Sitting in Walter Brown Arena, watching the rink come to life for another day of the U.S. National Junior Team camp offers a peek at a world that many hockey fans do not see. The silence offers players, coaches and rink rats that opportunity to pause and contemplate the upcoming day.
And despite the fact that every arena looks relatively the same, it is often the place that you will find solitary players soaking in the atmosphere, even if just for a minute. They will sit on the bench, beanies on heads that are happier wearing helmets, perhaps with headphones in their ears. Eyes scan the ice, perhaps picturing plays in holographic form invisible to the rest of us. Some lean casually against the boards, chatting, drinking their morning beverage of choice, but all as though their day isn’t real if they aren’t doing these things in the rink.
This is the Norman Rockwell painting of the passion that lives inside each hockey player. This need and yearning to absorb this essence from the rink and the ice that is almost as essential to the existence of the hockey player as food and water are to the average person.
This is the picture that shows the longing, drive and determination that has brought these young players to this point in their development. It is a milestone in what will prove to be amazing careers for many of these teenagers as they continue their climb to “The Show;” careers that will be filled with many milestones.
It is also here as the rink comes to life that the observant, and early arrivals, can see the camaraderies playing out among the players as they drift out to the bench—as though being pulled by an unseen tether. The shoulder bumps, hugs from behind to the unsuspecting, and the general togetherness of the players speak to associations past and present.
Unlike the days of old when Herb Brooks struggled to get his group of college kids to put aside their school rivalries and think of themselves as a single unit with his Miracle Team, today’s elite young players have much more interaction with each other. Some of them have grown up together. Others were introduced as they went through USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program. Many played together or against each other on the various USHL teams that kept them eligible for colleges.
Hudson Fasching
Even of those players, like Miles Wood who knew only one on the team, they have been welcomed and the returning players have seen it as their responsibility to help the first year players.
“Try to bring some calmness to the locker room. Just keep it a little bit lighter,”Minnesota Gopher, and returning forward, Hudson Fasching told The Pink Puck. “The tournament’s pretty heavy. It’s intense, so just keep it light in the locker room.”
And like all families, there is kidding among the players sometimes in where they come from and where they are playing now.
“[Ian] McCoshen is kind of an iffy Minnesota guy, half and half,” Fasching joked on the last day of camp as the number of players representing Minnesota was discussed. “I’m not rejecting him as a Minnesota guy, I’m just saying ….”
McCoshen was born in California and grew up in Wisconsin. When he went to Shattuck-St. Mary’s, his parents moved to Minnesota. Now McCoshen plays for the Boston College Eagles. So this is apparently how he becomes half a Minnesota guy.
It was all in good fun and it showed that the players really are comfortable with each other. Regardless of where they come from, when they put on the USA jersey, it is all about playing for the Red, White and Blue.
And Thatcher Demko who got to see Jack Eichel up close when the Boston College-Boston University game was televised, admitted to messing with Eichel with his glove.
“Oh absolutely,” Demko grinned. “I was kind of baiting him a little bit.”
And now they are on the same team.
Thatcher Demko
Demko, who will be sitting out against the Boston University Terriers during Friday night’s game, said that he feels a little more comfortable having Eichel on his team.
“He’s obviously a threat offensively, so when he’s on the ice , when he’s against you, you always have to be aware,” Demko said. “The hair on the back of your neck kind of sticks up a little bit. But when he’s on your team, you know you always have a chance to score.”
But Demko appreciates when Eichel is playing against him, as he feels it makes him a better goalie.
The word “family” is often thrown around in hockey, but during this quiet time before the pucks drop, the whistles blow and the drills begin, when the players haven’t put on their “game faces” or their “press faces” you see the true players. In the arena you really do see a family. While they have only been together for a few days as a team, and some will be going home, they are supportive and joking. They are brothers. They are family.
Gazing out at the assembled players on the ice as they begin the scrimmage that will round out the second half of practice of the third day of camp, one player is perhaps easy to spot. Anthony Louis is small in stature. His height is listed as 5’7”, and he is indeed the shortest player on the preliminary roster being evaluated in Boston as the U.S. National Junior Team training camp continues.
Perhaps the first thing that catches the eye is his hair as it escapes out around his helmet. In fact, when asked about Louis after practice, Head Coach Mark Osiecki did mention Louis’ mane.
“I notice his hair right now,” Osiecki chuckled. “I give him a hard time.”
However, while that may be what draws the observer to him first, it is his skill and abilities on the ice that keep the eye on him.
Anthony Louis (Photo: Miami University Athletics)
The Wingfield, Illinois native is in his second year at Miami University. The sophomore was drafted in the 2013 NHL Draft in the sixth round (181st overall) by the Chicago Blackhawks. During his freshman year with the Redhawks, Louis played in 36 of the season’s 38 games and finished fifth on the team with 25 points (12 goals, 13 assists). This included five multi-point games and two games in which he scored multiple goals. Louis speaks highly of both the school and the hockey program.
“I love the hockey there, but I love the school as well. There’s a lot of good guys there,” Louis told The Pink Puck. “They help in every aspect. They don’t just care about hockey; they care about you as a person as well.”
And Louis has been aware of some professional hockey players who call Miami their alma mater.
“Reilly Smith, obviously he’s a Boston Bruin; he’s an unbelievable player so I kind of looked up to him going into [Miami], he’s dynamic, all over the ice,” he said. “Andy Miele winning the Hobey Baker, unbelievable player, unbelievable skill, and strong. I kind of play like him I think.”
While there is not as much prejudice against the smaller players, Louis has still heard that he is too small to play hockey.
“Oh yah, it’s in one ear and out the other,” he grinned. “I just want to prove people wrong at that aspect.”
Proving them wrong appears to be working for him, harnessing that motivation to show that he is the only person who can limit his progression. His skills speak for themselves on the ice, and Louis knows what he does well.
“My speed, my quickness, play-making abilities, goal scoring. I’m obviously a smaller guy out there so I have to play to my strengths,” Louis said with conviction. “Show everyone in the stands what I can do with and without the puck. Back pressure. Stealing pucks, that’s one of my strong suits.”
Mark Osiecki
While the men in the stands have not been available for comment, Head Coach Osiecki has noticed more than just Louis’ hair.
“He’s come in and I would say, using him and how he has showed up, he showed that he wants to make the team,” Osiecki said when asked specifically about Louis. “I think he’s had three very good days.”
Having played in USA Hockey’s National Team Development Program before going to college, he has had experience with USA Hockey and looks forward to proving he has earned a spot on the roster.
In his draft year, the 2013 NHL Draft Black Book called him brave and said that he possessed great tools. “His hands are lightning-quick, allowing him to navigate traffic with ease and make plays, and has a hard shot that he releases quickly. His skating is fluid and dynamic and he plays with a lot of jump.” They did mention that his size became a factor in board battles, but he has apparently worked on that, as he is harder to knock off the puck than perhaps his size would suggest.
“Try to keep the d-man [defenseman] honest or whoever is on me honest,” Louis said. “You use a low center of gravity. I don’t want to stay tall, because then it is easier to get me, and I wand to keep my feet moving and the puck away from them obviously, keep protecting it.”
All in all, Louis understands what he is good at and he works hard on the ice to ensure that he has those opportunities to use his skills and make the plays. What could come off as bravado from some is him speaking the truth from his years of honing those skills. Those skills make it possible for him to play in games with players who have quite a bit of height and weight on him. And he knows how to work that to his advantage.
“Bigger guys, you have to keep them moving.” he responded. “They get tired faster.”
Louis proves, to paraphrase Mark Twain, that it’s not the size of the player in the hockey game, but the size of the hockey game in the player.
The New York Rangers (15-10-4) have completed the Vancouver–Edmonton–Calgary road trip twenty times over the years. But this year’s tour of Western Canada was one for the books. For the first time, the Rangers swept the three Canadian teams and, in doing so, extended their own winning streak to a season-high four games.
Wednesday night’s game against the Calgary Flames (17-14-2), which resulted in a 5-2 Rangers victory, saw the continuation of several good streaks for New York as well as the end of a couple individual scoring droughts.
Rick Nash, who earned First Star of the Game accolades, paced the Rangers with two goals. He opened the scoring with a breakaway at 11:22 in the first period and added a shorthanded goal in the second to extend the Rangers’ lead to 3-0. Nash has now registered points in 11 straight games, a career-best point streak. His second goal, which would ultimately become the game-winner, was his 20th of the season; he now has 11 consecutive 20-goal seasons to add to his list of accomplishments as well.
“We need [Nash] to play the way he is,” said Rangers head coach Alain Vigneault. “We’re no different from any other team in the league. You need your top players to be your top performers, and that’s what Rick’s doing for us right now.”
“He’s playing so well on both sides of the puck,” added Chris Kreider. “He’s not cheating, and that’s what makes his scoring so impressive.”
Kreider, whose own offensive production had been lacking as of late, ended his 13-game scoring drought with a power play goal at the end of the first period to put the Rangers up 2-0. Kreider contributed a strong game all around, keeping the offense moving and adding a couple key defensive plays.
The Rangers’ defense and goaltending was one of the most crucial parts of this win. New York registered a season-high 26 blocked shots, compared to Calgary’s 8, and Henrik Lundqvist made 29 saves in net to earn his fourth consecutive win. Players across the board did what they could to help keep the puck out of the net as well. Thirteen different Rangers were credited with at least one blocked shot, and eight different skaters had at least two. The most memorable save of the game came midway through the third period, as Calgary began to amp up the offensive pressure. Kevin Klein was able to deflect the puck out of the crease as it all but crossed the goal line; had he not gotten a stick on the puck, that would certainly have been a second goal for the Flames. The score would have become 4-2, and a manageable two-goal deficit could have made this an entirely different game.
But over the course of this three-game road trip, the Rangers gave up only three goals.
“Hank played well all three games, and it’s one of those things where it’s not just the defensemen, it’s not just Hank, it’s a five-man unit,” said Klein about the team’s defensive success.
Derek Stepan and Carl Hagelin added the final two goals for the Rangers in the second and third periods, respectively. Stepan broke an 8-game scoring drought with a serendipitous wraparound goal to build the lead to 4-0, and Hagelin put in his second empty-netter in as many games to make it to 5-1 with three minutes remaining. Though Calgary put in a late power play goal to close the gap to 5-2, there was no time left to build any sort of comeback.
Before this win, the Rangers held the second wild card spot in the league standings. Now, however, they have regained a divisional playoff position and overtaken the Washington Capitals in the Metropolitan Division standings.
New York will return to action on Saturday in the first game of a home-and-home set with the Carolina Hurricanes.
“Seems like each year the playoff push starts earlier, and we’re in one now, before Christmas. So it’s important [to get] two points each night,” said Stepan. “Let’s get back home now and look to our next two points.”
Ontario won against the Grizzlies in a very close game but still made it through to the end. After a round of losses, the first win in a while made the rest of the Reign’s December record look more hopeful than before. They still had many things to work on like consistency and possession and Wednesday’s game against Idaho proved that they still have not perfected the little kinks yet.
The Steelheads started the first period ready to dominate and that’s just what they did. They pounced at an early lead just 55 seconds into the period when Colton Beck got the puck into the neutral zone and passed it over to Devin DiDiomete. DiDiomete shot and was able to get past Reign goaltender Jussi Olkinuora. In what seemed like a few seconds later, Beck did it again and was able to drop the puck in Gaelan Patterson‘s path. Patterson buried the puck at 1:13 and left the Reign already trailing behind. The 2-0 score didn’t last long as the Reign’s Rocco Carzo got his team up on the scoreboard at 8:51 with assists from Ryan Parent and Nolan Julseth-White. That didn’t affect the Steelheads at all as they regained their two-goal lead when James Livingston snapped a shot and scored at 13:29.
The second period was scoreless for both teams. Even though the Reign ended up outshooting Idaho, it wasn’t enough to keep up with Steelheads goaltender Olivier Roy.
The Reign had just as tough of a time during the third period as they did in the beginning of the game. Idaho dominated the lead even more with an early goal by Brett Robinson at 0:38 but that wasn’t it for them. They secured their 6-1 win for the night with additional goals by Jason Bast at 1:49 and Wade MacLeod at 4:55. Olkinuora took the loss with 18 saves while Roy won with 28.
There’s no doubt that some quick fixes are going to have to happen before the Reign go up against the Colorado Eagles this weekend for a 3-game series.
It was known for a while that the Anaheim Ducks going up against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday wasn’t going to be just another game. Not only are some of the Ducks from Toronto, but many of the Maple Leafs players have had history with the Southern California team. So of course beating Anaheim was probably the only option since they heard that the Ducks were coming to town. With both teams having a good season so far, it was going to be a gritty, evenly matched night, but Toronto took the victory with a score of 6-2 and broke the Ducks’ recent winning streak.
The Ducks came ready for the first period against their old head coach, armed with a seven-game winning streak that was itching to keep going. Toronto’s Tyler Bozak opened up the scoreboard in the first at 15:12 and that was the only goal for the rest of the period. The Maple Leafs weren’t going to go easy on Anaheim for the rest of the night, as there was a lot of back story and an ongoing streak for them also on the line.
Anaheim finally found their way onto the scoreboard at 13:13 in the second frame with a wrist shot by Sami Vatanen with assists from Ryan Kesler and Ryan Getzlaf. This put them on the heels of the Maple Leafs even after Joffrey Lupul kept Toronto’s lead going. Things were looking good for the Ducks as they got the ball rolling. Both teams ended the period without another score, and the calm playtime was over to start the fight to the finish in the third.
The Ducks had a tough time during the third period to try to even get a few more goals or tie the game up. Getzlaf suffered a penalty for embellishment early in the period and the Maple Leafs had their chance to leave the Ducks in the dust. Toronto’s David Booth kept the lead going with a wrap-around goal at 4:37 then another goal came right after at 5:28 from Nazem Kadri. The night was over for Andersen and one of Anaheim’s all-time favorite goaltenders, Ilya Bryzgalov, was brought in to take his turn in the net. Kesler got the momentum going for the Ducks once again with a goal at 8:35, but it didn’t last for long after a power-play goal by Maple Leafs’ Phil Kessel at 15:23. Kessel scored again at 18:17 to solidify the win with a final score of 6-2.
The night was full of frustrations and despite the loss, the Ducks will bounce back, probably with another winning streak anytime soon and are still one of the top teams in the NHL standings. Veteran Stanley Cup winner Bryzgalov will hopefully bring a new-found confidence that the goalies section of Anaheim needs. The Ducks will continue their 5-game road trip against the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 18.
The U.S. Junior Select Team has gone 3 for 3 so far in this year’s World Junior A Challenge, including one pre-tournament game against Canada West and both Preliminary games against Switzerland and Canada East respectively. Team USA opened the tournament with a decisive 7-0 victory over Switzerland Monday, December 15, and followed up the next day by edging out Canada East 3-2 in the dying seconds of the game.
Monday vs. Switzerland
The opening game for Team USA saw great goaltending resulting in a shutout for Eric Schierhorn (Anchorage, Alaska/Muskegon Lumberjacks) who stopped 26 shots in the win. Anthony Angello (Manilus, N.Y./Omaha Lancers) was also played a crucial role in the victory, recording a goal and 3 assists for a team-leading 4 points in the game.
“I thought we had a really good team effort tonight,” said Jay Varady, head coach of the U.S. Junior Select Team.
“We had a lot of contributors on offense and defense, as well as a great outing from our goaltender.”
A lot of contributors on offense and defense is right. When you score 7 goals and allow 0 in a game, there are bound to be contributors all over the ice, which is great for these kids’ development. Six different players notched goals in the 7-0 contest, with Andrew Oglevie (Fullerton, Calif./Cedar Rapids RoughRiders) scoring twice. The United States out-shot Switzerland 54-26 went 1 for 7 on the power play.
A full box score and webcast of the game can be found here.
Tuesday vs. Canada East
Whereas Team USA commanded the entire game against Switzerland, when they faced off against Canada East, the match came right down to the wire. The Canadians had the U.S. Junior Select Team on the ropes with a 2-1 lead late in the 3rd, but game-tying heroics from Seamus Malone (Naperville, Ill./Dubuque Fighting Saints) came with only 1:31 left on the clock. Team USA still wasn’t done however, as Shane Gersich (Chaska, Minn./Omaha Lancers) scored the game winner with only 2.5 seconds left in regulation. Two late goals in a span of 91 seconds were enough to secure Team USA the 3-2 victory, launching them into first place in the tournament and securing a semifinal berth.
“Canada East played a fantastic game. They were tenacious, hard-working and very competitive,” said Jay Varady, coach of the U.S. Junior Select Team. “But our group also did a great job. Late in the game, our leadership took control and didn’t panic, and we were able to capitalize on key scoring chances.”
The U.S. enjoyed a 46-28 advantage in shots on goal, including 23-4 in the third period. Cale Morris (Larkspur, Colo./Chicago Steel) got the nod in net for Team USA and was named U.S. player of the game.
A full box score and webcast of the game can be found here.
Team USA will play in the semifinals Thursday, December 18. Their opponent is yet to be determined.
Check USAHockey.com for complete Team USA coverage at the 2014 World Junior A Challenge. For in-game updates, follow @USAHockeyScores and use #WJAC2014.
A nine-game losing streak (one of which was a SO loss) at home for the Arizona Coyotes was a tough pill to swallow. Loosing consecutive games in front of your home crowd is never something that you look to do, and so going into their last home game until December 27th, the need to win was dire.
Dueling against the Edmonton Oilers, who fired their head coach on Monday morning, was going to be interesting no matter what. Their ex-coach Dallas Eakins was replaced by the team’s GM Craig MacTavish. The Oilers were obviously eager to show off a big win for their new coach.
The Coyotes have won their last 9 games against the Oilers, including 5 so far this season. Next Tuesday, December 23rd, the Coyotes face off against them again in Edmonton for their last romp of the season.
Devan Dubnyk got the nod for goal against his old team for the second home game in a row. Despite an early goal by Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, Dubnyk was as solid as he has been all season. He made the crucial saves (31 overall) to keep the team in the game, and ultimately win it in overtime. Could Dubnyk be proving that he is their #1 starter? Coach Dave Tippetthas previously implied that if someone wants to “take the ball” and run with it, and it seems to be that Dubnyk is doing just that.
The Coyotes offense was out-shooting the Oilers, and it was a step in the right direction. They set a new franchise record for shots in a period with 27 shots in the second frame. By the end of the game, the shots were 44-32, ‘Yotes with the lead.
Brandon McMillan got the credit for the Coyotes only goal in regulation. This was his first of the season.
The real star of the game, and not undeservingly, the first star of the game, was Oliver Ekman-Larsson. His shining moment came in the last seconds of overtime for the third time this season. He obviously seems comfortable in the spotlight and he always seems to bring the drama when the team is in need. His superstar reputation does not go unnoticed, and even in his low streaks, he proves that he’s the real deal. Larsson notched a goal with .3 seconds left in overtime after an on-ice shift of around 1 minute and 30 seconds. That right there is not by coincidence.
“Yeah no, winning is fun, right? I almost forgot how it felt. But it was a great feeling today. Everybody did a great job and everybody played hard.”-Larsson on the game-winner
Coach Tippett proved his point to the team that “if [they’re] not willing to play to [their] capabilities, then we’ll find somebody else to try.” Sam Gagner was one of those players who was a healthy scratch last game after not playing to Tippett’s standards, but he was back with a vengeance against the Oilers. He had a wonderful game, creating chances and even setting up some key plays. He, in fact, was the one to feed the puck to Larsson for the game-winner.
The team is finally contributing, and the past several games have been a strong effort, despite them being losses. Now that the Coyotes will be traveling after a long stint at home, will they be able to keep consistent on the road? They play the Los Angeles Kings on Saturday, and after a rough loss to them at home several weeks back, will they bring the momentum?
The players that have been invited to the 2015 U.S. National Junior Team’s camp taking place this week at Boston University’s Walter Brown Arena appear not to lack in confidence and composure. After a grueling two hours of practice on Day One of the camp, many of the players were brought out to answer questions from the press. Thatcher Demko from Boston College, Jack Eichel, who is a freshman at Boston University and Noah Hanifin who started early at Boston College, at the age of seventeen, were three of the players answering questions today.
Jack Eichel
Not surprisingly, there is a lot of attention on Eichel, who sits tied for first place among the Division I scoring leaders with Andrew Gladluk, a junior at Bentley. However, what makes Eichel’s position as a leader in scoring even more impressive is the fact that he is a freshman, who turned eighteen at the end of October.
Talking with him though, it is clear that he is about as grounded as they come. And he is the first to point out the things he has to work on and to credit those older teammates who are helping him to grow as a player.
The media both in the United States and in Canada have been doing their best to make the upcoming tournament more a one-on-one battle between Eichel and Connor McDavid who will play for Canada. So, it was no surprise when this question came up post-practice while Eichel was available and how Eichel planned on handling this.
“To be honest, just not think about it,” Eichel responded with forthrightness. “This tournament is not about me versus him at all. It’s all about Team USA. That’s our motto, it’s us. This tournament is going to be about us and that’s what I’m focused on.”
Such a response belies the chronological age of Eichel and reminds all who are around that in his mind hockey is still entirely a team sport. When pressed on if he was aware of the progress that McDavid has made with his injured wrist or with Team Canada’s camp in general, Eichel again showed his commitment to what is important to him.
“I haven’t been focused on Team Canada, their camp [or] whatever’s been going on. I had two finals yesterday,” he offered. “I just finished up school and obviously all my focus is transitioned to helping Team USA.”
And it is this mention of school and finals that calls attention to the fact that with seven exceptions, the remainder of this preliminary roster for Team USA are known more frequently as “student athletes;” juggling classes, homework, and tests in addition to practice, fitness, travel and games as they represent their various schools.
Steve Santini
Commitment and confidence showed from the moment the team hit the ice. The speed with which they attacked the drills, making it look so easy, belies the countless hours of power skating, shooting hundreds of pucks and choosing hockey over “hanging with friends.” And that commitment shows in injured Steve Santini from Boston College.
Santini wore the yellow “no contact” jersey and could often be seen skating off by himself. As the forlorn solitary player worked on skating or the occasional stick work, it was clear that he would much rather be involved in the team activities. Hurt in Boston College’s game against the University of Massachusetts-Amherst on October 25th, surgery was required. But after a couple of days at home, Santini was back at school and doing what he could to keep as prepared as possible in the hopes that he would be able to participate in this year’s tournament.
The Pink Puck had the opportunity to ask Santini, who was on the team last year when Team USA fell to Russia, about the leadership role he can take in the locker room until he is cleared to play.
“Guys like Brady Skjei, Matt Grzelcyk—they were really good to me when I was the younger guy, so now I’m just trying to do my best to return the favor,” he said. “Everyone’s just trying to keep up and stay on the same page. If I can just be a good leader and a good role model to the younger guys, that will be good enough for me at the end of the day.”
Such composure from a nineteen-year-old is impressive. Many of his age are concerned only with their next party or a chance to play video games. And while most hockey players love to play video games, Santini’s ability to be reflective in the face of the adversity he faces speaks to someone of much more maturity.
Camp has just begun, and this phase of the camp will culminate with the Team USA roster taking on the Boston University Terriers on Friday evening, the 19th, at 7:30pm at Walter Brown Arena.
After breaking their three-game losing streak by beating the South Carolina Stingrays last Sunday 2-0, the Royals set out on a mission to get on a winning streak. This weekend they took on the Wheeling Nailers at home for their last home games before Christmas. They kept their holiday traditions of previous years going by wearing their ugly sweater jerseys. The jerseys must have been lucky for them as they won their first game this weekend on Friday. Friday
1st
Friday night started out well for the Royals as Royals forward Brandon Alderson came out and got their first goal at only 4:29 into the period. His teammate Ryan Cruthers took possession of the puck just seconds before while behind the Nailers’ net. Cruthers passed it to the center of the Nailers’ defensive zone where Alderson picked it up and shot it over the glove of Wheeling’s goalie Franky Palazzese. Two minutes later the Royals got chance to further their lead when Wheeling’s defenseman David Makowski was called for high-sticking. Unfortunately, the Royals were not able to take advantage opportunity as the score would stay at 1-0 for the rest of the period.
2nd
Although the Royals were not able to take advantage of their power play in the first period, they were able to take advantage of their next twenty minutes of ice time as they went on to score three more goals. Although the first ten minutes went slow for the Royals, the second half saw plenty of action. Their second goal of the night came at 11:58 from Royals forward Pat Mullane. The Royals had a one-man-advantage thanks to Makowski’s second penalty of the night and with the extra man Ryan Cruthers and Willie Coetzee were able to work out a play to get the puck to Pat Mullane who was waiting deep on the right side. They fed him the puck and he took no time to shoot and sink the puck in the back of the net.
With the score at 2-0 the Royals were hungry for more. Just under 30 seconds after the second goal, forward Olivier Labelle snuck one into the net. Right out of the face-off Labelle took control of the puck and worked his way up through the center of the ice. As he made his way to the hash-marks he shot one low past Palazzese and scored his sixth goal of the season. Still hungry the Royals scored their fourth goal of the night at 16:50. During their third power play opportunity of the night, Reading capitalized on their five-on-three advantage as Zach Davies received the puck from Pat Mullane after a won face-off from Ryan Cruthers. Davies moved along the blue line to gain some space and shot one hard into the net. The score would stay at 4-0 for the rest of the period, but not the rest of the night.
(Source: Purdon Photography: Royalshockey.com)
3rd
In the third, Wheeling came out to try and win back the game. Right off the bat Nailer defenseman Paul Cianfrini took a pass from forward Chaz Johnson and shot it under and through Royals Goalie Martin Ouellette breaking his chance at back-to-back shut-outs. Although the Royals lost their four goal lead, they came back and regained it about five minutes later. Brandon Alderson was fed a pass from Ryan Cruthers who was behind the net and shot one past Palazzese for his second of the game. The Wheeling Nailers were not ready to give up yet though.
At 9:26 Nailer forward Tyler Fernandez tried to start a comeback for Wheeling. As the Nailers swarmed the net they pushed and somehow snuck one into the net. The Royals argued that the Fernandez kicked the puck into the net, but after some debate, Wheeling was still awarded the goal making the score 5-2. The next goal on the Nailers way to a comeback took place just under two minutes later. At 11:15 Wheeling forward Tyler Murovich scored an unassisted short-handed goal despite being surrounded by the Royals. After working around the players he took a shot that was blocked by Ouellette. However, the rebound was knocked right back in front of him as he took a second shot which found its way into the net further depleting the Royals lead to only two goals.
With only two minute left in the third, the Nailers began to push. At 18:03 the Royals gave them a chance and they took it after Olivier Labelle was called for a cross-checking minor. Twenty seconds later at 18:23 Wheeling forward Zack Torquato shot one from just inside the blue line, past multiple players, and Ouellette to make the score 5-4. With the Nailers on their tails, the Royals realized they needed to step it up. Fortunately, they were able to hold off the Nailers for the rest of the night and win their second game in a row.
Saturday
On Saturday the Royals tried to continue their winning streak and claim their third win. The night started with fans slipping on their ugly sweater jersey giveaways to support the team and a puck drop from Derrick Redcay. At age 18 Redcay suffered from a stroke which left him paralyzed from the neck down. Before this, Redcay was a student at Muhlenberg High School, a baseball player, and a firefighter. Recently Royals forward has been visiting and helping support both him and his family. As the game started Cruthers wheeled Derrick onto the ice and posed for a picture while Derrick got to participate in the ceremonious opening puck drop. Afterwards, the game got underway.
(Source: Purdon Photography: Royalshockey.com)
1st
Seeking revenge from the precious night, the Nailers came out strong and took the first goal. As both teams surrounded the net and jabbed at the puck Wheeling’s forward Jarret Burton was able to push one past Royals goalie Martin Ouellette for his second goal of the season. Other than the goal, the first period saw little action other than a few penalties. There was a fight between a few of the players at the end before the teams cleared the ice, but it was quickly put to an end as the Royals hit the locker rooms down by one.
2nd
In the second period, the Royals tried to make a comeback and were successful. While Brandon Alderson was behind the Nailers’ net, he was able to sneak a pass to forward Willie Coetzee who slipped the puck to forward Andrew Johnston who took the shot and scored on Wheeling goalie Eric Hartzell. After spending the second half of the first period and the first half of the second down by one, both the Royals and their fans were relieve to see a tied score. Unfortunately, by the end of the second the score was still tied at 1-1 and the Royals knew they would have tough third period.
3rd
In the third period the heat was one with both teams tied at one. Early in the third Ryan Cruthers made Derrick Redcay proud by scoring what would prove to be the game winning goal of the night. After Brandon Alderson and Willie Coetzee rushed up into the Nailers’ zone they passed the puck back to Cruthers who shot one hard past Hatzell for his fourth goal of the season. Cruthers later commented, “That one was for him [Derrick Redcay], that’s for sure. That’s a goal we’re both going to remember for a long time.” Later in the period Cruthers almost scored another goal after Wheeling pulled their goalie, but the puck hit the post and was picked up by a Nailer and taken back into the Royals zone. Luckily for the Royals, the Nailers’ last attempt at a goal was unsuccessful and the Royals went on to win the game 2-1.
Coach Courville was happy with the win, but still wants the team to improve. He states, “Tonight wasn’t our strongest game, but it was a game that when the bounces didn’t go our way, the effort was there. I thought we could have scored a few goals in the first period on the power play. With five-on-five, I thought the goalie played really well. We talked about that second goal that he probably wanted back, but he gave them an opportunity to win. We just have to keep working and building to get better as a team.” What’s Next?
After Saturday night’s game the Royals set out on a trip to Wheeling to face the Nailers in a third game on their turf. The Royals are currently 7th in the conference while the Nailers are set in 9th place. Fans can also expect to see Connor Knapp back in the net as coach Courville says he wants to give him a shot away from home ice. He states, “My decision right now is probably to go back with Knapp tomorrow. We have a game on the road. I think he needs to get away from this building and play. I hope he plays a strong game for us tomorrow.” The Royals will be on the road for a while playing Indy Fuel, Evansville Ice Men, and the Elmira Jackals away in the next two weeks. Their next home game will be on December 27th against the Elmira Jackals who are currently ranked 5th in the conference.
Defenseman Slava Voynov went through a preliminary hearing today to see if there was enough evidence to stand trial. It was about two hours of back and forth (with many pauses for the judge to make decisions on the media), but eventually Judge Guzman ruled that there was enough evidence to move forward with a trial. Voynov’s arraignment will be on December 29.
There were a lot of horrific details that came out of this trial, none of which I will post here due to trigger warnings. But you can find them on twitter rather readily if you really want to see them.
What is most important about this news is to reiterate the importance of supporting domestic violence victims. That includes giving them a platform to speak and simply being a willing ear who will listen. Often victims have been isolated from family and friends and many escape from abusive situations with nothing more than the clothes on their back. They typically are alone, scared and are overwhelmed with the biggest decision they’ve ever made.
Typically when a high profile domestic violence issue is in the news, the Domestic Violence Hotline sees an uptick in calls.
If you want to help, you can also visit http://hockeyfightsdv.tumblr.com/about. One simple donation can change someone’s life in the most meaningful way. Whether you want to donate money or supplies, every little drop in the bucket counts.
For those not comfortable donating money or goods, even donating your time to shelters badly in need of able bodies is hugely helpful. And if you can’t do any of the aforementioned for whatever reason (lack of resources, time, age restrictions, etc.), just spreading the word helps a lot.
As a community we can help victims by being there when they need it most. By speaking up and giving survivors a chance to share their stories, we can break the stigma of talking about domestic violence.
Prev
