I know, some of you may be wondering about the silence of the Wes after 10 games and no report. I've just had a bad case of writer's block and could not seem to "figure it out". Well, thanks to my good friend Bruce Dickenson, I have found a cure... it seems all I needed was a little more cowbell. Go Thunder!
* * *
21-Jan vs TI Vikings at the Golden Dome (6-0W)
After a 5-year hiatus, the Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder Hockey team trek'd north to Ogdensburg for the Brian Wade Memorial Hockey Tournament, that was held at the Ogdensburg Free Academy (OFA) Golden Dome in January. Thunder faced the Thousand Island Vikings 7:30pm on Friday nite (21-Jan) for their opening game, which turned out to be not much of a contest as Thunder outshot the Vikings by a 2-1 margin (32-15) for a 6-0 final. Leading the way for Thunder were Brandon Hutchison, with 2 goals and 1 assist for 3pts, Tyler Mattle with a pair of goals, and Anthony Crawford with 1 goal and 3 assists for 4pts. Andrew Simonelli tended nets for the Thunder and stopped all 15 shots he faced.
Did not get to meet the DJ but it was obvious by the end of the warm-up that they like their AC-DC up there in the north country. Ima rollin thunder, im pourin rain, im comin on like a hurricane. Well hells bells yeah, wee little Brandon Hutchison came on like a hurricane after taking a shot to the head in his first shift by a kid who was a head and a half taller. Before skating off on a change, Hutch payed the kid a visit in the opposite corner and rang his bell. Snake walked the line and put several pucks on net but could not buy a goal on his birthday. Fast forward to the end of the first frame and Hutch would shift gears from ringing bells to lighting lamps, as he crashed the net and put away the corner feed from Anthony Crawford with 13.5 seconds to the first cut. It seems they like their Neil Diamond up north as well with Sweet Caroline filling the Golden Dome at the first intermission.
AC got his two and a half mins into the second with a wraparound stuff, assisted by Jared Tam-Grimshaw. Six minutes later Tyler Mattle would score when a shot by Eric Hostetter deflected in off his skate. And with just 39.8 seconds left in the frame, Hutch picked up his second goal of the evening, tucking in the rebound on the powerplay, after AC hit the post, to make it 4-0 Thunder.
During the second intermission Jodi Grills dubbed the venue "Wades World" as Pat was sharing stories of how he used to walk from class to hockey practice without even having to go outside. Several folks commented on how one of the officials looked to be about 80yrs old and of course Wader knew the guy, Mel Tomalty, and indicated he was actually 77 years old and used to ref his HS games back in the day. In the backdrop of all this education the DJ showed his range from getting the Led out to Funky Cold Medina to Ice-Ice baby to Sweet Home Alabama to Ride Sally Ride to YMCA to My Sharona (Daryl's personal fav) to Fight for your right to party. A few missing tracks that would have made the playlist complete include: Head Games (Foreigner), We're Not Gonna Take It (Twisted Sister), and R-E-S-P-E-C-T (Aretha).
Halfway through the third Tyler Mattle took a pass from Eric Hostetter at neutral, walked in, pulled up, and sniped short side for the 3-hole goal, his second on the nite. Rounding out the scoring with Thunder's sixth and final goal of the game was Jared Tam-Grimshaw, assisted by AC and Hutch. Just about everyone got their feet wet in this lopsided contest including the rookies who showed some promise with some nice passing plays down the stretch. Back on the bus to the Quality Inn for a Pot Luck Dinner compliments of the booster club - can we get a "thanks mom and dad"?
22-Jan vs OFA Blue Devils at the Golden Dome (4-3L)
While the "Thunder of Greece" came up short losing 4-3 to the "Blue Devils of OFA" in the Saturday matinee, it was a period-by-period points based tournament format, and so Thunder still managed to win it and bring home the hardware. Scoring for Thunder in this game were Justin Simonelli, Anthony Crawford, and Tyler Mattle. Shots were 31-29 in Thunder's favor. Andrew Simonelli made 25 saves. The following Thunder players were named to the All-Tournament Team: Tyler Mattle, Michael Briganti, and Brandon Hutchison (MVP).
Prior to the game, a ceremonial face-off was held at center ice with Pat Wade dropping the puck between OFA captain Eric Barr and Thunder captain Michael Briganti, in memory of his brother Brian Wade who died playing the game he loved on that very same sheet of ice in that very same building.
OFA proved to be a more formidable foe than the Vikes were the nite before, forcing Andrew Simonelli to make some tough saves in the early going. He was active with his stick and made several nice breakout passes to stretch the ice as well. Ten minutes into the contest he would pass to torch to his brother, Justin Simonelli, who curled with a guy on him and muscled one in to break the seal, assisted by Jonathan Clark and Anthony Fedele. OFA answered back with the equalizer 5 minutes into the second but Thunder was not done and would rally 3 minutes later with some solid teamwork in tight for the go-ahead goal. It was Jared Tam-Grimshaw lugging the mail in for Hutch who flipped it across the crease to AC and then AC froze the goalie with a dirty deke done dirt cheap. Two minutes later Tyler Mattle widened the gap, picking up the trash in front and putting it away after a bid by McSkillet came up short. Eric Hostetter picked up the second helper on Thunder's third tally.
Unfortunately, it was all OFA for the rest of the way as they recorded a shortie with a buck and a half to go in the second and went on to score 2 more in the final frame. Not even the DJ queueing Thunderstruck during Thunder's timeout with 20.8 seconds left on the clock could change the outcome, but it did bring back memories of that song playing in the background, as Thunder came from behind to win it all in Utica.
Pay no attention to the silver minivan with Thunder stickers and magnets on the rear pulled over by the Po-Po outside of Hammond. For the record, there was no ticket issued, he just wanted to know how we did in the tournament. I, of course, had the cruise control set at 35mph for the balance of the trip home!
25-Jan vs Greece Lightning at the Shore (5-0W)
(STORM game)
27-Jan vs Fairport Red Raiders at the Creek (10-4L)
29-Jan vs Hilton Cadets at the Shore (6-4W)
(Senior Nite)
4-Feb vs Churchville Chili Saints at the Scot (1-0W)
7-Feb vs Aquinas Little Irish at the Shore (4-2L, ENG)
10-Feb vs Irondequoit Eagles at the Shore (4-1W)
16-Feb vs Penfield Patriots at the Shore (4-0W)
(Sectional Pre-Qtr)
19-Feb vs Brighton/ER/HFL Barons at MCC (4-1W)
(Sectional Qtr)
23-Feb vs Gates Chili Spartans at MCC (2-1W in OT)
(Sectional Semifinal)
27-Feb vs Fairport Red Raiders at RIT (4-2W, ENG)
(Sectional Final)
5-Mar vs Ithaca at LS (2-0W, ENG)
(Regionals)
12-Mar vs Saratoga Blue Streak at Utica memorial Auditorium (1-0L)
(State Championship Seminfinals)
Out-Takes
Words of wisdom for our boys from Coach Weilert: "Skate hard, play fast, given 'em everything you got... Play like champions today! Go get 'em boys!"
Mike Sofia on exit from the pre-quarter game… "brings back a lot of memories."
"Thunder... there is no other.. I cried just like I did 2 years ago!. So proud. See ya all Saturday. Forever #21" - Jeannine Ryan
Words of wisdom from former BC Prez, Kim. Please share with your boys: "Every game starts with a clean sheet of ice.What matters is which team brings their A game and gives it all, every shift. The team that wins doesn’t have to have the most talent. They have to have the most heart. “Hard Work Beats Talent when Talent doesn’t work hard!!!”
All – JV has won again! They defeated Penfield (7 -2) on Monday and Wayne (4-2) on Wednesday. They are playing tonight for the RED Division Championship title!
JV WON THEIR DIVISION!!! It was a close game but the best team won! They defeated Brockport 3 to 2 and it was a nail biter (and Laura left her pants in the stands)
Thanks to all who came out to MCC to support the JV boys and coaches! Kudos to Coach Pat for turning this team around. They went from not winning one game last year, to winning the championship this year. He should be proud!
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Digging out from under
With the temperatures rising and the snow starting to melt, it only seemed fitting that I attempt to dig out from under by cranking out a couple-two-tree, ok yikes five game reports that have been hanging over my head for some time while on sabbatical. So much for my new year's resolution to get each report out before the next puck drop. Anyhow, sit back, relax, and enjoy the 5-pak!
Jan 6: Home vs Pittsford
The Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder Hockey team came up short losing their second game of the new year by a narrow 4-3 margin to the Pittsford Panthers on Thursday at Lakeshore. If you asked anyone in the building they probably would have told you that Thunder was going to run away with it after Jared Tam-Grimshaw notched a quick pair of goals to prime the pump within the first 2 minutes of play. The first one came at the 1:29 mark as Jared cut to the middle of the ice from the top of the circle and sniped short-side, assisted by Anthony Crawford. Just 20 seconds later captain Mike Briganti put slovakia on net from the point and Jared finished off the rebound to make it 2-0. Pat Crowe showed some moxy on D for Thunder taking his check to the wall a couple of times. Shots were 8-6 in Thunder's favor.
Second period was all Pittsford as they outshot Thunder by a mile (18-4) and rallied not once, not twice, but thrice, to take the lead at 3-2. Panthers' first goal came off a 2-on-1 break 40 seconds into the frame with Nino Dipasqule lighting the lamp assisted by Taylor Howard and Max Kaufman.Two minutes later Jim Boyatzies scored unassisted with a blast from the point that hit a skate and deflected in. Nick Panara rounded out the Panthers second stanza palooza with a goal of his own at the 4:50 mark, assisted by Sam Palmer and Peter Vasaturo. As I sat there listening to Neil Diamond at the intermission, I could not help but wonder what the H.E. double hockey sticks happened to the gritty team defense of two days prior that allowed Thunder to escape unscathed from the 2nd period of the Gates game???
Thunder got the equalizer 3 minutes into the third, on the powerplay when Simmy sailed a wing-wing pass to AC who bumped it up top to Ganti for the 1-hole blast. Unfortunately, Pittsford would counter 4 minutes later on their own powerplay with a 1-timer from the top of the right circle by el Nino assisted by Taylor Howard and Corey Parke. Snake had a nice hit on the half-wall to pinch off a late Panther rush. Thunder exercised their T.O. option with a minute to go and drew it up but it was simply not meant to be. Shots were 13-9 for a 3-period total of 33-25 Thunder. With this loss, Thunder's record slides to 4-2-1-1 but it's still early so everybody just remain calm, there's no reason to panic!
Jan 11: Home vs Irondequoit
What a difference 5 days and a weekend away from the rink serving pancakes makes as Thunder returned to the ice with a renewed sense of urgency and a little more hop in their step on 1/11/11 wearing their home whites, black shells and yellow socks...
Yeah, uh huh, you know what it is
Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow
Yeah, uh huh, you know what it is
Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow
[Chorus:]
Yeah, uh huh, you know what it is
Everything I do, I do it big
Yeah, uh huh, scoring goals ain't nothing
When I blocked a shot, that's fronting
Repping my team when you see me you know everything
Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow
I put it down from the bacon to the pan-cakes, I'm in
Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow
Spreadin' sauce on the PP yeah we gonna win
Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow
Go flippin' channels and you'll see me on ESPN
Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow
Not sure where that came from, I just sort of black and yellowed out at the keyboard for a minute. OK, where were we, oh yeah, Thunder skated past Irondequoit with a 5-2 victory on Tuesday the 11th in a game where goals in the first and third by the Eagles surrounded a 5-course meal served up by Thunder in the second frame. Before we get to the action, I would be remiss if I did not put JR on notice that she just may have met her match as one of the IQ moms was making some seriously strange sounds from the stands. At one point I could have sworn she was channeling Bobcat Goldthwait. But what does any of this have to do with hockey, idk?
IQ drew first blood at 6:04 in the first, with a goal from Mike Basta, assisted by John Papas. Thunder put a great deal of pressure on the Eagles, outshooting them 11-8 and carried that momentum into the second despite trailing by 1. That did not last long as Brandon Hutchison put rubber on net and Anthony Crawford finished off the rebound a minute and a half in to knot it at 1's. Jared Tam-Grimshaw picked up the second helper. Eight minutes later AC was back in ring for another swing, ok make that 3 swings, and third whack was a charm as he netted his second goal of the evening, assisted by Mattle and Hutch (Sorry, but Huggy Bear could not be reached for comment). Two minutes later, after demonstrating a great deal of patience and poise with the puck, Anthony Fedele went 5-hole from the slot, assisted by Mike McNeil and Eric Hostetter - nice teamwork boyz! Next up was Mike Briganti and he drained the 3 from top of the key with a 1-hole PPG assisted by AC and Jared T-G at 2:40. And last but not least, just before the break, back on the powerplay, McSkillet served up a cream puff for Grimshaw from behind the net and Tyler slam dunked it, assisted by AC. Shots were 14-8 Thunder for a 2-period total of 25-16.
Irondequoit got their second goal, a shortie, 3.5 mins into the final frame when Nick Papas dug a partially wedged puck out from under Cumming's left pad and put it away on a slow whistle. Rest of the way was a bit of a cool down as Thunder killed off four penalties with Snake logging a routine harry and Curran demonstrating the "cup" harry on a 3-1 break for the Eagles. Jared got the gate for a questionable CFB and Mordenga got to serve the minor. This of course garnered a roar from the stands as he skated to the box. Eric Grills, Pat Crowe, Jeff Geitner, and Austin Briganti got the nod for the final kill as Thunder advanced their record to 5-2-1-1.
First star goes to AC130 who was in the air all nite with 2+2 for 4pts. Second star goes to Ian Cumming with 25 saves on 27 shots for his third W on the season. Third star goes to Anthony Fedele with the game winner. Honorable mention goes to Brandon Hutchison, Mike McNeil, and Jared Tam-Grimshaw who each logged a pair of assists.
Jan 13/15: Home-Home with Spencerport
Thunder played a home-home 390 series with Spencerport last week which ended in a split decision as the Rangers came out on top 2-1 @ MCC on Thursday (1/13) and Thunder countered with a 5-3 win at the 'shore on Saturday (1/15).
* * *
First period of the first game was relatively quiet with play even up in both ends and shots came in at 6-4 in Thunder's favor. A-Sim was helping himself out by keeping his stick active in the passing lanes. Thunder cracked the seal a few minutes into the second as O-B went D-D, Grims hit the one-time fat, and Mattle went upstairs with a lob wedge glove side... shin da hole... 1-0 Thunder. A-Sim continued to handle the puck well, making several long lead breakout passes to stretch the ice. Dominic Gruttadauria rallied at 9:54 with the equalizer for Spencerport, assisted by Anthony Depetres. Jonathan Clark stacked the pads at the point for his second harry of the game. Fast forward to the end of the second... Scott Doud scored on a hard blast that hit A-Sims stick but continued on into the net for what would prove to be the winner for Spencerport with only 43 seconds to the ice cut. Shots were 17-6 in Thunder's favor for a 2-period total of 23-10. No scoring to report in the third, although shots were 7-3 Thunder. Still scratching my head on how Thunder more than doubled the Rangers shot production (30-13) yet still came out on the short end of the stick. Sounds like we need some remedial work in the LOTE department, in particular FINNISH. That, and tip your hats to the Ranger's keeper.
First star goes to Tyler Fess who turned away 29 of 30 shots he faced for the Rangers. Second star goes to Scott Doud with the game winner. Third star goes to Andrew Simonelli with 11 saves on 13 shots. Thunders record drops to 5-3-1-1 with the loss. Hang in there boys, tomorrow is another day!
* * *
Second game was a special teams showcase with ten pens to Thunder, eight pens to Spencerport, and interestingly 14 of the 18 total pens were concentrated in the second period. Three of Thunder's 5 goals came on the PP and all three of the Rangers goals came on the PP as well. So much for letting them play, but it is important to protect the players so it's all good. When all was said and done and the dust was settled and the smoke was cleared, Thunder emerged with their sixth win of the season. While the Sherry's are no longer with the team in body, their spirit lives on in Amanda's beautiful voice. Just close your eyes and it's as if she is standing right there in the penalty box belting out the anthem. Very powerful.
Thunder opened the scoring 36 seconds in on the powerplay when Ganti hooked it to AC on the left side of the umbrella and AC zinged it across the seam to Jared for on-ice wrister to beat Fess. Nothing in the middle, but Spencerport would answer back at the end of the period with eleven ticks left on the clock, as Dom Gruttadauria put away the rebound in the slot that kicked out from a shot by Scott Doud, assisted by Frank Lattuca. Shots were fairly even although Ranger's slightly edged Thunder 9-7.
A buck thirty into the second Thunder cashed their second man advantage, this time with Grimshaw scoring, assisted by Jared and Ganti. Three minutes later Jared got his second goal and third point of the nite, compliments of some hard work down low by Brandon Hutchison feeding the puck out front to setup the authoritative finish. AC picked up the second helper on Thunder's third goal. Two minutes later and back on the powerplay, Jared got the hat with a 1-hole snapper that hit the mark a foot off the ice, assisted by Ganti and Hostetter. As Thunder segwayed to the PK, eHots showed he can play big in all three zones as he stacked the pads to block a point shot and clear the zone, harr-yyyyy! Clark had a nice block at the top of the crease as well. But the pims kept coming as fast as Thunder would kill them off and eventually Spencerport took advantage, of a 2-man advantage, with a 5 on 3 goal banged home by Matt Corey on the back door off the point feed from Matt Kaser, assisted by Scott Doud.
Corey would rally again on the powerplay for the Rangers halfway into the final frame, assisted by Scott Doud and Michael Chiappone to make it interesting at 4-3, but fear not as Tyler Mattle would take the jail break headman from Mike McNeil (who had intercepted an errant Ranger's pass) and put the icing on the cake with a Ricky Bobby shake-n-bake 5-hole change-up that left Fess scrambling to locate his jock with just 75 seconds remaining in the contest. Shots were 29-25 overall in Thunder's favor. Cumming had 22 saves for the win, Fess had 25 saves for the Rangers.
First star goes to Jared T-G with the hat plus a helper for 4 points. Second star goes to Mike Briganti with 3 assists. Third star goes to Matt Corey with a pair of goals for the Rangers. With this win Thunder advances to 6-3-1-1. Keep it coming boys!
Jan 18: Home vs Brockport
Again with the yellow socks, OMG. They must really like Whiz Khalifa and perhaps DJ Khaled as well cuz...
All I Do is win win win no matter what
got hockey on mind i can never get enough
and everytime I step up on the ice
everybody hands go up
and they stay there
and they say yeah (Thun-Der!)
and they stay there
Watch the goalies go up down, up down
cause all I do is win win win
and if you goin’ in put your hands in the air..
That's right, Thunder got their Win on Tuesday nite with a half-hearted 4-2 decision over Brockport. It was most definitely not Thunder's best effort, probably their second most disappointing win of the season according to the coaching staff, as they gave up a first period lead when they fell asleep early in the second. Still have to credit the Blue Devils for hanging in there and battling to the very end, but a better effort by Thunder could have easily put this thing out of reach.
Captain Mike broke the ice at the 4:16 mark in the first period, with a top shelf blast from the point off the draw by Mike Lucarelli, assisted by Brandon Hutchison. Shots were 7-3 Thunder. Second period saw Brockport net two early goals off battles in tight. First one went to Zach Coughlin, assisted by Forrest Grady and Mike Knapp 1:42 in. Second goal was scored by Zach Stahl off the rebound from a shot by Kyle Wallenhorst 4:06 in. Thunder bounced back from the let down a buck and a half later when Jared took a shot on the ice and McNeil redirected it short side to beat Keene for the equalizer on the powerplay. Grimshaw picked up a phantom assist on the play. Picking up right where they left off in the previous game, Mike McNeil hit Tyler Mattle coming off the bench as a Thunder pen expired and Mattle would walk in uncontested to beat Keene low stick side for the eventual winner with 3:20 to go in the second stanza. Two minutes later AC popped up on the grid with a bid that took some paint off the post but he kept cycling with Justin and Jared until Jared finished the job, 4-2 Thunder. Shots were 11-7 for a 2 period margin of 18-10 for Thunder.
Second intermission featured the stylings of the solid black, purple, and gold dancers with a most unusual rendition of Sweet Caroline. Latest roster for this show choir includes the likes of Andrea O'Brien, Renee Mahoney, Laurie Mattle, Judy Cumming, Carm Crowe, someone sitting next to Judy and Carm, plus a Thunder player who shall remain nameless and shameless for joining in. Just imagine if those pictures find their way out onto his facebook!
With Simmy getting the gate for a major slash, Grimmy hittin' the showers after a scrap around the net, and couple more minors that would ensue after that, Thunder found themselves in a precarious predicament protecting a 2-goal lead as they were forced to weather half a period of play on the PK. Ganti earned his letter with almost 4.5 mins of the 7 min kill, supported by Snake, Clark, and O'B. Jared threw in a leg-stack harry to support the cause, and Ian certainly came up big with several key breakaway saves. Shots were 11-6 to B-Ports favor in the 3rd, although Thunder came out on top 24-21 overall. A win is a win, but again, this was still alot closer than it needed to be.
First star goes to Captain Mike not only for lighting the lamp but also for his leadership getting us out of the "3rd" inning. Second star goes to Ian Cumming with 19 saves for his 5th win of the season. Third star goes to Tyler Mattle for the GWG plus a top-notch effort on the PK. Thunder's rolls to 7-3-1-1 with the win. Speaking of rolling...
Warm up the bus... warm up the bus... no, not rubbing it in for B-Port, rather referring to the impending Thunder roadie to the North Country for the Odgensburg tourney this weekend. Don't forget to pack your duo-fold as you can practically touch the north pole from there. GO THUNDER !!!
Jan 6: Home vs Pittsford
The Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder Hockey team came up short losing their second game of the new year by a narrow 4-3 margin to the Pittsford Panthers on Thursday at Lakeshore. If you asked anyone in the building they probably would have told you that Thunder was going to run away with it after Jared Tam-Grimshaw notched a quick pair of goals to prime the pump within the first 2 minutes of play. The first one came at the 1:29 mark as Jared cut to the middle of the ice from the top of the circle and sniped short-side, assisted by Anthony Crawford. Just 20 seconds later captain Mike Briganti put slovakia on net from the point and Jared finished off the rebound to make it 2-0. Pat Crowe showed some moxy on D for Thunder taking his check to the wall a couple of times. Shots were 8-6 in Thunder's favor.
Second period was all Pittsford as they outshot Thunder by a mile (18-4) and rallied not once, not twice, but thrice, to take the lead at 3-2. Panthers' first goal came off a 2-on-1 break 40 seconds into the frame with Nino Dipasqule lighting the lamp assisted by Taylor Howard and Max Kaufman.Two minutes later Jim Boyatzies scored unassisted with a blast from the point that hit a skate and deflected in. Nick Panara rounded out the Panthers second stanza palooza with a goal of his own at the 4:50 mark, assisted by Sam Palmer and Peter Vasaturo. As I sat there listening to Neil Diamond at the intermission, I could not help but wonder what the H.E. double hockey sticks happened to the gritty team defense of two days prior that allowed Thunder to escape unscathed from the 2nd period of the Gates game???
Thunder got the equalizer 3 minutes into the third, on the powerplay when Simmy sailed a wing-wing pass to AC who bumped it up top to Ganti for the 1-hole blast. Unfortunately, Pittsford would counter 4 minutes later on their own powerplay with a 1-timer from the top of the right circle by el Nino assisted by Taylor Howard and Corey Parke. Snake had a nice hit on the half-wall to pinch off a late Panther rush. Thunder exercised their T.O. option with a minute to go and drew it up but it was simply not meant to be. Shots were 13-9 for a 3-period total of 33-25 Thunder. With this loss, Thunder's record slides to 4-2-1-1 but it's still early so everybody just remain calm, there's no reason to panic!
Jan 11: Home vs Irondequoit
What a difference 5 days and a weekend away from the rink serving pancakes makes as Thunder returned to the ice with a renewed sense of urgency and a little more hop in their step on 1/11/11 wearing their home whites, black shells and yellow socks...
Yeah, uh huh, you know what it is
Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow
Yeah, uh huh, you know what it is
Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow
[Chorus:]
Yeah, uh huh, you know what it is
Everything I do, I do it big
Yeah, uh huh, scoring goals ain't nothing
When I blocked a shot, that's fronting
Repping my team when you see me you know everything
Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow
I put it down from the bacon to the pan-cakes, I'm in
Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow
Spreadin' sauce on the PP yeah we gonna win
Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow
Go flippin' channels and you'll see me on ESPN
Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow, Black and yellow
Not sure where that came from, I just sort of black and yellowed out at the keyboard for a minute. OK, where were we, oh yeah, Thunder skated past Irondequoit with a 5-2 victory on Tuesday the 11th in a game where goals in the first and third by the Eagles surrounded a 5-course meal served up by Thunder in the second frame. Before we get to the action, I would be remiss if I did not put JR on notice that she just may have met her match as one of the IQ moms was making some seriously strange sounds from the stands. At one point I could have sworn she was channeling Bobcat Goldthwait. But what does any of this have to do with hockey, idk?
IQ drew first blood at 6:04 in the first, with a goal from Mike Basta, assisted by John Papas. Thunder put a great deal of pressure on the Eagles, outshooting them 11-8 and carried that momentum into the second despite trailing by 1. That did not last long as Brandon Hutchison put rubber on net and Anthony Crawford finished off the rebound a minute and a half in to knot it at 1's. Jared Tam-Grimshaw picked up the second helper. Eight minutes later AC was back in ring for another swing, ok make that 3 swings, and third whack was a charm as he netted his second goal of the evening, assisted by Mattle and Hutch (Sorry, but Huggy Bear could not be reached for comment). Two minutes later, after demonstrating a great deal of patience and poise with the puck, Anthony Fedele went 5-hole from the slot, assisted by Mike McNeil and Eric Hostetter - nice teamwork boyz! Next up was Mike Briganti and he drained the 3 from top of the key with a 1-hole PPG assisted by AC and Jared T-G at 2:40. And last but not least, just before the break, back on the powerplay, McSkillet served up a cream puff for Grimshaw from behind the net and Tyler slam dunked it, assisted by AC. Shots were 14-8 Thunder for a 2-period total of 25-16.
Irondequoit got their second goal, a shortie, 3.5 mins into the final frame when Nick Papas dug a partially wedged puck out from under Cumming's left pad and put it away on a slow whistle. Rest of the way was a bit of a cool down as Thunder killed off four penalties with Snake logging a routine harry and Curran demonstrating the "cup" harry on a 3-1 break for the Eagles. Jared got the gate for a questionable CFB and Mordenga got to serve the minor. This of course garnered a roar from the stands as he skated to the box. Eric Grills, Pat Crowe, Jeff Geitner, and Austin Briganti got the nod for the final kill as Thunder advanced their record to 5-2-1-1.
First star goes to AC130 who was in the air all nite with 2+2 for 4pts. Second star goes to Ian Cumming with 25 saves on 27 shots for his third W on the season. Third star goes to Anthony Fedele with the game winner. Honorable mention goes to Brandon Hutchison, Mike McNeil, and Jared Tam-Grimshaw who each logged a pair of assists.
Jan 13/15: Home-Home with Spencerport
Thunder played a home-home 390 series with Spencerport last week which ended in a split decision as the Rangers came out on top 2-1 @ MCC on Thursday (1/13) and Thunder countered with a 5-3 win at the 'shore on Saturday (1/15).
* * *
First period of the first game was relatively quiet with play even up in both ends and shots came in at 6-4 in Thunder's favor. A-Sim was helping himself out by keeping his stick active in the passing lanes. Thunder cracked the seal a few minutes into the second as O-B went D-D, Grims hit the one-time fat, and Mattle went upstairs with a lob wedge glove side... shin da hole... 1-0 Thunder. A-Sim continued to handle the puck well, making several long lead breakout passes to stretch the ice. Dominic Gruttadauria rallied at 9:54 with the equalizer for Spencerport, assisted by Anthony Depetres. Jonathan Clark stacked the pads at the point for his second harry of the game. Fast forward to the end of the second... Scott Doud scored on a hard blast that hit A-Sims stick but continued on into the net for what would prove to be the winner for Spencerport with only 43 seconds to the ice cut. Shots were 17-6 in Thunder's favor for a 2-period total of 23-10. No scoring to report in the third, although shots were 7-3 Thunder. Still scratching my head on how Thunder more than doubled the Rangers shot production (30-13) yet still came out on the short end of the stick. Sounds like we need some remedial work in the LOTE department, in particular FINNISH. That, and tip your hats to the Ranger's keeper.
First star goes to Tyler Fess who turned away 29 of 30 shots he faced for the Rangers. Second star goes to Scott Doud with the game winner. Third star goes to Andrew Simonelli with 11 saves on 13 shots. Thunders record drops to 5-3-1-1 with the loss. Hang in there boys, tomorrow is another day!
* * *
Second game was a special teams showcase with ten pens to Thunder, eight pens to Spencerport, and interestingly 14 of the 18 total pens were concentrated in the second period. Three of Thunder's 5 goals came on the PP and all three of the Rangers goals came on the PP as well. So much for letting them play, but it is important to protect the players so it's all good. When all was said and done and the dust was settled and the smoke was cleared, Thunder emerged with their sixth win of the season. While the Sherry's are no longer with the team in body, their spirit lives on in Amanda's beautiful voice. Just close your eyes and it's as if she is standing right there in the penalty box belting out the anthem. Very powerful.
Thunder opened the scoring 36 seconds in on the powerplay when Ganti hooked it to AC on the left side of the umbrella and AC zinged it across the seam to Jared for on-ice wrister to beat Fess. Nothing in the middle, but Spencerport would answer back at the end of the period with eleven ticks left on the clock, as Dom Gruttadauria put away the rebound in the slot that kicked out from a shot by Scott Doud, assisted by Frank Lattuca. Shots were fairly even although Ranger's slightly edged Thunder 9-7.
A buck thirty into the second Thunder cashed their second man advantage, this time with Grimshaw scoring, assisted by Jared and Ganti. Three minutes later Jared got his second goal and third point of the nite, compliments of some hard work down low by Brandon Hutchison feeding the puck out front to setup the authoritative finish. AC picked up the second helper on Thunder's third goal. Two minutes later and back on the powerplay, Jared got the hat with a 1-hole snapper that hit the mark a foot off the ice, assisted by Ganti and Hostetter. As Thunder segwayed to the PK, eHots showed he can play big in all three zones as he stacked the pads to block a point shot and clear the zone, harr-yyyyy! Clark had a nice block at the top of the crease as well. But the pims kept coming as fast as Thunder would kill them off and eventually Spencerport took advantage, of a 2-man advantage, with a 5 on 3 goal banged home by Matt Corey on the back door off the point feed from Matt Kaser, assisted by Scott Doud.
Corey would rally again on the powerplay for the Rangers halfway into the final frame, assisted by Scott Doud and Michael Chiappone to make it interesting at 4-3, but fear not as Tyler Mattle would take the jail break headman from Mike McNeil (who had intercepted an errant Ranger's pass) and put the icing on the cake with a Ricky Bobby shake-n-bake 5-hole change-up that left Fess scrambling to locate his jock with just 75 seconds remaining in the contest. Shots were 29-25 overall in Thunder's favor. Cumming had 22 saves for the win, Fess had 25 saves for the Rangers.
First star goes to Jared T-G with the hat plus a helper for 4 points. Second star goes to Mike Briganti with 3 assists. Third star goes to Matt Corey with a pair of goals for the Rangers. With this win Thunder advances to 6-3-1-1. Keep it coming boys!
Jan 18: Home vs Brockport
Again with the yellow socks, OMG. They must really like Whiz Khalifa and perhaps DJ Khaled as well cuz...
All I Do is win win win no matter what
got hockey on mind i can never get enough
and everytime I step up on the ice
everybody hands go up
and they stay there
and they say yeah (Thun-Der!)
and they stay there
Watch the goalies go up down, up down
cause all I do is win win win
and if you goin’ in put your hands in the air..
That's right, Thunder got their Win on Tuesday nite with a half-hearted 4-2 decision over Brockport. It was most definitely not Thunder's best effort, probably their second most disappointing win of the season according to the coaching staff, as they gave up a first period lead when they fell asleep early in the second. Still have to credit the Blue Devils for hanging in there and battling to the very end, but a better effort by Thunder could have easily put this thing out of reach.
Captain Mike broke the ice at the 4:16 mark in the first period, with a top shelf blast from the point off the draw by Mike Lucarelli, assisted by Brandon Hutchison. Shots were 7-3 Thunder. Second period saw Brockport net two early goals off battles in tight. First one went to Zach Coughlin, assisted by Forrest Grady and Mike Knapp 1:42 in. Second goal was scored by Zach Stahl off the rebound from a shot by Kyle Wallenhorst 4:06 in. Thunder bounced back from the let down a buck and a half later when Jared took a shot on the ice and McNeil redirected it short side to beat Keene for the equalizer on the powerplay. Grimshaw picked up a phantom assist on the play. Picking up right where they left off in the previous game, Mike McNeil hit Tyler Mattle coming off the bench as a Thunder pen expired and Mattle would walk in uncontested to beat Keene low stick side for the eventual winner with 3:20 to go in the second stanza. Two minutes later AC popped up on the grid with a bid that took some paint off the post but he kept cycling with Justin and Jared until Jared finished the job, 4-2 Thunder. Shots were 11-7 for a 2 period margin of 18-10 for Thunder.
Second intermission featured the stylings of the solid black, purple, and gold dancers with a most unusual rendition of Sweet Caroline. Latest roster for this show choir includes the likes of Andrea O'Brien, Renee Mahoney, Laurie Mattle, Judy Cumming, Carm Crowe, someone sitting next to Judy and Carm, plus a Thunder player who shall remain nameless and shameless for joining in. Just imagine if those pictures find their way out onto his facebook!
With Simmy getting the gate for a major slash, Grimmy hittin' the showers after a scrap around the net, and couple more minors that would ensue after that, Thunder found themselves in a precarious predicament protecting a 2-goal lead as they were forced to weather half a period of play on the PK. Ganti earned his letter with almost 4.5 mins of the 7 min kill, supported by Snake, Clark, and O'B. Jared threw in a leg-stack harry to support the cause, and Ian certainly came up big with several key breakaway saves. Shots were 11-6 to B-Ports favor in the 3rd, although Thunder came out on top 24-21 overall. A win is a win, but again, this was still alot closer than it needed to be.
First star goes to Captain Mike not only for lighting the lamp but also for his leadership getting us out of the "3rd" inning. Second star goes to Ian Cumming with 19 saves for his 5th win of the season. Third star goes to Tyler Mattle for the GWG plus a top-notch effort on the PK. Thunder's rolls to 7-3-1-1 with the win. Speaking of rolling...
Warm up the bus... warm up the bus... no, not rubbing it in for B-Port, rather referring to the impending Thunder roadie to the North Country for the Odgensburg tourney this weekend. Don't forget to pack your duo-fold as you can practically touch the north pole from there. GO THUNDER !!!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
Wake me when it's over!
Dan Miller was in the house for Thunder's west coast tilt Tuesday nite at the 'shore, quick to point out the dangers of mentioning certain taboo things in a holiday game report, namely win streaks and being unbeaten in regulation. Well it seems Dan was right, the hockey gods have ruled, and Thunder no longer remains unbeaten in regulation, as they fell 3-1 to the Gates Chili Spartans in a hard fought battle that was tenser than a shopping mall parking lot on black friday.
First period saw play in both ends of the rink with the shots fairly even at 7-6 to the Spartans favor, but TYLER proved to be the difference, as Tyler Grimshaw wound up a slapper on the ice from the point just indside the blue line and Tyler Mattle got a piece of it for the redirect that would beat Spartan Senior netminder Matt Ryan for the 1-0 lead with four minutes to go in the frame. Cumming made a toe save and a beauty on a point blank chance for Gates. About the only other noteworthy item from the first fifteen minutes of play would be the number of times McSkillet dropped his mouthguard. I lost count at ten, cuz i was not about to start using my toes. At one point it seemed as if Mike dropped his piece in the middle of his breakaway on purpose to try and throw Ryan off but it was to no avail.
Second stanza saw Thunder shorthanded for almost half a period as Gates pelted Cumming with rocks and garbage from every imaginably angle. One was a low shot that quickly changed plane from a deflection but Ian was equal to the task. He made a couple of timely poke checks to shut down the Spartans' breakaway bids and helped out the D by handling the puck outside his crease. Mattle and Grimmy returned the favor putting on a Harry show to help Ian out as well. Watching the onslaught, I felt a bit like Sam the snowman from Rudolph (narrated by Burle Ives)... wake me when its over!
Well, thanks to some gritty team defense, Thunder did manage to weather the storm and get out of the inning. Despite getting outshot 10-5 in the second (17-11 through two periods), Thunder enjoyed a 1-0 lead going into the final 15 minutes of play and held onto that lead until the 5.22 mark when the dam finally broke after Ian made a brilliant save on the front door batting a point blank chance away with his purse. The puck somehow made its way out front for Steve Castner who would sweep it into the gaping right side of the net and the Spartans suddenly had new life. Assists were awarded to Brendan Christopher and Bryan Carville on the equalizer. Three and a half mins later John Mosca sniped one under the cross bar from outside for the go ahead goal that would prove to be the winner for Gates, also assisted by Brendan Christopher. You might think that was the straw that broke the camel's back, but Thunder mushed on for another minute of hard work trying to get a bounce and exercised their TO option at the 45 second mark. They returned 6 skaters to the ice but it was simply not meant to be, as Castner got loose and split the posts for the empty netter assisted by Mosca with 23 seconds to go. Pretty sure that was the straw. Time to tip your hats to the Spartans for a hard fought battle as they outshot Thunder 25-18 and earned their 2-points. No doubt a tough loss for the Thunder but a great game for the fans to watch!
First star goes to Gates forward John Mosca who netted the game winner and added an assist on the ENG that iced the game. Second star goes to Gates forward Steve Castner with a pair of goals. Third star goes to Ian Cumming who stood on his head for 40 minutes to keep his team in the game, with a total of 22 saves including about a dozen brilliant ones. Honorable mention goes out to the Tylers (Mattle and Grimshaw) for sacrificing their bodies for the good of the team and in particular to Tyler Grimshaw for his diving poke-check to thwart a Spartan breakaway chance early in the third. Thunder's record slides to 4-1-1-1 with the loss. Time to get your lunch pails and go back to work boys!
Thunder will host Pittsford tonite, 6-Jan, at Lakeshore. Be there or miss out on the opportunity to see Shane Briganti go through the spanking machine. Happy Birthday old man!
First period saw play in both ends of the rink with the shots fairly even at 7-6 to the Spartans favor, but TYLER proved to be the difference, as Tyler Grimshaw wound up a slapper on the ice from the point just indside the blue line and Tyler Mattle got a piece of it for the redirect that would beat Spartan Senior netminder Matt Ryan for the 1-0 lead with four minutes to go in the frame. Cumming made a toe save and a beauty on a point blank chance for Gates. About the only other noteworthy item from the first fifteen minutes of play would be the number of times McSkillet dropped his mouthguard. I lost count at ten, cuz i was not about to start using my toes. At one point it seemed as if Mike dropped his piece in the middle of his breakaway on purpose to try and throw Ryan off but it was to no avail.
Second stanza saw Thunder shorthanded for almost half a period as Gates pelted Cumming with rocks and garbage from every imaginably angle. One was a low shot that quickly changed plane from a deflection but Ian was equal to the task. He made a couple of timely poke checks to shut down the Spartans' breakaway bids and helped out the D by handling the puck outside his crease. Mattle and Grimmy returned the favor putting on a Harry show to help Ian out as well. Watching the onslaught, I felt a bit like Sam the snowman from Rudolph (narrated by Burle Ives)... wake me when its over!
Well, thanks to some gritty team defense, Thunder did manage to weather the storm and get out of the inning. Despite getting outshot 10-5 in the second (17-11 through two periods), Thunder enjoyed a 1-0 lead going into the final 15 minutes of play and held onto that lead until the 5.22 mark when the dam finally broke after Ian made a brilliant save on the front door batting a point blank chance away with his purse. The puck somehow made its way out front for Steve Castner who would sweep it into the gaping right side of the net and the Spartans suddenly had new life. Assists were awarded to Brendan Christopher and Bryan Carville on the equalizer. Three and a half mins later John Mosca sniped one under the cross bar from outside for the go ahead goal that would prove to be the winner for Gates, also assisted by Brendan Christopher. You might think that was the straw that broke the camel's back, but Thunder mushed on for another minute of hard work trying to get a bounce and exercised their TO option at the 45 second mark. They returned 6 skaters to the ice but it was simply not meant to be, as Castner got loose and split the posts for the empty netter assisted by Mosca with 23 seconds to go. Pretty sure that was the straw. Time to tip your hats to the Spartans for a hard fought battle as they outshot Thunder 25-18 and earned their 2-points. No doubt a tough loss for the Thunder but a great game for the fans to watch!
First star goes to Gates forward John Mosca who netted the game winner and added an assist on the ENG that iced the game. Second star goes to Gates forward Steve Castner with a pair of goals. Third star goes to Ian Cumming who stood on his head for 40 minutes to keep his team in the game, with a total of 22 saves including about a dozen brilliant ones. Honorable mention goes out to the Tylers (Mattle and Grimshaw) for sacrificing their bodies for the good of the team and in particular to Tyler Grimshaw for his diving poke-check to thwart a Spartan breakaway chance early in the third. Thunder's record slides to 4-1-1-1 with the loss. Time to get your lunch pails and go back to work boys!
Thunder will host Pittsford tonite, 6-Jan, at Lakeshore. Be there or miss out on the opportunity to see Shane Briganti go through the spanking machine. Happy Birthday old man!
Tuesday, January 4, 2011
Holiday 3-Pak
Despite a sluggish start to the season, the Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder Hockey team has rallied around and they are now on a roll, having blanked the opposition in their last 3 outings to advance their record to 4-0-1-1. They are currently sitting 4th with 10 pts in the West Division, behind Churchville (16), Brockport (13), and Spencerport (11). However, Thunder has 5, 3, and 2 games in hand, respectively, on those teams and remains unbeaten in regulation. I am confident that the boys in black, purple and gold will carry this momentum into the new year and continue their winning ways. How about a little recap on the holiday 3-pak, shall we?
18-Dec
Thunder asserted their dominance over AQ on Saturday, 18-Dec at the 'shore, with a convincing 4-0 butt whoopin (so coined by Dr Tre). Mike McNeil got things started 4 minutes in when he put away the rebound from a shot by Andrew Sherry during a delayed call that would have gone to AQ. Two and a half minutes later another delayed call would ensue and this time it was Jonathan Clark teeing one up from the point that would find its way through traffic and hit the mark for his first varsity goal, while Thunder was getting the extra man out. Anthony Crawford and Tyler Grimshaw picked up the helpers on Thunder's second goal of the game. Then with a buck and a half left in the opening frame, on the powerplay, AC took a nifty wing-wing seam pass from Jared Tam-Grimshaw and muscled it in 3-hole off the tip of Eadie's glove. Tyler Grimshaw picked up the second hand assist. Thunder really stretched the ice and moved the puck well in the first period and it showed as they outshot AQ 10-4 and were enjoying a 3-0 lead at the break.
Although Thunder chipped a considerable amount of paint off the post, the second period was scoreless and shots were even at 9 aside as AQ attempted to get themselves back in the game. But ASim would have no part of it as he came out and challenged their attack and shut them down every step of the way. He handled the puck well rimming it to the half wall to get the break-out going. Simply put: he was in the zone!
Sweet Car-o-line seems to be catching on as a new crowd favorite as it played once again during the second intermission. Don't get me wrong, it's no Thunderstruck, which by the way was voted as the #1 Hockey Pre-Game tune in the USA Hockey Magazine's Best of Hockey survey, but it does have a nice bounce to it.
Final frame was fairly non-descript, except for McSkillet going bar-down from just inside the blue line to round things out at the 3:18 mark, assisted by Simmy and Grimmy. Lennox, Mahoney, and Hutchison had a couple of nice bids in the final few minutes of play. McClellan and Crowe saw some action on D as well. Shots were 9-7 Thunder, for a 3-period total of 28-20.
First star goes to Andrew Simonelli with a solid performance including 20 saves for the W; second star goes to Mike McNeil with a pair of goals; third star goes to Tyler Grimshaw with a playmaker (3 assists).
21-Dec
Ian Cumming backstopped Thunder's first road win of the season where his team handled Brockport with ease, 4-0 @ Tuttle Arena on Tuesday 21-Dec. Tyler Mattle swept the eventual game winner in with 3 mins to go in the first frame after working hard digging in the paint. Eric Hostetter and Curran O'Brien recorded assists on the goal. Cumming made a nice poke check to prevent a cross-crease pass to open man on back door. Tyler Mattle and Tyler Grimshaw each logged a chest harry, not to be confused with a hairy chest, and Jared had a couple of nice step-ups.
Justin Simonelli went 5 hole to find the back of the net with 3mins to go in the second stanza, off a nice centering pass by Eric Hostetter. Brockport pulled their goalie with 2 seconds to go in the period given there was a face-off in thunder's end, yet they neglected to put the extra man out - oops!
Mike McNeil netted a pair of goals in the final frame with the first coming 3mins in as he went coast to coast after taking the handle from Grimmy and the second coming with 8.5 secs left on a rebound in tight, assisted by Jared Tam-Grimshaw.
Ian Cumming earned the first star with 12 saves for the shutout win; second star goes to Tyler Mattle for his gritty play and the GWG; Third star goes to Eric Hostetter with a pair of assists.
29-Dec
Thunder was home away from home for the holiday on the visitors bench Wed 29-Dec at Lakeshore for a make-up game with Hilton that was rescheduled due to bad weather. Reschedule or not, Hilton was in for bad weather, as Thunder buried the Cadets 9-0 on what proved to be a nite of firsts for the men in black with yellow socks. Three Thunder players notched their first varsity goal, e.g. Joe Vyverberg, Anthony Fedele, and Keenan Mahoney. Additionally, 2 players recorded their first varsity point with an assist, e.g. Ian McLellan and Mike Lucarelli. Everyone got into the game for Thunder as they blew Hilton out of the building, outshooting them 45-9 before a packed house.
Mike McNeil picked up a pair of goals in the first period to prime the pump. First one came at the 946 mark when Justin Simonelli carried the puck deep down the left side and dropped it for McNeil in the hi-slot for the money shot. Eric Hostetter picked up the second helper. Two minutes later it was eHots leading the charge down the left side and flipping a nice saucer over to McNeil for the shorthander commander. It was hard to hear oneself think with the musac from Rizzo's on-ice dance party blaring from the west rink over the top of the divider. Hilton was lulling us to sleep with little resistance allowing sustained pressure in their end for minutes at a time. Shots ended up 20-6 Thunder by the end of the period.
Beginning of second period saw Tyler Mattle once again rewarded for working hard in the trenches as he banked one in off the Hilton netminder's backside from a wide angle for his second goal in two games. AC picked up the lone assist. Simmy walked in and went bar-down at the 10min mark after being sprung by McNeil with some headman sauce up the middle. Three minutes later McSkillet found Joe "Snake" Vyverberg top of the key for the pinball wizard one-timer that hit a skate and a pad before going in. Shots were 12-1 for a 2-period total of 32-7. Cue the Sweet Caroline.
Freshman keeper Quinton Rose took the baton from ASim to finish up between the pipes going into the third. Jared Tam-Grimshaw opened the final period with a snapper that hit the mark off the bro-bro feed from Tyler Grimshaw, also assisted by eHots. Then it was Mike Lucarelli finding Anthony Fedele on the backdoor for the lay-in, nicely done, also assisted by Grimmy. Fast forward to the end of the period and we saw Keenan Mahoney grinding it out and going hard to the net for a pair of goals at the 1 minute mark and again with 3 seconds remaining. Shots were 13-2 Thunder in the third. While he was only forced to make 2 saves in his 15 minutes of glory, Rose passed the test with flying colors as he stoned both of Hiltons top 2 scorers, Corey Sherman and Kolin Sawdey. Eric Grills saw quite a bit of action on D as well.
First star goes to Mike McNeil with 2G/2A for 4pts. Second star goes to Justin Simonelli with 1G/2A for 3pts. Third star goes to Eric Hostetter with 3 assists for the playmaker.
18-Dec
Thunder asserted their dominance over AQ on Saturday, 18-Dec at the 'shore, with a convincing 4-0 butt whoopin (so coined by Dr Tre). Mike McNeil got things started 4 minutes in when he put away the rebound from a shot by Andrew Sherry during a delayed call that would have gone to AQ. Two and a half minutes later another delayed call would ensue and this time it was Jonathan Clark teeing one up from the point that would find its way through traffic and hit the mark for his first varsity goal, while Thunder was getting the extra man out. Anthony Crawford and Tyler Grimshaw picked up the helpers on Thunder's second goal of the game. Then with a buck and a half left in the opening frame, on the powerplay, AC took a nifty wing-wing seam pass from Jared Tam-Grimshaw and muscled it in 3-hole off the tip of Eadie's glove. Tyler Grimshaw picked up the second hand assist. Thunder really stretched the ice and moved the puck well in the first period and it showed as they outshot AQ 10-4 and were enjoying a 3-0 lead at the break.
Although Thunder chipped a considerable amount of paint off the post, the second period was scoreless and shots were even at 9 aside as AQ attempted to get themselves back in the game. But ASim would have no part of it as he came out and challenged their attack and shut them down every step of the way. He handled the puck well rimming it to the half wall to get the break-out going. Simply put: he was in the zone!
Sweet Car-o-line seems to be catching on as a new crowd favorite as it played once again during the second intermission. Don't get me wrong, it's no Thunderstruck, which by the way was voted as the #1 Hockey Pre-Game tune in the USA Hockey Magazine's Best of Hockey survey, but it does have a nice bounce to it.
Final frame was fairly non-descript, except for McSkillet going bar-down from just inside the blue line to round things out at the 3:18 mark, assisted by Simmy and Grimmy. Lennox, Mahoney, and Hutchison had a couple of nice bids in the final few minutes of play. McClellan and Crowe saw some action on D as well. Shots were 9-7 Thunder, for a 3-period total of 28-20.
First star goes to Andrew Simonelli with a solid performance including 20 saves for the W; second star goes to Mike McNeil with a pair of goals; third star goes to Tyler Grimshaw with a playmaker (3 assists).
21-Dec
Ian Cumming backstopped Thunder's first road win of the season where his team handled Brockport with ease, 4-0 @ Tuttle Arena on Tuesday 21-Dec. Tyler Mattle swept the eventual game winner in with 3 mins to go in the first frame after working hard digging in the paint. Eric Hostetter and Curran O'Brien recorded assists on the goal. Cumming made a nice poke check to prevent a cross-crease pass to open man on back door. Tyler Mattle and Tyler Grimshaw each logged a chest harry, not to be confused with a hairy chest, and Jared had a couple of nice step-ups.
Justin Simonelli went 5 hole to find the back of the net with 3mins to go in the second stanza, off a nice centering pass by Eric Hostetter. Brockport pulled their goalie with 2 seconds to go in the period given there was a face-off in thunder's end, yet they neglected to put the extra man out - oops!
Mike McNeil netted a pair of goals in the final frame with the first coming 3mins in as he went coast to coast after taking the handle from Grimmy and the second coming with 8.5 secs left on a rebound in tight, assisted by Jared Tam-Grimshaw.
Ian Cumming earned the first star with 12 saves for the shutout win; second star goes to Tyler Mattle for his gritty play and the GWG; Third star goes to Eric Hostetter with a pair of assists.
29-Dec
Thunder was home away from home for the holiday on the visitors bench Wed 29-Dec at Lakeshore for a make-up game with Hilton that was rescheduled due to bad weather. Reschedule or not, Hilton was in for bad weather, as Thunder buried the Cadets 9-0 on what proved to be a nite of firsts for the men in black with yellow socks. Three Thunder players notched their first varsity goal, e.g. Joe Vyverberg, Anthony Fedele, and Keenan Mahoney. Additionally, 2 players recorded their first varsity point with an assist, e.g. Ian McLellan and Mike Lucarelli. Everyone got into the game for Thunder as they blew Hilton out of the building, outshooting them 45-9 before a packed house.
Mike McNeil picked up a pair of goals in the first period to prime the pump. First one came at the 946 mark when Justin Simonelli carried the puck deep down the left side and dropped it for McNeil in the hi-slot for the money shot. Eric Hostetter picked up the second helper. Two minutes later it was eHots leading the charge down the left side and flipping a nice saucer over to McNeil for the shorthander commander. It was hard to hear oneself think with the musac from Rizzo's on-ice dance party blaring from the west rink over the top of the divider. Hilton was lulling us to sleep with little resistance allowing sustained pressure in their end for minutes at a time. Shots ended up 20-6 Thunder by the end of the period.
Beginning of second period saw Tyler Mattle once again rewarded for working hard in the trenches as he banked one in off the Hilton netminder's backside from a wide angle for his second goal in two games. AC picked up the lone assist. Simmy walked in and went bar-down at the 10min mark after being sprung by McNeil with some headman sauce up the middle. Three minutes later McSkillet found Joe "Snake" Vyverberg top of the key for the pinball wizard one-timer that hit a skate and a pad before going in. Shots were 12-1 for a 2-period total of 32-7. Cue the Sweet Caroline.
Freshman keeper Quinton Rose took the baton from ASim to finish up between the pipes going into the third. Jared Tam-Grimshaw opened the final period with a snapper that hit the mark off the bro-bro feed from Tyler Grimshaw, also assisted by eHots. Then it was Mike Lucarelli finding Anthony Fedele on the backdoor for the lay-in, nicely done, also assisted by Grimmy. Fast forward to the end of the period and we saw Keenan Mahoney grinding it out and going hard to the net for a pair of goals at the 1 minute mark and again with 3 seconds remaining. Shots were 13-2 Thunder in the third. While he was only forced to make 2 saves in his 15 minutes of glory, Rose passed the test with flying colors as he stoned both of Hiltons top 2 scorers, Corey Sherman and Kolin Sawdey. Eric Grills saw quite a bit of action on D as well.
First star goes to Mike McNeil with 2G/2A for 4pts. Second star goes to Justin Simonelli with 1G/2A for 3pts. Third star goes to Eric Hostetter with 3 assists for the playmaker.
Where are they now?
Riley Bourbonnais
Repeating Junior yr @ Berkshire School in Sheffield Ma. Currently leading team in scoring. No longer wearing Thunder #36. Instead only #6 was available.
Brandon "Cheese" Cheesman
Attending Ithaca College. Currently in the Exploratory Program until he finds the career path that makes sense. Playing linebacker for the Bombers. Loving college life and his new found friends to prank with. Missing his skates real bad!!!
Jeremy Fitzgerald, 07
Senior at SUNY Cortland and playing club hockey.
Robbie Fitzgerald, 04
Living in Austin Texas, sales marketing rep for AT@T, playing mens league, yes they have ice rinks in Texas.
Ryan Grimshaw
Economics/Finance Major in his Junior year playing for Harvard Crimson, NCAA-D1 (http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/mice/2010-11/bios/grimshaw_ryan).
Stephen Hebberect
Playing for Monroe Community Tribunes (NJCAA).
Jonathan Hostetter
In his 3rd year at RIT in Industrial Engineering. He is playing on the RIT ACHA Div. 1 Club team. This is his second year on the team.
Matt Lane
1st season with USA Hockey National Training Development Program (NTDP) under 17, lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan and is a junior at Pioneer High School.
Phil Lane
2nd season with the OHL playing for the Brampton Battalion, drafted 2nd round (52nd) to NHL, Phoenix Coyotes in June 2010, taking business classes @ Athabasca University, Canada.
Matt Machucki
University of Pennsylvania Quakers, D1-LAX.
Mike Miller
Pre-med at St John Fisher. Loves the school. Played in a few men's league games, but not having a car on campus put a bit of a strain on the parents having to take him back and forth from LS toSJF on a Sunday night at 11-12 at night. So he put the skates away for a bit, to focus on the books. He is now working in the Rochester General Emergency room. as a ED Scribe working with the Dr's on taking the report of the patient. He will be back at Fisher in Jan to hit the books again.
Mike Rotolo
After leading the Tier 1 Midwest Elite league in goaltending stats playing for the 18U Buffalo Regals, Michael was recently called up by the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, USHL, and is heading to Iowa after the holidays.
Greg Ryan
Trenton Golden Hawks OPHL 2nd year Junior A..... Upcoming player Sean, 7th grade Athena. Parents can still be found @ Thunder hockey games. Still hear Yeehhhh Thunder somewhere in the crowd.
Nick Ryan
Sophomore @ SUNY Geneseo red-shirting for the Blue Knights (NCAA-D3) due to ACL tear first game of the season.
Mike Sofia
Playing with a bunch of old Thunder players on Monday night right back where it all started - Lakeshore!!!! He's at MCC - figuring out what he wants to do.
Pat Sofia
On that Thunder bench loving every minute of being a part of that family!!!! He will be off to somewhere next year to continue his college years and maybe play some puck as well and he's hoping Greggy will be joining him. He plays two nights a week at Lakeshore - loves that hockey!!!!
Jeffrey "JT" Stenglein
Playing for Youngstown Phantoms, USHL (Ohio).
Dan "Vyper" Vyverberg
Pursuing a degree in Pharmacy from University @ Buffalo. Working part-time at Wegmans. Playing for the Bulls (ACHA-D1).
Coach Rob "Weilert"
After a stellar campaign at SUNY Cortland, Rob went on to coach Thunder hockey and lacrosse, but was ultimately drawn to a warmer climate where he could realize his ultimate dream of becoming director of grass fairy operations while continuing his ground breaking research on remote coaching technology. Here is what Rob has to say for himself...
"Of course I could write you a thesis on my greatness, but I'll just get to the point:
-Played 4 years at SUNY Cortland, Division 1 club hockey
-Graduated from SUNY Cortland with degree in Physical Education
-Coached Greece Thunder Hockey 2008-2009, Section V and State Champions (27-0)
-Coached Greece Thunder Modified Lacrosse 2009 (8-3)
-Currently living outside Orlando Florida, teaching High School Physical Education and Health.
-Coached Varsity Soccer (2009-2010), Varsity Cross Country (2010), Varsity Track (2011)
-Weilert"
Jake Wiemer
After a succesful D3 career at SUNY Oswego, Jake is now living/working in the Rochester area, coaching his brother's Rochester Alliance PeeWee Minor AAA team along with his dad, Jim Wiemer, an amerks hall of famer and NHL veteran.
Repeating Junior yr @ Berkshire School in Sheffield Ma. Currently leading team in scoring. No longer wearing Thunder #36. Instead only #6 was available.
Brandon "Cheese" Cheesman
Attending Ithaca College. Currently in the Exploratory Program until he finds the career path that makes sense. Playing linebacker for the Bombers. Loving college life and his new found friends to prank with. Missing his skates real bad!!!
Jeremy Fitzgerald, 07
Senior at SUNY Cortland and playing club hockey.
Robbie Fitzgerald, 04
Living in Austin Texas, sales marketing rep for AT@T, playing mens league, yes they have ice rinks in Texas.
Ryan Grimshaw
Economics/Finance Major in his Junior year playing for Harvard Crimson, NCAA-D1 (http://www.gocrimson.com/sports/mice/2010-11/bios/grimshaw_ryan).
Stephen Hebberect
Playing for Monroe Community Tribunes (NJCAA).
Jonathan Hostetter
In his 3rd year at RIT in Industrial Engineering. He is playing on the RIT ACHA Div. 1 Club team. This is his second year on the team.
Matt Lane
1st season with USA Hockey National Training Development Program (NTDP) under 17, lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan and is a junior at Pioneer High School.
Phil Lane
2nd season with the OHL playing for the Brampton Battalion, drafted 2nd round (52nd) to NHL, Phoenix Coyotes in June 2010, taking business classes @ Athabasca University, Canada.
Matt Machucki
University of Pennsylvania Quakers, D1-LAX.
Mike Miller
Pre-med at St John Fisher. Loves the school. Played in a few men's league games, but not having a car on campus put a bit of a strain on the parents having to take him back and forth from LS toSJF on a Sunday night at 11-12 at night. So he put the skates away for a bit, to focus on the books. He is now working in the Rochester General Emergency room. as a ED Scribe working with the Dr's on taking the report of the patient. He will be back at Fisher in Jan to hit the books again.
Mike Rotolo
After leading the Tier 1 Midwest Elite league in goaltending stats playing for the 18U Buffalo Regals, Michael was recently called up by the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, USHL, and is heading to Iowa after the holidays.
Greg Ryan
Trenton Golden Hawks OPHL 2nd year Junior A..... Upcoming player Sean, 7th grade Athena. Parents can still be found @ Thunder hockey games. Still hear Yeehhhh Thunder somewhere in the crowd.
Nick Ryan
Sophomore @ SUNY Geneseo red-shirting for the Blue Knights (NCAA-D3) due to ACL tear first game of the season.
Mike Sofia
Playing with a bunch of old Thunder players on Monday night right back where it all started - Lakeshore!!!! He's at MCC - figuring out what he wants to do.
Pat Sofia
On that Thunder bench loving every minute of being a part of that family!!!! He will be off to somewhere next year to continue his college years and maybe play some puck as well and he's hoping Greggy will be joining him. He plays two nights a week at Lakeshore - loves that hockey!!!!
Jeffrey "JT" Stenglein
Playing for Youngstown Phantoms, USHL (Ohio).
Dan "Vyper" Vyverberg
Pursuing a degree in Pharmacy from University @ Buffalo. Working part-time at Wegmans. Playing for the Bulls (ACHA-D1).
Coach Rob "Weilert"
After a stellar campaign at SUNY Cortland, Rob went on to coach Thunder hockey and lacrosse, but was ultimately drawn to a warmer climate where he could realize his ultimate dream of becoming director of grass fairy operations while continuing his ground breaking research on remote coaching technology. Here is what Rob has to say for himself...
"Of course I could write you a thesis on my greatness, but I'll just get to the point:
-Played 4 years at SUNY Cortland, Division 1 club hockey
-Graduated from SUNY Cortland with degree in Physical Education
-Coached Greece Thunder Hockey 2008-2009, Section V and State Champions (27-0)
-Coached Greece Thunder Modified Lacrosse 2009 (8-3)
-Currently living outside Orlando Florida, teaching High School Physical Education and Health.
-Coached Varsity Soccer (2009-2010), Varsity Cross Country (2010), Varsity Track (2011)
-Weilert"
Jake Wiemer
After a succesful D3 career at SUNY Oswego, Jake is now living/working in the Rochester area, coaching his brother's Rochester Alliance PeeWee Minor AAA team along with his dad, Jim Wiemer, an amerks hall of famer and NHL veteran.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Live or Memorex?
Is it live or is it memorex? Of course that reference is probably lost on kids these days with the advent of flash drives and iPods, but just the same, it was nice to hear Amanda's voice belting out the anthem to set the mood for another saturday matinee (11-Dec) at the shore, this time with Webster Schro-der. Funny, i thought Schro-der was a Charles Shultz character. Clearly, the section five announcers are hooked on phonics.
Seeing less than optimal chemistry in the first two outings Webby shook things up with a fresh look up front (24-9-6)(18-14-19)(21-36-15). Thunder capitalized early on the powerplay when senior captain Michael Briganti slid one by Beyo 1-hole from the top of the umbrella, assisted by Justin Simonelli and Anthony Crawford. At the other end of the rink Briganti slammed the door in Webster's face with a huge block taking away the attack lane to keep them at bay, but before the end of the period someone missed an assignment leaving Jordan Antetomaso alone in the high slot where he would rally with a shot that went post and in, assisted by Joe Schuler. McNeil hit a post but no goal. Shots were 9-6 in Thunder's favor. As Webby proceeded to give his team a bit of a tongue lashing at the period break for a lackluster first frame, one could see heads starting to bob to the musical stylings of Neil Diamond with Sweeeeet Car-o-line....good times never seemed so good... lightening things up. Even the stripes were getting into it.
Thunder let no moss grow on the rolling stones in the second as they converted at the 14.11 mark, on the PP once again. It was Tyler Grimshaw who would light the lamp 4-hole post and in this time, assisted by AC and Simmy. Shortly thereafter Thunder found themselves on the short end of a 5 on 3 situation. Joe Vyverberg showed his mettle gutting it out on the biggest kill of the game with a nice step-up on his check and several clears to neutralize Webster's attack. Midway through the period and back at even strength Webster pulled a bingo play out of their LAX bag as Nathan Schuler fed Trevor Heckathorn in the high slot coming off the bench and Heckathorn ripped a shot that hit Cumming's stacked pads but continued up over and in to tie it at 2's. Shane Callahan picked up the second helper on the Webster goal.
Now most of you are probably familiar with what a "Harry" is, right? Well, except for maybe Ron Sherry who had to have his wife explain it to him, ha! For the uninitiated, it is a badge of honor, courage, and a little stupidity, when you put your body in a shooting lane to block a shot with your shins or your chest or your neck or your purse or your face, basically whatever it takes. The term originated back in the 70's when Harry Shaw made a living blocking shots for the Rochester Amerks. One night he took a puck in the face (remember no helmets back then) and returned after the intermission all stitched up to finish the game. In addition to the Harry Shaw society, there is another camp that we don't usually speak of - the Flamingos. Now as a hockey player you don't want to be affiliated with that group, because the term Flamingo in hockey refers to when a defending player is in a shooting lane and lifts one leg to let the puck pass through so as to avoid being hit by the puck. If you find the urge to do this you must resist and then get yourself to the nearest 12-step program.
Here's something else you can't do (just ask Sam Mordenga) - you can't fire the puck after the whistle. Webster's Callahan learned this the hard way when he took a shot seconds after the play was whistled down when he was about 10 feet offsides. Off to the sin bin you go for unsportsmanlike conduct. Who knew Ganti could jump, but when the biscuit went airborne near Webster's blue line he lifted off and dang near gloved it ten feet up in an attempted keep. Webster forged ahead with a pair of goals at the end of the second to put Thunder on their heels as Jesse Caulkins hit the mark at 1.26 assisted by Antetomaso and Callahan then Conlan Keenan finished at 0.25 assisted by Callahan as well. OOOh to be a fly on the wall in the Thunder dressing room for this intermission break!
In his Freshman year, Anthony "AC" Crawford's specialty was going top shelf with authority but he had no assists. This year he has gotten his playmaker on with 7 assists through 8 and a half periods, but wait, hold the phone, this just in... AC sniped the 3-hole with a laser that had eyes, at the 6.12 mark on the powerplay, assisted by Simmy and Ganti, for his first goal of the season. A buck and a half later Simmy got his own... rebound that is... as he beat Beyo stick side for the equalizer, assisted by Eric Hostetter and Mike McNeil, to force OT.
The extra period was intense as intense chocolate milk with 4 on 4 play at the outset. eHots went in 1 on 0 with a breakaway bid that could have sealed the deal but it was simply not meant to be. Thunder took a T.O. with 14 seconds remaining and tried drawing it up with a 4v3 advantage, but it was to no avail as the horn sounded before they got set up and the game ended a 4-4 tie. Thunder outshot Webster by a narrow margin of 26-23 with Ian Cumming making 19 saves for Thunder and Brandon Beyo stopping 22 for Webster.
First Star of the game goes to Justin Simonelli with 4pts (1G-3A) and the GTG. Second Star goes to Anthony Crawford with 3pts (1G-2A). Third Star goes to Michael Briganti with 2pts (1G-1A) and an all around great performance. Ganti did what a captain has to do playing big in all 3 zones, covering for his teammates, and leaving it all out there on the ice. Ian McLellan and Pat Crowe made an appearance on D as did Brandon Hutchison at forward.
Ran into former Thunder Assistant Captain David Russell lurking around the tunnel after the game and when asked for his thoughts D-Russ offered the following: "very Thunderesque gutting it out and hoping for a bounce". Could have used a bounce but oh well, we still got out of the game with a point. All in all it was a great comeback that gave the fans their money's worth. With this tie Thunder's record is now 1-0-1-1.
Seeing less than optimal chemistry in the first two outings Webby shook things up with a fresh look up front (24-9-6)(18-14-19)(21-36-15). Thunder capitalized early on the powerplay when senior captain Michael Briganti slid one by Beyo 1-hole from the top of the umbrella, assisted by Justin Simonelli and Anthony Crawford. At the other end of the rink Briganti slammed the door in Webster's face with a huge block taking away the attack lane to keep them at bay, but before the end of the period someone missed an assignment leaving Jordan Antetomaso alone in the high slot where he would rally with a shot that went post and in, assisted by Joe Schuler. McNeil hit a post but no goal. Shots were 9-6 in Thunder's favor. As Webby proceeded to give his team a bit of a tongue lashing at the period break for a lackluster first frame, one could see heads starting to bob to the musical stylings of Neil Diamond with Sweeeeet Car-o-line....good times never seemed so good... lightening things up. Even the stripes were getting into it.
Thunder let no moss grow on the rolling stones in the second as they converted at the 14.11 mark, on the PP once again. It was Tyler Grimshaw who would light the lamp 4-hole post and in this time, assisted by AC and Simmy. Shortly thereafter Thunder found themselves on the short end of a 5 on 3 situation. Joe Vyverberg showed his mettle gutting it out on the biggest kill of the game with a nice step-up on his check and several clears to neutralize Webster's attack. Midway through the period and back at even strength Webster pulled a bingo play out of their LAX bag as Nathan Schuler fed Trevor Heckathorn in the high slot coming off the bench and Heckathorn ripped a shot that hit Cumming's stacked pads but continued up over and in to tie it at 2's. Shane Callahan picked up the second helper on the Webster goal.
Now most of you are probably familiar with what a "Harry" is, right? Well, except for maybe Ron Sherry who had to have his wife explain it to him, ha! For the uninitiated, it is a badge of honor, courage, and a little stupidity, when you put your body in a shooting lane to block a shot with your shins or your chest or your neck or your purse or your face, basically whatever it takes. The term originated back in the 70's when Harry Shaw made a living blocking shots for the Rochester Amerks. One night he took a puck in the face (remember no helmets back then) and returned after the intermission all stitched up to finish the game. In addition to the Harry Shaw society, there is another camp that we don't usually speak of - the Flamingos. Now as a hockey player you don't want to be affiliated with that group, because the term Flamingo in hockey refers to when a defending player is in a shooting lane and lifts one leg to let the puck pass through so as to avoid being hit by the puck. If you find the urge to do this you must resist and then get yourself to the nearest 12-step program.
Here's something else you can't do (just ask Sam Mordenga) - you can't fire the puck after the whistle. Webster's Callahan learned this the hard way when he took a shot seconds after the play was whistled down when he was about 10 feet offsides. Off to the sin bin you go for unsportsmanlike conduct. Who knew Ganti could jump, but when the biscuit went airborne near Webster's blue line he lifted off and dang near gloved it ten feet up in an attempted keep. Webster forged ahead with a pair of goals at the end of the second to put Thunder on their heels as Jesse Caulkins hit the mark at 1.26 assisted by Antetomaso and Callahan then Conlan Keenan finished at 0.25 assisted by Callahan as well. OOOh to be a fly on the wall in the Thunder dressing room for this intermission break!
In his Freshman year, Anthony "AC" Crawford's specialty was going top shelf with authority but he had no assists. This year he has gotten his playmaker on with 7 assists through 8 and a half periods, but wait, hold the phone, this just in... AC sniped the 3-hole with a laser that had eyes, at the 6.12 mark on the powerplay, assisted by Simmy and Ganti, for his first goal of the season. A buck and a half later Simmy got his own... rebound that is... as he beat Beyo stick side for the equalizer, assisted by Eric Hostetter and Mike McNeil, to force OT.
The extra period was intense as intense chocolate milk with 4 on 4 play at the outset. eHots went in 1 on 0 with a breakaway bid that could have sealed the deal but it was simply not meant to be. Thunder took a T.O. with 14 seconds remaining and tried drawing it up with a 4v3 advantage, but it was to no avail as the horn sounded before they got set up and the game ended a 4-4 tie. Thunder outshot Webster by a narrow margin of 26-23 with Ian Cumming making 19 saves for Thunder and Brandon Beyo stopping 22 for Webster.
First Star of the game goes to Justin Simonelli with 4pts (1G-3A) and the GTG. Second Star goes to Anthony Crawford with 3pts (1G-2A). Third Star goes to Michael Briganti with 2pts (1G-1A) and an all around great performance. Ganti did what a captain has to do playing big in all 3 zones, covering for his teammates, and leaving it all out there on the ice. Ian McLellan and Pat Crowe made an appearance on D as did Brandon Hutchison at forward.
Ran into former Thunder Assistant Captain David Russell lurking around the tunnel after the game and when asked for his thoughts D-Russ offered the following: "very Thunderesque gutting it out and hoping for a bounce". Could have used a bounce but oh well, we still got out of the game with a point. All in all it was a great comeback that gave the fans their money's worth. With this tie Thunder's record is now 1-0-1-1.
Monday, December 20, 2010
JV Thunder Saves the Day
After witnessing the varsity Thunder drop their first matinee of the season on 4-Dec to Churchville with only one second remaining in OT, we packed up the vyver-van and headed south to MCC to watch Snake's brother Worm drop a snowman (8-0) on the Bud Bakewell Bruins. This of course restored a little hope that all was well in our hockey world, but somehow that Thunder loss was still sitting squarely in our craw. And so, we took our chances venturing back down to the shore later that evening to catch our first glimpse of the JV Thunder squad in action, as they faced off against Webster for a 7pm tilt.
Webster drew first blood tallying at the 11 min mark and again at the seven min mark for an early 2-0 lead. As time was ticking down in opening frame, I found myself scratching my head thinking, wait a minute, this does not look like the JV Thunder team that Wader told me had steamrolled their first two opponents coming into tonites game. Enter Codey Mazeau with a brilliant setup for Brandon Hutchison on the backdoor who would finish upstairs to instantly cut his team's deficit in half with just 8 seconds to go in the period.
Webster pushed ahead with another marker late in the second, but it was all Thunder in the third as Guyett found himself on the doorstep five minutes into the final frame and would simply not take no for an answer. He kept pounding away and managed to jam it home to help Thunder draw near at 3-2. Fast forward to the final minute of play and I was most defintely rewarded for making the pilgrimage back to the shore as I witnessed a hail mary photo finish as some unsung Thunder hero bumped the puck out to Hutchison who would lug the mail into webster territory and dish it to wingman Mazeau for the textbook 2 on 1 conversion and GTG with get this... 8 seconds to go in the contest. I usually consider a tie to be like kissing your sister, but an exciting eleventh hour tie like that feels like a win any day in the Thunder dressing room and most likey stung like a loss for Webster.
Webster drew first blood tallying at the 11 min mark and again at the seven min mark for an early 2-0 lead. As time was ticking down in opening frame, I found myself scratching my head thinking, wait a minute, this does not look like the JV Thunder team that Wader told me had steamrolled their first two opponents coming into tonites game. Enter Codey Mazeau with a brilliant setup for Brandon Hutchison on the backdoor who would finish upstairs to instantly cut his team's deficit in half with just 8 seconds to go in the period.
Webster pushed ahead with another marker late in the second, but it was all Thunder in the third as Guyett found himself on the doorstep five minutes into the final frame and would simply not take no for an answer. He kept pounding away and managed to jam it home to help Thunder draw near at 3-2. Fast forward to the final minute of play and I was most defintely rewarded for making the pilgrimage back to the shore as I witnessed a hail mary photo finish as some unsung Thunder hero bumped the puck out to Hutchison who would lug the mail into webster territory and dish it to wingman Mazeau for the textbook 2 on 1 conversion and GTG with get this... 8 seconds to go in the contest. I usually consider a tie to be like kissing your sister, but an exciting eleventh hour tie like that feels like a win any day in the Thunder dressing room and most likey stung like a loss for Webster.
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