Pittsburgh Hornets U18 run out of steam, lose to Chicago Chill 2-0

The Pittsburgh Hornets put up a valiant effort, but sadly could not overcome the exhaustion and fatigue remaning from their thrilling triple overtime win today, loosing to the Chicago Chill 2-0 in this evenings semi-final game. The Hornets fought so hard and skated so well to get to this game, but clearly were suffering from the effects of the triple overtime victory today. There was so much physical, mental and emotional energy expended in the victory over Belle Tire that the Hornet boys simply didn't have enough time to recover during the less than 4 hours between the end of the Belle Tire game and the beginning of the Chicago Chill game.

Take nothing away from the Chicago Chill though. They are one of the top teams in the country and proved it by scoring in the first period and once in the second period to seal the victory, though the Hornets, skating on nothing but heart, desire and pride, had a flurry of good scoring chances toward the end of the third period, but simply ran out of gas, with observers noting how the players were gasping for air during breaks in the action in the third period, as they were so very, very drained by the end of the contest, after a very hard and very long day of playing hockey (literally almost 3 games in one day, consecutively) at the highest levels possible in amateur sport in this country (Tier 1).

The great Coach Vince Lombardi once said "It is time for us to stand and cheer for the doer, the achiever, the one who recognizes the challenge and does something about it." So in that regard, it is time for us to stand and cheer for the Pittsburgh Hornets U18 Midget Major Hockey Team, a team that fought so hard, for so long, and for so well, against difficult odds today and difficult opponents as well.

They didn't quit, they didn't throw in the towel, They battled through the odds today to emerge victorious in triple overtime, and continued to battle just as hard this evening, making this a very close and competitive contest with the Chill, though their strength was sapped from the earlier encounter, in pursuit of a National Championship.

And though they fell short of that goal, perhaps they acheived another, even greater accolade, by earning such great respect from the parents, coaches and fans of amateur hockey that saw them battle to the bitter end under difficult circumstances, with heart, courage, tenacity, desire and pride. Congratulations Pittsburgh Hornets U18 Midget Major Hockey Team, you have done us all, and the Pittsburgh Hornets organization, and yourselves, very proud indeed!

Best of luck to the Chicago Chill as they move on to the National Championship game and congratulations to all of the Pittsburgh Hornets Hockey teams (The Midget Majors, the U16's and the U14's) for their fine showings and efforts in Rochester at the USA Hockey Tier 1 National Championships. You are truly one of the best, and classiest, organizations in Tier 1 Hockey today in the United States.

Pittsburgh Hornets defeat Belle Tire 3-2 in TRIPLE OVERTIME to advance to the Tier 1 USA Hockey National Championship Semi-final round !!

The hearts of all Hornet fans are still pumping and fluttering as the Pittsburgh Midget Majors won a game for the ages, defeating Belle Tire by a score of 3-2 in TRIPLE OVERTIME to clinch a spot in the final four for the USA National Hockey Championship.

Furman South scored the first goal in regulation, off of a beautiful passing play from Polidor and Jake Dellavalle, though Belle Tire tallied later as the score was 1-1 at the end of the 2nd period. After the ice cut, Belle tire started the third period off quickly and lead by a score of 2-1. These Pittsburgh Hornets though don’t understand the meaning of the word “defeat” and battled back to score with about 5 minutes left in regulation.

And WOW, what overtime sessions these where! Eyewitness reports confirm that many of the spectators at the packed rink had never seen such end to end action, with breakaways for both sides being stopped as the action was thick and furious. The battle went on and on throughout the first overtime, and then into the second overtime, the action just wouldn’t end as the spectators were on their feet screaming and getting hoarse in the process!

The Hornets play in particular lead to some thrilling moments as they were forced to kill off a penalty at the end of the 2nd period which then carried over into the 3rd period. As everyone in the rink steeled themselves for another exhilarating, exhausting and amazing third overtime period of hockey.

The Pittsburgh Hornets proved they were up to the task of competing for a national championship as they came out flying throughout the 3rd period, swarming shift after shift, line after line, over a determined, but tiring group of players from Belle Tire. The fatigue and exhaustion finally caught up to Belle Tire as one of their players let loose with a vicious spear on Pittsburgh Hornet Furman South.

The Hornets had to take a medical time out as South writhed in pain from the spearing incident and need time to recover from such an attack. But it was Furman South and the Pittsburgh Hornets that had sweet revenge after the spearing incident as it placed the Hornets on a power play, where Pat Gaul’s initial shot was stopped, then Gerry Raymond’s 2nd shot was blocked, then Pat Gaul poked the rebound to Furman South who banged home the winning goal, spearing Belle Tire and hurting them where it hurts the most-on the scoreboard, and ensuring that the Pittsburgh Hornets will advance to the final four, semi-final round action tonight against their arch nemesis, the Chicago Chill (67-7-3).

And a final note of congratulations to the goaltenders for both teams. Nagel for Belle Tire was outstanding, making save after save to keep his team in contention throughout the game. Goaltender Nagel should be extremely proud of his play and so should the entire Belle Tire organization. And as good as Goaltender Nagel was, word was, again, that Pittsburgh Hornet Goaltender Rob Madore was simply amazing and entering another stratosphere of excellence, earning accolades from the swarms of major college scouts and juniors in attendance, and even NHL management present at the game, on his outstanding play as well.

Flash Update-Pittsburgh Hornets U16 Provide Drama Against Team Illinois

2006 National Championships
Championships - Boys - 16 & Under - Tier I Undefeated teams provide drama
By Russell JaslowSpecial to usahockey.com ROCHESTER, N.Y.

Of all the USA Hockey National Championship games played at the ESL Sports Centre here Friday, only one pitted two unbeaten teams against each other at the 16 & Under Tier I level. Team Illinois and the Pittsburgh Hornets won their two previous games before facing off, and Team Illinois remained undefeated, winning, 4-3, despite a gallant comeback attempt by the Hornets. ““This is our fourth time [we’ve played them] this year,” Team Illinois coach Marc Kapsalis said. "They beat us the first two, [then] we got a game against them, 5-0, a kind of meaningless game. Both teams seem to be really playing at the top of their game.”

Team Illinois looked all set to settle this one early, as they took a 4-0 lead midway through the second period. “We started off a little sluggish, a little slow, a little sloppy,” Pittsburgh coach Mike O’Malley said. “But we regrouped about halfway into the second period. [We] came out in the third and had a great period.” Pittsburgh scored one late in the second and then another early in the third.

At this point, Illinois' goalie, Matt Mandernach, made some strong saves to keep his team safely in the lead. However, with 1:53 left in the game, Donnie Harris’ blast from the blue line beat Mandernach on the glove side. Pittsburgh then pulled its goaltender with a minute left, but could not get the equalizer.

The Hornets, however, advanced, and, despite the loss, O’Malley will focus on the strong effort late in the game and look forward. “We are going to try to build off that,” he said. “[The loss is] forgotten. We gave them a talk in the locker room. They know what’s going on. They are very focused right now.”

Pittsburgh Hornet Midgets and U16 Advance to USA Hockey Tier 1 Quarterfinals !

The Pittsburgh Hornets' Tim Hall plays the puck on Wednesday in Rochester, N.Y.

MARCH 31, 2006 UPDATE FROM ROCHESTER NEW YORK, HOME OF THE TIER 1 NATIONAL USA HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIPS - The good news today is that both the Hornet Midget U18 and U16 advance to the quarter finals tomorrow. Though the midgets lost a tough one to the Chicago Chill 4-3 in overtime today, they still qualified for the quarter finals by virtue of their previous points totals in the tournament. It was an action packed game from the beginning, and the Chill, one of the top teams in the country, had to pull their goalie and get a goal on a stick deflection in front of the net to tie the game at 3-3 in regulation with less than 50 seconds to play.

"It obviously hurt to end up losing such a tough game in overtime" Assistant Coach Chris Stern said "But both Head Coach Joe Gaul and I know our boys are resilient, and will be fired up to compete hard tomorrow in the quarterfinal game."

There are lots of hero's so far for the Pittsburgh Hornets U18 team, including Rob Madore who is playing some great hockey. Rob is one of the best goaltenders in the Mid West Elite League, one of the best goaltenders in the country, and is currently sporting a torrid .936 save percentage at the Tier 1 National Tournament. Gerry Raymond is also on fire as the assist master with 6 assists in 3 games, tying him for 2nd place in the overall tournament scoring lead. Chris Cerutti is off to a good start as well with 2 goals and 3 assists for 5 points in the first 3 games.

The U16 also lost a tough one today to Team Illinois 4-3, but like the U18's, the U16's (by winning their first 2 games) have already secured a spot in the quarterfinals tomorrow against the California Wave at 10:30 am.

And on a final note, the Pittsburgh Hornets U14's ended their magical run this year by loosing to an undefeated Madison Capitals team by a 6-0 score. The U14's battled hard throughout the contest and though down 3-0 going into the third period came out buzzing around the Madison goal. But strong goaltending by Madison helped weather the initial storm as Madison picked up a few goals in the final minutes of play to seal their victory. It was tough on the boys to come within three (3) games of winning a national championship, but they have a lot to be proud of.

"Though we ended up on the loosing side of the ledger today, I couldn't be more proud of the boys on my team" said Head Coach Dave Hanson. Hanson continued "These boys overcame adversity throughout the year and bonded together as a team, like a band of brothers, playing some of their finest hockey down the stretch and into this championship tournament" Hanson continued "They are a special group of kids and we are all very proud of them".

Congratulations to all of the Hornet teams, the boys, the parents and the coaches for representing our organization so well at the USA Hockey Tier 1 Championships and best of luck tomorrow!

SOME MUSINGS AND OBSERVATIONS ABOUT THE TIER 1 TOURNAMENT

• the volunteers from the rochester hockey community are doing a really, really great job running the tournament. Things seem to be running very smoothly and in an orderly fashion.
• some political intrigue going on at the U18 level, as word has it that the Greater Boston Bruins have forfeited a game. They beat the Chicago Chill in overtime 4-3, but word leaked out that the Bruins were using an ineligible player, apparently some kid that was rostered on both a midget team and a junior team after Jan. 1, verboten under the rules. Thus, the Bruins forfeited the game and the win was given to Chicago.
• it is very unseasonably warm in Rochester, with temperatures running into the 70's. Thus it is muggy in throughout the rink and yesterday it was actually quite warm on the ice as well .
• with all the heat and the humidity, suffice it to say the ice has not been the best, lots of ruts and cuts, with the ice surface looking like somebodys back that was scratched with a hacksaw.
• compounding matters, rumor has it that one of the zamboni's in use broke down. As such, the other zamboni driver has been going crazy cleaning ice from rink to rink on a constant basis.
• there was a skills competition last night for the U14 teams, with Tom Communale in goal and Matt White representing the Hornets at the competition, and both doing extremely well.
• All three Hornet teams are staying at the Crown Plaza in Rochester, a hotel that is a bit worn, but quite liveable, with 3 computers with free internet service off the lobby, a favorite with the kids (as well as some of the adults).
• Lots of the Hornet folks had lunch at a restaurant near the hotel called Dinosaur Bones featuring lots of pulled pork barbecue, ribs and the like. The reviews back on the restaurant have been generally good.
• It is really great seeing all of the Hornets in one hotel, its kind of like we have taken over the place, and really puts into perspective how great the accomplishment is for our organization to have 4 teams in the National Championships (with 3 of the teams at the same location).
• on a final note, we have never, ever seen so many major division 1 and junior scouts at one place, ever, scouting all of the teams, including the Hornets. Guess that's how it goes with Tier 1 exposure, and when you play for the Pittsburgh Hornets.

Midget Majors/Bantams Lose Tough Ones to Shattuck St. Marys

The Midget Majors ran into a hot goaltender today as Shattucks (former team of NHL Superstar Sidney Crosby) triumphed over the Pittsburgh Hornets by a score of 3-0. The play was fast and furious over 3 periods as the Shattucks team slow eeked out a lead and while the Hornets responded with a strong attack, they just couldn't solve the Shattucks goalie (and some most "interesting" officiating to say the least") as they ended up with their first loss of the tournament. They are still in good position to make the medal round with a victory tomorrow.

On the younger front, the Pittsburgh Hornets Bantam U14 suffered a heartbreaking defeat losing 3-2 with about 5 minutes left in overtime to the Shattuck St. Marys U14 Bantam team. The Hornets took an initial lead of 1-0 right off of the first shift as Brody Auckerman through hard work outskated the Shattucks defenseman into the zone, grabbing the puck and sliding a perfect pass to Andrew Ong for the first goal. The play went back and forth, up and down the ice for the next 2 periods as Shattucks came roaring back and built a 2-1 lead. But before the second period ended, Chris Cummings flattened a Shattucks puck carrier against the board, freeing the puck where a flying Drew Williams picked up the loose biscuit and swooped in taking a hard low shot on goal. The goalie made a fantastic save, kicking the puck right out onto the stick of Matt White for the tying goal.

The game went 2-2 into overtime when both teams had many chances with the Hornets hitting the post twice while Matt Skoff stoned Shattucks until finally the puck took an unlucky bounce in front of the Hornet net where a Shattucks player pounded the puck home for a Shattucks victory.

Some of the scouts watching the contest thought it was one of the best games of the tournament as a scout from the New York Rangers gave the boys a pep talk in the locker room after the game about continuing to play hard, support their teammates and strive for excellence both on and off the ice. The feeling amongst the coaches, the parents and the fans in the stands was that this was one heck of a game, and everyone was very proud of the U14 Bantam Hornets

And a tip of the hat to the Shattuck St. Marys teams that the Hornets played today. Though we competed hard today and came out of the day with the Hornet program winning once and loosing twice today to Shattucks, the Hornets are all about class, excellence and respect, both in our endeavors on and off the ice. And we respect that same approach when we compete against teams that share the same values that we do, like Shattucks St. Marys.

With a program that include coaches like Tom Ward, Murray Eaves and Director of Prospect Evaluations J.P. Parise, these guys are doing it right in developing top notch hockey players and student athletes. Their teams are very well coached and the players are all class kids (you can see it in their play and behavior on the ice) and an absolute pleasure to compete against. Good luck to Shattucks the rest of the tournament!

Tier 1 Flash News Alert - Pittsburgh Hornets U16 beat Shattuck St Marys

Word just in, the Pittsburgh Hornets U16 Tier 1AAA Hockey Team has just pounded Shattucks St. Marys 6-1 early today to continue its march toward the Tier 1 USA Hockey National Championships. Coach Mike Welch's boys were all over the Minnesota Prep School Powerhouse and won in fairly convincing fashion. More to follow later.......

Pittsburgh Hornets off to good start at Tier 1 Nationals

In the Tier-I Nationals in Rochester, there was lots of action yesterday as the Hornets had a very good showing in the tournament. The Major Midget Hornets defeated the Manchester Monarchs 8-0, behind two goals each from Chris Cerutti and Furman South. Bill Ozanick, Pat Gaul, Jeff Hannan and Jake DellaValle added goals for the Hornets, while Rob Madore made 24 saves for the shutout.

This was not only an impressive showing for the midgets, but it couldn't have come at a better time as our boys were heavily scouted during the game by the coaches at major division 1 colleges and junior teams. Wisconsin, Colorado College, Notre Dame, Brown, and Niagara College and Cansisus , for example were some of the big time college programs in attendance.

"We are proud of the efforts of the boys today" Coach Joe Gaul said "but we still have a long way to go in the tournament". Gaul continued "The competition at the Tier 1 level is fierce and will bring out the best in our players, but we prepare for this tournament every year by playing the best teams in the country throughout the season, at all levels in our program"

This approach of playing the best teams in the country throughout the year paid great dividends for the U16 team as they pounded the South Connecticut Stars yesterday by a score of 8-0. Parker Milner was brilliant in goal backstopping the team to this impressive victory as many of the u16 players caught the eye of the hoardes of division 1 scouts in attendance.

The fierce competion came to a head early yesterday morning as the Pittsburgh Hornets U14 Bantam AAA team came out of the gate at the first game in the entire tournament against a tough Seacoast Spartans team from New Hampshire. The Spartans got out early and held on to a tough 3-1 victory after the Hornets dominated play against the Spartans in the third period.

The teams all marched together for a night of fesitvities in the ESL Rink yesterday evening and heard an inspiring speech from Travis Roy, the hockey player injuried after 11 seconds of his first shift at Boston University. All of the Tier 1 atheletes left inspired for more hard nose play in todays games. More reports to follow later on the premier hockey tournament in the USA, the Tier 1 National Championships.