KILLINGWORTH GUPPIES TEAM RECORDS

Origins of the Fish:

The origins of the Killingworth guppies stretches all the way back to summer of 1994. Back in 1994 the youths of the greater Killingworth region often congregated at the tennis courts of the Morgan School in Clinton, CT for pick up games of roller hockey. At times these games would grow so large that three teams would have to be formed to make that sure everyone had a chance to play. Every Sunday morning the games would commence and week after week the crowds grew larger.
After the summer of 1994 the games continued to be played at Glenwood Park, in Clinton, CT. It was here that the idea to form a team had been talked about. However, it wasn't until early 1995 when Peter Fink and Brian Kelly actually made the idea into a reality. They fought often on what the new team's name should be and where they would be able to play. It was finalized that the team's name would be the Guppies and that they would play in Waterbury.
The recruiting of players was next on the agenda and it was fairly easily done as Fink and Kelly told the others of the idea to place a roller team into Waterbury Roller Hockey League. With a roster set and the team registered into the league, the next job was securing a sponsor. Brian Blair and Greg Bousquet played a major roll in signing on Sun Set Bay Surf Shop. Sun Set Bay also lined several other sponsors for the Guppies including Kuzak Wheels and Easton Hockey. With everything in place the Guppies were born and ready to make history.

1995 Guppies:

With their new jerseys still not finished the Guppies took to the dek in May of 1995. Despite their rag tag appearance and total lack of knowledge of league rules the Guppies were able to tie the Maple Leafs in their inaugural game. By their second game the Guppies had their new team jerseys and a better sense of what it would take to be a successful team. The Guppies finished their first campaign going one game under .500 and tied with the Maple Leafs for the final and last playoff spot. The Guppies played the Leafs in their first ever playoff game and while they trailed for the most of the game they managed to tie the game late in the third and then won the game with a final minutes goal by Peter Fink. The Guppies would go on to lose their next game but they had made an impression and would be back.

1996 Guppies:

In October of 1995 the Guppies lost a friend and teammate to a random act of violence. Greg Bousquet was killed as he left a bar one night, it was a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Greg had done a lot for the Guppies and was a great friend to all the guys on the team. In his honor the team all wore the number 99 on their jerseys and dedicated the season to the memory of their friend. With the extra incentive to do well that season the Guppies set several team records and cruised to their first ever Championship. Despite the fact that the Guppies were a fashion disaster between, Rob Murphy's sky blue skates, Joe's Linskey's brownie pads and Joel Burzenski's Kiwi bike helmet.

1997 Guppies:

In 1997 the Guppies again had a strong regular season and were among the strongest teams in the Waterbury B-2 division. They had secured every member of there 1996 Championship team except Chris Malerba. The Guppies also returned 1995 team members Steve Fink and Kyle Bilafer. A tough team, The Guppies lost their first tooth when Peter Fink was hit in the mouth with a goalie stick. After finishing second in the league the Guppies had an early exit from the playoffs, losing their semi final game by one goal.

1998 Guppies:

The 1998 Killingworth Guppies again had the residents of Killingworth Dancing in the streets by winning their second team Championship in team History. While the Guppies didn't have as strong of a regular season record that the 1996 and 1997 Guppies team's posse, they were a team on a mission. The 1998 team would win their semifinal game and revenge their lose in the 1997 semi's. With Jason Prozzo scoring at will and Joe Linskey playing solid the Guppies went on to win the Championship series 2-1.

2001 Guppies:

The Guppies ceased operations for the 1999 & 2000 seasons as many of the teams core players moved around after college. They had been to Charlotte, NC and Miami, FL but in 2001 they were back in Killingworth and ready to play. The new sponsorship for the season was StarPulse.com a little known dotcom company ready to propel with the Guppies into mainstream America. The Guppies had signed up for a lower division for the 2001 campaign but league officials remember them and quickly placed them into the top league. This was not the best idea as the Guppies were quickly a 0-3 team and spiraling out of control. By the fifth game of the season Marc Crayton was in the Guppies net, Robert Murphy and Brian Kelly were playing defense, and the Rookie Jason Zito lead the offense. The Guppies were able to swim back into the playoff picture securing a forth place finish. The Guppies went on to lose to the first place Juggernauts in Overtime of the 2001 Semi's.

2002 Guppies:

The 2002 Guppies brought this story franchise back to greatness and they were prefect in doing it. The 2002 team didn't lose a game throughout the regular season and playoffs. The team had moved from Waterbury into the new state of the art Zrink Arena located in Glastonbury, CT. The 2002 season saw players like Brian Mulcahy step up their game and the Addition of strong rookies Tom Mierk and Mike Halle. It was Mulcahy that scored the Guppies first playoff Overtime goal that lead to the defeat of the Maple Leafs. The Guppies would beat the Scratches later that weekend for their first Zrink Championship and their third team Championship.

2002-03 Guppies:

With the success of the 2002 season the Guppies were moved up to the Zrink B-league, the highest ball league they have. It was obvious by the first game that the Guppies would have to raise their level of play if they were going to be able to compete. Early in their first game the Guppies found themselves down 3-0, when they swam back to win that game. It was the lessons they learned during that game which helped the Guppies win the next 9 games, en-route to their second straight un-defeated season. The season was a Break out season for Guppies forward Brian Mulcahy setting his career record for goals. Joseph Linskey also had a solid performance in 02-03 leading the league in GAA and recording his second career shutout, which was the Guppies first team playoff shutout. Robert Murphy led the offense while playing defense for most of the season, He was the Guppies version of Bobby Orr. Brian Kelly lead the Guppies to their second straight championship scoring 3 goals and adding an assist in the Big game. The 2002-2003 Guppies picked up right where the 2002 Guppies left off and made Zrink history. The Killingworth Guppies are the first team to ever put together consecutive perfect season, improving their Zrink record to 24-0-0.

Spring 2003 Guppies:

The Killingworth Guppies came back after their one session layoff to defend their B-League Z-Rink Championship. With Mike Halle off fight in Iraq with the US Army the Guppies dedicated the season to Mike and his efforts. The Guppies finally signed Tim Poulin to a contract after they first began negotiations in 1996. It paid off as Tim tied Rob Murphy in scoring (18 goals) despite missing 3 games to a shoulder injury. The Spring 03 season was a strong showing for Guppies veteran forward Marc Crayton, who scored a career high 15 goals. Also Tom Mierkiewicz had a strong season stepping up his game and becoming a top defenseman. Joseph Linskey had a roller coaster season starting out slowly, due to a pulled groin. However, Linskey would recorded back to back shutouts and almost had a third but was denied by a defensive lapse. The Guppies Winning streak was stopped at 27 games as the Guppies fell to the GCP in their fourth game of the season. The Biohazard would split their season series with the Guppies and then went on to lose to the Guppies in the playoff semi-finals. With the Guppies and GCP facing off for the Championship it was a battle of the two top teams. The Gupps lead the entire game but would lose the game in overtime as the GCP scored off a powerplay which was the result of a questionable call with just :28 seconds left in regulation.

Summer 2003 Guppies:

The Guppies followed up their disappointing Spring Seaon with the third perfect regular season in team history. Tim Poulin set a team record for goals scoring 29 goals in the summer 03 campaign. Team Captain Brian Kelly was close behind Poulin potting 26 goals for himself. Rookie Defenseman Dan Pequita set a team record for points buy a Rookie by racking up 40 points. Joe Linskey was solid posting a 11-2 record and a 3.11 GAA. The Guppies were cursing along as they entered the playoffs. They won game one of the championship series crushing the Knight 9-3. However, in Games 2&3 played on what is now known as "Black Saturday"  the Guppies lost both games and the series.