2 road games to challenge Titans as road season comes to close

The Devils contest ought to be very interesting.  If you recall, when we played their A team way back in October.  It was a 5-3 loss, but tied until late in the 3rd.  We had fun because as we were just learning how to check, they had a few very big 12 year olds who were easy targets.  We have gotten so much better at defense, that we should pose a great challenge.  That said, I’m sure that they have improved as well.  They had both very fast but also very slow players.  Now with a club as large as the Jr. Devils, in a non-league contest, you never know who they may dress.  They have 2 A teams, 2 B teams (the core of one was in Washington), and are very good at modifying rosters to meet the competition.  Either way, they should pose a healthy challenge. 

Sunday night’s affair is far north in Monsey NY.  The Ramapo Saints left us unsatisfied the last time out.  https://titanpeeweea.wordpress.com/2007/12/16/adam-and-titans-toughen-up-tie-the-saints-on-georges-late-goal/

We tied them on our ice and felt we should have had the better of them.  It was only in December, but as with the Devils, we were far less consistent in that game than we have been the last few weeks.  The Saints are not bad, but we should beat them.  Given its our last travel game, and last regular season game, a stamp on this great season would be a sound beating of the Saints in their own house.   Go Titans!

 

Bauer to leave the NIKE family

Get ready for the end of the swoosh on your stick.  Nike is to spin off its Bauer Hockey franchise after 12 years for $200 million.  Nike thinks they can make better returns elsewhere.  The buyer is an investment firm Kohlberg and a California financier named W. Graeme Roustan who is from Quebec and grew up playing hockey as a kid.  After leaving the game and working for a merger & acquisitions firm, he never lost his love for the ice.  He lobbied for an NHL franchise in San Jose, bought arenas, refrigeration companies and established a “Hockey for the Homeless” a charity in Toronto.  It will take 2 years for all the swooshes to disappear from new equipment, but Bauer (who were first to attach skates directly to boots) will continue on as a premier provider of hockey equipment.  RBK is still hanging on to their CCM investment.

 

Hockey Hall of Fame Curator Talks to PeeWees

In our continuing series of looking at jobs around the game of hockey, I interviewed Phil Pritchard.  Phil has one of the coolest jobs in the ‘museum’ business, he is the Curator for the Hockey Hall of Fame in Totonto.  They are the keepers of all things special in the game’s history.  Historic jerseys, pucks, masks, sticks,1.5 million pictures, and a certain Cup that everyone wants their name on.  Phil also directs the resource center, which takes the collection and makes it accessible to researchers and fans alike.

They have a cool website, www.hhof.com, It features lots of stuff for kids and adults.  They have a great 3d tour of Lord Stanley’s cup at http://www.legendsofhockey.net/html/silver_vrtro.htm

Phil is very enthusiastic about the Hall, and suggests we all come up for a visit.  He also offered some insight into his job.  Phil did not start out saying “I want to run the Hall of Fame and take care of the Cup”.  Instead, he had to find his way, discover what he liked, and work hard.  Everyone of these people I have interviewed love hockey, but had to find their place to contribute to the game in a unique way.  They also had to take lower end jobs before landing their dream spots, sometimes for little or no pay.

How did you get to be the Curator of the Hall?  “I took a Sports Administration course in College…and volunteered everywhere I could….eventually working for the Ontario Hockey League from there I went on to the Hockey Hall of Fame and eventually became the Curator as the past one retired.”

Do you still find artifacts from long ago, or are most of your acquisitions new things?  “We are lucky that a lot of families still have a lot of artifacts from when they had family members that played….it is always great when a long lost jersey is found….however each and every artifact no matter how old or how new is important to the history of the game.”

How much do you have to store vs. display?  How do you keep things preserved?  “The Hockey Hall of Fame has about a 60 – 40 of artifacts on display…however like most museums you can only have them on display for so long before you need to preserve and conserve the artifact…we have a complete climate controlled room that the artifacts stay.”

Do you visit other museums? How does the Hockey  Hall compare to other major North American sports halls?  “I have been to most of the major ones, and I am biased as I am a big hockey fan, so I think ours is the best…but Canton Ohio (football) and Cooperstown (Baseball) have great museums as well.”

What is your favorite piece in the Hall?  “My favourite piece besides the Stanley Cup is a Stanley Cup ring from 1893…the first year it was presented.  Again though, I like them all…they all tell a story.”

Thanks Phil, you sound like a kid that works in a candy store.  Enjoy!  Boys, save those old Titan socks, maybe the Hall will ask for them someday (just wash them first).

 

Pee Wee Champs Again!

The PeeWees won another tournament, this time defeating the Mass Maple Leafs in an 8-3 rematch drubbing.  Neil led all scorers with 2 goals and an assist.  Timmy put down 2 more to take the scoring title and MVP for the tournament.  Jared, Frank, Adam and Austin all punched in goals.  AJ was huge in net, including a slide across the crease with the pads stacked that looked like an acrobat.  Congrats to the Leafs, who almost overcame a 4-0 first period deficit, closing to 6-3 before we took command in the 3rd.  But I think the pictures tell the story well.

  

Coach Phil, Coach Gibby with Tim, and the MVP Award 

In a side drama, Austin left the ice in the first period after diving on a trip into the Leafs net breaking a blade.  He returned quickly after 2 shifts with a rental skate. (on the right).  He did get back on the ice and scored.  He carried the 2 shoe theme home with him….

Rental Skate is on the right

His shoes afterward (which is the rental?)

Neil Celebrates the first goal @11:52 of the first

Tyler carries it out as they were chasing our breakout the whole morning!

Adam puts one down and the Leafs look broken

 AJ puts it in the glove, no problem.

Champions Celebrate!

CONGRATULATIONS!

 

Games 2 and 3, Kings and Bears defeated by Defense

Games 2 and 3 were the games where the defense came to play, and play they did.  We often write glowingly about pretty goals and great passes.  Not today.  Today we celebrate defense.  The blue collar guys in the back who get mentioned far less.  These were their 2 games. 

Frank at Center

First, the Kings gave us a little scare.  Their keeper was spot on, stopping all shots, despite being outshot by a 2-1 margin.  We knew we would eventually score, but would our defense hold up?  After a 1-0 Kings lead, the defense shut them down for the rest of Saturday and then the Bears on Sunday.  5 guys play defense, so the forwards can count themselves as part of the party because they back checked to the house, and pounded in the corners.  But it was obvious that Ryan, Nick W., Nick K., Tyler, and Timmy delivered when you see 5 consecutive shutout periods in 2 games. 

Timmy stares down the Kings goalie after a stop

They had help when one of their own. Frank, who had missed the Saturday matinee with a fever, played center in the nightcap, and for the rest of the tournament.  Frank’s play at center included some good defensive work (along with 2 goals).  Jared and Billy as centers also contributed to the defensive efforts (along with each scoring).  Neil and Richie played ‘big’ as wings, giving both the Bears and the Kings something to think about before meeting our defensemen who took no prisoners (oh, yeah they also scored and assisted). 

 

Coach inspires during the period break

The goalies were brilliant in the two games with AJ keeping it close long enough for us maintain our confidence before we pounded in 5 goals.  He made some Bantam calibre saves.  Chris was perfect in the Sunday afternoon contest, stood on his head once, but danced a jig without a stick in the second period, stopping 4 in a row, and totally taking the hometown Bears out of the contest.

Chris working the shutout vs. Bears

So, yes we scored 8 goals in the two games.  But since Timmy was the leading scorer, and we are celebrating defense, lets just say the offense was a team effort.

Nick W. plays the body

 

Breakfast, Bridgewater Commons and Chimney Rock

Tournaments sometimes give you far away places to enjoy food.  Close by tournaments cost less for hotels, and you can take your meals at home, but why when there are good pancakes to sample?  The Bridgewater Diner was the stop Saturday between games.  Joined by a hungry group of red clad players and parents, we sampled this Rt.22 modern diner.  The mood after a victory was festive, and the food was hot.  Omlettes were the order of the day for most, with the scorekeeper ordering the most aggressively.  His gyro meat custom omelet was taken by Lily the Russian waitress like it was an everyday order.  All seemed happy with their breakfast except for the Goalie Mom who struggled to eat left handed.  I sampled the sweet potato pancakes which were very light.  Not like a potato pancake at all, they seemed to replace the egg with sweet potato, but not without a true pancake consistency.   This one gets three pancakes.

Andrew in some mall therapy with AJ, Billy, Dave

From there it was off to Bridgewater Commons.  A mall is a mall, is a mall to me, but the gang of red suited boys loved pushing one of their buds around in a wheel chair, and playing at the Apple Store, Sharper Image, and anywhere in between that had buttons to push.  Billy met a girl at the end of the trip that looked strangely familiar…

Billy looks smitten

Dinner at the Chimney Rock Grill after game 2 was a treat.  Hockey family friendly, packed, with a menu that featured great soups, burgers, and thin bar pizzas, as well as full dinners.  A place I would stop again if I were in the area.  I had talapia in a bag, not something I would have expected to find on their menu and surprisingly good.

 

Tourney Weekend Starts Big, Ends Bigger for PeeWees

Wow!  The boys really came together this weekend.  4-0, and a Championship.   Lets start by looking at the first game early Saturday.

The ‘TNT’ defenders Timmy, Nick K., and Tyler came ready for battle. The Metro Maple Leafs were not ready for the Titans this morning.  The Titans served up an early breakfast of pucks, scoring more here than they had all season.  The defense was also stellar, starting the breakout each time with great first passes and good movement in the defensive zone.   Chris D. also had a fine outing in net.

Tim got us on the board first with the first of 2 for the day.  His defensive play was only outshined by his offensive leadership, breaking the ice here and continuing throughout the weekend.  Jared followed next assisted by Chris M who would have a multipointer.  Jared would score 2 as well.  Chris M. then got one, unassisted, shooting in his own rebound.  The gates were open.  Adam got one off another nice toss from Chris M. from the corner.

We punished them with the body, with good checks until they were intimidated.  They did pick up 2 goals.  98 was a strong skater and split the defense twice in the 2nd period.  We just continued to score.  Dave hammered one home off a great dish from Billy and Richie.  Austin got in the book on Neil’s goal, Tyler with an assist of Richie, who added another one unassited. 

The glove pound was going on all morning (Note Austin leading the way with a new, replacement George!)

The Leafs were just rattled.  In the third we tried to work on cycling the puck and playing good defense, and keep the score down, but 10 goals to 2 was the final, the only blemish was a 2-2 second period. 4.5 points and a great start to the tournament.

 

Neil streaks by

 

President’s Weekend Tourney Talk

Another tournament, more challenges for the Pee Wee squad, but one which they can win.  The Bridgewater tourney over the weekend starts with a team that has traveled from Laurel Maryland.  Since our first game is Saturday early, you can expect that they will have been staying at a nearby hotel.  Hopefully up all night playing knee hockey….

The Metro Maple Leafs are near the bottom of their division in the CBHL, but not because they cannot score.  They average almost 4 goals per game, which is well above ours.  On the other hand they obviously have been lit-up in some league play averaging 6+ goals against.  So, our club will have to find a way to put pucks in the net, as this team will try to score their fair share, and we have not gotten the bounces of late. 

The second opponent Saturday is the NJ Kings, a team we met and beat at their home ice back in December 3-0.  There we dominated on defense and played the body effectively against this smaller club. 

Up third is the host team, the Bridgewater Bears.  They are a ‘stingy’ squad giving up just 2 goals per game in acquiring an above .500 record in the NJYHL B division.  They handily beat coach Sal’s Pee Wee team 10-3 back in January at Wall.  This should be a good match.  Also remember the teams have the ability to shorten benches or play anyone from their Pee Wee rosters, so you never know which squad shows-up for these tournaments.  Take no one lightly, be intimidated by no one, and have a grand time.  Best of luck to the boys, lets bring home another medal!

 

Titan Tryouts for 08-09 coming in April

Follow the Link:

http://jrtitans.wordpress.com/2008/02/13/titan-tryouts-announced-save-the-dates/

 

Boys try to tackle tough tender, tripped up by Vineland

It was a good exciting, hockey game for the fans. Close from the start, with lots of shots by both sides. The Titans were handcuffed by a good keeper and their own mistakes this afternoon. Vineland made the long trip north and was ready to play. While we were smaller, we were a step faster. We had the chance to be more aggressive as well.

More experienced teams would have taken it to them. We did not detect their uncertainty. We took far more shots than they did in the first period. But we did not finish. We did not put the puck in the net early, and we did not complete our checks. Several odd man rushes were stopped by ‘offsides’ and others by poor coordination entering the zone. AJ started in net and had a perfect first. 0-0 after 1. Give credit to their keeper. He stopped Richie and Billy on break-aways, along with 13 other shots. He had very good lateral movement in the crease, and froze the puck often.

Finally at the 14:37 mark of the second, they caught a break. We were advancing the puck and got caught with 5 moving forward as they picked up an errant pass near center ice. A nice move put it by AJ. 1-0 and near time for the switch. Chris picked up goal duty 7 minutes later, and he rode out the period.

We were to get our chance late in the period. They took a penaly and then when we pressured, pushed in front of their goalie after the whistle. We had a 5-3 advantage. Billy, who took a pass from Richie and Timmy, picked up his head, and saw the goalie drop. He lifted it up. Clank. Crossbar…. but it hit the sweet bottom third of the crossbar, so it fell in. 1-1 game 5:43 to go in the second. We thought for sure the now 5-4 powerplay which still had more to run would produce another one. But the Patriots kept a good 4 man box and rejected the Titans. The period would end all knotted up. They killed again used the break to stifle our momentum and somehow took control for the next few minutes.

Celebrating Billy’s goal

Small breakdowns in a close game become big ones. They danced in as 2 defenders used sticks more than bodies, and wingers did not get back to the dots, leaving Chris helpless. They rocketed one off his pads, with no white shirts near the rebound and just like that 2-1 Patriots.

 

We did too little of this

Very quickly they came back again. With a defender in tow, a Patriot took a stab from the left side. Chris came out to poke it. He lay prone and extended too far, and the puck went right back to the Patriot with Chris far from home. With our defender hanging on him the Patriot pushed a slow pass from below the goal line. It hit Chris’ leg pad and just trickled in. An impossible goal and a 3-1 deficit with 10 minutes still to go.

Ryan tries a rush that would be stifled

We penetrated well but were our own worst enemy. A few shots over the net, a few more off sides rushes, and good Vineland defense kept us out of the net. They added one more, and then we finally scored with 42 seconds to play. It was a pretty one as Billy took a Richie shot behind the net, passed it to Dave on the weak side post for a 4-2 game. We pulled the goalie, but too late to make a difference. It could have been a different outcome, but hats off to the Patriot goalie and their players. They were the better team today.