Strongsville, OH – Monday December 21st – For Immediate Release

In what turned out to be a wild affair, the Jacks Parents continued their dominance over the 99 Jr Jacks with a 12-11 barn-burner of a victory Monday at Iceland in Strongsville, OH.  Despite all the pregame trash-talking and posturing, it was clean game that enabled parent and player alike to showcase their phenomenal hockey skills.

It was a good thing that all of the parents came to play this night because, although the 99 Jr Jacks older brothers were on the Parent’s team, it was clear from the beginning that the Parents were clearly responsible for this victory. Connor Clemens, Morgan and Taylor Williams, Logan Rossiter, Ethan Whitney and Kyle Menges were clearly overmatched against their little brothers and the rest of the 99 Jr Jacks as they had no goals, no assists and were all minus 6.   A big surprise was Jack Kucharski, nice showing Jack.

Conversely, the Parents, led by Bill “I’m getting too old for this” Menges, Mike “Call the EMT’s” Perkins, Tim “The Krippler” Kucharski, Tom “No Goal” Cole, Grant “You’ve got to be kidding me” Williams, Tom “Look out I can’t stop” Warmuth, Brian “Robo Cop” Rossiter, Carolyn “The Real Krippler” Kucharski, and Paul “Can’t beat the buzzer” Clemens, provided all of the goals, assists and were all a plus 7 on the evening.  If you were wondering where all the 99 Jr Jacks got all their amazing talent, look no further than this star-studded lineup.  What made it more amazing was that the Parents had to play without the services of Ken “Don’t make me slug you” Melcher, who was sent down to Saskatoon before the game for a conditioning stint and to serve out the balance of his suspension.

Although it was a cleanly-played and well-played contest, it must be mentioned that the officiating was quite suspect (once again).  Special (as in special ed) referee Rob Krueger, flown in direclty from Rochester,  NY where he was overseeing the annual Empire West Officiating Refresher Course, made many controversial calls and awarded the 99 Jr Jacks what had to have been 72 penalty shots to ZERO for the Parents.  Referee Krueger also set a modern-day record for never taking his hands out of his pockets for the entire game.

All in all, it was a great time had by everyone (except for all the poor people who had to watch) and so the Parents get to gloat for one more year and hold on to their dream that they still “got it”!!

Let’s Go Jacks!

Rochester, NY – Sunday December 13th – For immediate release

For the last several weeks, the Cleveland 99 Jr Lumberjacks have battled adversity in some form or another.  Usually it’s been a bad bounce or tough break on the ice that has led to a heartbraking loss but these two games against Empire West rival Rochester Americans took the cake.  Not only did the boys have to overcome some bad bounces but when you add in some aggregious officiating errors and the dreaded Empire West “Curfew” clock, you can imagine what the 99 Jr Jacks were up against in these two road games versus Rochester.  To rub a little more salt in the wound, the boys were without their injured center in these last two contests before the Christmas break.

Game One saw a scoreless first period with each team getting their legs and feeling out the opposition.  Both teams traded some quality scoring chances but neither could score until early in the 2nd period when Rochester scored back to back goals off of goalmouth scrums to take 2-0 lead midway through the middle frame.  The 99 Jr Jacks continued to skate hard and play aggressive and it paid dividends as the boys cut the lead to 2-1 to close out the 2nd period.  As the game headed to the third period, the 99 Jr Jacks had some momentum going their way and looked to tie the game early in the period.  At this point, atrocious officiating reared its ugly head and stole the monentum away from the 99 Jr Jacks.  A shot by Rochester from the right face-off circle clearly hit the crossbar and bounced back into play but the out of position lead referee, to the amazement of the entire arena, ruled the puck had gone in and the Americans took a 3-1 lead early in the third period.  Having to play against the 21st ranked Americans AND the officials took a little steam out of the boys as they tried to come back from this two goal deficit. They were not able to capitalize on two power plays and a late breakaway goal by Rochester sealed their fate making the final score 4-1.

Coming back the next day for Game Two, the 99 Jr Jacks had those familiar looks of determination that their fans have witnessed many times before.  The feeling in the locker room before the game was one of quiet confidence as they tried to hold their emotions and frustration in check.  The 99 Jr Jacks would be tested early on, however, as the Americans scored two early goals off of deflections in the slot area to take a 2-0 lead after one period.  The 99 Jr Jacks could have been dejected at this point, hung their heads and gone through the motions for the rest of the game; but not this team.  Something collectively snapped inside the boys heads and hearts and from the start of the second period, it was all 99 Jr Jacks.  The boys tied the score at 2-2 as they looked like a team possessed.  All facets of the game turned in favor of the 99 Jr Jacks; offense, defense, goaltending and yes – bounces.  It almost seemed as the ice was tilted against Rochester as they literally had the Americans on the run the entire third period despite having to kill off a controversial major slashing penalty.  The stage was set for the final moments of the contest as the 99 Jr Jacks drew a penalty and converged on the Americans zone determined to score, however, Rochester was literally saved by the bell or, in this case, the curfew buzzer.  With only 1:36 left in the game, the Rochester team officials would not let the game be finished and quite frankly, they couldn’t get off the ice fast enough to the utter amazement of the 99 Jr Jacks and their faithful fans.  The final score of this game would end up 2-2.

“We played well enough to win both games but it’s hard to play against a skilled team like Rochester and have to contend with very poor officiating, ” commented a visibly upset Coach Bill Menges.  “We had them running scared in the second game.  We had no idea there was a curfew for this AAA league game.  As an organization, we’re going to have to take a long look at this Empire West league and determine its worth.  The outcome should not be taken out the player’s hands.  I am very proud of this team and it looks like we’ve finally knocked adversity on its wallet.  I think this second game and they way we played it will turn our season around once again.

The old saying that adversity brings a team closer together couldn’t have been more true on Sunday.  A long season such as this has many turning points.  Let’s hope this one will be positive.

The 99 Jr Jacks will break for Christmas and New Year’s and will resume play on Saturday January 9th.  In the meantime, the Jacks will hold their annual parent vs. player game on December 21st and the boys will also compete in the 3 on 3 tournament at Iceland in Strongsville the week of December 28th.

The 99 Jr Jacks would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and Best Wishes and Success in 2010.

Let’s Go Jacks!

AAA HOCKEY

Cleveland, OH – Sunday December 6th – For Immediate Release

Heading into yesterday’s Empire West showdown with the 10th ranked Syracuse Nationals, the Cleveland Jr Jacks, based on their previous play, were excited about their chances to knock off this much higher ranked team coming in for two games at the Jacks home rink at Gilmour Academy.  Unfortunately, with the benefit of absolutely no breaks or bounces, the 99 Jr Jacks lost both contests to the Nationals by scores of 4-2 and 5-2 to drop their season mark to 24-15-1.

Game One started out with both squads measuring each other and trading a few scoring chances.  Midway through the first period, however, Syracuse was the recipient of a generous call by the referee to take a 1-0 lead.  A saved puck was frozen under the goalie’s pads and the Syracuse player crashed into the crease shoving goalie and all into the net.  Instead of a whistle or goalie interference call, the Nationals were awarded a goal and the lead.  The 99 Jr Jacks rose up and tied the game on a beautiful backhand shot with just over a minute left in the first and the game was 1-1 through one period.  The second period was very evenly played as well but, again, the Nationals were able to score a power play goal deflected off of a Jacks defenseman and then a third goal deflected by a Syracuse player in the high slot.  The 99 Jr Jacks, hanging tough as usual, score another late period goal to close the gap to 3-2 after two periods.  The third period was also back and forth as the 99 Jr Jacks looked to tie the game and the Nationals looked for that game clincher.  As luck would have it, the Nationals scored their fourth goal off of an unlucky turnover and bad bounce right to a Syracuse player parked at the left post.  The Nationals held on for a 4-2 victory.

Game Two saw much of the same luck the 99 Jr Jacks had in the first game, all bad.  Syracuse took an early first period lead on a breakaway and followed up with a late power play deflection goal to take a 2-0 lead after one period.  The second period saw the 99 Jr Jacks come out firing and gain some early period monentum as they scored a breakaway goal to make it 2-1 midway through the 2nd period.  Another fluky Syracuse goal late in the 2nd helped the Nationals retake their two goal lead.  A Syracuse centering pass from behind the net bounced off of three players before finding its way past the left post to make it 3-1 after two periods.  The third period was much like the previous five periods played between these two good teams as they traded good chances and played great defense.  The Nationals made it 4-1 off of yet another goal deflected in off of a 3 on 2 rush but the 99 Jr. Jacks quickly made it 4-2 off of a goalmouth scramble of their own to get back within reach.  In continuing their comeback, the 99 Jr Jacks were forced to take some chances and be more aggressive in rushing the puck but old Lady Luck would have the final say yet again as another bad bounce on a breakout pass led to a quick 2 on 1 goal conversion for Syracuse and they held on the rest of way for a 5-2 victory to sweep the season series with the 99 Jr Jacks four games to none.

“We definitely had some bad bounces and bad breaks go our way in both games”, commented Coach Bill Menges after the second game.  “The scores were not really indicative of how well we played.  We skated and hustled right with Syracuse.  My hat’s off to them, they got it done and I’m a believer in the fact that teams make their own luck and create their own chances by just going hard to the net.  Hopefully, we can get back in that mode for next weekend against Rochester.  We definitley owe them some payback”

“If it wasn’t for bad luck today, we’d have had no luck at all”, added Assistant Coach Rob Krueger.  “But, hey, there is a reason Syracuse is ranked 10th in the country.  They are a great team.”

The 99 Jr Jacks will take their show on the road this weekend and will look to deliver some payback to the Rochester Americans as they’ll square off with their other Empire  West rival for games Saturday and Sunday before shutting it down for the Christmas break.

Let’s Go Jacks

See an overview of our season

Cleveland 99 AAA Hockey

Well, the Cleveland AAA 99 Jr Jacks have reached the halfway point of the 2009-2010 season and looking back have gotten off to a great start and have made some solid progress in this their second full season.  Under the watchful eyes of coaches Bill Menges and Rob Krueger, our boys have compiled a 24-13-1 record so far and have remained ranked in the Top 25 in My Hockey Rankings and the Top 20 in Youth Hockey Report all season.  Along the way they’ve had some great wins against the likes of the Buffalo Regals, St. Catherines Falcons, Assabet Valley, Mississauga Rebels, Madison Capitals, Washington Little Caps, LA Jr Kings, New Hampshire Avalanche and ,Oh Yeah, the Cleveland Barons.  They’ve outscored their opponents 146 to 105 and keep a respectable 2.76 goals against average.  Sure, we’ve also had some tough and disappointing losses against Rochester, Syracuse, Victory Honda, Compuware, Chicago Fury, the Valley Warriors and those same Barons but the boys have always come back stronger the next game.  This is a sign of good things to come.

As we look forward to the rest of this season and on into next season, remember that winning is a process and our 99 Jr Jacks are well down that road to being winners.  I’m sure you’ve all heard the same old clichés, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, “You’ve got to walk before you can run”, “You’ve got to fall before you can fly”, etc., etc.  This way of thinking and this process has never been more true than in the game of hockey.  Successful teams must first lose so that they can learn how to win!  Just take a look at recent hockey history and you’ll see plenty of evidence.  Two seasons before they won their Stanley Cup, the Penguins were bounced in the first round of the playoffs by Ottawa.  The next year, they got revenge on Ottawa and made it to the cup finals but the lesson was not over as they had to watch on their own home ice as the Red Wings beat them in six games.  The experiences of those two previous playoff years no doubt had a tremendous effect on their ability to finally reach the pinnacle this past Spring.  Same for the Red Wings.  They took several years and several losses before winning their championships.  Heck, even the most prolific offensive juggernaut of all time, the Edmonton Oilers, were swept by the NY Islanders in their very first Stanley Cup final.  What all these teams have in common, along with many more sports teams throughout history, is that they all had to lose in order to learn how to win.

Last season, the 99 Jr Jacks didn’t make any tournament playoffs.  This year, they’ve made the playoffs in all four tournaments winning one in Rochester and narrowly missing the semifinals at Nike Bauer and the finals at the Reebok Little Caesars and Boston Valley Warriors.  They’ve added new and key components to the team and they are all better hockey players since the beginning of the season four short months ago.  More importantly, they are all fine young men who are far more mature than their 10 years would indicate.  The rest of the season will be challenging and the emotional ups and downs of this sport will continue but rest assured our boys will be prepared to deal with whatever comes their way.  Look out! The Cleveland AAA 99 Jr Lumberjacks are a team on the rise!

Boston, MA – Sunday November 29th – For Immediate Release

The Cleveland 99 Jr Lumberjacks spent Thanksgiving in Boston and they sure had plenty to be thankful for as the boys turned in yet another great tournament performance, this time at the Valley Jr Warriors annual feast, this past weekend.  The 99 Jr Jacks posted wins in all four of their round robin games before losing a nail-biter to the host squad in the semifinals.

Game One Friday afternoon saw the 99 Jr Jacks face off against a physical Assabet Valley team looking for revenge from a previous defeat in Rochester at the hands of the 99 Jr Jacks.  After a scoreless first period, Assabet scored first off of a two on zero break during a delayed penalty call to grab a 1-0 lead after two periods.  In the third period, however, it was all Cleveland AAA 99 Jr Jacks as they tied the score early in the frame and took the lead for good on a power play goal midway through.  A late breakaway goal put the icing on the cake and gave the boys a solid 3-1 victory and good start to the tournament.

In Game Two Friday evening, the 99 Jr Jacks squared off against the Seacoast Spartans from nearby Exeter, NH.  Picking right up from where the previous game ended, the boys put on a dominating first period display posting four goals to stake themselves to a 4-0 lead after one period.  The Spartans, however, never gave up and slowly battled their way back to make this an interesting contest.  Seacoast made the most of their opportunities by scoring five goals on eight shots in periods 2 and 3.  If not for two goals sprinkled in by the 99 Jr Jacks, this would have been a huge comeback by the Spartans.  Fortunately, the 99 Jr Jacks were able to hold on for a 6-5 victory.  Whew!!

Game Three on Saturday morning saw the boys get down to business and play some classic 99 Jr Jacks hockey as they faced the New Hampshire Avalanche who were previously unbeaten in the tournament.  Hard skating, aggressive forechecking and backchecking, relentless team defense and solid goaltending were all on the breakfast menu this morning as the boys never looked back in this game.  Only a late third period power play goal by the Avalanche spoiled the shutout as the 99 Jr Jacks cruised to a 4-1 victory.

In Game Four, the last round robin contest, the 99 Jr Jacks were already assured of a spot in the playoff round as they took on the Connecticut Clippers.  It was a low scoring affair as the 99 Jr Jacks held the Clippers to only four shots for the entire game while the Clippers netminder put on a great performance and almost stole the game.  After a scoreless first period, the Clippers made it 1-0 on a shot from the right circle.  The 99 Jr Jacks tied the game some minutes later by redirecting a shot off of an unsuspecting Clippers defenseman.  It was all knotted up heading to the third but a partial breakaway goal by the Jacks let the air out of the Clippers and an empty-netter moments later sealed the deal for a 3-1 victory.

Now the 99 Jr Jacks were headed to familiar territory, the playoffs, where they have qualified in every tournament so far this season.  Their opponent was the host and 22nd ranked Valley Jr Warriors Elites.  The 99 Jr Jacks were hoping to get a shot at the higher ranked Warriors and the game did not disappoint as both teams played a great game all the way to a shootout.  The Warriors grabbed a 1-0 late in period one on a goalmouth scramble and held that lead until midway in the second period when the 99 Jr Jacks seized the momentum and the lead with two quick goals thanks to relentless forechecking pressure and two beautiful setup passes.  Both squads traded some scoring chances later in the period but neither could connect as the 99 Jr Jacks held on to a 2-1 lead after two periods.  The third period saw the boys maintain their pressure and aggressiveness as they created some great scoring chances but were unable to tickle the twine.  With just under two minutes left and the Cleveland AAA 99 Jr Jacks grinding the game down, the Warriors attempted one last desperate rally and, unfortunately for the 99 Jr Jacks, they were able to tie the score at 2-2 after a shot from the left circle deflected off of a skate in front and just squeezed inside the right post.  Five minutes of overtime produced a few additional chances but both teams put defense first in this extra session which expired with no winner.  Just like at Nike Bauer, the 99 Jr Jacks headed into a shootout to see which team would advance and unfortunately, just like at Nike Bauer, the boys came up short in the shootout as Valley converted on 2 of 3 breakaways to take the victory.

“It’s like deja vu all over again, ” commented Jacks Coach Bill Menges in borrowing from the old Yogi Berra line.  “We did a great job of controlling the game and we had our chances but when it gets to a shootout, anything can happen.  This game is a little different than Nike Bauer because the Warriors have been ranked ahead of us all season and we still controlled the play for the most part.  The bigger picture is that last year we didn’t make any tournament playoffs and this season we’ve made the playoffs in every tournament and we have been playing better in each one.”

The 99 Jr Jacks will have no time to dwell on that last game as they prepare to face the 10th ranked Syracuse Nationals for two games this Saturday at Gilmour Academy.  The Nationals lead the season series so far having won both games at Syracuse in October.  Good seats are still available for Saturday’s tilts.

Cleveland OH AAA 99 Hockey