Weekend Roundup - November 1-2

8U Mites

The 8U Mite-y Hens were victorious in an overtime thriller against the Hollydell Hurricanes in Hollydell, NJ on Saturday night.

The Hurricanes battled the Hens to a 5-5 tie at the end of regulation. Along the way, Emma Gliniak scored on a penalty shot. Theo Brainard and Jordyn Draper also found the back of the net before game MVP Nick DeLuca elevated the game winner into the top right corner with 1:20 left in overtime, his third goal of the game.

The Hens then headed home for an early Sunday morning game against Campus Wild, where they won by a score of 12-1. Goalie Liam Peipoch saved 15 of 16 shots in goal for the Blue Hens. 

Game MVP Aiden Graham got the scoring going with his first goal of the season, and the Hens never looked back. Theo Brainard and Luke Scott scored two goals a piece while Jordyn Draper found the net four times. Theoren Perry, Logan Day, and Emma Gliniak also notched goals. 

Next up for the Mites are the PA Huntsman on Saturday in Exton, PA, followed by a Sunday home game against the Quakers (Grey).

10U A Squirts

From Coach Chris: 10UA played Genesis Blue at home on Saturday afternoon.  Although we won by a score of 7-2, outshooting our opponent 20-12, we all agreed that as a team that we did not bring our best game.  We talked about making sure that every time we step on the ice, whether for practices, clinics, games, etc. that we always bring forth our best effort, that we play the way we know how to play, and that we can't let bad habits creep into our game, especially when playing against teams that may not be as skilled as us.

10U B Squirts

The 10UB Delaware Jr. Blue Hens avenged last week’s tough loss to the Central Penn Panthers with a resounding 8-1 victory at home on Sunday morning.

After a scoreless first period, Travis Hassler and Finn Litwin sparked an offensive onslaught. Each tallied a hat trick during the final two periods, with Travis adding an assist for good measure. Jack Anthony and Matthew Longmire also found the back of the net while Adam Fares contributed three assists. Bentley Bristow added a helper, as well.

Goalie Aiden McGrath took a shutout deep into the third period, stopping 18 of 19 shots en route to Game MVP honors. The Hens host the Exton Kings on Sunday, November 9 (8:40 AM).

12U A American PeeWee

From Coach Lorne: The 12UA team faced Genesis on Saturday and unfortunately came up short with a 4-0 loss.  While the outcome wasn’t what we’d hoped for, the game gave us insight into areas we need to focus on as we continue to grow throughout the season. 

We’re looking forward to a solid week of practice ahead as we prepare for our first tournament of the season in Virginia Beach this upcoming weekend.

The 12U B Crew hit the road dark and early Saturday morning for a sunrise game against the Princeton Jr Tigers. After a late night for all enjoying Halloween, and a confusing campus lacking in signage and directions, we made our way to the gorgeous Tsai Field House at The Lawrenceville School. That rink has to be the nicest one in the league, the warming room was super fancy and the locker rooms were incredible. The kids geared up and hit the ice ready to rock and roll. It became quickly evident that this team was on another level, their skating ability and passing was just out of reach and kept us on the run the entire game. Despite our genuine best efforts, we just couldn’t hang and went home with a loss. Throughout the game, the kids never gave up and skated hard until that last buzzer doing everything in their power to get shots on net.

A HUGE shout out to Andrew Kulp for facing an astounding 67 shots on goal. He kept his head up and powered through a very challenging game, and we could not be prouder of his resiliency and stamina. Way to go, buddy!

14U A American Bantam

The 14U team played two home games on Saturday. The first game was against Genesis. First period ended with our team down 2-0. Second period, Genesis scored two more making the score 4-0. Cash Scarborough scored the only goal making it 4-1, which was the final score.

The second game was at 8:30 pm. They played Chester County Cougars. It was an aggressive game from both sides. First period Chase Watkins scored first. The Cougars scored 4 minutes later making it 1-1. Second period Chase Watkins scored again from an assist from Pippa Hall. Next, Ernesto Boyd scored with assists from Rafa Mocorro and Chase Watkins, making the score 3-1. Third period Chase Watkins scored an open net goal making the score 4-1 and giving him a hat trick. 

The team enjoys a weekend off for Veteran's Day this coming weekend and will hit the ice the following week.

16U A American Midget

The 16U A American team faced the Hershey Jr Bears on our home turf Saturday. Knowing that this team is ranked 2nd right now, and it was a team most of these boys faced in summer tournaments, we had our work cut out for us. They play a very physical game and we knew we had to keep our heads on straight. We hit the ice with only one ref, which was a little stressful against a team known to play as physically as the Bears do. The first period was neck and neck with both teams putting equal pressure on. With just two minutes to go, the Bears got one past Brody on a breakaway taking them up 1-0. We rallied during first intermission, and the second ref showed up so everyone stepped it up a notch and took things to the next level. Josh Revis was able to sink one in the net putting us on the board and tying things up 1-1. The Bears answered back with a goal of their own, taking the lead once again. Ready to reclaim the game, we came out hard with the time remaining in the 2nd period, and an unfortunate penalty gave the Bears another scoring opportunity on a power play that they took full advantage of. With the score now 3-1 going in to the 3rd, everyone was hyped and hoping to close that gap but ultimately we couldn’t make it happen. 

Next up, the team heads to the Congressional Veteran’s Day Cup in Northern Virginia where they hope to find their footing and reset. We have some fun activities planned and are looking forward to turning over a new leaf and reclaiming the wins we enjoyed earlier in the season.

16U A National Midget

The 16U A National crew had the weekend off!

16U AA Midget 

From Coach Jesse: 16U AA traveled up to The Lawrenceville School for a game with Princeton.  We have played the Tigers before, once in a tournament in August, and once in September.  They have had our number. Not this time. Not tonight.  The game started fast and furious with each team jockeying for every inch.The first period ended scoreless but we were controlling the neutral zone and spent a lot of time in their zone. Half way through the second period we had just killed a power play and they snuck one past Quinn Kelley on a screen. We did not panic and were confident to keep applying the pressure.

27 seconds into the third period the Meme Line struck again.  Bode “Ice" Greene took a perfect breakout pass from Justin “J$” Silver and some speed through the zone. Bode was 1 v  2.  He entered the zone and cut across both defenders and fired a shot on net and beat the goalie from the circles to tie it 1-1.  We had energy the whole game and then after that goal took it to another level. Holmzy hit 2 pipes and we were buzzin’ around the net. At 7:57 the Meme Line struck again. J$ took a pass from Holmzy and buried it for a 2-1 lead. Princeton had trouble breaking out all night because of our system and continued so we did not change a thing.  On a play that could have gone either way, DJ Mast pinched on the wall and his guy squeezed through.  He would have gone on a breakaway, so DJ made a smart play and tripped the guy giving Princeton a PP. Not that we want to be on the PK, but it is a better choice than a breakaway. Our PK killed it and never let Princeton get set up. Our primary penalty killers are Chris "Wingstop" Howie,  Ethan "Chants" Chantler, Ryan Syto, and Steven Melson.  All four of them along with any of our defensive pairs are outstanding penalty killers. After killing that penalty Andy Wu got tangled up with a Princeton player and was called for a trip. So we went back on the kill with a 2-1 lead. 20 seconds into that kill Holmzy wanted to get on the board. Princeton had pulled their goalie to make it 6 v 4. Holmzy fought, dug and battled to win the puck and carried through the neutral zone. He had a step on the defenders draped all over him and put a backhand shot in the empty net.  After the goal the Princeton defender showed his frustration and started punching Holmzy. He did not hit back and took the punches. He wrapped his arms around the kid and prevented him from hitting him any further. I am very proud of Holmzy. We constantly preach to take the punch, let them get the suspension.  The other player got 5 and a game for fighting and head contact, and they were also his 4th and 5th penalties.  The refs gave Holmzy a penalty but didn't give a reason why.  Still on the PK, Princeton pulled the goalie again to make it 5 v 4.  We chipped the puck out of our zone and Steven Melson picked it up outracing the Princeton defender and hit another empty net goal.  Our goal was to go 1-0 on the day. It was also to take down the first place team in Princeton. We achieved both and the boys had a day. Quinn Kelley, returning from a concussion, was an absolute wall in net saving all but 1 shot.  Andy Wu selflessly went back and played an outstanding game on defense as we were missing a top defender. 

Next we went to face Genesis. Our first meeting of the season. There's nothing like  Colmar on a Sunday afternoon.  Genesis is a very good team. Our mistakes were easy to see as we paid for them. We took a penalty and they made us pay.  Once we settled in we started making some plays, but against a team like them you have to play mistake free hockey. Erik Ingholt was a beast in net, facing 48 shots and stopping 40. We allowed 3 PP goals. We will continue to get better. We will continue to fight. This team is full of brothers. They all fight for each other and will keep pushing forward.  The Meme Line did generate our only goal on a nice pass from Ice to J$ in the slot.  

Next up we have a EJ showcase at Ice works.

18U AA Midget 

The Delaware Jr. Blue Hens were back in action this weekend with a two-game set, showcasing plenty of offense and resilience.

On Saturday, the Hens battled hard in a 7–5 loss to the New Jersey Colonials, in a fast-paced game filled with back-and-forth scoring. Nate Ponden got the offense rolling with help from Dylan Crandall, followed by Brennan Austin’s goal assisted by Aydan Savery and Enrique Boyd. Boyd then found the back of the net himself on a setup from B. Austin, before B. Austin tallied his second of the game off a pass from David Funk Jr. Braden Nieman capped off the scoring late in the third, assisted by Schenk and Crandall. Goaltender Ryne Dominick faced an incredible 43 shots and made several key saves to keep the game close.

The Hens bounced back on Sunday with a strong 3–0 shutout win over the Jersey Wolves. Enrique Boyd opened the scoring on a feed from Savery and James Austin, and Blake D’Itaila added two more — the first assisted by Brennan Austin, and the second by Cian Harp and Zayne Mackenzie. Dominick earned the shutout, turning aside all 14 shots he faced in net.

A weekend that featured plenty of scoring and a hard-earned shutout showed both the offensive firepower and defensive effort of the Jr. Blue Hens squad. The team continues to build momentum as they move deeper into the season.

The team is off this coming weekend. 

In Other News...

We are thrilled to announce the Winter Giveback Classic, partnered with CV3 Hockey Development to benefit the Child Life Department at Nemours Children's Hospital in Wilmington. 100% of the proceeds from this event will go to Nemours, and it's going to be a blast. We hope you can join us, your teammates and friends, for the Skills Competition and 3v3 Mini Tournament. More details to come, click HERE to register!