1/14-15/12 Jeff Musat Memorial Hockey Tournament
1/14/12 –Jackson vs. VASJ Vikings, Eastwood vs. North Royalton, VASJ Vikings vs. Eastwood
The Polar Bears hosted the tournament at Center Ice, seeking to defend their title from the past two years. The round-robin style tournament featured the Polar Bears, the VASJ Vikings from Euclid, the Eastwood Eagles from Toledo, and the North Royalton Bears from the NCHSHL. A point is awarded for each period and two points for the game for a total of 5 points per game.
The opening game of the tournament saw the Jackson Polar Bears skate against the VASJ Vikings. Matt McGervey backhanded a rebound of an Eric Jones shot with Alex Shepley also assisting with 12:20 left in the first period. Alex Shepley rounded out the scoring in the first with a goal assisted by Matt McGervey and Blake Youngblood with 4 minute left in the first.
The second period scoring started with Paul Wischt scoring 1 minute into the period with assists to Youngblood and Evan Fenstemaker. Nolan Jones followed 2 minutes later with a goal off the right post with assists to Shepley and Colby Hart. Three minutes later Adam Fratczak went high blocker side on a backhand for an unassisted goal. Then with 6:28 remaining in the period, Youngblood buried a one-timer from the slot on a feed from Beau Dent on a penalty kill. With 4:21 remaining in the period Fratczak scored again tapping in a pass from Austin Ahbe. Then Colby Hart scored a buzzer beater with 3 seconds remaining in the period, set up by Taylor Clendenin skating the puck through the entire team on a power play. With all this scoring, we can just mail in the results and take all 5 points?
That is what the Polar Bears thought, getting only 3 shots in a tense period. Then with less than a minute remaining, Fratczak skated down the left wing and buried it in the upper right on a feed from Shepley and Geoff Saltarelli back in our end. Alex Shepley received game MVP honors in the 4 point performance as the Polar Bears won 9 – 0 and took all 5 points with the solid goaltending and assist from Geoff Saltarelli (stopped all 9 shots in the shutout).
The second game of the tournament saw North Royalton best Eastwood by a score or 4 to 3 with North Royalton getting 4 points and Eastwood getting 1 point. This single point will make a difference late in the tourney.
In the third game of the tournament, Eastwood defeated the VASJ Vikings by a score of 5 to 2 with Eastwood taking all 5 points.
1/15/12 –Eastwood vs. Jackson, North Royalton vs. VASJ Vikings, Jackson vs. North Royalton
The Polar Bears faced off against Eastwood for the first game of the day. Nolan Jones started the scoring popping in a rebound with assists to Brandon Loader and Paul Wischt just 20 seconds into the game. That was the only score of the period. Adam Fratczak went top shelf short side on a give-and-go with Austin Ahbe and Beau Dent with 8:30 remaining in the second. Then Beau Dent went dipsy-doodle on a fake and go to the stick side with assists to Fratczak and Ahbe with 7:42 remaining in the period. Eric Jones scored the lone goal of the third period with assists to Nolan Jones and Adam Montague. The Polar Bears again took all 5 points in winning 4 to 0. He shutout was secured by Geoff Saltarelli (2nd shutout in as many days, stopping all 15 shots).
North Royalton shut out the VASJ Vikings 7 to 0 in taking all 5 points. With Jackson at 10 points and North Royalton at 9, the final game is winner take all!
The Polar Bears faced off against North Royalton in the final game with North Royalton drawing first blood on the power play with 4:35 left in the first. Beau Dent scored the lone goal of the second period (no he didn’t swim) with assists to Adam Fratczak and Alex Shepley. MVP Geoff Saltarelli was solid in the pipes stopping 11 of 12 in the 2-2 tie, and razor thin tournament victory.
Final Results:
1st Place: Jackson – 12 ½ points
2nd Place: N. Royalton – 11 ½ points
3rd Place: Eastwoood – 6 points
1/8/2012 – Jackson 7 – Wooster 1
The Wooster Generals hosted Polar Bears for an NCHSHL league match. The Polar Bears scored first with Matt McGervey sniping the top shelf with assists to Aaron Stover and Alex Shepley with 7:07 left in the first period. Eric Jones buried a short-handed goal with an assist to Matt Mayle to give the Polar Bears a 2-0 lead after the first period. Wooster scored a power play goal to cut the lead in half at the start of the second period. From there on out, it was all Polar Bears with Aaron Stover scoring with assists to Austin Ahbe and Matt McGervey. Then Eric Jones scored an unassisted goal. Aaron Stover scored the last goal of the second period with assists to Austin Ahbe and Matt McGervey to give the Bears a 5-1 lead. The third period showcased Colby Hart on a breakaway, beating the goalie to the top right on a penalty kill. Before the game was over, Blake Youngblood to the top left with assists to Alex Dent and Eric Jones. Geoff Saltarelli was nearly perfect, stopping 29 of 30 attempts by the Generals. The win improves the Polar Bears league record to 4-0.
1/7/2012 – Westlake 0 - Jackson 4
The Polar Bears hosted the Westlake Demons at Center Ice for a non-league match. The festivities included Senior Recognition for the seniors on the team. Seniors Aaron Stover, Paul Wischt, Matt McGervey, Nolan Jones, Taylor Clendenin, Colby Hart, and Alex Shepley and all their parents were honored at center ice. The night was also the First Annual “Pink the Rink” night hosted by the Jackson Local Schools Interact Club which raised awareness for breast cancer. The Polar Bears played in special pink jerseys that, according to more than one parent, had a “calming effect” on the Polar Bears. The Polar Bears set a “Lady Byng” record in receiving only one minor penalty for the entire game. Now to the play-by-play…
The game started slowly with the Demons netminder stoning the Polar Bears, saving all 16 shots fired at him in the first period. Senior Colby Hart was the first to crack the goaler, burying a rebound of a Senior Nolan Jones shot off a pass from Senior Paul Wischt with 8:38 remaining in the second period. Next was Adam Montague scoring on the blocker side off a Senior Matt McGervey centering pass that was started off by Senior Alex Shepley with 6:04 left in the second. Then with 3:54 remaining in the second, Senior Matt McGervey scored from the slot off a feed from Senior Aaron Stover. The Bears rounded out the scoring with 2:16 remaining in the second period with Adam Fratczak burying a rebound of a Senior Aaron Stover shot with a second assist to Senior Alex Shepley.
Polar Bear goaltending was stellar again recording the fifth shutout of the year in a combined effort with Geoff Saltarelli (first two periods) and Alex Bailey (final stanza).
Click here to go to the "Pink the Rink" website.
1/4/2012 – North Royalton 2 - Jackson 4
The Polar Bears hosted the North Royalton Bears at Center Ice for an NCHSHL league match. The Polar Bears played catch-up in the first two periods. Adam Fratczak went top shelf with assists to Colin McDevitt and Aaron Stover to knot the game at one in the first on a shortie. Beau Dent beat the goalie on the short side to tie the game at two after the second. Aaron Stover scored the go-ahead goal in the third, tapping in a rebound with assists to Fratczak and Matt McGervey. Then Adam Fratczak got the insurance goal with 3 minutes remaining, top shelf again, with an assist to Nick Barbieri. Goaltender Geoff Saltarelli got the win, saving 20 of 22, while the Polar Bears threw 39 shots at the opposing goaler. The Polar Bears record in league is perfect at 3-0, and their overall record is 16-3-1 for a 0.800 winning percentage.
Cleveland Heights Holiday Tournament 12/27 - 29/2011
The Polar Bears travelled to Cleveland Heights to participate in the Cleveland Heights Holiday Tournament. The Bears were without several regulars due to Christmas vacations.
12/27/11 Jackson 6 - Elyria Catholic 7
After an early EC goal, a Charlie Williams wrap-around assisted by Alex Dent knotted the game at 1 each. Then late in the first period, a goal by Matt McGervey with assists to Beau Dent and Aaron Stover followed by a Beau Dent tally assisted by McGervey and Stover gave the Bears a 3-1 lead. Second period penalty problems gave EC 3 unanswered power play goals to lead 4-3. However, tallies by Paul Wischt with assists from Colby Hart and Nolan Jones then Nolan Jones from Hart and Wischt within 20 seconds put the Bears up 5-4. A final tally by EC in the second period tied the game at 5. Goaltender Alex Bailey kept the Bears in it saving all 9 shots in the third (for 27 saves on 33 shots), however, with no third period scoring, the game went to a shootout. A single score in the shoot-out by Matt McGervey was not enough to win the match and the Bears were relegated to the consolation bracket.
12/28/11 Jackson 7 - Cleveland Heights 3
Austin Ahbe drew first blood scoring 6 minutes into the game with an assist to Beau Dent. After two Heights goals, Matt Mayle evened the score with Brandon Loader’s assist to end the first period tied at 2. Polar Bear tallies by Paul Wischt (assisted by Nolan Jones and Colby Hart) and Beau Dent (assisted by Matt McGervey and Austin Ahbe), both goals in the last minute of the second period gave the Bears a 4-2 lead. A score 30 seconds into the third period by Logan Clendenin (assisted by Alex Dent and Charlie Williams) was matched by Heights a minute later. But Adam Montague got into the action, scoring with a helper by Connor Danish, then Nolan Jones scored the final goal with 6 minutes left in the game. Netminder Alex Bailey stopped 11 of 14 in the win.
12/29/11 Jackson 5 - VASJ Vikings 0
The Bears shut-out the Vikings to take the Consolation Championship of the Tournament. Scoring was started in the first period with a blast from the point by Evan Fenstemaker with the assist from Paul Wischt. The Bears followed up with a power play goal by Paul Wischt with assists from Colby Hart and Aaron Stover. In the second period, the same line connected again with Aaron Stover scoring and Wischt and Hart assisting. This was followed by a short-handed, unassisted tally by Brandon Loader. The third period featured a Matt McGervey goal to seal the win with assists going to Beau Dent and Loader. Alex Bailey was solid between the pipes stopping all 7 attempts to record the Bears fourth shutout of the year. The trophy was hoisted and the Bears skated off the ice to celebrate.
12/21/2011 – Jackson 9 – Hoover Vikings 1
The Polar Bears faced the Hoover Vikings, a perennial foe, for local bragging rights. The Vikings drew first blood with a top shelf goal past netminder Geoff Saltarelli and took a 1-0 lead into the locker room. Although several Polar Bear parents questioned whether or not the goal was inside the pipes, it showed on the scoreboard anyways.
The 15 minute talk by the coaches must have inspired the Bears as they scored 9 unanswered goals in the second and third periods. The scoring was started with 12:29 remaining in the period with Eric Jones burying one assisted by Logan Clendenin and Matt McGervey. 22 seconds later Nolan Jones scored with assists to Austin Ahbe and Brandon Loader. Then 27 seconds later Adam Fratczak scored an unassisted goal. With 6 minutes to go in the second, Evan Fenstemaker scored from point on a pass from Colby Hart. Then with 8 seconds remaining in the period, Colby Hart scored with assists to Matt McGervey and Nolan Jones to take the 5-1 lead for another break. (Mr. Danish won the large chuck-a-puck payout with an undisputed toss inches from the target, way to go Bob!)
The third period was also tilted away from the Bears end starting with a score by Logan Clendenin assisted by McGervey and E.Jones with 12 minutes to go. Nolan Jones popped his second goal in with assists to Paul Wischt and Hart with 6:39 remaining. Then Matt McGervey scored, assisted by E. Jones. Adam Fratczak rounded out the scoring with an unassisted powerplay goal with 1:48 remaining for his second of the game. Netminder Geoff Saltarelli turned back 15 of 16 shots in the victory and gave the Polar Bears a 7-4 lifetime series lead over the Vikings.
12/18/2011 – Ft. LeBoeuf 3 – Jackson 7
The Polar Bears hosted the Ft. LeBoeuf Bisons from Erie, Pa at home at Center Ice. The Bears started slowly and found themselves trailing by a goal until Paul Wischt evened the score with 4:11 left in first, assisted by Nolan Jones and Colin McDevitt. Adam Fratczak put the Bears up 2-1 with a power play goal assisted by Nick Barbieri with 3 minutes left in the first period. The second period saw back and forth action until Brandon Loader lit the light with 1:14 remaining, assisted by Fratczak. Brandon Loader wasn’t done (2/3 of a natural hatty), scoring again 1 minute into the final stanza with assists to Nolan Jones and Colby Hart. Ft. LeBoeuf scored a goal that Beau Dent countered 18 seconds later with assists to Blake Youngblood and brother Alex Dent. After another Bisons goal, Eric Jones scored on a bang-bang play with assists to N. Jones and Paul Wischt. Then Blake Youngblood finished the scoring on an unassisted goal with 4 minutes remaining. The solid goaltending of Alex Bailey (9 of 10) and Andrew Saltarelli (9 of 11) sealed the win.
12/17/2011 – Jackson 7 – Rocky River 0
The Bears sledded up to Rocky River on a snowy night to face the Rocky River Buccaneers in a NCHSHL league match. The Buccaneers couldn’t handle the heat as the Bears shot on net 54 times in the game. First period goals were scored by Nolan Jones (Taylor Clendenin and Paul Wischt assisting) and Austin Ahbe (Beau Dent and Eric Jones assisting). Second period goals were scored by Eric Jones (Austin Ahbe and Beau Dent assisting) and Adam Montague (Nick Barbieri and Connor Danish assisting). Third period goals were scored by Aaron Stover (Brandon Loader and Adam Fratczak assisting), N. Jones again (Wischt and Colby Hart assisting) and Beau Dent (Alex Shepley assisting). Netminder Geoff Saltarelli was perfect, saving 13 of 13 for his third shutout of the year, giving the Bears a perfect 2-0 league record.
Columbus Overnight Away Weekend 12/10 - 11/2011
The Polar Bears travelled to Columbus to play 3 of the Columbus club hockey teams that they are likely to meet in this year’s Buckeye Cup.
12/10/11 Jackson 2 – Newark 1 In a “Thriller at the Chiller”, the Polar Bears faced off against the Newark Generals. Newark scored just 1:12 into the game and held the lead into the second period. A minute and a half into the second period, Matt McGervey evened things up with a powerplay goal assisted by Adam Fratczak. The game stayed tied at one each deep into the third period. With 1:50 remaining in the game, Nolan Jones streaked down the left wing and fired a blast to the upper right corner that rang the pipes throughout the arena. The referee signaled GOAL even though fans and players alike were not sure if it crossed the line. However, it is recorded as a shorthanded goal and the stingy netminding of goaltender Geoff Saltarelli secured the razor-thin victory in saving 21 of 22 shots.
12/11/11 Jackson 6 – Westerville 3 The next morning, the Polar Bears face the Westerville Warcats at the Columbus Fairgrounds Arena. The first period was tilted heavily toward the Bears with the Bears outshooting the Warcats 7 to 1 in the period. The seven shots produced 2 goals, the first by Adam Fratczak with an assist to Alex Shepley and the second by Colby Hart with an assist to Adam Fratczak. The second period was pretty evenly matched with each side getting 9 shots and each scoring two goals. Second period goals by Eric Jones (unassisted) and Adam Fratczak (assisted by Austin Ahbe) had the Polar Bears up 4-2. The third period was also pretty even with the Polar Bears scoring 2 while the Warcats could only get 1. Third period goals were scored by Evan Fenstemaker (assisted by Matt McGervey and Taylor Clendenin) and Paul Wischt (assisted by Nolan Jones). Netminder Geoff Saltarelli stopped 14 of 17 shots in securing the win.
12/11/11 Jackson 7 – Northeast Storm 2
The Polar Bears faced the Northeast Storm in the nightcap at the Columbus Fairgrounds Arena. The Polar Bears didn’t show any fatigue in scoring 3 goals in the first period. The first goal was scored by Adam Fratczak with assists to Nolan Jones and Paul Wischt. The second goal was on a power play, scored by Austin Ahbe with an assist to Nick Barbieri. The third goal had Paul Wischt tipping a blast from Blake Youngblood into the net to take a 3-1 lead in the game. The second period had the Bears scoring two unanswered goals, the first by Aaron Stover with assists to Alex Dent and Nick Barbieri and the second on the power play scored by Nolan Jones with assists to Paul Wischt and Matt Mayle. In the third period, Nolan Jones scored his second goal (unassisted) and Austin Ahbe scoring his second goal with assists to Brandon Loader and Beau Dent, while the Storm could only muster up a single tally. A combination of Alex Bailey and Andrew Saltarelli stopped 25 of 27 in the win.
2011-12 Season...
(Past season summaries are archived in My Site News.)
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