Clifton Park Squirt B1: Welcome

     Clifton Park played three mighty games over the weekend starting on Friday with a 1-1 tie at Cyr Arena against the Newport Whalers.  The fans couldn’t see much with all the excess condensation on the glass, but the Eagles got out with a tie.  Jake Nigriny scored with a pass from Hannah Lobdell to keep the Eagles from getting beat.  The second game came on Saturday morning at the Olympia Ice Arena.  After thinking the team was loosing Dawson Davis to a non-ice hockey related injury, the team was determined to climb back into the tournament with a definitive win against Tewksbury!  Dawson did play, and the team was whole.  This game proved to be the redemption game for the Eagles after going seven straight without a win.  Jack Wroe scored in the first period with a pass from Kaleb Bogardus.  In the third period, the Eagles poured it on with two goals from Hunter Felt and an additional goal from Kaleb Bogardus.  Assists went to Cailyn Stevens, Drew VanHeusen and Nathaniel Kim.  The Eagles played tough and got six penalties in that game.  The Sunday morning wake up at 6:10AM in the Olympia came easy for the Eagles as Jake Blinstrub, Hunter Felt, Jack Wroe, Rachel DeLong, and Brennan Alheim got a combined seven goals.  Assists were given to Drew VanHeusen, Nick Cantali, Hunter Felt, Brendan McCue, Dawson Davis, Brennan Alheim, Cailyn Stevens, and Rachel DeLong.  A 7-0 win against Holy Name gave Clifton Park a chance in the championship game.  All that the Eagles needed was another of the top three teams to loose a game.  And loose a game, the Connecticut Huskies did not.  Newport tied the Huskies in a 4-4 game.  That put the Eagles in the final game due to the tiebreaker rules.  Jared Vandeloo had nine straight periods of lossless hockey.  The score was either tied or the Eagles were winning for all nine periods of the three game series leading into the championship game.  Jared also had two shutouts leading into the championship.  Everything was clicking when it needed to.

Championship Game vs. Ramapo at 3:50 Olympia Rink #3 

Period 1

     Jake Blinstrub started the game off with a shot at the 11:30 mark.  Ramapo scored on their first shot at 10:36 left.  Hunter Felt was exhausted from a day-long wait to get into this game.  Brendan McCue protected the middle to prevent the Saints from getting a decent shot.  Nathaniel Kim played a defensive style offense to protect the defense if they needed to pinch in on the points and turn over the puck.  Cailyn Stevens played heads up hockey, making passes to the open side of the ice.  She started many an offensive play up the ice.  Dawson “I can’t feel my big toe” Davis played with heart and did not let anyone know about his true condition.  Brennan Alheim played with reckless abandon, skating hard while he was out there and made some good two on one rushes up the ice with Jake Nigriny.  Drew VanHeusen was becoming more confident on the point, shooting hard and trying to get a floater past the goalie from the blue line.  Kaleb Bogardus worked hard at center and on the wing, filling in the lane wherever he was asked to play.  Hannah Lobdell kept rushing forward to make a play and tried hard to get her first goal of the season.  Then, with 4:19 left to play in the period, Jake Nigriny took a penalty for high sticking.  And then with 0:40 seconds left, Dawson Davis got a tripping penalty. 

Period 2

     So many shots!  This period was the toughest for the Eagles, as they had to overcome their frustration with non-calls by the officials and play with heart.  There was nothing left on the bench, it was all on the ice.  Hunter Felt got a cross checking penalty at 4:51 left to play. And then with 2:14 left in regulation, Hunter Felt took a pass in from Hannah Lobdell to tie the game.  

Period 3

     Hunter Felt got a penalty for checking at 9:25 left to play.  Jack Wroe helped Ramapo make it 5-on-3 situation with a penalty for checking with 8:20 left to play.  At the 5:47 mark, Hunter Felt scored his second goal of the game with a pass from Cailyn Stevens and Nick Cantali.  With 1:11 left in regulation, Nick Cantali got a checking penalty.

First Sudden Death Overtime

     A five minute sudden death started with the penalty to Nick carried over.  The period began with a 5-on-4 situation in Ramapo’s favor.  Fortunately the Saints were unable to convert and the game returned to a 4-on-4 even skate.  Then with 3:37 left to play in the period, it was Ramapo’s turn to sit in the box on a tripping penalty.  The Eagles did not convert the penalty into a goal, so a second sudden death overtime was in store…….           

Second Sudden Death Overtime

     Coach DeLong made a beautiful call to start the 3-on-3 sudden death period.  He coaxed the other two coaches to start the period with three forwards on the ice.  Brennan Alheim played a lazy forward or strong defenseman position in the middle, as Jake Blinstrub and Hunter Felt played in the forward spots.  A win by the Eagles on the face-off moved the puck quickly into the Saints zone.  A few missed opportunities eventually yielded a beautiful unassisted, glove side goal by Hunter Felt with 3:47 left to play won the game.  The Eagles won the championship!

            Editorial Notes & Corrections: I apologize for getting Jake Nigriny’s birthday age wrong!  He’s only 9 years young vice the 10 years I was trying to make him.  I hope Amy forgives me!  On a completely different note, Jake Blinstrub will be offering his professional, editorial skills for these documents each week.  I want to up the ante to be sure that each and every game is accurately portrayed as they TRULY happened.  Thank you, Jake for your service to this weekly rag.   

Sunday, November 1 – 8:20 AM 

Clifton Park vs. Franklin County at Clifton Park 1

             The Clifton Park Eagles shook off their candy comas quite nicely on Sunday morning.  The extra hour of sleep didn’t hurt this well disciplined bunch either!  Brendan McCue was coming off a four-goal game during Saturday’s match up with Troy Albany A/B.  The Eagles continue to impress their coaches with their play and teamwork!  The two plus hour car ride for Franklin County was definitely noticeable on the parents in the lobby.  The Eagles were looking for another win.  The Eagles were without two players for these series, as Nathaniel Kim and Jared Vandeloo were out.

            The fundamentals of which Coach Van Heusen has been stressing continued to pay off as the defense did their best to keep the shots out of the middle.  The triangle was being demonstrated play after play in the offensive zone.  Every forward was doing a great job of cycling and moving the puck around down low.  Cailyn Stevens had a great day harassing the opponents trying to camp out in front of Jack Wroe.  Hannah Lobdell worked the body just a little too hard on the nearside boards and was assessed yet another checking penalty on the season at the 8:28 mark of the first period.  Franklin County struck first, with their only goal, after a skipping puck bounded by Jack Wroe with 4:12 left to play in the period.  A little more than a minute later, Hunter Felt passed a straggler out in front to Kaleb Bogardus to tie the game.  Just one more minute later, Jake Nigriny (the nine-year old) scored from wide left with an assist from Nick Cantali….Who ties that boy’s skates, anyway?  Jake Blinstrub just missed the net with 26 seconds left…… 

           The second period saw Nick Cantali getting a penalty for tripping.  Dawson Davis had some really nice looks from the point.  His shooting has really opened up the play for the Eagles in the offensive zone.  The only goal of the period was scored with 2:50 left to play when Jake Nigriny and Nick Cantali cycled it to Rachel Delong for the score.

             Period three started with Dawson Davis getting a tripping penalty at 10:45.  Jack Wroe had some late-in-the-game pressure, but did his best and didn’t let any in.  Brennan Alheim started to cycle in from the point to get some shots on goal.  Jake Nigriny did an awesome job of covering those rushes by the defense.  Hunter Felt got a slashing penalty for a two-handed chop in mid-ice with 4:14 left in the game.  Franklin County pulled their goalie to try to fight their way back into the game, but Drew Van Heusen played a smart end-to-end rush and pushed the puck over the line for the fourth goal of the game.                         

Sunday, November 1 – 4:00 PM 

Clifton Park vs. Brattleboro at Union College

             The second game of the day picked up where the first left off.  The Union College ice was definitely a change of venue, but the style of play wasn’t any different.  Maybe it was because a few of the players had a mid-day skate on ice that was originally intended for a third adversary on the day.

            In the first period, Jake Nigriny’s scoring streak continued when he took a pass from Rachel Delong and buried it in the webbing at 8:30.  Thirty-two seconds later, Hunter Felt made a nice move across the goal and poked it in with assists from Brendan McCue and Cailyn Stevens.  Just 39 seconds beyond that, Brendan McCue had a high wrist shot go in for an unassisted goal.  And with 4:56 left to play, Hunter Felt got another goal.  This one was unassisted.

            Clifton Park’s worst period of the weekend saw Rachel Delong getting a slashing penalty and letting in a goal to get beat 1-0 for the period.

            Clifton Park turned it around again in the third, however, but not before Hannah Lobdell got another checking penalty in her first shift of the period at 11:08.  Jake Blinstrub put in a back hander to put CP ahead 5-1.  After that, the defense was given the green light to rush the puck up the ice.  Hannah Lobdell, Dawson Davis, Cailyn Stevens, and Brennan Alheim all made great moves to try and get a goal of their own.  Brennan got on with 3:33 left in the game as he went in unassisted.

Saturday, October 24 – 8:10AM Clifton Park vs. Pioneer Valley at Henry J. Fitzpatrick

             The Clifton Park Squirt B1 Eagles rode into town on an early, foggy, and wet Saturday morning.  Happy Birthday, Jake Nigriny!  Jake Nigriny’s 10^th birthday couldn’t have been better with his grandfather in attendance.  Brennan Alheim took the day off to go to NYC see the Lion King on Broadway.  This coach can’t say he doesn’t approve!  A day to go to Broadway for anyone is worth the experience.  Just be sure you return to the team next week, B.  The team needs you!  This was the Eagles first look at the A bracket, and they handled themselves and their opponents quite well.

            Clifton Park started the scoring in the first period, with Drew Van Heusen lifting a nice wrister into the webbing with 8:58 left to go.  Brendan McCue had a beautiful assist on the goal.  The defense was tested throughout the period with a faster playing opponent with better passing.  Jared Vandeloo stood on his head, saving shots left and right. Hunter Felt ended the period (0:52 left to go) with a checking penalty.

            The second period started with Cailyn Stevens and Jack Wroe working hard to break up the plays coming at them.  Nick Cantali and Nathaniel Kim tried hard to get the puck past the Lightning goalie without success.  Jake Blinstrub was trying the triangle with Rachel DeLong and Kaleb Bogardus, but the Lightning proved a worthy adversary.  Jake was charged a tripping penalty at 10:13.  The Lightning broke through in the middle of the period after a flurry in front of the Eagle’s net.  They scored their second and final tally with 20 seconds left in the period.  Frustration set in for the Eagles as Jared Vandeloo was assessed a slashing penalty with 10 seconds left.  An agreeable Cailyn Stevens served the penalty for Jared.

            Hannah Lobdell and Dawson Davis did a lot of forward sprinting during the third period, as the Lightning started the dump and chase.  The defense held their own and banged the puck off the boards into an endless sea of white and black.  The puck would return to the defensive zone as fast as it would exit.  A two-handed chop put a frustrated Jack Wroe in the penalty box with a tripping penalty, at the 8:35 mark.  Just 17 seconds later, Rachel Delong tied the game up with an unassisted, short-handed goal.  For the rest of the game, frustrations built as efforts intensified……..The game ended with a 2-2 tie. 

Saturday, October 24 – 10:50AM Clifton Park vs. Keene at Olympia Rink 2

             Game two on Jake Nigriny’s 10^th birthday turned out to be a real struggle for the Eagles.  The opponent from New Hampshire was too much for Clifton Park to handle.  A good game was played by everyone throughout all three periods.  It a hard effort and tough lessons were being learned by the Eagles in the defensive zone.  This game proved that banging the puck off the boards in an attempt to breakout may not always work……The Eagles had a rough go of it in the first period, as Jake Nigriny tried to put on in and was taken out behind the Keene net.  His injury resulted in Jake being knocked out of the game.  Extra effort by Jack Wroe in the wing position helped to offset some of the big loss of Jake.Midway through the second period, Hannah Lobdell was given a minute and a half in the sin bin for a hook.  The penalty slowed a Keene shooter enough to prevent a score, however.In the third period, Kaleb Bogardus showed his flexibility as a hockey player and volunteered to play defense.  His extra efforts kept the score to a respectable level, as Keene got no goals in the third period.  Jared Vandeloo had a good game in spite of the scoreboard.  This Keene team will prove to be a difficult match in the future, but not an insurmountable match.

Saturday, October 17 – 8:30AM 

Clifton Park vs. Pioneer Valley at Olympia Rink 2

             The Clifton Park Squirt B1 Eagles had an early morning ride out to West Springfield on Saturday.  The Eagles stepped onto the ice in their traditional black jerseys, but changed over to white jerseys as they cycled through the bench.  They got their swerve on with the scoring bug at 8:55 of Period 1, when Hunter Felt put in a pretty goal.  Kaleb Bogardus and Drew VanHeusen made it easy work for Felt by passing the puck around the three sided polygon (triangle) and out of the Lightning defense’s reach.  With 1:48 left in the first, Nathaniel Kim scored an unassisted goal, showing heart and hustle all the way.

            The beginning of the second period began with Jared Vandeloo wanting a crossword puzzle to help pass the time in net.  Things got going for the Eagles at 8:27, when Jake Nigriny got a checking penalty.  And it wouldn’t be long after that for Jared to see some action, as Pioneer Valley put some pressure on in front of Jared, where two of the four shots for the game were seen.  At 7:14, one Pioneer Valley goal snuck in, but that would be all Jared let through for the day…...Brennan (“My Name’s Not Matt”) Alheim started ripping shots from the point, trying to help his team get a larger lead. While Matt, I mean Brennan was trying to chip one in, his partner,  Hannah Lobdell got called for a falling-over-the-stick trip in the offensive zone.  Hunter Felt scored his second goal of the game with 2:11 left in the period off a setup pass from Drew VanHeusen and Jack Wroe.

            The third period was when the scoring train came to town, handing out seven goals in just 12 minutes of play.  Jake Blinstrub scored just nine seconds into the period with a pass from Jake Nigriny and Cailyn Stevens.  The goal went in high on the glove side and the bench went crazy!  The goalie never had a chance!  Brennan Alheim got one at 9:58 with assists from Brendan McCue and Hunter Felt.  Brendan McCue is demonstrating his ability to play offense and defense this season.  At 9:39 left in the game, Hunter tallied a hat trick goal all by himself.  Only 90 seconds later (see a theme in the third period?) Jake Nigriny scored off a loose puck in front of the net, where Rachel Delong got an assist.  Only 20 seconds later, it was Rachel’s turn with a pass from Jake Blinstrub.  Nick Cantali’s superstitiously tied skates helped him score with 4:47 left when he shot it in off a pass from Brennan Alheim.  At 3:34, Rachel and Jake Blinstrub got the scoreboard to the 11 goals.  Then with just 2:26 left to play, Drew VanHeusen cost his coach/father $2.00 with a checking penalty. 

Saturday, October 10 – 11:50 AM 

Clifton Park vs. Holy Name at Olympia Rink 3

     The Panera Bread Company benefited from Clifton Park’s ride on Saturday morning.  The Eagles’ bellies were stuffed with dough-like lead weights, as they began their second game of the day.

     The first period ended as it started, with Holy Name and Clifton Park locked in a zero tie.  The defense was solid as Hannah Lobdell and Brennan Alheim jammed up the center of the ice so that it wouldn’t be easy for Holy Name to have a straight shot at Jared Vandeloo.  Jared stood up all the shots and kept the scoreboard clean.  Jack Wroe and Cailyn Stevens were all heart in the first keeping the pressure on the Holy Name defense.  The puck barely left Holy Name’s zone while Jack and Cailyn worked the points.  Dawson Davis gave a valiant effort from the defensive position, by lofting puck-after-puck into the slot for his teammates.

     In the second, Cailyn Stevens got two penalties!  Her first was at the 11:40 mark, where she tripped a clumsy Holy Name Star.  With 0:39 left to play in the period, Cailyn was assessed an interference penalty…….Again, Jared Vandeloo played a solid goal and let no shots into the net.

    Scoring and foot speed finally returned in the third period when Nick Cantali, Drew VanHeusen, and Jake Nigriny made some goals!  Nick’s goal was a result of his father tying his left skate and Coach Lobdell tying the right skate.  Kaleb (“I’m ALWAYS in position”) Bogardus and Nathaniel Kim got the assist.  Drew got a redirect goal on a high wrist shot from the point.  Dawson Davis got the assist on the high flyer.  To end the day, Jake Nigriny scored off a pass from Jake Blinstrub and Rachel Delong.

Saturday, October 10 – 9:10AM

Amherst vs. Clifton Park at Clifton Park Arena Rink 1            

     The Clifton Park Squirt B1 Eagles had no idea what to expect from the Amherst Squirt White going into the first Greater Springfield League (GSL) first evaluation game.  Coach VanHeusen talked to the team about passing the puck, skating with intensity, and staying in the lanes.  What the Eagles showed was way more skill than that!  This Clifton Park Team came out flying and never let up.  Jared Vandeloo started out hot for the season with a shut-out!           

     Jake Blinstrub broke it open with 5:55 to go in the first period, with a pretty pass from Hunter Felt.  Hunter skated through the neutral zone and down deep into the right side after receiving a beautiful bump off the boards from Hannah Lobdell.  With 3:02 left in the period, Jack Wroe drew a checking penalty.  Drew VanHeusen and Cailyn Stevens kept Amherst off the scoreboard with stupendous effort on the back-check.