Weekend Roundup - September 20-21

8U Mites

From Coach Dean: With no games scheduled, the Mite-y Jr Blue Hens decided to do the weekend in style by tailgating before the Delaware Blue Hens Men’s D1 hockey season opener. They then got on the ice at intermission for Mites On Ice to show the men how it’s done. Everyone had an absolute blast, and can’t wait to do it again for Mites On Ice at a Flyer’s game.

10U A Squirts

From Coach Chris:

10UA had a non league matchup against the Chester County Cougars on Saturday.  We discussed at practice during the week that it doesn't matter who we play or whether it's a league or non league game, we bring our best game every time we hit the ice... We didn't bring our best game.  There was a lack of focus during our pre-game warmup which eventually carried over into the game.  Although we out shot our opponent 27-9, costly mistakes, bickering on the bench, and a lack of team first mentality ultimately resulted in a 4-3 loss.  Opportunity for redemption this upcoming weekend with a DVHL rematch at the Barn... 

"Don't forget to bring your game" - Herb Brooks

10U B Squirts

From Coach Chris: The 10U B team handed the previously undefeated Wilmington Nighthawks their first loss of the season with a 5-4 victory at home.

It was a true team effort, with goals scored by Travis, Jack, and Finn. The strong offensive play was backed up by phenomenal defense. Matthew showed incredible heart and defensive skill, earning him the well-deserved MVP of the game.

12U A American PeeWee

From Coach Mike: The PeeWee A team started our weekend with an early season rematch against Campus Wild.  Even with the early morning start, we came out with much more energy than our game the previous weekend!  Despite this, we fell down 1-0 early in the first period.  However, no one hung their heads and we kept playing with intensity, and we took the lead just over 2 minutes later by netting 2 quick goals.  Campus answered back, but we were able to score late in the first to take a 3-2 lead into the 2nd period and never looked back.  The players continued to fire pucks on net and crashed hard for rebounds all game.  We put up a whopping 42 shots on goal and came away with a 7-4 victory!  Michael Monzo held things down in net for us during periods 1 and 2, and then Brayden Adams closed things out strong in the 3rd.  Once again, we had 5 different goal scorers, with Ryan Rewkowski leading the way with a hat trick!  We were back at it again Sunday morning at the barn, facing off against Chester County.  Ryan Rewkowski got us on the board just 39 seconds into the game, and we were just getting started.  The entire team put forth a solid effort all game and we never took our foot off the gas.  Drew Covell and Jackson Hartman scored their first goals of the season, and Brayden Adams was stellar in net stopping 27 of the 29 shots he faced.  This led to a 10-2 victory!  We displayed a very balanced scoring attack once again, and now all of our skaters have registered at least 1 point on the season.  We'll be looking to keep things going this weekend against a very strong Reading Royals team.

The 12U B kids kicked off the weekend with their first away game of the season, against Genesis up at Hatfield. Having played them just the weekend prior and holding them to a one goal lead, we knew they were going to come out on fire. Jackson Callahan lit up the action straight out of the gate scoring the first goal of the game and pumping us up for what we thought was going to be a good run. Unfortunately, that goal also pumped up Genesis who went on to absolutely hammer us, resulting in a loss. We knew they’d be a fierce opponent, and we’re looking forward to more even match ups next week when we play Princeton and Quakers. The team is truly coming together with Finley Phillips earning Player of the Game for her unrelenting pressure and fiery spirit.

14U A American Bantam
 

What a busy weekend for the 14U Bantum team. 

On Saturday they played The Quakers. Our team played hard. It was a great team effort. McKayla Mellon was in net. The Quakers won 6-1. Chase Watkins got our only goal.

The team also had a great time at the UD Men’s game in the evening.

On Sunday they played the Hatfield Ice Hawks. Again, our team played hard. The 3rd offensive line with Ryan McCoury, Ernesto Boyd, and Cash Scarborough was impressive. They played well together, passing the puck and playing with grit.  It went down to the wire. With 35.8 seconds left, Andrew Nicholson scored with an assist by Carter Mast. Clayton Sowders was in net. It was a close game, but the Ice Hawks got the W, 2-1. It was a nail biter. 

Next weekend, they play the Reading Royals on Saturday night and the Exton Kings on Sunday.    Go Blue Hens!!!

16U A American Midget

Saturday afternoon the 16U A American boys faced off against Snider at a home game in Gold Arena. Knowing Snider to be a tough team, our goal was to play smart and keep our heads which is exactly what we did. In a shocking turn of events, there was not a single penalty assessed until partway through the second period. The game was fast paced, with nearly 100 shots on goal combined. Despite the pressure, and Brody Szyjka being a force to be reckoned with in net, Snider pulled out the win and our lone goal was attributed to Josh Revis and Rowan Donohue with the assist.

Sunday afternoon the team headed out to The Barn for a match up against Chester County Cougars for their first game of the season. The boys were fired up after their loss the day before and determined to redeem themselves. Games against CCSC are known to be chippy, so we weren’t quite sure what to expect, but we came out strong and maintained the momentum. Mike Brzozowski found the back of the net first with help from Nate Meissner early in the first period, and Ben Zigmond followed suit assisted by Cade Carter and Connor Clark shortly after. Heading in to the 2nd period with a 2 goal lead, our focus was putting on the pressure to keep it that way. CCSC was able to sneak one past Brody on a lucky shot but we held their feet to the fire and pulled out the win despite a handful of penalties on both sides.

Next weekend the team heads to Easton, MD for a non-league game against the IceHawks and then a league game versus Campus Wild on Sunday

16U A National Midget

Jr. Blue Hens Double Header Recap

Game 1 – vs. Central Penn Panthers
The Jr. Blue Hens came out strong in their morning matchup against Central Penn. Jaxon Mackenzie got things rolling early in the first period, burying his third goal of the season off a feed from Jackson Persoleo. The momentum continued on the power play with Landon Austin knocking in his second of the year, assisted by Max Lignelli.

The second period was all Hens as the offense exploded with three goals. Jackson Persoleo and Jason Tamin each notched their first tallies of the season, set up by Colton Duer and David Lavieri. Mackenzie struck again for his fourth, assisted by Austin, keeping the team firmly in control.

In the third, the Hens stayed relentless on special teams. Austin converted his third of the year from Mackenzie, before Mackenzie capped the win with his first hat trick of the season on an unassisted effort. Goaltender Luke Johnson stood tall between the pipes, turning aside 17 shots to seal the 7–2 victory over the Panthers.

Game 2 – vs. Wilkes-Barre Jr. Penguins
After a quick turnaround and trip home, the Hens took the ice again in the evening against Wilkes-Barre. Andrew Hemberger set the tone with an aggressive first period, netting his first goal of the season from Jackson McNutt. With just seconds left in the frame, Hemberger capitalized on the power play to add his second of the night.

The Hens kept pressing in the second as Austin converted yet another power play opportunity, marking his fourth of the season. The third period turned physical with seven penalties called as tensions rose, but the Hens kept their composure. Colton Duer lit the lamp late, burying his second of the year off a setup from McNutt.

Between the pipes, Jacob McBee came up big, holding off 24 shots and backstopping the Blue Hens to a 4–2 victory over the Penguins.

Looking Ahead
The Jr. Blue Hens skate away from Saturday’s double header with back-to-back wins, a standout hat trick from Mackenzie, first goals of the season for Persoleo, Tamin, and Hemberger, and strong goaltending on both ends. With momentum building, the boys now look ahead to next weekend’s home matchup against the 0–2 Delco Phantoms (Black), where they’ll aim to extend their winning streak. 

16U AA Midget 

From Coach Jesse: 16 U AA had an EJ showcase over the weekend in Aston.  We started with a very good club Saturday morning matching up against the Long Island Edge.  It was a gritty back and forth battle with high speed, big hits and a lot of defense on both sides. Erik Ingholt was an absolute monster in net.  We had been applying a ton of pressure with the forecheck and they were starting to break.  With 4:19 left in the game Aiden Holmes (Holmzy) won the face-off and beat the goalie glove high to go ahead 1-0.  We knew what was coming and the boys buckled down.  We played everything right. Blocking shots, neutral zone pressure, intensity that lead to another gear. Unfortunately with 40 seconds left a shot from the point deflected off of our defensemen's skate and went in.  Ok, let's get to OT.  We got to OT and with 1: 57 left a shot from the point got past a screened Erik Ingholt and we lost in OT. We didn't mope or blame anyone, because we are a team of brothers. We supported each other and  talked about the positives.   

Next up we played the Prestige Stars out of Brooklyn, NY.  They never stood a chance. With the way we were playing and the way we lost that morning, the boys were buzzin.  At 16:36 Bode Greene beat the goalie on a beaut of a sauce by Justin Silver. Five minutes later on the Power Play Charlie Huber buried a shot from the slot to make it 2-0. Five minutes after that Riley Naftzinger beat the goalie for 3-0. and you guessed it, five minutes after that, Ryan Syto got another power play goal to go up 4-0 into the half.  While in the room waiting for the ice cut the boys were focused and ready for more.  The Stars made some adjustments but at 7:40 Riley Naftzinger broke through for a 5-0 lead. Ryan Syto scored on the  power play off of a beautiful set play with assists from Wyatt Gooch and Steven Melson to go up 6-0.  With 1:23 left in the game DJ Mast took a shot from the point which was redirected by Ryan Syto to make it 7-0 and finish the domination. Quinn Kelley earned a shutout. While he only faced 13 shots, he remained ready and focused making an outstanding save on a breakaway to keep his bagel. This was exactly the response we needed. Big shout out to our team parents who jumped in front of the other team and our boys as they were going to the rooms that crossed paths and the Stars players were downright nasty. I was told, JR Starke and "a bunch of hockey moms thwarted the attack". Appreciate you guys looking out for the boys.   

Knowing that we were facing Snider the following morning, who wanted revenge against us for a previous loss at home on opening weekend, we shifted our focus. The last time we played them it was very chippy and we expected that again. As expected, Snider brought it.  We started the scoring with Riley Naftzinger receiving a nasty pass from Wyatt Bolin to go up 1-0. They tied it at 1-1 and we again took the lead 2-1 on a goal by Holmzy assisted by Big E Erik Ingholt.  While on the kill, Chris Howie, who is a phenomenal PK and forechecker, ripped a shot on net that the goalie mishandled and went in making it 3-1. One minute later Snider scored to make it 3-2. Snider came out at half and tied it to make it 3-3, but 3 minutes later Riley Naftzinger buried a shot on another Wyatt Bolin pass that was also assisted by Chips Bockhorn.  This made it 4-3. Snider then got two quick ones to go up by one at 5-4. 30 second later Andy Wu buried a beautiful shot off a pass from Justin Silver to tie it back up at 5 and 40 seconds later Riley Naftzinger gave us the lead off of a pass from Steven Melson to make it 7-6.  Snider would not quit and tied the score up at 7 with 4 minutes left. At 1:05, Steven Melson buried the game winner on assists from DJ Mast and Wyatt Bolin. We closed out Snider on a close one where the boys never quit. I am proud of their effort, resilience, and following through with coaching adjustments to defeat a talented Snider team again.  We play them three more times this season and they will be a battle. 

After Saturday morning's OT loss, the boys reset their weekend goal to go 3-1 for the showcase.  We matched up against Louden for the final game. We took an early penalty and paid the price. That's all it would take but, Quinn Kelley was insane in the net.  Loudon was credited with another goal where the puck was on the outside of the net below the goal line and their player was in our crease and toe dragged the puck in. It was allowed as the other ref could not see it, but after the game admitted it should not have been a goal.  We talked about learning from it, and that the refs are a part of the game.  In all it was a great weekend. I am very happy with where we are in our progression and continue to improve every practice and game. The boys come ready to work and are playing some very good hockey with an unlimited ceiling.  Next up homecoming season inserts its ugly head as we travel to face Union saturday in a MAHA matchup. Sunday we head down to Potomac to face the Patriots for an EJ matchup.