Friday, March 20, 2015

A Year in Review - The Wes Report

It was a rocky start for the Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder hockey team, dropping their 2014-2015 season debut with a 5-2 loss to the Pittsford Panthers, before a packed house on hand at the Ritter for the Craig Charron Memorial Hockey Tournament on 29-Nov. "We are a young team and we've got a lot of work to do", was the resounding message from Coach Rice and his staff. Pittsford owned the first two frames 3-0 and wasted no time notching their fourth, a buck thirty into the third, but Thunder would see a glimmer of hope when Matthew "Clarky" Clark put away a backdoor rebound for the PPG assisted by Sean Ryan and Marc McNeil with just under eight minutes to go in regulation. A few minutes later, Dylan "Hairsy" O'Hare stepped up with a blast just inside the blueline that hit the mark, assisted by JC Fotheringham (first varsity point) and Nick "Lukey" Lucarelli (first varsity point). Valiant effort, just a little too little and a little too late, as the Panthers would get the ENG to seal Thunder's fate. Jake "Belly" Bellavia made 23 saves on 28 shots.

 Thunder continued their west coast swing with a stop @ the Scot, where they would face the Saints of CC. Not sure if it's something in the water or in the air, but Churchville-Chili always seems to bring it between the pipes, and this time was no exception, although 2-Dec may have been the first time in program history that Thunder actually lost to the Saints, idk, my fact checker is on vacation. That's right, sophomore netminder Ben Trembath turned away 32 of the 34 shots he faced, to send the purple thunder packing with a 3-2 loss. Seany was out with an undisclosed LBI. Jordan Alves led the way for the Saints with a pair of goals. "American McSniper" McNeil went 1+1 for 2 pts, Hairsy added a pair of assists, and JC picked up his first varsity goal off a point blank shot by Dylan. Belly was 12 for 15 from the paint.

They (the GQ Thunder coaching staff sponsored by men's warehouse) say that adversity leads to success and there's nothing like a roadie to put this theory to the test. Glens Falls here we come with a sure fire agenda to git-R-dun: Communicate, Play Your Position, Generate Opportunities, Be Mentally Tough, Be Unselfish, Stick to the Systems, and Have Fun. I think it's safe to say that theory is sound, as Thunder rolled through town with a show of force, bringing home their first two wins of this young season along with a busload of memories to boot. 
"Cool Hand" Luke Green got the nod in the nets for the 5:30pm Friday tilt, on 5-Dec @ the Glens Falls Civic Center, against the Queensbury Spartans. Hairsy got the early wrapper assisted by assistant captain Marc McNeil to break the seal. McSniper put away the rebound from a Mazooey point shot assisted by Seany for the PPG and then Marc finished off Luca's in tight scrum bid (first varsity point for Latore) a minute later to make it 3 zip at the end of the first frame. Second stanza was scoreless and fairly nondescript other than seeing a few rooks get into the game. Lombardo picked off a pass and put the puck on net. Roach made a nice play to clear the front. Spartans broke the schneid with a deflection on the PP, early in the third, before McSniper would net his third for the hat, assisted by Hairsy. Spartans rallied once more with a PPG at the very end to make it a 4-2 final. First star goes to Marc McNeil with 3 goals for the hat plus one assist for a solid 4 point game. Second star goes to Dylan O'Hare with 1+1=2. Third star goes to Luke Green with 11 saves on 13 shots for the win.

Belly was back in the saddle for the 2pm matinee on Saturday 6-Dec vs GF-HF-SGF Rivermen. Thunder drew first blood a buck ten in when a point shot by Seany drew a crowd in front, O'Leary had a whack at it, and Lukey managed to sweep the loose biscuit across the goal line, 1-0 Thunder. Fast forward five minnows and it was Lukey with the PK step up at the blue line to spring Seany for the shorty, 2-0 Thunder. Next up on the highlight reel was Captain Mazooey, walking out of the corner and cashing in on a well-executed give-go from Seany for the PPG, to make it 3-0 Thunder at the end of one. Colon O'leary, Luca Latore, and Cal Boily led the hit parade in the second, taking the body and taking names. Assistant Captain "O"-Hare rallied seven mins into the second, on the powerplay, assisted by Mazeau. A minute thirty later, the third line got in on the action when Nick Curtis went hard to the net to finish off a rebound assisted by JC and Nick Borcyk, 5-0 Thunder. Two minutes later, back on the PK, Seany takes a page out of Lukey's  playbook with a big hit on #23 for the Rivermen to set up the odd man rush, but this time Seany would feed Lukey for the shorty (his first varsity goal), 6-0 Thunder. While this game looked like a blowout on the scoreboard, the Rivermen proved to be a formidable foe, as they played to the final horn and managed to break the shutout, netting their lone goal with just 5 tics left on the clock. Shots were 35-28 in Thunders favor, so Belly had to make 27 saves, which is still a busy day between the pipes, good job. Coaches managed to get just about everyone into the game, to make for a memorable trip. Solid forechecking by the law firm of Nash, Borcyk, and Lombardo. Cameron Popham did a nice job keeping his check wide. It was good to see the Borcyk bros - Tyler and Nick - out there on a line together as well. It doesn't get any better than that for mom and dad, seeing their sons playing together, it's a time honored Thunder tradition. First star goes to Sean Ryan with 1 goal plus 3 apples for 4 points and a playmaker. Second star goes to Nick Lucarelli with 2G+1A for 3 points. Third star goes to Derek Mazeau with 1+1=2. Warm up the bus!

From Coach Chuck - "A big thanks to everyone who helped make this weekend a success. We went there for two wins and came back with two wins. No one got injured which is the most important thing.  A few bumps and bruises.  I also think it was an awesome weekend for the boys to bond as a family. This is another great group of Thunder kids!!"

Hilton played Host to Thunder in their own barn, 7pm on Tues 9-Dec at Lakeshore. Donning matching scarves, the Hilton coaches were no match for the Thunder coaches, dressed for success in their Joseph A Banks best. This one turned out to be a real tete a tete from the first drop until the final PPG, which lifted Hilton to a sudden victory 6-5 in OT, and brought Thunder to their knees. Hilton scored 4 and a half into the game, when Palumbo put away Allen's rebound, 1-0. Stevie Vyverberg answered the call for Thunder with a gritty shift blowing up his check at center ice and then continuing on to give a couple more cadets the business before going to the box with coincidental minor roughs. That really raised the intensity and it was game on from there. Hilton scored again at the 3 min mark in the second, this time Allen from Palumbo. Curtis Birthwright saved Belly's bacon a while later clearing a loose puck that was about to be shoveled in. But Hilton would not relent as they rallied at the 9 min mark of the second for a 3-0 lead, with who else but Palumbo and Allen assisting. Then something unusual happened, something that unequivocally answers the question, "why do we play this game?". It's for memorable moments like the one to follow. Thunder did something unheard of. They went on a remarkable 4-goal tear, get this, in a matter of 59 seconds, to take the lead at 4-3. Goal 1 came right off the face-off at 10:33, Nick Curtis from Dylan O'Hare. Goal 2 was Sean Ryan from Colon O'Leary at 11:07. Goal 3 was O'Hare from Curtis and Clark at 11:21. Goal 4 was McNeil from O'Hare at 11:32. Needless to say, Hilton was forced to take a time out so they could try and figure out what just happened. Hilton would come back from the cut to net the equalizer 4.5 into the third and the go-ahead goal a minute and a half later on a questionable penalty shot. Mazeau tripped Palumbo on a breakaway from the front but since he left his feet when he was still behind Palumbo it is still considered a foul from behind (at least that's how Karl explained it). As you would imagine the intensity continued to build throughout the third. With 6 skaters on the ice for the final minute of play a scrum would ensue in front of the Cadets crease and along came McSniper to fish out the puck and pop it in to force OT, with just 16 seconds remaining in regulation. Three minutes into OT Jesse Edwards netted the winner for Hilton on the powerplay, game over. Shots were 28-24 in Hilton's favor and Belly had 22 saves for Thunder. This one really stings.  

 Click your Bauers together 3x and say "there's no place like home"...voila', we take you back to the shore, on Sat 13-Dec, for Thunder's 4pm home opener against IQ. Tough matchup in the cheering section with the IQ Clapper going head to head with KF for the spirit stick, let's call it a draw. Speaking of draws, it was a scoreless first and third with just one tally per side in the middle. IQ spent most of the game trying to trap Thunder with their defensive shell but Thunder managed to out-shoot them from beyond the arc with a margin of 32-21 and would ultimately rally in OT for the dub-ya. First star goes to McSniper who netted the GWG in OT assisted by Derek. Second star goes to Nick Borcyk who scored the GTG in regulation (first varsity goal) to force OT, assisted by Gino and Carson. Third star goes to Cool hand Luke who made some nice glove saves, stopping 20 of the 21 shots he faced for his second win of the season. Mike Kearns saw a few shifts on D and worked the puck around well. Seany and Ferny were the A&C heavy hitters. This win brings Thunder's record to 3-3.

 Back on the bus and off to B-Port we go, for a 5pm tilt at the Tut, on Tues 16-Dec. Purple reigned over the Blue Devils, 6-3. This is what is sounds like, when Dev's cry. Clarky spent 4 mins in the sin bin for a questionable CFB, 5 and a half into the game. Brockport took advantage of every second of the non-releaseable man advantage including the very last second at which point they would convert on a rebound for the PPG. Shots were six a side going into the second as Thunder waited patiently for their time to celi. It came just 3:23 into the second off a 2 on 1 break when Mazeau dished it, O'hare shot it and they both watched it trickle in off Emmerson's glove.  Brockport countered a minute later on the PP to regain the lead at 2-1, then went on to widen their lead 4 minutes later with an even strength marker. That was all she wrote for B-Port as Thunder would rally a minute later and go on to rack up 5 more goals for a rather convincing win. McNeil zipped one by Emmerson, 5-hole on the PP, assisted by Clark and Mazeau, to draw near. Next up to the plate was Colin O'Leary racing down the right side with numbers and surprising the Blue Devils keeper with a 1-hole finish, assisted by Boils, while everyone else in the building was expecting the pass. A minute later saw Seany finish off the rebound from Lukey's shot. McNeil rounded out the scoring for the first star and another hat, with a pair of empty netters during the final minute of play, one assisted by Mazeau and the other by Nick Curtis. Derek garnered the second star and a playmaker with 3 assists. Belly gets the 3rd star with 27 saves on 30 shots for the win. O'Leary earned the Doan Collison for crushing his check and fellow travel teammate, #2 Leach, coming out of the corner. Thunder is on a roll now, as their record advances to 4-3.

For those of you who were unable to make it to the Amerks game on Wednesday, December 17 at 7:00 pm, Chuckie's 6U hockey team skated between periods at the 1st intermission. Chuckie did his best Bobby Orr impression and reportedly lit the lamp, although those two maneuvers were not necessarily related. Check it out on you tube! 

Storm game came early this season with Thunder hosting Lightning, 7pm at the shore on Thursday 18-Dec. Pre-game presentation of game jersey was given to former Lightning player named Jake, who was injured in an ATV accident. Fifty-fifty proceeds were also donated to Mercy Flight in his name. Thunder came out flat in the first with lots of swedish but no finnish. Nick Curtis got the ball rolling for Thunder a minute into the second, with a second effort, assisted by McNeil. Colon O'Leary went 4-hole, 30 seconds later, assisted by Seany and Clark, 2-0 Thunder. Anthony Bertalli saw some play midway through the second, making a nice pinch to keep his team on the attack. Stay at home d-man, Calvin Boily, made a rare end-end rush and put Slovakia on net. McSniper walked out of the corner and lit the roof on fire to make it 3-0 Thunder. Belly passed the baton to Green at the stoppage. Lombardo layed a nice hit on someone his own size. Colon had a nice step up on the PK in the 3rd. McNeil finished off a rebound for the PPG assisted by Seany and Derek. Roach held his own on D and earned the hard hat. Belly and Cool Hand combined for the win with 14 saves. First star goes to Marc McNeil with 2G+1A for 3 pts. Second star goes to Sean Ryan with 2 assists. Third star goes to Lightning keeper Adam Jarvis with 57 saves on 61 thunderbolts he faced. Thunder advances to 5-3 with the win, and oh yeah, 10-3-2 in the Storm series, as Thunder's stranglehold on the coveted Storm trophy continues. 

Thunder hosted AQ for a 2pm matinee, on Sat 20-Dec at the shore, and looking back, I would have to say that dropping this game 4-1 after out-shooting AQ by a margin of 39-14 was akin to the first gift of Christmas. First period looked more like Thunder was playing balls-in instead of balls-out as they stood by and watched AQ tally twice at 530 and 7 minutes in, without laying a finger. McNeil put away the rebound from a top of the umbrella shot by O'Hare, 2 minutes into the second period on the PP, assisted by Mazeau down low. Thunder started playing more physical, featuring greatest hits by O'Leary and Mazeau, including a nice hip check on #23, but AQ would tally before the cut to make it 3-1. Thunder made several trips to the box in the third which certainly did not help their cause. Elliott Clemmons put the icing on the win, delivering an EN-PPG with 14 seconds to go in the game, to make it a 4-1 final for AQ. He went 2+2, in on all 4 goals, to earn the first star for AQ. Sam Prior turned away 38 of thunders 39 shots for the second star. Tyler Kelly gets the 3rd star with 1+1 for AQ. Thunder slides to 5-4 with the loss.

Off to the burgerplex for a 3-course holiday meal hosted by the Spencerport Rangers, 7pm on Tues 23-Dec, the eve of Christmas eve. There were 3 goals in Thunder's happy meal and Belly's first SO was the prize. Serving up the first course for Thunder was Derek Mazeau with the wrapper. Second course was brought to you by #5 (Clarky), raising the roof with a 3-hole goal, at 5:55 in the third. Third course was compliments of Colin O'Leary, picking up the trash on a shot by Luca Latore, to round out the scoring at 9:50. Shots were dead even at 29 a side. Thunder climbs to 6-4 with the win.

 First up on the Thunder docket in the new year was a meeting with Gates-Chili, high noon on Sat 3-Jan @ the shore. Coach Pat broke out the mint blazer proving everyday is St Patrick's Day. It was also Thunder's day, as they skated by the Spartans with a 6-3 decision. It was all Thunder with three thunder tallies in the first frame. Mazeau tipped in a mid-air point shot, to prime the pump at 4:14, assisted by Boils and Clark (don't try this at home). O'Leary attempted a wrapper, no-goal, whistle was blown. Carson went top-dawg over the goalie's shoulder, no-goal, net was off. How about Tyler Nash making his own luck by going hard to the net and getting a bounce at 9:56 for his first varsity goal. Lucarelli intervened with a lay-down harry to keep the Spartans at bay. Nick Curtis contributed at 11:45, assisted by Mazeau, with a hard working backhand that hit the goalies stick, went up, over and in, to make it 3-0 Thunder at the end of one. Let's go Spartans cheer worked as Gates got on the board with their first goal just 24 seconds into the second. Thunder cashed in on the 2-man advantage at the 7 minute mark when Seany fed Derek for the one-timer that went just wide but came off the back wall to setup the lay in for McNeil (the old SIR play). Thunder went on to kill off Gates 5 on 3 but Gates would counter at 12:13 to stay within 2. Gates #23 delivered a late hit after the horn, JC answered back with a show of force for Thunder. After O'Leary cleared the zone down the right wing and fed him with the headman pass, Nick Curtis went on to score his second on the nite to make it 5-2 Thunder, at 10:20 in the 3rd. Gates managed one more marker at 13:27 and Seany added a bow, an ENG assisted by Mazeau, with only 13 seconds to go. First star goes to Derek Mazeau with 1 goal and 2 assists for 3 pts. Second star goes to Nick Curtis with a pair of goals. Third star goes to Sean Ryan with 1+1=2. Thunder moves ahead to 7-4 with the win.

Thunder continued their winning ways and sent the Saints marching home after a 3-1 redemption, 7pm on Wed 7-Jan, at the shore. Churchville-Chili scored eight minutes in, but Thunder took it from there. McNeil scored on the PP, 3:13 into the second, assisted by Clark and Mazeau. O'Hare scored at 14:16 of the second, assisted by O'Leary. McNeil netted the ENG, assisted by JC, with 9 seconds to go in the game. Belly made 20 saves for his 6th win. First, second, and third star of the game goes to Christine Clark as she embarks on her courageous battle with breast cancer. Christine's thunder boys played their hearts out with pink tape on their sticks to win one for her in a show of love and support as the entire Thunder family surrounded her with warmth and well wishes. Thunder climbs another notch to 8-4 to keep the streak alive.     

 Due to old man winter keeping out of town teams from traveling, the Bob Schwartz Memorial Hockey Tournament was abbreviated to a single game of winner takes all, and McQuaid did just that as they shut Thunder out 5-0 on Friday Nite, 9-Jan @ the creek. With shots 28-21 in McQ's favor, one could argue that Thunder was able to skate with them, but Thunder just couldn't find the back of the net. They were older, bigger, stronger, and they had more facial hair. They would go on to win it all in section v, regionals, and states, led by Al Vyverberg, the winningest coach in section v history. Thunder drops to 8-5 with the loss.   

 Thunder trek'd down to the Valley to spar with the Spartans, in a 5pm rematch, on Wed 14-Jan. Greece emerged the unanimous winner after beating Gates 6-4 for the clean sweep. McSniper landed the first punch, coming off the bench 4 minutes in, picking up a loose puck, and netting it 3-hole. Gates would counter a few minutes later (Huck from Blankenberg). Then at the 11.5 minute mark, Hairsy took a neutral zone feed from O'Leary wide right into the zone and sniped Peters. Clarky picked up the second helper on the one-hole goal. Gates kept pace with a powerplay conversion (SIR style) 1:29 into the second and would pull ahead 22 seconds later, on another Huck from Blankenberg production, 3-2 Gates. O'Leary, Mazeau and O'Hare collaborated on the next two tallies in tight, 9-6-11 & 6-9-11, to pull back into the lead at 4-3, going to the intermission. Back side of the cut, McNeil was back in the ring to take another swing, at 4:50 on the PP, assisted by Hairsy and Mazeau, and so, it was 5-3 Thunder. Gates wouldn't wither as they netted yet another, at the ten minute mark of the third, to get within one. Clark delivered the TKO at 12:27, assisted by McNeil and JC. Shots were 28-25 in Thunder's favor, Belly made 21 saves for his 7th win. First star goes to Dylan O'Hare with a goal and 3 assists for the playmaker and a 4pt game. Second star goes to Marc McNeil with 2G/1A and the winner. Third star goes to Colin O'Leary with 1G/2A for a solid 3pt game. Thunder jumps ahead to 9-5 with this win. 

 Greece played host to Hilton, in the second half of their home and home, on Tues 20-Jan, at the shore. Much like the Apollo 13 mission, this game was one for the books. It was a great game, filled with high intensity, end to end action, and an extra period. What more could you ask for, other than maybe a Thunder goal in OT, but no such luck, as this one ended a 3-3 draw after 50 minutes of play. O'Leary delivered a 2 for 1 special on hits, forechecking hard right out of the gate. Hilton would rally late in the frame (Allen from Edwards) on the PP at 13:26. Twenty four seconds later, Clarks walks out of the corner in his own end, bumps it up to McNeil, who headmans it to Ryan. Seany would go on to channel his inner Moses, parting the D at the far blue line, walking in, and beating Dennehy, mano-e-mano, for the Holla-back heard round the rink, and it was 1-1 at the end of 1. Would someone please get JR a diaper, cuz she was in the bathroom and missed the whole thing (Thank God for SE Video and the Instant Replay). Second period saw Cal Boily step up to shut down a Cadet breakaway. Nick Curtis and Nick Borcyk were inducted into the Harry Shaw Society as well. Then, after Thunder setup camp for a lengthy stay in Hilton's end, Hilton's Howell went airmail the other way to Palumbo, picking cherries at the far blue line, for the groundhog day finish at 13:26 in the second. Sixteen seconds later, Clarky went 5-hole on Dennehy, assisted by Kyle Fernberg (first varsity point). It was like deja-vous all over again, except 8 seconds earlier, and so, we were knotted at 2's, going into the intermission. Thunder switched things up, scoring first in the third, at the 7:05 mark. It all started with a solid backcheck by Clark, when he dropped #10, took the puck away, lugged it out to neutral and headmanned it to O'leary. Colon stopped to chat with a defender, threw a head fake, and hit Dylan on the backdoor, for the money shot! A couple of minutes later, Palumbo holla'd back for Hilton, assisted by Edwards, for the equalizer that would force OT. Fourth frame went scoreless and a little donnybrook ensued at the final overtime whistle. Words were exchanged, feelings were hurt, or not. All I can say is, you don't wanna miss the first meeting of these two teams in the fall. Shots ended up 34-33 in Hilton's favor, 31 saves for Bellavia, 30 saves for Dennehy. The OT-tie brings Thunder to 9-5-1.

Irondequoit hosted Thunder, 5pm on Tues 3-Feb, for the second of their two game series, and unlike the first meeting, this one was settled in regulation, 4-1 Thunder, for the sweep. This game marked Christine's return to the rink, she was sorely missed and a sight for sore eyes. Hairsy dumped #2 for IQ in the early going and there were beaucoup QSC, but it was not until 14:43 that Thunder would break the seal. McNeil executed the left wing lug, hitting Seany in the high slot, to set up the "mighty ducks" triple-deke and a 5-hole finish. This goal was also assisted by Seany's Non who was looking down on him from above and guiding his hand the entire way. A minute thirty into the second stanza, Carson pitched one out front from below the goal line and Seany put it away to bolster his team's lead. Clarky picked up the second helper on the second goal. Gino put a few shots on goal, low and hard, thought he had one there, but the goal was waived off. Derek tipped a mid-air McSniper round in, off the far post, for the PPG, at 9:59, to make it 3-0 Thunder. Jake made a huge save on a breakaway at the beginning of the third, to keep IQ off the board. Thunder stormed back a minute later and saw Seany poke in a loose puck, for the hat from heaven, assisted by McNeil and Non. Not to steal Belly's thunder but Kearns had the save of the game midway through the third clearing a loose puck from the paint that had nothing but daylight between itself and the back of the net. And with 48 seconds left, IQ would score, with the extra attacker, for a 4-1 final. Shots were 27-26 in Thunder's favor. First star goes to Sean Ryan with the hat, peace be with you. Second star goes to Marc McPlaymaker with three assists. Third star goes to Jake Bellavia, with 25 saves for his 8th win. Thunder advances to 10-5-1.

 Brockport visited Thunder, 4pm on Sat 7-Feb @ the shore. Thunder won it 4-1 and sent the Blue Devils right back out the door. O'Leary put a lob wedge clapper, from top of the circle, over Emmerson's shoulder, five minutes in - can we get a golf clap please? Gino steps on in the second, hits his check, takes the puck away, drags him to the net on his back, gets off the shot and then Nick Curtis bangs home the rebound at 2:31. Give Luca a pair of assists, for all that hard work, but don't let him trade it in for a goal, not just yet. McSniper hit the crossbar and then went top shelf with his own rebound, for the PPG @ 9:09, assisted by Mazeau and O'Hare, 3-0 Thunder. Brockport scored their lone goal three mins later and then Jake stacked the pads to make 3 consecutive saves on the PK, to keep B-Port at bay the rest of the way. Hairsy added one late in the 3rd, assisted by Colon and Mazeau, who won the race to save an icing, battled to the front and let Dylan do the honors, to cap it at 4-1. Shots were 25-22 in Thunder's favor. First star goes to Colin O'Leary with a goal, an assist, and a big hit on #23. Second star goes to Dylan O'Hare with 1+1=2. Third star goes to Jake Bellavia with 21 saves for his 9th win. Thunder goes ham for 11-5-1.

 Thunder visited AQ for a 7pm Tilt, to settle the score, on Tues 10-Feb @ the shore. Mission accomplished, as Thunder outshot the Irish 41-17, for a 5-1 final. McNeil beat Conroy short side, a minute in, to get things rolling, assisted by Ryan. Nick Curtis drove the net, dropping Clemmons on his way, but came up short. O'Leary got up in Clemmons kitchen as well and imagine that, he draws the foul. How about Colin (Fletch)... well, this gritty kid from the streets of Greece earns every penny of that Million dollar salary. So #23 goes to the box with a 4 minute major for high sticking and Thunder gets a free pass to the all you can eat buffet. Who's hungry? How about Matthew Clark, quarterback of Thunder's number one unit? I guess so, as he steps up and paints the top shelf with a twisted wrister, assisted by McNeil and O'Hare, within the first minute of the non-releaseable man-advantage. Ten seconds later he raises the roof with a clapper, from the top of the key, assisted by Mazeaeu (that's 2 for a dollar) and it's 3-0 Thunder going into the second. Second period saw Thunder on the short side of a 4min major, as Clark went to the box for a board. Nice kill boys. Clark would return from his incarceration, well rested and ready to pickup where he left off. Oh yeah, how about a snapper this time, 4 and a half into the third, for the Natty Hatty, assisted by Curty, who slid it over to Clark for his first varsity point. O'Hare got to watch from the sin bin, for the duration, as he was assessed a major/misc for CFB. Luca Brought the chips for his trip and then Ferny joined the party with a slash. This setup a 2-man advantage that AQ would capitalize on at 13:32 (Kelly-Clemmons). After shutting 23 down to setup a 2 on 0 brake the other way, Nick Curtis finished things off with a commander backhander, in tight at the buzzer, assisted by Derek and JC. It was a tough call on the first star for this contest, oh let's just give it to Matthew Clark with the natural hat trick! Second star goes to Captain Mazeau with a pair of apples. Third star goes to Jake Bellavia with 16 saves for his 10th win. How about 12-5-1, yeah Thunder!

Welcome to senior nite, looks like we made it... OK, so Thunder hosted Spencerport for the 2pm Valentines Day Matinee, Sat 14-Feb @ the shore. But before we go to the tape, we would be remiss not to mention the men of the hour, the Greece Thunder Graduating Class of 2015, proudly presented by Thunder team manager Andrew Longwell:  Captain - Derek Mazeau, Assistant Captain - Marc McNeil, Forward - Nick Borcyk, Forward - Nick Lucarelli, and Goaltender - Jake Bellavia. Each senior met their family for a memorable moment on the blue carpet to honor their family's sacrifice, love and support along the way. Now on with the game. Seven minutes in Mazeau rang the bell, bar down from the top of the circle, assisted by O'Leary and O'Hare, who worked it around to set things up. Derek got back in line and picked another corner from top of the circle to make it 2 for a buck, a buck later. FF to 13:26 when Boils would fire the laser, 3-hole, from just inside the blue line. The Rangers chimed in with a shorty a minute into the second. Then Clark went on an expedition (sans lewis) a minute later, battling his way through traffic and taking it to the hole to stake his claim, 4-1 Thunder. Less than a minute later, Gianluca Latore would discover a whole new world, after he went upstairs with a rebound for his first varsity goal, assisted by the Nick's (C&B). Three minutes later Mazeau got the hat, off the solid forecheck by O'Leary and O'Hare. How about one more, ok, Mazeau put away the rebound, off an O'Leary shot, fed by Clark, for the four-bagger, nicely done Derek! The Rangers added one more in the third for a 7-2 final. Spencerport actually outshot Thunder 29-28, but Belly had 27 saves for his 11th win. First star goes to, oh gee, let's see, how about Derek with a monster 4-goal game, he was enfuego. Colin O'Leary claims the second star with 3 assists for the playmaker. Nick Charron gets the 3rd star with a pair of goals for the Rangers. And that brings Thunder's regular season to a close with a 13-5-1 record, a first place finish in Division II, and the top seed going into the Class BB Sectionals.

SECTIONALS

Greece barely got by Penfield with a 2-1 overtime victory in the Class BB Sectional Quarterfinal, held at 2:30pm on Sat 21-Feb at Lakeshore. Just goes to show that you have to show up to play each game, no matter what the matchup is on paper. The moms broke out the beads, poms and freshly laundered purple sweaters, to make the difference. Penfield forward takes out the ref for the Doan Collision of the game. Cal hit Derek with a check-swing pass, Derek took the shot, then grabbed his own rebound and went upstairs with a filthy backhand, in the final minute of the first frame, 1-0 Thunder. Mazeau continued leading by example with a solid forecheck, backcheck and some nice hits, but Pretino would notch the powerplay equalizer for the Patriots late in the second to force OT, with just 7 seconds remaining in Thunder's 5 on 3 kill. It was a nail biter for sure, deep into the extra period, but Mazeau managed to find a little more magic to keep the dream alive as he gathered a rink wide pass from O'Hare and ripped a shot that would deflect off a Patriot stick and sail over the goalies shoulder for a sudden semifinal berth. First star goes to Derek Mazeau with a pair of goals including the winner in OT.  Second star goes to Jake Bellavia with 17 saves for his first sectional win. Third star goes to Ryan Pretino with the lone goal for Penfield.

 Thunder defeated Webster Thomas 3-1 in their Class BB Sectional Semifinal that was held at 5pm on Wed 25-Feb @ RIT's Ritter Arena. The Titans were thick and came out hitting early, but Thunder was first on the board, late in the opening period, as McNeil hooked the puck outside a halfwall scrum to get it to space, Seany picked it up, patiently walked in around a Webster defender and backhanded it into the gaping left side of the goal. But Thomas would break free and catch Greece off guard, just 21 seconds later, to knot it at 1's. Not so fast says Ryan, i'm not finished. After getting tripped and getting his own rebound, he went upstairs with a third effort and third time was a charm. Nobody pumps up the crowd quite like this kid, he wears his heart on the sleeve of his Thunder sweater for sure. Mazeau picked up an assist for his long lead pass that paved the way for Ryan's second score. Thunder came out hitting in the third to protect their one goal lead. Ferny had a huge period, his best of the season, killing off pims and protecting the house as things got a little dicey down the home stretch. The Lucarelli and Boils tandem was stalwart start to finish. They stayed above the hard deck and below the radar, doing their job, as per Top Gun regulations. O'Hare added the insurance marker, assisted by McNeil and Ryan, and it was 3-1 Thunder with 6 and a half to go, nevermind the 15.5 additional penalty minutes that were racked up between both teams by the final buzzer. Thunder outshot the Titans 23-17. First star goes to Sean Ryan with 2 goals plus 1 assist including the GWG. Second star goes to Marc McNeil with a pair of assists for 2 points. Third star goes to Jake Bellavia with 16 saves for his second sectional win.

Welcome to the NYSPHSAA Section V Ice Hockey Championships, featuring your top seeded Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder who would play host to the second seeded Victor Blue Devils, coached by former Thunder assistant Nate VanKouwenberg, in the Class BB Title game, 5:15pm on Sunday 1-Mar, at the RIT Ritter Arena. Not much flow in this contest with Victor playing a trap the entire way, but we did get to see O'Leary slip on a banana peel in front of Victor's bench, whoops! Thunder outshot the Blue Devils 12-3 / 13-5 / 12-3 for a 3 period total of 37-11. Thunder struck first, on the powerplay, with a minute left in the opening period, as O'Hare netted the rebound, from a wing shot by McNeil, that sat on the back door like a cake left out in the rain. That goal was the only one that Thunder would get by Chayse Ierlan (Class BB Sectional MVP), the freshman netminder for the Blue Devils. Would it be enough... unfortunately not. Second stanza was scoreless and ended with an untimely injury that left Lucarelli sidelined for the duration. It was only a matter of time before Farrance would cut loose, as he went racing down the right wing, drawing the D and eventually setting up Kevin O'Brien, streaking to the net, for the equalizer. Victor got the go ahead goal at 9:47 from the high slot, compliments of Patrick Manning. Despite their best efforts, including a last hope face-off in Victor's end, after calling a time out with 19.9 seconds left on the clock and hearing Thunderstruck bumping from the broadcast booth at the stoppage, a team that had come so far together, would go no further, as time ran out on the 2014-2015 Greece Athena/Odyssey Thunder. You may scratch your head wondering, did the better team win? The answer is academic... until next year!

LINKS


AWARDS
  • Congratulations to Matthew Clark who was awarded defensive player of the Class BB Sectional
  • Congratulations to Marc McNeil who earned 1st Team Forward Award - Division II
  • Congratulations to Jake Bellavia who earned 1st Team Goaltender Award  - Division II
  • Congratulations to Matthew Clark who earned 2nd Team Defense Award  - Division II
  • Congratulations to Nick Luccarelli who earned Top Scholar/Athlete Award - Division II
  • And let's hear it for your 2014-2015 Division II Champions – Greece Thunder
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