Fall 2012 AMHL Championship Week Roundup

Tuesday, December 18

Flyers vs. Penguins

Concord, MA

As Tonawanda (NY) residents watch (via satellite and streaming Internet) the AMHL Tuesday Championship game, referee Peter Bagley announces the return to five-on-five play in the third period. “All even!” he yells to the Flyers and Penguins, the teams tied at two goals.
 

Tonawanda native Mike Moore eludes two Penguins

Bereft of their beloved Buffalo Sabres, the good citizens of Tonawanda are on their feet to watch their native son, AMHL Flyers defenseman Mike Moore. Will Mikey, they wonder, be able to repeat his spectacular performance in the 2012 Summer Championship?

Moore played his youth hockey way back when Brighton Arena (where he says “the Moore brothers never learned how to backcheck”) didn’t have a roof. He later attended Kenmore East High School (2011-2012 Division II state hockey champs) and worked at Ted’s (Mike recommends the footlong  dog, toasted bun, with everything on it.)

Fast forward to Overtime, the Flyers and Penguins still tied, 2 –2. 

Moore strides forward—skating right to left across your AMHL Internet— cradling the puck and circumnavigating would-be defenders. A left-handed shooter, he arrives in enemy territory and skates below the right face-off circle. Backhand…goal!

Sweet victory for the Flyers, who win the donut-studded Koffey Cup, and fans in Upstate New York, who “head to Ted’s” (and then Paula’s Donuts).

Wednesday, December 19 
Sharks vs. Sabres
Concord, MA

Mike Moore doesn’t play on Wednesdays, but Tonawanderers have traversed the Internet again in search of Sabres hockey. They find the AMHL Wednesday Sabres, who eked out a penalty-filled 2 –1 victory last week against the Rangers, struggling to land shots on Sharks netminder Chris Bade. 

The Sharks, who endured a seven-game mid-season losing streak, are riding hot goaltending and a three-game winning streak.

Chris Bade: All the Big Stops

 

Bade watches his offense-generating players, like defenseman Larry Brown, block shots. Up 3–0 in the second period and the Sabres shooting right to left across your Internet connection, Sharks forward  Rob Witty—a goal-per-game guy—takes one for the team.

In the third period and the Sharks nursing a shut-out, Tony “Sharkie” Psikarakis slides and sweeps the puck from a Sabre’s stick.

The Sabres score twice, though, and Tonawanda is all atwitter.

But Bade and company return to form and put the kibosh on a second celebration in Greater Buffalo. 

Sharkie credits his goalie, saying that Bade “made all the big stops.”

Thursday, December 20
Avalanche vs. Panthers

Concord, MA

Moore is playing on Thursday, for the AMHL  Bruins.  When the folks in Erie County learn Moore is on Rink Two, however, they are not consoled. South Jersey, though, is thrilled to witness one of its own playing for the Koffey Cup.

We join Brent Delehey  and his Panthers against the Avs. Delehey, a Bobby Clark fan if ever there was one, is amped up (after the game, he'll  say his increased intensity may have been caused by the two Aleves he took earlier this morning.) The most likely reason for his elevated compete level is not naproxen but rather that his eldest two sons, Jack and Kevin, are home from college.

The boys watch, from the stands behind the goal in the west end, as their dad wreaks havoc on the Avs.  Delehey is credited with two goals in the first period, and the Panthers lead, 5–3, in the second stanza.


Delehey shoves an Av in front of the players’ bench.  Merry Christmas from Bobby Clark.

“Geez,” one of the boys says as their feisty father skates to the sin bin, “Dad really took that guy out.”

The Panthers kill the penalty, and Delehey (whose nickname in college was “Brr”) is a free man.

Panthers Center Brent Delehey: Channeling His Inner Bobby Clark

To the third period, the Panthers ahead  5–4 and skating far end to near end, Brr plants himself in front of the Avalanche’s crease.  Teammate Paul Nelson shoots. Jack and Kevin watch as the puck deflects off their dad’s skate—and then trickles… over the goal line.

The college kids rise to their feet, applauding and hooting.

Delehey glances upward and flashes a wild child-like grin, not yet knowing that he will spend another two minutes in the penalty box, that the Avs would score on the power play…or that Panthers goalie Anthony Bonfiglio will save the day for the Deleheys, the AMHL Panthers, and all those Philly Flyers fans in the Garden  State.

Friday, December 21

Hawks vs. Whalers

Concord, MA

“It wasn’t our season,” says Moore, after yet another consolation game, this time playing for the Kings. The Royals lost last week to the Whalers, who advanced to play the Hawks.

We rewind the championship game to the second period and the Hawks winning, 5–2.  

Mike Travalent, who netted a hat trick last week against the Stars, shoots low and just inside the post to bolster the lead.

“Wear ‘em down, guys,” a Hawks bench jockey bellows, “Wear ‘em down.”

Neither team scores another goal in the second period, but the Hawks—comprised of several Stow (MA) residents,  score three more in the third to win going away, 9–3.

With that, the AMHL media wishes everyone—from Upstate New York to South Jersey to Middlesex County, MA— safe travels, a joyous Christmas, and happy New Year.



AMHL Wednesday Championship: Canadiens vs. Sabres

Fluto Shinzawa isn't available to blog the live updates, so yours truly has the honors of broadcasting, for the first-ever by blogging live, an AMHL Championship.

The Canadiens, who stunned the Rangers last week lead the Sabres, who pulled off a mild upset over the Sharks, 3-0 with two minutes left in the second period.

Sabres on the power play...Mike Statkus on a breakaway...denied by Hab netminder Ron Chin.

3-0 after two. PJ Mann in nets for the Sabres, has made several stand-out saves, but the Habs have had way too many chances.

Five minutes into the third, Habs on the attack again. Warren "Downtown" Brown has a chance, but Mann makes the save.

Gilbert Cote--not a fan of les habitents de Montreal--is wearing the blue, blanc et rouge. Numero (sorry, no French characters available while blogging live) Deux and jousts with a Sabre.

Ten minutes to go, Warren Brown lies, left to right/skates to helmet across the Sabre's crease, and lifts a shot--over the goal.

6:20 on the clock...the Canadien's leading scorer George Levoy, who netted the OT winner last week, passes to the high slot. Brown shoots...blocker save by PJ Mann.

About five minutes left, Sabre Larry Brown passes back to to the point. Shot is blocked. Levoy on a breakaway, goes low glove side to score.

AMHL Championship Week: A Week for the Ages, Part I

Before the fall season is in full swing, let’s reminisce about mid-August, when AMHLers, ages 18ish to 60ish—from the teen scene to the AARP crowd—proved that, in the words of an NHL initiative, hockey is for everyone.

Tuesday, August 16
Concord, MA
Flyers vs. Blues

“C’mon, Brian,” Flyer defenseman Mike DeLeo yells encouragement to his goalie, Brian Monahan. The Flyers and Blues, tied at six late in the third period, prepare for a face-off in the Flyers’ zone.

Monahan, who surrendered six goals in the first two periods, has been standing tall this period. His son, AMHL rookie and fellow Flyer Daniel, watches as his dad, who has been in the league since its inception in 1998, dig his blades into the crease and then step forward to greet another AMHL regular. The fabled “Peterborough Pete” Kokas is unguarded and poised to shoot from the slot. Kokas, perhaps focused on the five-hole, fires—and watches Monahan, a classic stand-up goalie, snare the puck, wedged between his leg pads.

“Woo!” the ever-ebullient DeLeo exclaims.

Less than a minute later, Tuesday rookie Marc Vallee—who toiled in la ligue mercredi for twos season before he was called-up—skates with the puck, deep into Blues’ territory. In the face-off circle to Cook’s right, Vallee launches a rocket; the puck rises toward the top corner, over Cook’s glove, and then bulges the twine. Six au cinq, les Flyers.

During an AMHL-TV timeout, Monahan mimics the monolithic Montreal Canadien, Ken Dryden. Unlike Dryden, whose goalie stick was perpendicular to the ice as leaned on its handle, Monahan’s stick juts out at a forty-five degree angle, in perpetual poke-check position.

As Dryden perhaps gleaned material to include in his book, Monahan may be pondering his next save. Or maybe he’s reflecting on this season spent playing hockey with his Daniel.

The father will share, by e-mail, his thoughts about his son’s first AMHL campaign. “I think he gets the game, likes the action and was never big on hitting so (the AMHL is) a perfect place for him. Frankly sometimes his passes were what I admired the most and I was glad to see his points are lots of assists. Plus I think he has a nice shot. The guys on this team were just great with him which I appreciated too. Maybe the highlight was his two goals against Dana (Salvo) and crew including I think a tip-in either in the last minute or OT – I don’t recall.”

The Flyers don’t need OT to defeat the Blues, as Monahan’s goaltending stands up (and another goal from Vallee doesn’t hurt).

The Monahans mingle with the Koffee Cup and then skate toward the locker room.

Before Mike DeLeo follows them into the room where the revelry will continue, he says of his goalie’s performance, “two weeks in a row, he’s been standing on his head.”


Wednesday August 17
Concord, MA
Rangers vs. Sabres


Late in the first period, Mike DeLeo, now wearing his Ranger whites, works the d.-to-d. passing with Mike Gardner. The two longtime AMHLers help advance the puck up-ice to their forwards. The Rangers have dominated the Sabres thus far and lead, late in the first period, 3–0.

The crowd, all three youngsters (if two’s company, three’s a crowd, eh?) are fidgety, not for fear that their dad (Ranger forward “Grinder Greg” Longtine) and the Rangers will squander the lead, but because they’re, well, wee ones hopped-up on the donuts they scored from the donut room.

Baby-faced Ranger goalie Tyler Boudreau (pictured above), the only apparent twenty-something on the ice, has stopped every shot so far. Subbing for Bobby Kilkenny, Boudreau watches the second period action: The Rangers, led by fervent forechecker Warren Brown and bolstered by DeLeo and Gardner’s steady backline presence, continue to control the puck.

But Boudreau is called upon when the defense falters, when Sabre forward Paul Anastas robs the puck from DeLeo along the back boards. Anastas skates behind the net and then attempts a stick-side wrap-around. Boudreau is quick as a chipmunk, though, and stymies the sneaky Anastas.

In the third period, the Rangers ahead 5–0, a shutout is all but a forgone conclusion—until Anastas finally beats Boudreau, who seemed to have been screened on the shot.

The Ranger rookie allows just the one goal en route to his first Koffey Cup, and DeLeo earns his second title—this week.

Stay tuned for Part II

Meet the Muppets: Brought to You by the Letter B

Hello hello, hockey fans. Jack “Guy Smiley” Edwards—New England’s favorite hockey host—here. How are ya? Great, good to have you here in the Sesame Street Studio for another segment of Meet the Muppets, er, Boston Bruins. We’ve got a half dozen of them for you. But first, here’s Rene Rancourt to sing the “Sesame Street Anthem”. Take it away, Rene.

“Sunny day, sweepin’ the clouds away...A-OK…where the air is sweet…can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?”

Merci Rene. Our guests are eager to get started, so away we go. Up first is Shawn “Cookie Monster” Thornton. You may all know him as the fist-flailing forward, but he likes to shoot that puck too, eh? Scoring goals is more fun than a box of chocolate chip cookies, right Shawnie?

Everyone wants to get their cookies, Guy.

Ok, folks. Next up is Marc “Elmo” Savard. He’s cute and cuddly and likes to pass the puck on the power play. Unfortunately, he has a broken foot, so we won’t see him on the ice for another month. He has been, well not his usual chipper self because his misses his teammate. How are you feeling today, Elmo?

Elmo needs a hug.

Good luck with that, Elmo. So, moving right along to Andrew “Kermit” Ference, who sometimes goes by Andrew “Inter” Ference. Hi ho, a little two-minute, sin-bin humor for you folks. But seriously, Andy is a dependable defenseman who rarely makes a bad pass and who loves to hop up into the play. Hey Andy, we also really appreciate how you love the environment.

Well, you know, it’s not easy being green.

Well said. Thank you, Andrew. Alright then, our next guest comes all the way from Transylvania, er, I mean Trencin, Slovakia. He is none other then Zdeno “Count” Chara. Nice goal last night against the Sabres. By the way, how tall are you?

One, two, three, four, five, six feet and one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine inches tall. Ah. Ah. Chara!

Thanks a million, Count. Okay then, time to introduce our next guest, who is not happy to be here and has refused to answer any questions. Milan “the Grouch” Lucic. His right index finger is, uh, trashed, so he’s a little surly. But come to think of it, that’s the way he plays. We wouldn’t want him any other way now, would we?

So on to our last guest, Tim “Grover” Thomas. Mr. Vezina. Mr. Happy-go-lucky. Mr. Go-with-the flow. He’s all over the place—from near…or far—he stretches and slides, he flops with flair to pull pucks from the air. Save by Thomas! Oh, Super Grover!

Well, we’re just about out of time folks—and my limo is waiting for me—so thanks for joining me on this special anniversary show. Wow, forty years of Sesame Street. And I still look great! But boy oh boy, before we go, a special shout out to Big Bird, who was stuck on Broad Street and couldn’t join the audience. And special thanks to the fans who did make it and to our sponsors: Matt Hunwick and the letter B.

AMHL Wednesday: "Rock On"

A couple of weeks ago, I bailed on my players. I didn’t show up to coach the game against the Rangers because, the night before, I was at Great Woods for the Cheap Trick/Poison/Def Leppard concert.

Turns out my Sharks didn’t need me; they beat the Blueshirts. But I still feel I owe them something. Here, then, is a recap of the following week’s game, as I insert as many song titles from the triumvirate of bands.

Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Rink One
Sharks vs. Sabres

Without frontman Tim “I Want You to Want Me” Donahue and with only seven skaters, the Sharks will need a resounding effort from the less heralded band members.

Like Jonathon “the Flame” Corke, who scorches the Sabre goalie to give the Sharks an early lead.

The AMHL “Photograph (picture of)” Photographer, who attended the concert with the Sharks’ coach, continues to track the action. She won’t capture any more goals this period, though, because both goalies are giving their teams “Something to Believe In.”

1–0 after one. Still a “Long Long Way to Go”.

Midway into the second period, French Canadian Marc “Rocket” Vallee (pictured above against the Habs in June) scores with a blistering backhand (Well, not so much a blast as it was a trickle: “Just a bad backhand,” says Vallee. “Slid really slowly.”)

During the intermission, with the Sharks still up 2–0, Vallee urges his teammates to make shorter passes and to play the man against the Sabres’ young guns.

The Sharks heed his counsel but cannot score. The Sabres have fresher legs, too. Resting between shifts, Shark forward Jim “Nothing But a Good Time” Morgan acknowledges that he imbibed “too much Fourth of July gin.”

The Sharks have no tonic for tired and are falling out of position, often “Two Steps Behind” the Sabres. Shark d-man Andy Fox is whistled for tripping.

Team Teal kills the penalty but the Black and Pink will not Surrender. Time out.

At the Sharks’ bench, forward Steve “Rock Star” Basile says he wants to hang high—center stage—so he can score an empty-net goal.

Defense first, says Vallee.

Kate “Comin’ Under Fire” Fallon’s shutout is spoiled—a Scott Keith slapshot high glove side—but the Sharks prevail. Oh well, “Every Rose Has its Thorn”.

After a shower, Shark forward Mike “Pour Some Sugar on Me” Statkus is ready to celebrate the 2–1 victory. “Time for a donut,” he says as he exits the locker room en route for the (Songs from) the Sparkle Lounge.

Thank you. Good night. “Rock on”.

Off the Shelf, Part I: No Crying in Hockey

“There’s no crying in hockey,” the AMHL Photographer (also my wife), says to me as the AMHL Canadiens and Rangers play on Rink One.

She’s glad I’m coaching the Sharks—who sunk the Sabres in this morning’s first game—but is tired of me whining and pining to play again. It pains her to watch me nurse a groin injury that has kept me "On the Shelf" since early September.

Next week is Spring Break, so the Sharks will be short-handed. Instead of eleven skaters, we’ll have six or seven. So my "Over-sized Mites" are all but begging me to play the Canadiens next week.

The AMHL Photographer, who hasn’t taken an action picture of me since the second game of last season, likes me more as a player than a coach. (She jokes that she’s like Ricky Bobby’s wife, who, in Talladega Nights, deserts her husband because he’s lost his mojo as a NASCAR driver). Although she’d love it if I were playing, she doesn’t want to hear me boo-hooing if I hoick my groin again.

Adductor longus and its afflicted neighbors: this region of my left leg and abdomen is my Middle East. Just when I think peace might have a chance, hostilities flare. I have more questions than answers, too. What about acupuncture? How long is this going to take? Should I wait until I’m 100% pain-free before skating? I’ve heard everything from “don’t aggravate it” to “skate it off, wussy.”

An orthopedic surgeon has advised me to risk minor setbacks. I won’t know if the injury is healing until press the boundaries. He suggested I start skating before games again, and then go from there.

He didn’t clear me to play but didn’t forbid it either. So I’m taking it day by day.


By Friday morning, the discomfort prompted by Wednesday morning’s pre-game skate has dissipated but has not vanished. Shake and bake, baby; I’m going to give pick-up hockey a go.

Paul “Cadillac”Anastas drives me to the rink, where I reacquaint myself with playing hockey. I forgot my gloves at home, so I borrow his two-tone black and blue backup pair.

An hour later—after all the welcome-backs, a goal, a giveaway in my own zone—sweat drips from my hair and stings my eyes. I love it. I missed it.

“How’s it feel?” my hockey brethren ask about the groin.

Tender, I say as I ice the Gaza Strip. But I m more concerned about how I’ll feel in a day or two. Will this morning’s workout catch up with me this weekend?

Back at home, I call the AMHL Photographer, who made a surprise visit to the rink to watch for a few minutes and is now at work. I tell her how happy I am to be back in the game—at least for today, anyway—and am overcome with gratefulness. I thank her for her patience. “I’m moisting up, gotta go,” I conclude.

Who says there’s no crying in hockey?

Stay tuned for Part II, when—hockey gods willing—I transform my title of coach to player/coach.

AMHL Wednesday: French Connection

February 18, 2009
Concord, MA

“Sheel-BEAR,” I say to Gil Cote, who’s skating toward the bench, which has been my coaching perch for the last six weeks.

“Ça va?” the Shark defenseman asks me.

“Ça va,” I reply.

It—our season—is going well. We’re undefeated heading into this morning’s tilt against Les Habitants.

We’re tied 1–1 in the first period—Sharks skating left to right across your AMHL audio device—when Gil embarks on a partial breakaway. He’s just left of center and making a beeline for the goalie. A right-handed shooter, Cote sells the forehand—and then roofs a backhander, à la David Krejci’s goal last night for the Boston Bruins.

But Gil’s primary contribution this season has been his solid defense: blocking shots and swatting pucks clear of opponents’ sticks. In the second period, Cote skates backwards into the near circle. He waits for the stickhandler to approach and then, with Gil’s left hand on the top of his own stick, sweeps left to dislodge the puck from the confounded Canadien.

In the third period, the Bleu, Blanc, et Rouge score two goals in the final few minutes, but by then Cote and company have already scored five.

After the 5–3 victory and then the post-game discussion (and half a bagel), I follow Paul Anastas (my chauffer) to the parking lot. I look right and notice a player whose name I don’t know and with whom I’ve never spoken.

“Are you Canadian?” I ask the man of slender build and who’s wearing sleek eyeglasses.

Marc Valle says he is from Montreal. He’s a little hobbled from a puck that struck him in the foot. Excellent, another shot-blocker.

I hand him my business card (which my wife/AMHL Photographer designed: a donut pictured above text describing me as a hockey player and creative thinker) and then walk toward my chauffeur’s vehicle.

I knew he was Canadian, I say to Paul, and then wonder out loud if AMHL management might someday pair Gil Cote and Marc Valle (and a player to be named later: Rick Martin or Rene Robert?) to create our own version of the French Connection.

Bruins Recap: Fours

The Boston Bruins are back on Beantown’s sports radar, and I’m back to blogging about them here. Every week, I’ll expand upon the commentary I and other hard-core fans have made at HFBoards and on the New England Hockey Journal Radio Show (NEHJRS).

The secret to the Black and Gold’s success is not the nifty new third sweater design but rather balance. Everyone is contributing, so the team can roll all four lines. So with that in mind, I’ll keep these four shifts short:

4 Even before Saturday night’s 4–1 win over the Wings, the Bruins—with their 15–4–0-4 record, were earning more attention in the Boston Globe. Check out what’s on Marc Savard’s iPod and what’s on the equipment manager’s To-do list.

4Globe writer and NEHJRS co-host Kevin Paul Dupont’s handle at HFBoards is “Hub of Hockey”. Keeping rhyming in the reasoning, that means twineminder Tim Thomas (not even on the NHL All-star ballot, which lists ten other goalies) is the Snub of Hockey. And the Four’s Restaurant and Sports Bar, official sponsor of the NEHJRS trivia question, is the Pub of Hockey.

4On Saturday’s show, regular caller “Kevin from Melrose” provided a nickname for Bruin rookie forward Blake Wheeler: “Mambo Mosaic of Minnesota.” Clever, Kev, but too long. I say shorten it to “3M”, a prominent Minnesota company.

4The only game the B’s lost last week was in Buffalo. The loss doesn’t bother me so much—can’t win ‘em all—as the post-game party tune. Sabres marketing, which in a game last year used “I’m Shippin’ Up to Boston”, pilfered our play list again, this time serenading the bah-bah-bahing crowd with “Sweet Caroline.” I suggest that, in protest, Marc Savard remove from his iPod any tunes by the Buffalo-based band, the Goo Goo Dolls.

Until next time, when the B’s are hopefully 18–4–0-4, happy hockey days.

AMHL Thursday: Saddle Up

Image courtesy of Appaloosa at Flickr.com

November 20, 2008
Valley Sports, Rink Two
Concord, MA

“Saddle up your horses. We got a trail to blaze…”
-“The Great Adventure,” Steven Curtis Chapman

The Capitals’ locker room smells like a stable. Stench rarely bothers hockey players, but this morning’s stink is so rancorous that defenseman Erik “Sunday Silence” Domingo is taken aback.

Are the 2–9–0–0 Avalanche, this morning’s opponent, playing a prank on the 9–1–0–1 Caps?

Domingo checks the shower floor for road apples but finds nothing that needs to be removed from the premises. The Caps can overcome the toxic tendrils of unknown source, but will the team—without four key players—falter against the Avalanche?

Netminder Kenny “Northern Dancer” Tarr, Forward “Big Ben” Budds, Rob “Funny Cide” Mirak, and Doug “The Black Stallion” Wight, are all out to pasture—at least this morning.

And they’re off, the Capitals trotting left to right across your imaginary racetrack/rink...

...The Avalanche lead 2–1 on goals by Mike “Giacomo” Gardner and Tim “Tim Tam” Turner, but the Capitals pull even when Tom “Champion” Barrett and Tom “Trigger” Hargrave execute a perfect give-‘n’-go, Barrett roofing a shot over Mitch “Ponyboy” Weiss.

Still in the first period, the Capitals score three more goals before Steve “Quick Draw McGraw” Cook, snaps a wrister past Stephanie, “Rags to Riches” Spunt, who was claimed off waiver wires to replace Kenny Tarr.

After one period, it’s 5–3 Capitals.

“It looks like the Bruins last night,” says Hargrave, referencing the hometown team’s first period against the visiting Buffalo Sabres.

Whoa, Nellie. The Avalanche, even without scoring stud Paul “Seldom Seen” Nelson counter with two goals, including one that ricochets off a loose saddle and then drops behind Spunt.

But Mike “Real Quiet” Hansen lopes past an Av defenseman and then beats Weiss like a dusty saddle blanket. No one-trick pony, Hansen scores again and then watches Brent “Sea Biscuit” Delehey beat Weiss high to the blocker side.

After two periods, the Caps lead, 7–4.

“What are you doing?” Spunt asks the Capitals’ lame bench jockey. “Coaching? Statistician…?”

Gatekeeping. And betting on the Caps.

The Avalanche will not quit. They again pull within two lengths on goals from Rich “the Pinto” Perkins and Cook.

But the Avs don’t have the…uh…horses and can’t catch the Caps. 8–6 is your final, equine enthusiasts.

With one game left in the regular season, the Capitals have blazed a trail to first place and—in the Great Adventure known as the AMHL Play-offs—are the odds-on favorite to win the Koffey Cup.

Celtic Pride

Kate fallon (goalie, pictured right): Will the lassie lead the Sharks to another championship?

In Celtic Pride (1996), Bostonians and best friends Mike O’Hara (Daniel Stern) and Jimmy Flaherty (Dan Aykroyd) are hockey fans (remember the scene where Jimmy is watching the Bruins on TV?). That’s right, hockey fans.

Sure, the movie was about the buddies’ obsession with the hometown team sporting the shamrock; but when Mike and Jimmy come down from the high triggered by the Celtics’ championship and ensuing celebrations, the two boyos will be ready to appear in Celtic Pride 2.

You see, Jimmy and Mike will become AMHL fans.

The two blue collar lads will love everyone’s favorite morning hockey (and donut) league because it’s rich with Celtic connections. From Tuesday to Thursday, AMHL rosters have been rooted in Irish heritage.

The Doyle brothers, Brendan and Jeremy, enjoy a cult-like following from Concord to County Cork. The two Flyers may well hoist the Koffey Cup again, as they did last season for the Leafs.

The Leafs will wallow in last place unless they can recruit a player with a surname such as Mahoney or Mahony. Peter Mahoney, who retired from the league several seasons ago, set a record for assists in a game, has not yet been contacted by Leafs management. Meanwhile, Bill Mahony, may be too busy chasing his kids around this summer to play hockey. Nonetheless, Billy’s agent is working the phones, trying to design an incentive-packed deal for his client.

The Blues’ Ryan O’Connor (not to be confused with the Barrie Colts’ sixth-round draft pick) leads all AMHL rookies in scoring. Teammate John Sweeney, in his second season, has already doubled his goal production from the last campaign.

“Penguin Pat” Obrien is making a comeback. The feisty Irishman scored three points in his first game in more than a year. His goalie, the unorthodox Brian Monahan, leads the league is poke checks and pucks deflected out of play. And Jeff Quinn, if his statistics are any indication of his potential, will continue to improve.

On Wednesday’s, Tim Donahue—last season’s MVP—has already lit the lamp nine times (and assisted on nine goals) for the Canadiens. Good luck trying to stop him.

Kate Fallon, who backstopped the Sharks to a championship last season, has a 2.66 GAA for the Teal Tiburones. Bobby Kilkenny can play nets if needed, but Stow’s (MA) favorite celebrity is blossoming into a point-producing prodigy. The CPA-by-day has been putting up big numbers this season.

Kevin Lyons, an unheralded Sabre defenseman, is best at putting out fires—in and around Acton and in the creases at Valley Sports Arenas.

On Thursdays, Paul Connors, the ever-steady and heady blue liner, has commanded the Caps to 5–0–1–0 record.

Mike Kennedy, City Sport’s CEO and de facto Avalanche captain, will make a new name for the Kennedy clan. “K” was out of commission last season with a tennis-related injury; but in his first game back, the venerable defenseman scored a highlight-reel goal (against his own goalie). Other than that blunder, Kennedy has returned to form: no goals, one assist, but lots of no-panic play, effective passing, and legendary leadership.

The Bruins, like the Leafs on Wednesday, are winless and hoping AMHL management will trade an AMHLer with obvious Irish ancestry to the hapless clubs.

And let’s not forget the Panthers. With the versatile and quick-witted Kevin “Hungry Hill” Reilly, time-tested Tommy Barrett, and yours truly, we’re a good bet to win the championship.

We’ll make fast friends with Mike O’Hara and Jimmy Flaherty, too.

AMHL Wednesday Championship: "Should I Stay or Should I Go"

Wednesday May 7, 2008

“Should I Stay or Should I Go?”

“I forgot my shin pads and had to go home to get them,” said Shark forward Richie Perkins after the first period.

Perkie didn’t miss any goals because his Sharks couldn’t beat Sabre netminder Steve Scansaroli, and the Black (and Pink) Swordsmen couldn’t put the puck past Shark backstop and 2010 Olympic hopeful (more on that in a future posting) Kate Fallon.

Now, three minutes into the second period, the Sabres—skating right to left across your streaming imagination—have finally figured out Fallon’s flaw: She can’t clone herself. Randy “Pop the” Corke knocks home a rebound (assists from son Jonathon and Scott Jacobsen). 1–0 Sabres.

A minute later, though, Fallon flops on her side, stacking the pads to thwart a shot from Paul Anastas.

Not to be out-done, Scans flashes some left-handed leather, robbing Dalton Gustafson.

But Scansaroli can’t stop Dave Mello. Nobody can. Mello, a super lawyer and a budding superstar even at his advanced age, finds uncontested space in the slot. With 4:11 left in the second period, the crafty veteran negotiates the puck inside the post, low stick side. 1–1.

With :27 remaining in the second, Rich Yamartino shoots on Scans, and then Gustafson roofs the rebound to give the Sharks a 2–1 lead.

In the third minute of the third period, Anastas gets an assist from fan favorite Steve “Whoa Nellie” Antonelli (who loves e-mail from his fans, by the way) and ties the game with his twentieth goal of the season.

The game is opening up, and Scans is tiring. The puck is about halfway between him and Iberville’s (Quebec) enfant chéri, Chris Garrison.

“Should I Stay or Should I Go?” Scansaroli wonders.

Scans stays in his crease. Garrison, whose soaring statistics—37G, 22A—have endeared him to les Québécois, guides the puck past the bushed backstop. The Sharks—and their three fans on hand this morning and countless dozens listening on CBC Radio—enjoy a 3–2 lead!

But this is the AMHL. Goals galore every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. And with 13:45 remaining, the Sabres figure they have plenty of time to score at least one goal, at least get this game to OT.

Kate Fallon is ready. And so are her teammates. Mello dives head first to break up one play. And when Fallon isn’t stopping pucks herself, she’s watching her teammates attack “’Roli the Goalie.”

Tired as he is, Scans keeps his team in the game with several big saves, and the score is still 3–2 Sharks with :55 on the clock.

“Time out!” yell the Sabres.

Scans stays on the bench and watches time tick away. It has been a great season…the 2.50GAA, the shutout, the donuts he ignored…but will this campaign end in defeat?

His teammate Paul d’Entremont, whose twenty-four goals led all Sabres, controls the puck inside the opponent’s blue line. He winds up as the final seconds bleed from the clock…he shoots…it’s blocked. It’s over.

“Should I Stay or Should I Go?” you may ask yourself.

Stay…for the Three Stars, sponsored by the Clash, as voted upon by the media:

3. Steve Scansaroli
2. Chris Garrison
1. Kate Fallon

Honorable mention:

Fathers and sons who play for the same team
The American Intellectual Property Law Association
The Olympic spirit

Short Shifts: Here's to U

Driving home from another trip to CanadAmerica, I hear on WBZ radio that Boston College beat Notre Dame, 4–1 to win the 2008 NCAA Division I Championship. Gerbe and the gang weren’t the only Eagles on ice this week. So in honor of BC (and a few other Boston-based schools, and one in upstate New York), here’s to U.

Tuesday morning, BC alumni Kate Mikkelson, Erin Tullock, and Mike Chase (posing here as a lumberjack) wore not maroon and gold but blue and white—for the AMHL Blues. The trio defeated Mike Evans (another BC alumnus among us) and the Leafs 6–1.

Wednesday, the Sharks’ Andy Hayes and the Sabres’ Jonathon Corke (teammates at Clark University), played against each other. Corke’s teammate, Stephen “Whoa Nellie” Antonelli (alma mater unknown, but you can ask him; he loves fan mail) scored the game-winner. “It was an ugly backhander,” Antonelli would say after the game, “that scooted inside the pipe.”

Thursday, MIT’s Chad Mikkelson scored two goals for the Avalanche. Tied at two in OT with the Caps, fellow Av Tom “Last Train to Clarkson” Hargrave—slapped a shot toward the Capitals’ goal. An Av tipped the puck over the goal line—just after the buzzer (or so said referee and BC alumnus Peter Bagley).

AMHL Wednesday: Crisis in the Crease?

image courtesy of **Maurice** at flickr.com

Tim Cook is a busy man. With a booming, award-winning business, growing family, and committment to morning hockey, why would the Rangers’ forward want to add playing between the pipes to his to-do list?

I asked him via e-mail, a day after he put on the pads for the first time in his AMHL career.

“I decided recently after the birth of our first son, that he was going to be either a professional golfer or a professional hockey player.”

Tim said he’s not as bad a hockey player as he is a golfer, so he chose hockey for his son. He added, “I decided that I’d invest in some goalie pads so he’d have a sieve to shoot on at a young age. You know, to build confidence. My wife calls this goalie-venture my mid-life crisis, since she won’t let me get a Harley.”

Cook put his new gear in the family truckster and then drove to Andover (MA) for pick-up hockey, where he faced a few issues.

“Challenge #1 was learning how to skate on goalie skates—no, Challenge #1 was figuring out how to put on the gear. Challenge #2 was learning how to skate on goalie skates. The blades are long and flat. Very much like a 2x4 strapped to a ski boot. Turning is not an option. Thus, a forward–turned–goalie such as I would be using ALL different leg muscles to hold oneself up. Ouch.”

Tim said his final obstacle was learning how to fall down—that is, fold into a butterfly—without dislocating both knees and tearing both ACLs.

His patella and surrounding ligaments no worse for the wear after the pick-up experience, Cookie got the call from AMHL management to fill in for Rangers’ goalie Heather Wright. Was he ready?

“Absolutely not. Was I willing? Absolutely. Was I able? Absolutely not. 1 of 3. OK, give it a go.”

Tim said he floundered in the crease on a few occasions, and Sabres’ forward Paul d’Entremont, who potted two of his team’s six goals to beat Cook and company, 6–4, created some anxiety for him in the crease.

But don’t count on Cook having a mid-life crisis yet. That can wait until his son joins him in the AMHL, which is one letter away from professional hockey. Then maybe his wife will let him buy a Harley.

AMHL Wednesday: Pets and Pucks

The Far Side: The sun is rising as a slender dog stands on a three-legged table so he can reach the espresso machine. Today's caption on our cartoon-a-day calendar reads, “While their owners sleep, nervous little dogs prepare for their day.”

Sunrise over Concord is a few minutes away as most AMHLers have left their families and pets to play hockey.

In the rink’s parking lot, a Rhodesian Ridgeback is sprawled about the back seat of John Field’s old blue Volvo. Inside the Valley Sports Arena, on Rink Two, Field and his Sharks prepare for their contest against Erik Domingo, who owns a dog named Brockton, and the Sabres.

On Rink One, the Rangers and Canadians have begun their game. AMHL Wednesday Co-director Hockey Operations Mike DeLeo waits for a whistle so he can step onto the ice. Mike says he has two Shelties: Brady, named for the Patriots’ QB and Schillie, for the Sox’s burly hurler.

While DeLeo’s doggies down the last drops of morning brew at the DeLeo household, Master Mike’s cohort, Jerry Evans oversees operations. Jerry, recovering from a separated shoulder, has two pets, too: a cat and a dog. Fritty is named after a cat Evans’s son had read, and “Lightning.” Evans says the dog “is part Border Collie, hound, and something yellow.” She’s also what Evans calls a “reverse blonde.” Lightning’s roots are light but the outer hair is dark.

“I’m gonna go home and walk the dog,” Jerry says midway through the first period, and we walk towards Rink Two.


On the far side of the back rink, the scoreboard shows the Sabres leading 5–0 early in the second period. Field is on the ice when his Sharks score, but the tally won’t be enough.

Out in the Volvo, the sun has risen but the droopy-faced dog lies about, missing its master—and its morning shot of caffeine.