SPITFIRES QUARTER FINAL SERIES STILL UNDECIDED

Feb. 14th, 2011.

The Aylmer Spitfires played game 2 of their 2010-11 Niagara West Division Quarterfinal playoff series at home against the Paris Mounties last Wednesday night.  Prior to the game Niagara West League Convener, Ron Park, was on hand to present the League awards for Most Valuable Player to Spitfires goalie Brian Valentine and the League’s Top Defenceman award to Spitfire Cassidy North. 

The game got under way with some back and forth action with both goalies standing their ground.  Aylmer’s Scott Mugford was able to put one past the Paris net minder midway through the 1st period giving the Spits the lead.  The goal was set up by Curtis Maracle.  That was all the scoring till late in the 2nd period when Mike Belanger set up Mark Pfohl to give the Spits a two goal cushion headed into the 2nd intermission.  Aylmer scored an early goal in the 3rd as Curtis Maracle got help from Mark Pfohl and Mike Belanger to open the Spits lead to 3.  Things turned physical through the 3rd period and on a power play late in the game Ben Shaw scored assisted by Mark Pfohl and Mike Belanger to seal the victory for the Spitfires and the 2 game lead in the series.  Goalie Brian Valentine made 30 saves for the victory and shutout.

Game 3

The next night the Spits went to Paris for game 3 of the series for the first ever game at the new Brant Sportsplex.  The Spits came out flat and the Mounties were energized by their new surroundings and scored near the 9 minute mark of the 1st period to take the lead.  They would add 2 more late in the first period to open up a 3 goal lead headed into the 1st break.  The Spits didn’t give up and came on in the 2nd period to attempt a comeback but the Mounties goaltender was there each time to halt any attempts.  At the 10 minute mark of the period, Mark Pfohl was set up on the power play by Curtis Maracle to give the Spits a glimmer of hope cutting the score to 3-1.  That score held up into the 2nd intermission.  In the 3rd the Paris goalie thwarted any attempts of a comeback and the Mounties added an empty net goal to seal the 4-1 victory, cutting the Spits series lead in half, making it 2-1 a series lead heading to game 4.  Brian Valentine faced 28 shots in the loss for the Spits in goal.

Game 4

 For a rare Saturday night away game the Spits once again headed back to Paris for game 4.  This time it was back in the old confines of the Syl Apps Community Center as issues with the glass in the Brant Sportsplex caused County officials to deem the rink unsafe for use after game 3, forcing game 4 back to the bowels of Paris.  Both teams came out with some jump in their legs after a night off, but it was the Spits who capitalized on a power play just after the halfway point of the 1st to take the lead on a goal by Adam Brisson, assisted by Coy Kulich and Cassidy North.  Paris didn’t quit and managed to tie the game late in the 1st sending the game knotted at 1 to the intermission.  The 2nd period started quickly for the Spits as Will Cook beat the Paris netminder on the 1st shot of the period,  just 9 seconds in as he was set up by Scott Mugford and Cassidy North to once again give the Spits the lead.  Exactly 5 minutes later the Mounties  took advantage of a bad bounce to score on a shorthanded breakaway to once again even the score.  The period would end 2-2.  Will Cook must have enjoyed the water in Paris as he once again came out of the break flying and scored 46 seconds into the 3rd period to give the Spits their third lead of the night.  He had help on the goal from Scott Mugford and Coy Kulich.  Just over a minute later Josh Honsinger found Todd Laurindo to open up a 2 goal lead for the Spits.  Paris again wouldn’t let up and just over a minute later scored to cut the Spits lead back down to 1.  The Mounties kept pressing but Spits Goalie Brian Valentine was there to stop every attempt.  Coy Kulich added some insurance near the midway point scoring the Spits 5th goal of the night from Scott Mugford and Will Cook.  The rest of the night belonged to Valentine as he turned away every Mountie attack till the final buzzer giving the Spits the 5-3 win and 3-1 series lead.  Valentine faced 23 shots for the victory.

Game 5

The two teams were back in Aylmer a day later to go at it for the 5th time in the series.  The game started slowly as both teams found their legs but Aylmer started to come on, throwing lots of shots towards the Mounties net, with their back up goaltender, Stephan Palenik, making his first appearance in the series.  It was the Mounties who would find the scoresheet first on a goal 8 minutes into the game.  They didn’t stop there as they added to that lead near the 15 minute mark with their 2nd goal of the game.  Just 30 seconds later Mike Belanger finally beat the Paris netminder to cut the Paris lead to 2-1 headed into the break, from Cassidy North and Curtis Maracle.  The Spits outshot the Mounties 17-6 in the period.  Just as the Spits had done in Paris the night before, Paris scored early, just 10 seconds into the 2nd period to once again take a 2 goal lead.  The play was fairly even with both teams having chances but again it was Paris that capitalized on their opportunity to add to their lead with just over 4 minutes off the clock in the 2nd period to make it 4-1.  That would be the score headed into the 3rd period as both teams had their opportunities but both netminders stood their ground.  In the 3rd the Spits had several power play chances to try and get back into the game but each time were stopped at the end of the play by the Mounties Palenik.  At 5:40 of the period the Mounties took advantage of their own power play and scored an insurance goal to increase their lead to 5-1.  The Spits Josh Honsinger scored short handed, unassisted, with just over a minute left in the game, but it was too late to mount any further comeback and the Mounties held on for the 5-2 win, forcing game 6 back in Paris Tuesday night at 8 pm.  Final shots for the game were 35-20 in the Spits favour.

Ready and waiting

The Niagara West Semi-Finals are set to begin this weekend with the #1 seed Norwich Merchants awaiting the winner of the Spits/Mounties series.   After a nearly perfect season (32-2-2) the Merchants opted to play in the 1st round rather than take a bye.  The Merchants handled the Woodstock Navy Vets easily in 4 games in their Quarterfinal Series outscoring them 27-5 in the four games.  The other semi-final matchup is set with #2 seed New Hamburg set to face off against #3 seed Simcoe.  Please follow www.aylmerspitfires.com for updates on upcoming game dates and times.

Annual Fish Fry and Awards Night

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SPITFIRES TAKE EARLY SERIES LEAD

Feb. 7th, 2011.

The Aylmer Spitfires opened the Niagara West Division Quarter-final playoff series with the Paris Mounties on home ice on a snowy Saturday night at the EECC.  The Spits earned home ice advantage with a 4th place finish in the standings as Paris finished 5th.  The Spits came out of the gate ready to play and controlled the game through the first period firing shot after shot at the Mounties net, out shooting their opponent 15-6 in the period.  Josh Honsinger finally opened the scoring for the Spits on a hard fought shift near the 15 minute mark of the 1st.  The goal was set up by Chad Brulotte and Ben Shaw.  The teams went to the break with Aylmer ahead 1-0.

In the second period it was more of the same as Aylmer continued to pepper the Paris net only to be turned away again and again.  Out shooting the Mounties 13-4 in the 2nd frame.  The period ended as it started with the Spits holding a slight edge 1-0 on the scoreboard.

Once again in the 3rd period the onslaught continued.  Finally on the power play Curtis Maracle solved the riddle beating the Mounties net minder high to give the Spits a 2-0 lead.  The Spits seemed to be in control of the game until a retaliation penalty had them shorthanded for 5 minutes.  After handling killing off the first 3 minutes of the penalty, Paris finally caught a break on a friendly bounce and beat Spits goalie Brian Valentine to cut the lead in half.  A Paris penalty evened things up on the ice and the Spits took advantage as Coy Kulich scored just 30 seconds after the Mounties goal to once again give the Spits the 2 goal lead.  Picking up helpers on the play were Scott Mugford and Ben Shaw.  Paris didn’t let up and cut the lead back down to 1 with 5 minutes remaining on the clock with another power play goal.  The Spits pushed back and with just under 2 minutes remaining Will Cook opened up the 2 goal lead again for the Spits assisted by Scott Mugford.  With just under a minute left Mark Pfohl sealed the victory for the Spits with an empty net goal giving the Spits the 5-2 win and one game lead in the best of seven series.  The Spits out shot the Mounties 45-16 on the game with Spitfire goalie and Niagara West MVP Brian Valentine picking up the win in net.

Next Up

The Spits play Game 2 at the EECC this Wednesday Feb. 9th at 7:15pm.  Their next home game after this Wednesday won’t be till Game 5, if necessary, Sunday Feb. 13th at 5:45 pm.  Please check www.aylmerspitfires.com for score updates and game information.  C’ya There!

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SPITS FALL JUST SHY OF FIRST ROUND BYE

Jan. 31, 2011.

The Spitfires took to the ice 3 times this past week to complete their regular season schedule and finalize their play off plans.  They started the week in 3rd place one point ahead of Simcoe.  First place had been locked up long ago by Norwich and last weekend New Hamburg took hold of 2nd place honours.  Both Norwich and New Hamburg were awarded the option to play in the 1st round of playoffs or to take a bye.  Norwich decided they wanted  to play, while New Hamburg will sit out and wait till the 2nd round to start their playoffs.  Because of the Norwich decision to play, whichever team finished in 3rd would then have to take the bye.  So, it came down to Aylmer or Simcoe and who would finish in 3rd place.

Mounted attack.

The Spits first headed to Paris to meet the Mounties.  Aylmer opened the scoring on the power play just a minute and a half into the game.  Curtis Maracle and Brandon Harbour set up Mark Pfohl to open the game up with a bang for the Spits.  The Spits opened up their lead on a goal by Chad Brulotte from Tyson Corkum and Todd Laurindo, near the midway marker of the 1st.  Shortly after the Mounties replied with a power play goal of their own and less than 2 minutes later tied the score with their 2nd tally of the period.  After the break, Curtis Maracle took advantage of another power play to once again give the Spits the lead.  He was set up by Coy Kulich and Will Cook.  Paris once again bounced back a few minutes later to tie the game again.  But Curtis Maracle capitalized on another power play opportunity to give the Spits the lead once more, assisted by Will Cook and Mike Belanger.  The Spits headed to the 2nd intermission with the slim one goal lead.  Just prior to the 9 minute mark of the 3rd period Maracle struck again on special teams, this time shorthanded to complete the hat trick and open up a 2 goal lead for the Spits.  Helpers on the goal went to Mark Pfohl and Brandon Harbour.  This trio wasn’t done there as they connected yet again just a couple minutes later on the power play with Pfohl scoring from Maracle and Harbour.  Will Cook rounded out the scoring with Aylmer’s 7th goal of the game and 5th power play goal of the game with just over 3 minutes remaining.  Cook’s goal was set up by Scott Mugford.  The game ended by the final score of 7-3 for Aylmer. Brian Valentine picked up the win in goal for the Spits, facing 29 shots in the win.

New Hamburg bound.

The Spits next game was in New Hamburg to face the 2nd place Firebirds.  Aylmer had previously beat the Firebirds in all 5 of their previous meetings this season and looked to close out the season perfect against them.  The Spits were still in control of their situation, holding a 1 point lead over Simcoe in 3rd place.  The Spits opened the scoring early on a power play goal by Scott Mugford, from Cassidy North and Will Cook.  The period ended with the Spits holding the 1 goal lead.  Near the 14 minute mark of the 2nd period Tyson Corkum scored his first goal as a Spit, from Josh Honsinger and Mark Pfohl to give the Spits a 2 goal lead headed to the 3rd.  The Firebirds came out flying in the 3rd and scored 3 unanswered goals in the 1st 9 minutes of the period.  Curtis Maracle answered back less than a minute later to tie the game, once again, at 3.  New Hamburg kept up the attack and took the lead for good at the 13 minute mark of the period, and they added an insurance goal in the last minute and held on for the win, 5-3.  Brian Valentine was in net for the loss, facing 27 shots.  The loss put the Spits one point behind Simcoe for 3rd place, while both teams had one game each remaining.

Final Regular Season game

The Spits played host to the last place Woodstock Navy Vets on Saturday night at the EECC.  The Spits opened the scoring near the 9 minute mark of the 1st on the power play by Mike Belanger from Brandon Harbour and Curtis Maracle.  They spread the lead late in the 1st on a goal by Mark Pfohl from Sean Mullin.   After one, the Spits were in the lead 2-0.  Early in the 2nd the Spits found themselves shorthanded, but this didn’t slow them down.  Curtis Maracle scored unassisted and just over a minute later, on the same penalty kill Will Cook also scored unassisted.  Aylmer added 2 more regular strength goals, by Todd Laurindo and Chad Brulotte while Tyson Corkum and Sean Mullin picked up the assists.  Woodstock finally got on the board at the 17 minute mark of the 2nd, but Aylmer answered right back just over a minute later on a goal by Mark Pfohl from Curtis Maracle and Mitch Roloson.  The Spits went into the second intermission with a commanding 7-1 lead.  Woodstock scored early in the 3rd to show some life, but Aylmer bounced back again when Cassidy North scored on the power play, assisted by Scott Walker and Will Cook.  Once again the Navy Vets answered back on a power play of their own.  Cassidy North rounded out the scoring with 20 seconds remaining scoring the Spits 3rd short handed unassisted goal of the night, making the final score 9-3 for the Spits.  Brian Valentine and Lucas Easterbrook combined to face 15 shots for the win in net for the Spits.

Bye Bye- Bye

Even with the Spits victory Saturday night, Simcoe was able to beat Paris 3-2 that night, holding on to the 1 point lead for 3rd place and a bye in the 1st round.  So the Spits will now play the Paris Mounties in the Niagara West Division Best of Seven Quarter-final.  The Series starts in Aylmer Sat. Feb. 5th at 7:30 pm.   Watch www.aylmerspitfires.com for the rest of the series schedule.

Injury notes

The Spits have been playing short handed lately as Spits Captain, Travis Schruder is out with an upper body injury.  Also joining Travis, are Curtis Roloson (lower body injury) and Coy Kulich (lower body injury).  All of these players don’t expect a return to game action for a least a couple of weeks.

League Awards

The Niagara West Division League Award winners were announced on Monday.  Spits Defenceman Cassidy North was voted as the League’s Top Defenceman and the League MVP award goes to Spits Goalie, Brian Valentine.

Trike Race Championships

After 3 exciting full lap heats and a photo finish final that was too close to call, a second final championship Trike race took place with Brody VanRoestel being crowned as the 2010-11 BK Cylcleworks Trike Race Champ.  Brody will now get free admission to the Spits Annual Fish Fry and awards night where he will pick up an award for his accomplishment.  He also becomes the first member of next year’s Spits Kids Club.  Thanks to all of the kids who took part in the competition this year.

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SPITS TAKE 5 OF 6 POINTS

Jan. 17, 2011.

The Spitfires opened a busy week in Woodstock on Tuesday.  The last place Navy Vets were looking to gain the points needed to get ahead of Paris in the standings and finally get out of the basement of the Niagara West Division.  Both teams came out flat and neither seemed willing to take control of the game.  Near the 15 minute mark of the 1st period Spits Forward Mark Pfohl finally gave the Spitfires some life with a goal set up by Curtis Maracle and Travis Schruder.  The Navy Vets came right back just over a minute later to tie the game at 1 on the power play.  Once again the game was at a stalemate with no more scoring until the 3rd period.  Near the 8 minute mark of the 3rd Curtis Maracle added to his team leading point total, scoring on the power play assisted by Travis Schruder and Sean Mullin.  Aylmer held on to the 2-1 lead until late in the 3rd when Mark Pfohl added his 2nd goal of the game into the empty net to seal the victory for the Spits by the final score of 3-1.  Brian Valentine made 25 saves for the victory in goal.

Minor Blemish

The Spits headed to Paris for their 3rd meeting with the Mounties since just before Christmas.  Both teams worked hard to take control of the game, but it was the Mounties who struck first with a goal near the 14 minute mark of the 1st period.  Paris held the 1-0 lead heading into the intermission.  To start the 2nd period the Spits fought hard to tie the game and accomplished their goal just under a minute and a half into it as Mark Pfohl found the back of the net assisted by Mike Belanger.  The Mounties battled back and once again gained the 1 goal advantage 3 minutes later on a power play goal.  The Spits didn’t let up and fought hard to tie the game once again near the 8 minute mark of the period on a goal set up by Ben Shaw and scored by Curtis Maracle.  The score remained tied into the intermission and through the 3rd period thanks to some great saves by the Paris goaltender and some spectacular saves by Spits Goalie Brian Valentine.  This game headed to overtime.  Both teams had some great chances in OT, but Paris capitalized on one of theirs to take the victory by the 3-2 final score.  Valentine made 32 saves in the loss.

Storm arrives for Family Night

The Spitfires were facing the 4th place Simcoe Storm in front of a boisterous crowd at the EECC for the Spits Annual Family Night.  Kids received mini Sticks and Adults, Thundersticks at the admission table, courtesy of Eastlink.  The A & W Bear was on hand to give out coupons to the kids as well.  The Spitfires didn’t disappoint the home crowd as they came out flying and scored just over 6 minutes into the game on the power play, a goal by Curtis Maracle, assisted by Brandon Harbour.  A little over a minute later some more hard work paid off as Will Cook and Brandon Harbour set up the Spits 2nd goal of the night by Todd Laurindo.  Simcoe fought back late in the period to finally beat Spits goalie, Brian Valentine, with a power play goal to make the score 2-1 heading into the 1st intermission.  Simcoe used the momentum from their late 1st period goal to score early in the 2nd to tie the game at 2.  The game was a battle back and forth until Will Cook scored to give the Spits the lead once more with just 39 seconds remaining in the 2nd period.  Helpers on the goal went to Josh Honsinger and Todd Laurindo.  Aylmer carried the 3-2 lead headed into the 3rd period.  Both teams once again fought hard in the 3rd but on a poor penalty near the midway point by the Spitfires, Simcoe took advantage and once again tied the game.  It then came down to goaltending and neither one wanted to give in.  Both teams had chances only to be turned away.  The game ended tied and headed for overtime.  Again in the extra frame neither team could beat the goal keepers with Spits goalie Valentine coming up big near the end of overtime to force the game to a shootout.  The first shooters for both teams scored and then once again it became a battle of the goalies.  Eight shooters later Spits forward Mike Belanger finally solved the puzzle and beat the Storm net minder to give the Spits the victory and a key extra point in the standings.  Valentine made 19 saves for the win.

In part of the off-ice activities for Family Night, the Aylmer Minor Hockey Tyke Timbits took to the ice for a mini game in the 1st intermission and the BK Cycleworks trike races were once again held in the 2nd intermission with Brody VanRoestel taking home the honour as Trike Race Champ for the night.  Also, many happy kids went home with door prizes thanks to our many sponsors for the evening.  The Grand Prize Playstation 3 was won by Tanner Kyle of Aylmer.

5 of 6 Points

The Spits took 5 of a possible 6 points out of this week’s games and have been on quite a roll.  Since losing their final home game of 2010, they’ve put together a 5-0-1 record taking a possible 11 out of 12 points in that stretch.  This has moved them into 3rd place, 3 points ahead of Simcoe and 6 points behind New Hamburg for 2nd with 4 games remaining on the regular season schedule prior to the start of playoffs in February.

Next up

The Spits play a rare weeknight home game due to an EECC Blackout on the weekend.  The 1st place and nearly perfect, Norwich Merchants come to Aylmer on Wednesday January 19th at 7:15 pm. for the Spits second last home game of the regular season.  C’ya There!

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SPITS FAMILY NIGHT THIS SATURDAY

Jan. 10, 2011.

The Aylmer Spitfires returned to action last week after a 2 week Christmas break and never missed a step.  In their last game before Christmas they defeated the Paris Mounties, in Paris, 5-1.  This past Friday they once again met the Mounties, this time in Dorchester.  The Spitfires played a rare home game on the road in Dorchester in honour of all of the players, current and former that donned the Spits jersey.  Spitfires President Charlie Roloson said “Current Spits Captain, Travis Schruder’s Dad spearheaded the effort inquiring about the possibility (of a game in Dorchester) a couple years ago and with the new rink opening up there this season it seemed like a good time to do it.”  Also, helping fit it into the schedule was the fact that the Niagara East vs West All star game took place on Saturday night taking away a home date in Aylmer for the Spitfires.  Roloson added “if we played in Aylmer( last weekend) we would have had to take Aylmer Minor hockey’s ice time and interrupt their schedules and we wanted to avoid that if we could.”

The first period of the game had no scoring.  Mid way through the second period Paris took the lead on a shorthanded goal.  With just under two minutes remaining in the second Coy Kulich beat the Paris goalie to tie the game at 1.  Ben Shaw picked up the only assist on the goal.  Just 19 seconds later Mike Belanger gave the Spits the lead on a goal set up by Coy Kulich and Ben Shaw.  The period would end with the Spits holding the lead 2-1.  In the third the Spits continued to pressure the Mounties and increased their lead on a goal by Brandon Harbour, unassisted.  With just under 8 minutes remaining in the game Harbour struck again, this time on the power play, assisted by Mark Pfohl and Curtis Maracle, opening the Spits lead up to 3 goals by the score of 4-1.  With just under 2 minutes left in the game,  Spitfire Captain and Dorchester native, Travis Schruder, solidified the victory on a goal set up by Curtis Maracle, giving the Spits a 5-1 win, just as they had done before the Christmas break. Lucas Easterbrook picked up the win in net for the Spitfires.

All Star Game

The Spitfires were represented at the All Star game by Forwards Will Cook and Scott Mugford and Defenceman Ben Shaw.  The Spits coaching staff also coached the Niagara West team to victory over the East by the final score of 10-7.

Win a Playstation 3

That’s right, kids 14 and under will receive free admission to the Spits Annual Family night where they will be giving away a Playstation 3 as the grand prize along with several kids door prize and door giveaways that night.  There will also be trike races and timbit hockey to entertain the crowd duing intermissions.  You don’t want to miss this, Saturday night at 7:30 pm at the EECC vs Simcoe with the Spits one point up on the Storm for 3rd place this game should be an exciting contest. C’ya There!

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SPITFIRES REMAIN PERFECT AGAINST FIREBIRDS

Dec. 13th, 2010. 

After a solid weekend of games a week ago, with a last second overtime loss to league leading Norwich and a Lucas Easterbrook shutout victory over Woodstock, the Spits looked to build on it with two more games this weekend in Woodstock and at home against New Hamburg.

Navy Vets Ready For Action

The Spitfires paid a visit to Woodstock to take on the Navy Vets on Friday night.  The Spits did their best to build on their victory over the Vets the week before, but Woodstock came ready to play on their home rink.  They battled hard for the lead midway through the first period on a power play goal and that was the way the period ended.  Woodstock scored early in the second to open up their lead, but Aylmer battled back 45 seconds later to cut the lead in half on a goal by Todd Laurindo from Will Cook.  The Navy Vets regained their 2 goal cushion near the 6 minute mark of the period; only to have a goal scored by Mike Belanger cut it in half once more.  The power play goal was set up by Scott Mugford and Curtis Roloson.  The Navy Vets again opened up a two goal lead with just under 2 minutes remaining in the second period.  The third period saw Aylmer out shoot Woodstock 13-5, but the Navy Vets were the only one to find the scoreboard as they opened up their lead mid way through the period and never looked back.  Woodstock goalie, Neil Pittock, was there to turn away every attempt made for a comeback by the Spits.  Lucas Easterbrook faced 21 Woodstock shots in goal for the Spits.

2nd Place Firebirds Come to Town

The 2nd place New Hamburg Firebirds came to Aylmer Saturday night looking to avenge their previous 4 losses at the hands of the Spitfires.  The Spits had previously beaten the Firebirds by scores of 6-3, 5-4, 4-2 and 5-0.  With the added incentive the Aylmer crew knew it was going to be a battle from start to finish.  Aylmer came out quickly and scored in the first minute of play to open up the early lead on a goal by Mike Belanger set up by Curtis Roloson.  The period had lots of chances by both teams but both goalies stood up to the test for the rest of the first frame and the period ended with the Spits holding the 1 goal advantage.  In the second the Spits increased their lead to 2 near the 5 minute mark and looked to be in control of the game, when Will Cook light the lamp, assisted by Chad Brulotte and Coy Kulich.  The Firebirds fought back to cut the lead in half mid way through the period.  The Spits took back their two goal lead shortly after, on a goal by Adam Brisson with helpers from Curtis Maracle and Mark Pfohl, only to have the Firebirds once again cut it down to one, less than 30 seconds later.  The second period ended with the Spits holding the 3-2 lead.  In the third the Firebirds scored early to tie the game at 3.  Again play was back and forth with the goalies once again stealing the spotlight.  Late in the period with just over 2 minutes remaining Spits forward Curtis Roloson found himself in alone on a breakaway and managed to find the back of the net to give the Spits a one goal lead heading into the final minutes.  The goal came off a pass from Spits defensemen Sean Mullin.  The Firebirds didn’t give up but Spits goalie, Brian Valentine, was there to stop every shot they tested him with and the Spits held on for the 4-3 victory.  Valentine faced 30 shots for the victory in goal.

Spits Kids Club

Saturday marked yet another Spits Kids Club night.  As part of the evening Spits Kids Club members were invited out early to the game to have a dressing room tour and to meet the players.  Each member, by drawl, was given a player in which they received an autographed picture from.  The added incentive was if their player won the Duke’s Player of the Game award at the end of the game they would win dinner with their player, before an upcoming Spits game.  The lucky winner was Dayne Walcarius who will be having dinner with Player of the Game, Curtis Roloson.  Also, Nolan Wiebe, won the main Spits Kids Club door prize of 2 London Knights tickets.

Hockey Heaven Winners

Also, on Saturday night the Annual Hockey Heaven Giveaway took place.  Winning the Grand Prize of 2 tickets to see Montreal in Ottawa and Via Rail service from London to Ottawa, plus hotel room, was Bob Bishop of St.Thomas.  2nd prize of 4 tickets to see Washington vs Toronto, was won by Casey Munro of London.  3rd prize of 10 tickets to the De Dell Seeds private box to see a Knights game, plus Limo ride to and from the game went to H.C. Pursel of Woodstock.  Thanks to everyone who supported this fundraiser.

Next Up

The Spits Host the first place Norwich Merchants Saturday Night at the EECC, game time is 7:30 pm.  It’s Turkey Night so come on out to win yourself a Christmas Turkey and cheer on your Spitfires at the same time.  C’ya There!

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SPITFIRES SPLIT WEEKEND GAMES

Nov. 29, 2010.

The Spitfires went to New Hamburg to play the 2nd place Firebirds on Friday night.  The game saw some different faces in the Spits line up as Aylmer’s Branden Aspden signed with the club last week and defenseman Christian King was brought up from the Aylmer Midget rep. team to fill in some roster spots due to suspensions.  The game also marked the return from injury of two other local heroes, Scott Walker and Curtis Roloson both returned to action after long layoffs.  The Spits didn’t waste anytime getting on the scoreboard as Curtis Roloson found the back of the net on his first shift when he was set up on the power play by Brandon Harbour and Mike Belanger just 3 and a half minutes into the game.   The period saw some back forth action but headed into the intermission with the Spits holding the 1 goal lead.  The 2nd was more of the same.  Aylmer finally capitalized on a chance midway through the period on a goal by Todd Laurindo from Curtis Roloson and Cassidy North.  Near the end of the period Spits Captain, Travis Schruder joined in and beat the Firebirds netminder to give the Spits a 3 goal advantage headed to the 2nd break.  The goal was set up by Curtis Maracle and Will Cook.  The 3rd period play didn’t change much as Aylmer kept a steady pace and attack.  Aylmer goalie Brian Valentine was there to thwart any attempt of a comeback by the Firebirds coming up with some huge saves to preserve the shut out.  Aylmer took advantage of their breaks in the 3rd adding two more goals to win the game by the final 5-0.  Rounding out the scoring was Curtis Maracle assisted by Mark Pfohl, and on the power play, Cassidy North set up by Adam Brisson and Todd Laurindo.  Brian Valentine picked up the win and shut out in goal stopping 33 shots from the Firebirds.

Mounties move in.

The Paris Mounties paid a visit to the EECC to play in front of a large number of kids in attendance for Minor Hockey Night on a rare Sunday matinee.  Paris opened the scoring late in the 1st period and held the 1 goal advantage heading into the intermission.  In the 2nd frame the Spits fought back to tie it up early on with a goal by Mark Pfohl set up by Curtis Maracle and Travis Schruder.  The score remained knotted at 1 headed into the 3rd period.  Just 2 minutes into the 3rd Curtis Roloson scored to give the Spits the lead assisted by Adam Brisson and Scott Mugford.  The lead was short-lived as Paris fought back just over a minute later to tie it up once again at 2.  Just 3 minutes later the Mounties beat Spits goalie Brian Valentine with a rifled shot in the top of the net to take the lead.  The Spits had some chances but weren’t able to get back in the game and with 4 minutes remaining Paris took advantage of another break and increased their lead to 2 goals.  The Spits were never able to recover and the final score was 4-2 in favour of the visiting squad.  Brian Valentine made 25 saves in the loss.

Spits Kids Club Bowling Night.

After the game Sunday the Spitfires headed to Cy’s Bowling Lanes to enjoy some fun and companionship with 23 of the Spits Kids club members.  Fun, food and bowling were enjoyed by all involved.  The Spitfires look forward to the next Spits Kids club event.

Next Up.

The Spits head to Norwich Friday night at 8 pm to take on the 1st place Merchants in what has become a huge rivalry over the years.  They then head home for a meeting with the Woodstock Navy Vets with a 7:30 pm start time on Saturday night.   C’ya There!

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SPITS CAPTAIN LEADS TEAM TO 4 POINT WEEKEND

Nov. 15, 2010.

The Aylmer Spitfires started out their weekend on the road to make their first visit to Woodstock this season.  After an overtime victory against this same team a week ago in Aylmer, the Spits came out strong to set the tone early in the game.  Todd Laurindo opened the scoring on a break away set up by Will Cook just shy of the 6 minute mark of the 1st period to open the scoring.  The Spits carried their 1 goal advantage into the 2nd period.  Less then 2 minutes into the 2nd, Adam Brisson scored to increase the Spits lead assisted by Scott Mugford and Ben Shaw.  Woodstock finally found a way to beat Spits goalie Lucas Easterbrook at the 6 minute mark to cut the Spits lead in half.  Mark Pfohl  got the 2 goal advantage back again for the Spitfires, near the mid way point of the period on a power play goal assisted by Scott Mugford and Cassidy North.  The Spits went to the break with the 3-1 lead.  The game opened up a bit in the 3rd period as the Navy Vets scored early to again cut the Spits lead down to one.  But Aylmer came right back less than 2 minutes later to take back their 2 goal lead on a goal by Curtis Maracle set up by Mark Pfohl and Cassidy North.  The pace slowed again through the middle of the period but things picked up quickly at the 15 minute mark as Travis Schruder scored to give the Spits their first 3 goal lead of the game, 5-2, assisted by Curtis Maracle and Mark Pfohl.  The Navy Vets didn’t give up there and scored just 16 seconds later to cut into the Spits lead once more.  But the Spits newest player, Coy Kulich, ended any threat of a comeback with his first goal as a Spitfire, on the power play, assisted by Sean Mullin and Ben Shaw to close out the scoring for the game and the 6-3 victory for the Spitfires.  Spitfires goalie, Lucas Easterbrook picked up the win between the pipes facing 19 Navy Vet shots.

FIREBIRDS LAND AT EECC

Saturday night the 2nd place New Hamburg Firebirds came in to the EECC hoping to finally beat the Spitfires after 2 previous losses earlier this season.  The game started fast with chances at both ends of the rink but both goalies were up to the challenge.  New Hamburg beat Spits goalie Brian Valentine near the 5 minute mark of the 1st period to take the early lead.  At the mid way mark of the 1st, Spits Captain, Travis Schruder, tied the game on a goal from Curtis Maracle and Mark Pfohl.  The first period ended all tied up at 1.  The 2nd period was more of the same with some great opportunities by both sides.  Aylmer turned up the physical part of the game a bit, but the Firebirds fought back and snuck one past Valentine to take the lead once again just past the 15 minute mark of the 2nd frame and held the 2-1 lead headed for the 3rd.  The Spits battled hard after the break to tie up the game.  They finally managed to do it at the 12 minute mark of the 3rd on Schruder’s 2nd goal of the night, set up again by Maracle.  Just over a minute later Scott Mugford scored one, set up by Coy Kulich, to finally give the Spits the lead, 3-2.  The Firebirds didn’t let up and furiously attempted to tie the game, but Valentine was there to thwart each attempt.  With the New Hamburg net empty, Travis Schruder found the back of the net once more to complete the Hat Trick, unassisted, for the Spits Captain with 1 second remaining on the clock and securing the 4-2 victory for the home squad.  Brian Valentine got the win in net for the Spitfires facing 23 shots from the visitors, completing a big 4 point weekend for the Spits in the standings.

Next Up

The Chippawa Riverhawks visit the EECC this Saturday, at 7:30 pm, after the Spits head out on the road for two games this week in Dundas on Tuesday and Caledonia on Friday.  This Saturday is also the 2nd Spits Kids Club night.  All kids club members in attendance will receive a gift at the door, as well, there will be some Spits Kids Club only door prizes.  C’ya There!

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Boisterous Crowd Carries Spits to Victory

Nov. 8, 2010.

The Aylmer Spitfires started out their weekend in front of a boisterous home crowd with the stands filled with over 200+ kids and their families for Kids Night.  The Woodstock Navy Vets visited the EECC to take on the Spits and proved to be a handful for the home town team.  Woodstock had only received  points in 1 victory and a shootout loss to Paris early this season came to the EECC ready to play and the Spits having only played one game in the previous 13 days came out of the gate a little slow.

Aylmer did open the scoring near the 5 minute mark of the 1st period on a soft shot from the blue line by Curtis Maracle, assisted by Chad Brulotte and Scott Walker.  The lead was short lived as the Navy Vets fought right back to tie it up 15 seconds later.  The first period was filled with some hard hitting action, mostly brought on by the Navy Vets, that seemed to slow the Spits game down and the period ended tied 1-1.  Less than a minute into the 2nd frame the Navy Vets took advantage of a break, short handed, and found the back of Spitfire goalie, Brian Valentine’s, net to take the lead.  The Woodstock lead would last until the mid way point of the 3rd period when Spitfire Captain, Travis Schruder, finally beat the Navy Vets net minder to knot the game at 2.  The goal was assisted by Curtis Maracle and Brandon Harbour.  The remainder of the period saw some back and forth action with both goalies keeping their respective teams in the game.  At the end of regulation time the score was still tied at 2 and the game headed for Overtime.  In the extra frame, there was more end to end action with several keys saves as played opened up a bit more.  The clock was winding down as Spitfire Assistant Captain Brandon Harbour received a cross ice pass from the stick of Mark Pfohl and beat the Navy Vets goalie to give the Spits the victory with just 18 seconds remaining on the clock.  Scott Mugford also picked up a helper on the game winning goal.  Aylmer fired 38 shots on the Woodstock goal and Aylmer goalie, Valentine, made 27 saves in the victory.

As part of the Kids night activities the Aylmer Minor Hockey Timbits entertained the crowd with a mini-game in the 1st intermission.  The 2nd intermission the BK Cylceworks Trike races took center stage with Ben Weesjes taking the Kids Night Championship crown.  The grand prize, Playstation 3, door prize, kindly donated by Ryan and Debbie’s No Frills, was won by Joseph Lasook and the London Knights tickets were taken home by Andrew Peters.

Spitfires Fly into Storm

The weekend action didn’t stop there for the Spits as they headed down highway 3 to visit the Simcoe Storm who sat 1 point behind the Spits in 4th place heading into the game.  These two teams have had some fast paced high scoring action in previous meetings this year so there was no reason to expect anything different in this contest with 3rd place on the line.  This game turned out to be a battle of the goaltenders as the shots were flying Sunday night, in both directions.  Aylmer opened the scoring near the half way point of the first period on a goal by Curtis Maracle assisted by Travis Schruder.  The Spits didn’t stop there as Scott Mugford took advantage of a power play to score Aylmer’s 2nd goal of the night and give the Spits a 2-0 lead in the first minute of the 2nd period.  The goal was set up by Mike Belanger and Will Cook.  A minute and a half later Simcoe capitalized on their own power play opportunity to finally beat Spits goalie, Brian Valentine and cut the Spits lead in half.  This would be the start of 4 unanswered goals for the Storm as they would get one to tie the score later in the 2nd period, another mid way through the 3rd to take the lead and another power play marker a minute and a half later, to extend their lead to 2 goals.  An opportunity to break up this string of goals was foiled by the Storm goalie.  Shortly after the Storms 1st goal, a Storm defender put his hand on the puck in the crease which resulted in a penalty shot for the Spits.  Curtis Maracle came up short on the attempt.  The Spitfires found their backs against the wall even more so shortly after finding themselves behind by 2 goals, they were down 2 men on the ice with Simcoe having a 5 on 3 power play advantage.  Spitfire Captain, Travis Schruder, took advantage of a timely line change as he pounced on the opportunity and scored short handed to cut the Storm lead to 1 goal.  Ben Shaw picked up an assist on the goal.  The rest of the game came down goaltending the Storm’s McCoubrey, narrowly defeated the Spits Valentine to take the win.  Simcoe ended the game with 55 shots on goal while the Spits had 54 on net themselves.  The Spits were not able to score again and the game ended in a 4-3 road loss putting the Spits 1 point behind the Storm in the standings.

Next up

The Spits next action is Friday night in Woodstock.  Saturday night they play host to the 2nd place New Hamburg Firebirds at the EECC, puck drop happens at 7:30 pm.  Come on out and cheer for your home town Junior squad.

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SPITFIRES STRUGGLE THROUGH WEEKEND GAMES

The Aylmer Spitfires started the weekend alone in 3rd place and had hopes of edging closer to 2nd place New Hamburg with the possibility of a 4 point weekend against a middle of the pack team from the Niagara East Division, Dunnville Terriers and a team they’ve beaten twice already this season, the Simcoe Storm.  But even the best made plans don’t always work out and the Spitfires found that out the hard way, turning in two lack lustre performances and coming away from the weekend with 1 point and now share 3rd place with the Simcoe Storm.

Road Trip to Dunnville

The Spits made the long trip to Dunnville Friday night and came out of the gate slow.  Dunnville took the lead shortly past the midway point of the 1st but the Spits fought right back just over a minute later to tie the score on a goal by Mark Pfohl, set up by Spits Captain Travis Schruder.  Just under 5 minutes into the 2nd period Todd Laurindo snuck one in to give Aylmer their 1st lead of the game, assisted by Corbin Bean and Will Cook.  Dunnville tied the game once again just past the halfway point of the period and took the lead once again on a power play near the 14 minute mark.  The Spitfires didn’t give up and tied the game once again at 3 on a power play goal of their own scored by Travis Schruder and assisted by Scott Walker.  This goal ignited a rally which resulted in a total of 3 goals in less then a minute for the Spits.  The 4th goal was scored by Mark Pfohl, assisted by Curtis Maracle and Travis Schruder.  The 5th goal, another power play goal, was scored by Todd Laurindo, from Sean Mullin and Brandon Harbour.  The Spits held the lead heading into the 3rd but the game was far from over.  The Terriers scored a power play goal 6 ½ minutes into the 3rd to narrow the Spits lead and managed to tie the game at 5 once again on the power play near the 16 minute mark.  With just over a minute remaining in the game the Terriers found the back of the net again to take the lead, 6-5.  The Spits fought back yet again to knot the score at 6 with 35 seconds on the clock on another power play goal, this time scored by Curtis Maracle, set up by Mark Pfohl, to send the game to overtime.  Each team had several chances in the overtime frame but Dunnville were able to capitalize on one of theirs to beat Spits goalie, Lucas Easterbrook, and take the marathon game by the final score of 7-6.  Easterbrook made 31 saves in the loss.

Storm hovers over Aylmer

Saturday night the Spits played host to the Simcoe Storm.  After a late night and long road trip the night before the Spits came out flat on their home ice.  The game started out with some action at both ends of the ice with both net minders making some key saves.  The Spits took advantage of one of their chances to take the lead half way through the 1st period on a goal by Corbin Bean assisted by Scott Walker.  Simcoe came back to tie the score two minutes later and the score remained tied at 1 headed into the 1st intermission.  The 2nd period was all Simcoe, as they scored early and late in the period to take a 2 goal lead headed into the 3rd.  The Spits made several attempts to get back in the game but each time they were turned away and late in the period just when it looked like the Spits might get back in the game the Storm slipped yet another goal past Spits goalie, Brian Valentine, to widen their lead to 4-1 and that is the way the game ended.  Valentine made 23 saves in the loss.

Next Up

The Spits next see action when the Glanbrook Rangers visit the EECC from the Niagara East division on Saturday Oct. 30th, a 7:30 pm. game time.  The following week, Sat. Nov. 6th, the Spits host Woodstock which also is their annual Kid’s Night where several kids prizes will be given away with a grand prize being a Playstation 3.  The BK Cycleworks trike races will also be a part of this evening.  Come on out and support your local Junior hockey heroes…C’ya There!

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SPITFIRES SIT IN 3RD AFTER HARDFOUGHT WEEKEND

Oct. 18th, 2010.

Players and coaches will mark their calendars at the start of a season, keying on important dates on the schedule.  This year the Spitfires squad had their weekend home and home match with arch-rival Norwich in capital letters and highlighted.  No doubt this was going to be a daunting task.  The Aylmer Spitfires find themselves in 3rd place with a record of 4-3-2 and 10 points, after two tough weekend games against 1st place Norwich.

Game 1 in Norwich

In what Aylmer knew was going to be a tall order, visiting the 1st place team, turned out to be just that.  The Spitfires came out strong testing the Merchants net minder several times, but he stood his ground.  Aylmer goalie, Brian Valentine, was able to do the same until the midway point of the 1st when Norwich snuck one past him to open the scoring.  Play again went back and forth until Norwich once again found the back of the net to open up a 2 goal lead.  They then tightened up defensively, but the Spits didn’t let up, mounting several attacks on the Merchants net which finally resulted in a late 1st period goal by Will Cook, set up by Scott Walker to make the score 2-1 heading into the intermission.  Both teams had several chances in the 2nd period, but both goalies stood up to the test making several key saves and the period went scoreless.  In the 3rd Aylmer tried to tie the game on several occasions but were thwarted again and again by the Merchants goaltender.  Late in the 3rd Norwich slipped one into the Spits net to make the score 3-1, which is how the game ended.

Game 2 in Aylmer

Saturday night the Spitfires played host to the Merchants.  Once again both teams came out of the gate flying with both goalies making big saves to keep the game scoreless.    Midway through the first the Merchants found a way to get one past Spitfires goalie, Brian Valentine and opened up the scoring on the night.  They weren’t finished yet, with just under 3 minutes left in the 1st period, they did it again on the power play to take a 2-0 advantage into the 2nd period.  The 2nd was more of the same end to end action with both teams getting several chances, with the goalies again holding them off.  With 4 seconds remaining on the clock Scott Mugford finally found the back of the net for the Spitfires on a short handed goal set up by Mike Belanger and Brandon Harbour, cutting the Merchants lead in half, 2-1, heading into the intermission.  In the 3rd the see-saw battle continued for both teams.  Aylmer managed to capitalize on a power play near the 12 minute mark to knot the game at 2 on a goal by Mark Pfohl, assisted by Curtis Maracle and Cassidy North.  Down the stretch both goalies again were the story making huge save after huge save to keep the scored tied and take the game to overtime.  The extra frame was more of the same as the goal keepers ruled and the game headed for a shootout.  Again in the shootout the goalies took over, forcing it to go 12 shooters deep.  In the end Norwich held the edge in the shootout, 2-1 and on the scoreboard with the final score of 3-2 in a shoot out victory.

Spits Kids Night

Saturday also marked the first ever Spits Kids Night.  Taking home the victory in the BK Cycleworks Trike races was former champion, Devon Kellington, defeating two other former champions, Bryce Walcarius and Jordan Steele.  Door prizes were given out to Spits Kids Club members only, including 2 pairs of London Knights tickets, an autographed stick and more.

Late scores from last week

With the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, last week’s scores didn’t make it to press time.  Here is a recap.  Saturday October 9th the New Hamburg Firebirds visited Aylmer.  The Spitfires won the exciting contest, 5 – 4 on goals from Brandon Harbour, Todd Laurindo, Scott Mugford, Travis Schruder and Mark Pfohl.  Helpers went to Curtis Maracle with 3, Travis Schruder with 2 and Sean Mullin, Josh Honsinger and Corbin Bean all with singles.  Goalie Brian Valentine took the win in net.

Sunday October 10th the Spits visited Simcoe to play the Storm.  It was a high scoring affair as the Spits managed to pull out the come from behind 8-7 overtime win, after trailing by 2 goals midway through the 3rd period.  Scoring for the Spits were Scott Mugford with 2, Todd Laurindo, Curtis Maracle, Ben Shaw, Will Cook, Travis Schruder and Mark Pfohl.  Picking up assists were Curtis Maracle with 3, Mike Belanger with 2, Brandon Harbour, Scott Mugford, Todd Laurindo, Sean Mullin, Travis Schruder and Mark Pfohl each with 1.

Next up

The Spitfires make the long road trip to Dunnville on Friday night and then in a re-match of their high scoring affair a week ago, host the Simcoe Storm at the EECC in Aylmer at 7:30 pm on Saturday.  Your Spitfires are playing some exciting, fast paced hockey this year, you don’t want to miss the action. 

C’Ya There!

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SPITFIRES FALL SHORT

Oct. 4th, 2010

The Spitfires had a tough task taking on the two perennial powerhouse teams from the Niagara East and West Divisions all in one weekend.  They started off on Friday night with a road trip to Norwich to face the first place Merchants.  The game was a see-saw battle through the first 20 minutes with Norwich taking the game physically to the Spits on their home ice.  Late in the first Norwich found the back of the net to take the lead into the intermission.  The Spits managed to tie the game early in the 2nd on a goal from Captain Travis Schruder, unassisted.  The tie was short-lived as Norwich pounced back into the lead 12 seconds later.  Norwich added to their lead late in the 2nd frame on a power play goal, taking a 3-1 advantage into the 3rd period.  In the 3rd the Spitfires made several attempts to make a comeback but stopped each time by the physically over powering Merchants.  Despite a stellar performance by goaltender Brian Valentine, making 28 saves, the game ended in the 3-1 final score and Aylmer’s first regulation time loss of the season.Royal VisitThe Spitfires weekend didn’t get any easier as they played host to royalty on Saturday night at the EECC when the Grimsby Peach Kings came to town.  The Peach Kings are always the top team in the Niagara East Division and this year is no different as they came into Aylmer in first place with an undefeated record so far this season.  The Peach Kings took advantage of a power play mid way through the first to open the scoring.  Travis Schruder answered back less then 3 minutes later on a goal assisted by Curtis Maracle and Mark Pfohl.  The first ended knotted at 1.  In the second, the Spits managed the only goal, scored short handed by Curtis Maracle from Scott Mugford at the half way point.  Both teams had to adjust their play due to a penalty filled affair.  Early in the third period the Spitfires increased their lead on the power play on a goal by Brandon Harbour assisted by Cassidy North and Mark Pfohl.  Shortly after the mid way point of the 3rd, Grimsby found their second wind and scored 3 unanswered goals in 5 minutes and took a 4-3 lead.  The Spits fought back to tie the game on a goal by Curtis Maracle from Travis Schruder.  The Peach Kings came right back a minute later to once again take the lead 5-4.  Despite several attempts in the final minutes by the Spits to tie the score yet again, Grimsby held off the attack and the victory was theirs.  Goalie Brian Valentine took the loss stopping 31 shots in the process.

The Spits next see action Saturday October 9th at 7:30 pm. as the New Hamburg Firebirds come to town.  Prior to the regular game there will be a Spitfires Reunion game starting at 6:00 pm. as several former Spitfires make a return to play against a host of local Aylmer hockey heroes.  C’ya There!

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SPITFIRES SOAR THROUGH STORM

Sept. 27th, 2010.

The Spitfires had what should have been an easy weekend.  A one game weekend in Junior hockey is considered slow.  But then the Storm arrived in Aylmer Saturday night for their first clash of the season with the Spitfires.  The first period was a see-saw battle with both teams trying to capitalize on their chances and neither able to do so.  Early in the second, Scott Mugford found the back of the net assisted by Curtis Roloson.  The lead was short lived as Simcoe tied the score shortly after the Mugford goal.  But just over a minute later the Spits took back the lead when Curtis Maracle scored on a play set up by Brandon Harbour.  Midway through the second the Storm took advantage of a power play situation to knot the game at 2.  Yet again the Spits quickly fought back taking the lead for good just 37 seconds later on a goal by Mark Pfohl assisted by Curtis Maracle and Travis Schruder.  This goal ignited the Spits as they managed to score 4 goals in less then 4 minutes to open up their lead to 6-2.  Scoring for the Spits were Curtis Roloson, Corbin Bean and Curtis Maracle with helpers going to Scott Mugford, Sean Mullin, Will Cook, Todd Laurindo and Mark Pfohl.  The third period had play going back and forth with both goalies making some key saves.  In the end the Spitfires lead held and the victory was theirs.   Brian Valentine back stopped the victory for the Spits making several big saves throughout the game.

The Spits next see action Friday Oct. 1st at 8 pm when they visit 1st place Norwich.  Their next home contest comes against Niagara East Division powerhouse, Grimsby Peach Kings, this Saturday Oct. 2nd at 7:30 pm at the EECC.

Spits visit IPM

The Spitfires spent some time last week working at the International Plowing Match.  Several players helped out with “Terry’s Wagon” at the RV trailer park.  The Spits thank Terry and Nancy Dueck for the opportunity to help with this endeavour.

Upcoming Events

The Spitfires will once again have their Annual Hockey Heaven draw.  Prizes for this years draw include:  2 tickets to see Montreal Canadians at Ottawa Senators plus Via Rail Train service from London to Ottawa.  4 tickets to see Washington Capitals at Toronto Maple Leafs.  10 tickets to the DeDell Seeds Private Suite at the JLC to see the London Knights in action.  Look for your opportunity to get your chance to win one of these great prizes as players begin to sell tickets in the coming weeks.

The Annual Spitfires Alumni/Reunion game will take place on Sat. Oct. 9th at 6 pm. prior to the Spitfires regular season game that night.  Come see your former Spits battle it out one more time.

Kids don’t forget to register for the ALL NEW “Spits Kids Club”.  $10 for a seasons pass, t-shirt, dressing room tours, bowling, free skate and more…Don’t miss out.  Visit www.aylmerspitfires.com and sign up today.

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SPITFIRES GRAB 3 OUT OF 4 POINTS AS REGULAR SEASON OPENS.

Sept. 20th, 2010.

The Aylmer Jr. C Spitfires opened the 2010-11 regular season schedule with 11 returning players from last years squad including newly named Captain, Travis Schruder,  of Dorchester and  local returnees, Brandon Harbour, Curtis Roloson and Curtis Maracle.  Along with this core a new group of local boys have come into the fold, including Scott Walker, Mitch Roloson, Todd Laurindo and Josh Honsinger.  Returning Coach/GM Mike Shewan, hopes the injection of these new players along with Ben Shaw, Will Cook, Chad Brulotte, Mike Belanger and goalkeepers Brian Valentine and Lucas Easterbrook will lead the team closer to the top of the Niagara West Division.

Spits Win in New Hamburg

The Spits started the season off on the right foot, when they paid a visit to New Hamburg to open the season on Friday night.  The game started out slowly, with each team having chances but no one able to capitalize.  The Firebirds struck first mid way through the first period and held that lead till mid way through the second when the Spitfires struck for 2 quick goals in just under a minute to take the lead, 2-1.  Scott Mugford scored first from Corbin Bean, Mugford then set up Curtis Roloson for the 2nd goal.  The lead was short-lived as New Hamburg fired their 2nd goal of the game past Brian Valentine to knot it up at 2, just 20 seconds after the Spits had taken the lead.  In the last minute of the 2nd frame the Firebirds just squeezed in another goal to carry a 3-2 lead into the break.  In the 3rd period the Spitfires put the pressure on and didn’t let up.  Mid way through the period the Spits struck and did it quickly once again, scoring 3 goals in a 51 second time frame to jump out to a 5-3 lead. Scoring for the Spits was Josh Honsinger from Chad Brulotte, Corbin Bean unassisted and Will Cook from Adam Brisson.  The Firebirds didn’t give up, but Goaltender Valentine was up to the test and fended off each attack.  Scott Mugford capped off a 3 point night (2G, 1A) with an empty netter, assisted by Brian Valentine and the game ended in 6-3 victory for the Spits.  Valentine made 28 saves for the victory between the pipes.

Home Opener

The Spitfires didn’t get much of a break as they headed back to Aylmer for their home opener on Saturday night against the Paris Mounties.  Both teams came out fast each getting several opportunities to open the scoring.  Both goaltenders stood up to the test, till late in the first when Spitfire forward Mark Phofl found the back of the net unassisted on the power play to give the Spits the lead heading into the second.  The Mounties managed to tie the game on a power play marker of their own early in the second period.  The rest of the game became a battle of goaltenders as the Spits Brian Valentine matched the Mounties Lee Doherty save for save.  At the end of regulation the game was still tied.  The five minute overtime frame proved to be more of the same as the Spits worked hard to get the winning goal but were turned away chance after chance by the Paris goalie.  Late in the overtime Aylmer thought they had won the game when they finally snuck the puck across the goal line, but the referee waved the goal off saying it was kicked in.  With the overtime outcome the same as regulation the game headed to a shootout.  Paris managed to outscore the Spits 2-0 and took home the 2-1 shootout victory to spoil the Spits home opener.  To no one’s surprise, the Spitfire player of the game was goalie Brian Valentine making 29 saves on the night.

Taking 3 out of 4 points to open the season made for a very successful weekend for the Spits who now turn their sights on the Simcoe Storm who come to Aylmer Sat. Sept. 25th game time 7:30 pm.  Kids remember to come out and sign up for the Spits Kids Club so you can be a part of everything that comes with it.  Please visit our website today so you don’t miss out.  www.aylmerspitfires.com

C’ya There!

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SPITFIRES WIN IN EARLY PRESEASON GAMES

AUGUST 30TH 2010.

The Aylmer Spitfires opened training camp last week with 27 hopefuls on hand along with all the returning players from last year’s squad looking to crack the line up once again.  This group also included several 16 year olds, vying for one roster spot.  OHA rules only allow a maximum of one 16 year old on each Jr. C hockey team and that player must be from the team’s local drawing area.  There were also ten goalies looking to take the two open spots between the pipes.

Roster cut down for exhibition games.

After the first skate, Coach/GM Mike Shewan, reduced the numbers for the upcoming exhibition games.  On Thursday night in Aylmer the Spits played host to the Simcoe Storm.  The Spits line up was a complete rookie team, with the exception of Mark Pfohl who is hoping to make a return to the Spitfires for his overage year and Jason Gregory, who patrolled the blueline for the Spits last season.  The line up included Aylmerites, Josh Honsinger, Christian King, Mitch Roloson, Scott Walker, Austin Hepburn and Todd Laurindo.  The Storm line up was a mix of returning and rookie players.  The game was a real seesaw battle with the Spitfires pulling out the 3-2 victory to open the exhibition schedule.  A strong performance in net was shared by Stefan Duncan and Lucas Easterbrook.  Nick Boyer had the first 2 goals for the Spitfires, both assisted by Will Cook. Mitch Roloson scored an unassisted power play goal on a blast from the point, to round out the Spitfire scoring.

Saturday night Coach Shewan iced a more veteran line up with more returning players taking to the ice against arch rival Norwich Merchants.  The game was a typical preseason contest as the players struggled to find their timing and get back into the rhythm of the game.  The Aylmer net was shut down by Brian Valentine and local goalie, Greg Acheson.  Other local talent in the game were Brandon Harbour, Curtis Maracle, Curtis Roloson, Mitch Roloson, Scott Walker and Brett Haines.  The Spitfires managed to pull out another victory 2-1, with both goals coming from the stick of overage hopeful, Cassidy North.

Next Action

The Spitfires now take their 2-0 preseason record into Tillsonburg on Tuesday August 31st at 7:30 pm for a re-match against Simcoe.  They then travel to Norwich on Friday September 10th for an 8:00 pm. start.  The next Home Game will be Saturday, September 11th at 3:00 pm vs Lambeth.  The preseason then closes out Sunday September 12th at Nichols arena in London vs Lambeth at 6:00 pm.  The 2010-11 Regular Season Home opener will take place Saturday September 18th, mark your calendars.

SPITFIRES PREPARING FOR TRAINING CAMP

August 16th, 2010.

Hard to believe another off season is almost behind us and Spitfires hockey is getting ready to head back to the ice.  President Charlie Roloson said “Everything gets started August 23rd with our Open Camp.”  The Open Camp allows Junior aged players (age 17-20) and local 16 year old players the opportunity to showcase their talents for the Spitfires Coaching staff.  All the details about the Spitfires camp can be found on their website at www.aylmerspitfires.com.  Although the camp marks the start of the new season the Spitfires have been working hard all summer fundraising for the coming season.  “We’ve had some very successful fundraisers recently, including our Annual Golf tournament and the first ever Yard Sale/BBQ and Car Wash, thanks to the support of our fans and sponsors.” President Roloson said.  The fundraising will continue “with our sponsorship drive kicking off and annual Hockey Heaven draw in October.”

New this year

The Spitfires will be introducing something new for their little fans this year.  “We’re starting the Spits Kids Club for kids aged 3-12.” President Roloson added “we will be having a special night at one game per month for club members where they can win prizes and there will be other special club members only activities including bowling with the players and a skate with the players, it should be fun for everyone.”  The fee for the Kids Club will be $10 and include a T-shirt along with their own Kids Season’s pass.  “We’re hoping to get more kids excited about Spitfire hockey.”  Roloson said.  Keep an eye on the Spitfires website for details on how to sign up.

The Spitfires will be playing a game in Dorchester this year, Friday January 7th 2011.  Several Spitfire players over the years have come from Dorchester.  “Since they have a new rink it seemed like a good fit and a chance to thank the players and their families for their support over the years.” said President Roloson.  He was quick to stop any rumours of a permanent move to Dorchester adding “we’ve heard several people talking this summer about the Spits leaving town or being sold, this is NOT happening, the Spitfires are in Aylmer to stay.”

On the ice

The team this year will be looking to replace some very key players who graduated from Junior hockey at the end of last season.  “Goalie Brandon Rohrer had been steady between the pipes for us for several years and the leadership of Captain Adam Vandepoele and Derek McTaggart will also leave big holes to fill.”  President Roloson said, “We’re hopeful we can find some gems out there to fill in the gaps in our line up.”  The Spitfires will have a new look behind the bench this season as well as last years Assistant Coach Dave Kontzie has moved on to become a Head Coach in the Elgin Middlesex Chiefs organization.  Returning Head Coach Mike Shewan has added a strong replacement in local coaching phenom, Mark Steele.  For the last three seasons Mark has lead the Aylmer Minor Hockey Midget Rep. teams to OMHA and Silver Stick Championships.  “He knows the local talent and can utilize his hockey experience to help our team grow and compete.”  Roloson added.

Reporter and Announcer Wanted

The Spitfires have found an even larger hole to fill in their line up with the retirement of Gus LaGrandeur as our staff reporter.  Gus spent countless hours writing Spitfire Reports for the newspaper and website since the team began play 8 years ago.  “We want to recognize everything Gus did for our team and thank him for his time and professionalism over the years.”  President Roloson stated “He will be very hard to replace.”  If you have an interest in hockey and want to be a reporter please contact the Spitfires directly through their website.

Also, with the recent retirement of Mr. Bob Reynaert, and departure of Len Booy, the Spitfires are looking for a full time PA Announcer for all Home Games. Again, if interested please inquire through the website.

Exhibition Season

The Spits will host 3 home exhibition games this year.  Starting with their first exhibition action in Aylmer on Thursday August 26th when they face off against the Simcoe Storm.  Norwich Merchants come to town on Saturday August 28th and the final home exhibition contest will take place on Saturday September 11th against the Lambeth Lancers. The Regular Season Home opener will follow Saturday September 18th.  All games will have a 7:30pm start time. Be sure to watch this team grow from start to finish.  Don’t miss a second of the action.

 C’Ya There!