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Apple Core Junior
"B" |
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'CORE WINS
2010 JR. 'B' NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
LONG BEACH ARENA--TITLE TOWN, USA
MARLBORO, MA.--
In an ending straight from Hollywood, the NY Apple Core Jr. 'B' team won
the USA Hockey Nationals this past weekend in Marlboro, MA. After this
all sinks in for all of the players and staff, this truly amazing
weekend will be remembered as one of the best hockey experiences any of
the players or coaches has ever had. There were over (40) teams in the
Nationals which featured an 'A' division, 'B' division, 'C' division and
"Best of the Rest Division. With over (100) scouts in attendance, and
100's of spectators, the NESC was packed all weekend. You couldn't walk
5 feet without getting into a conversation with someone from another
team, League, or scout. There were (5) games going on all day, every day
at the same time. Some coaches walked an estimated 20 miles over the
weekend going from rink to rink watching the action. The 'Core's season
was a great one....It included a (34) game winning streak, a Conference
Championship, a Trip to the Final Four and a National Championship. The
team prepared hard for the Nationals working on systems, that at the
end, saved the day and worked extremely hard in the small details that
win games. The team arrived up in Boston Thursday night and settled in
across the street from the rink. With (1) game a day the hotel stay
would wind up a (6) day affair.
In the first game on Friday, the
opponent was the tough Central Penn. Panthers who won the Silver Medal
last year. They were a great team in the MET League. Because of the
set-up this year, with no wild card, you had to win your bracket to
advance to the semi-finals. Apple Core's bracket included Central Penn,
the Michigan Mountain Cats and arch rival the LI Royals. In the Central
Penn game, Frank Musick opened the scoring with a great
point shot in the first period to give the 'Core a 1-0 lead. CP tied the
score at 1-1, but (3) minutes later Mike Cambria gave
the 'Core a 2-1 lead at the end of one period of play. Alex
Caruso assisted on the goal. Caruso scored the
only goal of the hard fought 2nd period. Ron Kokas and
Mike Cambria assisted on the goal. The 'Core took a 3-1
lead into the third period. CP made the score 3-2 on the PP 7 minutes
into the third, but the combination of Jeff Molner in
goal and great forechecking shut down CP for the last 10 minutes. The
3-2 win gave the 'Core their opening big win. After a good night's
sleep, it was time on Saturday to play the Michigan Mountain Cats. This
team is from the Great Lakes Hockey League and was the League Champion.
A much older team, the Mountain Cats took a 1-0 lead in the first period
on a PP goal. Even though the team was sluggish, there were plenty of
scoring opportunities, but the M/Cat goalie stopped all the shots in the
first period. The M/Cats took a 2-0 lead, also on the PP. The 'Core
needed to get back into the game. Rob Dorgan supplied
the boost needed as he scored the 'Core's first goal on an assist from
Mike Davie. Rich Prunesti tied the score at 2-2 in the
second period on assists by Nick Cipriano and
Mike Brennan. The 3rd period was all 'Core as they dominated
the play. Ron Kokas scored the game-winner at the 4:46
mark and the team played great team DF shutting down the M/Cats to
secure a 3-2 win and a 2-0 record in the prelims. Jim Georgas
played well in net for the 'Core who out-shot the Cats 45-28 in
the game. Game 3 was against the LI Royals who the 'Core defeated 5-1
earlier in the season. This game was for the division and for bragging
rights on LI. Both teams were 2-0 going into the game and the winner
would advance while the loser would go home. The game was highly
anticipated by both teams. Many of the players know each other, played
with each other in the past and players were on opposite teams last
season. In the first period, Ron Kokas opened the
scoring on the PP at the 5:13 mark on assists from Frank Musick
and Alex Caruso. Three minutes later the same
combo scored again on the PP to give the 'Core a 2-0 lead after 1
period. Alex Caruso opened the 2nd period with a nice
goal --knocking a puck out of the air and into the net for a 3-0 'Core
lead. Musick assisted on the goal. With the score 3-1,
'Core, John Defeo knocked in a Mike Mascaro
shot to give the 'Core a 4-1 lead after 2 periods. The Royals
opened the third period with a quick goal to make the score 4-2. The
Royals put on a lot of pressure in the third, but couldn't crack
Jeff Molner who made some nice saves. Defeo
scored into the empty net to make the final 5-2 'Core. The
'Core went 2-6 on the PP, but the key to the game was the Royals going
0-9. "The penalty killing was great" stated Assistant Coach
Larry Nastasi. The 5-2 win catapulted the 'Core into the semis
on Monday against the Jr. Bruins. Monday's semi-final vs. the Junior
Bruins was a re-match of the Sept. game which the 'Core won 5-2. The
Bruins had scored (22) goals in the (3) game prelims. The 'Core knew
they would have to contain the high flying offense led by Frank
Vatrano. The first period went the 'Core's way as they slowed
the game down and although the score was 0-0, the Bruins only had 6
shots on net for the period. "Our forechecking was almost perfect"
stated Coach Lazar. "Our plan was to keep the Bruins
from flying through the neutral zone, as they are a "score on the rush
team"" added Lazar. The 'Core opened the scoring in the second period on
the PP as Rich Prunesti scored on a Kyle
Zelanka assist. The Bruins tied the score at 1-1 at the 16:13
mark, but Mike Cambria answered back on the PP a minute
later on an Alex Caruso assist. The 'Core played a
perfect third period except for a brief flurry by the Bruins on a PP
where sniper Frank Vatrano somehow missed (3) great
chances to score. "Those are goals he usually puts in 9 of 10 times"
stated Bruins Coach Chris Masters. After that PP, the
'Core allowed only 2 shots in the last 4 minutes of the game. With :29
left in the 2-1 game, Alex Caruso shot for the open
net, it deflected and started to roll down the ice. The puck hit
something, changed direction and rolled into the exact middle of the
empty net to secure a 3-1 win. "The puck had eyes" stated AC President
Bob Santini. The 3-1 win sent the 'Core onto the Finals
vs. the undefeated Atlanta Knights. Jeff Molner stopped
21 of the 22 shots he faced in the win. "This was the
best all-around game we played all year" stated Special Assistant
Sean Edwards.
The team went out to celebrate
with a team dinner at the Olive Garden which included all the parents
and friends who came to the tournament. All had a great time. The games
in the tournament were on Fast Hockey which did a great job broadcasting
all the games. With an 8:30 PM curfew, the 'Core players were totally
serious and Captain Ron Kokas did a Mark
Messier imitation of team leadership all weekend. "You cannot
win a Championship without Maturity, and Ron supplied
the leadership in this area" stated Coach Lazar. "I
didn't have to say much before the games and Ron kept the team focused
all weekend" added Lazar. "Apple Core has had some
great Captains over the years such as Ryan Vesce, Vin Hellemeyer,
and Kevin Schaeffer just to name a few and now Captain
Ron Kokas is added to those legendary names of the past. The
Championship game was against the undefeated Atlanta Knights of the MET.
Although the Knights were a much older and bigger team, the 'Core felt
they could be beaten. Atlanta had swept through most of the season and
playoffs and easily got to the Final game themselves. "Atlanta is a
methodical team" stated Larry Nastasi. "They play tough
hockey, but classy hockey" added Nastasi. The game
started good for the 'Core and they took a 1-0 lead on the PP on a
John Defeo one-timer. Craig Halpin
assisted on the play. The score at the end of (1) was 1-0. Atlanta had 7
shots on net in the first. The second period was a different story. The
Knights scored (3) goals to take a 3-1 lead after two periods. The
Knights took advantage of their opportunities and showed why they were
undefeated all year. Between the 2nd and third period the team
challenged each other to perform in the third period. The coaches said
that Champions overcome adversity and find a way to win. It looked
bleak. The Knights were killing the clock and the 'Core had trouble
putting two passes together. All of a sudden, Ron Kokas
took a long shot that went wide and came out the other side of the net.
Mike Cambria one-timed a shot over the Knight's goalie
to cut the lead to 3-2 and give the team life. With 1:42 left in
regulation, Oleksii Malichnko wristed a perfect LOW
shot into the Knight's net to tie the game at 3-3. The team was pumped
during the break to OT. Could this be a story book ending?
With :28 seconds gone in OT,
Mike Cambria scored the goal of his life a rare
National Championship OT winner, to give Apple Core their 2nd Jr 'B'
National title. They last won in 1996 with Rob Scuderi
leading the way. When the goal was scored, on assists from Ron
Kokas and Alex Caruso, the place went wild.
Players were jumping all over the place, climbing the glass and creating
general mayhem. 'I still can't believe it" stated Coach Lazar. "These
kids showed heart all year and especially today" added Nastasi.
"It looked like we were dead in the water and all of a sudden
--boom, boom, tie game and then the quick OT goal...WOW.....The team
received their medals, trophies, and 100's of pics were taken. What an
ending to a great weekend. The team finished the Nationals 5-0. Co-MVP's
Mike Cambria and Jeff Molner played
great all weekend. What a season!!!!!
APPLE SAUCE.....
Mike Cambria Sr. took home the huge Silver Cup trophy
which will be displayed in our lobby for the next year......Pat
Condon supported the team all weekend.....Lisa Davie
handled all the restaurant planning and souvenir sorting.
Seeing her in action, I can't understand how Matt handles all that.....Rich
Prunesti Sr. did his skip and jump after the game.....Mike
Smith made his father sleep on the floor mattress, while he
slept in the big comfortable bed......The team will be fitted for
rings.....Team party at the Davie house on Thursday......Tryouts should
be interesting for the EJ team with many candidates......
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