March 2004

MJHL Reports

‘Pack Claims First AJHL Regular Season Title

It’s not how you start, but where you finish. Just ask the Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack, who despite languishing in third place most of the season, put on a sprint to the wire and captured the first Atlantic Junior Hockey League regular season title.

No one can fault the ‘Pack’s timing: when the season was on the line, they played their best hockey. Going into their final game against the Bobcats, the ‘Pack have amassed an 11-game AJHL winning streak, including a perfect 3-0 mark at the AJHL Blizzard Showcase Feb 14-16. The ‘Pack kicked off their showcase weekend with a convincing 8-4 victory over the then-first-place Jr. Nationals. Subsequent victories over the Junior Titans (4-2) and the North Jersey Avalanche (1-0) gave them a clean sweep.

The victory against the Jr. Nationals was prologue for the penultimate weekend set of game for the Pack. After growing their league winning streak to six, the ‘Pack took the long bus ride down to MD and dealt the ‘Nats a pair of 3-2 defeats. Coupled with the ‘Pack’s subsequent victories over the Little Flyers the following weekend, the Pack emerged as regular season champions of the league.

The games against the Jr. Nationals were ferociously competitive, as both teams played with a full understanding of what was on the line. On Saturday, after falling behind early and getting outplayed in the second period, the ‘Pack mustered a dominant third to pull out the com-from-behind victory. Coach Bob Crawford credited the brilliant play of goaltender Jeff Rose as key to the victory. "It was a great effort from the team as a whole, and our goaltending was great. . .(Jeff) is so focused right now that I have a tough time scoring on him in practice and, heck, I played at the highest level!"

The next day, the ‘Pack came out quickly and staked themselves to a 2-0 advantage. Content to play a defensive, protect-the-lead style from that point for the most part, the ‘Pack found itself back on its heels as the Nationals were able to generate a few power play chances. Soon, the ‘Nats had tied the game at 2-2 and the ‘pack needed to find another goal from someone.

They found it in a surprising place, off the stick of defenseman and captain John LaFrance, whose tally gave them a 3-2 lead they would never relinquish.

The goal capped a sensational season for LaFrance, whose leadership and physical play helped forge the Jr. Wolf Pack’s 2003-04 identity as a two-way, rugged group that played its best when the game was tight.

Winning the regular season means a lot, because it means the ‘Pack will be able to avoid both the ‘Nats and the Bobcats in the first round of the playoffs. The ‘Pack will meet the winner of the matchup between the Jr. Titans and the Little Flyers on Mar 19 at the ‘Big Arena’ in Albany, NY.

Jr. Titans Look For Jump-Start at Playoffs Near
By RON D'ORAZIO

The past month has been a rough one for the Junior Titans Elite C squad. Nine Atlantic Junior Hockey League games were scheduled since Jan 31, leaving the Titans plenty busy and in control of their destiny.

Considering the season it's been, the Titans did pretty well in that stretch, posting a 4-5 mark and beating the rival North Jersey Avalanche once in overtime and the Philadelphia Little Flyers twice.

The Titans didn't help themselves move into a "home-ice" spot for the playoffs, either as they will probably finish fifth in the AJHL before the mid-March postseason starts. That would leave them without the benefits of last change, which helps with line matchups, in the first round.

"We have to get more scoring opportunities and go to the net harder," Titans interim coach Matt Nielsen said after the Titans blew a 2-1 third period lead in a 4-2 loss to the Connecticut Wolf Pack on Feb 16 to end the AJHL/Metropolitan Junior Hockey League Blizzard Classic at Pro Skate.

On a positive note, 6-2 205 forward/defenseman Kevin Rasimowicz was called up from the 'B' team in the middle of January. He has provided the Titans with the kind of toughness that scares opponents away from taking shots at his teammates. In the nine games, Rasimowicz piled up 29 penalty minutes.

Nielsen couldn't be more elated with his new tough guy, especially after he fought the New York Bobcats' Ryan Richardson, a veteran tough guy, to a draw. The Titans, by the way, went on to win that game, beating the Bobcats in the league for the first time this season. Josh Newberg had a goal and two assists and Tony Trocchia and Jason Diamond scored twice in the win over the Bobcats.

"Kevin's a great addition to the club," Nielsen said. "He does a great job. He fights every team's tough guy.

"He nullifies things. They (opponents) wanted to go out and intimidate us."

After winning four of the first five, the Titans dropped the last four. They went down three times to the Wolf Pack and once to the Washington Jr. Nationals. They closed the month out at the Boston Bulldogs Tournament before their playoff run.

Notes: Nick Fabrizio won all four games in goal for the Titans. … Joe Baumgartner leads the defense with 16 AJHL points as of Feb 21. Newberg leads all scorers with and 22 points.

VF Minutemen, Bethlehem Blast To Join MJHL

The Metropolitan Junior Hockey League will welcome two new franchises for the 2004-05 season, the Valley Forge Junior Minutemen, based in Oaks PA, and the Bethlehem Blast, based in Bethlehem PA.

The Minutemen, a long-time member of the Atlantic Youth Hockey League, purchased an existing junior franchise formerly held by the American Eagles. They will be coached by Jerry Domish, whose resume of coaching success is well known to Delaware Valley youth hockey fans.

Domish, a Michigan native who has coached hockey for more than 20 years, may be most well known for leading the 1999 Valley Forge Minutemen Pee Wee major team to a USA Hockey National Championship. Several of his players from that team continue to excel in Tier I hockey, and one, Ryan Gunderson, is currently playing at the Div. I University of Vermont as a true freshman.

The Minutemen will play oot of Center Ice Arena in Oaks, PA, a two-sheet facility with an extensive fitness facility. "i’m really excited about the junior program," Domish commented. "We’re going to run a top-notch organization. Mandatory practices, mandatory attendance, just the way a top junior program should be run."

Domish expects the team will have a real national character. "We’ve already had great interest from around the country. I put out feelers to coaches I know across the country, and kids from as far as Alaska and Minnesota have called. I fully expect we’ll have five or six kids from out of state."

The Minutemen will be holding open tryout for the 2004-05 MJHL season beginning April 7 at 9:00pm at Center Ice. Pre-registration is required; the application deadline is April 4. For more information about the Valley Forge Jr. B Minutemen, call Jerry Domish at 610-650-9690, ext. 11.

The Bethlehem Blast take their name from the former Bethlehem Steel furnaces located less than five minutes from the front door of the Flyers Skate Zone in Bethlehem, PA, the new home of the Blast. The state-of-the-art FSZ Bethlehem opened its doors in December, 2003, and is part of a larger redevelopment project called Bethlehem Works. The multi-use redevelopment project is located on the former site of Bethlehem Steel.

"Our name is a tribute to the company that was such a big part of this community for 150 years," said Blast co-owner Jack Keefe. "We’re looking at the Jr. B Blast as an opportunity to keep talented hockey players in Bethlehem."

Keefe grew up playing hockey in the area, and he saw many of his friends and associates go to the EJHL and other junior leagues out of the area before they went on to play college hockey. "It got tiring seeing so many kids leave town to chase their hockey dreams," he said. "The Blast will give kids an opportunity to chase their hockey dreams right here from Bethlehem.

"How many kids ultimately wind up playing hockey for a living? Not that many," Keefe continued. "Here in the Lehigh Valley, we’re just surrounded by colleges–Lehigh University, Lafayette, Cedar Crest, Kutztown, East Stroudsburg, Moravian, Penn State Lehigh Valley, Muhlenberg–the list goes one. It’s a great place for players to get exposure." The Blast’s home is literally located just down the street from Lehigh University, giving them a natural fan base.

Keefe’s mission in forming the Blast is threefold: advance players, field a competitive team and focus on education on and off the ice. The Blast will be coached by Lynn Beedle, a former ECHL player and four-year player with Norwich University, perhaps the nation’s top D-III program. Norwich won two national titles with Beedle there.

Beedle, who is Keefe’s nephew, will be assisted by his father, Lynn Beedle, Jr. Dave Regan, a former junior player, will coach the goaltenders.

"We’re going to emphasize good coaching," Keefe said. "Obviously I know our coaches very well.They’re men of character. That’s important."

The Blast will practice three times per week, and will bring in outside experts to lead off-ice training. The Blast will be the capstone of the new hockey program at the Flyers Skate Zone Bethlehem.

Keefe is clearly also excited about having a newfacility to showcase his players. The new facility has 10 locker rooms, a heated seating area, a state-of-the-art sound system, a full service pro shop and an array of off-ice entertainment for ‘kids of all ages’.The Blast have not confirmed their tryout dates as of yet, but Keefe told us they will be likely held during the third and fourth weeks of March. Call for more info

Panthers Finish Out Season Of Improvement

The Central Penn Panthers had a busy final month of play with eight league games on tap. It started off with two road games against the Titans, and Central Penn got off on the right foot. They had already beat the Titans earlier in the year in a non-league game, but this time when able to come out with the win when it counted, notching just their second of the season. They were lead by their two leading scorers as usual, Andrew Wert and Chris Brogan, who each had a hat trick accounting for all Panther goals in the 6-4 win. Patrick Thibault came in relief of Jake Rotz, after Rotz gave up three early goals, and made 28 saves on 29 shots he saw to record the win.

But the next day, the Titans were able to avenge the loss on their home ice, 5-3. Jeff Dukes gave the Panthers an early 1-0 lead only to see the Titans score three consecutive goals. But Wert and Shane McCoy were able to draw Central Penn back even, but they could not hold it as the Titans put two more in the third to come away with the win.

The following weekend Central Penn traveled back to New Jersey for a game on neutral ice with the Clippers at the MJHL/AJHL Blizzard Classic. And it was here were the Panthers put together their most complete game of the year. They played exceptionally both offensively, defensively and got solid goaltending to boot. Travis Duffy scored in the first to get them out to a 1-0 lead. Bobby Murray tallied in the second from Wert and McCoy. Late season addition Josh Callander added an insurance goal in the third. Rotz stopped all 12 shots he saw in a very impressive 4-0 win. While just their third win of the year, the victory was a culmination of a lot of hard work and a tribute to the teams never-say-die attitude.

The Panthers faced the Rockets in their second showcase game, a team that’s had the Panthers’ number all year. The Rockets laid a 12-0 hurting on a tired Central Penn team.

The Following weekend found the Panthers back in New Jersey for their final two road games of the year against the Devils. The first game was a hard fought defensive battle, but the Panthers came up on the short end of a 3-2 score. Rotz made 28 saves in the losing effort. The Devils had an easier time with the Panthers in the second game, winning 5-1. Josh Stoltzfus scored the lone Panther goal.

The Panthers hosted the Titans for the finals weekend of their season. They were able to find some scoring in game one, but this time they were not able to stop the Titans’ attack dropping the game 7-4. The team leaders found their way onto the score sheet again though, with Wert adding two assists to his total which gave him 30 points on the year. Brogan contributed a goal and an assist. A 4-3 loss on Sunday denied the Panthers’ hopes of finishing the season on a winning note.. Callander notched two goals, giving him ten points in the twelve games he played on the year. Alex Szeles had three assists in the game.

The Panthers did not qualify for the playoffs finishing in seventh place. Though not reflected in their record, this young team really had a good year. They clearly improved. The two wins in the last month really gives Coach Tim Tookey and his team something to build on as they head into the tryout season.

Blanchette Adjusting To MJHL Play
By JACK LAUTIER

It wasn't that long ago that Adam Blanchette, now a rookie defenseman in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, was learning how to skate, shoot and check as a youngster with the Connecticut Clippers organization. Now 18, Blanchette is wrapping up his first season with the Quebec Remparts who, entering March, were trying to lock up a playoff berth.

"The pace has really picked up now," Blanchette says. "Hopefully, we can improve our position and qualify."

Blanchette, a mobile defenseman, was among the top US-born players drafted by teams in the QMJHL last year. With the Clippers Jr. B club in 2002-03, he went 4-10-14 in 25 games.

"The speed of the game is about 10 times faster than I thought it might be," Blanchette says. "It's really taken me awhile to adjust to it that I'm finally confident now that I can make plays out there.

"The first couple of months were a struggle," admits Blanchette. "But you keep working and try to improve. Lately, I'm more comfortable out there. That comes with confidence."

It also comes from practice or playing against some of the next wave of pro prospects. The QMJHL has spawned a number of terrific goaltenders in recent years. Patrick Roy, who now owns the Remparts, rewrote the NHL record book during his career and got his start with the Granby Bisons.

Martin Brodeur, who honed his junior skills at St.-Hyacinthe, has anchored three Stanley Cup clubs in New Jersey. Boston's Felix Potvin played at Chicoutimi and has played over 600 NHL games. The latest goaltender could be Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh's top pick last June, who appeared in 21 games with the Penguins this year before being returned to Cape Breton.

"This is a great league and there are some outstanding players," Blanchette says. "The goalies are just unbelievable. Fleury,  Cory Crawford of Moncton (a second-round pick by Chicago in 2003) and  Jeff Deslauriers of Chicoutimi (a second-round pick by Edmonton in 2002) are just some of them."

As a defenseman, Blanchette has played against some of the top junior standouts. There's Sidney Crosby of Rimouski, who leads the league in scoring for starts as well as practicing daily against teammate Josh Hennessy, a top pick by San Jose in 2003, who was closing in on the 40-goal plateau entering the final weeks of the season.

Born in Berlin, CT Blanchette, like a number of players in the league, is trying to finish up his credits to graduate high school. He's on schedule to do that and continue to play hockey.

In late February, Blanchette offered plenty of encouragement to a Connecticut Clippers Pee Wee squad which traveled to Quebec City to play a series of games against community teams in the Province as well as national youth teams from Slovakia and Austria.

Coach Andre Doyon, who helped organize the trip, gave the youngsters a taste of not only playing games against international teams, but the opportunity to meet a graduate of the Clippers program.

"I wore the same uniform colors you players wear now," Blanchette told Doyon's players who were given a tour of the Remparts locker room and workout facilities in Le Colisee. "I learned to play the game just like you are right now.

"You have a great opportunity," Blanchette says. "Just listen to your coaches and to everything you can to improve your game. Try to have fun, but remember this. The better player you become, the better your team will become."

Blanchette signed trading cards and pucks for the players and their families. In return, the players helped Blanchette celebrate his birthday, bring cake and cookies along with a care package of goodies from his family back in Connecticut.

Titans Battle Into MJHL Playoffs
By RON D'ORAZIO

It was a little bit of a struggle, but the job got done. For now that is.

The Junior Titans B squad battled its way into the sixth and final playoff in the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League. Coach George Haviland's team won three of the four league games prior to Feb 28 to secure their playoff spot. They finished the season out by beating the Central Penn Panthers twice to close out the month of February.

So the reward for the Titans' toils was a first-round matchup with third-place Suffolk PAL, a team that, for the most part, the Titans played pretty close with. The first round consists of a two-game series with a 10 minute "mini game," if the teams tie the series. The two teams' last together was a 3-2 loss for Titans.

"We've played them tight," Haviland said. "But, we haven't (beaten) any of the top teams yet."

The Titans started February out with tough losses to the New Jersey Rockets and the Central Penn Panthers, putting their playoff chances in jeopardy. But a big 5-3 win over the Panthers, the team that was trying to catch them, helped the Titans in a major way, especially a day after losing to the Panthers.

Merlin Thompson scored a hat trick in the victory and Jamie Zimmel collected a goal and an assist. In fact, Thompson, a Ewing, NJ native, scored a whopping 15 goals and 20 points in seven MJHL games last month. Thompson's final totals of 24 goals and 18 assists led the Titans in league play this season.

The following weekend, the Titans received no love from the Rockets on Valentine's Day in a 6-3 loss. But they bounced back to clinch the playoff by dominating the Connecticut Clippers 7-1 the next day. Mike Bussiculo stopped 28 of 29 shots. Artie Maiorov and three others had a goal and assist apiece for the Titans in the huge victory.

Surging on, the Titans followed up with the aforementioned two wins over the Panthers in the final weekend of February. Anthony Longo finished with five goals in the last three games.

Notes: Former Titans player Kevin Kielt has committed to playing hockey for Boston University for the coming fall. Kielt, who played the last two years with the New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs of the Eastern Junior Hockey League, competed with the Jr. Titans two years ago. "When Kevin realized where the program could get him, he realized he had to concentrate on juniors," a proud Haviland said. Kielt is a Brick, NJ native. Haviland also praised newcomer Ted Wilson for his efforts. Wilson signed on at the beginning of 2004. … Forward Tyler Kelley (shoulder) could miss the playoffs.

Devils To Host First-Round Matchup against Little Flyers

Winning during tournament time is all about getting hot at the right time. The New Jersey Devils are hoping that wins in their final three games are a good start.

The Devils finished the month of February with a 6-2-1 record. They finished fourth place in the regular season with a 22-10-2 record (48 points) and will play the Little Flyers in the quarterfinals of the MJHL playoffs on Mar 6-7.

The Devils only two losses during February were to playoff contenders. The Devils dropped a 5-4 heartbreaker to the Wolves on Feb 15. They also lost to the Little Flyers, 5-4 on Feb 8.

The two losses, plus a 7-7 tie against the Flyers on Feb 14 hurt the Devils chances of finishing higher. It also snapped a nine-game win streak that dated back to December.

"We were 9-1 heading into those three games," Devils coach Tom Wisloff said. "If anyone was playing better hockey than us, I would like to know who. Reality just struck us in the face. That stretch of three games really hurt us. We had a possibility of six points and only came out with one."

The Devils swept a two-game set from the Clippers on Jan 30-31, winning 2-1 and 8-2. The Devils also defeated the Wolves, 3-2 in a make up game on Feb. 1. The toughest games of the month for the Devils were against the Flyers. The Devils lost the first game, 5-4 on Feb 8, before rebounding to tie the Flyers in the second game, 7-7.

The Devils swept a two-game set from the Central Penn Panthers on Fe. 21-22, winning 3-2 and 5-1, then defeated the Rockets, 2-1 (Feb 29) to cap a three-game winning streak.

"Our last three games we got back to playing the type of hockey we should be playing," Wisloff said. "We really needed to put together three periods of hockey which we hadn’t done in a while."

The Devils didn’t have anyone finish in the top ten scoring leaders, but Dale Reinhardt (26 goals and 12 assists) made a late offensive push, moving into 14^th place. Reinhardt scored nine goals in the final nine games. He had two goals in each of the final four games, including both goals in the season-finale against the Rockets. Adam Gorelick (15 goals and 15 assists) finished 21^st in the league with 30 points.

Dave Wright (five goals and 20 assists) finished third in scoring among defenseman, while Cory Doyle (5 goals, 13 assists) finished ninth in the league.

"Dale had been unbelievable," Wisloff said. "I don’t know if anyone can be any more clutch than he has been. He is a natural scorer…the most gifted player on our team. He has put us on his shoulders and carried us a couple of times."

The Devils need to win the tournament to reach the Nationals. That would mean beating the Flyers and Wolves on back-to-back weekends.

"The playoffs are a completely different animal," Wisloff said. "The Flyers have been playing some good hockey. They were probably the hottest team in the league until the final weekend (The Flyers were swept by the Wolves in the final two games). The most important thing for us right now, even more important than momentum is that we have everyone back and they are getting back to knowing our roles."

Notes: Dale Reinhardt will enter Holy Cross in the fall of 2004-05.

Rockets Earn Bye Into MJHL Playoffs

New Jersey Rockets coach Dan O’Brien has a big decision to make as his squad heads into the MJHL Playoffs.

It is a foregone conclusion that hot goaltending is the most important thing in playoff hockey. O’Brien agrees, however, he must figure out which goalie is the hottest. The Rockets have two hot goaltenders heading into the upcoming series and O’Brien has yet to name a starter. Kevin Bendel and Christopher Polino have both been playing so well over the final month that it is a tough decision.

"Both goaltenders have made a push to play in the playoffs," O’Brien said. "That is what we were looking for. You need to have the hottest goaltender in the playoffs."

In the Rockets’ final game of the season, a 2-1 loss to the Devils, the decision didn’t get any easier. Bendel and Polino split the game and both let in one goal.

"As of right now, I really don’t know who is going to start," O’Brien said. "They both have been playing so well that it is a tough decision."

The loss to the Devils was the Rockets first since a 5-4 setback to the Little Flyers on Jan 3. Since that point, the Rockets have compiled an 8-1-2 record. The Rockets finished the regular season with a 21-6-8 record, compiling 50 points. They scored more goals (228) allowed fewer goals (102) than any team in the league.

Despite the winning streak, the Rockets finished second in the regular season. The Rockets needed the Little Flyers to beat or tie the Wolves in a two-game set on Feb 28-29 to earn a tie. The Wolves won both games.

The Rockets have a bye in the first round of the playoffs and will play a home series on March 13-14. After the quarterfinals, the teams will be reseeded. The Rockets will play the highest seeded team.

The Rockets don’t just have hot goaltenders; they have also been on an offensive role. The Rockets scored 33 goals over the final five games of the season. The most impressive output was a 12-0 win over the Panthers on Feb. 15. They also defeated the Titans 6-3 and 8-5 (Feb 13-14) and the league champion Wolves, 6-2 (Jan 31).

"I really don’t know why," O’Brien said of the outburst of scoring. "Kids like to score goals. We have pretty good team speed. We are on as good a run as we could be right now, but it is always going to take a little luck in the playoffs."

The Rockets are led by Michael DelMauro (27 goals and 28 assists) and Keith Nelson (27 goals and 27 assists). They are the top two scorers in the league. Chris Lepore (14 goals and 25 assists) is the leading scorer in the league among defenseman.

"The situation we run into is our age," O’Brien said of the playoffs. "We are the youngest club in the league by a long shot. That becomes a factor….hopefully we will gain some quick playoff experience."

Little Flyers Ready To Defend Keegan Cup

Despite their modest 12-13-5 fifth-place record, everyone associated with the organization is excited about the team’s playoff possibilities. Coach Sands has his team fired up and they are peaking at the right time, and playing their best hockey of the season. "We will get back three of our defensemen back--Wayne Sands, Matt Balke, and Ryan Horgan, all of whom will have finished their prep school seasons--when the playoffs start," Sands explained. "For the first time in a long time we will have a full roster and we will be the team to beat," he added.

With the emotion, execution and determination the team exhibited in their first three league games and two non-league games of the month, one could not argue Sands's point. Their five-game schedule would be against three (Devils, Suffolk Pal, and Wolves) of the top four teams, and tune up they did. The Flyers were a respectable 2-2-1, beating and tying the New Jersey Devils (the team they will face in the opening round) and defeating Suffolk PAL.

Opening the month on the road against the Devils, the Flyers spotted the Devils a two-goal lead before firing off five unanswered goals to take a 5-2 lead after the second intermission. They hung on in the third for a 5-4 decision. Eric Tufman paced the Flyers with a hat trick with James Cody, and John Fetscher each adding a goal. Matt Balke chipped in with two assists. Matt Tendler stopped 39 of the 43 shots he faced including several big saves in the third period when the Devils mounted their comeback.

Facing the Devils again at ProDkate during the Blizzard Showcase, the game proved to be a blizzard of goals ending in a 7-7 tie. The first period saw end-to-end action and the period ended with the score tied at two. Josh Gamble and Dan Meany were the goal scorers for the Flyers.

As has been the case in their last several games the second period belonged to the Flyers, as they came out and dominated play in the second period at both ends of the ice scoring five goals to assume what appeared to be a winning lead of 7-4 going into the second intermission. Chris Capato, Neal Krause, Gamble, and Cody (2) scored for the Flyers.

The third period, however, would see the Devils gain momentum and score three unanswered goals of their own to gain the tie at seven.

The Flyers next game against the Suffolk PAL was perhaps the highlight of the month (and possibly the season) in which they pulled off a hard earned 4-3. The scoreless first period was very tightly played with the Flyers holding a slight 7-6 shot advantage. The Flyers came out and once again dominated the second period with some tenacious fore-checking and excellent puck movement, scoring four goals to assume a commanding 4-1 lead heading into the second intermission. Cody (who has been on fire in his last three games picking up 5 goals and 4 assists) had two goals for the Flyers, while Meany, and Scott Deisher each added a goal in the period for the Flyers.

Momentum proved to be very fickle once again for the Flyers, as in the third period the Suffolk PAL mounted a frenzied attack in an attempt to get back in the game, and when they scored with 1:06 left in the game to make it a 4-3 score, it looked as though they might do just that. But Matt Tendler rose to the occasion and as he had done the entire game came up with some big saves to preserve the win for the Flyers.

Taking advantage of a break in the schedule, the Flyers ventured west to test the waters in Pittsburgh playing a weekend series against the Pittsburgh Penguins Jr. B team, a team that is currently ranked seventh in the national Jr. B rankings. Although they lost both games (5-4 and 3-1) the Flyers skated well and proved to be a formidable opponent for the nationally-ranked Penguins.

Suffolk Prepares For MJHL Playoffs

Suffolk PAL finished its season in third place with 49 points, trailing the first place Connecticut Wolves by six points, and the New Jersey Rockets by just one. Although finishing essentially in the same place where they spent most of the beginning of their season, they have successfully secured a spot in the MJHL playoffs.

PAL played two of its three final games in exhibition match-ups. Playing two exhibition games may sound like a lackluster way to end a regular season; however the on-ice challenge presented by the Syracuse Crunch Junior Bs was a much-welcomed match-up for Suffolk as they prepare for the playoffs. There was no opportunity for takeover of first place against the rival Rockets, or an opportunity to close out the regular season in front of the fans at Hauppauge. But there was enough adrenaline stored away from their January tilt against the Syracuse team to make it an interesting series, and remind the Juniors of their weaknesses before playoffs.

Unfortunately, the Stars skated away victorious in both appearances, and Suffolk drove back to Long Island with a few lessons learned for the playoffs.

First, focus will be essential, as they need to devote 100% effort to the entire 60 minutes of the game. In the second game against Syracuse, Suffolk maintained a two-goal lead into the second period. The Stars were able to capitalize off of Suffolk’s spotty defensive zone coverage, as they scored three goals in the second period to tie the game 5-5. With eight minutes remaining in the third, Brian Cibelli scored the game winning goal past Suffolk’s Dan Rosen for a 6-5 win. Goals were scored by Matthew Faber, Nick Grasso, Brian Dew, Michael Fitoussi (3), Mark Rintel, and Frank Rizzo.

The importance of focus also leads to the second point: offense wins games, defense wins championships. Maybe Suffolk loosened up a little during the exhibition games; however if they advance in the playoffs and face powerhouse offensive teams such as the New Jersey Rockets, they must enforce tighter checking and get strong goaltending.

Based on Suffolk’s performance earlier this season, they have a very good chance at the Keegan Cup and at a berth to the Junior B Nationals. Their winning streak in the middle of this season propelled them to the top of the MJHL; if they can overcome some recent injuries (which they expect to), there is no plausible reason why Suffolk cannot finish as Keegan Cup champions.

Wolves Earn Berth in Nationals by Winning MJHL Regular Season

The Connecticut Wolves entered the final month of the season in a good position to win the regular-season MJHL championship. The Wolves only needed five wins in their final nine games to clinch the spot.

The Wolves’ opponents made it a little harder for them than they may have hoped for. Heading into the final weekend set against the Little Flyers, the Wolves needed a win to avoid a possible tie with the Rockets. The Wolves defeated the Little Flyers in the next-to-last game to clinch the title and an invitation to Nationals. They finished the final month of the season with a 5-3-1 record in MJHL play. The win also earned the Wolves the number one seed in the upcoming playoffs. They have a bye in the first weekend and will play the lowest remaining seed in the tournament on Mar 13-14.

Chad Cartier scored the game-winner for the Wolves on Feb 28 to clinch the title. Cartier, who finished with a goal and two assists, was assisted by Dana Calderone and Rob Delfranco. The Wolves also won the final game of the season, scoring five goals in the final period to defeat the Flyers, 9-6. Chris Manemeit, Dave Smith and Andrew Preston each had two goals in the win.

The Wolves finished the regular season with a league-best 25-5-5 MJHL record, recording 50 points. They scored 182 goals, while allowing only 112.

The Wolves dropped the first two games of the month to playoff contenders. They were beaten by the Rockets, 6-2 on Jan 31 and the Devils, 3-2 on Feb 1.

The most important games were against Suffolk PAL. The two teams played three times. The Wolves won the first game, 5-4 (Feb 7), before a loss and tie in the final two games of the series. In the second game (Feb 8), the Wolves started the second period with a two-minute, five-on-three advantage, but couldn’t convert. Suffolk scored the next four goals, winning 6-3. Calderone, Robert Wood, and Ryan Pospisil scored for the Wolves. Mike Nunzianto, Rick Gates, Brent Kapteina, Chris Manemeit, and Rob Delfranco were all credited with assists. The two squads tied 4-4 in the final game.

In other games, the Wolves avenged an earlier loss to the Devils, winning 5-4 on Feb 15. They also defeated the Clippers, 3-0.

Pospisil (21 goals and 27 assists) finished fourth in the MJHL scoring with 48 points, while Calderone (23 goals, 22 assists) finished sixth with 45 points. Goalie Dustin Deleel was the second ranked goalie in the league with a 3.14 goals against average.