Junior Titans Pee Wee A: Coach Gibbons

The Clarkstown Capitals grounded out an 8-2 win over the Titans at the Palisades Place Mall Rink Sunday.  The Titan Pee Wees played much better than the outcome on the scoreboard.  Many times when playing a superior team, the momentum builds and the weaker team folds their tent, or the stronger team lets up, playing keep-away until the game runs out.  That was not the case today.  The Caps did jump out to a 1-0 lead on a deflection off a skate, and the Titans countered with a Rich F. goal from in close.  Then the early shooting after that was all Capitals, who would be at the doorstep most of the day.   AJ and Chris were not able to stop the quick and strong Caps who enjoyed a few odd man rushes and Titan turnovers for easy goals. 

AJ at work, stopping one of 19 Capital shots he would see.

An interesting thing happened as the game wore on.  The Titans kept hitting.  The Cap goals slowed.  Austin T. had a pretty goal for the Titans.  The much bigger Caps were getting frustrated. They took more penalties, including some undisciplined retaliations.  The Titans stopped chasing the puck and started covering positions better.  They generated some shots in the third after a very quiet first two periods.  They finished strong, never quitting, hitting hard and having the confidence that they could play with this team, which shows a lot about the character of this team of mostly first year PeeWees.

The PeeWees faced the best Cranford had to offer Saturday.  The Cranford team dominated the early going, throwing 13 shots at AJ but he stopped all of them.  Buzzing around the net and cycling the puck, Cranford looked like they would own the Titans.  They finally broke the ice with 3 minutes to go in the first, taking the lead 1-0.  We spent very little time in the offensive zone in the first, and then suddenly, with just over 1:30 to go in the period, Ryan P. broke the puck out of the zone, and passed ahead to Jared Y. between the legs of a Cranford player.  Jared had 5 pursuers. He sped by them, the last 2 attempted diving trips.  He protected the puck on his backhand as the goalie rushed out to poke him.  He leaped over the tripping stick of the prone Cranford defender.  As he jumped, the puck moved to the forehand and he pushed it past the diving goalie.  1-1 game, on one of the prettiest goals of the season.

Jared takes on all 5 blueshirts

The second period was another opportunity for the team to fold.  Blue would again dominate in shooting, placing 14 shots on net to AJ and….CHRIS!  CHRIS WAS BACK!  AJ had stopped just about everything they threw at him and covered quite nicely, giving up no easy rebounds.  The bench gave him a thunderous cheer as he came to the bench.    Cranford went right to work on the fresh goalie, blasting a shot that was headed to the back of the net.  The whistle blew.  Cranford cheered at their apparent score.  NO Goal – In the crease!

Chris used the opportunity to focus.  Not one goal would pass his house today.  We ended the second without a shot in the period, and no matter how well Chris played could not win without some offense.  It would come in the third.

The period started with a good shift.  On the next change, Jared got the puck deep.  The triangle formed. Billy A. waited for the defense to come to him.  They bit, leaving Andrew D. open across the crease.  Billy slid it on the tape, to Andrew. One-timer. Bang! 2-1 Titans.  Now, time to hold off the Cranford boys for just 12 minutes more.  That was a lot of time, but Chris was up to the task.  12 times they challenged him, 12 times he stopped them in the third.  He had help.  The Titans were taking the body, disrupting the play, and giving checks.  Neil and Tim ran anyone in the middle out from in from Chris’s house.

Chris is back… and Chris’s back.  He stops another shot in the 3rd

Now, when you work hard in the defensive end, good things happen in the offensive end.  With just under 8 minutes left, Jared took a hit but passed it to Tyler who had an open lane down the right side.  Billy followed down the left.  Tyler’s shot rebounded off the pads right on Billy’s stick.  Just like that 3-1 Titans.  Cranford, desperate to get back pulled their keeper, and Tyler and Billy combined again from the defensive zone.  Empty net, Titans win 4-1!  Great work all around against Cranford’s better team.

 Celebration

Joe Sakic has done lots of damage on the ice. As captain of the Colorado Avs, he has for the past 15 years been one of the most dangerous players in the NHL, with great speed and shooting ability, he has been a real leader.

The NHL gives out an award each year for a player who accomplishes something very different, Outstanding Community Service. Joe is this year’s NHL Foundation award winner.

Joe, working with local charities has provided over 700,000 meals to disadvantaged Colorado residents. Joe is also active in community hospitals, visiting the sick, and helping to raise money for equipment and supplies.

The Juniors in the Titan Organization also commit to community service. Its never too early to give time to a cause. We are very lucky to be able to play hockey (or have a kid that plays).

When team players give back to the community, it helps lift the reputation of the entire organization.

Congratulations Joe. You set a fine example for all of us.

Moms take note.  Sunday morning’s game takes place on the 4th floor of the second largest mall on the East Coast.  In case you were not planning on making the long trip (and getting up so early), you may want to consider changing plans to see the hockey and then doing some early holiday shopping.  The only downside is that even by the end of the game, the mall will just be waking up, with many stores opening @11 am.  Dining at the mall includes 10 sit down restaurants including a Rain Forest Cafe, Cheesecake Factory, and  Legal Seafood.

http://www.palisadescenter.com/

The game itself will feature one of the better teams that will be at the Thanksgiving tournament @ Hershey.

The Clarkstown Capitals were a weak Pee Wee team last year, getting outscored by an average margin of three goals  given up for every one scored.    This year’s edition is a totally different story, with the team putting up 11, 10 and 6 goals in recent games against some of their Hudson Valley League competition.   We have not played a common opponent (even once removed), but I would expect them to give us a tough contest.

Saturday’s affair is with Cranford.  I’m not sure which of their players they will bring to this non league game, (they have  2 teams) but we matched well with them last time.

Digital cameras take lots of pictures, many which I may never print, but you may want to see. These little videos are a cool way to see a bunch in a minute or two.

http://animoto.com/play/89e34d3273998d58a6c0d0815ef411a0

The Devils came to Wall and nearly met their match today.  A.J. was lights out for two and a half periods.  The passing, checking, and defensive play was superb.  AJ set the stage early in the game by taking the Devils out of their first power play by stopping 4 shots during the man disadvantage.  We took the 1-0 lead on a scrum in front of their net with Billy knocking it home after Neil dumped the puck below the goal line until we had an opening.   1-0 Titan lead, 11 saves for A.J., including a nice double save where the entire bench never thought he would recover for the second shot.  In the second, period, the team played equally well, taking a 2-0 lead on an Austin breakaway.  The defense kept it close, clearing shooters from the crease leaving A.J. to do his work, but the Devils were not to be denied. 

They had a great skater who was about 6-1 with a lightning wrist shot.  The most fun of the day was the target this guy gave us.  Everyone had a chance to take on #68 and #7 who was also pretty large.  Andrew, Jared, and Billy and Nick K. all took them on with big hits.

Coach teaching the defensive  zone coverage 

As the third period began we were tied 2-2 with a chace to win it.  They drew first blood in the third, and with just under 11 minutes left the boys might have folded.  But constantly working the puck, again below the goal line Billy patiently found Adam G. in front to bang home a one timer from a tough angle.   It was now 3-3 late in the game, against a very good hockey team.  After the stripes missed a shot that looked to all of us like a Devils goal, we thought Miss Destiny would visit us.  But a little while later, with A.J. covering in  the crease a Devil knocked it in for a 4-3 lead.  A few minutes later, a Devil broke down the right side, beating the D. and finding the top left corner, just by the outstretched blocker of A.J. and sealing the win for The Devils.  There were no heads hanging today.  Good progress, good building on yesterday’s third period, good time, good game.

Titans celebrate Adam’s goal in 3rd (look how big #68 is)

Frank C. keeps it in the zone

Players in the defensive end were in short supply today. Not that the defense played poorly, they we were missing some key players. Tyler was out (ligaments feeling better, but bronchitis is keeping him out), Chris D. remains sidelined, but his asthma is better, and he is close to returning. Ryan P. did show, but not until late in the game….Dad missed the time change email and the reminder on Monday. When it was suggested that he do 20 few push ups, he agreed, but requested they be stretched out over a week. Jared Y. was also not there for the offense. The remaining defenders Frank C., Nick K, Nick W., and Chris M. had to cover lots of ice. Thanks guys, you worked very hard today.

The team jumped to a 1-0 lead 27 seconds into the game as Austin scored from Rich and Billy. Unfortunately it would be all of the offense we would muster for the day. Old York moved the puck around well, and while we checked better, the Raiders scored 2 in the first. Long penalties to Rich and Tim, AJ diving a little to early and a little too far, head down passing and a few defensive breakdowns lead to 2 more Raider goals in the second, while we were limited in getting the puck deep into their zone. At one point late in the second, we were being out shot 22-2.

Now the third period was a bright spot. We continued to attack the body, upsetting their offense and opening up opportunities for us. Shooting numbers improved, and AJ was near perfect in net. We even completed most of our passes successfully, and controlled the puck in their zone and cycled for a few shifts. The progress of the turtle takes patience to measure. Anyone watching practice on Wednesday saw they worked on checking and it showed today. Remember what Oliver Wendel Holmes said “The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.”

Chris M. pushes it up ice

The boys this weekend will face the Raiders of Old York Road and the Devils. Old York will be coming off a league game in the morning in Valley Forge, so hopefully that will compensate for our long drive to Elkins Park.

Since we played this team in the Labor Day Tourney, they have been competitive in DVYHA league play, losing 2 times 4-1, and tying last week 1-1. They have fared better against non-league opponents.

We played them tough, but were really just playing together for the first time. This will be a good measure of our team’s development as they were a young squad who are building their program. When they visited us last time, not everyone made the trip; expect a full bench for a home game.

The Devils are a little more tricky to figure out. As a popular T1 and T2 program with a great facility at S. Mountain they carry 2 PW A teams, only one of which is in the league. Last year, after the Titans beat one of their Squirt teams, they modified the roster with better players for the second match. League rosters are generally stable, non-league games are not.

As a league team they are not bad; they tied the very tough Freeze team 1-1, and their non-league players beat Ramapo 4-1 but who knows which skaters they will bring to Wall.

Either way the Devils should be the tougher match of the weekend. But if they play as they have been coached, our boys can win both games.

 As I snap away with my camera, sometimes the pictures do not come out so great.  Lighting is difficult in rinks, and the faster shutter speeds sometimes trade off with slower speeds to capture more light and detail.  But even the bad ones can tell a story.

The picture above is Neil H. putting a super hit on a Cranford player a few weeks ago.  He gives new meaning to the expression “3rd man high!”.  He hit the guy so hard he knocked me out of focus.  All kidding aside he was in perfect position to interrupt their clearing pass and turn the puck back in our direction.  He did not leave his feet until after the contact, but the contact was hard.  You do not even have to hit that hard to interrupt the flow of the opposition and free the puck for our second man to the scene.  Have some fun PeeWees, check someone today.  If I get a picture of you checking I’ll post it. 

Coach gets them ready for action

Some days you play a game and you know you are better than the team you play.  You just do not win, in spite of your advantages.  The Titans were faster, we were hitting harder early in the game and we were holding our positions.  We won the first period battles.  While we lost the period on the scoreboard 1-0, no one felt it would hold up.  We were shooting.  Their goalie let up few rebounds.  The boys were still in it and needed to take control of the game.

But discipline broke down in the second period.  Three second period goals came when the team seemed to lose focus and forget their lessons, and on 12 shots Woodbridge had a 4-0 lead. 

The third period started inspired, Dave N. scored when Tim G.passed to Andrew D. who hit Dave for a long shot from the circle.  A few minutes later, Jared Y. and Ryan P. combined to close the gap to 4-2.  They were reeling, but only for a few minutes.   Two late Wolfpack goals sealed the Titans fate.  Back to practice before Old York and the Devils next weekend.

Jared just before the second goal