First-year fortitude

Handful of Bobcats rookies making a

big impact for AJHL’s 1st-place team

Reprinted with permission of USA Hockey (www.usahockeymagazine.com)

Yes, the heart and soul of the New York Junior Bobcats are still veteran players like forwards Michael Coppola and Tony Romano. And, yes, the Bobcats still need veterans like center Jarrett Gold and forward Patrick Moriarty to put up big numbers.

Slowly put surely, however, the Bobcats’ first-year players are making their mark. Among them are goalies Evan Hyndman and Doug Danzi, centers Stephen Schultz and Oscar Von Sydow, forwards Angelo Vrachnas and Alexander Satin, and defensemen Dan Markowitz and Ryan Cantor.

“We as a group are seeing that the veterans can’t all carry everyone on their back,” Vrachnas said. “They need help, and that’s where we rookies come into play. We need to contribute as much as they do.”

In one way or another, each of the aforementioned rookies has played a role in keeping the Bobcats atop the Atlantic Junior Hockey League standings. Vrachnas, who had two game-winning goals in as many weekends in late October, isn’t afraid to get physical in the corners. Schultz is a natural playmaker who is averaging more than a point per game. Von Sydow is a streaky scorer who is fast becoming a force at both ends of the ice. Satin’s hard work has translated into some scrappy goals. Markowitz backs veteran All-Star defenseman Justin Porpora as a blue-line scoring threat. And Cantor hasn’t missed a game.

Making the biggest impact, however, are Danzi and Hyndman. They form what Bobcats head coach Aleksey Nikiforov calls the best goaltending tandem he’s ever had.

Neither Danzi nor Hyndman considers himself a backup—a dirty word in any goaltender’s dictionary. Better said, they are the Bobcats’ No. 1 and No. 1-A.

Danzi appeared to have grabbed the starting role with a strong showing in the Bobcats’ back-to-back wins over the Hartford Junior Wolf Pack and Boston Bulldogs on October 9 & 10. But Hyndman recently had the team’s best showing between the pipes. The Bobcats earned three road wins in three days thanks to Hyndman, who stopped 72 of 75 shots in that span, capping the stretch by sweeping aside three straight penalty shots in a shootout win over the Washington Nationals on October 30.

“Evan is having a great season, and Doug has also been really solid in goal. The two really complement one another,” Satin said. “When one of them isn’t playing his best, the other one seems to step up big.”

Just as the Bobcats’ first-year players have done for their veterans.