has understood that.

We now know the finalists for the 2016 LFA Grand Final. Saturday's matches choose the best teams and finally it will be the Shamrocks who will face the Avengers in next Sunday's May 1st benefit game, which will assist Sun Youth's Food Bank. After their semifinal game, a couple of players from both teams enjoyed a nice meal and some well deserved beers at McCarold. Adversity on the ice is one thing, but the aftergame parties in the LFA are always put under the sign of friendship and pure fun.

The popular saying '' It is not over till it's over '' makes sense in the playoffs. Last night was no exception. Of the six teams in the race to the semifinals, only the Vipers were assured of participation in the next stage.

Today's news will be shorter than usual. We all know the stakes of next week's games: only the Vipers are assured of participation in the semifinals. The other teams, mainly Czechers, Loggers and Shamrocks, who are tied at the bottom of the standings with 5 points, must win at all costs their next game to hope to qualify for the semifinals between the four best teams. After a difficult season for some teams, we can now see some parity in the league and that the fate of each team is in their own hands. We will see next week who will be the men and who will be the kids. Those will be matches not to miss!

It's on this famous phrase of Bruce Buffer, UFC and boxing announcer, that I initiate the news this week. Indeed, those who attended yesterday's games were able to hear the announcer of the evening David Proulx Sénécal, also occasional substitute in the league, animate the crowd in the way of the Buffer's brothers. We heard him announce goals and penalties with enthusiasm, which added to the ambiance of the series just like the music mixed by the talented Jean-François DesBois.

In sports, we sometimes see the miraculous transformations of individuals or teams who overcome adversity and succeed in winning important matches or competitions. Hockey is perhaps the sport where you can see most often this kind of turnaround, hence the popular saying: "The series are a new season."

Here we are, the LFA's playoffs are finally there! After a 21 games regular season who saw the Avengers win the Tremblay trophy in an unexpected way against the Shamrocks, we can turn our attention to the games that really matters, the real season!

Yesterday at 4:30 PM started the game opposing the Shamrocks and Avengers for the regular season title. There was only a one point difference between the two teams, so everybody was expecting a very close game, maybe even a shootout. We were all surprised to see the Avengers take an urly 6-0 lead in the first period. The men in blue started the game like lions, and the Shamrocks who are usually very good in their own zone had a lot of difficulties to challenge the Avengers speed and intensity