Not unlike the legendary Federal League Championship meeting of the Charlestown Chiefs and the Syracuse Bulldogs from Slap Shot, there was a carnival like atmosphere with a certain air of expectancy in the building Saturday nite at Lakeshore with a capacity crowd on hand for the 10th Annual STORM game. The Greece Arcadia/Olympia Lightning played host to their rival, the Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder and having come up short in their last ten meetings, Lightning wanted this game in the worst way. Well, they decorated the rink and they got their wish as they emerged a 2-1 winner after a hard fought battle. And so, Thunder's ten-game reign and five-year stranglehold over the coveted STORM trophy has finally come to an end with their STORM record now sitting now at 5-3-2.
Emotions ran the gamut from Lightning seniors shedding tears of joy after beating Thunder for the first time in their HS career to Thunder seniors bent down on one knee all verclempt over the ride coming to a screeching halt. Or perhaps they were disappointed about losing the game they had dedicated to a fellow student who is courageously battling Leukemia. Her name is Mel Simmons and she is a senior at Athena. Coach Webb's perspective is that the reality of saturday night was that it was a hard fought game, the kids played well but came up short. What they succeeded in doing that is far higher of a success than winning the trophy was in the fact that they brought a community together and they showed support for someone that is trying to win an even bigger game called LIFE. Whether the boys realize it or not, when they donned orange on their skates, socks, pads, helmets and sticks, they made Mel, her family and her close friends proud to be a part of it all. Many thunder fans, like Jim Cumming, sported orange in the stands also, as we raised over $200 for Mel's cause through 50/50 sales.
Seems there was more action in the stands during the first period than there was on the ice, what with all the organized cheering and flag waving. Someone from the Lightning camp would run through the stands waving their flag and then the Thunder mascots would follow suit. With only 19 seconds to go in the period, Bobby Drexler lit the lamp for the Lightning, assisted by Tyler Hickey to open the scoring.
Coming off a solid first frame, Steve Hebberect flexed his muscle along the boards early in the second, tossing his check aside to grab the handle and wind up the breakout. Grims logged a nice harry. And then just under 5 minutes in, Vyper took charge warding off the Lightning's forecheck and feathering a backhand pass out to center for Matt Keough who would deliver the mail, beating Opladen low stick side on the breakaway for the equalizer. Cumming picked up an assist on the play which is not something you see everyday! Three and a half later Robbie Cammilleri took a feed from Kenny Curtis, assisted by David Powlowski, and split the D to net the eventual winner for the Lightning.
Mills tried his hand at the harry thing in the third and then Hebs served up the Gordita Crunch of the game upending former Thunder player Sean Bihrle and sending him reeling into the stantion at the end of the glass. Thankfully Bihrle got right up but that hit will most definitely make the greatest hits highlight reel at the end of season banquet. Cheese dropped Lightning's Heintzelman who is a big boy in his right but it was a simple matter of weight ratios that sealed his fate. With 1.07 left in the game Thunder called a timeout returning with the extra attacker in hopes of righting the ship, but it was not meant to be and Thunder's record slid another notch to 6-5-2-1.
Hats off to the Lightning for proving to be a formidable foe, although the perspective from the bench was that at times it seemed like the Lightning fans got a little carried away heckling, booing, and shouting with profanity, whereas the Thunder camp took the high road and conducted themselves in a respectful manner. Kudos to our fans!
Shots were essentially even up at 21-20 to Lightning's favor. First star of the game goes to Lightning's Josh Opladen with 19 saves for the win, although he nearly dropped the STORM trophy after the ceremony in which case I would have deducted style points and gone with Ian Cumming who made 19 saves for the Thunder. Second star goes to speedy Rob Cammilleri with the winner for the Lightning. Third star goes to Steve Hebberect with a complete effort start to finish including a nice pair of hits.
Thursday, January 28, 2010
January 21 Game Report
Thunder dropped their first game of the new year on the road to Webster, where life is supposedly worth living, losing 4-2 to the Warriors with a rather uninspired effort at Boulter Palace. One hundred percent of the shots you don't take don't go in. So much for building towards the weekend. Winning takes focus and it appeared as if the boys' focus was elsewhere. Other than seeing freshman John Clark have his break-out game for Thunder, it was pretty much all Shroeder as they outshot Thunder 9-7, 7-5, 7-6, for a 3-period total of 23-18.
Justin Simonelli rang the bell first, assisted by the Tonight Show with Curran O'Brien, 5 minutes in. Webster hollered back a minute later when Eric Benson redirected a John Murray point shot past ASim for the goal, assisted by Warrior captain Bradford Viola. Two minutes more saw Webster take the lead on the powerplay when freshman Nathan Schuler batted in a loose puck just outside the paint, assisted by Jeff Diluglio and Ian Jacques, 2-1 Webster. Fast forward to the end of the first frame and Thunder was going on the powerplay themselves with 22.9 on the clock. Vypes and Hebs played 4-corners (well actually two) on the perimeter to run the clock down, lulling the Warriors to sleep, before hooking it to Simmy on the wing for the shot and then Cheese banged home the rebound to knot it at 2's with 10.4 ticks left.
Keough ripped a slapper that hit Montesano "in the faaace" to open the second period, but Ian Jaques brought it back the other way for Webster heading down the right side and beating ASim for the go ahead goal unassisted a buck thirty seven in. Deluglio added the insurance goal with 3.34 to go in the game with a wrister from the blueline that went bar down, assisted by Conrad Ziemendorf and Kevin Rhodes.
First star of the game goes to Webster's Ian Jaques with a goal and assist including the winner. Second star goes to Webster's Jeff Diluglio with one and one for 2 pts. Third star goes to Justin Simonelli with 1+1=2 as well. Thunder's record slips to 6-4-2-1 with this unsightly blemish.
Justin Simonelli rang the bell first, assisted by the Tonight Show with Curran O'Brien, 5 minutes in. Webster hollered back a minute later when Eric Benson redirected a John Murray point shot past ASim for the goal, assisted by Warrior captain Bradford Viola. Two minutes more saw Webster take the lead on the powerplay when freshman Nathan Schuler batted in a loose puck just outside the paint, assisted by Jeff Diluglio and Ian Jacques, 2-1 Webster. Fast forward to the end of the first frame and Thunder was going on the powerplay themselves with 22.9 on the clock. Vypes and Hebs played 4-corners (well actually two) on the perimeter to run the clock down, lulling the Warriors to sleep, before hooking it to Simmy on the wing for the shot and then Cheese banged home the rebound to knot it at 2's with 10.4 ticks left.
Keough ripped a slapper that hit Montesano "in the faaace" to open the second period, but Ian Jaques brought it back the other way for Webster heading down the right side and beating ASim for the go ahead goal unassisted a buck thirty seven in. Deluglio added the insurance goal with 3.34 to go in the game with a wrister from the blueline that went bar down, assisted by Conrad Ziemendorf and Kevin Rhodes.
First star of the game goes to Webster's Ian Jaques with a goal and assist including the winner. Second star goes to Webster's Jeff Diluglio with one and one for 2 pts. Third star goes to Justin Simonelli with 1+1=2 as well. Thunder's record slips to 6-4-2-1 with this unsightly blemish.
January 19 Game Report
Greece beat Spencerport 2-1 Tuesday nite at Lakeshore to avenge an earlier loss and even the subway series. Amanda Sherry belted out the anthem honors as Thunder, hosting in their home whites, stared down the Rangers on the opposing blue line, visiting in their road blues. Taco Bell Gordita Crunch of the game came early on when Dan Vyverberg took Derek Schmidt to the wall and rattled the glass in front of the Thunder faithful, forcing a stoppage of play as his check's bucket came off. Shortly thereafter Vyper joined forces with Matt Keough to put the Malachi Crunch on Depetres. Mattle had a couple of quality scoring chances, AC hit a pipe, and Grims logged a harry as Thunder outshot the Rangers 5-3 in the opening frame.
Despite Cumming playing well between the pipes for Greece, Spencerport managed to eke out a PPG midway through the second, when Matt Corey put away the rebound from Mike Leone's screen shot, assisted by Donnie Daka. Two and a half later Thunder drew a 2-man advantage and would convert on both ends. Just nine seconds into Thunder's powerplay, Vyperdasniper walked it in from the point uncontested and beat former teammate Jimmy Allen clean, low glove side, to tie the game, assisted by Steve Hebberect and Justin Simonelli. They say it's important to strike while the iron is hot (or in this case while the rubber is cold) and Simmy did just that as he curled, coiled and unloaded a wrister on net for the go-ahead goal and eventual winner, assisted by Brandon Cheeseman. Thunder went to the box with a minute to go in the second but fear not as Eric Hots was on the job logging a pair of harrys to get us out of the inning. Shots were 13-9 in Ranger favor but Thunder still won the period.
Just as Thunder killed the 25 seconds that carried over from the Rangers powerplay before the break, they went back to the box again and the ensuing kill featured the short-handed stylings of Jared Tam-Grimshaw and Eric Hostetter who took turns clearing the zone. At one point Jared found himself serving in a forward area, cruising through neutral and going in 1 on 4 against the Rangers -- good looks! This sequence prompted a "Yeah-ThunDerrrrr" from Laura B. Phil Amo, Jared Tam-Grimshaw, and John Clark all made solid contributions on the back-end down the stretch. Then, as Spencerport exercised their time-out option with 1.38 to go in the game, Bruce took advantage of the break in action to advertise his fresh homemade chili and 25 cent jumbo wings over the com. Rangers got the extra attacker out but it was to no avail as Hebs pasted his check on the far boards and Thunder held on til the buzzer.
Thunder's record advances to 6-3-2-1 with this well-earned 2-1 come from behind win, where they slightly edged the Rangers 22-20 in shots. Cumming stopped 19 of the 20 he faced, while Allen made 20 saves. First star of the game goes to Justin Simonelli with the winner plus an assist for 2pts. Second star goes to Dan Vyverberg with a goal, two hits, and several harrys. Third star of the game goes to Ian Cumming with 19 saves for his 5th win of the season.
Despite Cumming playing well between the pipes for Greece, Spencerport managed to eke out a PPG midway through the second, when Matt Corey put away the rebound from Mike Leone's screen shot, assisted by Donnie Daka. Two and a half later Thunder drew a 2-man advantage and would convert on both ends. Just nine seconds into Thunder's powerplay, Vyperdasniper walked it in from the point uncontested and beat former teammate Jimmy Allen clean, low glove side, to tie the game, assisted by Steve Hebberect and Justin Simonelli. They say it's important to strike while the iron is hot (or in this case while the rubber is cold) and Simmy did just that as he curled, coiled and unloaded a wrister on net for the go-ahead goal and eventual winner, assisted by Brandon Cheeseman. Thunder went to the box with a minute to go in the second but fear not as Eric Hots was on the job logging a pair of harrys to get us out of the inning. Shots were 13-9 in Ranger favor but Thunder still won the period.
Just as Thunder killed the 25 seconds that carried over from the Rangers powerplay before the break, they went back to the box again and the ensuing kill featured the short-handed stylings of Jared Tam-Grimshaw and Eric Hostetter who took turns clearing the zone. At one point Jared found himself serving in a forward area, cruising through neutral and going in 1 on 4 against the Rangers -- good looks! This sequence prompted a "Yeah-ThunDerrrrr" from Laura B. Phil Amo, Jared Tam-Grimshaw, and John Clark all made solid contributions on the back-end down the stretch. Then, as Spencerport exercised their time-out option with 1.38 to go in the game, Bruce took advantage of the break in action to advertise his fresh homemade chili and 25 cent jumbo wings over the com. Rangers got the extra attacker out but it was to no avail as Hebs pasted his check on the far boards and Thunder held on til the buzzer.
Thunder's record advances to 6-3-2-1 with this well-earned 2-1 come from behind win, where they slightly edged the Rangers 22-20 in shots. Cumming stopped 19 of the 20 he faced, while Allen made 20 saves. First star of the game goes to Justin Simonelli with the winner plus an assist for 2pts. Second star goes to Dan Vyverberg with a goal, two hits, and several harrys. Third star of the game goes to Ian Cumming with 19 saves for his 5th win of the season.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
January 16 Game Report
Thunder came out of the tunnel saturday wearing purple (in a show of support for the Vikings) for an afternoon matinee with AQ who was hosting in white. First period was mired with penalties and lacked any possible sense of flow as it went from 5v4 to 4v4 to 4v3 to 5v3 to 4v3 to 4v4 to 4v5 to 3v5 to 4v5 before returning to even strength. Mike Briganti was assessed a minor CFB (looked like a rough at worst to me) midway through all that madness and missed the back half of the first frame where the focus seemed to be more on the officials than the game. On one of the many shorthanded situations Hebs made a nice block to thwart an attempted pass across the crease to the back door. Shots were 7-5 to the good for Thunder.
Second stanza saw more of the same PIM madness, but Thunder managed to take advantage of a 2-man advantage early when Chess-man drilled Dohr in the shoulder with a blast from the high slot, after receiving a finely threaded pass through traffic from Justin Simonelli on the grassy knoll, and as Dohr's shoulder went back and to the left, the magic biscuit found its way through for the goal. Thunder could not convert on the remaining 5 on 4. Instead, AQ would rally just after play returned to even strength when Jake Vogl went long taking a feed from Nick Montinarelli to get behind the Thunder D and ended up beating Cumming 1 on 0 to tie things up. Six minutes of give and take later, Vogl bagged his second, assisted by Bernie Gauthier and Nico Gonzalez, to convert a 4v3 AQ advantage and take the lead, despite several nice saves by Cumming during the kill. Cheese got the baton from Ganti, taking his turn in loserville for another marginal CFB. Conan O'Brien filled the void nicely while Cheese and Ganti were incarcerated. Other notable moments sprinkled throughout the period include a new maneuver that can only be described as a sliding backside block for Sherry, a pair of textbook harrys for Grims and Vypes, and several nice pinches by Hebberect to keep Thunder on the attack. Oh, and how about the diving cover-up by Ian on the back door to stymie what appeared to be the old "SIR play" where you intentionally shoot the puck off the back wall hoping it will kick out front for a tap in. Shots were 9 a side, and it was 2-1 AQ going to the cut.
Thunder kept the pressure on throughout the third but were repeatedly denied until late in the period when Matt Keough would cash in a gritty rebound, assisted by Cheese and Sherry, to force overtime. Shots were 12-8 for a 3-period total of 28-22 Thunder. Greece owned the extra frame with seven shots to nada for AQ, but the game ended quietly, a 2-2 tie. Not a bad road point to keep the Thunder undefeated in 2010 as their record advances to 5-3-2-1. First star goes to AQ's Jake Vogl with a pair of goals. Second star goes to Brandon Chess-man with a goal and assist. Third star goes to Matt Keough with his first varsity goal, the GTG that forced OT. Both goalies played well with Cumming saving 20 of 22 for Thunder and Dohr stopping 33 of 35 for AQ.
Second stanza saw more of the same PIM madness, but Thunder managed to take advantage of a 2-man advantage early when Chess-man drilled Dohr in the shoulder with a blast from the high slot, after receiving a finely threaded pass through traffic from Justin Simonelli on the grassy knoll, and as Dohr's shoulder went back and to the left, the magic biscuit found its way through for the goal. Thunder could not convert on the remaining 5 on 4. Instead, AQ would rally just after play returned to even strength when Jake Vogl went long taking a feed from Nick Montinarelli to get behind the Thunder D and ended up beating Cumming 1 on 0 to tie things up. Six minutes of give and take later, Vogl bagged his second, assisted by Bernie Gauthier and Nico Gonzalez, to convert a 4v3 AQ advantage and take the lead, despite several nice saves by Cumming during the kill. Cheese got the baton from Ganti, taking his turn in loserville for another marginal CFB. Conan O'Brien filled the void nicely while Cheese and Ganti were incarcerated. Other notable moments sprinkled throughout the period include a new maneuver that can only be described as a sliding backside block for Sherry, a pair of textbook harrys for Grims and Vypes, and several nice pinches by Hebberect to keep Thunder on the attack. Oh, and how about the diving cover-up by Ian on the back door to stymie what appeared to be the old "SIR play" where you intentionally shoot the puck off the back wall hoping it will kick out front for a tap in. Shots were 9 a side, and it was 2-1 AQ going to the cut.
Thunder kept the pressure on throughout the third but were repeatedly denied until late in the period when Matt Keough would cash in a gritty rebound, assisted by Cheese and Sherry, to force overtime. Shots were 12-8 for a 3-period total of 28-22 Thunder. Greece owned the extra frame with seven shots to nada for AQ, but the game ended quietly, a 2-2 tie. Not a bad road point to keep the Thunder undefeated in 2010 as their record advances to 5-3-2-1. First star goes to AQ's Jake Vogl with a pair of goals. Second star goes to Brandon Chess-man with a goal and assist. Third star goes to Matt Keough with his first varsity goal, the GTG that forced OT. Both goalies played well with Cumming saving 20 of 22 for Thunder and Dohr stopping 33 of 35 for AQ.
January 12 Game Report
Amanda Sherry was back at the mic to delight on tuesday nite with an anthem that left me wondering how she might sound in a duet with Barry White, but I digress. Thunder delivered a 4-1 rain dance to the IHS team formerly known as the Indians to advance the defending state champ's record to 5-3-1-1. First frame was scoreless with shots even at 5 apiece as Ganti and Cheese took turns blocking shots out to neutral and going on a rush. AC went upstairs, with his soon to be patented short side roofer, to break the seal 3 minutes into the second period. It was recorded as unassisted but I gotta give props to Tyler Mattle who bodied the Eagles puck carrier, riding him like seabiscuit around the back of the net to force the turnover for AC. Jared Tam-Grimshaw flanked Vyper for a big shift with some gritty work along the wall. Then came the Timex "takes a lickin but keeps on tickin" of the game midway through the period when Tyler Mattle got rocked @ center ice with a shot to the head from Eagles captain David York. Before I could get my cell out and dial 911, Mattle was back on his feet and back in the play putting a rebound on net and finishing his shift without missing a beat. This kid eats nails and shards of glass for breakfast. Then with 5 and a half to go in the second, Andrew Cordes netted the equalizer for IHS, assisted by Nick Papas and David York. Mills had a nice block and Grims stepped up to clear the zone but got called for head contact. Speaking of stepping up and head contact, Vypes logged a couple of Harry's on a kill before the break, taking one to the cage (in the faaaaace!) which bent the iron. Shots were 18-12 in IHS favor thru two periods as we went to the break knotted at 1's and one could only imagine what what the speech was going to be like in locker room eight.
Perhaps someone stood up and said "Are you ready to let the dogs out? You know, whoo, whoo-whoo, whoo-whoo. Who let the dogs out?" Well, of course, Thunder was ready, as they emerged from the break and notched 3 unanswered goals. Third line got the start and drew the foul less than a minute in (something they have been doing all season long). Hebberect beat Guida glove side for his first tally of the season, a minute into the man advantage, assisted by Cheese and Simmy. With the go-ahead goal in the bank everyone was laying it on the line to keep it that way. Grimmy blocked a pair and then stepped up on the half wall to keep the Eagles from landing. Hostetter and Briganti were buzzing around pestering IHS with a relentless forecheck. Eagles called a time-out with 2 to go and returned with the extra attacker. Ganti and Hots teamed up to clear the zone, springing McNeil for the empty netter and deal-sealer that made it 3-1 Thunder. Warm up the bus but don't leave just yet, as there would be one more clap of Thunder to salt the wound. Thunder's fourth and final tally was a buzzer-beater by Cheese, assisted by Sherry and Keough, and made possible by Miller, who stepped up at the Eagles blue line to keep the zone with the Gordita Crunch of the game.
First star goes to Steve Hebberect with the winner plus a solid effort in all 3 zones. Second star goes to Brandon Chess-man with a goal and assist for 2pts. Third star goes to Andrew Simonelli who logged 21 saves for his first varsity win between the pipes. All tolled there were 9 different point getters and beaucoup defensive plays to bolster that distribution. Coach Webb commented on the superb display of sacrifice with several players starting to follow in Vyper's footsteps blocking shots. Said Webb, "when players learn from one other, it makes coaching a lot easier". For the past few years Vyper has been a 1-man "Harry" wolf pack blocking shots with everything but the kitchen sink, and then earlier this year his blood-brother Snake starting blocking shots and Vyper's wolf pack grew by 1. At first it was Vyper alone in the wolf pack and then with Snake there were two. Then along came Ganti and Grimmy blocking their share of slovakia and Vyper knew they would also join his harry wolf pack. The 4 of them roaming the rinks in Rochester looking for shots to block with a few screws loose. Who else will say "not up in here" to point blank shooters and join the pack before the season is out? Will it be Cheese or Sherry or Hebs or Mills or someone else?
Perhaps someone stood up and said "Are you ready to let the dogs out? You know, whoo, whoo-whoo, whoo-whoo. Who let the dogs out?" Well, of course, Thunder was ready, as they emerged from the break and notched 3 unanswered goals. Third line got the start and drew the foul less than a minute in (something they have been doing all season long). Hebberect beat Guida glove side for his first tally of the season, a minute into the man advantage, assisted by Cheese and Simmy. With the go-ahead goal in the bank everyone was laying it on the line to keep it that way. Grimmy blocked a pair and then stepped up on the half wall to keep the Eagles from landing. Hostetter and Briganti were buzzing around pestering IHS with a relentless forecheck. Eagles called a time-out with 2 to go and returned with the extra attacker. Ganti and Hots teamed up to clear the zone, springing McNeil for the empty netter and deal-sealer that made it 3-1 Thunder. Warm up the bus but don't leave just yet, as there would be one more clap of Thunder to salt the wound. Thunder's fourth and final tally was a buzzer-beater by Cheese, assisted by Sherry and Keough, and made possible by Miller, who stepped up at the Eagles blue line to keep the zone with the Gordita Crunch of the game.
First star goes to Steve Hebberect with the winner plus a solid effort in all 3 zones. Second star goes to Brandon Chess-man with a goal and assist for 2pts. Third star goes to Andrew Simonelli who logged 21 saves for his first varsity win between the pipes. All tolled there were 9 different point getters and beaucoup defensive plays to bolster that distribution. Coach Webb commented on the superb display of sacrifice with several players starting to follow in Vyper's footsteps blocking shots. Said Webb, "when players learn from one other, it makes coaching a lot easier". For the past few years Vyper has been a 1-man "Harry" wolf pack blocking shots with everything but the kitchen sink, and then earlier this year his blood-brother Snake starting blocking shots and Vyper's wolf pack grew by 1. At first it was Vyper alone in the wolf pack and then with Snake there were two. Then along came Ganti and Grimmy blocking their share of slovakia and Vyper knew they would also join his harry wolf pack. The 4 of them roaming the rinks in Rochester looking for shots to block with a few screws loose. Who else will say "not up in here" to point blank shooters and join the pack before the season is out? Will it be Cheese or Sherry or Hebs or Mills or someone else?
Thursday, January 14, 2010
January 9 Game Report
Saturday, Jan 9th Game Report
Most hockey people consider the Scottsville Ice Area to be the coldest rink in town, but having ref'd a few games this weekend on Rink 2 @ ESL, I beg to differ. Besides, at Scottsville they roll out the red carpet for the fans with their "take a blanket / leave a blanket" box at the end of the bleachers. The Churchville Chili Saints followed suit rolling out the red carpet for the Thunder on the ice as they kicked a Brandon Cheeseman centering pass into their own net 3 minutes into the game, en route to a 4-1 loss. Three and half later Phil Amo cranked a shot on net from the blueline that settled in the paint behind Niewiemski and Justin Simonelli was on the scene for the tap in and eventual winner. Steve Hebberect logged the secondhand assist. Fast forward to the end of the first frame and Thunder would net their third marker, on the PP, as Amo hooked it to Simmy who worked it down low for McNeil and McNeil tucked it in short side, with just 14.9 seconds to go. Not much resistance by the Saints as shots were 14-4 in Thunders favor.
Second period was sort of uninteresting as Thunder started playing to their opponents pace. Nonetheless, Thunder went to the break with another powerplay conversion that featured some great puck movement from Simmy to McNeil over to AC on the back door for the finish, 4-0 Thunder. Shots were even up at 6-7.
Churchville emerged from the break somewhat inspired as they broke the schneid with ten minutes to go in the game on a goal by Clar from Bertolani. Saints kept the pressure on for a spell as they enjoyed a 2-man advantage, but Vypes-Hebs-Hots kept them at bay with Ganti coming in for relief on the 5 v 3 kill. Dylan Soeffing made his second appearance of the season driving the #8 car. Shots were 10-7 in the third for a 3-period total of 30-18, as Thunder advanced their record to 4-3-1-1 with a 4-1 win over the Saints.
First star goes to Justin Simonelli with a goal and 2 assists for 3-points. Second star goes to Phil Amo with a pair of assists. Third star goes to Ian Cumming who played well in the nets turning away 17 of the 18 he faced for his 4th win on the year. Gordita Crunch goes to AC for nearly snapping his twig on the gate while attempting to exit the ice after the game. Getting to Scottsville in time for third period, after flying north from FLA (yes his arms are tired again) en route to the Sabres/Avs game in Buffalo, Coach Weilert played The Cooler, shutting down Thunder's two period hot streak. He then pressed on to HSBC with Geller and reportedly had his Avs rally cap on during the 11 round shootout to jinx the Sabres. And guess who was on hand for our 3 losses over the holiday. What does all this mean? Well, let's just say if you are ever on an 80k heater at the Bellagio, you might want to walk away from the table when Weilert walks in.
Most hockey people consider the Scottsville Ice Area to be the coldest rink in town, but having ref'd a few games this weekend on Rink 2 @ ESL, I beg to differ. Besides, at Scottsville they roll out the red carpet for the fans with their "take a blanket / leave a blanket" box at the end of the bleachers. The Churchville Chili Saints followed suit rolling out the red carpet for the Thunder on the ice as they kicked a Brandon Cheeseman centering pass into their own net 3 minutes into the game, en route to a 4-1 loss. Three and half later Phil Amo cranked a shot on net from the blueline that settled in the paint behind Niewiemski and Justin Simonelli was on the scene for the tap in and eventual winner. Steve Hebberect logged the secondhand assist. Fast forward to the end of the first frame and Thunder would net their third marker, on the PP, as Amo hooked it to Simmy who worked it down low for McNeil and McNeil tucked it in short side, with just 14.9 seconds to go. Not much resistance by the Saints as shots were 14-4 in Thunders favor.
Second period was sort of uninteresting as Thunder started playing to their opponents pace. Nonetheless, Thunder went to the break with another powerplay conversion that featured some great puck movement from Simmy to McNeil over to AC on the back door for the finish, 4-0 Thunder. Shots were even up at 6-7.
Churchville emerged from the break somewhat inspired as they broke the schneid with ten minutes to go in the game on a goal by Clar from Bertolani. Saints kept the pressure on for a spell as they enjoyed a 2-man advantage, but Vypes-Hebs-Hots kept them at bay with Ganti coming in for relief on the 5 v 3 kill. Dylan Soeffing made his second appearance of the season driving the #8 car. Shots were 10-7 in the third for a 3-period total of 30-18, as Thunder advanced their record to 4-3-1-1 with a 4-1 win over the Saints.
First star goes to Justin Simonelli with a goal and 2 assists for 3-points. Second star goes to Phil Amo with a pair of assists. Third star goes to Ian Cumming who played well in the nets turning away 17 of the 18 he faced for his 4th win on the year. Gordita Crunch goes to AC for nearly snapping his twig on the gate while attempting to exit the ice after the game. Getting to Scottsville in time for third period, after flying north from FLA (yes his arms are tired again) en route to the Sabres/Avs game in Buffalo, Coach Weilert played The Cooler, shutting down Thunder's two period hot streak. He then pressed on to HSBC with Geller and reportedly had his Avs rally cap on during the 11 round shootout to jinx the Sabres. And guess who was on hand for our 3 losses over the holiday. What does all this mean? Well, let's just say if you are ever on an 80k heater at the Bellagio, you might want to walk away from the table when Weilert walks in.
Friday, January 8, 2010
January 5 Game Report
Mini-Mahoney made his mascotorial debut and Katie Edinger nailed the anthem like a split hog as the Greece Thunder Hockey Team opened a can of whoop axe, sending the Hilton Cadets marching home, straight to the 14468, tuesday nite late, with a 6-2 decision. First up to bat was Andrew Sherry, converting on a solid forecheck assisted by Matt Keough and Brandon Cheeseman, four and a half minutes in. Mills got the crowd going with a hard hit along the boards below the Thunder goal line. Then along came the Country Sweet Pass of the Game as Justin Simonelli threaded the needle with a long-lead pass to AC at the far blue line and AC wasted no time winding up a slapper from just inside the blueline that salied past Hurlimann for his first varsity goal. Phil Amo picked up the secondhand assist for his first varsity point. Half a minute later Sherry was back for more, deflecting a blast from the point by Mike Miller into the back of the net for his second goal on the night. Cheese picked up his second helper to boot. Mike Briganti added another notch to his shot blocking belt that would clear the zone and set him off on a tear, but the play eventually came back Thunder's way and Hilton managed to get on the board with a shot that was deflected by Cumming with 52 seconds to go. Goal was credited to Joe Palumbo, assisted by Cory Gurski and Joe DiSano. Shots were 11-6 in Thunders favor as they enjoyed a 3-1 lead going into the second.
Two minutes into the second Cheese got his as he tipped a turnaround Keough shot from the high slot in for Thunder's fourth marker. With snake on the DL nursing a broken digit after blocking an AC blast in practice, Phil Amo stepped in and executed well putting some rubber on net. Alone stands the Cheese with yet another TBGC as he effortlessly launched a cadet into the boards on the half wall. Said John O'Brien, "that guy didn't know what hit him". Curran O'Brien posted up at neutral tapping his stick and calling for the puck and Hilton fell for it as they put the puck right on his tape with their breakout, so Curran took it in and put it on net. As the period waned, Thunder found themselves stuck in their own end with back to back penalties. Vypes and Ganti logged a few harry's on the first kill, but Hilton would capitalize on the second one as Joe DiSano scored assisted by Corey Sherman with a buck thirty til the break. Shots were 15-9 in Thunders favor as they enjoyed a 4-2 lead going into the third.
This side of intermission Thunder had a minute fourteen advantage that carried over from a late Hilton penalty before the break, but Thunder could not capitalize. No worries, as Sherry would get the hat at even strength just under 3 minutes in, assisted by his linemates, Cheese and Keough, to make it 5-2 Thunder. AC book ended the period with four eleven to go for his second goal of the evening by finishing off a Tyler Mattle rebound that kicked out after a sick move by J-Sim driving down the left side, letting the puck slide, ducking around the D to regain the handle and finally putting it on net. Fourth line finished the game and shut it down.
Wish I had stars to give out across the board because everyone played great. Charlie Webb said it was their best game of the season. I would agree. Defensively Thunder played well from the net out, with Ian Cumming making 20 saves for his third win on the season. But the marquee message is that the offensive floodgates were finally open with 33 shots, 6 goals, 11 assists, and 8 different point getters. First star goes to Andrew Sherry with his first ever hat-trick and the game winner. Second star goes out to Brandon Cheeseman with a goal and 3 assists for 4-points. Third star goes to Matt Keough with 3 assists for the playmaker. Honorable mention to both Anthony Crawford (2G) and Justin Simonelli (2A) who hooked up nice twice. Thunder rolls to 3-3-1-1 with a convincing 6-2 win over the Cadets.
Next on tap is a roadie to Scottsville for Thunder's first meeting with the Saints set for 3pm on Saturday, January 9th. Be there or beware the ides of January.
Two minutes into the second Cheese got his as he tipped a turnaround Keough shot from the high slot in for Thunder's fourth marker. With snake on the DL nursing a broken digit after blocking an AC blast in practice, Phil Amo stepped in and executed well putting some rubber on net. Alone stands the Cheese with yet another TBGC as he effortlessly launched a cadet into the boards on the half wall. Said John O'Brien, "that guy didn't know what hit him". Curran O'Brien posted up at neutral tapping his stick and calling for the puck and Hilton fell for it as they put the puck right on his tape with their breakout, so Curran took it in and put it on net. As the period waned, Thunder found themselves stuck in their own end with back to back penalties. Vypes and Ganti logged a few harry's on the first kill, but Hilton would capitalize on the second one as Joe DiSano scored assisted by Corey Sherman with a buck thirty til the break. Shots were 15-9 in Thunders favor as they enjoyed a 4-2 lead going into the third.
This side of intermission Thunder had a minute fourteen advantage that carried over from a late Hilton penalty before the break, but Thunder could not capitalize. No worries, as Sherry would get the hat at even strength just under 3 minutes in, assisted by his linemates, Cheese and Keough, to make it 5-2 Thunder. AC book ended the period with four eleven to go for his second goal of the evening by finishing off a Tyler Mattle rebound that kicked out after a sick move by J-Sim driving down the left side, letting the puck slide, ducking around the D to regain the handle and finally putting it on net. Fourth line finished the game and shut it down.
Wish I had stars to give out across the board because everyone played great. Charlie Webb said it was their best game of the season. I would agree. Defensively Thunder played well from the net out, with Ian Cumming making 20 saves for his third win on the season. But the marquee message is that the offensive floodgates were finally open with 33 shots, 6 goals, 11 assists, and 8 different point getters. First star goes to Andrew Sherry with his first ever hat-trick and the game winner. Second star goes out to Brandon Cheeseman with a goal and 3 assists for 4-points. Third star goes to Matt Keough with 3 assists for the playmaker. Honorable mention to both Anthony Crawford (2G) and Justin Simonelli (2A) who hooked up nice twice. Thunder rolls to 3-3-1-1 with a convincing 6-2 win over the Cadets.
Next on tap is a roadie to Scottsville for Thunder's first meeting with the Saints set for 3pm on Saturday, January 9th. Be there or beware the ides of January.
December 30 Game Report
For those of us who braved the weather and made the pilgrimage to Lakeshore Hockey Arena on a wintry wednesday, the 30th of December, I'm sure you would all agree it was worth your while as we took a step back in time to reflect on the outstanding achievements of the 2008-2009 Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder Hockey Team and put a final bow (barring any pending book deals or made for TV movies) on an amazing season by raising the state championship banner to the rafters in the rink we call home. For those of you who could not be in the house, the film compilation that aired at the banner raising ceremony, brought to you by Dr. Trey productions (with photo/video credits to Tom Mattle, Jay Shelofsky, and SE Video) is now available on You Tube. Go check it out, it will take you back to titanic and you'll have chills running up and down your spine, guaranteed.
Please join me in giving a big shout out to the following Thunder peops who made the banner ceremony possible:
Scott Soeffing (banner production)
Charlene McNeil (design and direction)
Dan Miller (screen launching and emcee duties)
Trey Layton (mission coordination and leadership on all things to do with Audio visual and movie production)
And a special thanks Paula & Mark at Lakeshore, for allowing us to hoist the screen and for assisting with the lift.
And a big welcome home to the following State Championship Team Alumni: Eric Gunderson, Pat Sofia, Greg Ryan, Ben McCubbin, Jordan Grills, Parker Bonis, Scotty Tam-Grimshaw, Riley Bourbonnais, Jeffrey Stenglein (Matt Lane and Mike Rotolo in absentia)
And last but not least, let's hear it for the new mascot who stole the show, Mike Briganti's little cousin Emily (sorry Stevie and Trevor) !!!
* * *
Oh yea, and after all the hoopla and ice cut, Katie Edinger took a turn at the mic with an efficient anthem to get the show on the ice. With the league leading Gates Chili Spartans in the house, we knew we were in for a game and perhaps extra innings! Three and a half minutes in Pat Egan rallied for the Spartans on the powerplay and then a couple of minutes later Steve Castner tallied at even strength with both goals assisted by Ryan Fitzgerald. Despite giving up 2 goals, Greece was still in the game as they outshot Gates 14-9 in the first frame.
But only 28 tics into the second period, Brandon Morgan would score to widen the Spartans lead to 3-zip, leaving Thunder fans a bit dejected. Fear not my fair weather fans as we fast forward four minutes to the tail end of a Thunder kill which saw Mike McNeil busting down the right side saying enough is enough, megging a nameless/faceless spartans' defenseman and deking Matt Ryan to put Thunder on the board with a shorty and restore hope in Thunderville. Just three minutes later Brandon Cheeseman followed suit, beating Ryan glove side and raising the roof with a shorty of his own to draw within near at 3-2. Mike Briganti logged the lone assist on Cheese's roofer and then came back a minute later to bury the equalizer on the backdoor as he gathered a centering pass by McNeil that hopped over Hostetter's stick. In the wake of all this excitement, freshman Jonathan Clark found himself in a precarious position, as Vyper blew out a tire at center ice, and Gates' leading scorer was bearing down on him 1 on 1. Clark passed the test with flying colors as he stood Egan up and forced the play wide buying time for his partner's recovery.
Back from the break it was game on with several nice defensive plays on display from Cumming with the melon save to Sherry with a nice block at the point to Vyper shutting down a 3 on 1 jail break and then later coming out of nowhere with a diving superman harry from behind the net. Solid team defense down the stretch meant we were goooooooooooooing to OT. With 2 minutes to go in the extra period, Gates took a time-out as Thunder went to the box on a marginal cross-checking call (for OT anyway). Thunder gutted it out and emerged from the kill unscathed with 34 seconds remaining, but as they say, it's not over until it's over, and with only 2 seconds left in the 5 minute sudden death overtime period, Pat Egan won the game for Gates as he slipped into the slot uncontested, caught a pass from the corner and hooked it around Cumming's right pad for the winner. Ouch, that hurt.
Thunder continues their slide with this heartbreaking 4-3 overtime loss, although interestingly on pointstreak they listed Thunder's record as 2-3-0-1. Seems you get a point in the standings for an OTL.... a little something for the effort, which is Niiiiiiice!
Shots were 35-32 in Gates' favor with Ian Cumming making 31 saves for Greece and Matt Ryan stopping 29 for Gates. No gordita crunch to give out as it was not a very physical contest, but we do have a few stars. First one goes to Pat Egan for 2G/1A with the winner in OT for Gates. Second star goes to Ryan Fitzgerald who assisted on 3 of the 4 Gates goals earning himself a playmaker. Third star goes to Mike Briganti with a goal and assist including the tying goal that forced OT plus a nice sliding stack the shins block in the first period.
BTW, compliments of Chris Lerch, we now have a Wes Report blogspot and I'm not really sure what the h.e. double hockey sticks that is, but apparently you can read archived "Wes Reports" all the way back to beginning of last season and post comments. Time for this author to duck and cover, I guess.
Monday, January 4, 2010
1/2 Game Report
Saturday, Jan 2nd Game Report
Thunder skated to a 1-1 tie with Williamsville East before a sparse crowd at Lakeshore on Saturday afternoon. SThunder forward Keenan Mahoney saw his first varsity shift nine minutes in, but unfortunately he got 9 minutes in the box for a check from behind. Save a clock failure and a few brilliant saves by A-Sim, the first frame was relatively uneventful, as Greece spotted Willie a 10-7 shot margin.
Thunder drew first blood early in the second stanza, when Andrew Sherry crashed the net and banged home the rebound that kicked out from a shot by Matt Keough, assisted by Dan Vyverberg. Phil Amo, Jonathan Clark and Jared Tam-Grimshaw each got a taste on the blueline while sophomore forward Curran O'Brien laid on the heavy forecheck to generate a couple of quality scoring chances. Tyler Grimshaw went deep on a shorthanded rush, sliding one across the paint and nearly connecting with Cheese as well. These setups were among many that came close to fruition throughout the balance of the second period.
Going into the third, Thunder showed some desperation with Mike Briganti stacking the shins to block a shot at the point and Mike McNeil adding a block of his own. Nice to see some new pledges rushing the Harry Shaw Society. Stripes missed a goal on each end so no harm no foul there, but Willie got the equalizer 3 minutes into the third with a screen shot from the high slot. Cheese responded with the TB Gordita Crunch of the game when he steamrolled his check along the far boards. Despite going on the powerplay for the final buck ten of regulation and carrying a 20 second advantage into the extra period, Thunder could not manage to git-R-Dun. They did, however, hold on for the tie to snap a 3-game slide, and remain undefeated in the new year, as their record advances to 2-4-1.
First star of the game goes to Andrew Simonelli with 26 saves and a strong stick, second star goes to Willie's Tyler Mikulee with 25 saves, third star goes to stalwart senior defenseman Steve Hebberect, who had an outstanding game, playing physical on the backend, stepping up in the neutral zone, and getting involved offensively as well... says Geller, "Hebs is back in State Championship form!"
Thunder will host Hilton for a nitecap, 7:30pm @ Lakeshore on Tuesday 5-Jan. Be there as things heat up or be left out in the cold wondering what's up!
Thunder skated to a 1-1 tie with Williamsville East before a sparse crowd at Lakeshore on Saturday afternoon. SThunder forward Keenan Mahoney saw his first varsity shift nine minutes in, but unfortunately he got 9 minutes in the box for a check from behind. Save a clock failure and a few brilliant saves by A-Sim, the first frame was relatively uneventful, as Greece spotted Willie a 10-7 shot margin.
Thunder drew first blood early in the second stanza, when Andrew Sherry crashed the net and banged home the rebound that kicked out from a shot by Matt Keough, assisted by Dan Vyverberg. Phil Amo, Jonathan Clark and Jared Tam-Grimshaw each got a taste on the blueline while sophomore forward Curran O'Brien laid on the heavy forecheck to generate a couple of quality scoring chances. Tyler Grimshaw went deep on a shorthanded rush, sliding one across the paint and nearly connecting with Cheese as well. These setups were among many that came close to fruition throughout the balance of the second period.
Going into the third, Thunder showed some desperation with Mike Briganti stacking the shins to block a shot at the point and Mike McNeil adding a block of his own. Nice to see some new pledges rushing the Harry Shaw Society. Stripes missed a goal on each end so no harm no foul there, but Willie got the equalizer 3 minutes into the third with a screen shot from the high slot. Cheese responded with the TB Gordita Crunch of the game when he steamrolled his check along the far boards. Despite going on the powerplay for the final buck ten of regulation and carrying a 20 second advantage into the extra period, Thunder could not manage to git-R-Dun. They did, however, hold on for the tie to snap a 3-game slide, and remain undefeated in the new year, as their record advances to 2-4-1.
First star of the game goes to Andrew Simonelli with 26 saves and a strong stick, second star goes to Willie's Tyler Mikulee with 25 saves, third star goes to stalwart senior defenseman Steve Hebberect, who had an outstanding game, playing physical on the backend, stepping up in the neutral zone, and getting involved offensively as well... says Geller, "Hebs is back in State Championship form!"
Thunder will host Hilton for a nitecap, 7:30pm @ Lakeshore on Tuesday 5-Jan. Be there as things heat up or be left out in the cold wondering what's up!
12/22 Game Report
Tuesday, Dec 22nd Game Report
Back on the bus, it was Brockport or bust. Turns out it was a bust, as Thunder dropped their second road game in a row, losing 5-2 to the Blue Devils at Tuttle Ice Arena Tuesday nite. Greece came in sporting a new look with Pat Sofia making his debut on the bench, Mike Miller back on D, Matt Keough up front, and the lines shook up a bit. Rob Weilert flew north for the holiday (and yes, his arms are tired) and was in the hizzie as well, but not all was well, as Baby Bedford sent Thunder to the box four times in the first frame. B-Port would capitalize, banking 2 goals from their 2-man advantage and subsequent 5-on-4 to win the period with a 13-7 shot margin in their favor. Play was sloppy and choppy with very few passes completed and maybe 1-hit.
Greece gained some momentum in the second, with 10 shots on goal to B-Port's 5, as the Blue Devils took their turn in the box. But Thunder could not solve Keene. Blue Devil's forward Nathan Judd logged his second goal of the nite to make it 3-0 B-Port going into the cut. A minute into the final period Brockport's Dylan Garlock converted on a turnover to widen their lead to 4-0. Then the tide turned, as Mike Briganti notched Thunder's first goal, on the PP, with a low and hard wrister through a screen, assisted by Vyper and Sherry. Back on the powerplay 5 minutes later, Vyper took the handle from Hebberect, tore down the left wing, and hit Mike McNeil in the high slot for the money shot to cut the Blue Devil's lead in half, 4-2 with two and a half to go. Thunder made a valiant effort down the stretch with the extra attacker out only to give up the empty netter to Nathan Judd with 37 seconds left on the clock.
Thunder slips to 2-3 with the loss and many lessons learned. First star goes to B-Port's Nathan Judd with the hat, second star goes to B-Port's Justin Keene with 29 saves, third star goes to B-Port's Dylan Garlock with a goal and 2 assists. Let's hope Santa gave Thunder their mojo back in their stockings!
Back on the bus, it was Brockport or bust. Turns out it was a bust, as Thunder dropped their second road game in a row, losing 5-2 to the Blue Devils at Tuttle Ice Arena Tuesday nite. Greece came in sporting a new look with Pat Sofia making his debut on the bench, Mike Miller back on D, Matt Keough up front, and the lines shook up a bit. Rob Weilert flew north for the holiday (and yes, his arms are tired) and was in the hizzie as well, but not all was well, as Baby Bedford sent Thunder to the box four times in the first frame. B-Port would capitalize, banking 2 goals from their 2-man advantage and subsequent 5-on-4 to win the period with a 13-7 shot margin in their favor. Play was sloppy and choppy with very few passes completed and maybe 1-hit.
Greece gained some momentum in the second, with 10 shots on goal to B-Port's 5, as the Blue Devils took their turn in the box. But Thunder could not solve Keene. Blue Devil's forward Nathan Judd logged his second goal of the nite to make it 3-0 B-Port going into the cut. A minute into the final period Brockport's Dylan Garlock converted on a turnover to widen their lead to 4-0. Then the tide turned, as Mike Briganti notched Thunder's first goal, on the PP, with a low and hard wrister through a screen, assisted by Vyper and Sherry. Back on the powerplay 5 minutes later, Vyper took the handle from Hebberect, tore down the left wing, and hit Mike McNeil in the high slot for the money shot to cut the Blue Devil's lead in half, 4-2 with two and a half to go. Thunder made a valiant effort down the stretch with the extra attacker out only to give up the empty netter to Nathan Judd with 37 seconds left on the clock.
Thunder slips to 2-3 with the loss and many lessons learned. First star goes to B-Port's Nathan Judd with the hat, second star goes to B-Port's Justin Keene with 29 saves, third star goes to B-Port's Dylan Garlock with a goal and 2 assists. Let's hope Santa gave Thunder their mojo back in their stockings!
12/19 Game Report
Saturday, Dec 19th Game Report
Thunder's first roadie of the season was a downer as they dropped a 3-1 decision to the Spencerport Rangers @ ESL Sports Centre on Saturday afternoon. Spencerport's Matt Corey won the battle in front of Greece's net three and a half into the second to crack the seal. Thunder got the equalizer on the PP early in the third when Brandon Cheeseman put away the rebound on Mike McNeil's attempt. You would think this shot in the arm might spark a few more goals for Greece, but it was the Rangers who would forge ahead instead with two unanswered tallies for the win.
Thunder's record slides to 2-2 with a lackluster effort that was about as viable as the venue. First star goes to Matt Corey with a pair of goals for Spencerport, second star goes to Jimmy Allen with 20 saves for Spencerport, and third star goes to Brandon Cheeseman with the lone goal for Thunder. Andrew Simonelli made 17 saves in his first varsity start. Honorable mention goes out to Mike Miller who put forth a solid effort for Thunder as well.
Thunder's first roadie of the season was a downer as they dropped a 3-1 decision to the Spencerport Rangers @ ESL Sports Centre on Saturday afternoon. Spencerport's Matt Corey won the battle in front of Greece's net three and a half into the second to crack the seal. Thunder got the equalizer on the PP early in the third when Brandon Cheeseman put away the rebound on Mike McNeil's attempt. You would think this shot in the arm might spark a few more goals for Greece, but it was the Rangers who would forge ahead instead with two unanswered tallies for the win.
Thunder's record slides to 2-2 with a lackluster effort that was about as viable as the venue. First star goes to Matt Corey with a pair of goals for Spencerport, second star goes to Jimmy Allen with 20 saves for Spencerport, and third star goes to Brandon Cheeseman with the lone goal for Thunder. Andrew Simonelli made 17 saves in his first varsity start. Honorable mention goes out to Mike Miller who put forth a solid effort for Thunder as well.
12/15 Game Report
Oh, the weather outside is frightful
But the game is so delightful
Your Thunder's back on a roll
Score-a-goal, score-a-goal, score-a-goal!
Mascots skating at the beginning
And Amanda's at the mic a singing
Your Thunder's back on a roll
Score-a-goal, score-a-goal, score-a-goal!
When the horn finally ends the game
How i'll hate going out in the storm
But, if we win just the same
All the way home i'll be warm!
The time is slowly ticking
And, your cheese, was called for high-sticking
But that was a cheese-y call
Score-a-goal, score-a-goal, score-a-goal!
Thunder did indeed score-a-goal, score-a-goal, score-a-goal , but Lightning would only strike once in this, their first meeting of the 09-10 season, where Greece Athena/Odyssey defeated Greece Arcadia/Olympia 3-1, before a packed house on hand in the stands at the 'shore. Despite a scoreless first frame and shots fairly even at 6-5 in Lightnings favor, there was plenty of eye-candy, what with all the banging after a week of angle hitting in practice. Leading the way for Thunder was Andrew Sherry, who table topped his check with an open ice hit at the Lightning's blue line that would easily garner the Taco Bell Gordita Crunch of the game. Joining the hit-parade and rattling the boards for Thunder were the likes of Grimmy, Mills, Ganti, and Cheese, not to mention the rest of the D.
Coming off a strong kill backed by the Venom brothers, to bridge the first and second frame, Thunder had Lightning pinned in their own end for quite a spell. But the pendulum would eventually swing the other way, forcing Thunder to scramble to dig out from under themselves. Finally, midway thru the second, Mike McNeil said enough is enough, as he came barrelling down the right side and blasted one by Opladen to light the lamp that would guide Thunder's sleigh, with Hebs and Hots picking up the helpers along the way. Mike Briganti kept pounding away and forcing the play as Thunder took their 1-goal lead into the intermission.
Lightning came back fired up and hitting early in the 3rd, but Vyper let some air out of their tires when he snapped off a twisted-wrister from the blue line that found its way thru traffic, post and in, to make it 2-0 Thunder. A couple of minnows later, Lightning thought they had their first, when the puck went in, after a scrum ensued just outside the paint, to the left of Cumming. But the goal was waived off, given a Lightning helmet came off during the play, before the puck went in. Thunder poured some salt in the wound with a sweet play for their third marker with only 3 minutes remaining. The goal originated with a neutral zone regroup from McNeil back to Vyper, over to Hebs, up to Mills, off the board to Hots, then Hots lugged the mail up the left wing and centered it to McNeil who was crashing the net for the 2 on 1 tally. Lightning came back with a whimper, scoring a PPG with just under 2 minutes to go, but that's all she wrote.
First star of the game goes to Mike McNeil with a pair of goals, second star goes to Ian Cumming with 24 saves, and third star goes to Dan Vyverberg with the winner. Although Thunder was outshot 25-19, they still came out on top with a 3-1 win to advance their record to 2-1. Says Webb "our goalie just played better". Added Wader, "we corrected mistakes in practice and came with a better attitude".
But the game is so delightful
Your Thunder's back on a roll
Score-a-goal, score-a-goal, score-a-goal!
Mascots skating at the beginning
And Amanda's at the mic a singing
Your Thunder's back on a roll
Score-a-goal, score-a-goal, score-a-goal!
When the horn finally ends the game
How i'll hate going out in the storm
But, if we win just the same
All the way home i'll be warm!
The time is slowly ticking
And, your cheese, was called for high-sticking
But that was a cheese-y call
Score-a-goal, score-a-goal, score-a-goal!
Thunder did indeed score-a-goal, score-a-goal, score-a-goal , but Lightning would only strike once in this, their first meeting of the 09-10 season, where Greece Athena/Odyssey defeated Greece Arcadia/Olympia 3-1, before a packed house on hand in the stands at the 'shore. Despite a scoreless first frame and shots fairly even at 6-5 in Lightnings favor, there was plenty of eye-candy, what with all the banging after a week of angle hitting in practice. Leading the way for Thunder was Andrew Sherry, who table topped his check with an open ice hit at the Lightning's blue line that would easily garner the Taco Bell Gordita Crunch of the game. Joining the hit-parade and rattling the boards for Thunder were the likes of Grimmy, Mills, Ganti, and Cheese, not to mention the rest of the D.
Coming off a strong kill backed by the Venom brothers, to bridge the first and second frame, Thunder had Lightning pinned in their own end for quite a spell. But the pendulum would eventually swing the other way, forcing Thunder to scramble to dig out from under themselves. Finally, midway thru the second, Mike McNeil said enough is enough, as he came barrelling down the right side and blasted one by Opladen to light the lamp that would guide Thunder's sleigh, with Hebs and Hots picking up the helpers along the way. Mike Briganti kept pounding away and forcing the play as Thunder took their 1-goal lead into the intermission.
Lightning came back fired up and hitting early in the 3rd, but Vyper let some air out of their tires when he snapped off a twisted-wrister from the blue line that found its way thru traffic, post and in, to make it 2-0 Thunder. A couple of minnows later, Lightning thought they had their first, when the puck went in, after a scrum ensued just outside the paint, to the left of Cumming. But the goal was waived off, given a Lightning helmet came off during the play, before the puck went in. Thunder poured some salt in the wound with a sweet play for their third marker with only 3 minutes remaining. The goal originated with a neutral zone regroup from McNeil back to Vyper, over to Hebs, up to Mills, off the board to Hots, then Hots lugged the mail up the left wing and centered it to McNeil who was crashing the net for the 2 on 1 tally. Lightning came back with a whimper, scoring a PPG with just under 2 minutes to go, but that's all she wrote.
First star of the game goes to Mike McNeil with a pair of goals, second star goes to Ian Cumming with 24 saves, and third star goes to Dan Vyverberg with the winner. Although Thunder was outshot 25-19, they still came out on top with a 3-1 win to advance their record to 2-1. Says Webb "our goalie just played better". Added Wader, "we corrected mistakes in practice and came with a better attitude".
A Banner Year
If you are like me you are probably sensing an air of expectancy whipping in the winds and are longing for a carnival like atmosphere this holiday season. Well, you need look no further than the Lakeshore Hockey Arena, for on Wednesday, the 30th day of December, in the year 2009, you are in for a special treat. The much awaited and anticipated unveiling of the 2008-2009 New York State Division I High School Hockey State Championship banner will finally occur, prior to Thunder's 6pm game with Gates Chili, some nine months after the Boys of Thunder became only the second team in NYS history to run the tables and win it all with a perfect 27-0 record.
You don't want to miss this, so be sure to get there early to get a spot in the lot and a perch in the stands. It's going to be off the hook, an event to remember for years to come. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh Thunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnderrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (that's one exclamation point for each win)
Here is a look back at what the 2008-2009 Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder Hockey Team accomplished:
Thunder Team Stats
Goals For Regular Season: 98 (69 even strength, 22 powerplay, 7 shorthanded)
Goals For Post Season: 20 (11 even strength, 7 powerplay, 2 shorthanded)
Goals For Overall: 118 (80 even strength, 29 powerplay, 9 shorthanded)
Goals Against Regular Season: 22 (13 even strength, 9 powerplay, 0 shorthanded)
Goals Against Post Season: 5 (2 even strength, 3 powerplay, 0 shorthanded)
Goals Against Overall: 27 (15 even strength, 12 powerplay, 0 shorthanded)
Powerplay Regular Season: 24.2% (22 goals scored on 91 attempts)
Powerplay Post Season: 20.6% (7 goals scored on 34 attempts)
Powerplay Overall: 23.2% (29 goals scored on 125 attempts)
Penalty Kill Regular Season: 92.3% (9 goals surrendered on 117 attempts)
Penalty Kill Post Season: 92.5% (3 goals surrendered on 40 attempts)
Penalty Kill Overall: 92.4% (12 goals surrendered on 157 attempts)
Shutouts Regular Season: 7
Shutouts Post Season: 3
Shutouts Overall: 10
Shots For Regular Season: 690
Shots For Post Season: 151
Shots For Overall: 841
Shots Against Regular Season: 427
Shots Against Post Season: 118
Shots Against Overall: 545
Goals Against Average Regular Season: 1.05 (22 goals surrendered in 21 games)
Goals Against Average Post Season: 0.83 (5 goals surrendered in 6 games)
Goals Against Average Overall: 1.00 (27 goals surrendered in 27 games)
Saves Regular Season: 405
Saves Post Season: 113
Saves Overall: 518
Save Percentage Regular Season: 94.8 (405 saves on 427 shots)
Save Percentage Post Season: 95.8 (113 saves on 118 shots)
Save Percentage Overall: 95.0 (518 saves on 545 shots)
Thunder Team Facts
Thunder was outshot only 2 times all season, e.g. AQ and W. Genny
Thunder trailed by a goal only 6 times all season, e.g. Brockport, Hilton, Spencerport, Suffern, W. Genny and Mamaroneck
Thunder trailed by 2 goals only 2 times all season, e.g. Suffern and Mamaroneck
The most goals Thunder allowed in a single game was 3 (3 times), followed by 2 goals (4 times), 1 goal (10 times), and 0 goals (10 times)
So, basically in roughly 3 out of every 4 games played, Thunder gave up a goal or less, not too shabby!
Thunder record was 27-0 and they were the second team in the state to ever win a State Championship with an undefeated season!
Thunder AWR (All-Wes-Report) Awards
1st Team JD Power & Associates Powerplay: Pat, Greg, Gundo, Riley, JT
2nd Team JD Power & Associates Powerplay: Matt, Cheese, Jordan, Vyper, Scotty
Honorable Mention JD Power & Associates Powerplay: Miller
1st Team Natural Born Penalty Killers: Riley, JT, Vyper, Hebs
2nd Team Natural Born Penalty Killers: Pat, Greg, Gundo, Scotty
Honorable Mention Natural Born Penalty Killers: Matt, Cheese
Alexander & Catalano Heavy Hitters: JT, Greg, Gundo, Cheese, Scotty, Briganti
Harry Shaw Society: Vyper
Power Trip Club: Matt, Cheese, Rotolo
Steady Eddy Club: Hebs, Rotolo
Zero Club: Parker, Mike, Ian, Andrew
Section V West Division Awards
Player of the Year: Eric Gunderson
1st Team Forward: Greg Ryan
2nd Team Forward: Riley Bourbonnais
2nd Team Forward: Pat Sofia
Coach of the Year: Dan Webb
Top Scholar/Athlete Award: Matt Lane
Section V AGR Awards
Player of the Year: Eric Gunderson
Goalie: Parker Bonis
Forward: Riley Bourbonnais
Forward: JT Stenglein
Coach of the Year: Dan Webb
Honorable Mention Forward: Pat Sofia
NYSHSHCA State Championship All Tournament Team Awards
Forward: Greg Ryan
Forward: Riley Bourbonnais
Defense: Eric Gunderson
Goalie: Parker Bonis
MVP: JT Stenglein
NYSHSHCA Division I All-State Awards
1st Team Defense: Eric Gunderson
1st Team Forward: Riley Bourbonnais
2nd Team Forward: JT Stenglein
Honorable Mention Forward: Greg Ryan
Coach of the Year: Dan Webb
You don't want to miss this, so be sure to get there early to get a spot in the lot and a perch in the stands. It's going to be off the hook, an event to remember for years to come. Yeaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh Thunnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnderrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (that's one exclamation point for each win)
Here is a look back at what the 2008-2009 Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder Hockey Team accomplished:
Thunder Team Stats
Goals For Regular Season: 98 (69 even strength, 22 powerplay, 7 shorthanded)
Goals For Post Season: 20 (11 even strength, 7 powerplay, 2 shorthanded)
Goals For Overall: 118 (80 even strength, 29 powerplay, 9 shorthanded)
Goals Against Regular Season: 22 (13 even strength, 9 powerplay, 0 shorthanded)
Goals Against Post Season: 5 (2 even strength, 3 powerplay, 0 shorthanded)
Goals Against Overall: 27 (15 even strength, 12 powerplay, 0 shorthanded)
Powerplay Regular Season: 24.2% (22 goals scored on 91 attempts)
Powerplay Post Season: 20.6% (7 goals scored on 34 attempts)
Powerplay Overall: 23.2% (29 goals scored on 125 attempts)
Penalty Kill Regular Season: 92.3% (9 goals surrendered on 117 attempts)
Penalty Kill Post Season: 92.5% (3 goals surrendered on 40 attempts)
Penalty Kill Overall: 92.4% (12 goals surrendered on 157 attempts)
Shutouts Regular Season: 7
Shutouts Post Season: 3
Shutouts Overall: 10
Shots For Regular Season: 690
Shots For Post Season: 151
Shots For Overall: 841
Shots Against Regular Season: 427
Shots Against Post Season: 118
Shots Against Overall: 545
Goals Against Average Regular Season: 1.05 (22 goals surrendered in 21 games)
Goals Against Average Post Season: 0.83 (5 goals surrendered in 6 games)
Goals Against Average Overall: 1.00 (27 goals surrendered in 27 games)
Saves Regular Season: 405
Saves Post Season: 113
Saves Overall: 518
Save Percentage Regular Season: 94.8 (405 saves on 427 shots)
Save Percentage Post Season: 95.8 (113 saves on 118 shots)
Save Percentage Overall: 95.0 (518 saves on 545 shots)
Thunder Team Facts
Thunder was outshot only 2 times all season, e.g. AQ and W. Genny
Thunder trailed by a goal only 6 times all season, e.g. Brockport, Hilton, Spencerport, Suffern, W. Genny and Mamaroneck
Thunder trailed by 2 goals only 2 times all season, e.g. Suffern and Mamaroneck
The most goals Thunder allowed in a single game was 3 (3 times), followed by 2 goals (4 times), 1 goal (10 times), and 0 goals (10 times)
So, basically in roughly 3 out of every 4 games played, Thunder gave up a goal or less, not too shabby!
Thunder record was 27-0 and they were the second team in the state to ever win a State Championship with an undefeated season!
Thunder AWR (All-Wes-Report) Awards
1st Team JD Power & Associates Powerplay: Pat, Greg, Gundo, Riley, JT
2nd Team JD Power & Associates Powerplay: Matt, Cheese, Jordan, Vyper, Scotty
Honorable Mention JD Power & Associates Powerplay: Miller
1st Team Natural Born Penalty Killers: Riley, JT, Vyper, Hebs
2nd Team Natural Born Penalty Killers: Pat, Greg, Gundo, Scotty
Honorable Mention Natural Born Penalty Killers: Matt, Cheese
Alexander & Catalano Heavy Hitters: JT, Greg, Gundo, Cheese, Scotty, Briganti
Harry Shaw Society: Vyper
Power Trip Club: Matt, Cheese, Rotolo
Steady Eddy Club: Hebs, Rotolo
Zero Club: Parker, Mike, Ian, Andrew
Section V West Division Awards
Player of the Year: Eric Gunderson
1st Team Forward: Greg Ryan
2nd Team Forward: Riley Bourbonnais
2nd Team Forward: Pat Sofia
Coach of the Year: Dan Webb
Top Scholar/Athlete Award: Matt Lane
Section V AGR Awards
Player of the Year: Eric Gunderson
Goalie: Parker Bonis
Forward: Riley Bourbonnais
Forward: JT Stenglein
Coach of the Year: Dan Webb
Honorable Mention Forward: Pat Sofia
NYSHSHCA State Championship All Tournament Team Awards
Forward: Greg Ryan
Forward: Riley Bourbonnais
Defense: Eric Gunderson
Goalie: Parker Bonis
MVP: JT Stenglein
NYSHSHCA Division I All-State Awards
1st Team Defense: Eric Gunderson
1st Team Forward: Riley Bourbonnais
2nd Team Forward: JT Stenglein
Honorable Mention Forward: Greg Ryan
Coach of the Year: Dan Webb
All Good Things...(12/5 Recap)
They say all good things come to an end. Unfortunately, the Greece Thunder Hockey team's win streak was not immune. After going undefeated last season with a perfect 27-0 record to win it all and then returning this year with an OT victory in their home opener to add to it, the Thunder finally fell, losing 3-2 on Sat 5-Dec @ Lakeshore, to an unlikely West Seneca West club who was making their varsity debut. Despite utter domination of the play and outshooting their opponent by a 2 to 1 margin (33-15), Thunder came up short. Maybe it was because the Anthem wasn't live or because the planets were out of alignment or perhaps the weight on their shoulders was simply too heavy, trying "not to lose"?
With Captain Brandon "Cheese" Cheeseman handing out free samples of the new Cheesey Gordita Crunch and Assistant Captain Dan "Vyper" Vyverberg blocking shots, West Seneca was only able to muster up 5 on goal to Thunder's 18 in the opening period. One of those 18 was a powerplay snipe by Freshman Justin Simonelli, who was on the receiving end of a draw won by Cheese to the left of the West Seneca keeper. Simonelli waited patiently for a screen to develop before pulling the trigger to make it 1-0 Thunder with only a buck thirty seven to go in the period. Twenty seconds later West Seneca returned to the box and Thunder's second unit came out to give it a whirl.
Six minutes into the second period West Seneca tied the game, putting away a rebound that kicked out to the high slot. Shots were 6-3 in Thunder's favor for a two-period total of 24-8 as Thunder continued to hammer away with a relentless forecheck. Now going to the break frustrated with a 1-1 tie after controlling the game for thirty minutes, one would have expected Thunder to come out of the tunnel ready to get their pint of blood and make a statement. But as luck would not have it, they gave up the go-ahead goal instead, as a clear out in front of Thunder's crease hit a defenseman's leg and deflected into their own net, to give West Seneca a 2-1 lead. Ten minutes ticked away before Thunder would get the equalizer they so desperately needed. It came on the powerplay as Vyper gloved an attempted West Seneca clear to keep the zone, chipped it to Eric Hostetter who would immediately find Assistant Captain Mike Miller down low on the backdoor for the putaway. Three minutes later the unthinkable happened as a West Seneca winger set up base camp in the circle to the left of Cumming and was afforded enough time/space to wind up a close range slapper that went in upstairs for the eventual winner. Thunder would scramble to get it deep and get the extra attacker out before West Seneca called a T.O. with only 20 seconds to go in the contest. Mattle got the nod for the draw and put it right on net, but the WSen keeper covered up. He won the second draw as well but Thunder was unable to get a shot through the mad scramble that ensued and before you knew it, time had expired.
As much as the loss hurts, there is a silver lining in that this year's team no longer carries the burden of keeping last year's streak alive. From this point forward they can come to the rink without that pit in their stomach worried about losing and ending the streak, cuz its over. Instead, they can focus on moving forward together and making their own mark on this young season. Putting things in perspective, coach Wade reassured the boys that despite how upset they were about the loss, "the sun will come up tomorrow for you". But for his brother who died playing hockey and for all those men/women who have died serving their country, it will not. We gain strength through adversity and that which does not kill us only makes us stronger.
Having played one of the best games of his HS Hockey Career to date, forechecking, backchecking, blocking, tackling and leaving it all on the ice, Vyper earned himself first star of the game honors. Second star goes to Justin Simonelli for getting his head up, moving the puck well and netting his first varsity goal. Third star goes to Tyler Mattle for demonstrating an impeccable work ethic in both ends of the rink, giving 100% all nite long.
Thunder is now 1-0 in the league, 1-1 overall. They will be scrimmaging Hilton during practice this Friday sometime after 3pm. Next game will be a 7:30pm tilt with STORM Rival Greece Arcadia/Olympia Lightning, this coming Tuesday nite, 15-Dec at the shore. While their second meeting of the season on 23-Jan marks the official STORM Game, the first meeting is sure to be a spirited contest, one you won't want to miss and if you bring two friends, and they bring too friends, and so on, we can pack the stands and raise the roof and then in January... we do it all again, we do it, we do it, we do it all again!
With Captain Brandon "Cheese" Cheeseman handing out free samples of the new Cheesey Gordita Crunch and Assistant Captain Dan "Vyper" Vyverberg blocking shots, West Seneca was only able to muster up 5 on goal to Thunder's 18 in the opening period. One of those 18 was a powerplay snipe by Freshman Justin Simonelli, who was on the receiving end of a draw won by Cheese to the left of the West Seneca keeper. Simonelli waited patiently for a screen to develop before pulling the trigger to make it 1-0 Thunder with only a buck thirty seven to go in the period. Twenty seconds later West Seneca returned to the box and Thunder's second unit came out to give it a whirl.
Six minutes into the second period West Seneca tied the game, putting away a rebound that kicked out to the high slot. Shots were 6-3 in Thunder's favor for a two-period total of 24-8 as Thunder continued to hammer away with a relentless forecheck. Now going to the break frustrated with a 1-1 tie after controlling the game for thirty minutes, one would have expected Thunder to come out of the tunnel ready to get their pint of blood and make a statement. But as luck would not have it, they gave up the go-ahead goal instead, as a clear out in front of Thunder's crease hit a defenseman's leg and deflected into their own net, to give West Seneca a 2-1 lead. Ten minutes ticked away before Thunder would get the equalizer they so desperately needed. It came on the powerplay as Vyper gloved an attempted West Seneca clear to keep the zone, chipped it to Eric Hostetter who would immediately find Assistant Captain Mike Miller down low on the backdoor for the putaway. Three minutes later the unthinkable happened as a West Seneca winger set up base camp in the circle to the left of Cumming and was afforded enough time/space to wind up a close range slapper that went in upstairs for the eventual winner. Thunder would scramble to get it deep and get the extra attacker out before West Seneca called a T.O. with only 20 seconds to go in the contest. Mattle got the nod for the draw and put it right on net, but the WSen keeper covered up. He won the second draw as well but Thunder was unable to get a shot through the mad scramble that ensued and before you knew it, time had expired.
As much as the loss hurts, there is a silver lining in that this year's team no longer carries the burden of keeping last year's streak alive. From this point forward they can come to the rink without that pit in their stomach worried about losing and ending the streak, cuz its over. Instead, they can focus on moving forward together and making their own mark on this young season. Putting things in perspective, coach Wade reassured the boys that despite how upset they were about the loss, "the sun will come up tomorrow for you". But for his brother who died playing hockey and for all those men/women who have died serving their country, it will not. We gain strength through adversity and that which does not kill us only makes us stronger.
Having played one of the best games of his HS Hockey Career to date, forechecking, backchecking, blocking, tackling and leaving it all on the ice, Vyper earned himself first star of the game honors. Second star goes to Justin Simonelli for getting his head up, moving the puck well and netting his first varsity goal. Third star goes to Tyler Mattle for demonstrating an impeccable work ethic in both ends of the rink, giving 100% all nite long.
Thunder is now 1-0 in the league, 1-1 overall. They will be scrimmaging Hilton during practice this Friday sometime after 3pm. Next game will be a 7:30pm tilt with STORM Rival Greece Arcadia/Olympia Lightning, this coming Tuesday nite, 15-Dec at the shore. While their second meeting of the season on 23-Jan marks the official STORM Game, the first meeting is sure to be a spirited contest, one you won't want to miss and if you bring two friends, and they bring too friends, and so on, we can pack the stands and raise the roof and then in January... we do it all again, we do it, we do it, we do it all again!
On the Road Again (12/1 Recap)
The Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder Hockey team opened their 2009-2010 season at home, 7:30pm on Tuesday 1-Dec, with an exciting 3-2 OT victory over the Pittsford Panthers. Leading them onto the ice draped in GT superhero capes and flying the newly bedazzled Thunder Freak Flag with a fresh new Dr. Tre' mix bumping in the background during the warmup, were this year's Thunder mascots, Trevor "mini-cheese" Brown and Steven "mini-vyper" Vyverberg. The 3rd masco-teer, Jared "mini-milsy" Smith, was double booked with practice at ESL but hopes to make his debut later this month. Amanda Sherry opened at the mic to set the mood with her sweet, sultry voice. On with the game.
Opening frame was clean with only a few shots a side, but Ian Cumming was clearly on his game, stoning Pittsford early on a mini-breakaway and gloving everything that came his way. Snake saw a few shifts at the blueline with his bro, making a nice poke-check to break up the rush and moving the puck well. But the Panthers would strike first, midway through the second stanza, with the old lax bingo play, as Matt McCarty hit Marc Weyl coming off the bench for the first goal of the game. It was a wake-up call for the Thunder, that it was time to grab their lunch pails and go to work, as they followed it up with a 2-minute rally pinning the Panthers in their own end, but they could not break the seal on Haen, the senior netminder from Pittsford. It was only a matter of time though, before junior forward Mike Briganti would take matters into his own hands, intercepting an errant pass by the Panthers point man on the PP and going on a tear that resulted in a short-handed equalizer that went in low stick-side. Thunder fans had their hands up, they're playin' our song and let the butterflies fly away, scoring a goal like thaaaaat, tying the game oh yeaaaaah. That's right, the 'first game since states butterflies in the stomach' were clearly gone and it was game on as Cheese and Sherry took turns rocking their checks in open ice to get the boyz all fired up. Shots were fairly even through two periods with Thunder having a slight edge at 11 to 9.
Five minutes back from the break, Thunder tried their hand at a slightly modified lax bingo play of their own. It started off with Tyler Mattle pressuring the puck down low in the corner, forcing his check to unload early, while Vyper came flying off the bench and into the zone to keep it. Vypes immediately wound up and cranked a hard and low slapper on net that was tipped in by Andy Sherry just inside the left post for the go-ahead-goal, 2-1 Thunder. With a 1-goal lead in the bank, Thunder simply had to play smart and just keep getting it deep. They executed flawlessly on this plan until about the 2 minute mark, when Vyper was called for interference. It was a weak call as he was trying to get to the puck when his check wobbled and fell. Thunder PK was perfect all nite, but Pittsford would exercise their T.O. option to draw up a powerplay with the extra attacker and as the penalty was about to expire, Panther's forward Scott Edwards netted the equalizer with only 59 seconds remaining in regulation. Despite several valiant efforts to regain the lead, time ran out and we were gooooooooooooooooin' to overtime, something Thunder has not experienced in quite a while.
Just under 2 minutes into the extra period, Captain Cheese came barrelling down the right side and put every ounce of his being into a blast that burned a hole right through Haen to light the final lamp. Quite simply put, the Panthers were Thunderstruck... show's over, drive home safely everyone... sophomore defenseman Tyler Grimshaw picked up the lone helper on the winner!
No star of the game here, just a solid team effort across the board with everyone chipping in, from AC helping the cause with a few shifts up front to Hebs and Keough playing steady on the back-end to Cumming turning away 21 of the 23 he faced. Said Webb, "It was a character win". Added Wader, "Attitude+Belief+Consistency=Success". And all the way from Florida comes an absentee ballot from Weilert with his standard, "one game at a time". That's right, Thunder is One and ohhhh and on the road again!
Thunder will host West Seneca, 3pm @ Lakeshore on Saturday, 5-Dec. Be there or be somewhere else missing out on history in the making!
Opening frame was clean with only a few shots a side, but Ian Cumming was clearly on his game, stoning Pittsford early on a mini-breakaway and gloving everything that came his way. Snake saw a few shifts at the blueline with his bro, making a nice poke-check to break up the rush and moving the puck well. But the Panthers would strike first, midway through the second stanza, with the old lax bingo play, as Matt McCarty hit Marc Weyl coming off the bench for the first goal of the game. It was a wake-up call for the Thunder, that it was time to grab their lunch pails and go to work, as they followed it up with a 2-minute rally pinning the Panthers in their own end, but they could not break the seal on Haen, the senior netminder from Pittsford. It was only a matter of time though, before junior forward Mike Briganti would take matters into his own hands, intercepting an errant pass by the Panthers point man on the PP and going on a tear that resulted in a short-handed equalizer that went in low stick-side. Thunder fans had their hands up, they're playin' our song and let the butterflies fly away, scoring a goal like thaaaaat, tying the game oh yeaaaaah. That's right, the 'first game since states butterflies in the stomach' were clearly gone and it was game on as Cheese and Sherry took turns rocking their checks in open ice to get the boyz all fired up. Shots were fairly even through two periods with Thunder having a slight edge at 11 to 9.
Five minutes back from the break, Thunder tried their hand at a slightly modified lax bingo play of their own. It started off with Tyler Mattle pressuring the puck down low in the corner, forcing his check to unload early, while Vyper came flying off the bench and into the zone to keep it. Vypes immediately wound up and cranked a hard and low slapper on net that was tipped in by Andy Sherry just inside the left post for the go-ahead-goal, 2-1 Thunder. With a 1-goal lead in the bank, Thunder simply had to play smart and just keep getting it deep. They executed flawlessly on this plan until about the 2 minute mark, when Vyper was called for interference. It was a weak call as he was trying to get to the puck when his check wobbled and fell. Thunder PK was perfect all nite, but Pittsford would exercise their T.O. option to draw up a powerplay with the extra attacker and as the penalty was about to expire, Panther's forward Scott Edwards netted the equalizer with only 59 seconds remaining in regulation. Despite several valiant efforts to regain the lead, time ran out and we were gooooooooooooooooin' to overtime, something Thunder has not experienced in quite a while.
Just under 2 minutes into the extra period, Captain Cheese came barrelling down the right side and put every ounce of his being into a blast that burned a hole right through Haen to light the final lamp. Quite simply put, the Panthers were Thunderstruck... show's over, drive home safely everyone... sophomore defenseman Tyler Grimshaw picked up the lone helper on the winner!
No star of the game here, just a solid team effort across the board with everyone chipping in, from AC helping the cause with a few shifts up front to Hebs and Keough playing steady on the back-end to Cumming turning away 21 of the 23 he faced. Said Webb, "It was a character win". Added Wader, "Attitude+Belief+Consistency=Success". And all the way from Florida comes an absentee ballot from Weilert with his standard, "one game at a time". That's right, Thunder is One and ohhhh and on the road again!
Thunder will host West Seneca, 3pm @ Lakeshore on Saturday, 5-Dec. Be there or be somewhere else missing out on history in the making!
Home for the Holidays (11/26 Recap)
Most people associate cranberry sauce and watching football at home with Thanksgiving. But for us hockey wing-nuts who either have a bumper sticker that says "Hockey is where we live, life is where we go in-between games" or have seen said bumper sticker and admitted, "yeah-that's us"........we all found ourselves up early on Thanksgiving morning watching a hockey game at Lakeshore instead. It was the Thunder's final pre-season scrimmage and they were home in white hosting the Hilton Cadets. There were several surprise shifts skated by sweaters seven, eight, and ten. "Who's that?" everyone was asking in the stands. Well it was senior manager Tyler Lepore (7), junior manager Dylan Soeffing (8), and junior manager Nick Delucia (10) making their varsity debut and they put a considerable amount of pressure on the Cadets, keeping it deep in their zone and getting pucks to the net, including a QSC by Lepore. Meanwhile, at the other end of the rink, A-Sim was throwing the leather and putting up a wall to keep Hilton at bay. Snake inherited the family business, logging a harry to help the cause along the way. Then with 7 mins to go in the half, Mike Briganti fed Eric Hostetter who would take it to the hole, but the puck ended up waiting patiently in the paint for senior Assistant Captain Mike Miller to come along and bang it home. Sophomore forward Tyler Mattle was next to light the lamp, walking out in stealth mode from below the goal line and sliding it by the Hilton keeper far side on the ice, while his linemates, senior forward Matt Lerch and Junior forward Andrew Sherry, were supporting the play with great pressure down low. Nice work boys! There was a "Yeah Thun-Derrr" uttered before the break, but it was lacking the usual bravado that only JR can deliver. Vyper logged a few harry's in the second half, while Thunder killed off a penalty or three. Ian Cumming came up big between the pipes as well, playing with a great deal of confidence. Witnessed a lot of icings, prompting commentary by Dan Miller that "Hilton was in mid-season form", but with less than 5 mins on the clock, Hilton came down the ice 2 on 1 and Joey Palumbo went upstairs to break the SO. As the final horn sounded, all the dads flew out of the rink exclaiming they had to get home and start cooking the turkey... yeah right, said the moms!
See you all for Thunder's home opener against the Pittsford Panthers, Tuesday 1-Dec, 7:30pm at Lakeshore. Rumor has it something might be getting raised to the rafters. You wouldn't want to miss that now would you?
See you all for Thunder's home opener against the Pittsford Panthers, Tuesday 1-Dec, 7:30pm at Lakeshore. Rumor has it something might be getting raised to the rafters. You wouldn't want to miss that now would you?
A "Little" Hockey (11/25 recap)
There was little room in the stands and even less room on the bench for Thunder's two-period turkey shoot with the little irish, wednesday nite, 25-nov, on the west rink at the shore. Could not swing a dead cat without hitting a Thunder alum, back on break with their noses pressed to the glass to see who was donning their old sweaters. Some even ventured into the tunnel to give the new guys the business about doing them proud. Sophomore keepers Cumming and Simonelli split time in the nets once again for the Thunder, while Dohr went the full thirty for AQ. On an early man advantage Thunder was setup in irish territory and working the puck around the horn, when a point-bound pass got intercepted, resulting in an AQ breakaway shortie. Later on in the half, AQ converted on the powerplay, picking up a loose rebound in front and putting it away for their second goal. Second half saw Thunder break the seal, when Andrew Sherry put slovakia on net and AC was there to pick up the trash and slip it through a crack in the Dohr. A while later AQ had a 2 on 0 jailbreak from their own blue-line, but A-Sim came up big to stone the attack and steer the play wide. That's all i got, there ain't no more, see everyone mañana at the 'shore for a 9am turkey day tilt with Hilton!
The BS (11/20 Recap)
This is a test of THE BS (Thunder Hockey Emergency Broadcast System). In the event that a real hockey game breaks out and you are unable to attend, get to your nearest WiFi Hot Spot and check your inbox for updates on how the Thunder fared. Let's give it a try, shall we...
It was a wednesday, 20-Nov, at the barn in lovely downtown Scottsville, where a few hundred fans were on hand to catch a glimpse of the 2009-2010 Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder Hockey team visiting in purple for a pre-season scrimmage with the Rush Henrietta Comets. Sophomore Ian Cumming got the nod for the first half between the pipes and away we go. Thunder gave up the first goal midway through the first half, when a comet got loose in front and banged home the rebound off a powerplay blast from the point by RH Captain Joey Perkins. But Thunder would counter before the break, as senior forward Matt Lerch buried a feed from behind the comet's goal compliments of some gritty work by junior forward Andrew Sherry.
Cumming passed the baton to sophomore Andrew Simonelli for the second half in the nets, which saw RH rally on a face-off to his left, but the rest was all Thunder. We rolled 4 lines to give everyone a look and go figure, it was rookie nite, as freshman Jonathan Clark coiled up a wrister from the blueline that would find its way through traffic and into the back of the net to even things up at 2s. Then the fourth line forwards went to work, with sophomore Curran O'Brien and freshman Anthony (AC) Crawford hammering away at the Comet's keeper, before freshman Keenan Mahoney put'r away for the eventual GWG.
Felt good to be back in the stands, but something was missing. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, until i got to the tub Saturday nite and saw JR and realized there wasn't a single uttering of the traditional, Yeah ThunDerrrrrrrr cheer! Although, apparently a similar cheer can now be heard when the Buffalo Junior Sabres (Yeah SaaayBrrrrrrrs!) or Geneseo Blue Knights (Yeah BlueKnightiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiies) take the ice!
See everyone this Wednesday, 5:15pm at the shore, for a pre-thanksgiving feast with AQ. Pass me the Irish-turkey. Oh yeah, and don't forget to set your alarms for the 9am breakfast tilt with Hilton, where thunder is sure to put a few more biscuits in the basket. Happy Thanksgiving :)
This concludes our test of THE BS.
It was a wednesday, 20-Nov, at the barn in lovely downtown Scottsville, where a few hundred fans were on hand to catch a glimpse of the 2009-2010 Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder Hockey team visiting in purple for a pre-season scrimmage with the Rush Henrietta Comets. Sophomore Ian Cumming got the nod for the first half between the pipes and away we go. Thunder gave up the first goal midway through the first half, when a comet got loose in front and banged home the rebound off a powerplay blast from the point by RH Captain Joey Perkins. But Thunder would counter before the break, as senior forward Matt Lerch buried a feed from behind the comet's goal compliments of some gritty work by junior forward Andrew Sherry.
Cumming passed the baton to sophomore Andrew Simonelli for the second half in the nets, which saw RH rally on a face-off to his left, but the rest was all Thunder. We rolled 4 lines to give everyone a look and go figure, it was rookie nite, as freshman Jonathan Clark coiled up a wrister from the blueline that would find its way through traffic and into the back of the net to even things up at 2s. Then the fourth line forwards went to work, with sophomore Curran O'Brien and freshman Anthony (AC) Crawford hammering away at the Comet's keeper, before freshman Keenan Mahoney put'r away for the eventual GWG.
Felt good to be back in the stands, but something was missing. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, until i got to the tub Saturday nite and saw JR and realized there wasn't a single uttering of the traditional, Yeah ThunDerrrrrrrr cheer! Although, apparently a similar cheer can now be heard when the Buffalo Junior Sabres (Yeah SaaayBrrrrrrrs!) or Geneseo Blue Knights (Yeah BlueKnightiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiies) take the ice!
See everyone this Wednesday, 5:15pm at the shore, for a pre-thanksgiving feast with AQ. Pass me the Irish-turkey. Oh yeah, and don't forget to set your alarms for the 9am breakfast tilt with Hilton, where thunder is sure to put a few more biscuits in the basket. Happy Thanksgiving :)
This concludes our test of THE BS.
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