The Black team playing with a short bench came out fast and strong. They got on the scoreboard first and held the advantage for most of the game. Unfortunately for them the Yellow team, a team Black had beaten consistently throughout the season, got the game to a 2-2 time then put in a game winning goal with only 1:31 left to play. Coach Brian pulled the goalie in the final 36 seconds and the boys did generate some excitement and confusion in front of the Yellow goal but just could not get the puck in the net.

Jason Chipp showed up wearing his new Rocky High JV hockey jacket, very handsome. He played with high school passion, raising his game to a new level. Coaches moved him to defense to replace the ailing Zac Alexander where he became a serious problem for any Yellow player trying to bring the puck into his zone. Jason acted as if he owned the ice in front of his goaltender.

Who would have guessed the Black team would be playing Cheyenne in a game to determine who gets third and who gets fourth place. It must be one of the life lessons sports teaches the youthful players; life isn’t fair.

See the Photos»»

What a great weekend of hockey!! While we didn’t come home with medals or trophy’s we saw some great competition and played some tough teams. It was great to hear from the State Wars director how impressive our teams talent is coming from a small area of Northern Colorado, your kids worked hard to get that recognition. Thanks to all of our parents who had early morning drives this weekend and tired kids this morning, with out your support our players wouldn’t be such great kids. Thanks also to our coaches and team managers who took off early from work or school and who spent lots of time on the benches and the bleachers this weekend, Thank You for all your time!

Here is the weekend wrap up:

Our U10 Team had a rough start, with 5 skaters on Friday against one of the toughest teams in the tournament, but kept playing hard all weekend. We are very proud of their 4th place finish in the 1997 age group and they should be too considering that 90% of the team are 1998’s and that the last game against the Scorpions was a tie and that team took first place in the tournament. Way to go!!!

Final standings:

1st-Florida Scorpions; 2nd -Colorado Black Bears; 3rd-St. Louis Cobras; 4th -OD’s DareDevils;

Our U12 1995 team also had mostly 1996 age players in the 1995 age group and took a very respectable 3rd place, loosing their playoff game to the Crash Dummies who took home 1st place in the tournament.

Final Standings:

1st-Crash Dummies; 2nd-Wolverines; 3rd-OD’s DareDevils;

The U14 teams played some tough competition in the 1994 and 1993 divisions. The 1994 team had two tie games and a win over the St. Louis Cobra’s. Their playoff game against the Cobra’s was a heartbreaking overtime loss and was the game to watch in the 1994 division. The Cobra’s went on the win the Championship with a mercy over the Wolverines leaving the DareDevils 1994 team with 3rd place. The 1993 team played hard in their playoff game loosing to the Pazimps who took second in the Championship game, leaving the 1993 team with 5th place. The competition for this age group looks fierce this year and the U14’s are looking forward to playing some of these teams again.

Final Standings 1994:

1st-St. Louis Cobras; 2nd-Wolverines; 3rd- OD’s DareDevils

Final Standings 1993:

1st-Wolverines; 2nd-Pazimps; 3rd-CO Wild; 4th-Mustangs; 5th OD’s DareDevils

Be sure to check out the photo’s and articles about the Winter Wars tournament on the State Wars web page, there are some about our DareDevils.

Thanks again for being such great parents.

It all started with an informal group of parents discussing the merits of Rec vs. Competitive hockey. Seems most of this group had the same disenfranchised feeling and were eager to make a point. However that point would not, could not be made if the players were not up to the task. The parents would have their answer within the hour.

Zac Attack! That is what they call it in the locker room. The coaches look for it, exptect it and have come to rely on it. Zac didn’t let them down. He exploded early in the first period, going end to end and busting a move on Caleb DeBuse, his one time teammate, scoring goal one for the Rec team. One would think playing a tournament game every day for four days in a row would slow a body down but that is not the case with this team. They were off to a fast start. Ryan Nafziger is the team’s leading scorer and he did not disappoint. After a few posts and near goals he finally succeeded on his venerable backhand, putting the puck in the top right corner.

Max and Quinn haven’t been known for their flashy offense. Playing on the same line they hooked up for a goal where Quinn put away a rebound from a Max wrister. This goal was a testament to good positioning in front of the net.

Parents and coaches rejoiced as the final buzzer sounded. They found each other in the post game crowd, making eye contact to share their knowing self-satisfied smiles.

With this win your NCYH Jr. Eagles Bantam Black Recreational team earned themselves a fifth place finish out of eight places in the Arvada B division. Zac Alexander pointed out that the Arvada B-1 team and eventual tournament winner had only four goals scored against them. One of those four goals was scored by his team.

See the photos »

It was all smiles on the Black bench as they got off to a solid start on a goal from yet another coast to coast Zac attack. Coaches are beginning to expect it and nobody is disappointed when it occurs. This is a far cry from Zac’s Rage93 PeeWee team where the ignominious coach benched Zac for skating it across the center red line. In Zac’s defense, when the the wingers get lost the D gotta step up. I digress. . .

Jarrett Nafziger produced some stand out play. Fans marveled; “He looks more like a winger than a defense man” It was true, he was really hustling to loose puck and turning up ice with purpose. Jason Chipp found some energy (he’s been sick) and had himself a great game. It was these two players who added spark and power that lifted the team out of the doldrum they found themselves in after their 1-8 drubbing from the Nebraska team. Of course Ryan Nafziger was still Ryan, contentious as usual, without spending time in the sin-bin tonight and offering up two goals, including an empty netter at the end of the game.

The Black teams only goal came in the first period when Zac Alexander pulled one of his often requested coast to coast runs. Zac was able to find the back of the net and bring his team within one goal near the end of the period. It didn’t last long. Nebraska came right back to score.

Next up is Arizona. Lets hope they know more about fishing in that state.

Maybe if Zac would not have scored on his own goalie Black would have won? This game got off to a rocky start before the players ever got out of the locker room. In a typical round of horseplay involving Ryan C. Zac and Nick C. Ryan ended up at Urgent Care with a gash in his head. A few staples later he was back at the rink (having missed the game) to pick up his equipment. Gus, Ryan’s father and my favorite Greek, explained that Ryan had gashed that same spot on his head on three other occasions. Way to go Ryan!

So, maybe if Ryan had played (he remains in third place in scoring) or if maybe Max’s skate hadn’t fallen apart before the game, or maybe…. you get the point.

The fans I spoke with thought the team looked slow. I didn’t see that but I did see the guys looking around unsuccessfully for their positions. The painful goals against Black were the same ‘ol defensive breakdown break-aways that have become a given in any game. Still, on the bright side Max Alexander did score a goal from a pass by his brother Zac, Zac did score a goal from an opportunity handed off by Ryan Nafziger and Crockett harper scored on an assist from Nick Collins. That was Nick’s 5th assist this season putting him in third place behind Ryan N. and Zac in assists leaders.

The Arvada tournament looms large and I exptect the players are excited to see what they can do against some out of state Bantam level teams. First game is Friday, February 15th in the evening. See you there!

See game photos»

We all hear the excuse; “Cheyenne has competitive players on their roster”. This is true. If they didn’t there would be no Cheyenne team to play as their rec program just doesn’t have enough hockey bodies to fill out a roster (I wonder how their rodeo rosters fare?) . Looking at the big picture I expect most players and fans are glad to have one more team to play. In our case we have at least been competitive with one win and one time to dress up our loses.

Our boyz were holding their own purdy good as they went into the third period with a 0-0 tie. As the clock ticked down it looked as though the first team to score would win the game. That is exactly how it turned out as one of those northern hockey animals got himself a break-away and beat Tim with a nifty fake right, go left moves. We could have won. Bantam Black had some great scoring chances but that gol-durn Cheyenne goalie did a great job of gobbling every puck within reach.

Stats Leaders
The stats leaders have not changed this week as our offense was not able to put any points towards their totals. However goalie Tim George (coaches kid) managed to have a great game and push his save percentage to a tad above 90%. That was the best I’ve seen Tim play in net. Tim almost had the save on the first breakaway goal. The Cheyenne player did the old fake right back hand left. Tim slid across with the player and only missed it by six inches (should have poke-checked that move). If Tim grows a little over the summer his leg should be long enough to reach the far post by next season.

Penalty Leader Change
Jarrett Nafziger catches Nick Collins. With the loss of Jerimiah PIM comes down to a two way tie for first place between Jarrett and Nick. Jarrett managed two more minutes with a holding penalty. Don’t get me wrong here, our team does a better than average job and avoiding penalties. Cheyenne on the other had took four not to smart penalties in this game and six penalties in our previous meeting.

View Stats»»

See the Photos»»
(Coach recommends the Slide Show mode for largest photos)

Coach Quits!
Coach Brian didn’t actually quit, rather he has work (yes, he has a real job) related business to attend to. In is place will be coach Flash (yours truly). Coach Shane Chipp and I will put our heads together and come up with a good way to torture the players. Heck, this is Bantam level. I say a little torture goes a long way. We’ll probably start by picking on Jason Chipp.

Jr Eagles Banquet
2nd ANNUAL JR. EAGLES BANQUET
In recognition of ALL Jr. Eagles players, Association and Community Volunteers and Senior/Final Year players.
Keynote Speaker:

Chris Stewart, Eagles Head Coach

Date:

Monday, March 10, 2008

Itenerary:

Social-6:00-6:30; Dinner at 6:30

Location:

CSU-Lory Student Center Ballroom :: Laurel & Meldrum Streets (West on Laurel from College Ave; South on Meldrum into parking area in front of Lory Student Center)

Cost:

$15 Per person/ $7 Kids 8 & under :: Includes dinner

Don’t miss out on this great event. Sold out last year!! Unbelievable Silent Auction
Look for further information at www.NCYH.org

Tickets available at NOCO until February 28th.

Hockey Weekend Across America promises to be an exciting event for all hockey fans and players. View the featured events and browse the daily themes for what is sure to be a big weekend for hockey.

The Hockey Weekend Across America Great Prize Giveaway has begun. Fill out an entry form today.

Events

Friday, Feb. 15 - Wear Your Jersey to School Day

• Show your hockey spirit by wearing your favorite jersey from any level of hockey (youth, high school, college, etc.) to school.

Saturday, Feb. 16 - Bring a Friend to the Rink Day

• No matter what the event is (an open skate, a youth game or a professional game) do your best to bring a friend to the rink to introduce them to the sport.

Sunday, Feb. 17 - Celebrate Local Hockey Heroes Day

Read More»»

Why do we get off to a slow start with this team? Well, that was then and today Black got out of the gates much better than before. It wasn’t long before they had a 3-0 lead. What was interesting was how Yellow was able to chip away and get back in it with a real chance to tie the game in the final minutes.

Scoring was handled by the usual suspects. Ryan Cristopolis got things started off with a little help from Quinn and Nick Collins. Next up was Ryan Nafziger with one of his classic shots; assisted by cousin Jarrett. Jarrett also assisted on the third and final goal for Black that was put in the net by Tyler Falk. Jarretts stats continue to mount with a good balance of goals and assists.

Next up is the Border War where Black takes on Cheyenne. They will have to play like they did in their first Slapshot tournament game against Hyland Hills.

Game Stats

View Cumulative Stats »

See the Photos »

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Arapahoe Islanders eek out a win - Final 5-6

Your Bantam Black team came back from a 1-6 deficit to get within one and came close to tying the game in the final minutes.

View the Arapahoe game photos»»

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Big Bear Blues give Bantam Black the Blue

Big Bear give Bantam Black a rough ride. Still, our boys had them on the ropes for the first and second periods of play.

See the Photos»

Enjoy These Video Outtakes

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