Junior Flyers Take Weekend Opener From Bobcats

SYOSSET, N.Y.—After winning just once in four games, the Philadelphia Junior Flyers needed a strong road effort against the third-place New York Bobcats.

As he has time and time again, goaltender Vince Stalletti delivered. The Junior Flyers’ number one stopper made 29 saves as Philadelphia rolled to an early 3-0 lead and staved off the Bobcats the rest of the way, winning Saturday night’s contest 5-3. For Stalletti, it was his team-leading 13th win of the season. For the rest of the Junior Flyers (15-12-4-0), it was a game of highs and Lows.  

The orange-and-black beat Bobcats starting goalie Jake Soffer three times in the opening 14 minutes, with goals from Stephen and Jonathan Low bookending a tally from Jayson Marbach. Stephen Low’s goal came just 1:24 into the contest and was his sixth of the season. Marbach’s marker was his 11th of the season. For Jonathan Low, it was his 15th of the campaign.  

After the first period, Soffer got the hook from head coach Edmund Galiani. In came Cameron Holland, and the Bobcats appeared to get a lift from the change. Matthew Crockett and Tommy Telesca found the net just 1:01 apart in the period’s opening minutes, and the lead was suddenly cut to 3-2. But a pair of minor penalties to Beau Lardner put the lethal Junior Flyers power play to work, and Jonathan Low ripped a shot past Holland for his second of the game and 16th of the season, bringing the lead to 4-2. Out of the intermission, the Bobcats again struck early, as Brad Sgaraglio buried a power play goal at 3:00 of the third period to make it 4-3. It didn’t last. Anthony Fasulo put the game out of reach with 7:15 to play, beating Holland for his eighth goal of the campaign and a 5-3 Junior Flyers lead.

It was the Junior Flyers’ second straight victory, but also only their second in five tries. The pair of wins was preceded by two ties and a loss.

Penalties Undo Junior Flyers on Long Island

SYOSSET, N.Y.—Matt Fallon scored a hat trick and added an assist, but the offensive explosion was not enough to put the Philadelphia Junior Flyers in the win column for the third straight time. A strong opening period was undone by a string of penalties, and despite an early 4-1 lead, the Junior Flyers (15-13-4-0) were outscored 8-2 the rest of the way, falling to the New York Bobcats 9-6 on Sunday morning. The Bobcats finished 4-for-6 on the power play and powered to victory behind a six-goal second period that put the game out of reach. Patrick Rochefort got the start for the Junior Flyers and made 17 saves on 24 shots before being lifted midway through the second period. He has just one victory in six starts this season.

Vince Stalletti made 13 saves on 15 shots in relief, just hours before being named to the 2012 AJHL All-Star Game. All three of Fallon’s goals came in the opening period, bringing his total for the season to 11. Sam Benson, Jonathan Low and John Quigley also scored for Philadelphia. Benson now has 5 goals on the season and Low has 17. Quigley’s marker was his first in Junior A. Despite the loss, the Junior Flyers still earned a weekend split with the Bobcats, who moved into second place in the AJHL with the victory. The weekend set was also the start of a particularly difficult stretch for Philadelphia, who were playing the first and second of nine games on the road over the team’s final 14 games.

Three’s Company: Jonathan Low Scores Hat Trick, Junior Flyers Roll in Third Game in Three Days

WEST CHESTER, Pa.--Playing their third game in three days, the Philadelphia Junior Flyers rattled off three first period goals and never looked back, beating the Philadelphia Little Flyers 9-3 on Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The Junior Flyers (16-13-4-0) scored three goals in all three periods and got three goals from Jonathan Low, who capped off the hat trick just as the game ended. Low’s performance gave him 20 goals on the season and six in his past three games. He also added an assist to bring his team-leading point total to 50. Vince Stalletti made 29 saves for his 14th win of the season, a victory that propelled the Junior Flyers past Portland and into fifth place in the AJHL.

The regional rivals skated to a draw for much of the game’s opening period, with the Little Flyers missing a huge early opportunity when James McNally rang a wrist shot off the left post from point-blank range about seven minutes into the contest. Ryan Patsch broke the stalemate at 14:30, netting his team-leading 24th goal on a rebound attempt past Little Flyers starting goaltender David Chiokadze. With under three minutes left in the first period, Fran Mackin skated around the Little Flyers’ defense and put a snap shot over Chiokadze’s glove and under the crossbar for his 18th tally and a 2-0 Junior Flyers lead. Just 34 seconds later, Matt Fallon beat the embattled Little Flyers goalie again, this time through a screen to make it 3-0 after one. The goal was Fallon’s 12th of the season. Out of intermission, the Little Flyers showed some life. Luke Branin put a well-placed snapper over Stalletti’s glove to cut the lead to 3-1, but it was not enough to quiet the Junior Flyers’ onslaught. Chris Huck scored his second of the season on a blast from the point that beat Chiokadze through traffic, then Jonathan Low’s power play goal made it 5-1. Fallon made it 6-1 with 1:18 left in the frame, capping the second period with his second of the game. That goal came off a pass from Vince Nicolella after the two eluded the defense and came in alone on Chiokadze.

That was it for the Little Flyers’ starter, who was relieved for Jacob Wint to start the third. Chiokadze made 32 saves on 38 shots. Once again, the Little Flyers came out of the locker room with gusto, making it 6-2 just 2:01 into the third period when McNally lifted a backhand past Stalletti and into the right elbow. After Jonathan Low’s second of the game gave the Junior Flyers a 7-2 lead, the Little Flyers fought back again, restoring the deficit to four goals when Anthony Beaumont scored on the power play. Beaumont’s tally capped a sequence that saw the Little Flyers’ leading scorer factor prominently into the gameplay. Having already taken two slashing penalties and drawing another on Nicholas Horacek earlier in the game, he drew yet another slashing call, this time a five-minute major on Junior Flyers’ captain Stephen Low. Beaumont scored just past the midway point of the man advantage.

Nicolella’s sixth goal of the season made it 8-3, and Jonathan Low completed the hat trick as the horn sounded, firing a slap shot off the far elbow. Nico DelGiorno and John Peck were ejected in the second period after dropping the gloves off a faceoff at center ice. The two traded blows in a largely even tilt before officials stepped in.

NOTES: Jonathan Low’s 50 points put him alone in fourth place on the AJHL scoring chart. His brother, Stephen, is tied for the lead among defensemen with 39… The Junior Flyers are 14-8-4 when Stalletti starts. They are just 2-5-0 when he doesn’t… The Junior Flyers have four players in the top 20 in scoring. Only Northern (5) has more… The Junior Flyers have scored at least five goals in each of their last four games, going 3-1-0 in that span.

The Philadelphia Junior Flyers of the Atlantic Junior Hockey League announced this weekend the naming of four Junior Flyers to the 2012 AJHL All-Star Game in Ioria, Mass., including a goaltender for the first time in the history of the organization. Vince Stalletti was named to the All-Star Team after a solid first half of the season. The Furlong, Pa. native has appeared in 28 games and started 26, posting a 14-8-4 record with a 3.04 goals-against-average and a .904 save percentage. He also has two shutouts on the season, both against Laconia on Sep. 25 and Nov. 20.Joining Stalletti is Junior Flyers captain Stephen Low. The native of Haddonfield, N.J. was named to the All-Star roster for the second time. He is tied for the league lead in points among defenseman, tallying 35 in 33 games. He is also tied for 14th in points scored among all players. His 29 assists are tied for 8th-best in the league and tied for tops among defensemen. Also making a return trip to the All-Star game is Jonathan Low. The team’s leading scorer with 20 goals and 30 assists ranks 4th in the league in points, 5th in goals and tied for 6th in assists. He has 16 multi-point games including a 6-point performance against Washington on Dec. 4. In just 33 games, he is closing in on career highs in goals (24) and assists (33), both established last season. The team’s leading goal scorer is also headed to Ioria. Ryan Patsch makes his first trip to the All-Star Game after posting 24 goals in 33 games, placing him 4th in the league in that category. His 41 points are 8th-best in the AJHL and second on the team to Jonathan Low. The Philadelphia native has a pair of hat tricks on the season, on Nov. 12 against the Little Flyers and on Jan. 4 against New Jersey.

The 2012 AJHL All-Star Game will be held on Sunday, Jan. 29 at Ioria Ice Arena in Ioria, Mass.

SACO, Maine—When the goals started coming for the Philadelphia Junior Flyers, they came in bunches.

It couldn’t last forever, but it was fun while it did. The Junior Flyers (13-12-2-0), fresh off a home-and-home with Washington that saw the orange-and-black win 9-3 and 14-2, dropped nine more goals on the Portland Junior Pirates en route to a 9-3 victory Saturday and their third consecutive win. 32 goals in three games was quite a string, but Philadelphia came back to Earth a little on Sunday, falling to the Junior Pirates 5-3.

Saturday’s game saw a second period offensive onslaught that saw the two teams combine for eight goals. The Junior Flyers jumped out to a 3-0 lead before the Pirates got on the board, and goaltender Vince Stalletti limited Portland’s offensive output to three second period goals. Stalletti made 43 saves for the win. Ryan Patsch, Jayson Marbach and John Connolly each scored twice for Philadelphia. Patsch and Marbach also added an assist each. Jonathan Low, Fran Mackin and Vince Nicolella were the other goal scorers for the Junior Flyers. For Patsch, it was the continuation of a recent hot streak. The Philadelphia native entered Sunday having scored eight goals in five games, with 13 points in that same span. He added a goal and an assist in Sunday’s affair also, making it nine goals and 15 points in six games. But his teammates’ sticks fell uncharacteristically silent.

The Junior Flyers opened the scoring with Connor Lawrence’s tally in the opening frame, and Patsch found the net early in the second, but this time it was Portland with the big second period, getting three goals from Nick Haggerty, D.J. Robinson and Matthew Wilkins to erase an early 2-0 lead for the Junior Flyers. Marbach tied it at three early in the third, but Paddy Murphy scored with under seven minutes to play on an empty net goal from Timothy Searles iced the game. Stalletti again got the start for the Junior Flyers. He made 31 saves in a losing effort.

WEST CHESTER, Pa.—Adam Diorio opened the scoring just 45 seconds into the game, added a shorthanded goal in the third period, and led the New York Bobcats to a 4-1 win over the Philadelphia Junior Flyers on Friday night.

The Junior Flyers (7-7-1) lost their third straight game, falling to .500 for the first time since Oct. 9. Philadelphia managed their only goal of the game at the 12:44 mark on Aaron Carmichael’s first of the season, but Matthew Crockett put the Bobcats back ahead after a beautiful feed from Patrick Schule just 14 seconds later. Matthew Iacono scored on the power play in the second period to give the Bobcats a 3-1 lead. For the game, the Junior Flyers trailed for all but 59 seconds. Vince Stalletti made 37 saves in a losing effort. David Lynch stopped 37 saves for New York.

Junior Flyers Fall To Bobcats In High-Scoring Affair

JUNIOR FLYERS ROUTED BY CYCLONES

By Robert Skorochocki

After taking two out of three against the Boston Bulldogs two weeks ago and squeaking by lowly Washington last weekend, a trip from the Northern Cyclones was the perfect opponent to get a feel for how this Junior Flyers team was faring.  In fact, the Cyclones came into Ice Line Quad Rinks with just one loss this season, a loss to the Junior Flyers courtesy of a Ryan Patsch overtime game winner at the AJHL kickoff Showcase last month. Entering the weekend, the Junior Flyers were 5-1-1 in their previous seven meetings but were on the wrong side of a 6-2 defeat on Saturday night at the hands of the Cyclones in snowy West Chester. Things would only get worse on Sunday when the Northern Cyclones continued their onslaught by dismantling the Junior Flyers by the score of 9-0.

Sunday’s matinee started slow with not many scoring chances for either squad.  The lone goal of the period, a power-play goal, went to Cyclones defenseman Mike Vollmin (AJHL Second Star of the week) whose shot from the top of the point just crossed the line off a deflection, barely beating Junior Flyers goalie Patrick Rochefort. The Cyclones came out of the first intermission looking to make a statement and they did exactly that with their special teams.  The second place Cyclones notched three more power-play goals before adding two shorthanded goals, one goal being down two men down by Zach Popp. In the mix of all the Cyclones scoring on Sunday included a hat-trick from Cyclones forward Charles Bando, who potted all three of his goals a different way, one power-play goal, one shorthanded goal and one at even strength. One of the reasons the Cyclones have been so successful this season is due to their balance in scoring.  The Cyclones have six forwards in the top 20 in points and three defensemen in the top five.

The Junior Flyers road doesn’t get any easier as the next two contests come against a team just above them in the standings, the New York Bobcats.  The Bobcats will visit Ice Line Saturday night at 8:30pm and Sunday afternoon at 12:30pm.

Catch all the action live at Fasthockey.com

POWER PLAY FUELS JUNIOR FLYERS TO VICTORY OVER JUNIOR NATIONALS

By Robert Skorochocki

The Junior Nationals started this contest looking like the complete opposite of a team that is still searching for its first win of the season.  Junior Nationals captain Nathanael Rojas opened the scoring with a wrist shot that sneaked past Junior Flyers goaltender Vince Stalletti. Just 23 seconds after the Rojas goal, newly acquired forward Branden Rosario would put the Junior Nationals up 2-0 with his first goal of the season. 

The Junior Flyers entered Sunday’s matinee with one of the Atlantic Junior Hockey Leagues top power-play units.  The Junior Flyers man advantage is ranked 2^nd, converting at a staggering rate of 28 percent. Down early on home ice, the Junior Flyers would look to their special teams to give them a boost.  Sam Benson’s 3^rd tally of the season, a power play goal at the 9:56 mark would cut the lead in half. The Junior Flyers would then be given a five minute man advantage courtesy of a cross-checking major from Junior Nationals big defenseman Sultan Amirkhanov. While Amirkhanov was sent to the dressing room for a game misconduct, Junior Flyers forward John Connolly was knotting the score at two.  Connolly’s power play goal at the 2:54 mark of the second period was also his 3^rd goal of the season. Just as the five minute major to Amirkhanov was ending, Matt Fallon would get involved in the scoring, putting the Junior Flyers on top for the first time in the game. Midway through the second period, after a very strange unsportsmanlike penalty call on Junior Nationals forward Melvin Nichols, the Junior Flyers power play cashed in once again.  The first of two Jayson Marbach goals on the day put the Flyers up by two at the 13:14 mark. After surrendering four unanswered goals, many expected the winless Junior Nationals to just pack it in and call it a night, but the Junior Nationals would pull within a goal when Rojas connected with defenseman Aaron Madsen for a power play goal at the tail end of the second.

The Junior Nationals entered the final period with a power play but they didn’t generate many scoring chances and goaltender Mitch Collum kept the score close until Marbach netted his second of the afternoon at the 9:57 mark of the third. The Junior Flyers win was their seventh win of the season and the squad improved their record to an impressive 5-1-1 over the last seven games. The Junior Flyers remain home this weekend as they take on the Northern Cyclones at Ice Line. Saturday’s game begins at 8:00pm and Sundays tilt is slated for a 12 noon puck drop.

You can catch live action on Fasthockey.com

JUNIOR FLYERS LOSE TO BULLDOGS, UNBEATEN STREAK SNAPPED AT FOUR

By Robert Skorochocki

Lapierre netted a hat-trick and Bulldogs leading scorer Christopher Mastropietro added four assists to give the Bulldogs a 6-4 victory. The two teams entered the contest quite familiar with one another having squared-off on Monday and Saturday, both resulting in Junior Flyers victories. The Bulldogs jumped out of the gate looking for some revenge against the Junior Flyers.  Andrew Rusinak opened the scoring for the Bulldogs 2:37 into the opening period on a nice pass from Bradley Conover. Minutes later, Junior Flyers leading scorer Jonathan Low notched his team leading 12^th point, a power-play goal on a nice pass from Matt Fallon. With the score tied at one midway through the first period, Francois Lapierre started to take over, potting his first of three goals on the day at the 11:35 mark.

Stephen Low, the captain of the Junior Flyers, knotted the score at two but Bulldogs forward Dalton Bew would add a power-play goal of his own to put the Bulldogs back on top at the end of one period. Lapierre completed his hat-trick, notching the next two goals in the second to put the Bulldogs up 5-2, but the Junior Flyers wouldn’t go away without a fight. Anthony Fasulo would add his name to the score sheet with a goal to cut the deficit to two.  Tack on a Matt Fallon goal courtesy of a two-man advantage and the Junior Flyers were within one.

When Boston took the ice in the third period, head coach Mike Adessa once again turned to his backup Chris Paulin, and much like the night before, Paulin shut the door and the Bulldogs salvaged a much needed win. “We have to take control right from the start,” said Junior Flyers assistant coach Anthony DiPalma.  “We just have to learn to have more pride in our game and come out hard and compete for the whole 60 minutes and have no lapses, mental or physical,” added DiPalma.

The Junior Flyers will face the Washington Junior Nationals in a home-and-home series this upcoming weekend.  You can catch Sunday’s game at 2pm on Fasthockey.com, pre-game begins at 1:45pm.

Junior Flyers Take Home Opener for Third Straight Win

By Sean Frey

 Vince Stalletti started in goal for the orange-and-black and picked up this third win of the season, making 27 saves. The Junior Flyers opened the scoring with 5:36 remaining in the opening period, when Stephen Low shoveled a puck on goal that Bulldogs goalie Austin Keiser could not control. The rebound came out to Nico Delgiorno, who chipped it past Keiser for his third goal of the season.  Less than four minutes later on their first power play opportunity, the Junior Flyers showed why their power play unit is the league’s best. Jayson Marbach picked up a loose puck in the corner and found Sam Benson cutting through the slot. Benson’s shot beat Keiser under the crossbar, and the Junior Flyers had a 2-0 lead on Benson’s first of the year.

 Bulldogs head coach Mike Adessa lifted Keiser after the first period, putting Chris Paulin in net—and the move appeared to pay dividends. His play kept the Boston in the game, and when Andrew Bucci buried a rebound on the power play to cut the lead to 2-1 midway through the second period, the Bulldogs had new life.  But the Junior Flyers restored the lead to two goals in the final minute of the period. Paulin made a number of saves in close, but Fran Mackin found a rebound and slipped it past the Bulldogs goaltender to give the orange-and-black a 3-1 lead headed to intermission.  The goal was so big, in fact, that Junior Flyers head coach Jerry Domish appeared to jump for joy behind the bench.

 The Bulldogs had their best effort of the game in the third period. They were able to cut the lead to 3-2 on the power play when Bucci banked a shot off Stalletti and into the goal for his second of the game, but Boston could never get the equalizer.  The Junior Flyers finished the game 1-for-4 on the power play and are now 10-for-35 on the season, a 28.5 percent clip that leads the AJHL. They killed two of four penalties and are 30-for-36 (83.3 percent).

By Sean Frey

By Sean Frey

By Sean Frey

By Sean Frey

By Sean Frey

By Sean Frey

By Sean Frey