Weekend Roundup - October 4-5

8U Mites

The Mite-y Jr Blue Hens were on the road again for another non-league tilt. This time against Snider Hockey at the Class of 1923 Rink in Philadelphia. With a full roster and full coaching staff, the team was optimistic and excited. They showed a lot of heart and hustle but were defeated by a large margin. They learned a lot and are eager to get back to work this week in practice.

10U A Squirts

From Coach Chris: 10UA played Genesis on Saturday.  We came out strong, spending the majority of the first period in the offensive zone, ending the first with a 1-0 lead.  They made us pay in the second for our mistakes and undisciplined penalties, scoring 3 unanswered goals.  Again, the fight that this team has and the never quit attitude allowed us to claw back and force overtime, where we ended up taking the win.  Despite not bringing our best game, we still outshot them 23-9.  I told the boys that good teams still find ways to win games even when they don't play their best, and I'm proud of them for fighting back to bring this one home.

10U B Squirts

The Delaware Jr. Blue Hens 10UB team faced their campaign this weekend with a highly competitive spirit, showcasing a potent offense and defensive resilience despite going 0-2-0. The team demonstrated an impressive ability to put the puck in the net, scoring10 goals across the two contests and averaging 24.5 shots on goal per game. This offensive firepower highlights the team's aggressive forechecking and ability to convert scoring chances against competitive goaltenders backed by strong defensive teams. 

Key Accomplishments:

• High-Octane Offense: The team’s 10 goals in just two games, and finding the net in all six periods, proves they have the ability to challenge opposing defenses and remain competitive in high-scoring affairs. Goals were scored by: 
  • Finn Litwin (x3)
  • AJ DeLuca (+2 assists)
  • Avery Malone
  • Jack Anthony (x4 + 1 assist)
  • Travis Hassler 
• Competitive Play: Despite suffering a loss in both games, the team demonstrated remarkable competitiveness. With a total of 10 goals scored and 14 goals against, their overall goal differential for the weekend at -4. 
• Weekend MVP: This weekend's MVP title was awarded to Bhodi Parks for his aggressiveness and making key plays when needed.  

The Jr. Blue Hens currently sit in 5th place in the 10UB National Division standings, holding each opponent to a 2 goal or less differential per game, establishing themselves early as a team capable of matching up against strong DVHL competition. The team looks to build momentum on their powerhouse defense and ability to find the back of the net during their first travel tournament scheduled this coming weekend in Hershey, PA.

12U A American PeeWee

From Coach Mike: The 12U Peewee 'A' team was ready for a bounce back weekend after a tough loss to Reading last Saturday, and they did not disappoint.  We started Saturday off with a matchup against Central Penn.  Regency Rink isn't the nicest of venues, and with only 1 bench door, we had the kids hopping the boards early and often.  Reid Covell got us on the board, not even 2 minutes into the game with his first goal of the season.  Jaxson Holmes and Ryan Rewkowski added first period goals to give us 3-0 lead and that would prove to be more than enough.  Central Penn was able to get on the board in the second period, but that would be their lone goal.  Chase Bolin added a goal in the third to eventually get us the 4-1 win.  Strong goaltending and team defense all the way around were the keys to victory.  We outshot Central Penn 30-13 and never took our foot off the gas.

Looking to ride the momentum from Saturday, we traveled to PNY on Sunday for a tilt against the Quakers.  Once again, we got on the board fairly early with a great pass from Jackson Hartman to Graeme Shannon in front of the Quakers net.  The Quakers answered quickly, but Joey Brisbin and Drew Covell tallied goals before the period ended to give us a 3-1 lead.  We had some defensive lapses during the second period and found ourselves out of position a few times, which allowed the Quakers to score a couple of goals, but we also scored a couple more ourselves to maintain a 2 goal lead (5-3) entering the third period.  The team really clamped down defensively in the third and continued to fire pucks on the Quakers net.  The forwards back checked hard and we really made it difficult for the Quakers to generate any sustained offense in the third.  Brayden Adams made some clutch saves in net, and Miles Parks (2), Jaxson Holmes, and Ryan Rewkowski added third period goals to give us the eventual 9-4 victory!  A balanced scoring attack is what we as coaches like to see, and this game had just that.  6 different goal scores and another 5 players adding assists.  11 of our 12 skaters recorded a point in this game!  Good things to build on as we look forward to a Saturday night matchup at home against Snider.

12U B National Peewee

12U B hit the road bright and early (dark? There's no sun at 4am) for a match up with the Exton Kings at Power Play Rinks on Sunday morning. With a 7am puck drop, we were feeling the haze of the early wake up. Jackson Callahan got the scoring started with an assist from Tyson McKinery, securing a shorthanded goal in the first period. We came out slow in the 2nd and gave up a goal shortly after puck drop, but we rallied and answered back with a goal of our own thanks to a breakaway from Callahan. Securing his first hat trick of the season, Jackson Callahan found the back of the net early in the 3rd period, starting off a volley of goals for the remainder of the game. Allowing Exton to score twice back to back, we stepped up and answered with two of our own thanks to a 4th from Callahan and Frankie Bohenick assisted by Ty McKinery. Coming away with a 5-4 win, it was a tighter game than it should have been and we definitely learned some lessons to apply to our future games. Andrew Kulp was an absolute brick wall in the net, stopping 25 out of 29 shots on goal. 

Next weekend we meet Campus Wild again for a non-league game and then we hit the road for a match up with the Hershey Jr Bears.

14U A American Bantam

The 14U Bantam Team played the Wilmington Nighthawks last Saturday.

Our team played hard against a tough, undefeated team. McKayla Mellon was in net. They were down 3-0 at the end of first period. During second period Vincent Trettel scored the first goal. His teammates almost knocked him over in their excitement. Andrew Nicholson scored soon after making the score 5-2. The Nighthawks scored once more making the final score 6-2.

A shout out to Chance Scarborough for playing an extra hard game on defense. Also, Ethan Grosser made the people in our bleachers erupt with laughter with his big cheesy grin after he landed in the penalty box.

Next Saturday, they play the Hershey Bears at home.  Go Blue Hens!!!!!

16U A American Midget

This weekend the 16U A American crew hit the road for back to back away games. First up was Snider Hockey on Saturday evening in Philadelphia at their 1923 Arena. Knowing it was going to be a tough match up, we had several players out due to illness and Homecoming. Our apprehension was accurate and we came out with a tough loss. Without much time to reflect, we hit the road Sunday for a rematch against Campus Wild. After their loss last weekend we knew they'd come out strong, and they did. It was like an entirely different team showed up, they dominated straight out of the gate and we left with a second loss in a row securing our bump down to second place in the league. 

Next weekend the team heads to Rochester, NY for the Rochester Fall Classic. Hopefully we can overcome the plague that's hit the team and come out ahead!

16U A National Midget

Blue Hens Split Road Series

The 16U National Blue Hens put the miles on the vehicles this weekend as they hit the road for a pair of away games, looking to bounce back after last weekend’s loss to Delco Black. The boys played disciplined, clean hockey all weekend, taking only four total penalties across both games.

Saturday: Blue Hens 4 – Genesis 1

Saturday afternoon, the boys faced off against Genesis with a mission to reset their rhythm and reclaim momentum. The first period was a defensive standoff as neither team managed to light the lamp. Early in the second, Landon Austin sparked the offense with his sixth goal of the season off Jackson Simon’s first assist.

Goaltender Luke Johnson was on pace for his first shutout of the year until nine minutes into the third, when Genesis slipped one by to tie the game at 1. The Blue Hens didn’t waste time responding—just a minute later, David Lavieri buried the go-ahead goal set up by Jason Tamin and Andrew Hemberger. The offense kept rolling as Tamin returned the favor, scoring his second goal of the season from a setup by Lavieri.

With time winding down, Genesis pulled their goalie for the extra attacker, but the gamble didn’t pay off. Jackson Simon sealed the deal with an empty-netter in the final seconds, securing a strong 4–1 Blue Hens victory.

Sunday: Snider 5 – Blue Hens 2

The boys hit the road again Sunday to not only tackle the I-95 traffic but also take on Snider’s undefeated season. Snider came out firing, putting up three unanswered goals before Jackson Persoleo got the Hens on the board late in the second period with his third of the year off passes from Mackenzie and Simon.

Snider extended their lead early in the third with a shorthanded goal, but the Hens answered when Lucas Solimini took the puck coast-to-coast to net his first goal of the season. Despite the momentum shift, Snider struck again late in the period to lock in a 5–2 win and keep their unbeaten streak alive.

It was a fast-paced, physical matchup where a string of bad passes, missed rebounds, and a few questionable missed calls stacked the odds against the Blue Hens—but the team continued to battle until the final whistle.

Looking Ahead

The Blue Hens return home this coming weekend aiming to build on Saturday’s strong showing and clean up the small mistakes that cost them on Sunday. With growing chemistry, balanced scoring across multiple lines, and a focus on disciplined play, the Hens are shaping up for a strong mid-season push.

16U AA Midget 

From Coach Jesse: 16U AA continued MAHA play Saturday at home against the Cutting Edge King Cobras.  The boys rebounded from last week and came to play. Erik Ingholt was solid in net making the saves he should and some he shouldn't.  He stopped a key breakaway that  could have been a momentum changing play. The defense played a very solid game not giving up much in our zone.  We were down 2 players because of my favorite, homecoming.  Only 1 more weekend of that to deal with and then we are home free.  A couple weeks ago we put a line together that the boys called the Meme line.  Well, the final score was Meme line 8- King Cobras- 4.  The meme line is: LW- Bode (ICE) Greene C- Aiden (Holmzy) Holmes and RW- Justin (J$) Silver.  Justin started the scoring with a shifty wrap around after cycling the puck and getting the Cobras chasing.  The next  goal was again scored by J$ assisted by ICE.  The Cobras responded with a fluffy shot from the point through a screen that Big E did not have a chance to see.  All of our boys on the ice were applying pressure and creating chances, but the Meme Line was on fire.  Holmzy scored the next three goal, two from ICE and Wyatt Gooch, and one from Andy Wu and J$.  The King Cobras did not quit and were able to sneak 2 by us.Then in the third, J$ was blazing down the right side and made a perfect pass across the crease to ICE who was sitting on the back pipe for an easy tap in.  As everyone should on such a goal, ICE pointed right at J$ essentially giving him the credit for an outstanding play and easy tap in. This pissed Holmzy off because he wasn't on the score sheet so he and ICE connected for another and 20 seconds later, J$ and ICE connected for another one.  That was it. Complete domination. Two total penalties kept us off of the kill and allowed us to skate 5v5.

Sunday we were close to the Arctic Circle in Montclair, NJ.  It was a rematch of one of our first games this year that we tied 1-1.  The boys were riding high and it showed. We had a full squad and we wasted no time exerting our dominance.  I put a line together for the first time this year that instantly clicked.  They played together a couple years ago across the street and did not disappoint: Ryan Syto, Andy Wu, and Steven Melson.  After watching the Meme Line the day before, they said watch this.  They didn't quite match the output of the Meme Line but they definitely were dominant. Ryan Syto started the scoring off on a beaut of a pass from Steven Melson and Andy Wu.  A couple minutes later TK8 buried a shot from the left circle on a pass from Wyatt Bolin to make it 2-0.  Then on the power play, Chips made an appearance and scored one on a nice pinch and effort play making it 3-0.  The Blues struck back with 2 goals to make it 3-2.with 7 minutes left in the 3rd period Ryan Syto struck again putting us up 4-2 on another great assist from Steven Melson. The blues fought back making it 4-3 and then with the extra attacker on Ryan Syto finished them off with a backhanded empty netter. In all it was a good weekend where the boys rebounded and we showed our scoring depth. During the Blues game our starter for the day, Quinn Kelley, took a puck off of the face-mask. It rattled him and Erik Ingholt had to enter in relief. It is not easy to enter a game cold as a goalie but Erik BIG E locked it down. Next up back to the Arctic Circle as we travel to West Niack, NY to play the Cobras again.

18U AA Midget 

18U has been busy doing 18U things. They had a two game weekend, playing an incredibly tough nationally ranked team; the Montclair Blues. Despite a 7-1 loss, the boys gave them a run for their money and held them to a tighter game than they're used to playing. Sunday they faced Devils Youth, unable to secure a win but playing a phenomenal game. Next weekend they play Princeton Youth and then really buckle down to prep for the CanAm tournament the following weekend.

*A note about this Weekend Roundup - Please accept my most sincere apologies in the delay sending this out. I do my best to get it to everyone in a timely manner, but this past week got away from me. I'd like to say it won't happen again but as we are all parents here, we know our kids always come first so the best I can say is "I'll do my best". Thank you for understanding!

Thanks for reading! If you have any feedback about the Weekend Roundup, or have any suggestions for future editions, please email them to Morgan.wiebke@gmail.com.