Green Brook Hockey Club: Spring 2009 Playoffs

Our U8 Division for Spring 2009 had 4 very competitive and exciting teams, all of which certainly had their sights set high on sharpening their hockey skills while trying to win it all!! The playoffs in this division were very exciting and started with a game that wound up going to overtime!! The first game was between the DiMola's Pizza Vipers and the Andrews Tree Care Flyers. The Vipers were the regular season first place team, going against the fourth place Flyers. 5 minutes into the game Tommy McNulty got the Flyers on the board for a 1-0 lead, but just a couple of minutes later, the Vipers' Luke Wypler answered with his first of the game to tie it at 1-1. With about 5 minutes left in the first half, Luke Wypler got his second of the game for a 2-1 Vipers lead, but Ben Tunison would strike twice for the Flyers before the half ended and his team would have a 3-2 halftime lead. Ben would complete his hat trick as the second half started, putting the Flyers ahead with a 4-2 lead. The Vipers had a tall task in front of them, as they would have to come back against Thomas Rau, the Flyers' very tough goalie. But come back they did. With time running down to the last 2 and half minutes, Jared Venutolo scored for the Vipers to make it 4-3. The Vipers threw everything they had at the Flyers to try and tie the game, and sure enough, with just 6 seconds left, Luke Wypler got the game even with his third of the game. That sent the game into overtime! Just one minute into the OT, Tommy McNulty took a big shot and the puck found its way in for a thrilling 5-4 Flyers win. Assists in this great game went to Tommy McNulty for the Flyers, who had 3, and Gavin Costello and Jared Venutolo, who had one each. The other First Round game featured the Boretz Orthopaedic Sharpshooters vs the Siskin Family Chiropractic Checkers. The Sharpshooters got the early jump in this one, as Jacqueline Lee and Ryan Boettcher scored for a 2-0 Sharpshooter lead. JJ Martin scored to get one back for the Checkers, but the Sharpshooters would answer that with goals by Andrew Martins and ryan Boettcher for a 4-1 lead. the Checkers closed the gap before halftime, though, and made it a 4-3 game on goals by JJ Martin and Christian Hoppeler. Ryan Boettcher completed his hat trick, as he scored early in the second half for a 5-3 Sharpshooter lead, which they would never lose, as Bryan Boretz would add another one to in the last few minutes, and the Sharpshooters would advance to the Championship Game, with a 6-3 victory. Assists in the game went to Christian Hoppeler of the Checkers and to the Sharpshooters' Andrew Martins, who had 3, Bryan Boretz, who had 2, and Ryan Boettcher.

The 3rd Place Game featured the Vipers vs Checkers. After Jared Venutolo got the Vipers off to a 1-0 lead, Will Benscoter notched two in a row for a 2-1 Checkers lead. JJ Martin would add another one before the half ended for a 3-1 halftime Checkers lead. After Jared Venutolo scored again to cut the lead to 3-2, the Checkers got two more JJ Martin goals for a 5-2 advantage. But the Vipers refused to give up, as Jared Venutolo would score two more goals and Nicholas Chan scored one to tie the game at 5-5. But in the final minutes of the game JJ Martin would score his fourth and fifth goals of the game to put the Checkers out in front for good, as the Vipers' Jared Venutolo scored with just 17 seconds left and that would be all for the scoring in the game. The Checkers took the 3rd Place trophy by a score of 7-6.

The Championship Game featured the Sharpshooters vs the Flyers in a battle for the U8 Division crown. After 10 minutes of a defensive struggle between the the tough goalies, Thomas Rau of the Flyers and Alex Kushnir of the Sharpshooters, the Sharpshooters finally broke through on a goal by Ryan Boettcher for a 1-0 lead. They would increase the lead 5 minutes later on a goal by Andrew Martins, and the Sharpshooters took a 2-0 lead into halftime. That's where things stood for the first 10 minutes of the second half, as this defensive battle continued until the Sharpshooters broke through again for a goal, this time off the stick of Andrew Martins, for a 3-0 lead. Then with the last 5 minutes ticking down, J.P. Donatelli scored, then Ryan Boettcher added another for a commanding 5-0 Sharpshooter lead. Jessie Shapiro scored for the Flyers in the last minute and a half to break the shutout, but the Sharpshooters were U8 Division Champions by a 5-1 score. Assists in the game went to the Sharpshooters' Andrew Martins and the Flyers' Tommy McNulty. What a season of fun and excitement our U8 Division gave us!!

Round 1

Andrew Tree Care Flyers 5, DiMola's Pizza Vipers 4 (OT)

Flyers Goals: Ben Tunison (3), Tommy McNulty (2). Assists: Tommy McNulty (3). Goalie: Thomas Rau.

Vipers Goals: Luke Wypler (3), Jared Venutolo. Assists: Gavin Costello, Jared Venutolo. Goalie: Tanner Rokosny.

Boretz Orthopaedics Sharpshooters 6, Siskin Family Chiropractic 3.

Sharpshooters Goals: Ryan Boettcher (3), Jacqueline Lee, Andrew Martins, Bryan Boretz. Assists: Andrew Martins (3), Bryan Boretz (2), Ryan Boettcher. Goalie: Alex Kushnir

Checkers Goals: J.J. Martin (2), Christian Hoppeler. Assists: Christian Hoppeler. Goalie: Brett Miller / J.J. Martin.

3rd Place Game

Siskin Family Chiropractic Checkers 7, DiMola's Pizza Vipers 6

Checkers Goals: J.J. Martin (5), Will Benscoter (2). Assists: Peter Ciliberto, Christian Hoppeler, Brett Miller. Goalie: Jacob Seif

Vipers Goals: Jared Venutolo (5), Nico Chan. Assists: Gavin Costello, Luke Wypler. Goalie: Tanner Rokosny.

Championship Game

Boretz Orthopaedics Sharpshooters 5, Andrews Tree Care Flyers 1.

Sharpshooters Goals: Ryan Boettcher (2), Andrew Martins (2), J.P. Donatelli. Assists: Andrew Martins. Goalie: Alex Kushnir.

Flyers Goals: Jessie Shapiro. Assists: Tommy McNulty. Goalie: Thomas Rau.

Our Spring 2009 U11 Division featured 6 very evenly matched teams, who were also very determined to win it all in our playoffs!! Round one action saw the regular season third place Caruso-Dellomo Snipers go against the sixth place Sign-A-Rama Penguins. The first half of the game was a very defensive one, with the Snipers getting the early lead with 2 goals, one scored by David Roushdy and one by Ben Giangrasso, for a 2-0 Snipers lead.. But in the last 5 minutes of the first half, the Penguins would get one back on a goal scored by Adrian Pinzon, making the halftime score 2-1 Snipers. In the second half however, it was all Snipers, as they would score an incredible 6 unanswered goals - 2 by David Roushdy, 2 by Michael Stalenyj, and one by Ben Giangrasso and Tomas Tarnawski, to put the Snipers ahead with a commanding 8-1 lead. In the last few minutes of the game, the Penguins would get a couple back, as Kevin Ewald and Mitchell Allen scored goals to cut the Sniper lead to 8-3. That was our final score though, as the Snipers moved onto the Second Round. Assists in the game went to the Penguins' Victoria Stevens, who had 2, and Ryan Nieves, while the Snipers got assists from Ben Giangrasso and Nathan Crystal, who also had 2 assists. In the other First Round game, the Stooneys Auto Transport Mohawks faced off against the Performance Dynamics Group Bruins. The Bruins would get the early lead with a pair of goals in the first 7 minutes of the game, scored by Michael Berehieko and Jordan Green, for a 2-0 lead. But the Mohawks would get things going with under 8 minutes to play in the period, as Ryan Betz and Danny Russomanno notched goals to tie the game at 2-2. Seth Rubin would put the Bruins back up by one, as he scored the last goal of the period for a 3-2 Bruins lead. In the sceond half, the Mohawks took complete control of the game, as Dustin Demarsico tallied a pair of goals to put them ahead 4-3 early in the period, and the goals kept coming after that. The Mohawks would get 3 more goals, coming from Danny Russomanno, Ryan Betz, and John Hoppeler for a 7-3 lead. Seth Rubin would get one more goal in the closing minutes to make it 7-4, but the Mohawks' Dustin Demarsico would put a stamp on it as he scored the final goal of the game for an 8-4 victory, sending the Mohawks to the Second Round. Assists in the game went to the Bruins' Justin Todtenkopf, Philip Ciliberto, Paul Appleton, and Michael Bereheiko, while the Mohawks got 2 assists from Dustin Demarsico.

In Second Round action, the Shogun 22 Wolfpack faced the Mohawks in what turned out to be a very close fought battle. Corey Nieper got the Wolfpack on the board first with a goal on a pass from Chris Liebau just 19 seconds into the game for a 1-0 Wolfpack lead. 6 minutes later the Mohawks got the equalizer off the stick of Dustin Demarsico on a pass from Danny Russomanno, tying the game at 1-1. Corey Nieper would repeat what he did to start the game, as he scored once again to put the Wolfpack out in front once more, 2-1. Mathew Piro would extend the lead for the Wolfpack to 3-1 on a goal with 5:06 left in the first half, but then the Mohawk comeback would take place before the end of the half. Dustin Demarsico would complete his hat trick, as he scored 2 more goals for the Mohawks in the last 3 minutes of the first half, tying the game once again at 3-3. The second half was a mighty defensive struggle, as the goalies, Corey Fewer of the Wolfpack and Reese Robinson of the Mohawks, were very stubborn as their brilliant play kept both teams off the scoreboard for the first 10 minutes of the second half. Danny Russomanno would break through, though, for the Mohawks as he scored the only goal the Mohawks would need and the only goal of the second half, and a short handed one no less, as the Mohawks advanced to the Championship game by a 4-3 score. In the other second round game, the regular season first place Green Brook F.O.P. Lodge #23 Red Wings took on the Snipers. Jake Tunison would stake the Red Wings out to a 2-0 lead in this one, as he scored 2 goals back to back between the 12 and the 9 minute mark of the first half. The Snipers were equal to the task, though, as they used the final 5 minutes of the first half to get the game tied, on a pair of goals by David Roushdy. Halftime score: Red Wings 2, Snipers 2. In the second half, the Red Wings got goals from Jimmy Girgus and Jake Tunison, who scored with 5:21 left for a 4-2 Red Wings lead. Michael Stalenyj got one for the Snipers to pull the back to within one, but Jake Tunison would notch his fourth of the game in the final 2 minutes, for the Red Wings, who advanced to the Championship game with a 5-3 win. Assists in the game went to Brian Dempsey and Jake Tunison of the Red Wings and Michael Brady and Michael Stalenyj of the Snipers.

The U11 3rd Place game unfortunately could not take place due to rainouts and time constraints with our rink project, but an exciting U11 Championship Game took place!! The Red Wings faced the Mohawks in this battle, and it was the Red Wings who struck first in this one, as they scored 2 first half goals, both by Jake Tunison unassisted, and that was it as far as the scoring in the first half. The goalies, Mathew Altomare of the Red Wings and Reese Robinson of the Mohawks, shut the door on the goal scorers on both sides, and we went into halftime with the Red Wings leading 2-0. Early in the second half, Jimmy Girgus took a pass from Kevin Fitzhenry and scored to give the Red Wings a 3-0 lead with 18 minutes left in the game. A couple of minutes later, it was Brian Dempsey adding to the Red Wings lead, as Aaron Benscoter passed the puck to him for the score, giving the Wings a seemingly commanding 4-0 lead. But the Mohawks would not, by any means, give up, as the staged a comeback with 3 unanswered goals. Dustin Demarsico took a pass from Jordan Hardgrove and scored to make it 4-1, and then went and scored another one unassisted, and suddenly the Red Wings once 4 goal lead was cut in half to 4-2. With 8:23 left, Danny Russomanno scored for the Mohawks to make it a one goal game at 4-3. Both teams battled fiercely down the stretch as the next goal certainly would be a huge one indeed. That next goal wound up being scored by the Red Wings' Brian Dempsey, whose goal made it a 5-3 Red Wings lead, which they held the rest of the way, allowing the regular season first place Red Wings to also take the U11 Division Championship crown by a final score of 5-3. Thanks to all our U11 Spring 09 players for a great season!! 

Round 1

Caruso - Dellomo Snipers 8, Sign-a-Rama Penguins 3

Snipers Goals: David Roushdy (3), Ben Giangrasso (2), Michael Stalenyj (2), Tomas Tarnawski. Assists: Nathan Crystal (2), Ben Giangrasso. Goalie: Michael Brady. 

Penguins goals: Adrian Pinzon, Kevin Ewald, Mitchell Allen. Assists: Victoria Stevens, Ryan Nieves. Goalie: Ryan Castellanos.

Stooneys Auto Transport Mohawks 8, Performance Dynamics Group Bruins 4

Mohawks Goals: Dustin Demarsico (3), Ryan Betz (2), Danny Russomanno (2), John Hoppeler. Assists: Dustin Demarsico (2). Goalie: Reese Robinson

Bruins Goals: Seth Rubin (2), Michael Bereheiko, Jordan Green. Assists: Justin Todtenkopf, Philip Ciliberto, Paul Appleton, Micahel Bereheiko.  Goalie: Katelyn Bereheiko

Round 2

Stooneys Auto Transport Mohawks 4, Shogun 22 Wolfpack 3

Mohawks Goals: Dustin Demarsico (3), Danny Russomanno. Assists: Danny Russomanno.  Goalie: Reese Robinson

Wolfpack Goals: Corey Nieper (2), Mathew Piro. Assists: Chris Liebau. Goalie: Corey Fewer. 

Green Brook F.O.P. Lodge #23 Red Wings 5, Caruso-Dellomo Snipers 3

Red Wings Goals: Jake Tunison (4), Jimmy Girgus. Assists: Brian Dempsey, Jake Tunison. Goalie: Mathew Altomare.

Snipers Goals: David Roushdy (3). Assists: Michael Brady, Michael Stalenyj. Goalie: Nathan Crystal.

3rd Place Game

Cancelled due to rain. Both the Wolfpack and River Rats were awarded co-winners of the 3rd Place trophy. 

Championship Game

Green Brook F.O.P. Lodge #23 Red Wings 5, Stooney's Auto Transport Mohawks 3

Red Wings Goals: Jake Tunison (2), Brian Dempsey (2), Jimmy Girgus. Assists: Kevin Fitzhenry, Aaron Benscoter. Goalie: Mathew Altomare.

Mohawks Goals: Dustin Demarsico (2), Danny Russomanno. Assists: Jordan Hardgrove.  Goalie: Reese Robinson

Our U13 Division featured 6 very tough and determined teams, including one that was unbeaten going into the playoffs. Round one action featured the regular season third place Ducks vs the sixth place Walls and Doors Blackhawks. This division's playoffs would show that the unexpected can very much happen in our playoffs, and this game would be an example of that. Dillon Robinson got the first tally of the game for a 1-0 Blackhawk lead, but the Ducks would even it up a few moments later on a goal by Ben Neri for a 1-1 tie. Several moments later it was deja vu all over again, as Dillon Robinson scored for the Blackhawks, only to have that answered by the Ducks' Chris Lubrano and we were tied once again at 2-2. With time winding down in the first half, Dillon Robinson completed his hat trick for a 3-2 halftime Blackhawk lead. Early in the second half, Luke Rizzoli notched his first goal of the playoffs for a 4-2 Blackhawks lead. Owen Whitley added another one for the 'Hawks for a 5-2 lead with about 11 minutes left. despite trying as hard as they could, neither team managed to score any more goals, as both goalies, Travis Page of the Ducks and Evan Regan of the Blackhawks, shut the door on any further scoring. Final score, Blackhawks 5, Ducks 2. Assists in the game went to Mark Switzer and Ben Neri of the Ducks and Buek Forrest, who had two, Luke Rizzoli, and Dillon Robinson of the Blackhawks. In the other First Round game, the Geico Phantoms squared off against the Falcon Safety Products Avalanche. The Phantoms got the early jump in this one, as they benefitted from 3 first half goals, two scored by Sam Shapiro and one by Kevin Greenman, as they took a 3-0 lead into halftime. But the Avalanche would mount an exciting comeback in the second half starting with Tyler Hardgrove's goal to cut the lead to 3-1. There would be no further scoring until 6 and a half minutes left, when Tyler scored again to suddenly cut the lead to a 3-2 Phantoms advantage. Then, with just 2:30 left, Connor Dempsey got things tied at 3-3, with his goal for the Avalanche. The Phantoms' Aakash Ghandi gave the Phantoms what looked like the possible winning goal with just 2:18 left, but there was no quit in the Avalanche, who once again tied the game with just 38 seconds left on Tyler Hardgrove's third of the game. With the game all tied at 4-4, this one went into overtime. With just 45 seconds left in OT, Tyler Hardgrove came through with heroics one more time and got the game winner to help move the Avalanche ahead to the next round. Assists in the game went to the Phantoms' Kevin Greenman, who had 3, Jason Malat, and Jenny Hansell, while Tyler Hardgrove had the lone assists for the Avalanche. Final score in OT, Avalanche 5, Phantoms 4.

In second Round action, the Earth Thebault Panthers faced off against the Blackhawks. The Panthers, at a record of 8-0-2 were one of two teams that entered the playoffs as the only unbeaten teams in the league. They would strike first as Robert Villa and Aaron Standish scored for a 2-0 Panther lead. The Blackhawks would then get one from Buek Forrest to cut the lead to 2-1 Blackhawks, which is what the score was at halftime. Dillon Robinson would score early in the second half for the Blackhawks to tie the game at 2-2. But with the clock running down to the last 6 minutes, the Panthers would get a couple more, on goals scored by Joey McNulty and Robert Villa for a 4-2 lead. Dillion Robinson once again scored for the Blackhawks, and that cut the lead down to 4-3, but with less than a minute to go, Michael Stein put the finishing touches on a Panther win, as he scored into an empty net to seal a 5-3 win for the Panthers. Assists in the game went to Michael Stein, Chris Villa, and Becky Turlip of the Panthers, while Dillon Robinson, Luke Rizzoli, Owen Whitley, and Buek Forrest (2) had assists for the Blackhawks. The other Second Round game featured the Avalanche vs the Metro Wire Rope Titans. The Avalanche were true to their name in the first half, as they scored an Avalanche in goals, six altogether, to take a commanding first half lead. Jack Minishak had two goals, as did Tyler Hardgrove, and Connor Dempsey and Micahel Quense scored the others, while the Titans' lone tally of the first half came from Jasen Correa. Avalanche rode a 6-1 halftime lead into the second half, and while the Titans did strike for two goals, scored by Daniel Buccino and Jaysen Correa, it was not enough as the Avalanche defense held on in the second half and made their six first half goals stand for a 6-3 victory to propel the Avalanche to the Championship game. Assists in the game were on the Avalanche side only, and went to Tyler Hardgrove, who had 4, Jack Minishak, and Michael Quense.

In the game for the 3rd place trophy, we had one of the most exciting games of the entire Spring 2009 playoffs! the Blackhawks got on the board first in this one, on a goal by Justin Scalera 3 minutes into the contest. Buek Forrest extended the Blackhawk lead with a goal a couple of minutes later, assisted by Dillon Robinson and Owen Whitley, and the 'Hawks were up, 2-0. But with about 8 minutes left in the first half, Derek Siegal notched one for the Titans, and then got the equalizer about 4 minutes later, as he scored both goals on passes from Eric Harding. That provided us with a 2-2 tie at halftime and the promise of an exciting finish for both team's season. The second half saw defense at its best as both goalies, Evan Regan of the Blackhawks and John Carl Gibbons of the Titans, did not yield any goals until late in the perioed. It looked like the Blackhawks might get the win though, as Luke Rizzoli scored with just 1:41 left in the game. But just 16 second later, Jasen Correa got the game even once again with a crucial goal for the Titan, who evened the game again at 3-3. That sent the game into a 5 minute overtime, which yielded no goals for either team and sent the game into a shootout. Both sides used their 3 shooters and both goalies were equal to the task in denying any goals, sending the shootout into a fourth round. That's when Daniel Buccino broke through for the Titans to score the only goal of the shootout, as John Carl Gibbons blaocked the final shot of the contest. Final score: Titans 4, Blackhawks 3. In the Championship Game, the Panthers would try to continue their unbeaten streak against a very feisty opponent, the Avalanche, who without a doubt, saved their best hockey of the season for just the right time, making what seemingly was an improbable run to the championship. The Panthers got the early jump in this one, on a goal by Robert Villa for a 1-0 lead, only to have that lead erased with 8:40 left in the first period on a goal by Kevin Still, assisted by Connor Dempsey, and we were tied at 1-1. A sort time later, Michael Stein took a pass from Robert Villa and scored to once again put the Panthers ahead 2-1. But in the waning momnets of the first period, the Avalanche would strike twice as Tyler Hardgrove would notch his first two of the game on goals assisted by Jack Minishak and Michael Quense, and the surprising Avalanche had themselves a 3-2 halftime lead. In the second half, Tyler Hardgrove really ramped up the pressure on the Panthers by scoring yet another 2 more goals, and suddenly the Avalanche had a 3 goal lead at 5-2. But the Panthers were not done by anay means. Michael Stein took a pass from John Hansell, and with 14:50 left in the second half, the Panthers cut the Avalanche lead to 5-3. Michael Stein was not done, as he would complete his hat trick by scoring once again on a pass from Robert Villa with 9:31 left, and suddenly the Avalanche lead was back down to one goal. The last 9 minutes of the game was a real battle between the two teams, as the Avalanche, led by goalie Kyle Mas tried to shut the door and protect a one goal lead. Panthers goalie, Dov Landau, was also equal to the task, as he would not allow any further goals for the rest of the game, as his team tried to equal the score. But the Avalanche D would prevail as they held off a furious attack to preserve the 5-4 victory, in a stunning upset of the previously unbeaten Panthers. What a real miracle finish it was for the Avalanche, who had only manged one victory during the regular season. The entire team mobbed their goalie and a big celebration took place, as the Avalanche complted their miracle run. What a great and exciting Spring 2009 playoffs and regular season for our U13 Division!!

First Round

Walls & Doors Blackhawks 5, Event Capital Ducks 2

Blackhawks Goals: Dillon Robinson (3), Luke Rizzoli, Owen Whitley. Assists: Buek Forrest, Luke Rizzoli, Dillon Robinson. Goalie: Evan Regan. 

Ducks Goals: Ben Neri, Chris Lubrano. Assists: Mark Switzer, Ben Neri. Goalie: Travis Page.

Falcon Safety Products Avalanche 5, Geico Phantoms 4

Avalanche Goals: Tyler Hardgrove (4), Connor Dempsey. Assists: Tyler Hardgrove. Goalie: Kyle Mas.

Phantoms Goals: Sam Shapiro (2), Kevin Greenman, Aakash Ghandhi. Assists: Kevin Greenman (3), Jason Malat, Jenny Hansell. Goalie: Christian Departo.

Second Round

Krutis Excavating Panthers 5, Walls & Doors Blackhawks 3

Panthers Goals: Robert Villa (2), Aaron Standish, Joey McNulty, Michael Stein. Assists: Michael Stein, Chris Villa, Becky Turlip. Goalie: Dov Landau

Blackhawks Goals: Dillon Robinson (2), Buek Forrest. Assists: Buek Forrest (2), Dillon Robinson, Luke Rizzoli, Owen Whitley. Goalie: Evan Regan

Falcon Safety Products Avalanche 6, Metro Wire Rope Titans 3

Avalanche Goals: Jack Minishak (2), Tyler Hardgrove (2), Michael Quense, Connor Dempsey. Assists: Tyler Hardgrove (4), Jack Minishak, Michael Quense. Goalie: Kyle Mas.

Titans Goals: Jaysen Correa (2), Daniel Buccino. Assists: None. Goalie: John Carl Gibbons.

3rd Place Game

Metro Wire Rope Titans 4, Walls & Doors Blackhawks 3 (OT-Shootout)

Titans Goals: Derek Siegal (2), Jaysen Correa. Shootout Goals: Daniel Buccino. Assists: Eric Harding (2), Daniel Buccino. Goalie: John Carl Gibbons.

Blackhawks Goals: Justin Scalera, Buek Forrest, Luke Rizzoli. Shootout Goals: None. Assists: Dillon Robinson, Owen Whitley. Goalie: Evan Regan.

Championship Game

Falcon Safety Products Avalanche 5, Krutis Excavating Panthers 4

Avalanche Goals: Tyler Hardgrove (4), Kevin Still. Assists: Connor Dempsey, Jack Minishak, Michael Quense. Goalie: Kyle Mas.

Panthers Goals: Michael Stein (2), Robert Villa. Assists: Robert Villa (2), John Hansell. Goalie: Dov Landau

Our U17 Division had 6 very tough teams that battled fiercely through the regular season, setting up what would be an equally tough Spring 09 playoffs. In Round one action, the regular season 4th place Watchung Fire Dept. River Rats faced off against the fifth place D & M Trophies Chiefs. The River Rats would get early goals from Justin McMahon and Farris Ghanin for a 2-0 rats lead. The Chiefs would cut the lead in half though, as Andrew Todtenkopf scored to make it a 2-1 game. Bryan Serge got another one for the River Rats before the end of the half, and the Rats were up at halftime by a 3-1 score. Georgie Margelis would open the scoring in the second half to extend the Rats lead to 4-1, but the Chiefs would get one back on a goal by Patrick Purcell to make it a 4-2 game. The Rats would widen their lead though, on goals by Justin McMahon and Bryan Serge, to post a 6-2 lead. Andrew Todtenkopf would get one back for the Chiefs, but the River Rats were triumphant at the end by a 6-3 score. Assists in the game went to the Rats' Brendan Farrell, who had 2, Corey Paltjon and Justin Capella, while Chiefs assists went to Julian DeOliveira and Matt Todtenkopf. The other First Round Game featured the third place Oksenhorn Jewelers Mudcats vs the sixth place Atlantic Fence Surfin' Birds. The Surfin' Birds would take advantage of a depleted Mudcats team by scoring 3 first half goals, two by Michael Lester and one by Logan Green for a 3-0 halftime lead. Early in the second half, Anthony Lubrano put another one in the net for the Surfin' Birds for a 4-0 lead, but the Mudcats would not die, as they mounted a furious comeback, getting goals from Peter Chang and Chris Lubrano, cutting the Surfin Birds lead in half, making it a 4-2 game. With 8:42 left, it got even more interesting, as Peter Chang scored yet again, and suddenly the lead was down to 4-3. That set up a furious defensive struggle down the stretch, as both goalies, Alexander Nieliwocki of the Mudcats and Steven Isaacs of the Surfin' Birds shut the door on any further scoring. Final score: Surfin' Birds 4, Mudcats 3. Assists in the game went to Damien Quense, Ryan Oksenhorn, and Chris Lubrano of the Mudcats and Andrew Brucker, Jason Stupay, and Josh Katzen, who had 3, of the Surfin' Birds.

In Second Round action, The first place Just Hockey Devils faced the Surfin' Birds. The Devils were trying to keep their unbeaten streak alive, as they had gone 10-0-0 in the regular season. They would get on the board first, on a goal by Nick Perrette for a 1-0 Devils lead. That's how the game stood for much of the first half, as the goalies, Laura Sammon of the Devils and Steven Isaacs of the Surfin' Birds, keep the goal scorers at bay. Finally though, the Devils would break the ice and extend their lead to 2-0 on a goal by Jimmy Sammon. Michael Lester would get one back for the Surfin' Birds early in the second half, and once again it was a one goal game, with the Devils ahead 2-1. Afew minutes later though, Vinny Martin would give the Devils their two goal lead back as he scored to make it a 3-1 game. That was it for the scoring basically for the rest of the game, as the defenses and goalies continued to be superb. Nick Martin added an empty net goal in the closing minute of the game, and the Devils advanced to the Championship round with a 4-1 victory. Assists for the Devils went to Patrick Sammon and Vinny Martin, who both had two assists in the game. Logan Green got the lone Surfin' Birds assist. In the other second round game, the regular season second place Hockey Haus Rangers went head to head with the River Rats. This one was a real barn burner from the start and the River Rats' Georgie Margelis got the scoring started less than a minute into the contest, only to be answered right away by the Rangers' Frankie Buonvicino, and right off the bat we had a 1-1 tie. The Rangers then rallied for three unanswered goals, scored by Bailey Green, Scott Schwefringhaus, and Frankie Buonvicino for a seemingly safe 4-1 lead. But the River Rats staged a first half comback, as Georgie Margelis and Justin Capella scored goals to make it a 4-3 game at halftime in favor of the Rangers. Ther second half stayed at that same 4-3 score for the first 9 minutes, until Scott Schwefringhaus of the Rangers scored 2 unanswered goals for a 6-3 Ranger lead. As the game entered the last 6 minutes, Justin  Capella of the Rats and Frankie Buonvicino of the Rangers scored goals for their respective teams, and the score stood at 7-4 Rangers. The teams would trade goals again as Bailey Green scored for the Rangers and Brendan Farrell for the River Rats, for an 8-5 score. In the last couple of minutes, the teams would trade goals one last time, as the Rangers' Frankie Buonvicino scored his fourth of the game and the River Rats' Georgie Margelis scored in the last few seconds of the game. Final score: Rangers 9, River Rats 6.

The U17 3rd Place game unfortunately never took place, as rainouts and end of the season scheduling, along with our rink replacement project just did not allow us to get the game in, so the River Rats and Surfin' Birds were both awarded 3rd place trophies. The Championship Game, though, was another classic in league history featuring the unbeaten Devils trying to complete a perfect season, going again the Rangers, who only had 2 losses themselves during the regular season. It was the Rangers who got on the board first in this one, as Frankie Buonvicino scored 2 minutes into the game. The next goal would not be scored until halfway through the period, as the Devils' Patrick Sammon knotted the game at 1-1. Just a couple of minutes later the Devils wouild get another one, this time from Vinny Martin and suddenly this back and forth battle had the Devils leading 2-1. But just 3 minutes before the half ended the Rangers would get the equalizer on a goal by Anthony Parascondola, and the two teams went into halftime tied 2-2. Frankie Buonvicino would start the second period the way he strted the first, by scoring just a couple of minutes in, on a pass from Anthony Parascondola for a 3-2 Rangers lead. But this close game would not see anyone go up by more than one goal, as the Devils would tie the game at 3-3 with about 12 minutes left, on a goal by Nick Martin, assisted by Patrick Sammon. The game stayed very defensive, but down the stretch, both teams would take advantage of power plays and this factor would ultimately be an impact in the final outcome. With just 4:30 left in the game the Rangers would score on their power play chance, as Frankie Buonvicino completed his hat trick, set up on passes from Scott Schwefringhaus and Zach Iverson to stake the Rangers to a 4-3 lead. But with less than a minute to go, the Devils themselves went on the power play and took advantage, as Nick Perrete took a pass from Vinny Martin and Nick Martin and he scored with just 50 seconds left in the contest, tying the game at 4-4. That would appropriately send this game into overtime to decide the championship. The OT was also very defensive and it appeared we might be headed for a shootout, but with 1:39 left in the OT Vinny Martin made a perfect pass to Patrick Sammon waiting in front of the net and Patrick netted the game winner for the Devils, making them 5-4 victors of this thrilling game. They became only the second team in GBHC history to finish with a perfect record. The only other team that we're aware of that finished perfect was the Fall 2002 Predators, a team coached by Kevin O'Connor and Andrew Lorenc. What an exciting finish for our Spring 2009 U17 Division!!

Round 1

Atlantic Fence Surfin' Birds 4, Oksenhorn Jewelers Mudcats 3

Surfin' Birds Goals: Josh Katzen (3), Jason Stupay. Assists: Andrew Brucker. Goalie: Steven Isaacs.

Mudcats Goals: Peter Chang (2), Chris Lubrano. Assists: Damien Quense, Ryand Oksenhorn, Chris Lubrano. Goalie: Al Nieliwocki.

Watchung Fire Dept. River Rats 6, D & M Trophies Chiefs 3

River Rats Goals: Justin McMahon (2), Bryan Serge (2), Farris Ghanin,Georgie Margelis. Assists: Brendan Farrell (2), Corey Paltjon, Justin Capella. Goalie: Tyler Reedman.

Chiefs Goals: Andrew Todtenkopf (2), Patrick Purcell. Assists: Julian DeOliveira, Matt Todtenkopf. Goalie: Carlos Matos

Round 2

Just Hockey Devils 4, Atlantic Fence Surfin' Birds 1

Devils Goals: Nick Perrette, Jimmy Sammon, Vinny Martin, Nick Martin. Assists: Patrick Sammon (2), Vinny Martin (2). Goalie: Laura Sammon.

Surfin' Birds Goals: Michael Lester. Assists: Logan Green. Goalie: Steven Isaacs.

Hockey Haus Rangers 9, Watchung Fire Dept. River Rats 6

Rangers Goals: Frankie Buonvicino (4), Scott Schwefringhaus (3), Bailey Green (2). Assists: Anthony Parascondola (4), Frankie Buonvicino (2), Zach Iverson (2), Scott Schwefringhaus. Goalie: Nick Coco.

River Rats Goals: Georgie Margelis (2), Justin Capella (2), Brendan Farrell, Corey Paltjon. Assists: Georgie Margelis (2). Goalie: Tyler Reedman.

3rd Place Game

Cancelled due to rain. Both the River Rats and the Surfin Birds were awarded co-winners of the 3rd Place trophy. 

Championship Game

Just Hockey Devils 5, Hockey Haus Rangers 4 (OT)

Devils Goals: Patrick Sammon (2), Vinny Martin, Nick Martin, Nick Perrette. Assists: Vinny Martin (2), Patrick Sammon, Nick Martin. Goalie: Laura Sammon.

Rangers Goals: Frankie Buonvicino (3), Anthony Parascondola. Assists: Zach Iverson (2), Anthony Parascondola, Scott Schwefringhaus. Goalie: Nick Coco.