As of Nov 10, 2011

“Williams is a great opportunity for me to be a part of something up and coming”, remarked Masucci. “I’m very excited about the direction of the program
under Coach Kangas and am looking forward to taking the next step in my hockey career.”

“I want to thank my teammates, Coach Bretti, Henry and especially my family for their support in giving me the opportunity to play 2 years of juniors which allowed me to grow as player”.

Current Head Coach Frank Bretti commented, “We as an organization are extremely proud of Zander and this accomplishment.  I personally have enjoyed working with him witnessing the way he carries himself both on and off the ice.  He is a great leader who has a great work ethic and competes at a high level.  The coaches respect him, the players respect him and we feel there are great things ahead for him at Williams College both as a student and athlete.”

Zander’s coach last season and current AppleCore GM, Henry Lazar stated, “I am very proud that Zander will be going to Williams College, one of the top academic Colleges in the country. I think one day Zander will be running his own company and I’ll be working for him”.

Williams College is located in Williamstown Massachusetts and competes in the highly competitive NESCAC conference.
 

As of Nov 10, 2011

             This past weekend, the Apple Core Empire team got on a bus and traveled all the way to Buffalo for two games against the Stars.  Things got off to a shaky start when the bus driver was dispatched to the wrong location to pick the team up, but  after an hour of waiting at Iceland, an eight hour ride, and a team meal, the team finally got to the rink and left with four points for the weekend. 

            Saturday’s game got off to a quick start when Michael Conslato (’95 Locust Valley, NY) made a great pass to Brandon Fusaro (96 Elmont, NY) for a tap in goal barely 6 minutes in to the contest.  The ‘Core’s second goal game 90 seconds later after a great 3 on 2 by the blue line ended with Joe Naclerio (92 Mamaroneck, NY) shooting low and in the corner to beat the Stars’ goalie.  Mark Luciano (94 East Chester, NY) would add a third unanswered goal in the period before Buffalo scored to cut the lead to 3-1 after the first period. 

             Buffalo would cut the lead to 3-2 two minutes in to the second period, but that was as close as they would get.  Mark DeVaughn (93 Sacramento, CA) made a great drop pass on a 3 on 2 to Ilya Yavtuhovich (93 Keyport, NJ) who scored the ‘Core’s fourth goal and gave the team some breathing room.  Joe Naclerio would add his second goal of the game at the end of the third period to make the score 5-2, which ended up being the final.   

            Sunday’s game didn’t see scoring right away, but once Brandon Fusaro scored after intercepting a Stars pass the goals came quickly.   Fourty-three seconds later Ilya Yavtuhovich scored his second goal of the weekend off a great feed from Jon Kaszuba (95 Hewlett, NY), and then 11 seconds after that Liam Pues (94 Long Beach, NY) shot a rocket past the Stars goalie.  In a span of 54 seconds the ‘Core jumped out to a big lead and had all the momentum.  Apple Core would get two more goals in the game thanks to Joe Naclerio and Mark Luciano in the third period before allowing Buffalo to score with two minutes to go.  Justin Kapelmaster (95 Coral Springs, FL) made 27 saves for his second win of the weekend.  The Defense was solid as usual all weekend, limiting Buffalo to only three goals the whole weekend and giving up only a handful of quality scoring chances.

APPLE SAUCE:  Kapelmaster leads the league in Wins (11) and Saves made with 407.  He is also in the top ten in GAA and Save%... Speaking of goalies, the team is happy to have Alex Harwood back from his knee issues… The team cooked dinner at the Ronald McDonald house on Monday night and so far no food related illnesses have been reported… The team travels to the Valley Warriors Showcase this weekend to play Valley, the Bandits, and Palm Beach.
 

As of Nov 10, 2011

 WAYNE, NJ – In the team’s second road game in as many nights, AppleCore received solid goaltending and explosive scoring to defeat the NJ Hitmen 7-1 putting them a tie for 3^rd place with Boston in the EJ’s Southern Division.

The game was played with quick pace as both teams displayed skill and grit as the first period wore on.   AppleCore’s persistence would pay off as Bronzo netted his first of the game finishing off a breakaway that was started by a flip up ice by Frank Musick with just over 2 mins remaining in the first.  One minute later, it was Young who was able to tuck the puck past Rohrkemper

off a nifty feed from Mike Mackie-Kwist.  The goal would send the Core’ to the locker-room with a well-deserved 2-goal lead.

 The Hitmen would continue to pressure the AC defense and pumped more rubber on goal as the second period began.  Magliocco was up to the challenge making stop after stop until 7 mins into the stanza, when forward Ryan Connolly worked a beautiful 2 on 1 with Bronzo and buried his 2^nd goal of the season pushing the lead out to 3-0.  Five minutes later, the Core’s offense continued its impressive period as all 3 forwards touched the puck in a 3-man rush up ice allowing Bronzo to slam the puck home into a virtual open net.  The assists were given to Mike Davie and Connolly.  The second period would come to an end with the score 4-0 in favor of the road team.

 The third period would pick up where the second left off as both teams exchanged opportunities on the offensive end.  An early penalty-kill by AppleCore after a high-sticking call just 12 seconds in proved critical in stemming any momentum that the Hitmen were hoping to generate.  Two mins after the kill,  NJ forward Devin Loe was able to end the Magliocco shut-out bid as his tally made the score 4-1 with 13 mins to play in the period.  That would be all the Hitmen offense could muster up on this night.  The unselfishness would  continue for AC as Young added his second of the night off a beautiful pass from line-mate Justin LaCorte.  Mackie-Kwist found LaCorte who backhanded a pass to Young for the finish, 5-1 NY.  All that was left was for the rookies to finish off what they started.  Bronzo gathered the puck off the backboards and tucked home his 3^rd of the night and 2 mins later Young re-directed a Musick point shot that found the net completing the hat-tricks and giving NY AppleCore its 3^rd road win in a row.

 “We got off to a good start, got good goaltending and made some great offensive plays in this game” concluded Coach Bretti in the postgame.  “This team has shown great character of late and winning 3 road games in 4 nights is proof of that”.

 Justin LaCorte finished with the game with 3 assists.  The win moves the AppleCore record to 8-5-1 and a tie with Boston for 3^rd place in the division.

Looking Ahead

 This weekend AppleCore concludes its busy game week by playing in the Warrior Showcase in Haverhill, MA.  The Core’ will play 3 games in 2 days.  On Friday they matchup with the Rochester Stars and Saturday they battle with Boston Jr Bruins and the New England Huskies.  All games will be played at the Haverhill Valley Forum Arena in Haverhill, MA.
 

As of Nov 9, 2011

 PHILADELPHIA, PA – A three goal outburst with less then 10 minutes to play in the third period propelled AppleCore to a decisive 6-2 victory over the Revolution.  The road win was the team’s second in three days and moved the season mark to 7-5-1 overall heading into Wednesday’s matchup with the division rival Hitmen.

The opening period was controlled by AppleCore as the road team pumped 13 shots and scored two goals on the Revolution goaltender Reed Schlender.  After two successful penalty killing efforts by the Core’, it was Rich Prunesti who put NY ahead 1-0 gathering the puck off the boards in the neutral zone and beating Schlender on the forehand off the rush for his first of two goals in the game.  AppleCore would add to the lead late in the period after a good keep by Alex Aetev at the offensive blueline led to a Keegan Traves goal as the first period came to a close.  Traves was a call-up from the Empire team given the current injury situation with the EJ club and he was able to contribute immediately scoring in his first game.

 The game would open up a bit in the second period as both teams would find the back of the net.  The Revolution struck first as John Hotchkiss scored just 2:50 in making the score 2-1.  A Frank Musick slap shot would push the Core’ lead back to 2 goals, 3-1.  The goal was Musick’s first of the season and was assisted by Kyle Zelanka.  Shortly thereafter, some sloppy play in the AppleCore end led to the second Revolution goal as CJ Cruz beat Sal Magliocco (32 saves) with a snapshot making the score 3-2.  The Core’ would get chances as the period went on as Revolution forward Ben Pulley was called for a 5 min major.  The power-play worked the puck well however was unable to break through.  Magliocco was called upon to make some quality saves on the man advantage keeping the score 3-2 as the horn sounded on the second.  The shots were 25-19 in favor of AppleCore. 

As the third period began, the Revolution pressed to get the equalizer.  Magliocco was up to the task making a number of big stops many of which were in close below the faceoff dots.  AppleCore was able to defend well until Prunesti carried the puck through the neutral zone, split two Philly defenseman and buried the puck on the backhand through the legs of the Revolution netminder making the score 4-2.  The goal seemed to take the air out of the Revolution’s attack as less then two minutes later, it was Mike Davie who finished off a 2 on 1with a beautiful shot raising the deficit to three and all but icing the game for the Core’.  Defenseman Jimmy Brown’s first goal of the season on a wrist shot from the point with three minutes remaining would conclude the scoring and AppleCore would skate off with a well-deserved 6-2 win.

After the game Coach Bretti was quick to point out the play of his blueline, “I thought our defense did a great job of getting shots through to the net.  We talked about that before the game as being one of the keys to winning and we were able to accomplish that today, a big road win”.

 Shots were 39-34 in favor of AppleCore.  The win places the Core’ in a 4^th place tie with the Hitmen in the Southern Division.

 Looking Ahead

 No rest for the Core’ as they travel to Wayne, NJ for a matchup with the Hitmen on Wednesday, gametime is 5:15pm.  After the Hitmen game, the team will travel to Massachusetts and will play 3 games in 2 days.  On Friday they matchup with the Rochester Stars and Saturday they battle with Boston Jr Bruins and the New England Huskies.  All games will be played in Haverhill, MA at the Haverhill Valley Forum Arena.
 

As of Nov 8, 2011

As of Nov 7, 2011

  SPRINGFIELD, MA – On Saturday night AppleCore faced off with Springfield in a matchup of Southern Division rivals.  The Pics used three second period goals to break the game open and finished with a 9-3 victory over visiting AppleCore.

 The Core’ jumped out early when Rich Prunesti combined with John DeFeo and Tyler Young 35 seconds into the game to put AC ahead 1-0.  Springfield would then score 8 of the game’s next 9 goals including two on the power-play and anchored by the goaltending of Linus Lundin (27 saves) took the first game of the weekend series.

 Alex Ataev and Kevin Szopa scored the other goals for the Core’ in the loss.

 Sal Magliocco took the loss for AC facing a total of 56 shots.  Springfield would go 3-6 on the powerplay and the Core’ went 0-4 on their man advantages.

 On Saturday afternoon, the same two teams faced-off in what would be a spirited affair that included 17 penalties combined.  AppleCore again jumped out to an early first period lead rattling off three un-answered goals including Kevin Lohan’s first of the campaign and this time was able to make them stand as the team battled to an important road split wining the game 3-2.  Matthew Noreen got the call in net for the Core’ and was solid with 34 saves earning his first victory of the season.

 Mike Mackie-Kwist tallied 2 assists and Tyler Young and Joe Mitchell scored goals in the victory.

 The win marked the third time in the last 3 series that AppleCore earned a split by winning the second game of the weekend.  The first 2 series were home games.

 “This was a huge win for our club” remarked coach Bretti.  “After losing the way we did on Saturday to be able to bounce back the next day and respond with that type of performance to avoid being swept was big”.

 AppleCore ended the weekend with a 6-5-1 record and has games in-hand with the other teams in the EJ’s Southern Division.  Fishman, Mascaro, Krotz and Reilly remained out of the line-up this weekend, rehabbing injuries.

 Looking Ahead

 The road games continue this week for the Core’ with 2 mid-week games.  The team travels to Philadelphia for a Tuesday afternoon tilt against the Revolution at 2pm and then head back south on Wednesday for a 5:15pm game against the rival NJ Hitmen.  On Friday, the team will travel to Massachusetts and will play 3 games in 2 days.  On Friday they matchup with the Rochester Stars and Saturday they battle with Boston Jr Bruins and the New England Huskies.  All games will be played in Haverhill, MA at the Haverhill Valley Forum Arena.
 

As of Nov 2, 2011

 LONG BEACH, NY – Apple Core received timely goals and stellar goaltending on Saturday night to earn a hard fought 3-2 victory over the visiting Valley Jr. Warriors.  Goaltender Sal Magliocco made 43 saves and John DeFeo’s goal half way through the second period lifted the team to their second consecutive home win.

 After some sloppy play to start the period, both teams settled in and exchanged scoring chances towards the end of the stanza.  Each team went on the power-play once in the period and both goalies were forced to make quality saves.  Valley starting goaltender Noah Klag finished with 18 on the night, which included 8 in the first period.  The first period would end scoreless with Valley outshooting AC 11-8.

 Apple Core would come out of the gates quickly in the second period.  Off the opening face-off the puck was sent into the Valley zone when Mike Bronzo was able to chip the puck behind the net to Mike Mackie-Kwist who quickly found Justin LaCorte in the high slot area for a laser-like one-timer to the top corner of the net.  The snipe would come just 11 seconds into the frame and gave Apple Core the lead, 1-0. Six minutes later, a cross-checking call on Core’ defenseman Alex Ataev would put Valley on the power-play.  Valley winger, Josh Woody, would eventually tie the score on the PP after he put the puck past Magliocco at the 7:40 mark of the second.  The Warriors would end up outshooting the Core’ 29-13 through the first 2 periods. With the score tied at one, the stage was set for an exciting third period of hockey.

 The third period opened with both teams getting scoring chances on the power-play.  Apple Core forward Kevin Szopa was stopped on the doorstep of an odd-man rush opportunity.  Shortly thereafter, with the play in the Apple Core end, a heads-up play by AC defenseman Kevin Lohan lead to instant offense.  The righty broke up the play just inside the defensive blueline and started the counter-attack.  The puck would be picked up by Rich Prunesti who after some nifty passing with line-mate Tyler Young, fired a pass over to DeFeo who buried the puck behind Klag, giving the home team a 2-1 advantage.  Less then a minute later, Apple Core would find themselves on the power-play and the first unit of Mackie-Kwist; Prunesti and DeFeo with Masucci and Musick on defense, worked the puck well looking for an opening.  The puck would end up down low where a goalmouth feed gave Mackie-Kwist the opportunity to hammer home his 3^rd goal of the season.  The goal would put the Core’ up 3-1 with 11mins to go in the period.  Valley would not go quietly and continued to press to get the game to 3-2.  Magliocco was forced to make a number of quality stops as the period wore on.  The Warriors pumped 16 shots in all at the netminder for the period until Mark Meads was able to crack the wall with 21 seconds to go.  The Core’ would hold on earning the 3-2 victory.

 Apple Core ended the game 1-2 on the man-advantage while Valley went 1-4.

 In the second game of the weekend held Sunday morning, Valley scored 2 short-handed goals in the first period and eventually skating off the island with a 6-0 win.  John Rogeri scored 2 goals and added an assist to lead the scoring and goaltender Fabian Sivnert kicked away all 30 shots to buoy the Warriors to a solid road victory. 

Matt Noreen (27 saves) got the call in net for AC and performed well making stops early and often.  Second opportunity shots were abundant and Valley was able to jump on lose pucks keeping the Core’ on their heels most of the game. The early short-handed goals proved too much to overcome for the home team. 

Apple Core was able to generate decent scoring chances however were unable to solve Sivnert.  The Core’ would end the game going 0-3 on the power-play.

Apple Core continues to be bitten with the injury bug as both Ron Fishman and Kurt Krotz missed the weekend’s action with health issues.  Mascaro and Reilly continue to rehab their injuries as well.

 After the game Coach Bretti commented, “I thought we competed well.  They capitalized on some of our mistakes; we dug too deep a hole for ourselves surrendering to shorthanded goals against a quality team like Valley”.

 The win moved Valley’s record to 9-6-1 in league play good enough for 2^nd place in the EJ’s Northern Division.  Apple Core finished the weekend with a record of 5-4-1.

  Looking Ahead

 This weekend Apple Core travels to Massachusetts for an important series with Southern Division foe, Springfield Pics.  Games will be held on Saturday at 6:20pm and Sunday at 12:20pm.
 

As of Oct 30, 2011

As of Oct 28, 2011

As of Oct 21, 2011

As of Oct 21, 2011

As of Oct 17, 2011

LONG BEACH, NY - The South Shore Kings got a 4 point night from the EJHL’s leading scorer, Jimmy Vesey and held on to defeat NY AppleCore 6-4 in the opener of the two game series on Saturday night at the Long Beach Ice Arena.

 The visiting Kings had two first period power-plays and carried the play early before Joe Prescott got them on the board 5 minutes in.  Tyler Young would respond a minute later for AppleCore after some solid work below the hashmarks by John DeFeo.  DeFeo was able to move the puck to the point where defenseman Alex Ataev fired a hard shot on net which was re-directed by Young.  The game would remain tied until Vesey netted his first of the night off a nice feed from Nick Bligh.

 The second period opened with the score 2-1 in favor of the Kings and just 2 minutes in, AppleCore found themselves with a two-man advantage.  The Core’ moved the puck well and created good scoring chances however were unable to beat South Shore goaltender Derick Roy (32 saves) who was good all night.  AppleCore center Rich Prunesti was stopped on the doorstep towards the end of the power-play and the penalty kill would give the Kings the momentum.  One minute after the kill, Tyler Cook beat Core’ goalie Sal Magliocco with a shot from inside the blueline that seemed to fool the AppleCore netminder and may have been deflected on its way to into the net.  Forward Justin LaCorte would score his second goal of the season on a nice rush up ice by AppleCore.  Tyler Young received a pass from Ataev, fired a low, hard shot on goal which was kicked away by Roy to the stick of a streaking LaCorte who buried the puck on the forehand bringing the home team to within one as the second period ended. 

Shots were 25-24 in favor of the Kings as the third period began.  AppleCore would come out of the gates with good jump in the third stanza however were not able to get the tying goal.  Kings goalie Roy was up to the task and fended off quality chance after quality chance for AppleCore.  Defenseman Zander Masucci took a hooking penalty at the 6:38 mark and Dean Niezgoda took a hard pass from Jonathan Mleczko and beat Magliocco blocker side with the shot from the slot.  The power-play marker would put the Kings up 4-2. South Shore stretched the lead to 6-2 with an empty net goal before AppleCore fought back with two late goals by Mike Davie and Ryan Connolly bringing the score to 6-4 as the final buzzer sounded.

 The Kings ended the game going 1 for 6 on the power-play and 38 shots on net while AppleCore went 2 for 8 generating 36 shots on goal.

In the second game of the weekend, AppleCore broke through twice in the first period and Sal Magliocco made the goals stand up backstopping the Core’ to an exciting 3-1 victory over the Kings. 

Sunday’s game included a little bit of everything for the casual hockey fan.  A quick pace, scoring chances at both ends, penalties, strong physical play in all three zones and top flight goaltending were all present in what amounted to a very entertaining junior hockey game.

 A satisfied Coach Bretti explained after the game, “I thought it was a fun game to watch. The game was played at a high level and it was a good experience for both teams to play in this type of game that came down to the wire”. 

It was evident from the start that both clubs were focused on putting the prior night’s game behind them.  AppleCore was determined to get off to better start then they did on Saturday night and the Kings were looking to continue to take the game on the offense firing 17 shots on net in the opening 20 minutes.  The Core’ would indeed get off to a better start as Rich Prunesti found the back of the net hammering the puck past Kings starter Robert Levin (29 saves) at the 11:28 mark of the first period.  The goal was a result of some gritty work by line-mates Mike Bronzo and Kevin Szopa.  The teams would then exchange opportunities until Justin LaCorte found himself in alone on Levin and with a quick deke to the back-hand, the Core’ found themselves with a well-deserved 2-0 lead.  The rush up ice was started by winger Mike Mackie-Kwist who passed the puck to Alex Ataev who in turn fired a perfect pass onto the tape of the streaking LaCorte.  The goal was LaCorte’s second of the weekend and the assist by Ataev was his second helper of the series.  The first period would end with the shots 17-11 in favor of the Kings and it was clear that AppleCore netminder Magliocco was up to the challenge. 

Center Rich Prunesti scored the first goal of the game on Sunday in the 3-1 Apple Core win over the Kings.

With the start of the second period, so started the parade to the penalty box for AppleCore.  Five penalties in all for the Core’ including three in consecutive fashion which proved to be slightly more then the home team could kill off as Jimmy Vesey converted on a rebound off a Tyler Cook point shot.  The goal, scored on the PP with 20 seconds to go was his 13th on the season good enough for first in EJHL scoring.  The goal cut the AppleCore lead in half heading into the second intermission.

 An interference call on Kings forward Nick Cruice at the end of the second period would be the start of the Kings parade to the penalty box as they earned the next four consecutive minors.  AppleCore put tremendous pressure on looking to get that all important 2-goal lead back but the Kings penalty killers, including Levin, were up to the task killing off each of the penalties gaining momentum for the final ten minutes of the period.  Enter AppleCore goaltender Sal Magliocco whose 39 saves, many of the spectacular variety, enabled the Core’ to earn the split, not allowing his team to get swept at home.

 When asked what the difference was from his point of view from Saturday night’s game, the goaltender was quick to cite the team effort, “the defense did a great job letting me see the puck, they battled the entire game from the first shift on. This was a big split for us”.

 Joe Mitchell was able to put the icing on the cake with his empty-net goal and AppleCore improved their record to 4-3-1 on the year.  The loss was only the Kings 4th in 13 games and they maintain their division lead in the EJ’s South Division.

  Looking Ahead

 AppleCore is off until Saturday October 29th when they resume their 4-game home-stand against the Valley Junior Warriors.  Game one will be held at 8pm on Saturday and the puck drops for the second game of the series at 11am Sunday, October 30th.
 

As of Oct 17,2011

Magliocco pitches shut-out;
Apple  Core cruises to victory over Selects

As of Oct 14,2011

 WEST POINT, NY – Looking to build on Monday’s solid win in Rochester, AppleCore took to the ice against the CD Selects on Wednesday and one thing was evident, the offense was ready.  Goaltender Sal Magliocco (30 saves) was good early, allowing his team to adjust to the larger ice surface and 4 minutes into the second period the offense broke out scoring 3 goals in 3 minutes leading the Core’ to an 8-0 road victory, the team’s second in three days.

 The duo of John DeFeo and Rich Prunesti continued their strong play of late combining for 7 points including a second period hat-trick for DeFeo.  The scoring began 6 minutes into the second as DeFeo converted his first Prunesti set-up on the forehand after some nice passwork down low involving Tyler Young (2 assists) .  He would add another tally shortly thereafter.  Prunesti then tucked home his 4th of the season on the backhand.  Ryan Connolly

 would get on the board as well and then it was Prunesti & DeFeo hooking up again as Prunesti hit a streaking DeFeo with a perfect strike up the center of the ice sending the righty in alone on Selects goaltender Joe Lynch (37 saves). The goal would complete the hat-trick for the winger and stretched the lead to 5-0 at the end of the second.

 The offensive onslaught would continue for the Core’ in the third period with 2 goals by Mike Davie and a goal by Kyle Zelanka, his first of the campaign.  Michael Mackie-Kwist played a solid two-way game and set-up Zelanka with an open-net late in the third.

 Prunesti lead the scoring with 4 points, DeFeo, Connelly & Davie each ended the night with three points.

 The game was not all positive for the Core’ as late in the third period forward Mike Mascaro went down with a shoulder injury and is expected to miss some time.  He joins fellow forward Colin Reilly who is on the mend recovering from a finger injury.  

Magliocco and Apple Core earn their first shut-out of the season and now gear up for a tough series with the South Shore Kings.

After the game Coach Bretti commented, “Overall I was pleased with all phases of our performance tonight.  I thought we had great puck possession throughout the game and were able to break through with some goals in second period”. 
 

Looking Ahead:
 This weekend marks the opening home series for the Core’ as they play host to the division leading South Shore Kings.  The first game of the weekend is Saturday, October 15^th at 8:15pm followed by game 2 the following morning at 11:00am.

As of Oct 13,2011

Apple Core Jr. bounces back,
earns split with Rochester Stars

As of Oct 11,2011

 ROCHESTER, NY - In the first of two games against the Rochester Stars, goaltender Gordon Ceaser was the story stopping all 35 shots he faced leading the Stars to a 2-0 shutout victory.  Ceaser had to be good early and he was turning away 19 first period shots including a couple of very good chances for the Core’ in tight.  The Core’ would carry the majority of play in the first but the Rochester penalty killers successfully killed off two Apple Core power-plays to end the stanza scoreless.

 “I thought we had our best period of the season but couldn’t come away with any goals to show for it.  Rochester did a good job of packing it in tight but at some point we have to convert”, explained Coach Bretti in the postgame.  “Give their goaltender credit, he was the difference”.

Rochester was resilient in the second period fending off numerous quality chances from the Core’.  In the first minute of the period, forwards Prunesti and DeFeo combined for a great scoring chance however DeFeo was unable to solve Ceaser.  Apple Core’s offensive frustrations would continue to build as chance after chance was being turned away.  The Stars killed off an early 5 on 3 opportunity against which maintained the deadlock until with just over 2 mins to play in the period, Tyler Wolf converted a 2 on 1 break for Rochester firing a forehand past Apple Core goaltender Sal Magliocco (27 saves).  The goal was an even strength goal and the period ended with the shots 30-18 in favor of the Core’.

 A late third period tally by Dylan Shapiro gave Rochester the insurance they needed putting them ahead 2-0, locking up the victory.  Both teams would finish the game 0-5 on the power-play and the loss dropped Apple Core to 1-2-1 going into game 2 of the weekend held on Monday afternoon.

 The second game of the weekend was a game of “firsts” for Apple Core as Mike Davie, Tyler Young and Zander Masucci each scored their first goals of the season.  In addition, Joe Mitchell tallied the first point of his season earning an assist on Apple Core’s first goal. The Core was able to find their grove offensively rattling off five unanswered goals, from five different players resulting in a 5-2 victory and weekend split with the Stars.  After a scoreless first period in which the Stars were held to only one shot on goal, Core’ forward Mike Davie got NY on the board as he combined on a nice pass play with Mitchell burying the puck igniting the bench.

 Apple Core would then find themselves on the Power-Play and Rich Prunesti made no mistake with the goalmouth feed from DeFeo hammering the puck past Stars goalie Josh Opladen (26 saves).

 The scoring would continue just 44 seconds later for Apple Core as forward Tyler Young earned his first goal of the season.  Young displayed great patience as he fired a quick snapshot past Opladen from the slot.  The goal would put a cap on a good weekend for Young who had some effective PK shifts on Sunday as well. Fishman earned assists on both goals.

 Five minutes later, Zander Masucci potted his first tally on a great shot, putting the puck just inside the post as he cut from the boards to the high slot area shooting against the grain.

 Rochester made a goaltending change to start the third period and Justin LaCorte greeted the new Stars goalie with a hard snapshot to the upper portion of the net.  The goal was a result of some good work with linemate Mike Mascaro and would wrap up the scoring for Apple Core making the score 5-1.

 Sal Magliocco (17 saves) got the call again in net for the Core’ and was there when needed providing key saves not allowing the Stars to gain momentum.

 The Core’ averaged 38 shots per game over the weekend, firing 43 on net in Monday’s game.  The team will need to continue to work on finishing opportunities as the season progresses.

The win gives Apple Core a .500 record through 5 league games.

 After the game, Coach Bretti was pleased that his team finally was able to break through, “for the second game in a row I felt we came out and had an impressive first period but again were held scoreless.  I thought our team responded well to some of the adjustments we made with our lines and we’re all happy that we were finally able to put the puck in the net scoring 5 unanswered”.

  Looking Ahead

 Tomorrow, the Core’ will return to action for a mid-week road game against the Capital District Selects before returning to Long Island for two home games against the division leading South Shore Kings on October 15 & 16.  The Selects game will be held in West Point, NY on the campus of the US Military Academy.  The game will mark the second time the teams face each other this season with the Selects having won the first game 6-5 in OT.   

Apple Core looks to even the score, puck drops at 5:15pm.

As of Oct 11,2011

            The Apple Core Young Guns got back on track after a ruff three game swing in Marlborough Massachusetts where the Young Guns got a welcome to the Junior level for real! Not only taking it on the chin but seeing the scouts from the colleges and pro teams was an eye opener all around the arena’s watching for the next player or players.

The Core playing three games in two days were greeted with a not so welcomed greeting losing their first game 3 to 0 and being totally flat; the Coaching staff was not happy with the effort and chalked it up to nerves. The later game that night found the Guns in a better frame of mind but due to some big saves and too many penalties found themselves under 500 after the first three games. The Sunday morning game did not work out any better as the Guns fell behind 3 to noting on the first 7 shots and had a big hole to climb from, the staff told the young players to just play a shift at a time and get back into the game, but fell short and limped home with a 1 and 3 record after 4 games.

            Next up was the Brewster team in Brewster and things did not start off as well as planned, the Bulldogs beat the Guns in the preseason and were all over the Guns in the first period and taking a 1 to nothing lead into the second session. Coaches  Carroll and Scall were not happy with the effort and made some changes to the lines and the team woke up in the second period, although they had to wake up on the penalty kill scoring a Shorty by Mark DeVaughn to get the teams even. The Guns were then unholstered and the team picked up the level of play and three minutes after scoring on the PK the Guns converted on the power play with Rob Delury getting the tally from Mark DeVaughn to give the Guns the lead 2 to 1. The Core entering the third period opened a two goal lead on a strong play to the net by Artie Aymong fighting through a back checker to put the Bennett O’Donnell rebound into the back of the net. The GUNS not done as three minutes later Rob Delury got his second of the game off a nice breakout started by Charlie Fosso.  The Core kept pressing and added another on the power play by Rookie Joe Quinn again from Mark DeVaughn, Joe staying in front powered the puck past the Bulldog goalie to end the scoring. The Guns got great efforts from rookie defenseman James Loglisci and Mike Rodriquez and another solid effort from rookie goalie Matt Almengor who stopped 33 shots. The Guns new captain Jon Novak was a one man show on the PK and the team fed off the effort, Eric Krupka again solid on the blue line helping the rookies to settle into the Junior ranks

            Next up the Guns face off against Suffolk PAL at the Arena in Long Beach, to renew the Long Island East West rivalry Thursday night 10-13 at 7:10 PM. 

Spent Shells

The Core taking their first bus trip of the season had a great time and a great bus driver who got into the team and watched all the games and was our biggest cheer leader, The Guns would like to thank Mr. Cohen for the DD donuts and munchkins the boys actually ate them!

On the injury front Brandon Gaynor is skating again and hopefully cleared to play PAL

The Young Guns added some more youth as they picked up forwards Kieran Hurley and Dillon Radin to hopefully add some more scoring and enthusiasm with the fresh faces

The Guns also want to thank Five Star Electric for sponsoring the bus trip.
 

As of Oct 3, 2011

 After a month of exhibition games, the Apple Core Empire team traveled to Marlborough, MA to open up the regular season at New England Sports Center.  The weekend consisted of three tough games against the Jr. Bruins, Tampa Bay, and Bay State.

            In the regular season opener, the ‘Core had to face a tough Jr. Bruins team, who are the defending USA Hockey National Champions.  A good low shot from Eddie Shinnick (’92 Merrick, NY) caused the Bruins goalie to leave a rebound in the slot, and Keegan Travers (’93 Long Beach, NY) deposited the puck in the back of the net for a lead just four minutes in to the game.  Three minutes later, Joe Bochichio (’94 Massapequa, NY) “buried the biscuit” after some great cycling by the red line to give the ‘Core a 2-0 lead.  The team seemed to have all the momentum going in their favor until a few trips to the penalty box late in the half squashed their momentum and allowed the Bruins to tie the game at two with two power play goals.  Three goals by the Bruins in the second half were enough to put the game out of reach and the game ended 5-2.  “Playing man down as much as we did takes you out of your groove” stated Assistant Coach Jon Sandos, referring to the fact that the team only gave up one goal at even strength. 

             With another game later that night, the team came out flying on all cylinders against Tampa Bay.  The ‘Core jumped out to a 6-1 lead in the first half thanks to goals from Keegan Travers, Joe Bochichio, Joe Baccicheti (2) (’94 Royal Palm Beach, FL), Nolan Pues (94 Long Beach, NY), and Ilya Yavtuhovich (’93 Keyport, NJ).  The Second half didn’t feature as much scoring, but saw Keegan Travers score his second of the night, and also saw Brandon Fusaro (’96 Elmont, NY) net his first goal of the season as well.  The final was 8-1.  Not only were all of the forwards generating high quality chances, but the D was stingy as well.  Led by veteran defenseman Mike Dellatto (‘94 Elmont, NY), the D suffocated Tampa’s offense, allowing only 15 shots during the game.  Alex Harwood (’94 Larchmont, NY) made 14 saves and picked up his first win of the season.   

            On Sunday, the ‘Core played another tough Eastern Conference team, the Bay State Breakers.  The Breakers scored the games first goal, but that was all that Justin Kapelmaster (’95 Coral Springs, FL) would let them score as he turned away the rest of the 16 shots Bay State sent his way.  Ryan Cheng (93 Howard Beach, NY) scored his first goal of the year when he buried a Joe Naclerio (’92 Mamaroneck, NY) rebound to tie the game. The score remained 1-1 the rest of regulation and through overtime, forcing the game to be decided in a shootout.  The Breakers scored the shootout’s only goal, and the final score was 2-1. 

             News and Notes: Joe Baccicheti and Mike Dellatto are tied for the team lead in plus/minus at +10; Mark DeVaughn (’93 Sacramento, CA) has rejoined the team in Long Beach after recovering from off-season knee surgery, and will begin skating this week; Head Coach Henry Lazar will be taking suggestions for a new Chinese Take-out restaurant in the Marlborough area now that the one in the mall is closed; The team plays an exhibition game Saturday against the Sea Coast Kings, and will return to Empire League Action October 9^th and 10^th at Rochester.
 

MARLBORO, MA – Apple Core opened league play on Friday afternoon against the Green Mountain Glades.  The game was tightly contested throughout and it took a shoot-out to declare the Core’ the eventual winners.  Forward John Defeo continued his strong early season play scoring the first goal of the game just over a minute in as Apple Core was able to capitalize on a Glades neutral zone turnover.  Centerman Rich Prunesti jumped off the bench with speed, gained the zone and slid the puck to Defeo for the finish. The middle portion of the half included some decent scoring opportunities for both clubs until Collin Britnell’s tally with 44 seconds to go in the half tied the score as his wrist shot beat goaltender Sal Magliocco (24 saves).  Both teams would continue to exchange quality chances in the second half and solid goaltending and defensive play sent the game into OT.  Apple Core’s PK led by Magliocco in net, successfully killed-off four Glades power-plays in the second half alone.  After a scoreless OT period in which Apple Core outshot the Glades, the game would move to the always exciting shootout.  DeFeo would start the scoring in the SO for the Core’ with a smooth deke to the backhand placing the puck upstairs over the fallen Vermont goalie Dylan Troiano (25 saves).  After some impressive stops by Magliocco, it was Fishman’s turn to go to the backhand as he too tucked one under the bar.  After a Vermont goal by Dominic Trento that tied the score, Justin LaCorte’s backhander through the legs of Troiano put AppleCore up 1 setting the stage for Magliocco.  Magliocco settled in and showed good patience stopping the snap-shot of Glades forward Steven Esposito ending the game in dramatic fashion for the New York team earning them their first league points of the year.

 After the game, Head Coach Frank Bretti commented, “I thought the game was evenly played for the most part.  We got a strong effort from our PK unit which included some big stops by Magliocco.  It was great to see some of our players score some nice goals in the shoot-out, lifting us to the win”

 In Apple Core’s second game of the weekend held on Saturday morning, the host Bruins jumped out to an early 2-0 lead and held on to defeat the Core’ 5-3 handing Apple Core its first league loss of the season.

 Both teams came out of the gates exchanging early scoring chances until a defensive zone turnover by Apple Core led to a Zach Luczyk goal for the Bruins, his first of two in the game.  Thirty-four seconds later, a hard Bruins forecheck led to the second goal of the game as winger Thane Heller scored from the doorstep, slipping the puck past AppleCore goaltender Sal Magliocco putting the Bruins out in front to an early two-goal lead.

 Apple Core demonstrated good character by striking back four and a half minutes later after a slashing call against the Bruins gave the Core’ a 2-man advantage.  Mike Mackie-Kwist scored his first of two goals in the game as he re-directed a hard pass from Rich Prunesti pulling the Core’ to within a goal. Three minutes later Apple Core would again find themselves up a man and Prunesti buried a centering pass from John DeFeo tying the game with 8 mins to go in the half.

With 2:30 remaining in the first half, another slashing call against the Bruins put the Core’ on its third power-play of the game.  The strong power-play of DeFeo, Prunesti, Mackie-Kwist, Fishman, Mascucci and Musick generated quality scoring chances with solid work along the boards however were unable to find the back of the net.  The first half would draw to a close with the score tied at 2 and Apple Core outshooting the Bruins 20-17.

The second half opened with both teams skating at full strength.  The Bruins would score the next two goals of the game in a span of 2:30 essentially putting the game away.  A breakdown in the Apple Core defensive zone off a face-off led to Luczyk’s second goal of the game making the score 3-2 and 1:30 minutes later on the power-play, the game-winner making the score 4-2.

Apple Core would continue to battle and was able to cut the deficit in half after a strong penalty kill.  Core’ forward Mike Mascaro gained the offensive blueline along the boards and fired a pass to a streaking Mackie-Kwist who buried the puck past Bruins goalie, Brendan Leahy.  That would be all for the Core’ as the Bruins would add to their lead with four minutes to go eventually going on to win the game 5-3.

 Throughout the game for the Core’, the trio of Davie; LaCorte and Mascaro did a solid job possessing the puck and confidently controlling the play on each of their shifts.

 Offensively, Apple Core was led in the game by the line of DeFeo, Prunesti and Mackie-Kwist who accounted for 6 points.  Mackie-Kwist was the leader with 2g, 1a

 Magliocco ended the game with 31 saves and the Bruins outshot the Core’ 36-34.

 Coach Bretti was relatively pleased after the game, “I was real happy with our team’s performance in the game despite the loss.  We made a few mistakes and the Bruins were able to capitalize on those errors.  I was happy with the power-play unit, they moved the puck well and more importantly, were able to finish some nice goals”

 In Apple Core’s final game of the weekend the team faced off against EJHL foe the Capital Districts Selects.  Matt Batis’s goal 1:48 into the OT period gave the Selects their first win of the weekend, 6-5.  Matthew Noreeen got the call in net for the Core’ and concluded the game with 22 saves.  John Defeo continued to build on his strong play offensively this season putting Apple Core up 1-0 just 1:25 into the first stanza.  Michael Mascaro was able to steal the puck from a Selects player and found DeFeo in alone.  DeFeo made no mistake on the play lifting the puck on the backhand over CD’s goalie, Peter Mason. 

The Selects would even the score on the PP before Apple Core scored the next two goals 60 seconds apart to take a 3-1 lead.  The Core’s second goal was a result of good pressure down low in the offensive zone.  Defenseman Alex Ataev scored his first goal of the season when his pointshot was able to find it way through to the back of the net.  Apple Core would continue to carry the play with good puck pursuit which led to their third goal, 60 seconds later.  Rich Prunesti netted his second of the weekend as he banged home a forehand off a nice feed from Defeo.

 Capital Districts would respond reeling off the next 4 goals of the game including 2 on the power-play making the score 5-3 Selects late into the second half.

 The last 5 mins of the game would prove to be action packed.  Right-handed Apple Core defenseman Ron Fishman would score the next two goals in dramatic fashion and the game was tied 5-5 as the horn sounded on regulation time.  Fishman’s first of two would come off a nice feed from Prunesti firing a wrist shot past Mason with 1:20 seconds remaining.  One minute later, after the Core was called for the team’s tenth penalty of the night (compared to three minors called on the Selects), the smooth skating Fishman would again strike, this time short-handed on the backhand as the final horn sounded off a breakaway pass from DeFeo. 

The game however would end abruptly for the Core’ just under 2 minutes into OT when Batis connected off a pass from Sean Spero ending the game and handing Apple Core its second loss of the day.

Apple Core was 0-1 on the man advantage and Capital Districts were 3 for 8 which proved to be the difference in the end.

 “We were lucky to come away with a point in this game”, explained Bretti. 

 “I thought we showed great character with Fishman scoring 2 goals with under 2 mins to play in the game but give Capital Districts credit, they battled and deserved to win the game.  Their energy level was higher then ours and that showed on the power-play, we go 0 for 1 and they go 3 for 8, usually that leads to a loss and it did tonight.  This is learning process for a young team and I feel we can and will make those adjustments as the season moves on”.

 John Defeo ended the weekend with 6pts, including a 4pt performance against the Selects, which leads the Core’ in scoring.

 Looking Ahead:

Apple Core will be off next weekend before traveling to Rochester for two games on October 9^th at 8:30pm and October 10^th at 12:30pm.

 On Oct 12^th, the Core will play a mid-week game against the CD Selects in West Point’s Tate Rink on the campus of the U.S. Military Academy at 5:30pm.

Apple Core Junior concludes pre-season
schedule with undefeated record. 
Strong play at Hitman Classic moves record to 8-0

As of Sept 20, 2011

 WAYNE, NJ – In the Core’s opening game of the Jersey Hitmen Classic against the Florida Eels (EJ South), winger Mike Mackie-Kwist scored what turned out to be the game wining goal six minutes into the second period with assists by John Defeo and Rich Prunesti and AppleCore outshot the Eels 37-10 enroute to a spirited 3-1 victory.

 On Saturday afternoon, the Core’ matched up against the Vermont Green Mountain Glades (EJHL) in the team’s second game of the weekend.  Goaltending and special teams proved  to be the keys as goaltender Sal Magliocco stopped all 29 shots faced leading NY AppleCore to a 3-0 victory over the Glades.

 AppleCore winger Mike Bronzo’s power-play tally with 1:37 left on the clock in the first period proved to be the game winner as he fired a wrist-shot over the shoulder of Glades goaltender Jeremy Eck as the first stanza drew to a close.

 The second period opened with a number of solid scoring chances by a quick-skating Vermont team.  Magliocco stood strong stopping all shots including a number of quality chances while Vermont had the man advantage.  The Core’s penalty killing effort, which was highlighted by an impressive SH tally by Justin LaCorte, proved to be the difference.  In a tremendous individual effort, LaCorte tipped the puck past a Glades defenseman at center ice, won a race to the puck and beat goaltender Eck on the backhand through the legs, putting the Core’ up 2-0 with 12 mins to go in the second.  As a unit, the work of forwards LaCorte, Mike Mascaro, Mike Davie and Tyler Young as well as defensemen Ron Fishman and Zander Mascucci helped pave the way to the shutout for Magliocco.

 After the game, AppleCore Head Coach Frank Bretti was quick to point out how he felt of the effort, “No question about it, our goaltending, defense and the PK were instrumental in getting this victory”.

 On Sunday, in the final non-league exhibition game of the season for AppleCore, goals by Mike Mackie-Kwist, Mike Bronzo, Tyler Young and John Defeo powered New York to a 4-3 victory over the Hampton Junior Whalers (Hampton, VA).  The victory was the Core’s third in four days allowing them to complete the Hitman Classic with a perfect 3-0 record.

 Forward John Defeo led the team in scoring for the weekend with 4 pts (2g, 2a).

At the conclusion of the weekend, Coach Bretti commented on the team’s young season to this point, “Overall I have been pleased with our progress beginning with the first spring showcase leading up to the final exhibition games this past weekend.  We are all anxious to get the regular season underway.  The preseason has served its purpose in that the team has gotten to know one another while allowing me to get a better understanding of our personnel.  I’ve been impressed with the team’s focus and commitment to this point and look forward to continued improvement in all areas as we strive for a high standard of play throughout the season.”

 EJHL League play opens this weekend at the Boston Jr Bruins Showcase in Marlboro, MA. AppleCore will open the weekend with a matchup against the Vermont Glades on Friday at 4pm.  Saturday the team will play two games.  The first at 11am verses the host Boston Jr Bruins and the second game wraps up the weekend against the Capital District Selects at 8pm.
 

As of Sept 19, 2011

The New York Apple Core Empire Junior B team finished up their exhibition play with a trip over the George Washington Bridge to Wayne, NJ for the Jersey Hitmen Classic. Their first game, Friday night, was a match up against the Florida Eels, an EJ South team. Playing against an older opponent, the Core was led by the “Green” line of Brandon Fusaro, Mike Conslato, and Keegan Travers. Each of these players had 2 points on the night. The Core battled all night and was able to come away with a 3-2 victory. The Saturday morning opponent was the DC Capitals of the NAPHL. They were a young, skilled squad that moved the puck extremely well. The ‘Core jumped out to a 3-1 lead at halftime playing probably one of their best periods of hockey all season long. Unfortunately for Apple Core, they took many stupid penalties on a parade to the box in the second half and surrendered three power play goals in the 5-3 loss. The team bounced back Saturday night in a contest against the Mass Maple Leafs of the CHA totally dominating and handling the play in their 9-2 victory. Leading scorers in the game were Ryan Cheng (2-2), Joe Naclerio (2-1), Ilya Yavtuhovich had 2 goals, one of which was a sure high light reel goal, Keegan Travers (1-1), Joe Baccicheti (1-1), and Matt Bavaro and Liam Pues had 2 assists each. Apple Core finished their pre-season play with a record of 10-1-3.

The ‘Core travels to Marlboro, MA next weekend for the Junior Bruins Shootout where they begin league play with 3 games. Saturday they will play the Junior Bruins in a rematch of last year’s Empire League Championship game, Saturday night they face the Tampa Bay Juniors, and on Sunday they will face off against the Bay State Breakers.

As of Sept 16, 2011

          The 2011/12 Hockey season is just around the corner, and the Apple Core Junior B Young Guns of the Eastern States Hockey League are reloaded for the season. The Guns starting the season with almost an entire new roster showed great promise in the Spring and Summer Show Cases they attended. The team lead by returning defensemen Eric Krupka, Artie Aymong and Brian Hurley looked real comfortable with new defensemen Brandon Gaynor, Mike Rodriquez, James Loglicsi and California import Cameron Giertych at the games, Associate  Coach Ron Scall stated this looks like the best group of defensemen we have ever started with. This year’s Young Guns are loaded up front at forward also with returning veterans Ryan Carroll, John Novak, Pat Donahue, Charlie Fosso and Matt Cohen adding in Derek Caruso, Tarou Duffy, Rob Delury, Shane Higgins and Joe Quinn who have shown a nose for the net and have been lighting the lamp. Head Coach Carroll said there were some pleasant surprises in forwards Bennet O’Donnell, Anthony Intravia who are joining the Junior ranks this season and worked hard and impressed the Apple Core Coaching Staff.

              General Manager and Empire Head Coach Henry Lazar at the Boston Showcase stated after the weekend the young group of players has a bunch of future Empire players and it looks like all Three Apple Core  team’s will be able to copy last  year’s accomplishment of getting players to the next level and having successful seasons lots of promise! The Guns playing in just Empire and EJ Show Case games all spring and summer competed and won games turning some heads around the league and the Show Case. The Guns all new goaltending duo of Matt Almengor and Mark Zapson look like they will give the new Apple Core Guns a chance to win every game which brought a smile to the Guns coaching staff, Coach Scall stated “it all starts from the net out!”. The all new Young Guns playing in the first  pre season Show Case in Philly competing against Metropolitan and Empire teams tied with the Empire team for the cross over spot but lost on the head to head format with the 5 – 3 loss to the NJ Empire Wildcats team. Apple Core rookie forwards Rob Delury, Joe Quinn and Derek Caruso showed the coaching staff that they are ready to play lighting the lamp over the tournament weekend. The defensive core lead by Eric Krupka, Brian Hurley and rookies Mike Rodriquez and James Loglicsi with back stops Matt Almegor and Mark Zapson have given the staff a great feeling heading into the inaugural season of the Eastern States Hockey League formerly known as the Continental Hockey League (CHA).  

            Spent Shells:

The Young Guns training camp started with the help of  New York Islanders Head Trainer and Strength and Conditioning Coach Garret Timms, the Apple Core Staff and players would like to thank him for his help on getting the players started in the right direction for the season and their Junior careers. The players were introduced to what the Pros are exposed to. The players worked real hard and impressed the Islander trainer with the effort.

On the injury front the Guns have a couple players on the mend;

hopefully a speedy recovery to Brandon Gaynor who is nursing a stress fracture and hopes to be back soon

Ryan Carroll still recovering from a lower body injury and still on the mend hopes to be back soon

The Young Gun players, parents and Coaching Staff want to wish the Empire and EJ teams a successful season and to the former Young Guns players continued success with the Empire, EJ, AJ and Met league teams they have graduated to, WE will be keeping an eye on you 

GOOD LUCK!
 

As of Sept 16, 2011

The 2010-11 season was a very successful one for the New York Apple Core Young Guns, both in terms of results and player development.  The Core finished the season 13-2-1 over the final sixteen games, and clinched a post season berth.  Although the Young Guns did not reach their ultimate team goal of making it to Nationals, Coaches Tom Carroll and Ron Scall accomplished what they set out to do each and every season....develop players to move on to the next level, and this past season proved to be their most successful yet.  A total of fourteen players from last season's squad have made the jump to the next level.

Three players will be moving on to play college hockey in the ACHA.  Jimmy Georgas will be between the pipes for nationally ranked Division 1 Stony Brook University, and Matthew Scarpato will be skating for D1 Villanova University.  Sean Duffy will be patrolling the blue line for D3 University at Albany.

Jeff Sumcizk will be playing with AJHL perennial power New York Bobcats, and Joey Petrizzo will be moving down south to skate with the Space Coast Hurricanes, while Jimmy Diamond will be with the Hampton Roads Junior Whalers, both in the newly formed EJ South Division.

Mark DeVaughn, Jon Kaszuba, Liam Pues, Nolan Pues, Ed Shinnick and Ben Sorkin have all moved up to Apple Core's Empire Junior team, while Dyaln Stuart and John McCabe will be making the jump to the Metropolitan Junior Hockey League, playing with the Metro Fighting Moose and New Jersey Rockets, respectively.

Best of luck to all, we will be watching!
 

As of Sept 16, 2011

The 2011-12 New York Apple Core ESHL team recently wrapped up a very successful preseason exhibition schedule against Empire, Met and ESHL teams.  The Young Guns moved 15 players from last year’s squad on to the next levels of junior and college hockey.  There are six players returning from last season’s playoff team; forwards Matt Cohen and Charlie Fosso will be counted on heavily to put the puck in the net, and defensemen Artie Aymong was gladly welcomed back as a late arrival, while Brian Hurley has already shown that he is aiming to take his game to the next level.  The two other returnees are newly named team captain Jon Novak, and alternate captain Eric Krupka. Krupka will be called upon to anchor the defense, while Novak, one of the top penalty killers in the league, will also be the mainstay up front.

The rest of the team is a solid group of young rookies.  Up front the aptly named “Kid Line” is comprised of Joey Quinn, Derek Caruso and Tarou Duffy.  The trio has already shown a terrific knack for putting the back in the net, and will be relied on heavily on the power play.  Bennett O’Donnell rejoins the Core, and looks as though he hasn’t skipped a beat owning the corners and being a major presence in both the offensive and defensive zones. 

Forwards Robert Delury and Shane Higgins also scored their share of goals in the preseason, and both are skilled puck handlers as well.

On the blue line Cameron Giertych from the left coast, and Mike Rodriguez both had a terrific camps and preseason showing they can more than handle time on the power play, as well as play steady in the defensive zone.  James Loglisci, yet another newcomer on the blue line has been the steadiest of the defenders, with a willingness to play the body.  Brandon Gaynor was a having a great preseason, but was cut short with a broken wrist.  Gaynor should be back by mid October, and will be sorely missed.

In between the pipes are Mark Zapson and Matt Almengor, both of whom had very solid camps and played well against some strong competition.

All in all the coming season brings with it much anticipation of the Young Guns reaching their goal of gaining a birth to Nationals.
Head Coach Tom Carroll, and Associate Head Coach Ron Scall will be returning behind the bench for their fourth season together.  The pair has been very happy with the overall commitment and attention to detail of the entire team and is expecting big things from this year’s squad.
 

As of Sept 13, 2011

As of Sept 8, 2011

The 2011-12 Apple Core Junior team completed its first week of training camp by posting five victories in two different venues in conjunction with practices and off ice training sessions. Only returning four players from last season’s team, the new look roster arrived in Long Beach on Monday for their opening practice. On Tuesday, the team was put through a series of tests at the Professional Athletic Performance Center in Garden City, NY conducted by strength coach Scott Muggeo. 

 Wednesday the team traveled to Brown University in Providence, RI to play exhibition games where they completed a two game sweep, beating the Neponset Valley River Rats U18 and Connecticut Bobcats U18 Elite. A handful of college scouts were in attendance to speak with a few of our players. The Core would return home for practice on Thursday, followed by another off ice training session at the PAPC. Friday brought the final practice of the week.  

On the weekend, they were off to Cromwell, CT for a series of three games in the Hartford Wolf Pack Showcase. Facing the host Wolf Pack in the opening game, the team went on to a 3-1 victory led by strong goal tending by Sal Magliocco. The Core received another strong showing in goal in the second game by Matt Noreen and held off Wilkes-Barre, PA 2-1. The team would face a tough opponent on Sunday’s second game, the Springfield Pics of the EJHL. After a 2-2 tie in the first half, the Core outscored the Pics 4-1 in the second half in route to a 6-3 victory. Goals by Rich Prunesti, John Defeo, Mike Davie, Mike Mackie Kwist, and Ryan Connolly proved to be  the difference. Ron Fishman and Zander Masucci commanded the defense throughout the weekend. Tyler Young, Mike Mascaro and Justin Lacorte put in solid efforts with great set up plays to aid in the goal scoring. Sal Magliocco had another strong performance, especially in the first half when the Pics seemed to be on top of their game.

First year coach Frank Bretti comments on his opening week, “ I was very pleased with our overall effort and focus throughout the week. I was impressed with our second half play in the Pics game where we outscored a good team 4-1. It was an encouraging sign considering this concluded a tough seven day work week. ”  

 The team will be idle this weekend and will resume its exhibition schedule participating in the New Jersey Hitmen showcase on Thursday, September 15th at 6:00 pm in Wayne, NJ. Games on Saturday and Sunday finalize this three game showcase.

Sept 5, 2011

August 29, 2011

August 6, 2011

August 6, 2011

Marlborough MA- New York’s Apple Core had a strong showing at EJHL Summer Showcase by railing off four straight wins in Division A before being
eliminated in the Semifinals.  The 32-team field was played over the July 22^nd weekend.

 The core got off to fast start on Friday night scoring early in the contest and never looking back to a 9-0 victory vs Hub City. The Saturday morning match would prove to be much tougher with Apple Core winning 2-1 against the New England Huskies. Both teams undefeated, the Saturday night match up against Metro Elite left both teams needing a win to advance to Sunday’s Quarterfinals. The Core surrendered the first goal of the game but were able to avenge a victory by scoring 2 goals late in the contest resulting in a 5-3 victory.

In Sunday’s Quarterfinals the Core would advance against undefeated South Shore Kings with a victory of 2-1.  The Core would fall in the Semifinals against the NJ Hitmen in a well-played contest, 2-1.

 Apple Core Coach Frank Bretti was pleased with his team’s performance during the EJHL Summer Showcase.  “I was happy with our entire team’s performance starting from goal tending to our young forwards.  We are at a state with our program where establishing a team culture and identity will guide how we will go about our everyday business.  This Showcase provided us, as a team, another opportunity.  I feel the players are buying into it; I was pleased with our overall effort and attitude.”
 

July 15,2011

July 15,2011

The New York Apple Core National team was victorious in the Annual Hub City Junior Hockey Tournament this past weekend. They posted a 5-0-1 record on their road to the Championship.

 The team was comprised of players from this year’s EJ team as well as players trying out for the team. Head Coach Frank Bretti and Assistant Coach Jon Sandos were pleased with the effort that was displayed throughout the weekend.

 The effort in the D-zone and extra effort put forth allowed Apple Core to beat three very good teams throughout the playoff round on Sunday. They first defeated the #3 seed Bridgewater Bandits EJ team. In the semis the Core was matched up against the #1 Beantown Bullies who were made up of top prep school players as well as players from BU, BC, and Harvard. The Core kept things simple and clawed their way to victory. In the Championship game Apple Core faced the #2 seed Hartford Wolfpack AJ team. Apple Core controlled the game from the opening faceoff en route to the Championship.

 Congratulations to the Apple Core National Team for winning this prestigious Spring Junior Hockey Tournament. The Core will be in action next in the EJ Summer Showcase in Marlboro, MA the weekend of July 22.  

The New York Apple Core National team was victorious in the Annual Hub City Junior Hockey Tournament this past weekend. They posted a 5-0-1 record on their road to the Championship.

 The team was comprised of players from this year’s EJ team as well as players trying out for the team. Head Coach Frank Bretti and Assistant Coach Jon Sandos were pleased with the effort that was displayed throughout the weekend.

 The effort in the D-zone and extra effort put forth allowed Apple Core to beat three very good teams throughout the playoff round on Sunday. They first defeated the #3 seed Bridgewater Bandits EJ team. In the semis the Core was matched up against the #1 Beantown Bullies who were made up of top prep school players as well as players from BU, BC, and Harvard. The Core kept things simple and clawed their way to victory. In the Championship game Apple Core faced the #2 seed Hartford Wolfpack AJ team. Apple Core controlled the game from the opening faceoff en route to the Championship.

 Congratulations to the Apple Core National Team for winning this prestigious Spring Junior Hockey Tournament. The Core will be in action next in the EJ Summer Showcase in Marlboro, MA the weekend of July 22.  

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 Wayne, NJ – New York Apple Core finished off their wire to wire run atop the Empire Junior Hockey League Sunday afternoon with a Championship Game victory over the Junior Bruins by a score of 4-1.

 The Bruins opened up the scoring on the power play at 14:46 of the first period. Mac Cook connected on the first tally of the afternoon with assists going to Jack Eichel and Matt Manzella. The Bruins took the 1-0 lead into the locker room at the end of the first period.  

Apple Core would answer with a three goal second period to take the lead and control of the game. Brett Jacobson scored once and Mike Mascaro scored twice in an eight minute span to put Apple Core ahead.

The Apple Core defense would shut down the Bruins attack in the third by limiting them to only 6 shots on goal. Brian Walters stood tall and made 19 saves on the afternoon. Brett Jacobson added his second goal of the afternoon, an empty netter, at 18:58 of the third.

 With the win Apple Core has earned the #1 Empire Seed at Nationals. The Bruins will be the #2 seed. The Jersey Hitmen, New Hampshire Junior Monarchs, South Shore Kings, and Syracuse Stars will also represent the Empire Junior Hockey League in the USA Hockey Junior B National Championships in Marlboro, MA from March 24 through March 29. 

 The back and forth nature of the Championship Game Sunday, as well as the entirety of the Final Four over the course of the weekend, illustrated the depth of talent that is found in the Empire League.

 The Empire Junior Hockey League wishes the best of luck to all of our representatives in Nationals!

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Vin “The Bull” Buttita always heats up the game on the ice but Vin recently got cooled off in the icy Atlantic while taking part in the Long Beach Polar Bears 12th Annual Super Bowl Splash to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Metro New York.

 Fellow teammate Mike Debello and Vin saw a flyer for the event. Mike soon made a bet going with Vin (the bet involved food) that landed Vin in a “Spedo” swim suit heading into the Atlantic on Super Bowl Sunday.   

 Vin braved the icy water twice along with billet parents Chuck & Denise Long but he could not convince teammates Mike Debello, Michael Mackie-Kwist and Chandler Long to even take off their sweat shirts let along plunge into the water.  Mike, Michael and Chandler stayed on the beach taking in the scenery.

 Since Vin eats like the sharks he swam with, looks like Mike & Vin will be hitting the local restaurants to pay off the bet.  

 To date the Long-Buttita team has raised over $500 for Make-A-Wish and donations are still being accepted on their donation web site Click Here :
 http://superbowlsplash.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=440850&lis=0&kntae440850=82452DE5E00C4CEDAE436FF4A45B236B
 

Long Beach, NY….This past weekend saw the league leading Metro Moose come to town for another installment of this much heated rivalry.  The Moose came in riding a 22 game win streak, and Apple Core had a 10 game unbeaten string of its own.  The coaching staff knew that a victory over the Moose was almost a must for the team’s psyche and confidence, as well as sending a strong and clear message to the rest of the league that Apple Core is a real contender for the final CHA bid to Nationals. 

On Saturday the Young Guns came out fired up and took it to the Moose early.  Jon Kaszuba opened the scoring 3:32 into the opening period, with

Joey Petrizzo picking up the assist.  The Guns held onto the lead through the period, and went into the dressing room up 1-0, after one period.  The Core played a solid period, but between periods the coaches reminded the team that the second period has been their achilles heal all season. 

Sure enough the Moose came out strong to start the period, netting the tying goal 1:53 into the period.  Just under seven minutes later the Moose struck again and took a 2-1 lead.  The Guns dug their heals in and skated stride for stride with the Moose and with 37 seconds left in the middle stanza, and on the power play Nolan Pues tied the game at two off a feed from

Mark DeVaughn.  The second period ended, and it was a brand new game heading into the third.  Between periods the coaching staff felt that the Guns had played one of their weaker periods in quite a while, but all things considered being tied with twenty minutes to play was a nice position to be in.  They implored the boys that if they took it to the Moose the way they had in the first period that they could grab the two points.

The message got through and the Guns came out strong in the third and

Jeff Sumcizk scored a shorthanded goal, with Nolan Pues picking up the assist at the 4:25 mark.  The shorthanded goal was the Core’s league leading thirteenth of the season.  Just over seven minutes later Jimmy Diamond went bar down, to give the Core a two goal lead, off assists from Dylan Stuart and Ryan Carroll.  With 1:01 left in the game Nolan Pues cemented the win with his second tally of the game, an unassisted goal on the power play.

Jimmy Georgas was stellar in net, stopping 36 of the 38 shots he faced.  Georgas made several spectacular saves, and really picked the team up in the second period.

In the Sunday game everyone knew that the Moose were going to come out fired up, and sure enough they were all over the Guns from the opening faceoff.  Jimmy Georgas started off the way he ended on Saturday, standing tall to a barrage of Moose shots, until finally the Moose were able to beat him, taking a one goal lead on the power play with just under five minutes to play in the first period.  The period would end with the Moose up by a goal. 

The second period saw the boys from Long Beach bounce back strong peppering the Moose goaltender with shots until Ed Shinnick finally scored the equalizer, with Jeff Sumcizk picking up the assist. 5:24 into the period.  The score would remain knotted at one, with the teams really taking it to one another.  With the Guns shorthanded the Moose scored with 1:01 in the period to regain the lead, and the second period ended 2-1.  The Moose came out very strong in the final period jumping out to a 3-1 lead just 29 seconds into the period, and then increased their lead to 4-1 two minutes later.  There was a definite letdown on the Core bench, but the coaches settled the boys down letting them know there was a lot of hockey left.  With just under seven minutes left Matthew Scarpato scored on the power play with Jon Novak picking up the assist.  Down 4-2 the Guns took it hard to the Moose, outshooting the opponents 14-7 for the period, but were unable to put anymore pucks in the net.

All in all this was a very strong weekend for the Young Guns, proving to themselves and the rest of the league that they can compete and win against anyone. 

Spent shells…Nolan Pues and Jeff Sumcizk continued their torrid scoring.  Pues who had 7 points in last Sunday’s game vs Frederick picked up another 3 points, and Sumcizk who had 9 points in the same game against Frederick added another 2 points.  On the injury front, Pat Donahue (shoulder) is practicing with the team and is hopeful to be cleared for contact this week.  Ben Sorkin (foot) is skating again and is probable for next weekend, and Captain Sean Duffy (chest) is day to day.  Next up for the Guns is a pair of games against Eastern Conference foes Bay State and Springfield at the Brewster Showcase.

Young Guns Continue Unbeaten Streak

Long Beach….The Apple Core Young Guns swept the weekend series from the Jersey Wildcats, and extended their unbeaten streak to 8 games, and winning streak to 5. 

On Saturday the Guns came out strong putting tremendous pressure on the Wildcats, controlling the puck for minutes at a time in the visitor’s defensive zone, but were unable to net the game’s opening goal until 9:03 in the period when Jon Novak converted a bounce off the end boards on a wide shot from the point.  That would be the only goal of the opening frame.  Between periods the coaches gave the team an earful, telling the players that they were one bad bounce away from a tie game, and the longer they let the Cats hang around the tougher the game was going to be.  The team was challenged to go out and in the second period and play the system, and most importantly finish.  Coach Scall challenged the team to put a five spot on the board, and apparently the messages got through loud and clear when just 1:19 into the period Liam Pues scored, and 1:07 later Nolan Pues gave the Core a 3-0 lead.  Novak added his second goal of the game, and Ben Sorkin and Joey Petrizzo also scored as the Guns netted 5 goals in the period to jump out to a 6-0 lead after two.  The third period began as the second ended as Jeff Sumcizk scored his 13^th of the season 30 seconds into the final period.  Just over 6 minutes later Jimmy Diamond was pulled down on a breakaway, and awarded a penalty shot.  This was Diamond’s second penalty shot of the season, and as he did the first time Jimmy made a nice deke and extended the Guns’ lead to 8-0.  Nolan Pues would add his second goal of the game to close out the scoring, and Jimmy Georgas picked up his first shutout of the season as the Guns blanked the Wildcats 9-0. 

Sunday Coach Carroll reminded the team that they’ve been in the same position of winning the first game of a series, and struggling in the second game.  He told the boys that the Cats were not going to roll over and die, and that it would take hard work and focus to finish off the series.  Mark DeVaughn opened the scoring 2:42 into the game with the Guns on a power play.  With good puck movement Devaughn found himself with open space at the point and blasted a slap shot into the net giving the Guns an early 1-0 lead.  As Coach Carroll warned this was a different day, and just 22 seconds later the Core gave up a 3 on 1 rush and Jersey made no mistake in converting and tying the game at one.  However Nolan Pues continued his torrid scoring giving the Core a 2-1 lead 1:08 later.  This was the beginning of what would be a 5 point game for the team’s leading scorer.  The period ended at 2-1, and once again the team was given an earful in between periods, and once again they rose to the challenge.  Ryan Carroll, Jeff Sumcizk and Pues scored three unanswered goals before the Wildcats scored a goal late in the period, but the damage was already done and the second period ended with Apple Core leading 5-2.  Nolan Pues opened the scoring 1:30 into the final period netting his hat trick, and team leading 20^th goal of the season.  The teams would trade goals, with Sumcizk closing out the scoring with his third goal of the weekend.  With a birth to Nationals still the goal of the season, the Guns are working hard to climb as high as possible in the standings before the playoffs begin.  The team is off next weekend, and then hit the road for a pair of games against the Freeze in Frederick, MD.

Spent Shells…..Assistant Captain Pat Donahue continues rehabbing a separated shoulder, and the team is hopeful he will be able to return in three weeks against rival and league leading Metro Moose.  Leading scorers for the weekend were Nolan Pues with 8 points and Jeff Sumcizk with 6.  Pues has moved up to 10^th in the league in scoring.  Congratulations to CHA All-Stars Pues, Ed Shinnick and Captain Sean Duffy.
 

LONG BEACH, NY..... In the 1st annual Ronald McDonald Cup, the NY Apple Core Empire team took on the Suffolk PAL Juniors at Long Beach in a charity game for a great cause. The Ronald McDonald House helps families of sick children with the financial burden of hospital stays and is critical for many families in their time of need. Ex-AC Coach Chris Cosentino who works at RMH set up the game between the two perennial Jr 'B' powers on LI. AC and PAL won the previous two National Championships and have been at the top of their respective Leagues for years. The idea for this game was developed in August and the two organizations also took part in cooking dinners for the residents. Many sponsors came through with nice donations, including the players who each solicited their own share of donations for the RMH. In attendance last night was Ronald McDonald himself and the Islanders' mascot also. Approximately 250 people were in attendance and the game was covered by Fast Hockey (TV) and MSG Varsity (Interviews). FastHockey.com is a pay per view hockey computer access service and they donated all proceeds from last night to the RMH. Both teams looked forward to this game and the atmosphere was really exciting. Citifield public address announcer Alex Anthony graciously donated his talents to the cause also. After the opening ceremonies which included Ronald McDonald dropping the ceremonial first puck added to the atmosphere of the game. The game started off well for PAL as Nikita Sokolov scored the first goal of the game just :53 seconds into the game. It was all 'Core after that as they scored the next (14) goals of the game. Brett Jacobson & Mike Mascaro registered Hat Tricks, with Jacobsonreceiving Player of the Game. Mike Brennan, CJ Delvaglio, Joe Naclerio all scored (2) goals each with Pat Condon, Justin LaCorte, & Tim Genova all adding goals also. Mike Goldstein had (5) assists, with Ori Benyamini, & CJ Delvaglio adding (3) apiece. The final score was 15-3. The RMH raised a lot of money and it certainly goes to a great cause. The game next year will be hosted by PAL at the Rinx in Hauppague, NY.

 

Click Here For Press Release
 

The Apple Core Empire team traveled to Burlington, Vermont for the weekend for a pair of out of conference match ups with the Green Mountain Glades. After a long bus ride Saturday, the Core came out flat and fell behind early. Penalties and uninspired play left Apple Core trailing 4-1 heading into the third period. After regrouping during intermission, Apple Core came out and scored two early goals in the third to cut the deficit to 4-3. Penalties again hurt the Core as they surrendered another power play goal late in the third and ultimately fell by a 6-3 score. Goal scorers on Saturday were Michael Goldstein, Mike Davie, and Mike Mascaro. Like all good teams do, Apple Core rebounded with a dominating effort on Sunday. The Core came out flying and dominated from the drop of the first puck. Apple Core peppered the Glades goaltender with a 40+ shot effort. Ori Benyamini scored twice with Mike Davie and Joe Ditizio each scoring once. Ditizio’s goal was his first as a member of the Core. Apple Core is 12-1 in league play and returns to action Saturday with a home series against Maksymum.
 

Long Beach….The CHA Jr. B team swept their weekend series against the Potomac Patriots, and are now unbeaten in their last 6 games.  In Saturday’s action the Core dominated the opening period, outshooting the Patriots 14-4.  Ryan Carroll opened the scoring 4:25 into the game, and Matt Scarpato doubled the lead with a shorthanded tally 45 seconds later.  Nolan Pues and Preston Rogers would add a goal apiece, and the first period ended with the Guns taking a 4-0 lead into the locker room at intermission.  In between periods the coaches reminded the team that the Patriots were not going to roll over and die, and sure enough the second period saw the team from Maryland score the only goal, and gain some momentum going into the third period down 4-1.  Potomac would score with 11:57 left in the third period to cut the lead to 4-2.  After hitting the post which would have cut the deficit to one goal, Dylan Stuart netted the third goal of his rookie season to give the Guns a 5-2, which would be the final score.  The Core outshot Potomac 50-22, the third straight game of 50 shots or more.

On Sunday the Young Guns would look to continue their winning ways.  Coach Carroll warned the boys before the game that it’s never easy to win the second game of a weekend series, and Potomac was going to give them all they could handle.  The Core’s newest arrival via a trade from Suffolk PAL, Josh Kogan opened the scoring with his first goal for his new team, just over 5 minutes into the game.  Before the game would end, Kogan would add 3 assists for a 4 point performance.  The first period ended with the Core leading 1-0.  Kogan’s linemate Ryan Carroll increased the lead to 2-0 just 2:13 into the second period, but the Patriots stormed right back scoring the next three goals in a span of 2:31, to take a 3-2 lead.  The Guns regained their composure and rattled off 4 unanswered goals of their own before the period would end.  A rejuvenated and motivated Jimmy Diamond sandwiched two goals around scores by Nolan Pues, and Sean Duffy, and the Core took a 6-3 lead into the locker room after two periods.  Five minutes into the third period Matt Scarpato would finally get the “breakaway monkey” off his back with a nifty move to increase the Guns lead to 7-3.  The teams would trade goals, with Carroll’s second goal, and third of the weekend securing an 8-4 win.  Once again the Young Guns broke the 50 shot plateau, outshooting Potomac 54-22.

 Spent Shells….The line of Pues-Carroll-Kogan combined for 6 goals, and 12 points in the two games.  The Guns have taken 224 shots in the last four games.  On the injury front Jon Novak’s broken arm is now in a short cast, and he is targeting the weekend series in Pittsburgh November 20^th for his return to the lineup.  Next up for the Young Guns is a series at Suffolk PAL next weekend.