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		Saturday, March 8, 2008 All good things must come to an end. Very cliche, but it is true! Long Beach Arena would eventually be the location of the final game of the season versus The Edge. After falling down 2 - 0 in the second frame excitement was created by #9 Peter G. I love to skate fast! He bull rushed the puck towards the net where #19 Teddy "the GAMER" Wood, a DEFNSEMAN, happen to poke the puck over to #55 Nick "I sure have scored a ton of goals this year" Mangone who deposited the loose puck over the goal line to bring the CORE back 2-1. With just 5 seconds left in the period, "the GAMER" from the point passed to his right to #68 Danny "I bet you wish you knew where it's at" Kaprat who quickly shuffled the puck down to Troy "Lightning" Lampert who spotted "the GAMER" breaking towards the net and put a pass right on his stick and Wood buried it in the back of the net for his 12th goal in just 40 games. For the last time this year everybody in the rink had an opportunity to see one of the best two way forwards that this author has seen, Mikey "V" Vaiano & Nick "We sure work well together don't we" Mangone worked their magic! A beautiful drop pass from Mangone to Vaiano who buried it for the CORE's last goal of the season! In what seems to have been the storyline all season long, we skated hard & competed for two periods and then collapsed in the third. Final score was 6 - 3. Although the season may not have had the ending that we wanted, it was an honor to have been associated with a fine & supportive group of parents! I feel very confident that each & every child on this team will go on to have success in their lives at whatever they do! The season was a life lesson for every team member, and we have to pick up the pieces and carry on. This author knows that my life is a better for having known you and I only wish you success in the future! February 22 - 24, 2008 Winter Classic in Providence, RI This was almost the tournament that wasn't! Friday we experienced a rare snow fall here lately on Long Island and it almost forced the CORE to have to play without a goal tender. However, Mrs. Esther Lee saved the day by escorting Johnny Leeeee to Providence where he would go on to record 2 shutouts and stellar play in the final game! After pummeling the local Pee Wee B teams in the first two games the host West Bay Islanders decided to go ahead an concede the championship trophies to the CORE, but they wanted to test the CORE versus the #2 ranked Pee Wee Tier I team in Rhode Island on Sunday morning. The hosts were quite surprised by how well the CORE moved the puck and actually struck first with a goal by the ever opportunistic Mikey "V" Vaiano for a 1-0 lead! A few defensive lapses in their own end allowed the Tier I West Bay Islanders to gain a 2-1 advantage in the third period. Johnny Leeeee stood strong in net which allowed #19 Teddy "the GAMER" Wood in his own defensive end to bank a nice feed off the boards to find Troy "Lightning" Lampert breaking in on a two on one, and he fed a beautiful pass to scoring machine Nicky "Please Allow Me To Bury That" Mangone who deposited the rubber in the back of the net to knot things up at 2-2! A turnover in their own end shortly thereafter allowed the Islanders to skate off with a 3-2 victory. The CORE was outshot 24-14, but there were plenty of good scoring chances in those 14 shots but the opposing goal keep played exceptionally well! Overall it proved to be a fun weekend for the kids, the parents seemed to enjoy themselves and CORE members all left with a trophy! This author would say it was a pretty good weekend! Saturday, February 16, 2008 After coming off decisive victories off some pretty chippy teams in the last two games, '96 Rebels & '96 Ice Cats, the CORE had no idea exactly how chippy things were going to get against the '96 A PAL team! I don't believe any parents from the CORE attended the famous ice bowl in Green Bay back in the 1960's, but we certainly now know how the fans felt that day! Temperatures in the bubble at the Rinx almost reached 0 degrees this morning! The first half of the first period was pretty quiet with no scoring or penalties called on either side, but things were about to change! PAL tallied the first goal with just 8 minutes remaining in the frame for a 1-0 lead, but less than 2 minutes later scoring machine #55 Nick "the Quick" Mangone answered right back on a beautiful centering pass by Peter G. "Can I pass or what?!" Exactly 3 minutes after that PAL took the lead right back 2-1. PAL then took a string of roughing penalties that put the CORE on three straight power plays! The CORE would make PAL pay for the overly aggressive play by scoring on all three power plays in less than 2 minutes! #1- With just 2:06 left in the period #19 Teddy "the GAMER" Wood took the puck at the right point, faked a slap shot strolled in along the boards drawing defenders towards him and put a pass right on the tape of Nicky "I know how to score goals" Mangone's stick who deposited a hard wrist shot into the back of the net to knot things up at 2. #2-With just 1:22 left "the GAMER" again broke in from the top right point fed a pass again to Mangone who skated to his right and fired the rubber and Wood's momentum put him right in front of the net where the buried the rebound of Mangone's awesome shot #3- With just :38 left all-world all-around forward Mikey "V" Vaiano lit the lamp again on assists by Peter G. "I told you I could pass" and "the GAMER", giving Wood a 3 point power play shift! PAL players were frustrated, the penalties were mounting, tensions were growing and the CORE was playing with an extremely short bench so a 4-2 lead after 1 was far from safe. PAL would kick & scratch their way back in as several CORE players were caught retaliating, as is always the case and why you should learn not to do it! With just over 3 minutes left in the second PAL tied things up at 4's. Fear not oh CORE fans because Nick "I can sure score goals" Mangone would break down the ice with Troy Lampert on a 2 on 1, and using Lampert as a decoy Nicky fired a pretty shot top shelf that would end the frame with CORE leading 5-4. With suspensions looming with every penalty that was taken, PAL scored a power play goals just 4 minutes into the final frame to even things up at 5's. With just 4 minutes remaining newly discovered offensive threat, #18 Mickey "Man Do I miss playing forward" Minarczyk was positioned perfectly by the side of the net to poke home Nicky Mangone's feed for a 6-5 lead (I like the way that rhymes!) Too much time left, correct? Not really because the CORE needed just 23 seconds to finish off PAL when super steady Mikey "V" Vaiano again found the back of the net on a pretty assist, and his 5th point of the morning, by Nicky "I told you I love scoring" Mangone! It may have seemed that we were always in the penalty box, but we were only whistled once over the final 13 minutes. No suspensions were handed out as the CORE took 11 penalties while PAL took 13! The CORE should be rested going into the tournament in Providence on Friday, February 22, and hopefully we will find activities abound in lovely West Warwick, RI! February 2, 2008 The site of the final LIAHL league game of the season for the CORE would be the Brewster Arena for a 10:20 AM puck drop against the Bulldogs! The CORE would not waste anytime in this contest as on the very first shift Mikey "V" shuffled a pass to #55 Nick 'the Quick" Mangone who lit the lamp for an early 1-0 lead! The game started to get real physical after that and the refs appeared to "let them play" as there was actually on 1 ref and 1 linesman on the ice. The other linesman should up midway through the period, and so came the penalties! The first of five penalties called against the CORE in the contest would prove costly as the Bulldogs tied things up with a nice passing play from behind the net to out front which was easily poked home for the tie breaker. The lone goal of the second frame was registered by the CORE as #19 Teddy "the GAMER" Wood intercepted a pass in the defensive zone broke out and put the rubber on Troy "Lighting" Lampert's stick who crossed the blue line skated to his left and unleashed a rocket wrister past the goalie for a 2-1 lead. The final period was tight until "the GAMER" again stole the puck in the defensive zone and neatly used the boards to lead Peter "Man... I Have Pretty Blonde Hair" Gawrychowski down the left side who fired a bad angle shot that appeared to hit the goalie's waffle pad and trickle for a 3-1 lead. Third period, 3-1 lead, and a penalty is called against Brewster! All is clear, correct? Not really! A shorthanded goal by the Bulldogs makes it 3-2 with one minute remaining. Pressure is on, so that means super steady defenseman all season long "Jumpin'" Jake Wegweiser must be on the ice.That allows the other steady performer #27 Mikey "V" Vaiano to put one of his signature perfect passes on the stick of his partner in crime the speedy Nick "the Quick" Mangone who raced in and found the back of an empty net to seal the final score @ 4-2 CORE! The CORE received solid goaltending from Johnny Leeeeeeeeee to earn the victory as the CORE actually mustered only 12 shots, as they were out shot 17-12. In the words of Coach Cairo "great shooting percentage" for the CORE as they won one for Coach Falino to make up for the 15 penalties! Sunday, January 27th, 2008 Today's game between the Brewster Bulldogs and the CORE was special on two separate levels: #1- It would be the head coaching debut of Coach Frank Falino (as Coach Tommy Cairo had family obligations to attend to) #2- It was Mrs. Maddy Wood's 29th birthday, again! Falling out of the playoff picture the CORE will now be playing for pride and proving they are deserving for next year's roster positions! Tinkering with the lines by Falino paid off early in the contest as Mikey "V" scored on pretty assists by Nick "the Quick" Mangone and David "the Mailman" Melnyk. Shortly thereafter on an awesome individual effort, once Mikey "V" struck pay dirt for his second goal of the period! Each line was taking short shifts, they were cycling in the offensive zone and a nice new wrinkle to see was how guys were looking to the points more often and there were several occasions where the puck was moving swiftly on cross ice passes. The end of the 1st period was capped off was capped off on a pretty goal as Peter G. "I love hockey" slid the puck from the left side of the ice to Nick "the Quick" Mangone at the top of the right face off circle who fired a slap shot that was tipped in front past the goal keep by Mikey "V" to complete his first period natural hat trick! Some in the crowd were holding their collective breathes as the scoreboard read 3 - 0 the CORE. Although Falino would try and keep shifts short it would not be easy as the CORE took several penalties showing a lack of self discipline! A few times in the second frame the CORE faced 5 on 3's, but absolutely rock solid goaltending by Peter "Muh" Fosso would keep the score 3 - 0 at the end of the second frame. More unexplainable penalties taken by the CORE in the third made it very difficult, but an awesome example of how a successful give and go should work the majorly improving defenseman Mike Macklin scored on a touch goal on a beautiful pass from Nick "the Quick" Mangone! It was Mangone's third assist of the morning! Despite playing down much of the second & third periods the CORE actually out shot the Bulldogs 38 - 17 and Frank Falino's debut ended a 4-0 win, as Johnny Leeeeee came in relief to close out the perfect game for the CORE goalies! Great news, correct? Not really, it seems the CORE took 15 penalties which will means Falino must serve a 1 game suspension. Now he'll have to be just a fan next week up in Brewster. Sunday, January 20th, 2008 Some parents were actually relieved that today's match at Iceland versus the Nassau County Lions had a start time of 8:30 AM! Relieved because there was plenty of time before the Giant game kickoff at 6:30 PM tonight! Possibly thinking of Big Blue's chance at the Super Bowl is what occupied the heads of CORE skaters in the first period, or possibly it was some player's believing there was some kind of Iceland-hex on the CORE as they have not performed well in this arena this season? Fast starts have become almost the norm for the CORE, but today they actually came out a bit flat and found themselves after 1 period down 2 - 0. In just another example of the fine coaching by the staff + mental fortitude of the CORE, they mounted a comeback and in the second half of the second period tallied two quick goals to tie things up! Crisp passing led to both pretty goals as #68 the forever moving Danny "Gimme some of that" Kaprat intercepted a pass in the neutral zone, quickly crossed the blue line and dropped a pass to "Slammin" Sammy Kurash who fed it across ice to Peter "G" "Check my shot out" who buried it! A few seconds later in the offensive zone again, from the right point Cameron "I feel so" Goode slid the puck across the "Jumpin' Jake Wegweiser who fired a shot from the left point. Right on the door step was "Slammin'" Sammy who tipped it home! It was another multi-point period for "Slammin'" Sammy! Sadly, just as quickly as the CORE took the momentum they gave it right back! Off the ensuing faceoff an ill advised pass in their own end led to an easy Lions score to end the period down 3 - 2. Penalties were rather questionably called by well experienced group of refs & linesmen, as they appeared to ranged in age from 15 - 16? 10 penalties were called on the CORE and Nassau capitalized on several 5 on 3's. One more goal on a break away by Nick "the Quick" Mangone is all the Core would muster and Nassau County left with a 6 - 3 final. Even though the CORE played down most of the game, they managed to outshoot the Lions 25 - 16! A tough defeat to swallow because this author feels the better team did not win this particular contest. Saturday, January 19, 2008 The schedule makers showed no mercy on the CORE because after Sunday's no-show against the Arrows things would not get any easier as today's 7:30 AM start in Dix Hills would feature the Rebels! It in a true testament to the coaching staff & the players the CORE stormed out of the locker room and just 7 minutes into the contest, which featured solid skating, passing & hits by the CORE, Mikey "V" Vaiano in his usual no-fear buzzing of the net found the back of the net for a 1-0 lead on an assist from Troy "Lighting" Lampert! Clogging up the middle lanes the CORE resembled the New Jersey Devils trap style defense, with stellar goaltending by Peter Fosso, who was playing the part of Martin Brodeur. The first period ended with the CORE up 1-0, and trailing in shots just 5-4! Starting the second period off with the jump Nick "the Quick" Mangone showed awesome hand-eye coordination by batting a rebound of a shot by Mikey "V" out of mid air and into the net for a 2-0 lead! These two skaters have been attacking the net with great results all year! Kudos fellas! But alas, the CORE would be out shot 14 - 7 in the second period and the Rebels managed to knot the contest at 2-2 after 2. Several break away opportunities were thwarted by the outstanding goal keep, Peter Fosso! "Mighty" Mike Macklin on defense made several good defensive stops and was spotted darting down the ice on several good examples of never giving up while back checking. The disadvantage of rolling only two lines really showed up in the third as the CORE was out shot 10-2. Break away opportunities were occurring every other shift it seemed. As tired as CORE players were they did not give in to silly, lazy penalties as only 2 were taken the entire contest. As a team they have really taken very few penalties the last 3 or 4 games. The final score was 5 - 2, and although the Rebels tallied the final five goals it didn't really seem like a collapse occurred? The Rebels are a good team and the CORE matched him for a long time, but just seemed to run out of air. The effort was there, and that is what we need and THAT is what is appreciated! Kudos fellas!! January 13, 2008 The bubble in Freeport was the sight of today's contest. Still suffering a hang over from the latest third period collapse teamed with the intimidating thought of facing the Arrows the confidence level of the "CORE" was just about 0. It would not get any better once the puck was dropped, as midway through the first period the Arrows displayed hard skating and great puck movement they netted their first goal. Judging by the hanging heads that were clear to everyone in attendance the game was unofficially over. Five penalties taken by the Arrows allowed the "CORE" multiple advantages, but not much offense was generated at all. As a matter, the Arrows tallied a shorty on one of the their pk's. The final score was only 4 - 0 because of sparkling goaltending by Peter Fosso the entire game. Not one of those goals was in any way his fault. He never gave up for one second and Peter does all the little things correctly + his mechanics are flawless. "CORE" fans know that he is a prized possession. We hope that the self-confidence will hopefully return for next weekend's re-match with the Nassau County Lions, after a tussle in Dix Hills vs the Rebels. If you don't believe that you can do it, I assure you that you won't! Only you have the power to prove it to yourself that YOU CAN DO IT!! Saturday, January 12, 2008 It was another unseasonably warm January day on Long Island, but the forecasters warned not to get too comfortable for colder weather would be coming. The "CORE" knows too well that feeling of getting lulled into feeling too comfortable. The "CORE" players were visiting Cantiague Park to take on the Nassau County Lions for the first time all season. The feeling in the building was electric as the "CORE" players skated right out of the gate with jump! Attacking the net with precision puck movement the CORE would drawer first blood! As the "CORE" was changing lines speedy #55 Nick "the Quick" Mangone took an outlet pass from line Mikey "V" Vaiano and broke past everyone down the right side of the ice and snuck a shot inside the right post for a 1-0 lead! The offensive surge continued as just two shifts later, defenseman #19 BIG Teddy "the GAMER" Wood stopped a clearing attempt from the right point and skated in, deked around a Lion defender and buried a backhanded shot for his 7th goal of the season in just 28 games and an unassisted goal but more importantly a 2-0 lead! As the first period was coming to an end, the rapidly improving #13 Sam "I am" Kurash "Hear Me Roar" would find the back of the net as he was crashing the net on an assist from the guy who always delivers, #26 David "the mailman" Melnyk! Some in the crowd were ecstatic over the first period 3-0 lead, but others realized that the there was a lot of hockey left to be played! Nassau County slowly crawled back into the game, and that jump from the first period seemed to be slipping away as the Lions made it 3-2 by the end of the second period. Just when things were getting pretty dicey around the "CORE'S" net minder Johnny Leeeeee, as he was forced to make several sparkling stops on break aways, proving opportunistic as ever #27 Mikey "V" Vaiano right on the door step found a rebound of a Troy "Lighting" Lampert shot and struck gold for the "CORE" as they seemed to take the momentum right back + a 4-2 lead late in the third! There appeared to be a little too much standing around watching in the final four minutes, as it appeared to be a reversal of fortune as the Lions now skated with jump and good puck movement. The Lions would score twice to tie the game, and although the "CORE" almost created magic in the last minute with several good scoring opportunities they would have to settle for ANOTHER league game tie, that was tied by their opponents in the waning moments of the game. Saturday, January 5, 2008 EXCELLENT BEGINNING TO A LONG HOCKEY WEEKEND! It was evident by the strong turnout at Friday night's late practice attendance that the "CORE" players were eager to get back to work after a two week game layoff for the holidays! It was also pretty darn obvious that Coach Cairo's team philosophy has really started to sink in with the fellas because they stormed out of the locker room and one might never have guessed there was ANY layoff! Every forward, bar none, skated hard for every loose puck, passed crisply & accurately and constantly looked for the open man with the best scoring opportunity! Every defensemen, bar none, had absolutely perfect positioning as the Brooklyn Stars crossed the blue line & took the body when necessary. While on offense they guarded the point like it was a fort, which allowed the forwards to successfully run the offense. Fabulous forward #55 Nick Mangone rung in the new year by amassing 4 goals along with 3 assists while it was refreshing to see hard working team guy #27 Mikey V back in action as he would match his line mate with 4 goals! Opportunistic #26 David "the mailman" Melnyk appeared to initiate the scoring in the opening period (it CLEARLY crossed the line!) only to have the goal waved off. But fear not, next period when the Stars goal keep did his best impression of Islanders Rick DiPietro coming way out of the net "the mailman" would have his revenge as he found himself in front of the net with no one home as he slid the puck to the promised land! A big league win + a shut out for the technically sound goaltender Peter Fosso was a great start to a long weekend of hockey for the "CORE"! SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 2008 A NON-LEAGUE NAIL BITER The excitement started early for this one! Actually it started before the game in Brewster!! The "CORE" parents & players were worried whether they were going to have a goaltender between the pipes. Slightly delayed but arriving in the nick of time was father Kenny Lee with his prized possession #1 the musically talented Johnny Leeeeeeee! The "CORE" appeared to put all the excitement aside and rush out to a 3-0 lead as Nick "the Quick" Mangone had the rare natural hat-trick! The "CORE" made some bad turnovers in their own zone that allowed the Brewster Blackhawks to crawl back into it at 3-2 after one period. Still exhibiting crisp passing and good team play the "CORE" would squander a few good scoring opportunities + the Brewster net minder stepped up and played very well over the final 2 periods! Goals would be traded back and forth highlighted by a couple of goals from #10 Troy "lightning" Lampert the "CORE" found themselves in a tough 5-5 battle late in the third. Defenseman #3 Cameron "I feel so" Goode took the puck from the top of the right face off circle glided across a snapped a wrister that found the back of the net that appeared to seal the victory. Here again a goal in last minute of the game allowed Brewster to walk away with a 6-6 tie. However, it was not a league game but now would come a test as many miles away waiting for us was the well rested LI Edge back in southern Long Island! SUNDAY, JANUARY 6, 2008 ANOTHER NAIL BITER! The "CORE" fans were curious how the guys would react to waking up early, driving up north, playing a nail biter and then drive back down south for an early afternoon contest. An early first period goal by the Edge after just 2:33 would have spelled disaster for most teams, but NOT the well coached & resilient "CORE" players as it took just a little over 4 minutes for the "CORE" to answer back! On a gorgeous bing-bang-boom hockey play, #19 Teddy "the GAMER" Wood fired a slap pass from the right point to #55 Nick "the Quick" Mangone standing at the left side of the net who quickly fed it in front to #27 Mikey "V" Vaiano who knows how to finish as he buried the rubber! An early goal in the first two minutes of the second period by the Edge was the only scoring of the period which saw the "CORE" twice sent to the sin bin. Neither team would not take any more penalties for the final exciting 23 minutes of hockey! This author can honestly say that not one "CORE" member showed any evidence of fatigue and fought hard and buzzed the net in the third period. The effort would be rewarded as #68 Danny "I know where it's at" Kaprat poked home the equalizer on an assist from David "the mailman" Melnyk! With just over a minute left a break away opportunity barely snuck past Peter Fosso, who played brilliantly the entire game! Even though it was extremely heart wrenching at the end "CORE" players should not be ashamed for they displayed warrior fight in them! Believe it or not, this Saturday the "CORE" travels to Cantiague Park for a league game with Nassau County where a victory will have us sitting OK. When a workman like effort is displayed like we saw this weekend, no one, and I mean "NO ONE", can ask or expect any more. On behalf of all "CORE" fans I would like to thank all of you for a super weekend of hockey! Let's keep it going! Saturday, December 16 The "CORE" would learn midweek that they would have to be without the services of arguably their best two way hockey player for 2 games, the forever hustling #27 Mikey "V", and with predictions of inclement weather in the form of a Nor' Easter about to bear down on the region + the undefeated Arrows coming in you could feel the tension in Newbridge Arena. In an absolutely welcomed sight, #7 Nick Falino & his family traveled to the game and was in the locker room pre-game! The troops were rallied behind Nick and would seem to have inspiration because they stormed out of the locker room all of them shaking hands with Nicky, similar to the Notre Dame football coming out of the locker room! Unfortunately, many of you know what happened to Notre Dame football this season & similar results were posted on this ominous evening! The first shift appeared full of energy and hustle, but a bad break on the second shift where a "CORE" player played the puck rather than the body allowed a break away an the Arrows lit the lamp for an early 1-0 lead. Shortly thereafter an apparent lack of hustle that allowed an Arrows player to get behind them for ANOTHER break away that resulted in a 2-0 deficit. Special teams would be one theme for the contest as the Arrows would go on to record 2 power play goals & 1 shorty in route to their 6-0 drubbing of the "CORE". Please take nothing away from the fast skating, solid passing & stingy net minding by the Arrows, but if it was not for solid goaltending by #34 Peter Fosso it may have been worse. Rolling just two lines is tough, but playing with guys in the penalty box added to just rolling two lines playing against a worthy opponent is pretty darn hard! The "CORE" had several players who played hard and fans appreciated that! There's no need to name the players because "YOU", and only you, know who you are! It's going to be tough next week against PAL, but we need to have a good showing in our last game of calendar year 2007! Happy Holiday Wishes to you all! May God bless you and we'll come back for the big "playoff skate in 2008!" Sunday, December 9, 2007 It was an overcast morning in Brooklyn for a league game between the "CORE" and the Greater NY Stars, but that the weather would not deter coach Tommy Cairo's wife, father-in-law + good luck charm, his precious daughter, from attending the game! Missing three forwards the "CORE" would be forced to roll just 2 lines for the entire game. It would be very important for the "CORE" to stay out of the penalty box. Much to the chagrin of coach Cairo the "CORE" took 3 penalties in the first 10 minutes of the period. With just 6:45 left in the first Sammy Kurash took the puck across the blue line leading a 3 on 2, skated to his left taking the defenseman with him perfectly fed the puck across to Peter Gawrychowski who beat the goalie with a high shot for a 1-0 lead. 5 minutes later excellent hustle by Teddy "GAMER" Wood to keep the puck in the offensive zone resulted in Sammy Kurash finding the puck at the top of the circle and firing a slap shot that found the back of the net for a 2-0 lead +Sammy's first goal of the year! The second period started off with some fine passing in the offensive zone, as big Mike Macklin fed the puck down low to Nicky Mangone who moved it across to Troy Lampert at the top of the face off circle. He fired a rising shot that appeared to be sailing over the net when the Stars goalie reached up and accidentally tipped it down and in the net for a 3-0 score. A lull in the action ensued as there was no scoring by either squad until the end of the frame when the newly formed "all southpaw line" struck again! Sammy Kurash skating like the wind across the blue line fed the rubber across to Gawrychowki who touch passed it across to the opportunistic #26 David "mailman" Melnyk (because he delivers!) who poked it home for a commanding 4-0 lead going into the final frame. The third period would see speedy #10 Troy Lampert find the puck in the neutral zone after a Stars faceoff win and break away and tally his second goal of the afternoon unassisted. The "all southpaw" line would put the cherry on top as #9 Peter Gawrychowki found the back of the net again assisted by line mates "mailman" Melnyk and BIG #13 Sammy Kurash! In two contest at Abe Stark Area Gawrychowski has netted four goals. A meaningless goal by the Stars with 1:25 remaining would spoils Johnny Lee's bid for a shutout, but the storyline of the day was the "all southpaw" line that accounted for 4 of the "CORE's" 6 goals, with Sammy Kurash leading the way with 4 points! Next week is "gut" check time for the "CORE" as the Arrows bring their undefeated record to Newbridge. We are going to have to stay out of the penalty box + continue to get offensive contributions from all the forwards if we hope to add another "W" to our already respectable 4 - 2 - 3 league record. Saturday,December 1, 2007 First and foremost it should be noted that in a super classy move almost every parent from the Mamaroneck Tigers wished to extend their deepest sympathies for Nick Falino, who sustained a terrible injury during the last contest between these two squads. This game would serve as a barometer for the character & grit of the "CORE"! It was a mere one week since the Mamaroneck Tigers administered a severe beating on the "CORE" and the "CORE" needed to respond. The "CORE" responded by coming out flying with emotion and tallied the first goal early in the period! Attacking the net with a fury #55 Nick Mangone poked home a rebound from a shot by the ever improving David Melnyk. The well coached and opportunistic Tigers staged a turn around after the first goal, and actually would shift momentum by scoring three unanswered goals. A well orchestrated power play by the Tigers was the key to their comeback as "CORE" players were guilty of using their sticks instead of bodies and it is difficult to win games playing four against five! If it was not for outstanding play by #34 Peter Fasso between the pipes for the "CORE" it might have been worse! The "CORE" would settle down led by coach Tommy Cairo's "never give up" attitude, they would come storming back with goals by Cam Goode, assisted by Mikey "V" and spark plus Nickey Mangone's second goal of the evening, again assisted by Mikey "V"! Mamaroneck responded to the game tying goal by taking the ensuing face off and going in and retaking the lead 4-3! It might have taken the winds from most teams sails, but not the well coached "CORE"! Showing real team leadership trying desperately to create something offensively Teddy "the GAMER" Wood from the point went hard to the net, drew several players towards him and fed to Nicky Mangone now covering the opposite point who fired a shot and going hard to the net #10 Troy Lampert was rewarded with finding a puck that he fired into a vacant side of the net for the game tying goal! Lampert wasn't stopping there because less than a minute later on a feed from Mangone the hustling & fast skating Lampert snuck around the net for a beautiful wrap around goal with just 5:55 left in the game! The assist would cap for a 4 point evening for the speedy Mangone! Unfortunately for the "CORE" they had another player go the sin bin for using the stick. A crazy scramble in front of Fasso ensued and somehow the opportunistic power play of Mamaroneck found the back of the net with just 49 seconds left. A valiant effort by the "CORE" occurred with just 25 seconds left as #27 Mikey "V" won a face off in the left circle back to #19 Teddy Wood, who rightly so had several Tiger defensemen attack him immediately, and Wood opted not to shoot INSTEAD put a pass right on the stick of Mikey "V" who was denied by Tiger goal keep from right in front! The "CORE" once again had to settle for 1 point rather than 2 in a league game, but they showed they have what it takes to come back. NOW what they need to do is play with THAT emotion & heart for ALL 3 periods! That is all anybody can ask for, just play your heart out for all 3 periods! 12 - 6 - 4 (.636 winning percentage) is quite a respectable record, but wouldn't 15 - 6 - 1 (.705 winning percentage) feel better?! RAMAPO Tournament, November 23 & 24 (" The tale of two teams") Game #1- The Good Team vs Rye Rangers The "CORE" came out of the locker room looking to make a statement and they did just that! Hustling to every loose puck, solid checking, crisp passing and disciplined positional hockey as it was a dominant performance the first two periods. The scoring was initiated by the rejuvenated defenseman Mike Macklin on an absolutely pretty unassisted goal as he intercepted a pass through the neutral zone, skated across the blue line and glided across from left to right and unleashed a shot with that southpaw shot of his that whisked by the goalie top shelf! Nick Mangone made it 2-0 on a break away feed from Cam Goode. The "CORE" jumped out to a 3-0 lead on an perfect example of hockey passing as the hard working Daniel Kaprat fed #19 Teddy "the GAMER" Wood at the point who slid the puck across to Macklin who sent a shot to the goal that slipped in for the 3-0 lead after two periods. A flukey goal by the Rangers in the third mad it 3-1, but a solid effort by Johnny Lee in goal allowed the "CORE" to hang on for the 3-1 victory. One very special note was that #10 Troy Lampert was voted player of the game by the opposing coaches! This is a wonderful example that you need not score goals to help your team!! Troy's relentless hustle and doing all the little things correctly, NOT scoring a goal or even having as assist, made him player of the game! Game #2- The team that forgot to show up vs Mamaroneck Tigers Unfortunately I am not certain who was on the ice for this second game of the day versus the Mamaroneck Tigers (whom the "CORE" beat rather soundly IN THEIR home rink)? Within six minutes of the drop of the puck the "CORE" found themselves down 3 - 0! 2 of 3 goals were scored by open ice interceptions and break aways where "CORE" players were watching them skate by instead of playing defense. Standing still would be the theme for the entire game as too many players were WATCHING the game instead of PLAYING in it! Again another lesson for "CORE" members, that you need to be moving at all times! Sadly, 8-1 was the final score. The game was marred by an awful injury to the quietly consistent but extremely hard working Nick Falino. I know that I speak on behalf of all the "CORE" players + parents when I say that he in all our thoughts & prayers for a speedy recovery! Game #3- The Good team (AGAIN) vs Bear Mountain One might think that now playing without standout defenseman, Jake "Weggy" Wegweiser & Falino + having the game pushed back from 2:25 PM to 3:55 PM to 4:40 PM and finally taking the ice at 5 PM would be just too much the "CORE". However, they showed real heart & character by picking themselves up and really playing strong against the team was West Point, NY, who needed a win to qualify for the championship game. From the opening the "CORE" returned to the form displayed in the opening game! Sure enough midway through the first period the always hustling & ever aware of his surroundings #27, Mikey "V", pounced on a loose puck out in front and poked it home for a 1-0 lead! The celebration displayed on the bench was evidence of how much victory in this one meant to the "CORE". Terrific back checking by forwards including David Melnyk + Sam Kurash foiled potential Bear Mountain rushes and the defense was extremely solid sparked by the skating & checking of Mike Macklin. It was midway through the third frame when speedy Nick Mangone broke in and put one of his patented Nickey Mangone break away goals! Nickey was rewarded by being voted player of the game by the opposing coaches. A rare power play goal allowed late in third sent up red flags for some but not this author! Solid defensive play in the final four minutes allowed the "CORE" to again sip from the victory cup and walk away from this tournament with a good feeling and two things on their minds: #1- The speedy & healthy recovery of "CORE" member Nick Falino #2- The game Saturday @ 6:30 PM versus Mamaroneck! Let's show them the real "CORE" Saturday, November 17, 2007 It was a chilly morning @ Iceland for the re-match between the New York City Cyclones and the "CORE"! With the sting of the last second goal to tie the contest by the NYC Cyclones just three weeks ago still fresh in the memory banks of the "CORE" players, they wanted to make sure to finish this contest strong! Unfortunately they forgot to start out strong. A few bad bounces in their own end early in the first period resulted in the puck just slipping past rock solid goal keep Peter Fasso. The "CORE" buckled down and true to form all season long thus far played true stellar defensive thought the rest of the entire game. The 7:45 AM start brought back memories for some parents of squirt & mite time slots, and evidently some of the players are not used to getting those juices going quite so early as the "CORE" did not seem to "click" as we have seen this year. A break away opportunity by Troy Lampert was thwarted by the Cyclone goalie, and Peter Gawrychowski fired a one timer from point blank range but the sliding masked man from the Cyclones came up big as the "gnat" line, including Daniel Kaprat stirred up trouble. In the last minute of play the "CORE" pulled Fosso in exchange for the big gun shot of Mike Macklin! With Teddy Wood and Jake Wegweiser playing the points, the "CORE" only mustered 1 shot and a scramble in front of the net as time expired and the "CORE" went home AGAIN feeling empty with a 1-0 defeat. We will be looking for more offense this week as we head to Ramapo for the turkey day weekend tournament.