Day 2 Major Midget Atlantics

Torbay NL: The picture is starting to get a little clearer as to who the contenders are for this years Major Midget Atlantic Championships. The St. Johns Privateers claimed their spot in the gold medal game with a pair of wins and the Cornwall Thunder as well as the Host, St. Johns Maple Leafs, were eliminated from contention with a pair of losses.
In the morning game Newfoundland champion St. Johns Privateers did all their scoring in the first period en route to a 3-0 win over the Cornwall Thunder from PEI. Matt Jenkins earned the shut out and player of the game honors for St. Johns. Alex Kelly was in goal for Cornwall and Jake McKenna garnered player of the game status for the PEI squad. Newfoundland's point producers were led by Marcus Cuomo with a goal and an assist and Clark Bishop with 2 assists. Justin Walsh and Luke McGaw rounded out the goal scoring and Ben Cleary picked up a helper. With the win the Privateers improved to 2-0 and led the standings to this point.
New Brunswick's Moncton Flyers joined the Privateers atop the standings with a 5-1 victory over the Host St. Johns Maple Leafs. Connor Donaghey gave the host team an early lead with a goal just past the 5 minute mark of period 1. Cody Donaghey and player of the game Nathan Yetman had the assists on the play. Moncton's power play took over after that scoring 3 times and by the time the horn sounded to end the period it was 4-1. Scoring for Moncton was John Kelly, Matt Bernier, Thomas Mansbridge, Shane Dallaire and Alex Bradley. Dallaire and Bradley each added assists. Samuel LeBlanc 2, Kyle Beckwith, Lindon Beckwith, Luc Eagle and Zachery Smith also added helpers. Alex Bradley was named player of the game for the victors and Vincent Charest made 26 saves for the win. Losing goaltender Dylan Burry recorded 35 saves.
The supper time game featured must win situations for both participants. The Cornwall Thunder (0-2) and the Halifax Titans (0-1-1) squared off and the loser of the game was most definitely out of contention. After period 1 the teams found themselves deadlocked at 2, however the Titans scored 3 times in the middle frame to take a commanding lead. Cornwall was only able to muster 1 more goal in the third despite having several power play opportunities. Nova Scotia was led by player of the game John Mullaly and his 2 goals 2 assists. Ryan MacEachern 1&2 and Alex MacNeil 1&1 also had multiple point performances. Rounding out Halifax's scoring was John MacDonald with assists going to Brad MacEachern and Alex Hazelhurst. Cornwall's goals came from Zach Beaton (player of game), Logan Smallman and Benji Gaudet. Dakota Vessey and Willie Gaudet picked up assists. Mason MacDonald made 22 saves for the win and Grant Grady made 20 in the loss.
The two St. Johns teams squared off in the day's last match up. The Maple Leafs needed a win to stay alive, however the Privateers came out on top after a high scoring affair. The contest was a back and forth battle through two periods with each team holding the lead at least once. The Privateers started the third with a new goalie as Matt Jenkins replaced Cody Edwards. Jenkins and Maple Leafs goalie Josh Carey, made several big saves early in the frame but the Host team ran into penalty trouble at the end. Final score 7-5. The Privateers attack was led by player of the game Marcus Cuomo 2 goals 1 assists and Matt Kennedy 1&2. Nick Lindstrom 1&1, Peter Kavanagh 1&1, Clark Bishop 1&1 and Joey Trenholm added the other goals. Matthew Downer, Lee Dower and Luke McGaw with 2 and Justin Walsh picked up helpers. St. Johns Maple Leafs player of the game Kyle Tibbo scored twice and added an assist. Bradon Pye scored once and picked up 2 assists. Chris Mallard and Nathan Yetman finished out the goal scoring. Andrew Paul, Cody and Conner Donaghey picked up single assists. Privateers held and edge in shots 51-28.
Saturday's first game could decide the other participant in the gold medal game as New Brunswick and Nova Scotia meet at 9 am. The Moncton Flyers sit at 2-0 and with a win would tie the Privateers for top spot. The two would then face each other at 3:30. The only other game on the schedule is between PEI and the Host. Both teams would like to come away with at least 1 win.

Day 1 At Major Midget Atlantics

Torbay, NL: The first day towards crowning the Atlantic regions representative for the Telus Cup is in the books. 5 teams from around the region have converged on Torbay, Newfoundland including 2 from St. Johns. The Privateers claimed the Newfoundland title and the Maple Leafs are the Host. Cornwall Thunder from PEI, Moncton Flyers from New Brunswick and defending champion Halifax Titans from Nova Scotia are also in town.
In game 1 the 2011 Telus Cup host, St. Johns Privateers, jumped out to a 3-1 lead after the first period and held on for a 4-3 victory over the Halifax Titan. Luke McCaw and Marcus Cuomo both scored twice for the Privateers and assists went to Nick Lindstrom, Lee Dower, Dylan O'Leary, Joey Trenholm and Matthew Downer. Matt Jenkins was sensational in goal for St. Johns as they were out shot 43-30 by the Titan. John Mullaly, John MacDonald and Brad MacEachern found the back of the net for Halifax. Adding assists were Alex Hazelhurst, Alex MacNeil and MacEachern. Jacob Fancy suffered the loss. Nick Lindstrom from the Privateers was awarded the player of the game as was Alex Hazelhhurst from the Titans.
The second game of the day featured league rivals Cornwall Thunder and Moncton Flyers. Penalties proved to be the downfall to Cornwall as the Flyers held an advantage in shots, 33-15, and finished up with the advantage in score, 4-2. Stephen Johnson, Shane Dallaire, Samuel LeBlanc, and Lindon Beckwith (empty net) tallied for the victors, with helpers going to Luc Eagle, Alex Bradley, Shane MacDonald and Kyle Beckwith. Nathan Armstrong had a quiet game in goal on his way to the win. Zach Beaton and Jake McKenna provided goals for Cornwall with assists going to Jean-Marc Evans-Renaud, Logan Doiron, Benji Gaudet and Steffan Lapierre. Grant Grady was sensational in the Thunder goal.
The last game of the day ended in a dead heat between the Host team St. Johns Maple Leafs and the Halifax titans. Halifax scored a 4 on 4 goal just past the halfway point of the third period and then appeared to run out of gas after playing earlier in the day and the Maple Leafs were able to take advantage and even the score at 2. Scorers were not available.
All games can be seen live at www.bellaliant.net by clicking on the Major Midget Atlantics banner.

Matrix Repeat As Minor Midget Atlantic Champs

Dalhousie, NB: Prince Edward Island's Mid-Isle Matrix captured their second straight Atlantic Minor Midget Championship here on Sunday, defeating the Kenn Valley Spartans from New Brunswick 5-2.
Mid-Isle once again got off to a fast start as tournament MVP Tanner McGuigan scored a minute and 21 seconds into the opening period. Before the period was out Luke MacKay and Campbell Gallant also provided goals for the Matrix. A scary incident in the second brought play to a halt as Brendan Bonner was hit hard just inside the Mid-Isle blue line and had to be taking to hospital. Jeremy Parker put Kenn Valley on the board after play resumed and the second period finished with a 3-1 lead for PEI.
Dustin Dutcher scored early in the third to bring Kenn Valley within a goal, however Brad Power put and end to the comeback with 5 minutes remaining. Jonathan Richards added an empty net goal. Mid-Isle assists went to Richards, Ben Keefe, Spencer McAllister and Joel MacIsaac. Kenn Valley got helpers from Scott Lloyd, Jeremy Holmes and Curtis Hastings. Jordan Zember earned the win and Ryan Cormier the loss.
This marks the 4th year in a row PEI teams have claimed the Atlantic Title as the Charlottetown Abbies claimed the previous two before Mid-Isle's back to back wins. Next year's event will be hosted in Nova Scotia and Truro is a strong candidate to be the host team.
In Bronze Medal action The Truro Bearcats defeated Newfoundlands Tri-Pen Ice 6-3 on the strength of Kyle MacKenzie's hat trick. Jaeger Dean, Neil Smith and Zach Bates also added goals for Nova Scotia. Assists went to MacKenzie, Dean, Patrick McNuff with 2, Sander Manley with 2, Cole Baker and Brian Grue. Zachery King replied with a hat trick of his own for Tri-Pen. Assists went to Patrick Churchill 2, Spencer Norcott and Ryan Fillier. The tournaments top goalie, Jesse Lawrence, earned the Victory. Blake Smith took the loss.

Minor Midget Atlantics Day 3

Dalhousie, NB: The round robin portion of this years Atlantic minor midget championships is over and the teams fighting for medals have been decided. Saturday's first game determined who would move on to play the Kenn Valley Spartans (New Brunswick) for gold on Sunday. PEI and Newfoundland squared off bright and early and it was the Mid-Isle Matrix from PEI who squeaked out a 3-2 win. Tanner McGuigan scored in the first and second periods to give the Matrix a lead, however Tri-Pen Ice responded each time with goals by Anthony Nippard and Patrick Churchill. Seven minutes into the 3rd period Brian Kelly put the defending champs ahead for good as Tri-Pen couldn't find an answer. Assists for PEI were given to Campbell Gallant, Joel MacIsaac and Ben Keefe. Marcus Hollet and Zachery King picked up helpers for Newfoundland. Jordan Zember earned the win in goal. The player of the game awards were given to Tanner McGuigan (PEI) and goaltender Blake Smith (NFLD).
The second game of the day was to determine who would play Newfoundland for the Bronze Medal. Nova Scotia's Truro Bearcats faced off with the host team Northern Blackhawks. Both teams were looking for their first win of the weekend and it was the Bearcats coming out on top with a 3-0 victory. Dennis Nolan led the way with the shut out and Truro got goals from Jaeger Dean, Brendan Turner and Kenny MacInnes with assists to Cole Baker, Brian Grue, Patrick McNuff, Ben Lynds and Connor Lynds. Emile Boissonault tended the net for the Blackhawks. Nolan earned player of the game honors for Truro and Joey Morrison was chosen for the host team.
The Kenn Valley Spartans and Mid-Isle Matrix gave spectators a preview of tomorrows gold medal game as the took to the ice in the last game of the day. The PEI team jumped out to a 6-2 lead halfway through the game and NB replied with 2 before the end of the period, but they could not find the back of the net in the third as PEI's player of the game made several big saves in the period. Jonathan Richards 2, Campbell Gallant, Spencer McAllister, Luke MacKay, and Nick MacPhail scored the goals fro Mid-Isle. Blake MacKenzie, Ryan Murray and Brian Kelly picked up assists. Kenn Valley was led by player of the game Dustin Duthcer's goal and assist. Jeremy Parker had 3 points, all assits and Curtis Hastings had a pair. Rounding out the scoring was Devin Doucette, Andrew Downey and Ryan Burns 1&1.
Final Standings are Mid-Isle Matrix (PEI) 7 points, Kenn Valley Spartans (NB) 6 points, Truro Bearcats (NS) 4 points, Tri-Pen Ice (NFLD) 3 points and Northern Blackhawks (Host) with ) points. Player Awards were handed out at the tournament banquet on Saturday night. Top Scorer was New Brunswick's Dustin Duthcher, Most Sportsmanlike was Truro's Nathaniel Ledger, Also from Nova Scotia was Top Goaltender Jesse Lawrence. Top Forward Brendan Blanchette represents the Host Northern Blackhawks and Top Defenceman was Newfoundlands Marcus Hollett. Tournament MVP was Mid-Isle Matrix captain Tanner McGuigan.
Medal games are at 9 am (Bronze) and Noon (Gold) and both can bee seen live at www.bellaliant.net

Minor Midget Atlantics Day 2

Dalhousie, NB: Todays 4 games are in the books and the picture is starting to get a little clearer as to who will be competing for medals on Sunday. In the 10 am game Nova Scotia and New Brunswick renewed their league rivalry and it was a spirited third period come back by the Kenn Valley Spartans that left Nova Scotia win less after 2 games.
Truro carried a 3-1 lead into the third period, however New Brunswick scored 4 times to clinch a 5-3 win. Paul Gulliver got things started and Jacob Delaney tied the game just past the 7 minute mark of the 3rd. Devin Doucette scored the winner with 6 minutes remaining and sealed the victory with an empty netter. Curtis Hastings added the other tally. Assists for the Spartans went to Jeremy Parker 2, Devin Doucette 2, Paul Gulliver, Curtis Hastings, and Brayden Bedford. Ryan Cormier earned the win. Scoring for Truro was Cole Baker, Kyle MacKenzie and Kenny MacInnes. Assists were awarded to Patrick McNuff, Connor Lynds and Nathaniel Ledger. Nolan Dennis suffered the loss for Nova Scotia. Game MVP for Kenn Valley was Curtis Hastings and for Truro it was Cole Baker.
The 1 pm game saw defending champion Mid-Isle Matrix from Prince Edward Island, score early and Often. Defenceman Aaron Nunn scored 56 seconds into the game and Matt Dickieson scored just 8 seconds later to give the Matrix an early 2-0 lead over the host team Northern Blackhawks. By the time the buzzer went to end the period Mid-Isle had built a 7-1 lead and cruised to a 9-3 victory. Scorers for PEI were game MVP Luke MacKay 2&1, Jonathan Richards 1&2, Tanner McGuigan 1&1, Brad Power 1&1, Nunn, Dickieson, Spencer McAllister and Brian Kelly. SIngle helpers went to Joel MacIsaac, Campbell Gallant, and Ryan Murray. Brendan Blanchette with 2 and Cody Furlotte with 1 replied for the Blackhawks. Game MVP Charles Hache garnered the lone assist. Sean MacPhee (Matrix) and Emile Boissonault (Blackhawks) tended goal.
Todays 3rd game featured Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and a tightly contested game. After 60 minutes and a 5 minute overtime period the score was deadlocked at 1. Nicholas Hann scored for the Tri-Pen Ice assisted by Justin Abbott. Connor Lynds tied the game 5 and a half minutes into the second period for Truro with assists to Kenny MacInnes and Nathaniel Ledger. Jesse Lawrence earned his second straight 1-1 draw in goal for Nova Scotia and Blake Smith appeared in his first game of the tournament for Newfoundland. Game stars were Zach Bates for Nova Scotia and Anthony Nippard for Newfoundland.
The final game of the day featured NB representative Kenn Valley Spartans against the Host, Northern Blackhawks. Kenn valley came away with a 5-3 victory. Jacob king was the winning goaltender and Chris McCormack tended goal for Northern. Scoring was not available. Player of the game awards went to Jeremy Holmes from New Brunswick and Kelvin Jacques from Northern.
Tomorrow marks the final day of round robin play and sets up the medal games for Sunday. The first game of the day pits Team PEI vs Team Newfoundland with the winner moving on to face Kenn Valley (NB) for Gold. The Loser of the game will face the winner between Truro (NS) and the host (Northern) for Bronze. The final round robin game sees PEI's Mid-Isle Matrix play New Brunswick's Kenn Valley Spartans. The awards banquet is Saturday night at 7pm and Sundays bronze medal game is at 9 am followed by the gold medal game at noon.

Minor Midget Atlantics Day 1

Dalhousie, N.B. Day 1 of the 2012 Minor Midget AAA Atlantic Hockey Championship has come to a close. The day featured 2 overtime games and a third game that was tight until the third period.
In the first game New Brunswick squeaked a 2 -1 overtime win over the Newfoundland representative Tri-Pen Ice. Dustan Dutcher scored his second goal of the game halfway through the 5 minute overtime to earn the two points for the Kenn Valley Spartans. Both of Dutcher's goals were unassisted. Nicholas Hann scored late in the third for Tri-Pen to force the overtime session. The goal was assisted by Dakota Seaward. Ryan Cormier took the win in goal and Joshua Remedios the loss. Player of the game awards were presented too goaltender Ryan Cormier of New Brunswick and Dakota Seaward for Newfoundland.
In game 2, the gold medal and bronze medal winners from last year went toe to toe and solved nothing as the score remained tied 1-1 after the overtime period. The Truro Bearcats (Nova Scotia) scored first halfway through the first period on a goal by Nathaniel Ledger, no assist on the play. Defending champion Mid-Isle Matrix (PEI) replied a few minutes later as Jonathan Richards found the back of the net, assisted by Aaron Nunn. Goaltenders Jesse Lawrence (NS) and Jordan Zember (PEI) shut the door from there and each team had to settle for 1 point each. Truro's player of the game was Jesse Lawrence and Jonathan Richards was chosen for Mid-Isle.
After the opening ceremonies the Host team Northern Blackhawks took to the ice for their first game of the tournament. Tri-Pen Ice spoiled the evening as they left with a 7-4 victory. Marcus Hollet led the way offensively for Newfoundland as he recorded a hat trick and added an assist. Lucas Goobi chipped in with three helpers and Anthony Nippard had a goal and an assist. Rounding out the scoring for the Ice was Ryan Fillier, Colin Jackson and Zachery King. Single assists went to Blake Smith and Spencer Norcott. Replying for the Blackhawks was Brendan Blanchette with 1 goal and 1 assist, Cody Furlotte, Guillaume Benoit and Joey Morrison. Assists went to Kelvin Jacques Jr and Eric Fournier. Joshua Remidios was back in goal for Newfoundland and Chris McCormack for the Host team. Player of the game presentations were awarded to Tri-Pen Ice forward Nicholas Hann and Northern Forward Brendan Blanchette.
Four games are on tap for tomorrow starting at 10 am as Nova Scotia plays New Brunswick. PEI and the Host meet at 1pm followed by Nova Scotia and Newfoundland at 4 and New Brunswick and the Host at 7. All games can be seen live online at www.bellaliant.net

Minor Midget Atlantics Webcast

The 2012 Minor Midget AAA Atlantic Hockey Championships are being streamed live at click the banner at the top of the page and enjoy all the action from game 1 to the gold medal game.
Here is the schedule:

Thursday March 22nd 1pm: NFLD (Tri Pen Ice) vs. NB (Kenn Valley Spartans)
4pm: PEI (Mid-Isle Matrix) vs. NS (Truro Bearcats)
8pm: NFLD (Tri-Pen) vs. Host (Northern Blackhawks)

Friday March 23rd 10am: NS (Truro) vs. NB (Kenn Valley)
1pm: Host (Northern) vs. PEI (Mid-Isle)
4pm: NS (Truro) vs. NFLD (Tri-Pen)
7pm: NB (Kenn Valley) vs. Host (Northern)

Saturday March 24th 9am: PEI (Mid-Isle) vs. NFLD (Tri-Pen)
12pm: Host (Northern) vs. NS (Truro)
3pm: NB (Kenn Valley) vs. PEI (Mid-Isle)

Sunday March 25th 9am: 4th Place vs 3rd Place Bronze Medal
12pm 2nd Place vs. 1st Place Gold Medal

Hockey Sticks: Understanding Flex

         Having the right flex in your hockey stick is very important for achieving the desired velocity and control of your shot. Most people understand flex as whippy or stiff, but have a hard time figuring out what rating is right for them. Trial and error is usually the most common method of finding a proper stick, however as players grow and get stronger they may never find the best fit.

          Flex is the bending of the shaft when force is applied to it. The shaft of the stick acts as a spring during the shot, when the blade of the stick hits the ice just behind the puck the shaft bends and loads energy into it, just like compressing a spring (this is called loading). As the stick follows through the puck, the shaft goes from bending to straight very quickly, the same as a spring goes from compressed to straight. The result is the velocity and accuracy of the shot. Too much flex and the shot is very hard to control. If the shaft is too stiff the velocity of the shot diminishes.

          A low flex number has a softer shaft and the higher the number the stiffer the shaft. The most common flex ratings are as follows:

Youth          ->                40

Junior          ->                50
Mid/Intermediate ->           60-75

       Regular         ->                 85

          Stiff           ->                100

                                  Extra Stiff       ->                110

The youth and junior sticks are used by kids. Younger kids just starting to play the game would use the youth sticks and the more experienced kids would use the junior sticks. Mid to intermediate sticks are softer and used by smaller players for a quick release on their shot. Regular flex sticks are for average size players looking for more control at the expense of a little velocity. The stiff or extra stiff sticks are used by bigger and stronger players who cannot get any control with the lower flex sticks.

Zdeno Chara of the NHL’s Boston Bruins uses a custom made stick because of his height and strength. The Flex rating on his sticks is 160 and at the 2012 All-Star game he clocked a shot at 108.8 MPH to set a record for the event.

When trying to determine what flex you need in a stick, a simple test can be performed. Hold the stick in both hands with the blade on the floor. Apply moderate pressure with your lower hand to bend the shaft. The shaft should bend about 1 inch. During the shot the shaft will bend much more as the force applied will be greater.

Another factor about flex you need to be aware of is whether or not the stick needs to be cut to size. As the stick becomes shorter the flex rating will increase. Cutting 2 inches off the top of the stick will increase the flex approximately 6-8, 4 inches will increase flex 13-18 and 6 inches will increase flex 20-25. Some sticks will come with cut lines at the top of the shaft and will show what the flex rating would be if you cut the stick at that point.

The last thing a player needs to know about the flex of his stick is the kick point. The kick point is where on the shaft the flexing occurs. A mid kick point is higher up the stick, allowing greater loading and in turn increasing velocity. A low kick point is lower on the shaft and allows for quicker loading and a quicker release on your shot.

Keeping these points in mind the next time you are in the market for a new hockey stick, you should come away from the experience much more satisfied.

Minor Midget Atlantic Championships

Minor Midget Atlantic Championships

  Atlantic Canada's top Minor Midget AAA teams are set to converge on Dalhousie New Brunswick March 22nd to compete for the right to call themselves the regions best team. The Northern Blackhawks of the NB Midget AAA League are the host of this year's event being held at the Inch Arran Ice Palace from March 22 to March 25. The tournament will feature the provincial champions from the 4 Atlantic Provinces plus the host team playing a single round robin format with bronze and gold medal games on Sunday.

  The Kenn Valley Spartans were the last team to claim their spot at the event as they defeated the Saint John Phantoms 5-4 to claim New Brunswick's provincial title. Both Kenn Valley and Saint John went undefeated through the provincial tournament leading up to their clash in the final. The Spartans had a great year, finishing up with a 26-4 win-loss record during the regular season and were led by the high scoring of Paul Gulliver. Gulliver found the back of the net 46 times in league play and ended up with 95 points in 29 games. Secondary scoring came from Dustin Dutcher 35 goals, 54 points and Curtis Hastings 37 Assists, 52 points.

  2011 Atlantic bronze medallist Truro Bearcats, look to improve their result as they once again represent Nova Scotia. The Bearcats  are a tight defensive team as the 5 goals against in 6 games during the provincial tournament would indicate. Provincial MVP and top Defenceman Cole Baker is backed by 2 very good goaltenders, Jesse Lawrence and Dennis Nolan. Nolan pitched a 1-0 shut out in the championship game against the East Hants Penguins. Truro, who play in the New Brunswick league, finished at the top of the standings with a 27-2 record. Kenny MacInnis and Zack Bates led the Bearcats with 36 points during the regular season.

  Prince Edward Islands provincial champion Mid-Isle Matrix, just happens to also be the defending Atlantic Champions. The PEI League does not decide their champion by tournament format, instead a 3 round best of 5 playoff is used. The Matrix defeated the Pownal Red Devils 3 games to 1 to earn the right to defend their Atlantic crown. Mid-Isle has had a very successful season to this point with victories at the SPUD AAA tournament and the Truro preseason tournament as well as a runner up finish at the Monctonian. With a 26-2-2 record in league play, Mid-Isle is led by top scorers Jordan Mayhew 58 points in 30 games, Campbell Gallant and Jonathan Richards both with 49 points as well as playoff MVP Aaron Nunn.

  Newfoundland and Labrador will send 2011 Atlantic Championship host Tri-Pen Ice to Dalhousie. Tri-Pen, who had a rough tournament as host last year in Clarenville, earned their way with a 7-1 victory over last years Provincial Champion Central Thunder. St. John's is the only part of Newfoundland that has a Minor Midget AAA League, the rest of the Province puts together district teams such as Tri-Pen and Central, who compete in a Provincial tournament to earn a birth at the Atlantic's. Players on these teams play with their respective minor hockey association teams during the winter.

  The host team, Northern Blackhawks, are an expansion team in the New Brunswick league. The Blackhawks finished up with a 1-3 record at the provincial tournament, which they also hosted. The lone victory was a 5-1 decision over the West Kent Aces. With an 11-17-2 regular season record, Northern is led by leading scorer Cody Furlotte (48 points) and Brendan Blanchette (26 points).

  Three teams from the New Brunswick Midget AAA League and the Newfoundland representative look to end Prince Edward Island's 3 year reign as the Atlantic Champions (Charlottetown Abbies won in 2009 & 2010). Mid-Isle appears to be the pre-tournament favorite, however anything can happen in an event of this nature. One thing is for certain, Dalhousie will be home to some great hockey action over the 4 days concluding with the gold medal game on Sunday at noon.