|
Hurricanes Get Noticed
The Space Coast Junior Hurricanes
traveled up north to the 7th Annual EJHL Jr.
Huskies College Showcase in Fitchburg, MA this past weekend
and competed against several top hockey programs. “This
was a very highly anticipated tournament for the boy’s. I
think they were very excited about getting on the ice to
showcase what they have learned and to prove that Florida
hockey is getting better,” say’s Head Coach Shawn Ray.
The first game was against the AJHL League Leader
Portland Pirates Jr. A Team. A very well coached team that
came out with speed and grit. The Pirates got on the board
first with a point shot that somehow got tipped two times
before it found the back of the net. The “Canes” never
stopped working and before the first half would finish,
Luke Mollison snapped a shot past the Pirates goalie.
Justin Jantzen and Max Golsdstein forced a
turnover in the Pirates defensive zone and found Mollison
open on the short side. Mollison fired a one-timer
that tied the game at one apiece. Tommie Shears
stepped his game up and steered away 25 out of 26 shots the
Pirates were able to get.
The second half had the “Canes” battling most of the half
down a man with several undisciplined penalties and the
Pirates showed why they’re the AJHL best team at this
point. They scored another four more goals to end the game
5 – 1. The Hurricanes played very well, but it was the
Pirates that seem to have the upper hand in this game.
Next up the Hurricanes would face off against Bridgeton
Academy from Maine. From the drop of the puck, the
Hurricanes were determined to get a win, as they got off to
a great start. Controlling Bridgeton’s break out and getting
many scoring chances, but it would be Bridgeton that would
score first. The “canes” stayed focused and again found
themselves controlling much of the play in offensive zone.
Before the first half would end, it was Kent Ramsey
that tied it up at one apiece. John McGinnis and
Kyle Houser were controlling the 5 on 3 advantages when
Houser found Ramsey wide open on the back door
for the tally. “Our 5 on 3 situation has been excellent
for us all year and Coach Ray has us paying attention to the
small details and it seems to be paying off,” say’s
Assistant Captain Kyle Houser.
Coming out for the second half tied at one, the
Hurricanes again dominated most of the play and the
Bridgeton goaltender was on top of his game for all fifty
minutes. Bridgeton would eventually get the next goal, when
the back checking broke down. Tommie Shears made the
first save, but he had no chance when the rebound went right
to the Bridgeton forward who was left all alone on the weak
side. The game ended with the Hurricanes falling 2-1 to
Bridgeton Academy.
The
final game had the Hurricanes going against the EJHL AT
Large team which was made up mostly of the Florida Eels from
the SEJHL. It was not much competition, as the line of
Luke Mollison, Justin Jantzen and Max
Goldstein scored five out of the six goals for the
Hurricanes. Jantzen scored the games final goal with
about five minutes remaining to complete the Hat trick,
while Mollison and Goldstein each got three
assists. Michael Sprouls made several point blank
saves and walked away with the victory. “The first two
teams were great hockey teams and they made us work hard on
every shift, but the last game we started to drop down and
got lazy against the At Large Team. This is something that
we need to over come when we face off against teams that we
are better then,” say’s Captain Jake Ninko.
All
in all it was a big step for the Junior Hurricanes program,
as they are the first Jr. B team to come out of the state of
Florida. “It was great for the player’s, as well as for
myself to get up north and see many coaches and scouts that
I have spent almost ten years with. I had a chance to watch
and talk to several former players and their parents,”
say’s Shawn Ray. Next up, the hurricanes head up to
Fredericks, MD to take on the Frederick Freeze.
|
