Jr Bears Take Top Honors in 2 of 3 Spring Tournaments

On Sunday, June 21, the Jr Bears capped their inauguaral season with top honors in the Brewster Weekend in the Doghouse (AA) Tournament. The victory was the culmination of 3 straight wins, in which the Bears bested the Brewster Bulldogs and the NY Warriors. In the final contest, the Bears defeated the Warriors by a score of 7 to 2. This was the third and final spring tournament in which the Bears participated at the Brewster Ice Arena. The Bears took top honors in 2 of the 3 contests both of which were in the AA Division.


Pictured: Aaron Norton, Samantha Hoover, Liam Pesce (in civilian attire), Jacob Malicky, Ryan Loftus, Brandon "the Mouth" Malarney, Michael Namon, Mac MacCormick, Ryan Bilas, Spencer "Cookie" Cookson, Ethan Cohen, James Huften, Dan Driscoll, Wes "the Real Deal" Reel, Alexi Niemannov, Jacob Malicky, Jackson Aldam. (In stands, team inspiration, Gary Cookson.) Photo courtesy of Reel Photography.

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Liam Pesce Received first ever Jr Bears' Bob Baun Award . The Award was presented for playing with heart and injuries. Pesce broke his hand in the first game of last weekend's tournament but payed through the pain. He finished the game, and went on to play in the second match of the day. Honorable mention to Mike Namon, who came off injured reserve to shore up the Bears' Bench in Game 3. Namon had been sidelined with a separated shoulder suffered in a prior tournament. Congratulations to both both Pesce and Namon for setting a high standard of toughness and dedication to their team.

Liam Pesce with the Baun Award. Photo courtesy of Reel Photography.

Father's Day: Pre-Game Report

Plus:

* We are in the championship game which is Sundy at 2:50 pm.
* Michael Namon will be back on the ice – separated shoulder or not!
* Wes Reel, Dan Driscoll and russian rocket Alexi Niemanov are back in the lineup.

Minus:

* Liam Pesce is sidelined. His minor hand injury (which did not stop him from finishing the first game and playing in the second) is a break. For those unfamiliar with medical terminology, this mean that it is broken.

Note: Liam is our first recipient of the Bob Baun Award (http://www.legendsofhockey.net/LegendsOfHockey/jsp/SearchPlayer.jsp?player=11937).


Bob "Boomer" Baun

Live Blogging from Brewster Ice Arena (shawna and victoria reporting)

EARLY REPORT:

After 1 game, your Jr. Bears are sitting pretty with a win (7 to 1) over the bulldogs. The Bears played short more than a few cubs, with only 9 skaters participating. Early in the game, Liam P was sidelined by a lost mouth guard (we kid you not!). He returned to play hard, but then either broke or severly wounded his right paw. He assures us he's good to go for game 2. Meanwhile, Michael Namon, sidelined with a bum wing, was on the bench helping with line changes. He is a possible for tomorrow's game. Puck drops for game 2 this afternoon at 2:50 pm.

That's all we have for you from the Arena. More later.
Ciao!
Shawna and Victoria.

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LATE REPORT:

Game 2 is now in the history books. And a sloppy affair it was! Your Jr Bears seem to enjoy that penalty box a lot. Maybe they have refreshments in there. Anyway, the squeaked it out against the NY Warriors by a score of 8 to 3. That puts them in the championship game tomorrow (sunday) at 2:50 pm. We will see you all there. Go Jr Bears!

Shalom.
Your instant and immediate Bloggers,
Shawna and Victoria

Brewst-a-palooza 3: Schedule (June 20-21)

Saturday

10:20 Jr Bears v Bulldogs
Noon Red Rooster Team Luncheon
2:50 Jr Bears v NY Warriors

Sunday

11:50 2 v 3
2:50 Championship Game

Brewst-a-palooza 3: Roster (June 20-21)

Here is the roster for next weekend's tournament.

1) Mac McCormick
2) Michael Namon (upper body inj/day-to-day)
3) Brandon Malarney
4) Ryan Loftus
5) Ryan Bilas
6) Wes Reel
7) Jackson Aldam
8) Aaron Norton
9) Sam Hoover
10) Ethan Cohen
11) James Huften
12) Liam Pesce
13) Alexi Neimannov
14) Spencer Cookson

Unavailable: Dan Driscoll

REMINDER: We have ice in Simsbury for those looking to skate on Sunday @ 11:30. Please let Coach McCormick know ASAP if you can make it (John.McCormick@cbre-ne.com).

The Weekend That Was / The Weekend That Might Be

The Weekend That Was

For all who participated in this weekend’s tournament (both players and parents), let me repeat what was said by the coaches in the locker room. We don’t play these games to win; we play these games to learn. This weekend, I suspect, most of our players learned more than they have at any other tournament. We got a sense of how good a 1996 team can be; we got a feel for how hard we need to work; and we also saw that we are able to battle and compete. I also think we started to get a glimpse of the kind of players and kind of team we can become if we put in the effort. So, forget the score, and remember the old adage that you learn a lot more from losing than you ever do from winning. Thanks to all those who participated. And a special thanks to Coaches Driscoll and Aldam.

The Weekend That Might Be

Although I am loathe to bring this up, there is another 2A Tournament in Brewster on June 20 and 22. Please let me know your views on whether we should do it again. If we do, perhaps we can also work in a team lunch or dinner.

August and Cape Ann

Turns out the Cape Ann tournament weekend (assuming we can field a team) will be August 15h and 16th (not 8th and 9th). As previously reported, some of our kids will be attending the Cape Ann Hockey School (which is a Driscoll Family affair) the week of August 10. Please let me know if you would be available for the weekend of hockey. And if you are interested in the Hockey School, talk to or email Dan Driscoll at ddriscoll@berkshireschool.org. The hockey school’s website is at http://www.capeannhockeyschool.com/.

UPDATED: June 6-7 Brewster Tournament Schedule

Saturday
12:45 pm Jr Bears vs Ct Yankees
3:00 pm Jr Bears vs Mid Jersey Selects

Sunday
7:40 am 4th Place vs 5th Place
9:00 am 2nd Place vs 3rd Place

11:40 am 1st Place vs [winner of 4th vs 5th]

2:40 pm Championship Game

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Note: We are playing in the 96 Age Group.