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Recap for Games of November 25-27
Holiday tourney goes to hosts
In fast-paced game that put goaltenders on full display,
Boston outduels Danzi, Hyndman for Showcase crown;
Gold stays hot with tourney-best 8 goals, seven assists
There was good news and bad news coming from the New York Junior Bobcats’ performance in last weekend’s Northeast Showcase/Boston Bulldogs Tournament in Walpole, Mass.
First, the good news: the Bobcats continued to get steady play from their goaltenders and spectacular play from their top scoring lines to win their first four games and advance to the tourney title game, where they refrained from taking the bad penalties that have plagued them all season.
Now, the bad news: they still lost to the Bulldogs, 4-2, on Sunday, November 27 to finish as tourney runners-up. After Alex Satin (Muttontown, NY/Friends Academy H.S.) knotted the score at 2 off an assist from fellow first-year forward Angelo Vrachnas (St. James, NY/Smithtown H.S. East) with 14:40 remaining, the host Bulldogs scored two goals in the last 11 minutes to take back the title the Bobcats won last year with a 3-2 title-game victory over the Northwood School.
“We should have won but we didn’t score a lot,” said Bobcats head coach Aleksey Nikiforov (Hauppauge, NY). “Their goalie played outstanding. That’s the game.”
But the Bobcats goaltenders weren’t too shabby, either. In a pace that better resembled four-on-four action—defenseman Justin Porpora (Hauppauge, NY/St. Joseph’s College) said the Bulldogs avoided their trademark style because they knew the Bobcats were better suited to bang with them this season—neither team could find the net in the first 25-minute half, when New York goalie Doug Danzi (Nesconset, NY/Smithtown H.S. West) turned away a handful of odd-man rushes.
“Up to that point,” said ’Cats’ platooning goalie Evan Hyndman (Monument, CO), “it was truly an awesome game.”
The Bulldogs, however, scored twice in the first 8:46 of the second half. Then Bobcats center Jarrett Gold (East Setauket, NY/Suffolk CC) continued his torrid pace, converting an assist from forward Frank Rizzo (St. James, NY/Suffolk CC) to trim the deficit to 2-1 with 15:06 remaining. On the weekend, the dynamic duo had a hand in 18 of the Bobcats’ 37 goals, with Gold leading all tournament players with eight goals and seven assists. Rizzo added six goals and three assists, including three in a row—all of which were assisted by Gold—in an 8-0 win over Virginia on Saturday, November 26.
While Rizzo finished the game with four goals, Gold added four assists plus the eventual game-winner—his team-leading fourth of the season. Gold scored at least one goal in all five games, including four in a 10-3 win over Superskills on Friday, November 25. He currently leads the team with nine power-play goals.
But whereas Gold shined throughout, there were different stars in different games for the Bobcats.
In the opener, a 10-2 win over the Laconia Leafs on Friday, center Oscar Von Sydow (Stockholm, Sweden/Suffolk CC) scored three goals in a 26-minute span between the first and second halves. Forward Patrick Moriarty (Lloyd Harbor, NY/Nassau CC) added three assists. Forward Tony Romano (Smithtown, NY/St. Anthony’s H.S.) had two goals and an assist despite playing hurt. Rizzo had a goal and two assists. And defenseman Mike DeMayo (Seaford, NY/Farmingdale State) had two assists.
Later that evening against Superskills, Romano had a goal and three assists, forward Andrew Gagnon (Islip, NY/Suffolk CC) had three assists, forward Mike Coppola (Old Brookville, NY/Nassau CC) had a goal and two assists, and center Stephen Schultz (Westbury, NY/St. Mary’s H.S.) had two goals. Defensemen Danny Markowitz (Jericho, NY/Portledge H.S.) and Max White (Sands Point, NY/Portledge) each added two assists, and Satin tallied the game-winning goal plus an assist. Satin also had a goal and an assist in the Bobcats’ lone game on Saturday, the shutout of Virginia.
In a 7-1 win over Walpole in Sunday morning’s tournament semifinals, seven different players scored for the Bobcats, with Gold (1G, 2A), Moriarty (1G, 2A), Vrachnas (1G, 1A) and Gagnon (2A) leading the way. Markowitz’s first-period power-play goal proved to be the game-winner.
But don’t forget the goalies, who lowered their overall goals-against average to 2.69. Their statistics – Danzi is 12-2 with a 2.44 GAA and a .917 save percentage in 810 minutes; Hyndman is 12-2 with a 2.93 GAA and a .907 save percentage in 818 minutes – couldn’t be any closer.
“It’s definitely friendly competition,” said Hyndman, who stopped 65 of the 69 shots he faced to go 2-0 last weekend, including a point-blank glove save in the latter stages of the Bulldogs game. “At the beginning of the season, I came in as the new guy and he was a little tentative. But definitely over the last couple of weeks we’ve grown closer. We’re on the same page as far as the whole team aspect goes.”
Their steady play, however, was not enough to beat the Bulldogs in the title game, when the Bobcats had trouble finishing, according to Porpora.
“Going into it, we knew the whole thing was kind of an exhibition weekend—I guess we were playing for pride—so in that aspect we were a little down about losing,” Hyndman said. “It sucks falling short, but I don’t think any of us were too down about it. And it’s something that will just push us along when league play comes.”
The Bobcats—who won’t get their rematch against the Bulldogs until January 14 in Salem, N.H.—return to The Rinx in Hauppauge this weekend for their first set of home games since October 22 & 23. They face the Portland Junior Pirates on Saturday, December 3 at 8:10 p.m. and Sunday, December 4 at 10:10 a.m. Go to http://www.therinx.com/directions.cfm for directions.
Porpora said the Bobcats need to avoid the slow starts that have plagued them this season, especially in Sunday’s title-game loss to the Bulldogs. Hyndman agreed.
“At this point we’re all doing our job. We just need to keep it consistent,” he said. “Down the stretch, especially when we get into playing a few games [in tournament settings], we need to bring it every game, not just the first few.”
GAME 1: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25
1 2 3 FINAL
Laconia Leafs 2 0 0 2
N.Y. BOBCATS 1 4 5 10
Goals – NYB: Rizzo (assisted by Moriarty; 7:29 1st), Coppola (Rizzo (1:55 2nd), Von Sydow (Moriarty, Rizzo; 7:55 2nd), Von Sydow (DeMayo, Moriarty; 12:13 2nd), Romano (White; 16:09 2nd), Romano (Porpora; 3:14 3rd, SH), Gold (unassisted; 4:56 3rd), Von Sydow (Vrachnas, DeMayo; 9:12 3rd), Schultz (Hubbard, Romano; 10:19 3rd, PP), Marcou (Gold; 18:59 3rd); LL: Anderson (Laliberte, Bergstrom; 4:53 1st, PP), Hutzler (Curtin; 14:24 1st). Saves – NYB: Danzi 18 (20 shots, 30 minutes), Hyndman 15 (15 shots, 30 minutes); LL: N/A.
GAME 2: FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 25
1 2 FINAL
N.Y. BOBCATS 8 2 10
Superskills 2 1 3
Goals – NYB: Schultz (assisted by Markowitz, Romano; 5:40 1st, PP), Porpora (Ernyey; 8:54 1st), Gold (Coppola, Porpora; 12:57 1st, SH), Satin (DeMayo, Romano; 14:19 1st), Coppola (Gagnon, White; 16:33 1st), Gold (Gagnon; 21:09 1st), Schultz (Romano, Vrachnas; 22:32 1st), Romano (Hubbard, Satin; 23:43 1st), Gold (Coppola, White; 1:00 2nd), Gold (Gagnon, Markowitz; 13:25 2nd); S: Riffe (Farnham; 1:59 1st), Mullin (Halloran; 23:30 1st), Farnham (Crapson; 7:24 2nd). Saves – NYB: Hyndman 12 (14 shots, 25 minutes), Danzi 10 (11 shots, 25 minutes); S: N/A.
GAME 3: SATURDAY, NOV. 26
1 2 FINAL
N.Y. BOBCATS 4 4 8
Virginia 0 0 0
Goals – NYB: Gold (assisted by Satin; 0:47 1st), Rizzo (unassisted; 4:00 1st), Porpora (Coppola, Gold; 12:21 1st, PP), Rizzo (Gold; 16:24 1st), Rizzo (Gold, DeMayo; 2:32 2nd), Rizzo (Gold, Coppola; 6:06 2nd), Satin (Markowitz; 7:55 2nd), Moriarty; 20:17 2nd); V: none. Saves – NYB: Danzi 10 (10 shots, 25 minutes), Hyndman 10 (10 shots, 25 minutes); V: N/A.
TOURNEY SEMIFINALS: NOV. 27
1 2 FINAL
Walpole Express 1 0 1
N.Y. BOBCATS 3 4 7
Goals – NYB: Schultz (assisted by Satin, Romano; 0:51 1st), Markowitz (Coppola, Gold; 4:11 1st, PP), Gold (Moriarty, Vrachnas; 11:19 1st), Rizzo (Gold, Gagnon; 1:21 2nd), Moriarty (Von Sydow; 13:41 2nd), Porpora (Moriarty, Gagnon; 13:53 2nd), Vrachnas (unassisted; 24:52 2nd, PP); WE: Luzzaragga (Rocha; 12:31 1st). Saves – NYB: Hyndman 16 (17 shots, 25 minutes); Danzi 15 (15 shots, 25 minutes); WE: N/A.
TOURNEY TITLE GAME: NOV. 27
1 2 FINAL
N.Y. BOBCATS 0 2 2
Boston Bulldogs 0 4 4
Goals – NYB: Gold (assisted by Rizzo; 9:54 2nd), Satin (Vrachnas, Moriarty; 11:20 2nd); BB: Allison (Rutt; 6:49 2nd, PP), Anctil (Siers, Tassoni; 8:46 2nd), Rautenberg (Nolin, Goolsby; 14:00 2nd), Siers (Karlov; 22:47 2nd). Saves – NYB: Danzi 21 (24 shots, 39 minutes); Hyndman 12 (13 shots, 11 minutes); BB: N/A.
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