Nov 30 - 96 - TI 96 squirt major team captures the Big Bear/Victory Honda Thanksgiving tournament!
Nov 29 - U18 - Team Illinois Midget Majors Win the TI Thanksgiving Invitational Tournament
Nov 28 - U16 - Midget Minors bow out in semifinal overtime loss at Thanksgiving Tourney
Nov 23 - U16 - Midget Minors tie Chicago Chill 2-2 in first of four MWEHL matchups
Nov 21 - U18 - Team Illinois Midget Majors take two from Hornets
Nov 15 - U18 - Team Illinois Midget Majors split with Capital Centre Pride
Nov 14 - U16 - Midget Minors travel to Shattuck-St. Mary's for three-game weekend
Nov 7 - U16 - Midget Minors finish in top 12 in Nike Bauer AAA International Invite
Nov 7 - U18 - Team Illinois Midget Majors make Nike-Bauer High School Elite Tournament Finals
Nov 1 - U16 - Midget Minors split with Cleveland Barons; defeat Huskies Midget Major AA
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Midget Minors split with Cleveland Barons; defeat Huskies Midget Major AA
U16 Midget Minor News
CLEVELAND -- The Team Illinois midget minor squad traveled to the home of rock 'n roll Oct. 28-29 for a doubleheader with the MWEHL rival Cleveland Barons team and got rocked in game one but rolled to victory in the nightcap.
After enjoying a bonding bus trip, the team took the ice on Saturday and couldn't catch a break for 54 minutes, succumbing to a 2-0 defeat.
Game two saw a better result, however, as the team skated to a 3-2 victory. Matt Wiggemansen scored the first goal on passes from George Malliaras and Tommy Robaczewski. "Robo" then dented the net on a power-play slapper (from Jason McAloon and Jon Luevano) and Andrew Cardona buried the game-winner on pretty passes from John Amann and Johnny Leonard, ensuring a more festive bus ride back home. Goalie Nick Chudoba turned aside 20 shots between the pipes.
The T.I. Midget Minors also defeated the Huskies Midget Major AA team 6-2 on Oct. 21 in Bensenville. Amann led the way with two lamp-lighters, Robbie Luke and Malliaras each had a goal and an assist and Anthony Coles and McAloon also scored. Nick Gawron and Leonard each added two helpers, and Chudoba made 23 saves.
top
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Illinois Midget Majors make
Nike-Bauer High School
Elite Tournament Finals
U18 Midget Major News
New Hope, MN -- Team Illinois Midget Majors faced off against Shattuck St. Mary’s Prep team in the championship game of the Nike-Bauer High School Elite Tournament. This was a rematch of last years final, unfortunately the outcome of this game ended with a 6-3 SSM victory.
In the first game of the tournament, TI faced the LA Jr. Kings. The Kings got on the board first when Darren Rowe, assisted by Michael Juola scored in the first period. Neither team scored in the second period and the Kings hung on to their slim 1 goal lead heading into the third period. Kurt Akers started the scoring for TI in the third when he scored a short handed goal, assisted by Marc Rodriguez. The game remained tied at1-1 until with 2:42 on the clock, Eric Springer scored to give TI the lead. Assisting Springer on his goal was Cody Murphy. Billy Allen, assisted by Tom Healy and Bryce Aneloski added an empty net goal to give TI a 3-1 victory. Arthur Hollinger stopped 25 of the 26 shots he faced for the victory.
TI’s next opponent was a team comprised of Minnesota high school all stars from the Upper Midwest High School Elite Hockey League. Seven of the Minnesota team’s players have already committed to play college hockey. Minnesota scored at 3:24 of the first period when Chris Hickey’s shot trickled over the shoulder of Scott Pederson for an early 1-0 Minn lead. Chicago got on the board with a power play goal when Cody Murphy roofed a shot over Minnesota goaltender Reid Ellingson late in the first period. Assisting on Murphy’s goal was Billy Allen and Sam Calabrese. The tension began to build and it looked like the teams were headed into overtime until Eric Springer hit Chris Bournazos with a past and with Bournazos driving hard to the Minnesota net, he fed a perfect drop pass to Marc Rodriguez who cranked a slap shot past Ellingson for a 2-1 Team Illinois lead. The goal came with just 1:47 remaining in the third period. The Minnesota team pulled their goalie for the final 1:24 of the third period in favor of a sixth attacker. TI was determined to not let the boys from Minnesota score and as the horn sounded, the TI boys celebrated a hard fought 2-1 victory. Scott Pederson got the win for TI stopping 29 of 30 shots.
In the championship game, Team Illinois faced Shattuck St. Mary in a rematch of last year’s finals. Shattuck flexed their muscles half way through the first period when they scored two power play goals twenty-nine seconds apart to take a 2-0 lead. Chris Bournazos scored a power play goal for TI to pull the team within one goal at 2-1. Bournazos was assisted by Eric Springer and Kurt Akers. SSM regained their two goal advantage towards the end of the first period on a shot by Derek Stephan. TI continued to battle back and closed the SSM lead to 4-3 at the end of the second period. Scoring for TI in the second period was Tom Healy, assisted by Scott Barrera and James Werner, assisted by Sam Calabrese. SSM added two more power play goals in the third period for the 6-3 final. Arthur Hollinger and Scott Pederson combined for 31 saves on 39 shots.
Team Illinois will travel to Lansing, Michigan this weekend to face the Capital Centre Pride in MWEHL action.
top
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Midget Minors finish in top 12 in Nike Bauer AAA International Invite
U16 Midget Minor News
ORLAND PARK -- The eyes of the youth hockey world were on the Chicago area the weekend of Nov. 2-5, as 224 teams descended on a variety of local rinks for the 2006 Nike Bauer AAA International Invite.
One squad was the Team Illinois Midget Minors, which competed in the 40-team U-16 division at Arctic Ice Arena in the south suburbs. When the final horn sounded, Team Illinois finished in the top 12 with a 3-1-1 overall record.
Game one against the Colorado Thunderbirds was a tough 3-2 loss, which ultimately knocked T.I. out of the playoff round. In the first period, Colorado took advantage of two miscues and a power-play goal to grab a 3-0 lead. T.I. fought back with goals from Austin Cihak (Nick Gawron and Vince Senese assists) and Jason McAloon but came up one goal short.
Game two was an exciting end-to-end battle against Shattuck-St. Mary's. George Malliaras (from Matt Wiggemansen) and Anthony Coles (Cihak assist) both lit the lamp, and speedy Luke Baumgarten scored the game-tying goal on a strong individual effort after a "hail Mary" pass from Johnny Leonard to force a 3-3 deadlock. T.I. goalie Nick Chudoba finished with 19 saves for the night.
Game three against Team Comcast/Pennsylvania saw T.I. fall behind quickly 2-0. But Jeff Fehrmann started making things right when he banged home a Gawron rebound, and soon after Coles tied the score with a nifty backhander. Baumgarten then scored on a 2-on-1 pass from Cardona in the third period for the game-winner.
The third goal was made possible by a signature Cody Walsh open-ice hit, which planted the Comcast defenseman on the ice, forcing him to cough up the puck and creating the odd-man break. Malliaras scored an empty-netter to cement the 4-2 win. T.I. netminder Matt Mandernach stopped 24-of-26 Comcast shots.
Game four was a 2-0 victory over the Buffalo (N.Y.) Saints. T.I. outshot the upstate New Yorkers 44-12, and Andrew Cardona (unassisted "shortie") and Wiggemansen (Robbie Luke and Tommy Robaczewski assists) found the back of the net. Chudoba garnered the shutout win in goal, aided by strong performances from defensemen Anthony Sangiacomo and Jon Luevano.
Finishing second in their five-team division put T.I. in the consolation round, which draw a matchup with the San Jose (Calif.) Junior Sharks. Fehrmann scored twice, first from Robaczewski and Leonard, then from Coles and Andrew Miller. Coles (from Luke) scored what proved to be the game-winner on a slapper from the face-off dot, as the Sharks scored twice in the third period for the 3-2 final. Mandernach grabbed his second win of the tourney between the pipes.
Congratulations to the cross-town rival Chicago Mission, who lost in the championship game 1-0 to the Rochester (N.Y.) Americans.
top
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Midget Minors travel to Shattuck-St. Mary's for three-game weekend
U16 Midget Minor News
FARIBAULT, Minnesota -- The Team Illinois Midget Minors traveled to central Minnesota Nov. 11-12 for a tripleheader against Shattuck-St. Mary's, the nation's eighth-ranked U-16 team.
Shattuck grabbed the first game with a 3-1 victory. An Anthony Sangiacomo slapper from the blue line (assists to Robbie Luke and Nick Gawron) averted the shutout.
Game two had the same score with a more favorable result, as T.I. skated away with a 3-1 win. Anthony Cardona had the assist of the season, flipping the puck 100 feet up the ice and 20 feet in the air "Hail Mary" style to streaking wide receiver/right winger Jon Luevano, who caught the pass and calmly buried the breakaway.
Anthony Coles (from Sangiacomo and Jason McAloon) tallied a power play goal, and Coles also added an insurance lamp-lighter on passes from Austin Cihak and Jeff Fehrmann. Matt Mandernach was strong in net, particularly in the decisive final stanza, and defenders Vince Senese, Tommy Robaczewski and Johnny Leonard served to stymie the Shattuck club.
The game three rubber match went Shattuck's way, as they recorded a 4-1 win. Luke Baumgarten (from Luke and Gawron) notched the lone T.I. goal.
Along with three games in 19 hours, the squad also enjoyed a savory Saturday supper at the Shattuck dining hall and enjoyed a walking tour of the historic Gothic campus.
top
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Illinois Midget Majors split with Capital Centre Pride
U18 Midget Major News
Lansing, MI -- Team Illinois Midget Majors traveled to Lansing, Michigan to square off against the Capital Centre Pride team in MWEHL action. Oddly enough, the two games were very similar in nature; with each team winning by the score of 7-4.
In the first game Team Illinois scored the first two goals. Hugo Margoc hit Marc Rodriguez with a pass and Rodriguez drove down the far side boards cutting into the high slot. He fed the puck back to a wide open Eric Springer who was just inside the blue line and Springer blasted a shot past the Capital Centre goaltender. Marc Rodriguez scored Chicago’s second goal, a short handed goal at 9:39 of the first period. Rodriguez was assisted on his goal by Sam Calabrese. The first period ended with TI leading 2-0. Capital Centre went on a six goal scoring spree with 4 of the goals all coming on power plays; three of the goals came on 5 on 3 power plays. The second period ended with Capital Centre on top 6-2. Chicago scored the next two goals to start the third period to get TI close at 6-4. The first goal was scored by Hugo Margoc, assisted by Sam Calabrese with Chicago on the power play and then Scott Barrera scored just eighteen seconds after Margoc’s goal to breathe some life into the TI team. Assisting Barrera was Tom Healy and James Werner. Capital Centre added an empty net goal to compete the scoring and the game ended with a 7-4 Capital Centre Pride win. Arthur Hollinger suffered the loss for TI who out shot the Pride 41 to 28.
The game on Sunday followed the same format as the game on Saturday except TI prevailed in this game 7-4. Capital Centre scored the first two goals of the game but TI came storming back with six goals of their own, three of them coming in the first period. Tom Healy got TI started during a power play at 10:20 of the first period. Assisting Healy was James Werner and Scott Barrera. Marc Rodriguez scored Chicago’s next goal a minute later with assists from Chris Bournazos and Kurt Akers. Bryce Aneloski scored on another TI power play to give Chicago the lead after one period, 3-2. Assisting on the Aneloski goal was Kurt Akers and Fredik Csisar. In the second period, Chicago scored short handed when Hugo Margoc sprung Fredrik Csisar who made a nifty toe drag move around a Capital Centre defenseman and then beat the Pride goaltender for a 4-2 Team Illinois lead. TI capitalized on two more power play opportunities to take a 6-2 lead heading into the third period. Tom Healy, assisted by Sam Calabrese and James Werner, assisted by Eric Springer and Kyle Meluch scored TI’s power play goals in the second. Capital Centre continued to battle back and closed the gap to 6-4 early in the third period. Hugo Margoc, assisted by Cody Murphy and Fredrik Csisar scored at 9:49 of the third period and Chicago went on to win 7-4. Scott Pederson got his eleventh victory of the year stopping 28 out of 32 shots.
Team Illinois will be at home this weekend to face the Pittsburg Hornets in more MWEHL action. Saturday’s game starts at 4:50 and Sunday’s game starts at 11:20. Both games will be played at the Edge – West.
top
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Illinois Midget Majors take two from Hornets
U18 Midget Major News
Bensenville -- Team Illinois Midget Majors playing in their first home stand in three weeks defeated the Pittsburgh Hornets twice this weekend to improve their league record to 6-2-1.
In the first game of the weekend Team Illinois scored their first goal on a power play at 5:52 of the first period. Tom Healy scored the power play goal, assisted by Hugo Margoc and Bryce Aneloski. Healy’s goal was the only goal scored in the first period and TI headed into the second period with a slim 1-0 lead. Pittsburgh got on the board at 10:37 of the second period to tie the score at 1-1. TI then score the next 3 goals in the second period to take a 4-1 lead. Scott Barrera scored a power play goal to get things started in the second period for TI. Barrera was assisted by Tom Healy. Cody Murphy and Tom Healy scored 26 seconds apart to extend TI’s lead to 4-1. Hugo Margoc assisted on Murphy’s goal while Kyle Meluch assisted with Tom Healy’s goal. The game remained 4-1 until with 3:36 on the clock, Scott Barrera, assisted by James Werner and Tom Healy, beat Pittsburgh goaltender Andrew New for the final TI goal of the game. Arthur Hollinger stopped 19 shots for his ninth victory of the season.
Sunday’s game, say the teams skate to a scoreless first period. In the second period, Marian Fiala and Marc Rodriguez set up Chris Bournazos who stuffed home the puck from the slot to give TI a 1-0 lead. The goal came while Chicago was on a power play. Billy Allen scored Chicago’s second goal when Allen and Hugo Margoc skated into the Hornet zone on a 2 on 1 and Allen decided to take the shot; roofing it over the shoulder of Hornets goaltender Mike Martin for a 2-0 lead. Pittsburgh answered with a goal at the 5:36 remaining in the second period when they too scored on a 2 on 1. With less than two minutes to go in the second period, TI scored twice to extend their lead to 4-1. Kyle Meluch scored, assisted by Billy Allen and Fredrik Csisar on what turned into a 2-on 1 with 1:47 remaining in the second period. Cody Murphy, assisted by Scott Barrera scored with forty-seven seconds in the period for a 4-1 TI lead. James Werner extended TI’s lead to 5-1 when he went five hole to beat the Hornet’s goaltender. Scott Barrera and Scott Pederson assisted on the Barrera goal. Eric Springer made the score 6-1 when he blasted a shot from inside the blue line which beat Martin on his blocker side. The Hornets added another goal before Kyle Meluch tipped in a Springer shot from the point to make the final score TI 7 and the Pittsburgh Hornets 2. Kurt Akers also received and assist on the Meluch goal. Scott Pederson got the win to record his twelfth victory of the year.
Team Illinois will be at home next weekend in Team Illinois’ Thanksgiving Tournament. Come support the boys in blue when they play TPH at 11:10 am on Thanksgiving Day at the Edge – West.
Use the below link for a complete schedule of the Midget Major games:
Team Illinois Thanksgiving Tournament Schedules & Pools
top
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Midget Minors tie Chicago Chill 2-2 in first of four MWEHL matchups
U16 Midget Minor News
BENSENVILLE -- The Team Illinois Midget Minors matched up with the Chicago Chill on November 19 in the first of four MWEHL regular season clashes. After 54 minutes, neither team could claim the upper hand as the squads skated to an exciting 2-2 tie.
The game at the Edge Ice Arena featured a lot of end-to-end action and a number of odd-man breaks, as both T.I. and the Chill seemed to be "skating downhill" at times.
The Chill jumped out to an early lead when Jeremy Smith converted a 2-on-1 power play opportunity. Smith scored again for the Chill late in the first period to make the score 2-0.
George Malliaras cut the Chill lead in half late in the first period when he converted a slapper from the faceoff circle on passes from blueliners Nick Gawron and Johnny Leonard. Anthony Coles then deadlocked the match midway through the second period on a feed from Johnny Amann.
That was the final scoring for the day, as T.I. netminder Matt Mandernach and Chill goalie Danny Friedel stymied the shooters the rest of the way. Mandernach was aided by defensemen Tommy Robaczewski, Anthony Sangiacomo, Cody Walsh and Vincent Senese, who brought a physical game and also blocked several shots.
top
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Midget Minors bow out in semifinal overtime loss at Thanksgiving Tourney
U16 Midget Minor News
BENSENVILLE -- The Midget Minors staged a valiant effort in the semifinals of the Team Illinois Thanksgiving Tournament but couldn't dent the Madison Capitols' net before succumbing to a thrilling 1-0 overtime loss.
The T.I.-Madison score was deadlocked at the end of regulation, and five-on-five, four-on-four and three-on-three sessions still couldn't decide a victor. At this point the two teams were like prizefighters in a 15-round bout, trading punches, refusing to fall to the canvas.
Unfortunately for the boys in blue, Madison experienced "sudden victory" when they scored with less than a minute remaining in the second three-on-three stanza. The Capitols then garnered the tourney hardware with a decisive 6-0 win over the Cleveland Barons in the title tilt of the 24-team tournament.
Team Illinois' quarterfinal clash was a spirited 3-1 victory over the rival Chicago Chill squad. Jeff Fehrmann scored two goals and Anthony Sangiacomo scored once while also setting the tone with roof-rattling hits. Defensemen Tommy Robaczewski, Nick Gawron and Johnny Leonard played strong games, and goalie Matt Mandernach kept the Chicago Chill on ice, particularly in the decisive third period.
The tourney's opening game on Thanksgiving Day was a 5-2 victory over Russell Stover. Sangiacomo, Anthony Coles, Luke Baumgarten, John Amann and Jason McAloon each potted pucks, and Nick Chudoba grabbed the win in net.
Game two was a 5-2 win over the Rocky Mountain Wranglers. Fehrmann got T.I. on the board early on a cross-ice pass from Coles, but the contest was tied 1-1 in the third period. That's when Amann snuck one past the Wrangler goalie, George Malliaras scored on a beautiful short-handed effort, Andrew Miller lit the lamp and Robaczewski tallied an insurance empty-netter. Mandernach earned the win in goal for T.I.
Game three of the elimination round was a decisive win over an overmatched Team Carolina squad. Jon Luevano and Amann scored hat tricks and Matt Wiggemansen, McAloon and Miller each added two goals.
top
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Team Illinois Midget Majors Win the TI Thanksgiving Invitational Tournament
U18 Midget Major News
Bensenville, IL -- Team Illinois Midget Majors defeated Russell Stover to win the U18 TI Thanksgiving Invitational Tournament, the team’s second tournament victory of the season. The 20-team field team was divided into four divisions, with the division winners after the four-game preliminary round advancing to the semifinals on Sunday. Team Illinois went undefeated in pool play to advance to their semi-final match-up with Little Caesars while Russell Stover completed their pool play with a 3-0-1 record to advance to their semi-final match-up against CYA.
Team Illinois 11 – Nashville TPH 2
TI’s first opponent was TPH from Nashville. TI wasted no time getting on the scoreboard when Scott Barrera, assisted by Tom Healy and James Werner scored twenty-five seconds into the game. Hugo Margoc, Chris Bournazos, James Werner and Marc Rodriguez all scored for TI in the first period in addition to Barrera’s goal and TI took a commanding 5-0 lead into the first intermission. Eric Springer, Chris Bournazos, Sam Calabrese, Fredrik Csisar, Kurt Akers, Marc Rodriguez, Bryce Aneloski (2) all received assists on the first period goals.
In the second period, Kurt Akers scored for TI, sandwiched between two Nashville goals. Assisting Akers on his goal was Eric Springer and Marc Rodriguez.
In the third period, TI erupted for 5 more goals to give TI an 11-2 win. Chris Bournazos, Tom Healy, James Werner (U), Scott Barrera and Cody Murphy all tallied goals in the third period. Receiving assists on the goals were: Eric Springer (2), Bryce Aneloski, Tom Healy and Hugo Margoc. Arthur Hollinger received the win and recorded his tenth victory of the year.
Team Illinois 4 – Pittsburgh Predators 2
Next up for Team Illinois was the Pittsburgh Predators. Pittsburgh defeated the Cyclones for their first victory in the tournament and was looking to make it two in a row; however Team Illinois had other plans. Kurt Akers, assisted by Bryce Aneloski and Marc Rodriguez put TI on the board first on a powerplay goal at 10:18 of the first period. The period ended with TI clinging to a 1-0 lead.
Tom Healy, assisted by Marian Fiala gave Chicago a little breathing room when he scored a short handed goal at 13:02 of the second period. The Predators continued to battle back and scored two goals, one minute apart late in the second period to tie the score at 2-2.
With the game still on the line, both teams came out flying in the third period. The outcome was finally decided with 2:08 remaining on the clock when TI capitalized on their third powerplay opportunity of the period. James Werner, assisted by Steven Spinell scored what proved to be the game winning goal. Tom Healy added an empty net goal for the 4-2 final. Scott Pederson got the win, stopping 20 of the 22 shots on goal.
Team Illinois 4 – Madison Capitals 2
Chicago’s second opponent of the day was the Madison Capitals. Madison scored quickly on an unassisted goal by Steve Panas; just 2:34 into the first period. Devin Schmitt added to Madison’s lead when he score a powerplay goal at 6:22 of the first period. Hugo Margoc, assisted by Sam Calabrese and Eric Springer answered with a powerplay goal for TI after Madison had received a bench minor for too many men on the ice. Both teams continued to battle hard however the first period ended with Madison leading 2-1.
TI tied the score at 2-2 on a powerplay goal by Billy Allen at 14:43 of the second period. Allen was assisted by Eric Springer and Fredrik Csisar. Kurt Akers gave Chicago their first lead of the game when he scored an unassisted goal at 10:29 of the third period. The game remained close and with 2:36 remaining in the game, sensing he would need a win to keep his team’s chances of advancing to the semi-final round alive; Madison Capitals coach Jeff Brown pulled his goaltender to give Madison a man advantage. The move did not work and with 1:47 remaining, Billy Allen put the game out of reach when he scored an empty net goal for the 4-2 final. Arthur Hollinger stopped 17 of 19 shots for the victory.
Team Illinois 8 – Cyclones 0
TI’s final preliminary round opponent was the Cyclones from Geneva, IL. The Cyclones came into the game looking for their first victory of the tournament and demonstrated tremendous heart, skill and determination throughout the entire contest. TI scored on a powerplay goal by Fredrik Csisar, assisted by Marian Fiala at 8:51 of the first period to give Chicago and early lead. Cody Murphy, assisted by Scott Barrera scored a short handed goal with under two minutes to play in the first period to give TI a 2-0 lead at the first intermission.
In period number two, TI scored five more goals to put the game out of reached for the Cyclones. Scoring his first goal of the year was defenseman Marian Fiala, assisted by Tom Healy. The other goals in the period were scored by: Hugo Margoc (2), Fredick Csisar and Billy Allen. Assisting on the second period goals were: Tom Healy, Marian Fiala, Bryce Aneloski, Eric Springer, Sam Calabrese, Hugo Margoc and Steven Spinell. TI peppered Cyclone goaltender Steve Koss for 22 shots in the second period.
TI’s lone goal in the third period came off the stick of James Werner, assisted by Marian Fiala and Tom Healy. Scott Pederson got the win and recorded his sixth shutout of the year.
Semi-Final
Team Illinois 3 – Little Caesars 2
In semi-final action, Team Illinois squared off against Little Caesars. The two teams had not met since the Chill tournament back in early October. Little Caesars was looking for revenge for the earlier loss to TI, however Team Illinois jumped out to an early lead in the first period on a power play goal by Billy Allen, assisted by Sam Calabrese. Little Caesars answered the Allen goal and the game was tied at 1-1. Scott Barrera, assisted by Tom Healy and Bryce Aneloski scored on another powerplay goal to give Chicago a 2-1 lead heading into the first intermission. Marc Rodriguez, assisted by Chris Bournazos scored the lone goal in the second period, increasing TI’s lead to 3-1 at the end of two periods. Both teams continued to battle hard in the third period and with thirty-eight seconds to play in the game, Little Caesars having pulled their goaltender for a sixth attacker, scored on a goal by Garrett Vermeersch. The TI lead was now down to a slim one goal lead. Little Caesars continued to pressure Team Illinois’ goaltender, Arthur Hollinger, however Hollinger was equal to the challenge and TI held on for the 3-2 victory. Hollinger stopped 17 shots for his eleventh victory of the year.
Finals
Team Illinois 2 – Russell Stover 1
Team Illinois got on the board first in the Championship game when Bryce Aneloski fed Tom Healy who split the Stover defense to give the home team an early 1-0 lead. TI clung to the one goal lead until Nick Oddo scored for Russell Stover at 13:36 of the third period to tie the game at 1-1. TI regained the lead with eight minutes and twenty seconds remaining in the game on a goal by Scott Barrera, assisted by Steven Spinell. Russell Stover continued to apply pressure on Team Illinois’ goaltender Scott Pederson, including forty-five seconds of 6 on 5 action, however Pederson kept Stover out of the net to give TI a hard fought 2-1 victory.
Team Illinois improved their overall record to 27-5-2 and will travel to the University of New Hampshire to participate in the Beantown Fall Classic the weekend of December 1st – 3rd.
top
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TI 96 squirt major team captures the Big Bear/Victory Honda
Thanksgiving tournament!
96 Squirt Major News
Detroit, MI--The TI 96 squirt major team traveled to Detroit over the Thanksgiving weekend to participate in the Big Bear/Victory Honda Thanksgiving tournament. The five team tournament featured the St. Louis Jr. Blues, Victory Honda, CYA, Honeybaked, and TI.
TI 5 vs. St. Louis 2
TI opened the tournament against number 1 nationally ranked St. Louis Jr. Blues. The Blues beat TI twice in their first meeting to open the season and TI had something to prove in this early match-up. TI jumped out to an early 3-0 lead after the first period and never looked back. St. Louis fought back to make the score 3-2 late in the middle of the second period, but TI scored two in the third period to solidify the victory. Hard work and determination lead to TI's win.
TI 9 vs. CYA 0
Game two pitted TI against local rival CYA. Once again TI jumped out early and lead 5-0 after one period of play and coasted to a 9-0 victory. Team play with speed and puck movement was obvious as TI cruised to it's second win of the weekend.
Victory Honda 7 vs TI 5
For the third straight game TI jumped out early and often. TI was out to avenge and earlier loss to Victory Honda in the first showcase weekend in October, and dominated play for the first period and most of the second. A late goal by Victory Honda in the second period making the score 4-2 changed the momentum. Victory Honda then tied the score at 4-4 half way through the third. Both team traded goals making the score 5-5, with Victory Honda connecting again with less than two minutes remaining to take a 6-5 lead. Victory Honda eventually added an empty net goal to complete the 7-5 come from behind victory. TI had their chances to pull away in this one but were unable to shake a big and fast Victory Honda club.
Honeybaked 4 vs TI 3
For the first time in the tournament TI was unable to jump out to an early lead. Battling fatigue and a tough emotional loss to Victory Honda, TI did not have their usual speed and jump that they had shown in their first three games of the tournament. Honeybaked opened the scoring in the first period and held that lead until TI tied the score with a power-play goal in the second. Honeybaked scored three straight goals in the third period to take a 4-1 lead. TI fought back hard and scored late to make it 4-3, but TI ran out of time trying to complete the comeback. Despite the loss TI still advanced to the final because of their head to head victory over St. Louis.
Championship
TI 4 vs Victory Honda 3 (triple overtime shootout)
The championship game offered TI new life and a second chance at Victory Honda. The game featured the first and second place teams in the MWEHL. For the second straight game, TI struggled early, falling behind 3-1 after the first period. With this being their third game in 18 hours it appeared as though the tank had hit empty for the TI boys. However, the the second period was a different story. A re-energized TI team dug down deep to find some energy and battled back to make it 3-2 at the end of the second period. The tide clearly had turned TI's way and it was their turn to try to complete the comeback. TI tied the game with less than 5:00 minutes remaining forcing the final to overtime. Neither team was able to score in the first overtime with 4 on 4 play. The game moved to double overtime now down to 3 on 3 and again neither team was able to find the back of the net. The contest moved to a five round shootout to decide to final. TI scored four stra ight to win the shootout 4-2 and capture the tournament championship. WHAT A GAME!!!!!!
The weekend was highlighted by team play, speed, solid defense, and timely goaltending that vaulted TI to it's first tournament championship of the season.
Congratulations to the TI 96 club.
top |
