[GAME RECAP: W 4-2 vs Dangle Berries CHAMIONSHIP!] - Beer League Bullies

BEER LEAGUE BULLIES vs. DANGLE BERRIES

Tuesday, July 21, 2026 | AFC Rink 2 | Final: 4-2

THE SHORT GAME

Summer league moves fast. You blink and the season's over, the bracket's locked, and suddenly you're playing for a trophy before anyone's fully adjusted to the heat. The Bullies didn't blink Tuesday night. They came in, handled business against the Dangle Berries, and left with another championship ring before July could finish its business.

4-2. Clean. Decisive. The kind of game that happens when you have Christopher Lombardo on your roster and the other team has to watch him score three goals in a Bullies jersey — right in front of the guys he used to play with. Call it poetic justice. Call it a statement. The Dangle Berries called it a rough Tuesday.

Sure, we were missing Jimbo the captain (last seen chasing Minnie Mouse at Disneyland) and the Swede was busy being Swedish in Sweden, but somehow the Bullies still managed to win a championship. Imagine what happens when everyone actually shows up.

PERIOD BY PERIOD

1st Period — 1-0 BLB

Christopher Lombardo wasted no time making his presence felt. Six minutes and forty-one seconds into the game, Lombardo buried one with help from Denzel Que. The message was sent before the first period was even halfway over: we have your former guy, and he's wearing our colors now.

The Dangle Berries had nothing to say in the first. One-nothing after twenty minutes.

2nd Period — 2-1 DB

The Dangle Berries came back in the second like they remembered they showed up to play. Caleb Mccann scored at 2:27 with Lucas Hull getting credit on the assist. Four minutes later, John Pierce — known far and wide for his emotional commitment to the sport — found the back of the net on a power play at 6:40 to make it 2-1 Dangle Berries.

But here's the thing about summer league championships: the teams that win them know how to respond. And they do.

3rd Period — 4-2 BLB

The third period was where Christopher Lombardo remembered he had two more goals to score. At 13:46, down a man, Lombardo went short-handed to make it 2-2. The kind of goal that changes momentum. The kind of goal that says the Dangle Berries' night just became a lot more complicated.

Kellen Hart made it 3-2 at 16:23 with Ross Hunsaker and Kyle Sayon setting it up. Then Lombardo, not satisfied with a hat trick waiting, finished it at 18:02 with Hart returning the favor on the assist. Final: 4-2. Game, set, championship.

SPOTLIGHT

Christopher Lombardo — Three goals. None assisted. Pure snipes. Lombardo came into this game with something to prove and proved it in the most efficient way possible: by scoring every time it mattered. The Dangle Berries' sideline watched their former teammate dismantle them single-handedly. That's the price of letting talent walk.

Zak Dayton — Thirty saves on thirty-two shots for a .938. While the Bullies were outshooting the Dangle Berries 20-32, Dayton was doing what he does best: keeping the puck out of the net when it absolutely had to stay out. The third period was won in net as much as it was won in the crease.

Kellen Hart — One goal, one assist. Hart didn't light it up like Lombardo, but he was there when it mattered — both to score and to set up.

John Pierce — Showed up, scored a goal, cried about something. You know the drill. Pierce got one past Dayton on the power play at 6:40, which is probably the highlight of his summer. The Bullies made sure it was also the only highlight.

STATS SUMMARY

Goalie: Zak Dayton — 32 SOG, 2 GA, 30 SV (.938)

Shots on Goal: BLB 20, Dangle Berries 32

Penalties: BLB 4 infractions / 8 min | Dangle Berries 0 infractions

THE CUP

Summer league is a sprint. Nine weeks from start to finish, and you're already holding hardware. The Bullies made it look easy — or at least easier than the Dangle Berries made it look. Christopher Lombardo made sure everyone remembered why he switched jerseys. Zak Dayton made sure it didn't matter how many shots came at him.

That's how you win summer championships at the beer league level: speed, efficiency, and the occasional reminder that your roster is just better.

Two cups in one calendar year. Not bad for a Tuesday night in July.

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